Philosophy on Teaching and Learning

Learning is described as the acquisition of new knowledge which eventually leads to a change in behaviour while teaching is regarded as the transference of knowledge†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ As a teacher, my main responsibility in the classroom is to facilitate and provide guided my students learning. Learning is the acquiring new knowledge which will lead to behaviour change. On the other hand, teaching is transference knowledge in a manner that caters to individual learning styles, in a capable manner. In so doing, I serve as a guide and facilitator. I allow students explore and develop their own learning experience. Every child is a gift from God and is to be treated as such. I ensure that they treated fairly and given equal opportunities. These I do by ensuring that proper resources are readily available in an environment of love and care, so that grow and mature spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically, thus fostering holistic development. Through dedication and commitment to the teaching/learning process, I plan my lessons creatively and meaningfully so as to generate students’ interest as well as to foster intrinsic motivation. This is done through the use of technology, research and active discussions which enhance their critical thinking. I also engage them in cooperate learning strategies so that their social skills are developed. To ensure that my objectives are met, I evaluate each lesson and do the necessary adjustments and do assessments at regular intervals. These assessments are done by giving monthly tests, journal entries and class discussions. As an educator, I avail myself totally to the teaching/learning process. In so doing, I equip myself with the required skills and knowledge by attending professional development workshops and pursuing a degree programme.

A Day I’Ll Never Forget

When you wake up in the morning; you never know what to expect. People get up as though everyday will be a normal day. People go to work or school and live their daily lives. The day of October 31, 2011 my daughter's mother was induce becuase she was pass her due date. That day was crazy from waking up in the morning and the trip to the hositpal. From watching my daughter's mother go through the pain she went through and when the time came when my daughter was born was a unrealistic feeling. The day of October 31, 2011 I will never forget that day.My girlfriend and I woke up at five o'clock in the morning , and we said a prayer together. We got ready and left the house at 7 o'clock am. For some reason, driving to the hospital seemed to take longer than usual. I remember everything about this day as if it was yesterday. We arrived to Morton Plant Hospital and proceeded to the Labor and Delivery unit. The halls were very quiet and I remember thinking to myself this is it this is the da y thats gonna change my life forever. After the doctors and the nurses induce my daughter's mother it was nothing but a waiting period.After a few hours, my daughter's mother began to have some normal contractions she was able to handle them for small period of time; however, the contraction came to become more painful to her. I never wintessed anybody go thourgh no type of pain like she went thourgh. I ask her what the contractions felt like she said,† The pain is like having your insides twisted, pulled, and squeezed combined with someone stabbing you in the stomach. † The only thing I can say to myself is ouch! After hours of toture pain she couldnt take it anymore, so she went ahead a got a epidurals.When she got the epidural the pain easily ease away. Thank God for epidurals. The time has come after fourteen hours of been in the hospital it was time. My daughter's mother had a dialte to ten centemeter and it was time to push . I have never been so scared it was like I was in a hunted house and I couldnt get out. After a few pushes and me almost passing out on the floor she was finally here. When my daughter arrived, I jumped up really high and scream out it's a boy I dont know what I saw but I thought she was a boy.She was born healthy and was the cuties baby I ever seen. I never been so happy like I was that day. The day my daughter was born I will never forget. While I'll was expecting a baby boy; I got a beautiful baby girl. That day was a unforgetable day. From the time we woke up that morning and getting to the hositpal . Watching the labor pain my child's mother was going thourgh was the scariest thing I ever saw. The most important feeling was watching the birth of my child. Watching the birth of my baby girl was a unrealistic feeling.

Critiquing Strategic Plans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Critiquing Strategic Plans - Essay Example The strategic plan is to have substantial investments so as to assure the long term efficiency and to achieve substantial revenue growth. (James, 2009) Any investment will be done in accordance with the minimum funding level policy for the company’s reserve. The company subsection entails dynamism in aspects as in the vision and mission which is a strength.However; the company has several specific operations with the long term inefficiency costs. This insufficient costs constitute company weakness.The company should therefore set manageable subsections of the objectives that will be handled in accordance to the available costs. (James, 2009) The Arizona Strategic Highway Safety Plan is scheduled to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on public roadways. The mission is to have zero deaths across the public roadways. Ordinarily, there are 12 safety emphasis areas including speeding and aggressive driving, impaired driving, occupant protection (seatbelts, child safety seats), motorcycle safety, distracted driving, roadway infrastructure improvements (intersections, lane departures), age-related driving, heavy vehicle/transit/bus safety, non-motorized users (bicyclists, pedestrians), natural risks (weather, animals), traffic incident management (secondary collisions, work zones) and cross-jurisdictional issues. The safety plan outlines a clear set of actions and proposed strategies to be taken over the next five years to reduce motor vehicle and pedestrian-involved crashes, and save lives on roadways (ADOT, 2014 ) The strength is the support of the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Arizona Department of Health Services, our federal partners and the hundreds of participating stakeholders across our state. The strategic plan has not involved the educative programs and this is a weakness. There is need for proper education on the

Law Essay - Criminal Law Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Law - Criminal Law - Essay Example Therefore in respect of the facts at hand unless a case beyond reasonable is made in respect of John he would be deemed to be innocent. (Woolmington v. DPP)1 (Oremond et al, 2011) On the basis of the above discussion it is important to bear in mind that criminal liability would accrue if the offence is proved beyond reasonable doubt and the burden of proof vests with the prosecution. An important principle that is also laid down is that the actus reus and mens rea of the offence must coincide, however the courts have adopted a broad approach in respect of the same. (Clarkson et al, 2010) In respect of proving an offence the requirement is that of actus reus, mens rea and the absence of any defence (Lord Diplock in R v Miller). There has been an important requirement that actus reus and mens rea need to coincide, however it is pertinent to mention that the said requirement has been interpreted broadly. (Fagan v. Commissioner of Police)2. A situation where it was found that the actus r eus and mens rea had coincided was that the conduct of the defendant created a situation of danger (R v. Miller)3. (Oremond et al, 2011) The actus reus of an offence is usually satisfied when a positive act is committed. There has often been the requirement that the act that has been committed must be voluntary, as was defined by Lord Denning that ‘No act is punishable if it is done involuntarily, and an involuntary act in this context...means an act which is done by the muscles without any control by the mind such as spasm, a reflex action or a convulsion; or an act done by a person who is not conscious of what he is doing such as an act done whilst suffering from concussion or whilst sleepwalking...’ (Bratty v Attorney General for Northern Ireland)4 . Thus the act of the defendant must therefore be voluntary and a wilful movement of body. (Simester et al 2009), The second element is that of mens rea which deals with the state of mind of the accused. The criteria for m ens rea has been developed and is ongoing for a number of years and the cases that were decided upon took into consideration the intention, subjective recklessness, objective recklessness, lacuna etc. (Simester et al 2009), As far as mens is concerned the current situation is that of Woollin5 and R v. G which has been attained after refining of the original test for intention. Thus the test is that there must either be direct intent that is the defendant had intended a result by committing the particular act; or oblique intent that is the result may have been that which was a virtually certain consequence of the act. (Oremond et al, 2011) The issue in respect of the liability that requires an evaluation is that whether in respect of the facts at hand there is an element of causation which would break the chain of causation. The test of causation first deals with factual issues that is would the harm have occurred but for the action of the defendant, this is what is known as the â₠¬Ëœbut for’ test (R v. White)6. It is evident by the facts that the act of John had led to the harm and so the ‘but for’ test proves the fact that the harm was in fact caused by John. The second issue requires determination of legal causation that is whether the acts of John were the substantial and the operating cause

Family Medical Leave Act Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Family Medical Leave Act - Research Paper Example The employees should meet the 1250 minimum working hours under their current positions, as well, to gain eligibility to have the leave. The law outlines the procedure for the acquisition of a leave under the act. An eligible qualified employee for the leave files a thirty-day advanced request for leave. The acceptance of the request filed by the employee depends on the employer’s receipt of the required documents for approval. There is a provision for eighteen days for the return of certification healthcare forms from a qualified healthcare provider. Non-compliance with the provisions outlined in the procedure amounts to non-approval of the request for the leave. At the end of the leave, the employee brings a notification, from the health provider, stating the position of the employee to return to duty. The notification shall provide, where need be, restrictions that the employee should consider in relation to the execution of duty. The notification submission is a day before the employee returns from the leave. The FMLA covers a number of categories of employers in various sectors. It covers employers who have fifty or more than that number of employees under their service. It covers state employers. Also covered in the act are local government employers. The later does not have any provision of the minimum number of employees (Alexander & Alexander, 2005). Under the law, there are provisions that allow employees to who is eligible to take work leaves. The employees’ right to take twelve weeks to leave should have its basis on the various reasons stipulated therein, within any period of twelve months. The circumstances, under which the break can be granted, include the birth of a child. An employee also has the right to a work break within twelve months period to take care of a newborn. The law also provides for work breaks for employees for reasons of placement of a child, by the employee.  

