Teaching At The School Of Public Education Essay - 2053 Words

Layney Luis English 1302-002 Dr. Jeff King December 7, 2016 Teaching to the Test Dear Representative Lillian Ortiz-Self, I write to you with the common concern for our nation’s schools and children. Your work in the field of public education is outstanding and you’ve been recognized for your achievements. With your experience, you are very well acquainted with the need to improve our public education system. As a college student who has been through the public education system and desires to teach, I believe standardized testing has overtaken teaching and the joy of learning. I love learning and I love children and extending knowledge to them through teaching. I am currently in the process of obtaining my B.S in Early Childhood Education. I have yet to experience teaching in a public school setting but I know it’s a cooperative struggle to work with administration to ensure students are learning according to curriculum and beyond. For the past 3 years I have taught children from the ages of 3 to 6 at my local church. This gives me a bit of in sight to the learning process within students. The mark of true learning is within their engagement of new topics and connections to old (Fuller). The education process should be assessed within the classroom and the ways students interact with material they are taught, rather than relying solely on standardized tests for data. As a mother and a member of the Early Education Committee, you know the curiosity and excitement within youngShow MoreRelated Education and Teaching - Its Time for Uniforms in Public Schools944 Words   |  4 PagesEducation and Teaching - Its Time for Uniforms in Public Schools My niece will be attending kindergarten in the fall. She is so excited to be taking the big yellow school bus to school. While she is excited to attend school, I just hope she be in a safe environment at school. I remember my school days when a boy was pulling a girls ponytail or kids were pushing one another in line, this type of behavior was considered disruptive or violent. Today it is a different story. I read the paper andRead More The Pros and Cons of Teaching Sex Education in Public Schools1971 Words   |  8 Pagescouple have the proper education to make this life changing decision? They most likely were given their education from the school they attend. Hopefully the school taught them what they needed to know to make such a decision. Should sex education be taught at school by teachers or by the parents? Problems with having sex education at school There are many problems with having sex education in public schools. Religion plays an important part to the topic of sex education. 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Analysis of Langston Hughes Goodbye Christ - 1447 Words

Apart from his apparent disgust for the desolate life that the African Americans were subjected to, Langston Hughes also portrays an evident mistrust of religion, not necessarily towards religion itself but particularly towards those individuals who use religion as a cloak to conceal their true duplicitous and oppressive nature. In arguably he’s most controversial poem, Goodbye Christ; Langston Hughes takes on the role of a disillusioned Christian and repudiates the doctrines set forth in America, which was supposedly a Christian country. After his visit to the Soviet Union in 1932, Langston Hughes experienced the mechanisms of Socialism; he immediately noted the differences between the Soviet Union and his own country, America. Whereas,†¦show more content†¦The last 4 lines of the stanza introduce the key figures that influenced the persona’s communistic ideology. Marx, Lenin and Stalin were active communists and Hughes was particularly interested by the teac hings of Marx and the Marxist ideology. Furthermore, the persona mentions ‘peasant and workers’ who are particularly important in communism. Whereas in America, the African-Americans who were the unappreciated and mistreated workers, peasants and slaves, Communism has no peasants working for people in a higher hierarchy and everyone is regarded as the same, and part of the work force that contributes to the entire economy and all their work is equally appreciated by the government. Hughes argument that the work of the African- American is what has contributed to the wealth of the white man and the world is also evident in two of his other poems, Advertisement for the Waldorf-Astoria where he ironically invites the poor African-Americans to â€Å"come and dine with some of the people who got rich of their labor† and in The Negro Speaks of Rivers where he makes references to the Pyramids in Egypt which were built by the slaves. The persona capitalizes the word ‘ME’ as all the influential figures he has mentioned as well as the peasants and workers not only represent his approval and appreciation for communism but represent the communistic environment which he prefers where unlike in America, his work and

Referring in detail to at least two poems What Makes Wilfred Owen a Great War Poet Free Essays