Alan Greenspan - Biography Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Alan Greenspan - Biography - Term Paper Example Alan Greenspan’s father was employed as a market analyst and stockbroker in New York City. Greenspan was brought up by his mother (Miller, 2011). In 1944, after graduating from Juilliard School, Alan Greenspan was rejected for military service by a draft board in downtown Manhattan. This is because he had a mark on his lung that seemed like tuberculosis. Alan Greenspan had no plans for the future. From an early period, Alan Greenspan had a lot of interest in music. He is also presumed to be well acquitted with mathematical knowledge early in his existence. Alan Greenspan pursued his interest in music by joining the Juilliard School of dance, drama and music. It was at this point that he auditioned to play the clarinet for Henry Jerome’s band. During this time, Alan Greenspan further advanced his talent in music and later on traveled around with Henry Jerome and his music group (Martin, 2000). He got the opportunity to become a member of Henry Jerome’s band, but h e did not become a celebrity. During the tour with Henry Jerome and his music group, Alan Greenspan played the clarinet and saxophone. Nevertheless, his talents with numbers made him handle the band member’s taxes and the band’s financial records. ... Alan Greenspan went to George Washington High School from 1940 to 1943 when he graduated. He was classmates with John Kemeny. Alongside with classmate Stan Getz, Greenspan played the saxophone and clarinet. He continued studying clarinet from 1943 to 1944 at the Juilliard School. After the end of the war, Alan Greenspan enrolled at New York University for economics. A number of his classmates found it difficult to comprehend concerns relating to economics, but Alan Greenspan was highly interested in equations and numbers. While he was there, Greenspan got two degrees, one in 1948, and a Masters degree in economics in 1950. Later on, at Columbia University, he pursued advanced economics under the guidance of Arthur Burns but dropped out. He failed to complete his PhD at Columbia University because he was not able to afford tuition (Miller, 2011). In the early part of 1950s, Alan Greenspan established an association with the philosopher and famed novelist, Ayn Rand. His wife, Joan Mitc hell, introduced him to Rand. Moreover, Rand gave Greenspan the name, Undertaker, because of his reserved demeanor and liking for dark clothing. Although Greenspan was at the outset a logical positivist, he was moved to Objectivism, Rand’s philosophy, by Nathaniel Branden. In the period of 1950s and 1960s, Alan Greenspan became a supporter of Objectivism. He wrote articles for Objective newsletters and contributed a number of essays for Rand’s book. Among the essays he wrote was an essay that supported the gold standard. Rand and Greenspan stood side by side during the Council of Economic Advisers swearing-in, and they remained friends till 1982 when Rand died (Miller, 2011). In 1951, Alan Greenspan met Joan Mitchell; they

Research about human organ donation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research about human organ donation - Essay Example The society has always been a victim of many medical complications and organ transplantation has been embraced in treatment and procedures administered to patients who suffer from related health problems. Having to understand the exact meaning of organ transplantation would give us a vivid insight about the subject matter. The whole process is a surgical procedure where an organ or a tissue is removed and placed into another person. (Clinic-Clevaland 1). Organ transplantation can be broadly defined as moving of an organ from one body to another. The other type of organ transplantation includes transfer of organ from the donor site to another in same person’s body. The organs which can be transplanted are thymus, intestine, pancreas, lungs, liver, kidneys and heart. The tissues which can be transplanted are heart valves, veins, nerves, heart, skin, cornea, tendons and bones etc. There is a range of organs and tissues that that can be transplanted. These include the heart, liver, lung, kidney, ear, intestine, cornea, skin, middle ear, bone, bone marrow, connective tissue and many others. The donation aspect is inspired by a number of issues hence our concern on the ethical aspects involved. The donor in one case might be inspired to be involved to save a life without getting nothing in return. Patients with such difficulties as kidney failure are a good example of such beneficiaries. There have been many cases of lives saved through such donations (Price and Akveld 19-30). A donation might come from a living person or can be extended soon after their death. The organ donor can be living or dead. The definition of dead donor can be circulatory death or brain dead. As per medical authorities, the tissues except cornea can be recovered from the donors who have been declared as the circulatory deaths till 24 hours after cessation of heartbeat. Most of the harves ted

People Who Need People Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

People Who Need People - Essay Example A comprehensive social contract theory would depend upon the ideas of Stuart Mill, Thomas Locke, and John Rawis. John Stuart Mill’s ideas would be helpful in developing a perfect relationship between the individual and the state. The state, as an entity of authority, should work towards satisfying the individual’s interests. The state, therefore, should ensure that the individual attains the maximum satisfaction possible while also minimizing pain an individual faces. For instance, in terms of food, the state should ensure that a citizen becomes satiated. Similarly, the state should minimize hunger in the individual. The state, however, only performs these duties as long as the satisfaction of an individual does not compromise on the welfare of other individuals. Besides, the state should define a society form the individual’s disposition rather from the communal view (Jeske and Fumerton 163). The state should create an environment that enables the individual conform to oneself rather than conform to the society. Thomas Hobbes’ ideas are crucial in determining the finite capacity of the state in governing individuals’ affairs. Hobbes defines human beings, in their natural state, as unruly and asocial beings whose interests are rarely unified. This imposes the necessity of the state in harmonizing the interests of individuals. The state, therefore, is a natural consequence of individuals’ disorganized nature. Eventually, states behave as human beings as they develop asocial nature. In this perspective, the state should be subject to regulations that ensure it operates within responsible confines. Individuals should not hold the state as an entity that cannot err. This is because the state reflects the magnitude of disorganization present in a society. It is essential for individuals to create structures that ensure unrelenting transformation of the state towards perfection. John Rawls’ theory is essential in rationalizing the John

Changing Ethical Perspectives-McDonald’s Essay Example for Free

Changing Ethical Perspectives-McDonald’s Essay When Dick and Mac McDonald opened their first barbecue restaurant in 1940, it is doubtful they realized the impact their company name would have upon the world of business and food service. A few years after they opened their restaurant, they closed to renovate, rethink their business strategy, and presented a simple drive-in restaurant with a small menu to allow the brothers to focus not on providing diversity and choices, but quality within their service and products (â€Å"Our History-1940†, n.d.). It may have been the simplicity of the operation, or the high level of dedication to service that attracted the attention of restaurant equipment salesman Ray Croc. In 1954, Ray Croc visited their only establishment in San Bernadino, California and learned they had an interest in building a franchise around their existing business configuration. Ray Croc and the McDonald’s brothers agree on their first franchise plan and set out to build more locations. Kroc opens his first franchise location in Des Plaines, Ill. on April 15, 1955. By 1965, there would be more than 700 McDonald’s restaurants throughout the United States (â€Å"Our History-1955†, n.d.). As McDonald’s expanded outward, their community responsibilities inherently would increase. Through the period of the fifties and sixties, community and social responsibilities were simple; keep a clean restaurant, set reasonable prices (hamburgers were 15 cents), and concentrate on service. At the outset, it would appear the ethical perspective would be one close to utilitarianism (what will the most people like), with little emphasis on deontology or virtue theory. As McDonald’s moved into the seventies leading them on a voyage around the world, these responsibilities and perspectives would have to adapt and change rapidly to accommodate cultural changes and needs. Changes in Ethical Perspective as a Result of Globalization In 1967, the first McDonald’s restaurants opened in Canada and Puerto Rico. During this time of expansion, the McDonald’s line was fully developed into a restaurant that can be recognized with its signature golden arches and bright red and white colorations of the building. The menu also presented an unwavering selection of hamburgers, cheeseburgers, soda pop, and French fries. As McDonald’s expanded globally, it did so carrying the same rigid elements of marketing and selection that was originally offered at the start. Global expansion was going well, but cultural adaptation and ethical considerations are still several years away. The first sign from McDonald’s regarding ethics or a reaction to corporate social responsibility did not happen from their global expansion. In 1973, McDonald’s opened the first Ronald McDonald House in response to aid ailing children from Leukemia. From here, social responsibility for McDonald’s become apparent, but at a very slow pace (â€Å"Our History-1973†, n.d.). Cultural Issues within the Global Organization Amidst the seventies and moving into the eighties, environmental and ethical perspectives became more important. McDonald’s however, did not become a leader in globalization as well as ethical considerations. Because of the rigidity of their plant operation and offerings, they slowly were becoming an icon for unchanging American standards and unhealthy diet standards. In a weak attempt to stay strong and fresh, McDonald’s began increasing their menu from the simple hamburger and cheeseburger to include also specialty breakfast items and a larger dinner menu. They still failed however to change their image from canned and greasy fast food. The ethical rigidity of McDonald’s failing to change their menu items would continue well into 1987 before the first fresh salad entrees would finally allow them to slowly break their crusty perspective of ‘factory-made’ food (â€Å"Our History-1987†, n.d.). McDonald’s and the World-An Ethical Perspective Through the nineties and into the 21st century, a new form of consumer was emerging. This new creed of shopping known as ‘ethical consumerism’ focuses in on supporting companies that have a proven track record of healthy and environmentally supportive business practices. Even with menu enhancements and slight menu changes within the different cultural areas McDonald’s had entered, this is an area they had not yet championed (York, 2006). In order to survive, corporate leadership knew they had a very steep challenge to face. In small steps, McDonald’s slowly turned their behemoth juggernaut of food service into becoming more environmentally conscious and ‘green’. They took on challenges from large organizations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to change their beef and chicken production (Beef magazine, 2005). As the critics emerged, McDonald’s faced charges of unhealthy menu’s and unsound environmental practices. McDonald’s had to make a decision-keep with their out of date business plan and face ruin in the age of environmentally conscious companies, or find ways to introduce the needed changes into their organization. The process was slow, but over time, McDonald’s found by making necessary changes to their organization, they were able to slowly gain back a market share of followers who recognizing their ethical and environmental changes, were once again willing to support their cause. The result was a healthier menu, diet and nutritional guides, and even environmentally sound coffee and cups could be found within the walls of a typical McDonald’s restaurant around the world (York, 2006). According to Reynolds (2011), McDonald’s even prominently publicized their new image efforts through a new and fresh series of television advertising â€Å"†¦to focus on McDonald’s community and environmental initiatives†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Modern Cross-Cultural Perspective for McDonald’s McDonald’s has risen from one small drive-in restaurant with a menu consisting of 15 cent hamburgers, fries, and soda to a multinational company consisting of 33,500 local restaurants serving 68 million people in 119 different countries. Their current cultural perspective at the present time contains variety that Ray Croc could never have imagined in the middle of the 20th century. A mixture of utilitarianism (what would please most customers) and deontology (what is our CSR) seems to drive the corporate think tank and operational culture. McDonald’s is an excellent example of how a company that was started with very simple goals expanded, faced legal, ethical, and moral pressures and challenges, and is still capable of making it to the top of biggest and healthiest fast food restaurant franchises (Minkin, 2012). One of the greatest obstacles to McDonald’s was a rigid and unwillingness to change both image and perspective. Through the decades however, McDonald’s leadership has met their community responsibilities and currently carries an accepted ethical and moral perspective. References Author Unknown, (2005, February). McDonalds eyes change in Poultry Harvest Method. Beef, 1. Minkin, T. (2012). Americas Top Ten Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants. Retrieved from http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20435301,00.html Our History. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/our_story/our_history.html Reynolds, J. (2011, June). McDonalds Activity to Promote Ethical Focus. Marketing Magazine, (3), 1. York, M. (2006, November). With the planet dying of. New Internationalist, (), 5.

Asian Contributions Essay Example for Free

Asian Contributions Essay Many years ago, the laws of the United States prohibited Asian immigrants from entering the country. This law was eventually revoked and in 1952 legislation passed that allows people of all races to become United States Citizens. According to the U.S. Embassy website (n.d.), â€Å"today Asian Americans are one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the country, currently approximately fifteen million people of Asian descent live in the United States† (para. 2). This paper will examine the influences these growing Asian-American communities have on the social and cultural structure of American society. According to an article by Lam (2009), â€Å"Asian cultures have evolved and fully integrated into the American culture in the twenty-first century to the extent it is often non-Asian Americans who practice and promote Asian cultures† (para. 9). Asian Americans are individuals whose ancestries and backgrounds originate in the Far East and Southeast Asia. Asian American communities and their cultural influences have made their mark on the social and cultural structure of American society. From herbal medicine to acupuncture, the Asian American impact is visible in numerous aspects of American society. Medicine – Herbal medicine and acupuncture are an alternative medicine for pain management that originated in the Asian culture. This along with meditation and India’s yoga as well as herbal massage therapy are viewed as a holistic approach to health and stress management. Exercise – Tai chi chuan as it is known is an ancient Chinese exercise that has been adopted by Americans as a graceful form of exercise. Tai chi as it is known in America focuses on deep breathing and focused movements. This exercise that has been adapted to American societies is also used as a form  of martial arts. Martial Arts – Asian American’s have influenced American societies with the incorporation of martial arts into American culture. From Jiu Jitsu to Judo to Karate or Mixed Martial Arts all are types of defensive training that remains prominent in Asian American communities. Asian cuisine – It is difficult to travel in any part of the United States without encountering some type of Asian cuisine. Some of the most likely restaurants are Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese. This Asian style of cuisine has offered Americans such dishes as fried rice, chow mein, egg rolls and teriyaki. Not to mention that many American homes now have woks as part of their kitchen utensils in order to prepare Asian dishes at home. Religion – While the largest portion of the Asian American population is Christian there are still some members that continue to recognize the religion of their homeland. This religiously diverse ethnic group has contributed to the growth of Hinduism and Buddhism among American societies and cultures. As stated by Lam (2009) â€Å"according to a survey completed in 2003, thirty percent of Americans state they are familiar with the Buddhist teachings and twenty-two percent claim to be acquainted with Hinduism† (para 23). This author is unfamiliar with the concept of Asian American television networks, periodicals or magazines; however it is uncommon to tune into a Saturday morning cartoon network without seeing the Japanese animes dominating these stations. It is the consensus of this essayist that the Asian American communities have in the past throughout their immigration to the United States and will continue to influence the cultural and structural framework of American society. References Lam, A. (2009). From philosophy to food, Asian culture inspires americans. Retrieved: December 21, 2012. From: www.america.gov United States Embassy. (n.d.). Retrieved: December 22, 2012. From: www.usembasy.de/society-asians.htm

Exploring Death In The Odyssey

Exploring Death In The Odyssey In Homers The Odyssey, many different motifs and themes into his epic, and this theme catches the attention of several critics: death and rebirth. There are several examples of how a burial is not necessary for the people to make their journey to the underworld, such as Elpenor, who is left behind by Odysseus and his men during the war. Also, a situation arises at the beginning of the epic where Telemachus does not know the fate of his father, who has been absent from Ithaca for twenty years. Other examples include when Odysseus and his crew visit the Kingdom of the Dead, Odysseus many hardships he has to endure, and when he finally returns home from the Trojan War. The motif of death and rebirth is weaved intricately throughout Homers epic tale. This paper examines Book XI for how this key theme is apparent when Odysseus is able to communicate with his kin and fellow soldiers in the Kingdom of the Dead. In Book XI, Odysseus and his crew sail to the Kingdom of the Dead. This first soul he recognizes is that of Elpenor, his fallen comrade, and vividly retells the events that take place in a flashback: But first the ghost of Elpenor, my companion, came toward me. /Hed not been buried under the wide ways of earth, /not yet, wed left his body in Circes house, /unwept, unburied-this other labor pressed us. /But I wept to see him now, pity touched my heart /and I called out a winged word to him there: Elpenor, /how did you travel down to the world of darkness? /Faster on foot, I see, than I in the black ship. (XI. 56-64). This passage explains how the Greeks thought burial to be an end of some sort, but this proves that Elpenor still makes it to the Kingdom of the Dead even though Odysseus did not give him a proper burial. He also recalls meeting the great warrior Achilles and praising him for his kleos: But you, Achilles, /theres not a man in the world more blest than you- /there never has been, never will be one. /Time was, when you were alive, we Argives /honored you as a god, and now down here, I see, /you lord it over the dead in all your power. /So grieve no more at dying, great Achilles. I reassured the ghost, but he broke out, protesting, /No winning words about death to me, shining Odysseus! /By god, Id rather slave on earth for another man- /some dirt-poor tenant farmer who scrapes to keep alive- /than rule down here over all the breathless dead (XI. 547-58). By Homer placing this warning to Odysseus from Achilles, it seems that Achilles wanted to highlight that Odysseus needed to rethink how he wanted to be remembered; glory was not everything it was cracked up to be. Odysseus and his crew return to the living world, . . . where Helios, the sun, makes his uprising . . . (XII. 4), symbolizing their rebirth. Homer uses light and dark images to emphasize this rebirth. In this passage, the two heroes delve into the variances between the two realms they now inhabit, and each perceives the grass to be greener on the opposite side. Odysseus is envious of Achilles strength and the glory he had won from it; Achilles is jealous of Odysseus for being alive. Homer also uses many light and dark references to accentuate the death and rebirth theme in this epic novel-the darkness is symbolic of death, and the light represents life, and therefore, rebirth. Achilles informs Odysseus about his eventual return home whilst visiting the Kingdom of the Dead. The first example of how the motif of death and rebirth is evident in this poem is that of Telemachus uncertainty of his fathers fate. In Book I, he tells Athena, who is disguised as Menelaus, But now, no use, hes died a wretched death. /No comforts left for usà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦not even if /someone, somewhere, says hes coming home. /The day of his return will never dawn (I. 193-5). This symbolizes the fact that Telemachus is dead in the sense that he does not have any desire to reclaim his house from the suitors. Athena, disguised as one of Odysseus friends, convinces Telemachus that Odysseus is not dead and to set out on his quest to receive his kleos. This is very significant because Homer shows how each character goes through a level of death and what happens after the fact. In book XXIV, the last example of this motif is found. Upon realizing Odysseus return home, Laertes faints. Symbolically, this refers to the death of Laertes. He is essentially reborn when he awakens, and is instilled with a new passion for life and no longer wishes to make his journey to the underworld. Overall, the death and rebirth theme makes a very significant impact in The Odyssey. Homer makes use of this theme for several reasons. One of the more important underlying themes in the entire book is that one should never give up on living, and this theme highlights that in several passages and scenes. In this epic, Homer emphasizes that, even though a situation may seem undefeatable, there is always a route that will not only keep one alive, but will also provide some valuable lesson to learn from or insight. In this epic, the theme of death and rebirth is universal and proves The Odysseys timelessness and longevity.

A Mans Car :: Personal Narrative Automotive Papers

A Man's Car Any guy can tell you about his first time. The moment he knew it would happen, usually some fateful day after school. He slowly slipped in, then just froze, enjoying that single moment, hardly believing it was happening. Then, slowly but surely, with years of seeming evolution guiding him, he begins moving, changing his position, pushing buttons, then the final blissful moment†¦he turned the key and the car actually STARTED!! In that singular moment, an addiction is formed for most men. Contrary to popular belief, it has little to do with thinking it impresses women, and nothing to do with his penis size. Nearly 100 years ago, man gave birth, without the aid of a woman, to his own startlingly ugly little creation. And much like woman does, he has been taking that ugly creation and sticking it in other's faces, and asking "Isn't it beautiful?" or some variation thereof. After a few forty-odd years or so of evolution, a genuine automotive culture sprang up that's as American as, well, a Chevrolet. It became a minor sign of adulthood, for the young man to earn his license at the age of 16. Even moreso when he managed to get his hands on his first car of his very own. Women are certainly not excluded from this right of passage, but due to the sexual status of men and women when the car culture first began, it was predominently male, and continues to be. The young man, now outfitted with a license and wheels, was suddenly able to visit friends without his parents' knowledge or aid. To visit and pick up girls without his parents' knowledge or aid. To come home at any time of night without his parents'...aid (usually they somehow find out how late it was, and the young man remembers he's still a boy). All this sybolism and freedom offered by the automobile coupled with the raging repressed Oedipal complex of most teennage males makes for a hell of a need to get that license, get the car, and get out once in a while. Oedipus? Where does he come in? Have you ever seen a teenage male driving? The expression "Drive it like you stole it!" comes to mind. Every man remembers the first time he was driving faster then his father ever did, and a lucky few remember seeing the look on their father's face when they came home in their new sports car, and Dad's sad expression when he looked at his old grocery getter.

How the Characters in 1984 Rebel Against Oppression :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many characters in the novel 1984. These characters all rebel in separate and distinctive ways from each other. In George Owell’s not so sanguine vision of the year 1984 from his standpoint in 1949, he tells of a dreary future of what the world was becoming. In this future, no one has the right to anything, including free speech, freedom of press or even freedom of thought. Even the details like the history of the known world are changed by a corrupt and ever growing political party, which is managed and run by un-emotional and odious officials. From Julia, who rebels by purely simple, sexual acts, to Winston, who dreams to overthrow the party; all the characters have their own personal way of dealing with the oppression.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One example of rebelling against the party is that of Julia’s sexual escapades. She plots and plans to have sex with many of the different party members in order to find release in her otherwise boring lifestyle and by doing so she increases the amount of mass personal rebellion within the party’s regiment. After Winston and Julia are done having sex in the woods for the first time, he asks her how many other men has she done this with. She told him that she had done it with â€Å"scores† of other men and Winston is delighted to hear the good news. He feels that the more men she has had sexual encounters with makes the party weaker because those men don’t really feel committed to their party. Julia does not dream of rebellion against their oppressors as Winston does. However, she accepts her role in society and goes about life enjoying herself when she can.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Syme can also be marked as a rebel of the party. Although we have very little actual contact with him in the book, Winston thinks that Syme is too smart to have the party favor him for long. This is probably the reason that Syme disappears later on. He was working on a new Newspeak dictionary for the party but may have fell out of favor because of his intelligence. Syme is a rebel because of his brain. He refuses to go along with everyone else and bring himself down to the I.Q. of the masses, so he, in turn, gets himself killed by the party. This is an important note because Syme does not actually hate the party or even dislike the party.