string(147) " they have been constantly worrying about constantly which has made them paranoid, and so they dismiss it merely as though they are seeing things\." Commencing the First World War in 1914, conscription had not yet been established, but the government were leaning heavily on the media to endeavour and recruit volunteers into the army. This was done by propaganda. Poetry and posters were the two most prominent in persuading men to fight for their country. We will write a custom essay sample on Referring in detail to at least two poems: What Makes Wilfred Owen a Great War Poet? or any similar topic only for you Order Now But it was poetry which encouraged the â€Å"war fever†; poetry in which war was described as valiant and noble, and how it was an honourable thing to be able to fight for your country. An example was Jessie Pope who wrote Who’s for the Game: a writer whom Owen was predominantly against. His poems he wrote partially in retaliation against propaganda, and with the intention of exposing â€Å"the old lie†. By this, he recapitulated his own experiences in the war, which were ghastly and did not show men in war as gallant and heroic. His poems also seemed therapeutic; a way of release, but the main intention it seems was to expose the truth about war. Owen illustrates his poetry with such vivid descriptions and realism, particularly in Dulce et Decorum est, so as to paint a realistic image of World War I in the reader’s mind, especially in the fourth and final verse, where Owen vividly describes the horrific image of a soldier dead from gas, and he brings the reader right up close to the face of the dead soldier. By doing this, he makes it very personal for the reader. The face of a human is what shows their emotions, and what shows identity. In the poem The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Tennyson, which describes the charge of British cavalry against Russian soldiers, the whole six hundred British were slaughtered, yet not once does Tennyson pick out one soldier, or individualises this. This is what Owen does in â€Å"Dulce et Decorum est†: he individualises the soldier who has died. Another feature of this last verse is that it shows people that the war they thought would be glorious and noble is not at all that. At the end, it seems as if he is trying to make the reader feel guilty (especially after reading about the gassed soldier) by ever believing that war is an honourable thing: My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory The old lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori With this, Owen asks that after knowing what war is really like (as opposed to glorious and noble), would you still tell your children if they asked that war is a wonderful and honourable thing? He therefore intends to make the reader feel guilty for this. In a war, when many people die, their deaths are recorded mostly as a statistic. Here in the last verse of Dulce et Decorum est, Owen picks out one dead individual to the reader. The dead one’s face is described so vividly, so as to stand out most to the reader. One’s face is what gives one identity, what shows emotion and other human characteristics. Owen purposely focuses in particularly on the face, as to give maximum emotional impact; especially a face so mutilated by the gas which would be a huge shock to one’s morals. With â€Å"Obscene as cancer†, Owen is comparing this image, something he knows, to something readers at home know of well. By doing this, Owen also shows how horrifically real the war was, by comparing it to something equally horrifically real, and much closer to home. At the beginning of the second line in Dulce et Decorum est, Owen uses an interesting phrase: â€Å"knock-kneed†. In this phrase can be extracted quite a few different meanings, mostly centred on Owen’s excellent use of language which brings such strong realism into his poems. It could possibly be a simple phrase in soldiers’ slang, which ties in with the realism. Poetically speaking, he uses alliteration and onomatopoeia to give the idea of knees buckling and knocking together. Knocking together with what? It could have merely been the weather, as the soldiers were cold, muddy and wet, but it also gives the impression that they were shaking with fear, which ties in with the idea that soldiers were ideally viewed as strong, heroic and fearless, yet here they are scared, and defeated by this fear and the effects of the weather. This phrase also gives one the idea of violence, which is certainly and undoubtedly expected in a war. â€Å"Haunting flares† in the next line automatically gives the reader the idea of a horror story. Owen writes Dulce et Decorum est certainly in such a way which could relate it to a horror story, particularly in the last verse where he describes the soldier who died from the gas attack, for here one reads about something which is so horrific, alien and obscene that it could not possibly be real, just as the ghost or other such supernatural beings in a horror story. This ties in with when in the last verse Owen relates it to the Devil, and the Devil is not something most people would like to believe in, just as the nasty image Owen puts into the reader’s head of the dead soldier is not something one would like to believe. However, unlike horror stories and the Devil, Owen’s description and vivid realism make this something one must accept as real. Tied within the idea of a horror story, â€Å"Haunting flares† also has a rather psychological meaning to it. The use of the word â€Å"haunting† shows that this has been on the soldiers’ minds constantly. But as a horror story, in which the purpose is to be scary, but not real, and it seems that the soldiers are treating it as such. The way Owen writes it makes it seem as if it is something that they have been constantly worrying about constantly which has made them paranoid, and so they dismiss it merely as though they are seeing things. You read "Referring in detail to at least two poems: What Makes Wilfred Owen a Great War Poet?" in category "Papers" This could be a cause of their delayed reactions when they are hit by the gas attack, for they dismissed the flares as though they were not there. In the next verse where Owen describes the gas attack, he uses language which links and relates to the idea of water. â€Å"Floundering† shows this first, as for example one who cannot swim will flounder in the water. Another possible meaning is that a flounder is a fish; a fish out of water will flap and struggle and will not survive because it cannot breathe oxygen. It seems Owen is using this to compare with the soldier who could not get his mask on in time, and he is as the fish out of water, struggling and fighting for the oxygen he cannot breathe, and in the end he will not survive. â€Å"As under a green sea, I saw him drowning† also relates quite clearly to water; the green sea being the gas, and the soldier is dying – drowning – in this green sea. In the next small verse, Owen briefly changes from the past to the present tense with, In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, chocking, drowning. This shows the traumatic and psychological effects this one event had on him. This could be because Owen saw this so close and it was so shocking to him. However, although there is no hint to it in the poem save for â€Å"An ecstasy of fumbling†, there could be a chance that the gas mask Owen ‘won’ might have been fought over by Owen and the dying soldier. The sight of watching the soldier die so horrifically could leave a sharp imprint of guilt upon Owen, such as that he would relive the moment when he sleeps, in his dreams. It also shows that Owen had been forced to buy such a nasty moment to be able to function, to do his job, during the day. However, when something has such an effect on someone, it cannot be buried, and it will come back to haunt the person, as it did with Owen when he slept. However, in order for one to be able to get over such an event, it must be remembered, and part of the reason Owen wrote this poem was as a method of self-therapy, to help him recover from the moment. Owen also uses an interesting order of words in these two lines, leaving the point where he speaks about the soldier actually dying, the most important bit, till last. Because of the such traumatic effect it has on him, such a thing to say would be very hard for Owen. In Exposure, Owen focuses in particular on describing most vividly the weather and psychological effects on them during this particular time. It shows also his experience in the war, as weather was a strong enemy to both sides and both sides were badly affected. In the second verse of Exposure, Owen uses poetic technique tied in with realism to describe the weather as an army to be fought. †¦melancholy army attacks once More in ranks on shivering Ranks of grey†¦ Throughout Exposure, Owen uses vivid description to relate to the reader the weather. Here, Owen uses personification as he describes the weather as at the time a more challenging enemy to be fought than the Germans – the main enemy at the time. Also, with â€Å"a dull rumour of some other war†, he is showing that during that time the soldiers were far more concerned about surviving from the extreme weather conditions than they were about the war they were in France originally to fight. It also shows that they were not alert completely, perhaps effected by the weather and fatigue, and they are not entirely aware of how vulnerable they are to the Nazis. Exposure focuses particularly on not only the weather, but also on the psychological effects. Owen describes how the soldiers were so wrecked by fatigue and by the effects of the weather that they forgot about fighting the Nazis and merely withdrew into themselves. Within this, they seem to wonder about what they had been told about war. This is shown particularly when the phrase â€Å"Forgotten dreams†. This may be dreams of the glory after the war, things they had wished to do, dreams and plans after the war, which they have given up on, because they have realised that war is not a glorious thing at all. In this also there appears to be a loss of morale, and of hope, as if they have realised there is no hope in this war at all, be it against the Germans or the weather. There is also a religious element, in which they seem to question their faith and belief in God, and a sense of homesickness. â€Å"Glimpsing the sunk fires† shows this particularly. A fire that is not tended to dies down, and the soldiers had not been home in so long. The fire could also refer to their sunken spirits, and a drastic diminishing of hope and faith, or the diminishing of life as more soldiers die. â€Å"Shutters and doors all closed†: this could mean a few things, such as they believed they would never make it home, they will not survive this horrific war – a drastic loss of morale. Alternatively, perhaps, if they were to return home in the end things would never be the same. There is even the sense (particularly with the next line: â€Å"We turn back to our dying†) that they cannot go back until their job is done, so they â€Å"turn back to [our] dying†. They retreat from their minds and wake up to reality once more. The theme of religion is brought in with â€Å"For God’s invincible spring our love is made afraid†. This could mean many things. One of the Ten Commandments is to love your neighbour as yourself. They may be afraid to love their neighbour – the Germans in this case. Or it may be that, after all that has happened to them in the war, they are afraid to any longer love; to believe in; to have faith in God. As this is what their belief has brought them too. However, Owen says â€Å"invincible spring†. This could mean something completely different; a sudden replenishing of morale, or of faith in God. It is as if they know they are going to die, and there is nothing they can do about it, but they realise suddenly that this is God’s plan for them, and they will not die in vain. They were in the war for a reason: to protect their country and they will die doing their job. â€Å"Therefore, not loath†¦Ã¢â‚¬  – this also shows acceptance of the job God has given them. By â€Å"not loath†, it shows that they will not half-heartedly do their job, and they will do it fully and wilfully. It is clearly difficult however, for them to come to terms with what seems their destiny. Despite Owen’s anger about the false propaganda, there does seem to be a sense that heroism has returned to the idea of war. â€Å"Therefore were born†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ could this mean sacrifice, or resurrection perhaps as with Jesus? With the line â€Å"For love of God seems dying†, it seems it could rather mean â€Å"For love of God it seems worth dying†. This shows that they would willingly die for the love of God. The last verse of Exposure is a verse that seems to predict their fate, which is ultimately a whole acceptance of this fate. Again, Owen’s choice of language defines the strong sense of realism and the psychological theme, as with throughout the poem. There are two lines which are most prominent, the first being â€Å"This mud and us†; this line refers to clearly the dead bodies in the earth, but there is also a seemingly religious element in it also. A line from the Bible reads â€Å"Ashes to ashes, Dust to dust†. This refers to the dead bodies in the earth returning to dust, so they are at one with the Earth, peaceful and as part of nature. It seems Owen has come to realise it is simply this which is the fate that awaits them, and he has accepted fully this fate. The last line seems slightly strange then in compliance with this, for it states â€Å"But nothing happens†. Is this a sudden uncertainty of what is to happen after death, or merely a sudden thought that perhaps there is simply nothing? This contradicts their religious views, as the thought of nothing happening would mean regardless of whether they were good men or not, there would be no eternal paradise nor suffering. These two poems are relatively similar in that the main purpose for being written was to expose the horrific truth about war, which is that the ideals created by propaganda of the time that it is glorious to fight for your country, that to be a soldier is to be heroic and fearless and honourable, is opposite to the actual reality of a war. The truth of events in a war, for example the soldier who died from the gas attack in Dulce et Decorum est, is very different from this ideal image, for to die in such a way is certainly not glorious to anyone. As Owen vaguely questions throughout his poems, if you are to die in such a horrific and grotesque way, is it truly worth dying for your country? For as Owen’s retreatment into his mind in Exposure, where the soldiers suffer from severe homesickness, would one not prefer to make certain they shall return to their families to care for them, to ensure their safety, rather than die so nastily and leave their family to suffer under the effects of such a death? From each of Owen’s poems, it is evident that his determination and passion to expose â€Å"the old lie† to the public drove him to write his poems to perfection, using poetic devices and languages to fill these poems with layers of meaning, some which only Owen will know of, as a method of self-therapy to help him recover from the psychological effects and traumatic stress of the war. It is very sad, therefore, that he should die at such a young age, just before the ending of the war where he should have (as many soldiers who did not should have) been able to experience peace once more and also the effects his incredible poetry had on people. How to cite Referring in detail to at least two poems: What Makes Wilfred Owen a Great War Poet?, Essays