Pre-Transfusion Blood Tests

Pre-transfusion Blood Tests: Title: To perform the following tests: ABO and RH grouping using the Diamed Gel Card system. Rh and Kell phenotyping (antigen typing) using the Diamed Gel Card system. Direct Coombs Test (DCT) using the conventional tube system. Direct Coombs Test (DCT) using the Diamed Gel Card system. Antibody Identifications (IAT) technique using the conventional tube system. Antibody Identifications (ETC) technique using the Diamed Gel Card system. Name: S. Ward Date: 8/11/2012 Introduction: The objective of this practical is to perform some pretransfusion tests, using various methods.Pretransfusion testing is carried out in all hospital blood bank laboratories and is used to minimise the risk of encurring a haemolytic transfusion reaction. Haemolytic transfusion reactions occur when a patient is transfused with red cells which have a foriegn antigen on the cell surface that the patient has an antibody to. While the ABO and Rh blood group systems are the most antigeni c and thus can cause severe haemolytic transfusion reactions. The other blood group systems can also cause a (less severe) haemolytic reaction, these reactions can be fatal and so the procedures to avoid them are of great importance.Materials & Method: Not all tests were performed by all members of the class. ABO and Rh blood grouping using the Diamed Gel Card system; performed. Rh and Kell trying using the Diamed Gel Card system; not performed. Direct Coombs Test (DCT) using the Diamed Gel Card system;not performed. Antibody Identification (ETC) technique using the Diamed Gel Card system; performed but not centrifuged so no results were obtained. Antibody Identifications (IAT) technique using the conventional tube system; performed Direct Coombs Test (DCT) using the conventional tube system; erformed. Cell 1% suspensions were prepared for the bench from a 3% cell suspension provided. Results: As well as some tests not being completed by everyone, some results were not obtained as t here was a queue for the ID centrifuge. Results below are ones obtained by myself; ABO & Rh grouping; Known O+ cells were tested. Expected results would be; However, the gel matrix had dried out so no results were obtained. Antibody Identifications (IAT) technique using the conventional tube system; + + + – – + – – + +When these results are compared with the ID panned profile, its is seen that there is no antigen which matches the antibody in the patient's plasma. Traditional Direct Coombs test results was positive. Discussion: The results from this practical were not as expected. With regard to the ABO Rh typing, the expected result for the O+ blood tested is as shown above. The reason why the results obtained were incorrect were because the gel had dried out. This shows that it is very important to ensure that the reagents used in the transfusion laboratory are of a really high quality to ensure that all results obtained are reliable.With regard to the traditional antibody profile, it is seen that there is no antigen which matches the antibody in the patient's plasma according to the ID panel. It is possible that the patient has an uncommon antigen which isn't on the ID panel. However, it's more likely that there was human error in labelling the reaction tubes 1-10. The direct coombs test checks to see in vivo sensitisation to IgG antibodies. The traditional coombs test results for this practical showed aggultenation when treated with antihuman globulin, which is a positive result.Results for the other laboratory tests using Diamed Gel Card system were unobtained due to there being a queue for the centrifuge. A brief explanation of all these tests is explained below; ABO & Rh D grouping; this can be done by conventional tube technique, as performed previously, or can be done using the Diamed Gel Card system. These gel cards contain known antobodies on a gel matrix. A positive result shows the red cells kept at the top of the gel m atrix, a negative result sees the red cells going down through the matrix to the bottom of the card.This has replaced the traditional method as it allows for automation. Rh & Kell phenotyping; this is done using the Diamed Gel Card sytem and is similiar to the ABO and Rh typing method. This shows which, if any of the main Rh or Kell antigens are on the patients red cells. The results are read in the same manner as the ABO and Rh D as described above. Direct Coombs Test using the conventional tube system; The direct antiglobulin test is used to detect in-vivo sensitisation and detects small IgG antibodies on a patient's red cells.The conventional tube method involves washing the cells three times for one minute, resuspending each time, then finally adding two drops of antihuman globulin and centrifuge once more for 20 seconds and results were recorded. This process is laborious and so can be replaced with the next method. Direct Coombs Test using the Diamed Gel Card system; The gel c ard system involves the addition of 1% cell suspension of test cells to the Anti IgG card, this is centrifuged for 10 minutes and results are recorded. This method also shows in-vivo sensitisation and detects small IgG antibodies on the patient's red cells.Antibody Identifications (IAT) technique using the conventional tube system; Antibody identification is used as a follow-up test to a positive indirect antiglobulin test. The antibody identifcation test is used to determine the red cell antibodies in the patient's plasma. If one or more clinically significant red cell antibodies are identified, then donor blood that lacks the corresponding red cell antigens must be used for tranfusion, this is reffered to as antigen negative blood. The conventional tube system involves reacting the patients plasma with the 10 commercial identification cells.This is incubated for 30 minutes at 37Â °c, each of the reaction tubes are washed 3 times for one minute, resuspended after each time and the n two drops of antihuman globulin are added and the tubes are centrifuged for an additional 20 seconds and results are recorded. This process is laborious, and so can be replaced by the gel card system which can be automated. Antibody Identifications technique using the Diamed Gel Card system; The method is the similiar to the other gel card systems and the principle it the same as the other antibody identification.As mentioned bofore, this process allows for automation and so is favoured in large labs. Questions: Principle of the Direct and Indirect Coombs test: The principle of the Coombs' test is that addition of rabbit anti-human IgG to the patient's blood will result in aggregation of the patient's red cells if the red cells are coated in small IgG antibodies that will not agglutenate normally at room temperature. So, the direct antiglobulin test is used to detect in-vivo sensitisation to IgG antibodies. Applications:The direct coombs test is udes to test for autoimmune haemoly tic anaemia. The indirect coombs test can be used to detect very small amounts of antibodies present in a patients plasma and if used in antenatal care to screen pregnant women for antibodies that may cause haemolytic disease of the newborn. It can also be used for compatability testing, antibody identification, RBC phenotyping and titration studies. Controls: The positive control is sensitised O+ cells and the negative control is O- cells.

Capital Budget Essay

Please offer your recommendations, based on (a) (b) (c) (d) the payback period method; the IRR method; the pro? tability index method; and the NPV method. 3. Case Study: Randgold Resources plc Randgold resources plc is a London Stock Exchange gold mining and discovery ? rm with almost all its activities centred in Africa. This case study concerns a hypothetical gold discovery of 300,000 ounces of gold in the Mwanza region at the north tip of Tanzania. Randgold can only extract 50,000 ounces per year from the Mwanza mine and variable extraction costs are a function of the gold price. The gold price is expected to evolve as follows: 1 Cases and Exercises for Value and Capital Budgeting Year Gold price 1 $1,070 2 $1,120 3 $1,200 4 $1,100 5 $1,000 6 $950 The discovery comes on the heels of a massive ? ve-year exploration and discovery programme that cost $20 million. Although the exploration and discovery programme has now been completed, the ? rm still need to pay $8 million this year and $5 million next year (year 1) as a delayed payment to suppliers. Randgold will need to lease the land from the Tanzanian government for $10 million per annum. Mining equipment and mining quarters (spanning ? ve miles) will need to be constructed at the cost of $70 million and this should be depreciated using 20 per cent reducing balances over the 6 year project. Assume that the equipment and mining quarters can be sold for only 20 per cent of residual value at the end of the project. The workforce will cost $10 million per annum but 30 per cent of the workforce will come from existing operations elsewhere in Africa. If the Mwanza mine is not put into operation, the workforce that comes from existing operations would lose their jobs. Working capital is expected to increase by $8 million at the start of the project and this will fall to zero at the end of the project. The effective tax rate of Randgold Resources is 28 per cent and the appropriate discount rate is 20 per cent. (a) Is it worthwhile for Randgold Resources to start production? Use three investment appraisal methods to justify your answer. (b) What are the main risk factors facing Randgold Resources in the mining project? Discuss these in detail. 4. We are evaluating a project that costs ? 896,000, has an eight-year life, and has no salvage value. Assume that depreciation is 20% reducing-balance method. Sales are projected at 100,000 units per year. Price per unit is ? 38, variable cost per unit is ? 25, and ? xed costs are ? 900,000 per year. The tax rate is 35%, and we require a 15% return on this project. (a) Calculate the accounting break-even point. (b) Calculate the base-case cash ? ow and NPV. What is the sensitivity of NPV to changes in the sales ? gure? Explain what your answer tells you about a 500-unit decrease in projected sales. (c) What is the sensitivity of OCF to changes in the variable cost ? gure? Explain what your answer tells you about a ? 1 decrease in estimated variable costs. (d) Suppose the projections given for price, quantity, variable costs and ? xed costs are all accurate to within  ±10%. Calculate the best-case and worst-case NPV ? gures. 5. The ? rm SENSITIVITY is studying the realisation of a project of launching a new toothpaste. The Marketing Department indicates the following estimations (in thousands of euros): Parameter Sales (quantity) Advertisement costs Sales price Value 1,450 tonnes 10% of sales 5/tonne 2 Cases and Exercises for Value and Capital Budgeting.

Indian Societies: Gender roles in the Ramayana Essay

In the early patriarchal era of the Ramayana, men dominated over the Indian societies. All areas of social prominence were entirely run by men in the form of warriors, priests and tribal chiefs. Women had very little or no power at all in the political and public arena. They were raised to look after their families as well as being dutiful wives. Women had the task of being loyal, faithful, loving and compassionate towards their husbands. Individual families were normally set up on a â€Å"Male authority† basis, with the husband and father determining fundamental conditions and making the key decisions for their well being. Women’s main role in society was that of influencing their family by providing love and affection to their husbands and children while the man was in charge of satisfying his family’s needs. Male oriented societal values allowed little or no space for women to express their interests and be influential in their everyday lives. Women were traditionally expected to serve their husbands and to have no autonomous interests. Only men could be rulers and leaders in the patriarchal society where the story of the Ramayana developed. Rama once said on his designation as prince regent: â€Å"Mother, my father has appointed me to the task of protecting the people† (Mack 584). This passage clearly illustrates how power was transferred from father to son in order to provide for the people’s needs and for the community as a whole. Rama then as a leader of society must enforce values among others and express his desire to bring remarkable attributes to the people that surround him. â€Å"Sovereignty falls to your share, too, for you are my second self† (585). The need for a sovereign ruler is thus expressed among the community and desired for all individuals in the society. Women were projected as passive victims of the male-ruled system in which they were trapped. Females were responsible for the well being of the family as a whole. Women were raised with a limited perception of their role and placement in the community. To be a respectful and a good house wife meant for these women to shed themselves of any ambitions and desires they might dream of. They had to conform to what was expected from them, which was to â€Å"have no identity besides being a wife or a mother† (Qazi). If they did not conform that way, they were subject to indignity while treated as mere  objects whose main role was to tempt men into sin. History has proven that women were alienated if they did not conform according to what was expected of them. These kinds of women were stereotyped as villains or perceived as being tainted. Men were perceived as being in a role of power, no matter how large their families were. They were brought up with the belief that they were the sole providers for the family. Their failure to perform as it was expected from them led the family into constant perish. Males were in charge of many aspects of society including: making decisions for the community, serving as spiritual guiders, choosing leaders and maintaining an equitable place to live in. Men often made decisions and enforced those decisions upon the family. As Raghunathan noted in his work, â€Å"Men lead and women follow†. Women had no chance but to agree to the male’s decisions they imposed to women. The fact that they were born males gave them an advantage over women in the way that they could achieve anything they wanted and become anything they desired. Men were highly valued and respected if they possessed certain values and ideals within the society. They were educated and trained to be ambitious and to have idealistic values, which were admirable in this specific society. On the other hand, women were taught to shed any ambitions and ideas they may have for themselves. The characteristics valued in men were not valued in women; on the contrary, these characteristics in women were disapproved because of the male-ruled system of the time. â€Å"Patriarchy leads to gender inequality in society† (Seeger). Eventually this could lead these women to become isolated from society since they were not allowed to perform the same tasks and duties as men. Women then, had to rely on the love and devotion they would bring to the family while having other interests and aspirations. In conclusion, the male and female roles in the Ramayana were pre-established by the rigorous society in which the story developed. Males had certain expectations they had to fulfill such as being rulers and leaders in order to be good men. Females, on the other hand, were limited to being faithful  to their husbands while expressing their love for the family. Each had a role in society that they could not differ from due to extreme moral valuation. Men were to become the best warriors and to desire power through leadership; women were to become good mothers and proper wives with no intent or desire to achieve higher goals or expectations. Patriarchy led men into high power positions in the community leaving women with no chance of participation in this field. This type of society facilitated men into possessing key roles in the religious and political arena which served them as a platform to pursue and achieve higher goals. In the story of the Ramayana, men were empowered and women were often subdued due to the patriarchal era that they were living in at the time of the story, which facilitated these typical gender roles. Works cited Mack, Maynard. â€Å"The Ramayana of Valkimi†. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. New York: W.W. Norton, 1997. 576-612Qazi, Uzma. â€Å"Ramayana Lecture Notes†. Grant MacEwan, Edmonton, 2008. Seeger, Elizabeth. â€Å"The Ramayana†. New York: William R. Scott, 1969. Raghunathan, N. â€Å"Srimad Valkimi Ramayana†. Madras: Vighneswara Publishing House, 1981.

Exceptionalities in a classroom Essay

In any teaching-learning activity, there are major challenges that arise and must be addressed with a lot of concern if the success of the learners is to be achieved. In any given learning environment, which narrows down to a school setting, there must be a classroom whereby learning process takes place. A classroom consists of quite a number of learners who are from different ethic groups, different cultures and also different races. This therefore calls the teacher to understand that in every given population of learners there are diverse attributes among the learners and hence treat each learner according to his/her needs. In working with students with exceptionalities in my classroom, my main concern will be identification of the factor that makes such a student be an exceptional student. In the first place, I will be concerned with identifying the students who are physically challenged by simply using observation (Schulte, Villwock, Whichard & Stallings, 2001). Through close observation, those students who are visually impaired, hard–of hearing and those who are dumb are easily identified. It is very important to identify such group of students since they have special needs to be attended to as opposed to the other normal students. In many learning institutions, these students tend to be overlooked since the relevant learning aids are not provided to them. As a result, poor performance by an able student or even a high achiever is witnessed and if this persists, the morale of the student declines and it may even result to dropping out of school. My physically challenged students must therefore be having learning aids such as braille for those who are visually impaired, hearing aids and translators for those with hearing problems. (Schulte, Villwock, Whichard & Stallings, 2001). My concern will be on ensuring that these students are not side lined in any way and that their performance rhymes with the effort that they put in their class work. I would as well encourage them to always sit in front whereby I can constantly monitor them and give the necessary assistance. There is another group of exceptional students that have been overlooked in many learning institutions. In a classroom of slow learners who are also treated to be exceptional students and low achievers, my concern will be to identify them through assigning regular exercises and continuous assessment test. Schulte, Villwock, Whichard & Stallings, 2001). Most of these students have lagged behind with great work load to cover, most of which they never accomplish. This then leads to failure and lack of self esteem among these students. I would address in full, every question that they ask and at their pace, give them remedial hours and more exercises so that they can perfect on them at their own time. This particular group of students needs a lot of encouragement since they may take a quite a lot of time before realizing that they are slow learners. There is also another exceptional group of students referred to as the high achievers or the gifted students. These are the students who are highly determined to know everything and grasp everything taught in class very fast. They might even at times challenge the teacher with questions. These particular students should be encouraged by assigning them much involving tasks that will seek to keep them busy. This breaks the boredom that they might experience when the teacher tries to assist the other students. They should be helped to set their realistic goals in their lives and also in ways of achieving them.