The Four Idols free essay sample

The Four Idols, and Steven Jay Goulds, Nonmoral Nature, are quite compatible as comparisons. I would say more so than comparing Goulds work with Charles Darwins Natural Selection, from a literary standpoint. I think Bacon and Gould would have shared some similar ideas and agreed with one another on several issues. When describing Bacons Idols of the Tribe, Bacon states,have their foundation in human nature itself, and in the tribe or race of men. For it is a false assertion that the sense of man is the measurer of things And the human understanding is like a false mirror, which, receiving rays irregularly distorts and discolors the nature of things by mingling its own nature with it. Bacon is saying that men are pretentious and they have distorted nature with their own human nature. Gould, in Nonmoral Nature, refers to man as a host and says that I suspect that nothing evokes greater disgust in most of us than slow destruction of a host by an internal parasite slow ingestion, bit by bit, from the inside. Gould is speaking in literal terms about the host and the internal parasite; however, I think Gould is speaking figuratively, as well, and that is exactly what Bacon was describing in the Idols of the Tribe. Man or human understanding distorts and discolors the nature of things according to Bacon just as the slow destruction of a host by an internal parasite according to Gould. The intellectual issues that Bacon and Gould share are that basically, men destroy themselves from the inside out. Gould and Bacon may find common ground in science and religion. Bacon says that the Idols of the Care are the idols of the individual man. Bacon claims men become attached to certain particular sciences and speculations, either because they fancy themselves the authors and inventors thereof, or because they have bestowed the greatest pains upon them and become most habituated to them. Bacon is saying that men find their root in science either because ostentatiously they feel they came up with the idea on their own or because they have toyed and became familiar with a subject. Gould, having great respect and admiration towards Darwin, Gould writes: Just a few sentences after invoking the ichneumons, and in words that express both the modesty of this splendid man and the compatibly, through lack of contact, between science and true religion, Darwin wrote to Asa Gray I feel most deeply that the whole subject is too profoundfor the human intellect. A dog might as well speculate of the mind of Newton. Let each man hope and believe what he can. Both Bacon and Gould find that man seems to play a large role in science, or so he thinks. They are both giving reference to man and his seemingly important role in science, although the truth is nature is science and man cannot begin to comprehend its endless possibilitiesBacon would have related the ultimate ethical issues raised by a consideration of the ichneumon to the Idols of the Cave and Idols of the Marketplace. Bacon, again, when referring to the Idols of the Cave speaks of owing either to his own proper and peculiar nature. The ichneumon, disgusting and twisted as its habits may be are referring to his own peculiar nature. Bacon when discussing the Idols of the Marketplace says that these idols formed by the intercourse and association of men with each other For it is by discourse that men associate;and words are imposed according to the apprehension of the vulgar. And therefore the ill and unfit choice of words wonderfully obstructs the understanding. Nor do the definitions or explanations wherewith in some things learned men are wont to guard and defend themselves, by any means set the matter right. The ichneumons, though not using words, makes ill and unfit choices as well as guards and defends themselves. Gould describes these ill and unfit choices saying, Since an active host would easily dislodge the egg, the ichneumon mother often simultaneously injects a toxin that paralyzes the caterpillar or other victim. The paralysis may be permanent, and the caterpillar lies, alive but immobile, with the agent of its future destruction secure on its belly. The egg hatches, the helpless caterpillar twitches, the wasp larva pierces and begins its grisly feast. Though gross and nearly intolerable ethically to man on a conscience level, men act socially the same way. Bacon comes across to me as a man who would not see the ichneumon in the same way the nineteenth-century theologians did; basically as abominations. Bacon would view them as a part of nature, the continuous cycle of life, and though disgusting, somewhat seemingly evil, are really just following those lines of division which are most obvious to the vulgar understanding. Nature would not have been viewed in ethical or moral terms according to Bacon, but rather in terms of that in which they are. Bacon seems to believe nature is the only thing that is undisturbed. Man is, as Bacon puts so beautifully in the Idols of the Theater, Lastly, there are the idols which have immigrated into mens minds form the various dogmas of philosophies, and also from wrong laws of demonstration because in my judgment all the received systems are but so many stage-plays, representing worlds of their own creation after an unreal and scenic fashion. *Brilliant! The ichneumons are vermin, creatures, insects, doing all they know how to do; kill and reproduce. Men on the other hand are puppets; do what they are programmed to do.

travel book Review Essay Example

travel book Review Paper Essay on travel book You know, at first wrote a separate review, but thought better of it in time, it may give rise to the negative trend, because the precedent has already been a review of the book not been read. So I quickly removed my review. Accomplish your goal, let, you have in the comments. Hello, dear reader. Well, hello, saying the subject! I the book. Hare Hare wolf a wolf! We passed already. And Im alive. Yah! Growing up? Propagated? Or maybe you feel something, love? Maybe even dying? My name is Travel Book. Very nice but who am I kidding? Can you see me. Thank you, I somehow understood. Or is it the fact that it is too early to imagine that I can hear you? Early? Tell them when to start. I see you, too. Hmm A laugh is already possible? Early? Tell them when to start. I can, if you agree, to captivate you in the easiest, most intimate and the most simple of travel. Ill tell you a secret: it is capable of any book. And you the protagonist. Who is it butter! I spoiled all t he charm! I think that is a good book it is a mirror in which you find yourself. But not Oscar Wilde Is your real name? But thats what I tell you, the book is not any reflector good. About the kingdom of crooked mirrors have not heard? It is also, incidentally, the book. You probably never met. So thats a good book, a person sees their flaws, the bad their justification. I think I understand what you can see in you Bernard Werber At this time, wrote personally to you! Only for you! So how are you to multiply? Is that you, book, teach people (annotation authors) to write such vulgar and vile praises for me? Then goodbye! Goodbye! And do not promise anything, and do not say anything, but in order to understand my sorrow