Aaron Douglas. Bio Essay

† He made numerous contributions at Fisk University. ?On May 26, 1899, Aaron Douglas was born in Topeka, Kansas. During his time in the Harlem Renaissance, Douglas helped to guide the artistic and literary movement. He is sometime referred to as the ‘Father of Black American Art. Douglas developed an interest in art early on, finding some of his inspiration from his mother’s love for painting watercolors (Biography 1). † Proceeding graduation in 1917 from Topeka, Kansas, Douglas enrolled in the University of Nebraska, which is also known as Lincoln. â€Å"There he pursued his passion for creating art, earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 1922 (Biography 1). † At the same time, he connected with students of Lincoln High School in Kansas City, Missouri to share his interest of art with them. After two years of bonding with his pupils, Douglas decided to migrate to New York City. New York’s Harlem neighborhood had a thriving art scene; therefore it would not take any time for Douglas to get use to New York.? Reaching New York in 1925, Douglas swiftly became familiar with the Harlem’s cultural life. He began his career in New York as an apprentice for Winold Reiss, a German artist whom he met through Charles S. Johnson. Being an apprentice for Reiss only lasted two years before he continued on to became the editor of Opportunity, the National Urban League’s magazine. Through his covers for Opportunity and The Crisis, Douglas set forth a new vision for the black artists. His strong, geometric forms and Egyptian profiles resulted in a style later described by cultural critic and educator Richard Powell as ‘Afro-Cubism (Aiga 1). † In 1926, Douglas finally stepped up to the plate and married Alta Sawyer. Mrs. Alta was a teacher as well. Their h ome became a social Mecca for the likes of Langton Hughes and W. E. B. Du Bois. â€Å"Around the same time, Douglas loaned his talents to the first and only issue of Wallace Thurman’s magazine FIRE!! nd later designed the cover of Thurman’s short-lived magazine Harlem (Aiga 1). † With Douglas reputation for creating compelling graphics, he became an in-demand illustrator for many writers (Biography 1). † A few of Douglas popular illustrations consist of James Weldon Johnson’s poetic work, God’s Trombone (1927), and Paul Morand’s Black Magic (1929). â€Å"In addition to Douglas illustration work, he explored educational opportunities; after receiving a fellowship from the Barnes Foundation in Pennsylvania, he took time to study African and modern art (Biography 1). This experience led him to creating some of his best-known paintings in the 1930s. Meanwhile, Douglas was hired to produce a mural for the library at Fisk University. Contin uing to broaden his horizon, Douglas spent time in Paris, where he studied with Charles Despiau and Othon Friesz. â€Å"Back in New York, in 1933, Douglas had his first solo art show. Soon after, he started one of his most legendary works – a series of murals entitled â€Å"Aspects of Negro Life† that featured four panels, each depicting a different part of the African-American experience. Each mural included a captivating mix of Douglas’s influences, from jazz music to abstract and geometric art (Biography 2). † ? Returning to Fisk University in the late 1930s, Douglas served as an assistant professor, and shortly after he founded the school’s art department. Because Douglas was valued his educational responsibilities, he attend Columbia University’s Teachers College in 1941, and completed three years earning a master’s degree in art education. â€Å"He also established the Carl Van Vechten Gallery at Fisk and helped secure vital works for it collection, including pieces by Winold Reiss and Alfred Steiglitz (Biography 2). Outside of his works in his classroom, Douglas remained committed to learning and growing as an artist. â€Å"He received a fellowship from the Julius Rosenwald Foundation in 1938, which funded his painting trip Haiti and several other Caribbean islands. He later won other grants to support his artistic endeavors ( Biography 2). † Douglas had several solo exhibits over the years from his continuation to produce new works. ?Douglas received countless honors during his later years. â€Å"In 1963, he was invited by President John F. Kennedy to attend a celebration of the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation, held at the White House. Douglas also earned and honorary doctorate from Fisk University in 1973, seven years after his retirement from the school (Biography 2). † He still remained an active painter and lecturer until the end of his life. On September 2, 1979, Douglas passed away at the age of 79, in a Nashville hospital. According to some reporters, he died of a pulmonary embolism. â€Å"Pulmonary embolism is a sudden blockage in a lung artery. The blockage usually is caused by a blood clot that travels to the lung from a vein in the leg (NIH 1). ? After Douglas death, a special memorial service was held for him at Fisk University, where he taught for nearly 30 years. â€Å"At the service, Walter J. Leonard, the university’s president at the time, remembered Douglas with the following statement: ‘Aaron Douglas was one of the most accomplished of the interpreters of our instituti ons and cultural values. He captured the strength and quickness of the young; he translated the memories of the old; and projected the determination of the inspired and courageous (Biography 2). † Aaron Douglas. Bio Essay † He made numerous contributions at Fisk University. ?On May 26, 1899, Aaron Douglas was born in Topeka, Kansas. During his time in the Harlem Renaissance, Douglas helped to guide the artistic and literary movement. He is sometime referred to as the ‘Father of Black American Art. Douglas developed an interest in art early on, finding some of his inspiration from his mother’s love for painting watercolors (Biography 1). † Proceeding graduation in 1917 from Topeka, Kansas, Douglas enrolled in the University of Nebraska, which is also known as Lincoln. â€Å"There he pursued his passion for creating art, earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 1922 (Biography 1). † At the same time, he connected with students of Lincoln High School in Kansas City, Missouri to share his interest of art with them. After two years of bonding with his pupils, Douglas decided to migrate to New York City. New York’s Harlem neighborhood had a thriving art scene; therefore it would not take any time for Douglas to get use to New York.? Reaching New York in 1925, Douglas swiftly became familiar with the Harlem’s cultural life. He began his career in New York as an apprentice for Winold Reiss, a German artist whom he met through Charles S. Johnson. Being an apprentice for Reiss only lasted two years before he continued on to became the editor of Opportunity, the National Urban League’s magazine. Through his covers for Opportunity and The Crisis, Douglas set forth a new vision for the black artists. His strong, geometric forms and Egyptian profiles resulted in a style later described by cultural critic and educator Richard Powell as ‘Afro-Cubism (Aiga 1). † In 1926, Douglas finally stepped up to the plate and married Alta Sawyer. Mrs. Alta was a teacher as well. Their h ome became a social Mecca for the likes of Langton Hughes and W. E. B. Du Bois. â€Å"Around the same time, Douglas loaned his talents to the first and only issue of Wallace Thurman’s magazine FIRE!! nd later designed the cover of Thurman’s short-lived magazine Harlem (Aiga 1). † With Douglas reputation for creating compelling graphics, he became an in-demand illustrator for many writers (Biography 1). † A few of Douglas popular illustrations consist of James Weldon Johnson’s poetic work, God’s Trombone (1927), and Paul Morand’s Black Magic (1929). â€Å"In addition to Douglas illustration work, he explored educational opportunities; after receiving a fellowship from the Barnes Foundation in Pennsylvania, he took time to study African and modern art (Biography 1). This experience led him to creating some of his best-known paintings in the 1930s. Meanwhile, Douglas was hired to produce a mural for the library at Fisk University. Contin uing to broaden his horizon, Douglas spent time in Paris, where he studied with Charles Despiau and Othon Friesz. â€Å"Back in New York, in 1933, Douglas had his first solo art show. Soon after, he started one of his most legendary works – a series of murals entitled â€Å"Aspects of Negro Life† that featured four panels, each depicting a different part of the African-American experience. Each mural included a captivating mix of Douglas’s influences, from jazz music to abstract and geometric art (Biography 2). † ? Returning to Fisk University in the late 1930s, Douglas served as an assistant professor, and shortly after he founded the school’s art department. Because Douglas was valued his educational responsibilities, he attend Columbia University’s Teachers College in 1941, and completed three years earning a master’s degree in art education. â€Å"He also established the Carl Van Vechten Gallery at Fisk and helped secure vital works for it collection, including pieces by Winold Reiss and Alfred Steiglitz (Biography 2). Outside of his works in his classroom, Douglas remained committed to learning and growing as an artist. â€Å"He received a fellowship from the Julius Rosenwald Foundation in 1938, which funded his painting trip Haiti and several other Caribbean islands. He later won other grants to support his artistic endeavors ( Biography 2). † Douglas had several solo exhibits over the years from his continuation to produce new works. ?Douglas received countless honors during his later years. â€Å"In 1963, he was invited by President John F. Kennedy to attend a celebration of the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation, held at the White House. Douglas also earned and honorary doctorate from Fisk University in 1973, seven years after his retirement from the school (Biography 2). † He still remained an active painter and lecturer until the end of his life. On September 2, 1979, Douglas passed away at the age of 79, in a Nashville hospital. According to some reporters, he died of a pulmonary embolism. â€Å"Pulmonary embolism is a sudden blockage in a lung artery. The blockage usually is caused by a blood clot that travels to the lung from a vein in the leg (NIH 1). ? After Douglas death, a special memorial service was held for him at Fisk University, where he taught for nearly 30 years. â€Å"At the service, Walter J. Leonard, the university’s president at the time, remembered Douglas with the following statement: ‘Aaron Douglas was one of the most accomplished of the interpreters of our instituti ons and cultural values. He captured the strength and quickness of the young; he translated the memories of the old; and projected the determination of the inspired and courageous (Biography 2). †

Hospitality Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hospitality Marketing - Case Study Example This case study examines Hilton hotels aim of expansion, quality and efficiency in customer service delivery and tackling the challenge of competition from other players in the hotel industry. Increasing profits and expansion is always the aim of any company and as such strategies are needed in accomplishing these goals. From the analysis of the case study it can be pointed out that Hilton hotel has laid plans to achieve these objectives. For instance, the Hotel has introduced Customer Mater strategy (CRM) and Hilton OnQ that is a comprehensive, integrated infrastructure (Kumar, 2010). The most important point that the case study highlights is the Hilton hotel incorporation of the two systems in improving their service delivery and expanding the customer base. With the dynamism of the hotel industry, Hilton stands out as it has a comparative advantage compared to other players. Despite the cost involved in its application, Customer Mater strategy (CRM) is a way to employ modern technology to give the company ability to solidify relationships with its best customers. Hilton focused in the hospitality industry is has been enhancing the value of the company’s portfolio and warranting consistency of delivery of every brand’s promise. These are critical issues that require deliberate strategies and Customer Mater strategy (CRM) has gone a long way in ensuring this goal is a reality (Hudson, 2008). Another major important point that case study explores is the importance of integrating information and technology in its operation. It has been insinuated that Hilton hotel had been experiencing a lot of challenges in customer delivery owing to delays and system failures. For example, the case study points out that in the past, very one of the Hilton hotel customer touch points experienced barriers to good client service since information was never

Company intro and 2 product descriptions Article

Company intro and 2 product descriptions - Article Example It has a strong customer care centre to take care of customer queries and inquiries. The research & development domain makes it sure to offer the quality products produced by their blend of ample experience and scientific research, always giving ways to new formulas and making products according to clients' requirements. The natural Lemon essential oil brings out incredibly fresh and comfortable feeling! Sluggish metabolism will not only make you fatigue easily but also dehydrates your skin and causes small acnes. New +10 Lemon body wash can whiten and reduce your acnes. The essential condensation rich in Forsythiae Fructus helps the body metabolize redundant body fluids. To feel fresh and comfortable, all you need is to massage during daily showers. Continuous usage can smooth aspiration tract sensitivities, and prevent acnes. After age of 30 the human body's hormones and immunities decrease, and this not only darkens the skin and turns it yellowish, causing dryness, roughness and hyposthenia. The +20 Dong Quai body wash is a cleanser which is developed to prevent aging and it rejuvenates the youth feeling within you. A mysterious microelement forms from the combination of extracted Angelica Sinesis & Rose. This mysterious microelement fulfills the lack of hormones from aging process.

Questionnaire design Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Questionnaire design - Assignment Example The benefits accrued by a business enterprise as a result of using loyalty programs include economic advantage and non-economic advantages such as sociological, psychological and relational outcome. The wheel of loyalty can be used by firms to effectively make sure that loyalty programs are functional. The first component in the wheel of loyalty is building a foundation for loyalty, which entails factors such as market segmentation to meet the customers need, ensure that the firm is geared to excellence in terms of quality. The next component is creating loyalty bonds, which is enhance by issuing loyalty rewards in form of financial, nonfinancial appreciation and recognition; loyalty bond can also be enhanced by building high level bonds in terms of structural, social and customization; and finally loyalty bonds can be enhanced by strengthening the relationship through techniques such as bundling and cross-selling. The last component in the wheel of customer loyalty is churn drivers that requires the business enterprise to demeanor churn diagnostics and monitor decreasing customers, it will also be necessary for the firm to make sure that switching costs are enabled. It is also very important for the firm to search for value in each customer, not the number of customers they

Computer management accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Computer management accounting - Essay Example The activities that are managed by organisations are becoming more complex and sophisticated, and so too is the way that these activities are configured for productive purposes. This means that the various component Management accounting is concerned with the provision of information to management, to assist with planning, decision-making and control within the business. Because planning and decision-making are inevitably directed to the future, management accounting often involves making future projections, usually called budgets. Important applications of this are capital budgeting, which deals with the appraisal of investments, and cash budgeting, which deals with the projection of future cash inflows and outflows, and the consequent financial requirements of the entity. Management accounting is also concerned with controlling and appraising the outcome of past plans, for example by analysing costs, and with assessing the economic performance of particular divisions or activities of the entity. Because the demand for management accounting information varies according to the activities, size and management structure of the entity, and because the supply of such information is not subject to statutory regulation or audit, there is a much greater variety both of techniques and of practice in management accounting than in financial accounting. ... Management has, of course, direct control over the information system of the business, so that formal regulation of the management accounting system is less important. II. Evolutionary Theories (Institutional Economics) Hamilton (2001)'s first major work, Evolutionary Economics, was primarily an exploration of the contrast between the institutionalist view of the economy as evolutionary and the classical static and mechanistic rendition. In his work this exploration primarily was conducted through examination of major areas, the institutional theories of consumption (demand), production, and distribution. (Hamilton 2001 p.745). Burns & Scapens, (2000) describe the background of institutional theory as "in recent years there has been increasing interest in institutional theory across the social sciences". They argue that three such theories have been used in the accounting literature see Miller, 1994 namely: new institutional or transaction cost economics see Walker, 1998 ; old institutional economics see Scapens, 1994 ; and new institutional sociology see Carruthers, 1995 Although these theories have different origins and intellectual roots, they share a concern for institutions and institutional change. All three offer insights which are helpful for conceptualizing management accounting change. They insist that OIE provides a focus on organizational routines and their institutionalization and, as stated above, in studying management accounting change we are studying changes in organizational routines. It also provides a way of dealing with some of the difficulties of using Giddens' 1984 structuration theor y in accounting research, and especially in research dealing with management accounting change. (Burns & Scapens, 2000 p.2) Burns &

How social media is changing advertising models Essay

How social media is changing advertising models - Essay Example Marketers currently use social media to catch up with the digital customers, letting go the traditional advertising models, and adopting the new ones that involve marketing online via the social media. It is evident that the digital migration, specifically the current use of social media does have a growing role in marketing that changes the advertising models, this in turn has implications on how channels, consumers, and companies perform. Unlike in the past, customers can now give their feedbacks about a certain product, feedback visible to other agents, these agents include the channel partners, the competitors, and even other companies. The main impacts on the advertising models include the fact that social media allows reviews about certain products (online reviews and ratings) impact different metrics. These metrics include the brand evaluations, consumer ratings, the company performance, consumer purchase conversion rates, and the organizations value. Many of the new advertising models adopted by many organizations include "customer feedbacks," in the past the customers did not have much freedom to give feedbacks about a certain product (Evans). Currently, social media for advertising the customers the freedom to rate a certain product that to some extent defines the major characteristics of a firm. The past advertising models focused on the four Ps, social media to some extent brings in another P, which stands for the "people," which is deeper, broader, and more profound than the consumer targeting is. Social media changes the way people interact among themselves, they play a major role as creators, advocated, critics, transmitters, and transformers of messages. Not long ago, the introduction of TVs in the industry changed the advertising models used in the past, but the introduction of the internet, social media, and the use of mobile phones made them even better. The online social environments, including the social

Leading and Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leading and Leadership - Essay Example The term â€Å"vision† suggests a mental picture of what the future organization will look like† (Leading and leadership). What is more difficult is to make people trust your forecasts. This task is not easy, thus the main purpose of the article titled â€Å"Goals† is to explain to the leaders how to make people trust them. A leader must be energetic and beam positive emotions. The team should consider a leader to be a winner; no one would like to follow a looser. It is essential to make people aware of where the company is going and what the main purposes are. The success can be reached only through teamwork, it is impossible to reach the goals alone. The leader should remember several rules: (a) it is essential to set realistic goals; (b) the goals should be directed on the improvements (c) people should take an active part in the process of setting purposes; (d) each goal should be achieved through a thorough plan. When the vision is developed, a leader should share it with a team and it is the task of a team to build a strategy that will help reach the goals (Hackman & Wageman, 2005). In order to build a right vision, that it the most difficult task, it is recommended to use the principle of the economist Vilfredo Pareto, who encourages leaders to think not about the great number of effects, but to pay more attention to the small number of causes. â€Å"Some leaders fall into the time wasting trap of going after the 80 percent of items that only have a value of 20 percent of the total net worth. Your visions need to picture the 20 percent that will have the greatest impact on your organization† (Leading and leadership). After the goals are already set, the next step is to make people achieve them. In order to make people do something, it is essential to inspire them. They should know what results they should have and what improvements their actions will bring. The leader should be passionate, involve employees in decision-making

Hume-Faith and Reason Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hume-Faith and Reason - Essay Example Faith is necessarily an internal asset, which lies beyond the comprehension of the sensory organs. In his book â€Å"An enquiry concerning human understanding,† David Hume observes, â€Å"Our most holy religion is founded on faith not on reason; and it is a sure method of exposing it to put to such a trial as it is, by no means fitted to endure.†(Hume 1999, p.98) Instead of beating about the bush, Hume expresses his views clearly when he explains, â€Å"Divinity of theology, is it proves the existence of a Deity, and the immortality of souls, is composed partly of reasoning concerning particular, partly concerning general facts. It has a foundation in reason, so far as it is supported by experience. But its best and most solid foundation is faith and divine revelation.†(Hume 1999, p.122) Howsoever brilliant may be the rational justification for beliefs and disbeliefs, they open the door to more questions. This is the problem with the revealed knowledge that leans heavily on faith. But even for the scientist, the starting rules of the game, and the initial syllabus, are based on faith. â€Å"Each solution still gives rise to a new question as difficult as the foregoing, and leads us on to farther enquiries. When it is asked, what is the nature of all our reasoning concerning matter of fact? The proper answer seems to be, that they are founded on the relation of cause and effect. When again it is asked, what is the foundation of all our reasoning and conclusions concerning that relation? It may be replied in one word, Experience.† (Hume, 1910) Human mind accepts nothing beyond the evidence of one’s senses. It works on the foundation of reason. But again the problem is, who is to judge, or where are the resources available that one’s way of thinking is accurate representation of the operation of the external world? As many minds, so many opinions and options! The detailed analysis of this issue made by Hume and its

The Simple Gift and Drifters Essay Example for Free

The Simple Gift and Drifters Essay An individual’s experience of belonging is invariably affected by their previous encounters with their environment and the people with whom they interact. This is clearly presented within the texts analysed. In the novel â€Å"The Simple Gift† by Steven Herrick the author successfully demonstrates the power of past experiences to both limit and enrich an individual’s sense of belonging to both their surroundings and influential people. Similarly in the poem â€Å"Drifters†, Bruce Dawe conveys the idea of constant change preventing people connecting and belong to a community or place. Steven Herrick demonstrates that a single event in our past can greatly affect they way in which we interact and perceive our environment†¦link†¦ This is clearly focused upon through the anecdote of Old Bill’s daughter’s death. Through the emotive visual imagery and use of ellipses I was there for hours mad with rage and pain and God knows that tree fell †¦Ã¢â‚¬  the author insightfully shows that grief and heartbreak can destroy a persons affinity with well known surroundings†¦link†¦ Herrick suggests, that with the perception of change of an individual’s environment through a physical transformation, their mental state may have a corresponding change. This is further reinforced through repetition in the metaphor â€Å"Fell and I fell with her and I’ve been falling ever since†. Symbolising Old Bill’s increasing disenchantment with the world as the passing of time since ‘the fall’, accumulating with the revelation of Old Bill’s current lifestyle. Through this notion Herrick intelligently reflects upon how one moment in life can destroy one’s sense of belonging to previous role†¦link†¦ The power of the past is also shown by Herrick in the chapter â€Å"A project†. The author intelligently develops a tone of hopefulness through the repetition of â€Å"promise† in â€Å" I promised her we’d go and I promised her we’d swim together†. The composer cleverly harnesses this to suggest the imminent completion of â€Å"Jessie’s trip† and the corresponding need of Old Bill to reconnect with the world in which he lives †¦link†¦ this notion is further depicted through the use of metaphor within â€Å"Jessie’s trip to the ocean† The composer effectively reinforces Old Bill’s wish to reintegrate himself and belong to a community by revisiting the past through the fulfillment of the trip planned between himself and his daughter†¦link†¦this clearly presents the idea of past experiences affecting not only the individuals ability to disconnect to a lifestyle but also reconnect to an extent. Divergent to the ideas presented by Herrick in The Simple Gift, Bruce Dawe suggests constant changing can affect an individual’s sense of belonging due to the inability to connect as a result of the short period of time afforded to them to create bonds. This is shown through the use of visual imagery and onomatopoeia â€Å"and when the loaded ute bumps down the drive past the blackberry canes with their last shrivelled fruit† conveying the idea of the hardships which can be caused by the inability to connect to people and place. The symbolism of the â€Å"bump† displays the difficult journey anticipated by the narrator due to previous failed attempts to develop a sense of belonging to her home. Further emphasized through the morbid visual imagery of the shriveled fruit intimating the lack of time spent preventing her from belonging and symbolizing the end of her connections to another community. Furthermore Dawe harnesses stanza structure and dialogue to illustrate this notion of the need for time to establish connections to an environment. The epetition of â€Å"and† at the beginning of multiple lines in the first stanza and â€Å"she† in the second stanza further emphasizes the idea of a perpetual cycle of negativity and sense of disconnectedness to her surrounding because of the frequent moving of home. Extending upon this concept is the use of the dialogue â€Å"Make a wish, Tom, make a wish. †. The composer shows the woman’s wish to gain a permanent residency to which she can create a sense of belonging. This connotation of hope additionally reinforces the concept of constant change preventing the establishment of belonging to a place.