Incarceration of African American Males Essay Example

Incarceration of African American Males Essay Example Incarceration of African American Males Essay Incarceration of African American Males Essay Introduction The tendency of African American males between the ages of 25 and 29 has seen a dramatic addition of captivity. Attention has been concentrating on countries of lodging. instruction. and health care but the most outstanding job for African American males is the addition in the captivity rate. African American males between the ages of 25 and 29 captivity rate has been thought. by many. to be caused by economic factors such as under employment or unemployment. hapless lodging. deficiency of instruction. and deficiency of health care. Yet. others believe it is due to the instability of minorities within the condemnable justness system. such as Judgess. attorneies. and lawgivers. This paper will research two different mentalities ; society has come up with so far. as to why African American Males between the ages of 25 and 29 are progressively incarcerated. Finally. the information will give consciousness to the jobs that is faced by African American Males between the ages of 25 and 29. Prevalence – Problem 1 More than 40 % of all American captives. work forces and adult females. are African American work forces. yet they make up merely 13 % of the U. S. male population ( Roberts. 2004 ) . This statistic does non include those African American work forces who are in local gaols nor does it include those African American work forces under tutelary supervising ( Table 2 ) . They enter the province and federal prison system. at the prime of their economic and generative lives and yet they exit prison behind both economically and socially. The high rate of captivity among African Americans has been noted by the interconnectedness of hapless economic system. deficiency of low-cost lodging. mental unwellness. substance maltreatment. domestic force. absence of a strong black male function theoretical account. deficiency of entree to instruction. or some type of combination of these factors. Statisticss don’t even give African American males a good opportunity to remain out of gaol. They have a one in four opportunity of being incarcerated. while Latino American males have a 1 in six opportunity. and white males merely have a 1 in 20 three opportunity of captivity. The colour of African Americans sets them apart and makes them targetable. Prevalence – Problem 2 There is grounds. in our American Justice System. of structural inequality as seen in the per centums of minorities to the per centum of bulks employed in high ranking places. within the system. The per centum of United States Judgess by race are 79 % Caucasian. 12 % African American. and 2 % Spanish americans American ( Federal Judicial Center. 2012 ) . as for the 1000s of attorneies in the United States it is approximative of 3 % are African American ( National Law Group. 2010-2011 ) . and about 1 in 4 constabulary officers are members of a racial or cultural minority in 2007 ( Bureau of Justice Statistics. 2013 ) . An probe into racial profiling showed that African American and Latino American wrongdoers. who frequently are immature unemployed males. are more likely than their white opposite numbers ( Spohn. C. . 2000 ) . Their prison sentences are besides typically longer or they receive differential benefits from guideline goings than do likewise situated white wrongdoers ( Spohn. C. . 2000 ) . We must admit the jobs of racial disparity within the condemnable justness system. pass on racial disparity within the condemnable justness system with those we who are non informed of the job. and remain committed to altering racial disparity within our justness system for alteration to get down. Causes In researching the high rate of captivity in America it is more likely than non that the addition in African American Males being incarcerated is due to the War on Drugs ( Table 1 ) . It is public cognition that drug offense ranks high among the effects of poorness. These hapless vicinities non merely digest offense they have hapless schools. hapless nutrient. cramped populating countries. and deficit of occupations if any occupations at all. Drugs and drug offense has become regularity in low income communities. apprehensions of Spanish americans made up 55 % of cocaine pulverization offenses and 52 % of marihuana discourtesies and 49 % affecting opiates: African Americans were suspected in 75 % of cleft cocaine instances ; White males were suspected in 41 % all Methedrine instances ( Motivans. M. . 2011 ) . Decades of failed public and private redresss for chronic disparities and disadvantages in communities of colour invite us to review systems and establishments that provide and restrict chance in new ways ( Lawrence. K. . 2011 ) . The causes seem to be intertwined being hapless peers. peers a hapless instruction. peers deficiency of employment. and finally peers an increased rate of offense. Consequences The causes seem to be intertwined being hapless. peers deficiency of instruction. which equals deficiency of employment. which peers increased rate of offense which equals impossibleness to fall in condemnable justness system. Besides. many of these work forces are incarcerated while all the other non-incarcerated American immature work forces are completing school. get downing callings. gaining senior status at work. marrying and holding kids therefore deriving capital. Even when released from prison. these work forces return back to their communities with a felony record that will present utmost jobs for them. The captivity leads the released inmate into a lower societal category even if they were considered lower category Americans prior to their captivity ; they now are lower in societal category standing in most cases. This leads to a hapless African American community. possibly every bit many as 50 % of the male population will hold been in prison. These incarcerated African American Males. who are in their prime of life. besides are go forthing half the households in this community confronting such things as poorness. deficiency of low-cost lodging. mental unwellness. substance maltreatment. force. absence of a strong black male function theoretical account. deficiency of entree to instruction. or some type of combination of these factors. The community finally will go poverty afflicted. fighting to last. and finally vulnerable to the state of affairs reiterating. Solutions – How can this be changed? There are four cardinal facets to turn toing racial disparity. in my sentiment: 1. Acknowledge 2. Communication 3. Setback = Strength 4. Committedness Not merely is the job of racial disparity under recognized by society it is non being communicated efficaciously to do alteration. Majority groups needs to admit racial disparity and minority groups need to pass on their cognition sing racial disparity. As each group bulk and minority begins to go portion their information with each other and work together for a common solution admiting there will be reverses but with continued commitment systemic alteration will go on. Decision By declining to digest disparate intervention of people of colour or anyone within the condemnable justness system we empower ourselves and our state. It is clip that everyone including our legislators. jurisprudence enforcement. prosecuting officers. defence lawyers. and Judgess work jointly and bravely to eliminate this negative stigma. Despite. America being known for its equal rights we are populating cogent evidence that in this epoch inequality is a factor that can non be taken lightly. The statistics that are environing African American males is amazing. We need to authorise African American males with the cognition that they have a one in four opportunity of going incarcerated. It is besides of import to cognize that Latino males have a 1 in six opportunity. and white males have a 1 in 20 three opportunity of captivity. All of these statistics need to be addressed to authorise each and every one us. Throughout history we have non seen a alteration in bulk groups ( White. Male ) and minority groups ( Women. anyone that is non White ) although we have seen Numberss of minorities increasing at a fast gait. Today. nevertheless. the election of Barack Obama. non one time but twice. may put the new ideal of what an American really is. As we embrace different civilizations and their cultural backgrounds society will thrive. As society increases their cognition. in respects to each person’s differences. they will get greater strength and prosperity. The lone issue. that can happen. will be in the short term authorising others to encompass diverseness. When we look beyond short-run. focal point will switch to diverse authorization through encompassing the cognition of our differences therefore doing us stronger as a society. Table 1: BLACK PROPORTION OF DRUG ARRESTS. EXCLUDING MARIJUANA POSSESSION YEAR BLACK % 1999 40. 1 2000 39. 3 2001 39. 1 2002 35. 8 2003 33. 8 2004 33. 1 2005 33. 2 Data calculated from drug apprehension figures by race provided by the Uniform Crime Reports division of the FBI TABLE 2: FBI CRIME REPORT Apprehensions By Race. 2006 [ 11. 249 bureaus ; 2006 estimated population 216. 685. 152 ] Total White Black American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian or Pacific islander Total White Black American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian or Pacific Islander TOTAL 10. 437. 620. 7270214 2924724 130589 112093 100. 0 69. 7 28 1. 3 1. 1 Drug maltreatment misdemeanors 1376192 875101 483886 8198 9607 1000 63. 6 35. 1 0. 6 0. 7 DUI’S 1034651 914226 95260 13484 11681 100 88. 4 9. 2 1. 3 1. 1 Liquor Torahs 466323 398068 50035 12831 5389 100 85. 4 10. 7 2. 8 1. 2 Drunken-ness 408439 344155 54113 7884 2287 100 84. 3 13. 2 1. 9 0. 6 Dis-orderly behavior 5117264 325991 179733 7606 3934 100 63. 0 34. 7 1. 5 0. 8 ( The FBI: Uniform Crime Report. 2010 ) References Bureau of Justice Statistics. 2013. hypertext transfer protocol: //bjs. ojp. usdoj. gov/index. cfm? ty=tp A ; tid=71 The FBI Uniform Crime Reports. 2010. Table 43. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. Federal Bureau of Investigation. gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u. s/2010/crime-in-the-u. s. -2010/tables/table-43 Federal Judicial Center. 2012. Overview of the United States Court System. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. fjc. gov/public/pdf. nsf/lookup/FJC_Standard_PPT_English_June_2012. pdf/ $ file/FJC_Standard_PPT_English_June_2012. pdf Lawrence. K. . 2011. Race. Crime. and Punishment: Interrupting the Connection in America. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. aspeninstitute. org/sites/default/files/content/docs/pubs/Race-Crime-Punishment. pdf Motivans. Mark. 2011. Washington. District of columbia: US Dept. of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics. hypertext transfer protocol: //bjs. ojp. usdoj. gov/content/pub/pdf/fjs09. pdf National Law Group 2010-2011. hypertext transfer protocol: //blacklawyers. net/ Roberts. D. . 2004. Measuring the Social and Moral Cost of Mass Incarceration. in African American Communities. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. jurisprudence. fsu. edu/faculty/2003-2004workshops/roberts. pdf Spohn. C. . 2000. Thirty Old ages of Sentencing Reform: The Quest for a Racially Neutral Sentencing Process. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. justicestudies. com/pubs/livelink3-1. pdf.

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Customer Relationship Management In Hospitality Industries Tourism Essay Customer Relationship Management, or CRM, has many perspectives and definitions that illustrate its fundamental thrust, that of trying to present a holistic strategy for managing customer relationships by getting to know the customers and their needs better, communicating with them more effectively and trying to fulfil these needs (Payne, 2005, Pp. 1 2). Because CRM is about getting to know customers and their needs better, it is about implementing specific Information and Communication technology projects within an organisation to process organisational data to deliver knowledge about customers and their needs. It is now possible for organisations to implement more effective and sophisticated technology solutions for processing customer related data because computers are now far more powerful and cheaper compared to what they used to be, with a vastly increased storage capacity. 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Thus, managers associated with the hospitality sector, including the hotels and tourism sector must have a deep knowledge of customers needs, behaviours, and preferences to offer services that deliver value to create customer retention, value and loyalty. In addition, it is important to try to communicate effectively with customers in a timely manner and to encourage them to engage in a dialogue with an organisation that can benefit everyone. Thus, customer-centric information systems are important for the hospitality industry, which must use these systems to develop effective relationships with customers to serve them better, encourage them to use more offerings from an organisation and to get to know about their needs in order to satisfy them an d to retain them. It is important to understand that customers are the lifeblood of an organisation and without customers, there will be no revenues and no organisation. Customers who are not satisfied or fulfilled leave to benefit from others who can offer more and this means that efforts directed towards trying to maintain effective customer relationships are now essential for all organisations, including those operating within the hospitality and tourism sectors. It is far more expensive to try to get a new customer than it is to retain and to earn from an existing customer (Buttle, 1996, Pp. 155). The collection and use of customer information, its effective analysis and use for delivering to customers are now more important than ever before (Minghetti, 2003, Pp. 1 2). To understand better the importance of CRM in hospitality industries, it makes sense to try to carry out an in-depth investigation into the topic of discussion from the perspectives of customers, managers and other stakeholders, including employees, from within the context of a place with established hospitality industry that has achieved a reputation for excellence around the world. Edinburgh, in Scotland is a suitable location for such an investigation, not only because the author of this dissertation studies nearby, but also because in addition to being the United Kingdoms favourite domestic holiday destination, Edinburgh is now a world renowned destination for its festivals, events and conferences (Susan, 2008, Scotland A World Class Product). Susan (2008, Scotland A World Class Product) goes further to state that Edinburgh is the most favourite city in the United Kingdom to hold a conference and the demand for rooms for guests is fast outstripping supply. Edinburgh is at the forefront of hospitality and tourism in terms of innovation and quality and the hospitality sector in this city employs 31,000 people, which is nine percent of the workforce (Edinburgh Tourism Action Group, 2010, Edinburgh Tourism Framework for Growth 2007-15). According to the previously mentioned publication, Edinburgh won the Guardian / Observer Travel Award as the UK best city for seven consecutive years and tourism generates more than  £ 1.7 billion expenditure in this city. Efforts are ongoing to maintain Edinburgh as a competitive tourism destination of world class and to try to expand on its potential. Thus, it makes sense to try to examine how the hospitality industry in Edinburgh uses CRM to attract customers and to deliver more to Edinbu rgh and its tourists. The research presented in this dissertation attempts to examine the importance of CRM for the hospitality industry in Edinburgh by presenting a review of selected literature, a customer survey, insights from senior managers and executives from the hospitality and tourism industry in Edinburgh and opinions from those who have the real ground-level knowledge, the employees working within the hospitality sector. 1.1 A Discussion of the Problem for Research Marketing is important for the hospitality industry and for marketing for a successful hospitality organisation should touch the customer (Buttle, 1996, Pp. 155 157). The hospitality product is highly personalised with a substantial intangible content judged on experience. Relationship marketing is important for hospitality because the hospitality market with its ongoing and periodic demand in the face of competition presents a greater need for relational efforts and an understanding of the needs of customers. A need for the personal touch exists in hospitality and information technology provides opportunities for using information about customers to deliver the personal touch in novel ways. However, it is important to deliver correctly the CRM effort, based on the right information analytics and using the right channels to make a positive impact for the customer and the hospitality organisation. Despite the fact, that CRM has continued to present a promise of effecting improvements in corporate profitability, performance, customer retention and customer satisfaction, the proper implementation of CRM in an organisation is essential for success (Van Bentum, 2005, Pp. 28). CRM literature not only reports successes, it also reports a large number of failures in situations when well thought ought CRM solutions were not implemented correctly to impact the customer and to benefit an organisation. Thus, it is important to try to find out how the hospitality industry in Edinburgh is effectively making use of CRM in its efforts to compete with destinations from the rest of the United Kingdom, Europe and the world. It is far easier to articulate CRM than it is to implement it (Dickinson, 1999, Pp. 11 12). Today, the hospitality industry needs exceptional marketing that has the capacity for delivering the long-term customer who profits the business over time to emerge as a business partner. Thus, it is important to know the right way for CRM in hospitality and to get to know how the winners are making use of this new marketing reality for hospitality. For the small business operator in the hospitality sector, a customer information database that has evolved over time is likely to serve well using personal computers and internet connectivity if business continuity persists. However, for a large luxury hotel chain, resort or hotels involved with hosting and arranging conferences, the equation becomes more complex. In the present day and age, the design of CRM system emphasises linking knowledge management in organisations with CRM to try to enhance operational and strategic efficiencies (Xu, 2005 , Pp. 955 956). Thus, hospitality organisations and businesses must not only try to use CRM implementations effectively, but it must also be ensured that the right CRM implementation is serving an organisation by capturing the right data to perform the right analysis to present the most useful of results. With the passage of time, the lifestyles and preferences of customers change, customers become more demanding, new customers become involved with organisations and the business environment places new demands on businesses. Thus, it is not possible to say that knowledge acquisition for CRM in hospitality will be a once only exercise that will not be required on a continuous basis. A requirement exists for understanding CRM implementations, processes, practices and techniques with a view for making projections for the future to benefit most from this essential and important component of hospitality marketing. 1.2 Rationale for the Study It is important to consider the fundamental reason or reasons serving to account for something, or a statement of reasons when contemplating a research study because such an approach serves to elucidate, the aims of a research project or that which is required to be researched. For this dissertation, rationale for undertaking research into CRM in hospitality industries in Edinburgh is important because this influences the thrust of research into the topic of discussion. Clearly, an understanding of CRM and its implementation is not only of importance to the researcher who intends to make a career in the hospitality management, but it is also important for Edinburgh, Scotland and all destinations with an interest in enlarging and enhancing hospitality and tourism industries. Thus, a research project involving CRM in hospitality will benefit the industry and the place where the research is carried out to present new insights into what hospitality management should aim for in the future. Many of the more successful and ambitious hospitality establishments from around the world have practices in place to manage customer relationships (Lo, 2010, Pp. 139 156) and (Pechruttanamunee, 2008, Pp. 134 142). Not only is it likely that the more traditional forms of CRM will continue to play an important role in the evolution and success of hospitality organizations, but it is also likely that eCRM, which is made possible by advances in computer and communicatio n technologies, will present a new global meaning to marketing for hospitality at a destination. Thus, the right way to deliver, manage and to drive the CRM effort in hospitality will make the difference and is worth researching in depth. 1.3 Significance of the Study An examination of literature available in learned journals and books on the subject suggests that a very large body of published literature is available for CRM in organisations and the number of published research studies on CRM in hospitality is increasing. However, although a keen interest exists in Edinburgh and Scotland for promoting and further enhancing the hard won competitive advantage in hospitality and tourism for this city, little is available in terms of what role CRM plays in hospitality industries in Scotland and how better, more effective CRM strategies may be implemented for greater success. Thus, it is likely that this study will not only serve to add to the knowledge about CRM in hospitality, but it will also serve to highlight and to emphasise the importance of CRM in the hospitality industries of Edinburgh and Scotland. It is very likely that an effort to examine CRM practices and implementations in the hospitality industry in Edinburgh will present new insights and ideas that will be use to all with an interest in the management of hospitality and tourism. 1.4 Purpose and Research Questions The following research questions are of interest in the research presented for this dissertation: What is the thrust of CRM strategies in the hospitality industries of Edinburgh? What impact has CRM made on the hospitality industries in Edinburgh and is it possible to improve or to innovate further? What are the critical factors that influence deployment, development, planning and implementation of CRM in the hospitality industry in Edinburgh? What role does technology play in the delivery and implementation of CRM in the hospitality sector in Edinburgh? How has CRM shaped the corporate culture and vision for the hospitality sector in Edinburgh? What rewards has CRM presented to the hospitality sector in Edinburgh? How has CRM influenced the design and delivery of competitive and superior services for the hospitality sector in Edinburgh? What essential framework for the implementation of CRM has emerged in the hospitality sector for Edinburgh? What is the alignment that characterises CRM success for hospitality industries and businesses in Edinburgh? A literature review that attempts to examine and to present relevant perspectives on the importance of CRM in hospitality industries is in the next chapter. Chapter 2 Review of Relevant Literature and Research In the tourism and hospitality industries in general and the hotel industry in particular, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) becomes important as travellers become more price sensitive, less brand loyal and more sophisticated (Sigala, 2005, Pp. 391 392). In the present day and age, information technologies have made it possible for shoppers to make instant comparisons between hospitality and tourism offerings on websites and this means that it is important to implement CRM efforts to ret to retain customers and to provide them with better than what the competitors offer. The hotel industry around the world in particular is experiencing increased globalisation, competition, higher customer turnover, growing customer acquisition costs and rising customer expectations not only because the financial recession and competition but also because prospective customers can quickly make comparisons. Depending on the nature of hospitality business in which an organisation is involved, proc esses