E Commerce On Marketing Strategy Of Hotel Industry Marketing Essay

E Commerce On Marketing Strategy Of Hotel Industry Marketing Essay E-commerce is defined as the complete set of process that supports business activities in 1970s and 1980s; this would also have involved information analysis. The growth and acceptance of credit cards, automated teller machine (ATM) and telephone banking in 1980s were also forms of e commerce. The web first become well known among general public in 1994 and it took four years for security protocols (like HTTPS) to become sufficient developed and widely deployed. E commerce starts its relations with hotel in twenty first century, which was very different and complex than before. This way of business attract the hotel also for upgrading their business and here the marketing strategies of hotel industry become changed. Direct link with the customers through e commerce gave ideas to the hotel industry to change the customers expectations like when, how they want their needs and what is the budget of the customers for their product (rooms). The usual expectation of the hotels is that e co mmerce promotes friction-free-capitalism (CF. [Gates 1995]), with distribution cost reduced. It is easy to see that how this can happen, as the older communication system such as the post office, telegraph, telephone and the fax have all served but the cheapest, easiest, and time reduction way for the hotel revenue is e commerce. Many hotels have registration and payment done online. By the e commerce a customer can select the hotel, days and type of rooms from those automatically listed as available. Also hotels can order their supplies from companies that have e commerce services available. It also help the customers to choose their needs without thinking of time duration weather it is day or night at anytime. (www.school-for-champions.com) Although we all would likely agree that a balanced distribution strategy, which leverages both direct and indirect channels, including third-party sites and the GDS, is the best solution to optimize hotel revenue, if we will focus on the advantages of direct distribution. Specifically, we will look at how direct distribution is empowering hotels like never before to drive demand, generate profitable business, and maximize ROI for owners, regardless of the affiliation they may choose. Here is just one example of the power of the Internet to level the playing field across hotels of all types. What do the Royal Crown, Sofitel Brussels, Hotel Amigo and Hotel Metro pole have in common? They are luxury properties. They are located here in Brussels. They have different brand promises to their guests. They include an independent, a branded property, and representation company hotel. What they all have in common is that each of these hotels is placed on page 1 of Googles search results when s earching for Brussels luxury hotel. They are on the first page of a popular European OTA, Lastminute.com. And they are listed as a preferred placement on the GDS. (www.hospitalitynet.org) So, the Internet is an equalizer. Hotels can compete at previously unattainable levels. Now, no matter what the distribution strategy or marketing affiliation, hotels can compete effectively across all distribution channels. What this new playing field has done is give control for all channels of distribution back to hotels. In the excitement over the Internet as a new distribution tool, hotels unintentionally relinquished too much control of their bookings to third parties. With direct distribution, hotels can take back control of their pricing, their brand identity, their promise to guests, and their relationship with the customer. Most importantly, direct distribution allows hotels to take back control of profitability. To understand where the marketing strategy is leading in hotel industry by e commerce there is an example. In yesterdays model, hotels entrusted others to do their bookings. In Europes fragmented hotel industry there is not any coordinated effort for its distribution. Here, the mostly independent and small hotels are less than 30 percent represented in the Global Distribution Systems. The travel agents and tour operators were the lifeline to most hotels. In this model, the consumer had to use the travel agent and tour operators access to hotel information to make informed decisions, as there was little information available directly to the consumers. For those that did decide to expand their reach through electronic distribution systems, the Global Distribution Systems were the only alternative. In this model, the Brands provided the much-needed visibility. It gave hotels an identity, a way to be recognized. For the consumer, the Brand delivered a level of comfort. It was a pledge to the customer to deliver THE SAME as they traveled to unfamiliar territory. There were no travel- blogs or other review sites. In yesterdays model, the stars system was THE hotel review system that proved the level of Quality. Some hotels did see the Web as an opportunity to present their selves online, displaying information pages about their hotel, more like an online brochure than an e-commerce site. This while some Travel agents did embrace e-commerce and ingeniously moved their models online with dramatically increased inventories, promising mass volume, but at the cost of profitability for hotels. (www.hospitalityebusiness.com) Things are changing as it is mentioned before and it is crucial for hotels to stay abreast of the market. If they dont, their long-term success might be jeopardized by increasing and intensified competition. Hotels who do not diversify by leveraging the multiple channels can find themselves in situations that parallel the 70s in Spain, where tour operators dictated the room rates. The Center for Regional and Tourism Research reported that in Europe online hotel room sales increased by as much as 34 percent from 2004 to 2005 and reached over 25 billion in Europe in 2005. A further increase of about 25 percent during 2006 is expected. 120 million consumers are online across Germany, the UK, Italy, France, and Spain, according to Forrester Research. Broadband has become widely available, and prices have dropped dramatically. Phocus Wright statistics released last days predict that almost 40% of hotel booking in Europe will be booked online by 2008. Forrester, also points out that TWO of the TOP THREE most popular online activities for all users are travel related-researching hotel for holiday destinations and preparing booking online. (www.hospitalitynet.org) These changes cannot be ignored. Consumer behavior is changing and hotels need to adapt their relationships to reflect these changes, or be left behind. If we will focus we can say the e-commerce does appear to be leveling the playing field, and its transparency seems to be dictating the need for new distribution models. Now Why would a hotel encourage its customers to buy via the intermediary for less when it means even less yield for them? The Intercontinental Hotel Group, who was among the first to implement Best Rate Guarantees, even went so far as to implement a code of conduct and certification program for partner intermediaries. The hotel group eventually withdrew its inventory from Expedia and Hotels.com. Not surprisingly, then, we see why many hotels are moving to a consistent online pricing policy a nd have made their own web site top priority. In 2005, European direct travel suppliers booked almost TWICE as much business as the intermediaries with 66% of travel sales. (www.hospitalitynet.org) The Internets capabilities have matured to the point that it really is changing the way they do business. And so a new direct distribution model has emerged. This change in the online marketplace is not only changing how consumers shop, it is influencing what they shop for. Lets see what this means to competition for a couple sample markets. In London, where all parties are growing, independent hotels have had a growth of 21.3 percent, leading to revenue growth of 19.2 percent-well above the market average. Independents have been able to increase their ADR by 2 percent year-over-year, which has allowed them to see increases in revenue of nearly 20 percent. Reservations also grew for this segment, illustrating that independents can command the high price for the business. Independent hotels are also making gains in Paris. Independents saw an increase in bookings of 12.7 percent, leading to revenue growth of almost 10 percent. They are also seeing some other interesting trends in the Paris market. Independent hotels are commanding a $100 premium on their ADR as compared to the branded hotels in this market. While independents have taken small increases year-over-year to maintain this high ADR, branded hotels maintained their year-over-year ADR and experienced a loss in bookings and revenue. This data, from Travel CLICKs pr oprietary database, shows that independents can in fact compete with the brands today. (www.hospitalityebusiness.com) Indeed hotels have many choices. The choice of direct or indirect distribution is often related to brand affiliation and many times they go hand in hand. It is a business decision whether to go independent or fly a brand flag a decision that includes distribution capability, marketing, management expertise, and more that all together translate into a ROI. Recently, The Righa Royale, The Greenbrier, Grand American, and Grand Bohemian Hotel are just a few of the hotels that have left brand affiliations to go solo. Now the de-branding phenomenon is making its way to Europe. For example, here in Brussels, the Royal Crown Hotel recently de-branded. A brand is the product of experiences and is much more than a name or a logo. A brand is a pledge to consumers to deliver consistency in an effort to meet expectations. (www.hospitalityebusiness.com) Franchise/management company fees do, however, represent one of the largest operating expenses for branded hotels. When we look at the average GDS fees, we come to a sample reservation cost of $25; the average OTA reservation cost is $33. And a direct booking through Web site will cost only $7.50 in this scenario. These high fees can be over 10% of room revenue, which is as significant as having a  ¼ share partner! (www.hospitalitynet.org) Again, we come to the same conclusion. With a level playing field, direct distribution will yield hotels higher profits than third-party bookings. In the new model, every customer counts. It should be no surprise that positive consumer reviews have helped increases sales on Amazon.com and eBay for years and now are doing the same for Travel city, Expedia, and Sheraton. Today there are Central Reservation Systems and enhanced web booking engines that help hotels merchandise and differentiate their properties. New content management solutions help manage and distribute rich digital content including photos, video, room plans, and other brand-defining elements that need consistency across all channels. Today channel management solutions can quickly and easily manage the ever-increasing number of channels including GDS and OTA Web sites through a single user interface. All this, together with real time market based Competitive Intelligence, makes hoteliers informed and in charge of their distribution. In fact, those who have taken control of their destiny are being rewarded with higher revenues. Now that everything is so connected there is consistent 2-way communication. A wealth of market intelligence enables hoteliers to make even more informed decisions on their distribution and marketing strategies. And CRM-like applications keep hotels in touch wi th their most important assets their customers. Another way of e-commerce is Search engine marketing, which is an essential component of the hotel direct online distribution strategy. Almost 85 percent of Internet users rely on search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN to locate relevant information on the Web. Marketing is an extremely dynamic field. Search algorithms change, new search techniques and formats are introduced, new search services are launched, and new challenges emerge daily those keep search marketers busy. The result of web traffic affects a lot on those hotels, which are on the first page. Approximately 50 percent of people on the first page went to the second page and so on. Which affects the hotel and its marketing strategy off course. So the conclusion drawn from above is that competing on the search engines by appearing as early and as often as possible is of increasing importance. How a Web site achieves top position is not simply an adjustment of the Web page, but a concerted effort that requires time, expertise, and resources in Web site optimization and search marketing. Now another mode of attraction for the customers are how the web page of the hotel is made up have like how attractive is it and how much is it easier for a customer to search any information related to their need? If we will see in past there is an example, which can make it easier to understand. In a highly competitive northern California market, a boutique hotel needed to outsmart its competition and boost ADRs, revenues and occupancy rates. Internet distribution and marketing strategy developed from scratch. Actions: HeBS launched an aggressive Direct Online Distribution and Marketing Strategy for the hotel, including an award winning des igned Web site, email marketing, search marketing and link popularity strategies. Results: Within 12 months the hotel opt-in e-mail list grew from practically zero to more than 10,000 recipients. The website ranks in top positions on all major search engines for most popular keyword terms. The hotel website, supported by powerful email, search marketing, link creation and online sponsorship campaigns has indeed become the first point of contact with customers and over 50% of hotel bookings come via the hotel website.( www.hospitalityimpact.com) Many hotel sites are performing poorly as far as online distribution and search engine strategy are concerned. Why? Many hotel sites have been developed by Web designers who know nothing about the hospitality industry, based on input and concepts by hoteliers who are not experts on Internet strategy, online distribution, and E-Marketing. And many of them were designed as online brochures without taking into account principles in fundamental search engine marketing and online distribution. Such hotel sites inevitably produce poor results and few bookings. Strong search engine rankings require systematic, ongoing Web site optimization. Only a fully optimized site developed according to the best practices in online distribution and marketing can produce robust revenues, top search engine rankings, and position your hotel company ahead of the competition. Website optimization takes a comprehensive look at the Web site and prepares it for its best performance maximum user experience, book ability and conversion rates and yes, the search engines.