for automated data collection and analysis for influencing engagement with the customers are possible. Ryals (2001, Pp. 531 535) states that CRM in hospitality and service industries is important because efforts directed towards trying to enhance customer relationships pay in terms of offsetting high customer acquisition costs for those customers that use certain types of service offerings frequently. After covering acquisition costs, a stream of profit flows emerges for the previously mentioned customer and the longer a customer stays with a hospitality firm, the higher the profit. Thus, CRM helps to offset acquisition costs and to generate higher profits. In addition, the return from CRM increases even further when satisfied customers refer other potential customers who add to the bottom line for an organisation. Because efforts to develop a relationship with customers have generally positive effects on customers, a relationship with a hospitality organisation has a value for customers who associate with a brand to become price insensitive. The impact of efforts to enhance CRM in hospitality organisations are likely to result in the following (Ryals, 2001, Pp. 535): Long-term retention of selected customers Gathering and integrating information on customers An emphasis on data mining and analysis of customer data An emphasis on customer segmentation in terms of lifetime value Identification and micro-segmentation of markets for types of offerings Efforts towards enhanced customer value creation An emphasis on the delivery of customer value through channels optimised for serving various market segments A shift in emphasis from management of product portfolios to the management of portfolios of customers, resulting in efforts directed towards optimising an organisation to serve better customer segments Sigala (2005, Pp. 409 410) goes further to suggest that profound change in service marketing, including marketing for hospitality and tourism, demands that an emphasis exist for customer retention, customisation of products and customer focused processes that incorporate Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for collecting and processing customer data. Processed data is required to deliver customer insights, superior customer relationships and design of superior products and services. The previously mentioned author suggests an integration of ICT, knowledge management and CRM for hotels and the hospitality industry. However, CRM can and does exist in small hospitality and tourism establishments without the implementation of elaborate ICT applications, and it is important to try to have a good fit between the CRM implementation and the business. It is important to understand that with a good fit, the integrated CRM system will present opportunities for improving staff skil ls, competencies, the working environment and services in addition to enhancing customer relationships. The advent of e-commerce has meant that online intermediaries on the web present a threat to hospitality operators because although such intermediaries do present opportunities to customers to select after comparing a number of offerings, they do not always correctly depict the true value of offerings (OConner, 2004, Pp. 474 476). By implementing CRM efforts, hospitality establishments are in direct contact with customers and they can try to sell the value of their offerings to customers with a personal touch that is missing with online intermediaries. To illustrate the point, it is possible to suggest that by mailing a hotel magazine to selected customers who qualify, it will be possible for a hotel to keep customers informed about developments and at the same time to offer new or discounted products to try to maintain and enhance customer interest. In the age of Internet and the World Wide Web, post visit presentations, including magazines or other advertising literature from hosp itality establishments will neither be expensive to deliver nor late in a fast changing world full of new developments. CRM in the hospitality industry has the potential for reducing marketing expenditure and for increasing sales, but it is important to ensure that potential data-ownership dilemmas are in control so that CRM can work optimally at the brand level (OConner, 2004, Pp. 480 481). Effective data mining using artificial intelligence and sophisticated statistical techniques for data analysis on warehoused data is important for CRM, especially for the large hospitality organisations. However, the previously mentioned author suggests that the regional proliferation of Internet and interest in web-based interactions determines how effective eCRM will be when focusing on a region. The developed world with a more prolific proliferation of the Internet is far more suited to eCRM compared to regions in the developing world with limited access to ICT. In addition, large multinatio nal hotel chains must practice and present effective knowledge sharing for international hotel joint ventures (Magnini, 2008, Pp. 249 252). Hence, clearly CRM implementations in hospitality present both risks and opportunities. OConner (2004, Pp. 482) states that the hospitality industry spends millions of dollars on information technology acquisitions every year, but not much published material exists about the management of acquired information technology resources. According to Ozgener (2006, Pp. 1356 1358), senior management commitment and adequate budgets are important for CRM implementations in the hospitality industries. CRM implementations in the small and medium hospitality firms are likely to feel the effects of innovation quality, customer relations, communication-distribution infrastructure and business dynamics. Business dynamics, which refers to change imposed on businesses due to economic, social, technological and environmental change, is important for CRM because it is such change that demands new offerings from businesses to retain customers in the face of competition. Although the smaller hospitality firms will have less to spend on CRM, they are likely to be more interested in having CRM systems because existing customers are far more important to the smaller businesses compared to the larger ones. Thus, within the context of the hospitality industries existing in a city or a region, CRM implementation within small and large h ospitality businesses may vary, depending on the peculiarities of the place. The previously mentioned, together with barriers for the implementation of CRM in hospitality, is likely to be something that will be worth investigating in the small-scale research project for the importance of CRM in Edinburgh. In addition, the more important goals for implementing CRM in hospitality are also worth investigating because the relative reasons for an interest in CRM are likely to differ. It is possible to use CRM systems in hospitality firms for decreasing costs, sustaining competitive advantage, improving customer services, improving customer retention, acquiring new customers or for increasing profits. However, the relative priority reasons for CRM implementation may vary from firm to firm. Oronsky (2007, Pp. 944) suggests that CRM implementations in hospitality industries are not just limited to hotels, resorts, airlines or travel agencies because it is possible for restaurants to benefit from such implementations and a strategic thrust for CRM. The previously mentioned author suggests that chain restaurants and independent full-service restaurants may benefit from information technology and CRM implementations that effectively use IT for engaging customers and better understanding their needs. Within the restaurant sector, information technology has made an impact on the dining experience of customers and the way in which meals are prepared, even though according to the previously mentioned authors, some researchers suggest that the hospitality industry is not technology oriented. However, it is clear that if information technology for implementing CRM systems can benefit large hotel chains, then there is no reason why the same technology cannot benefit chain restaura nts. Oronsky (2007, Pp. 942) states that within the restaurant industry, information technology has the potential for minimising costs, providing support for superior employee and revenue management, enabling analysis of customer preferences and optimising menus for target costs that will appeal more to customers. Thus, despite reservations expressed by some researchers about hospitality not being a technology industry, other researchers suggest that it is likely that more than 50% of the change that will have an impact food service within the hospitality sector will involve technology influences. Thus, it is clear that a potential exists for using information technology and CRM systems within the food service sector in hospitality organisations. According to Oronsky (2007, Pp. 944), customer feedback and analysis of customer needs is as important for restaurants as it is for any other hospitality operation. Like hotels, airlines and tour operators, restaurants too can engage customers using websites and receive comments, feedback, suggestions or survey results presented on the web. For large restaurant chains, it is possible to implement systems for deciding about how well menu items are doing across the entire chain, and it is possible to enhance customer relationships by using imaginative ways, including deal offerings, special promotions, joint offerings with other businesses or offerings related to food events, etc. Thus, clearly technology facilitates information management, knowledge management and engagement with the customer even in the food service sector. In the business environment that prevails today, CRM is as important for airlines as it is for other hospitality industries because serving and having the customer counts and influences the bottom line (Cheng, 2008, Pp. 487 490). CRM is likely to make a difference for airlines in their effort to retain and attract the frequent flyers because relationship marketing emphasises maintaining long-lasting relationships with customers and a significant proportion of airline customers, even during the tough economic times, are business travellers who fly more frequently than tourists do. Thus, it is clear that the character of airline service offers many opportunities for practicing the relationship marketing approach and many airlines do maintain frequent flyer databases that are useful for deciding about customer requirements and for engaging the customer. Because airline operations present a substantial dependence on computers and information technology for reservation systems, schedulin g and maintenance activities, it is quite possible to incorporate effectively CRM implementations as an addition to existing information technology support systems. For airline CRM that delivers results, it is important to ascertain what keeps customers loyal to airlines and how airlines can respond better to offerings presented by competitors (Cheng, 2008, Pp. 488 489). Loyal customers do appreciate rewards for patronage by loyal customers if airlines present competitively priced offerings that are comparable in quality to offerings from competitors. Although, it is very likely that the touch, the thoughtfulness, benefits and the effort will count in CRM for airlines, customers must be satisfied with the price for quality and type of service offerings. Thus, enrolling customers in frequent flyer programs is not a guarantee of customer loyalty because service quality and service recovery policies in case of service disruption are important for frequent flyers. Clearly, a frequent flyer is likely to prefer an airline that checks them into a decent hotel and presents meals instead of leaving them to wait it out in a departure lounge if a substant ial flight delay persists. A balance must exist between rewards for frequent flyers with the care that airlines can offer to such customers who must constantly be on the move to attend to important business matters. In the present day and age, the digital market on the World Wide Web made possible by the Internet is important for airlines, and it is important that airlines lean closer to their customers to try to cut off agents and other intermediaries. In addition, the previously mentioned author suggests that airlines need to emphasise customer orientation, domain expertise, interpersonal relationships, service recovery performance and the judicious use of information technology to make an impact with customers that will result in superior relationship quality. From a customer perspective, domain orientation or the quality of offerings made by an airline and the quality of its employees are of the greatest importance to customers and this means that it is important to tune the CRM system for presenting superior offerings that benefit customers most. 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 The chapter, which follows, presents a discussion about the methodology for this dissertation. Chapter 3 Methodology / Methods Used 3.1 Research Approach for the Thesis 3.2 Preparation of a Literature Review Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Discussion A discussion about the conclusions derived from the results of the literature review and the interviews are in the next chapter. Chapter 6 Conclusion, Recommendations and Suggestions for Further Work Appendix A (This page intentionally left blank)

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Essay -- Disease, Disorders

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is the most common childhood cancer accounting for around 20-30% of all childhood neoplasms. Annual incidence rates vary worldwide between one and four cases per 100,000, primarily in children ages two - six years old (1). The disease is less common in adults, with only around 1,000 cases being diagnosed annually and with a significantly lower cure rate, rarely exceeding 40%. In turn, infants diagnosed under the age of one have an even poorer survival rate of 30%. Several studies in monozygotic twins and neonatal blood smears have indicated a clear prenatal origin for childhood cases, detecting specific genetic abnormalities in prenatal samples, which may act as initiating events although clearly further postnatal events are required for transformation (2; 3; 4). TEL-AML fusion genes, for example, were found in 1% of newborn samples, which is significantly greater than the number of ALL cases, clearly demonstrating that there may often be a prenatal ori gin for initial genetic aberrations and that further genetic alterations are necessary to develop ALL (3; 4). A small study further supports a prenatal origin in a pair of monozygotic twins with childhood B cell precursor (BCP) ALL with identical cytogenetic abnormalities, signifying a prenatal foundation, as well various contrasting genetic lesions illustrating that further genetic events are required to generate a malignant phenotype (2). A few inherited syndromes such as Down’s syndrome, Bloom’s syndrome and other genetic syndromes have also been associated with a risk. Environmental factors may also play a role in the development of ALL such as exposure to radiation, chemotherapy and possibly infections. Two infection based theories based on observ... ...entical twins. Maia, AT, et al. 2202-2206, s.l. : Nature Leukemia, 2003, Vol. 17. 3. Chromosome translocations and covert leukemic clones are generated during normal fetal development. Mori, Hiroshi, Colman, Susan and al, et. 12, s.l. : PNAS, 2002, Vol. 99. 8242-8247. 4. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. Pui, Ching-Hon, Robison, Leslie and Look, A Thomas. 1030-43, s.l. : Lancet, 2008, Vol. 371. 5. Infections and immune factors in cancer: the role of epidemiology. Kinlen, Leo. 6341-6348, s.l. : Nature Oncogene, 2004, Vol. 23. 6. Kanwar, Vikramjit S. Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Medscape Reference. [Online] November 21, 2011. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/990113-overview. 7. Targeting paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: novel therapies currently in development. Lee-Sherick, Alisa B, et al. 2010, British Journal of Haematology, pp. 295-311.

The Federal Program for Labor Management

Employment has changed in the past decades because the world has changed. We've entered a new era, an era where the work ethic of employees, and more often the thinking and ethics of employers are many times questioned. The Federal Program for Labor Management has started as a way to provide for employees' representation through chosen representatives, in collective bargaining with respect to personnel policies, practices and matters affecting working conditions. Also, it was created to ensure that employees who want to exercise this right and take an active part in this process have the chance to do so. The contemporary challenges in labor relations and human resources management include the care for employee rights, disciplinary policies and procedures, alternative dispute-resolution procedures, organizational ethics in employee relations or governmental regulation of labor relations. Not less important issues regard the labor relations process, structures, functions, and leadership of labor unions, the bargaining process and trends in collective bargaining, the labor agreement and administration of the labor agreement. All these form a complex discipline with the sole aim to make work relations more efficient and satisfactory for both parts. Labor relations are an important topic of human resources management. The labor agreement is a contract between a organization's management structures and the its labor force, represented by unions, concerning aspects like wages, benefits and working conditions. Is comes in the form of written policies and procedures. The goal of this document is to create equitable work relations, in order to assure the workers' social protection, preventing or diminishing the conflicts of interests and avoiding strikes. All aspects of the labor-management relationship are dynamic. The agreement has the role to bridge the gap between the interests of both sides. The terms of the contract are enforced by the steward (a representative of the union), acting like a policeman, constantly on the lookout. The labor agreements can be conceived at different levels: a single plant, a branch, a company or even nationally, each with its own pro's and con's. A master agreement is conceived for an entire company or branch, covering multiple site locations. There are several stages of a labor agreement to be discussed. First of all, the contract has to be negotiated. This is usually done once a year. Once a settlement has been made, the document has to be well understood by both parties. These requires detailed analysis of the clauses on both sides. The next step is administration. This is also the process of getting ready to renegotiate. The management must do everything in its powers to assure a reasonable and accurate administration of the contract, showing flexibility at the same time. Last but not least is the evaluation process, upon any renewal of the terms. Since most people are routine-oriented and tend to do in the future the same things they have been doing in the past, it is particularly important to look backward. Learning from history, in other words. This may guarantee successful planning of future actions. In the following, I will analyze each stage, individualizing the for and against arguments to having a master labor contract. The agreement is the written image of a give-and-take relationship. Within a company, the management faces the workers in a confrontation for the most benefits. The management has to satisfy diverse needs of the various audiences it must serve: the executive branch, the shareholders, the labor force, the public at large etc. The union's major interest is to represent the employees. There are also dissimilarities between management goals and management structure and the aims and methods adopted by the unions, resulting in labor-management differences. Management usually wants to provide for a flexible work force that can respond quickly to mission needs. Labor, on the other hand, wants stability, security, and job protection for the worker. Management strives to stimulate competition among the workers and to identify the most efficient workers while the union works for the adoption of common work rules and methods of compensation or reward which tend to eliminate competition. What is, in this case, the better choice – to have separate union contracts for different plants or to have one master labor agreement? The negotiation table for a labor agreement resembles a battle field. Each participant fights for his own interest, throwing in all the weapons. Each side needs as much power as it can get. From a manager's point of view it would be more advantageous to negotiate separate union contracts, as it faces a less powerful opponent. Power is determined by a number of factors. In the case on unions, size is the most important (size determined by the number of members). This is why with separate contracts the management may have an upper hand. But, on the other side of the coin lies a great expense of resources. Time and money are wasted when it comes to separate negotiations. However, the purpose is to maintain â€Å"industrial peace†, meaning that whatever the results of the negotiations, they must meet both sides' exigencies. At the very heart of it, the labor agreement represents written policies and procedures created to ensure functionality and satisfaction. This is why negotiations are problem-centered; more time is spent on day-to-day problems than on defining abstract principles. Given the fact that current problems are usually very specific to a certain situation, it means that separated labor contract would have the advantage of dealing adequately with issues every time. A master agreement is in certain circumstances too general and irrelevant, leading to a variance between contract and practice. Although trying to cover all grounds in a written document is a lost cause, the contract has to be the foundation of the labor-management relationship, thus variances should be minimized. The aspects that escape the consideration of the negotiators have to be as few as possible. Another situation that may be encountered is a request for an increase of the wage at one of the plants. In the case of a master labor contract this would be resolved at a central level resulting in a waste of financial resources. But if the contracts were negotiated separately then the request could be met at an individual level. This would save money to the company. There are also other points to consider when deciding for a level of negotiation. Separate plants are located in different areas, characterized by different socio-economical factors. The area's degree of development may influence the discussions, providing an extra set of arguments to one of the sides. The high unemployment rate, for example, turns the scale in favor of the employer, while a low one represents a vantage point for the union. Environment, the degree of education, the minimum wage, as well as other issues, add extra weight to one side of the balance. An investigation is required (such as an environmental analysis), in each particular situation, in order to determine the better choice. Regarding the administration of the contract there are a few aspects worth to be taken into consideration at this point. Separate contracts allow the management to deal with problems one at a time, whereas a centralization of the process reduces the degree of mobility and may even result in financial losses or crisis situations. It is true, no doubt about it, that it is easier to conduct one labor contract agreement for a number of plant locations. However, it is possible for the union to strike, closing down all the plants. As opposed to this undesirable situation, if you have separate contracts, the union can only strike one plant at a time, giving the management the time required to resolve the situation. Management must not take a unilateral action without first considering whether it has an obligation to discuss the action with the union. Matters of legitimate concern for the employees include: personnel policies, practices and working conditions. In these cases the management must provide the union an opportunity to negotiate. So, whenever the company wants to bring change into any one of these fields it has to consult the union and it the chance to express its position. In this case it is somewhat difficult to negotiate separate contracts. Bringing union representatives from each plant to the same negotiation table would require great synchronization and it would be a logistic nightmare. Also, to ease a smooth relationship with the employees, the management must inform them even concerning the changes that don't have to be negotiated (retained management rights not subjected to negotiation). Another way management can help assure union understanding and, thus, facilitate efforts to properly administer the agreement, is to distribute brief explanations of at least the key parts of the agreement in order to avoid misunderstandings. Jointly prepared articles can be included in the installation bulletin and union paper. Similarly, labor and management can work together in the preparation of special bulletins explaining the contract as the situation demands. All these actions are easier to perform and less demanding in the case of a master labor agreement. Worker representation and participation in management, through the union, could plausibly increase productivity in one or both of two ways. In the first place, it could serve as a no pecuniary incentive for workers by reducing the monotony of work and enhancing the individual worker's dignity and self-esteem. As a result, job satisfaction would be increased, and increased job satisfaction is allegedly conducive to higher productivity and lower unit costs. These would be even more true in the care of separate labor contracts. When the employees are represented by people they know or have a chance to meet and work with they will feel personally involved – an underlying bias in favor of â€Å"insiders†. This is also a way to increase employee loyalty. The evaluation process helps creating a better contract. In order to evaluate, the management has to communicate with the union members. Failure to â€Å"talk to the troops† is a problem that has been encountered with increasing regularity in the recent past in labor-management relations. Communications should take place regarding all actions affecting the work force. The management's task is to make sure that the communications process works for, not against, management. There are two different aspects to be taken into consideration: the functional ones and the psychological ones. On a functional level, the communication process would be easier to sustain in the case of a master agreement, due to the fact that the management would deal with only a few union representatives. However, in the case of separate labor agreements, the communication would be more efficient because it would be more personal. The companies tend to be organized from the top down while unions tend to be organized from the bottom up. This is why the functional and the efficiency aspects of communication do not coincide in the two perspectives.

Greek Independence

For centuries the Greek population was completely under the Ottoman rule. The Greeks’ independence from the Ottoman Turks in 1830 did not come without hardship and suffering. Several other countries including Russia and France took sides with Greece during this fight as they felt close and connected with their culture. A nine year war was fought which eventually resulted in the Greeks gaining independence from the Turks. During this time, the Greeks had to maintain high morale and a strong disposition to be as successful as they were in the end. The circumstances they were under were difficult and harsh. Many people felt as though Greece deserved to break away from the Ottoman Empire, but some believed that the Turkish rule was not too oppressing. Most people believed that the people of Greece had great character and deserved to be free from the brutality of the Ottoman Turks. They were seen as having strong will to be independent and worked together as a country to achieve that goal. Their culture still to this day is being represented in different forms of art, for example architecture. It’s been studied for years because it served as a foundation for several other countries and is being kept alive, as opposed to forgotten. One poet, Alexandros Kalphoglou, described the Greeks as being enlightened, educated, well-rounded people. He went on to say that they were very open to and accepting of other cultures. It’s not surprising that Kalphoglou would’ve felt this way because he was a Greek Christian and most likely would be proud of his own history (Doc 4). Similarly, Percy Shelley was also a poet who believed Greek culture was essential for all other cultures to grow. She, however, was an English romantic poet. It’d be expected for her to praise Greece because romantic poets were all for the Greek revolution and independence (Doc 7). These two weren’t the only people who shared the same point of view on the Greek Revolt. While still under the Ottoman rule, Greek citizens were treated unfairly and poorly. Their living conditions were unstable and were constantly in upheaval due to the massive rebellion. The entire revolution was sparked by the lack of support shown by the Turkish rulers toward the Greeks. The bright, upbeat, and beautiful presence of the Greek culture was robbed by the Turks according to Savary, a French scholar of Greek. As a person who most likely spent a majority of the time studying Greek history, he would be inclined to respect their culture (Doc 3). Sneyd Davis, an English writer, spoke of Athens being deteriorated and everything beautiful that once existed there, vanishing. The events of what happened to the Greeks under the Ottomans can be easily related to this poem because their pride in their past was diminished. Davis is another romantic poet so I would expect to see him pro-Greek revolution (Doc 1). A majority of people were pleased with the fact that Greece did gain its independence from the Ottoman Turkish Empire. They believed that Greeks should have their arts, language, and other forms of culture restored fully so that they could regain pride in themselves. People also thought that Greek revolution would result in more successful nations in the future, which would be based on Greek tradition. A pamphlet called Greek exiles described the rise of Greek ancestors as heroes in history. It talks about how the Ottomans may have once been at power, but years later they didn’t stand a chance against the Greeks (Doc 6). In regards to Mavrocordato, it was a strong act of courage for the Greeks to take their independence and basically create their own government starting with nothing. Basically, he says that they wanted and made peace for themselves, but worked hard to get to that point (Doc 10). In an engraving created in 1828, called Greece Sacrificed, Regnier has depicted a scene where the Turks are attacking the Greeks, but not very successfully due to the fact that the Greeks are holding their ground. They’re standing for what they believe in as strong-minded individuals with a common goal in mind (Doc 11). Although most would agree that the Greek revolution was a positive thing, there are some people that are on the complete opposite side of things. These people think that the Turkish reign was not too overbearing, and that the Greeks could’ve easily stayed under their control. A Turkish sultan named Mustapha III, in 1765 made orders very clear to the governor of northern Greece to try and stop the revolts being made by the Greeks. He went on to describe the problems that the Greek population had been causing such as robberies. He thought that the Greek revolution had caused more problems than it solved, and that it should’ve been stopped early. Because of the fact that he was a sultan of the Ottoman Empire I find it almost obvious that he was against the Greeks in their revolts. Mustapha wanted what was best for his nation and people (Doc 2). In Vahid’s opinion, a Turkish governor, the revolution of the Greeks was driven by what he calls ‘drunkards,’ meaning that he didn’t take the rebellions seriously. Again, being of Turkish government, he would favor the Ottoman side of things (Doc 9). During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Greece was driven to rebel against their previous rulers the Ottoman Turks. Their culture and everything they took pride in was meaningless in the Turks’ eyes. They felt they had to start a revolution to gain back the rights they deserved. During this revolt, they living conditions were not as good as they could’ve been. In fact they were difficult to deal with, but this had only been a small hurdle for the Greek population who was determined to gain independence. Nothing could stand in their way, as they were a fearless, courageous nation. Finally, after suffering through nine years of antagonizing war and treachery, the Greeks gained their independence from the Ottoman Turks and started to create a government as a unified country.

The Debt Ceiling And Government Shutdown Example

The Debt Ceiling And Government Shutdown Example The Debt Ceiling And Government Shutdown – Coursework Example The Debt Ceiling and Government Shutdown The debt ceiling controls the amount of money the US government can borrow to meet its existing legal obligations, including Social Security and Medicare benefits, military salaries, interest on the national debt, tax refunds and other payments. The debt limit does not authorise new spending commitments. It is usually set by the Congress. Thus the US government has to borrow; however, being at the debt ceiling it can’t borrow. The current US national debt as of 2/3/2014 at 2:56:10 pm GMT is $ 17,434,039,917,453.87Thus with the debt ceiling, government spending would be cut to the point of spending equals tax revenue. Such a big decline in government spending could mean recession and would have catastrophic economic consequences. It would cause the government to default on its legal obligations, which would precipitate another financial crisis and threaten the jobs and savings of everyday Americans. Thus the most secure debt on the world would be seen as risky, causing an increase in interest rates for US government borrowing.My biggest surprise was the fact that all government obligations could come to a halt if the Congress failed to increase the government’s borrowing limit. It really caused a lot of anxiety and almost put the US right back in a deep economic hole, just as the country was recovering from the recent recession.Thus increased government borrowing means more spending which translates to more jobs, expanded economy, lower interest rates and thus a better GDP for US.As on December 12th 2013, debt held by the public was approximately $12.312 trillion or about 73% of Q3 2013 GDP.Intragovernmental holdings stood at $4.9 trillion (29%), giving a combined total public debt of $17.226 trillion or over 100%GDP.Work Citedcnbc.com/id/101117410usdebtclock.org/treasury.gov/initiatives/pages/debtlimit.aspx