Wednesday, October 30, 2019

The Future of Airline Operators amidst the Oil Crisis Essay

The Future of Airline Operators amidst the Oil Crisis - Essay Example Theories abound the origin of oil, and like other forms of fossil fuel, is believed to have come from ancient animal and plant remains that was buried under soil and mud through a very long period of time and settled down into the Earth's crusts. The buried ancient animal and plant matter piled upon the Earth's crust and eventually compressed and heated by the Earth's immense internal pressure and temperature. The oil then seeped through the rock layers forming reservoirs, most of which are found in desserts, ocean bottoms, ice layers and many other external terrain formations (Wikipedia, 2006a). These oil reservoirs are being harvested right now by countries that were fortunate enough to have an oil reserve in their midsts, particularly in the Middle East where the most abundant oil reserves are found. These countries now form the organisation known as OPEC (Oil Producing and Exporting Countries) which controls most of the world's oil supply and prices. While it seems like the suppl y of oil is unlimited it is not, the supply of oil is beginning to dwindle. ... d was way cheaper back in the period of the World Wars it was at these period that oil was still abundant and conflicts on the price and supply of oil were non-existent. The OPEC was not founded yet and inflation was not too much prevalent back then. Brandly (2004) the current oil crisis is predicted by Hubbert's Peak (or Hubbert's model or theory as some authors put it) which states and assumes that oil is non-renewable and that even though organic matter is currently added to the Earth's crust and that the rate of decomposition and conversion of this organic matter into crude oil will not catch up with the world's demand for oil. The 'peak' in Hubbert's Peak refers to the highest point of oil production at a certain area which will be soon followed by a sudden drop leading to a crisis. According to those who believe in Hubbert's theory, the world is now at its peak and is nearing another major oil crisis not because of political conflict but mainly due to a real short in oil supply . In a National Geographic article written by Appenzeller (2004), oil companies are now putting more human and financial resources in finding new oil sources. It only means that the actual crisis is happening not after the 1st drop of oil has been extracted but rather in the present when oil production is at its peak. The world is predicted to run out of oil in about 5 to 30 years from now. The oil shortage will not only affect transport and power generation, but also other factors as Amos (2004) reported, stating that oil process will affect birth rates, food prices and other commodities. This is especially true with Third World countries where the price of oil on the world market affects the basic commodities. Amos (200) points out that the economic depression will force people

Monday, October 28, 2019

South Africa Essay Example for Free

South Africa Essay In South Africa, civil disobedience was also strongly practiced. By simply looking back at South Africas history, it is indeed safe to say that civil disobedience is justifiable. Apartheid in South Africa is a fact, and is also a part of world history. Apartheid is the main reason why civil disobedience, also considered â€Å"passive resistance in South Africa, was practiced. Apartheid in South Africa was brought about by the settlement of the whites in the country. The term â€Å"separate development† was then used to categorize South Africans into three racial categories. These three categories included the Bantu, White and Colored. Bantu were the black Africans, White were the Americans and Colored were the people with mixed race. The laws under the apartheid system were harsh – black Africans were not allowed to own land even when they were the natives of the country. The members of the White had power over more than 80% of the total land area of South Africa even when the whites were a minority during that time. What makes civil disobedience justifiable in South Africa was when black Africans were not allowed to come in contact with other races. The prohibition of social contact brought about other social injustice like race-specific jobs, separation of education standards, restricted powers and participation in social events (Robinson, 1999). The role of civil disobedience in the given examples is to save people from extreme hardship. It functioned as the first step towards resistance to social injustice. Civil disobedience is then preferred by a lot of people all over the world because it is a form of peaceful rebellion. Given that some of the laws and platforms of a country are repressive and encouraging of violence, what kind of world will this world be if this is fought with armed rebellion? That said, civil disobedience is a step towards a fair revolution and a just society. References: Africa Action. (2006). Nonviolent Civil Disobedience Guide. Retrieved March 7, 2008 from http://www. africaaction. org/campaign_new/page. php? op=readdocumentid. DuBrin, D. (2008). What is the Role of Civil Disobedience Today? Retrieved March 7, 2008  from www. pbs. org/newshour/extra/teachers/lessonplans/socialstudies/htm. Gandhi, M. (1921). Civil Disobedience. Retrieved March 7, 2008 from http://www. gandhimanibhavan. org/eduresources/article8. htm. Kamat, J. (2005). Indias Freedom Struggle: Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience Movements. Retrieved March 7, 2008 from http://www. kamat. com/kalranga/freedom/movements. htm. Robinson, J. (1999). Africa. Retrieved March 7, 2008 from http://www. africanaencyclopedia. com/apartheid/apartheid. html.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Urbanization and Human Influence Essay -- Environmental Geology Essays

Urbanization and Human Influence It is estimated that by the year 2000, half the world population will live in urban environments (Porter and Brown, 1996). The US Bureau of the Census defines an area as being urbanized if a central city and its closely settled surrounding territory are of a certain size with 50,000 people and density of at least 1,000 people per square mile (Knox, 1994). A component of the definition denotes that human influence is a main aspect of urbanized areas in the process of urbanization. Unfortunately in order to create an urbanized area, a natural environment must be destroyed. Urbanization and human activity within an urban system produces many destructive and irreversible effects on natural environments such as climate change, air pollution, sediment and soil erosion, increased flooding magnitude, and loss of habitat. Cities in an urban environment change the local climate dramatically. Temperatures are always warmer in the city than it is in the surrounding areas creating a sort of "heat-island" (Harms, 1994). In a city, the sun’s energy is not used in the same way as in open landscapes with vegetation and trees. Concrete, stone, asphalt, and roofs tend to act as solar collectors and emit and absorb heat. The burning of fossil fuels also emit greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide that heat up the atmosphere around the source and usually the source is within urban environments. Cities also tend to be cloudier, rainier, and less humid than their surrounding areas. Cities are 10 percent rainier and 10 percent cloudier and have a 25 percent lower average wind speed, 30 percent more summer fog, and 100 percent more winter fog than nonurban areas (Keller, 1996). Average relative humidity is six percent... ...an up and rebuild cities in balance with nature (Merrifield and Swyngedouw, 1997) rather than destroy natural environments. With more and more people living and moving to cities, the problem will extend beyond existing boundaries and result in more damage to the natural environment. The effects of urbanization on the environment are permanent and extensive and urban policy must change in order to save what is left in the natural world. Literature Cited Harms, Valerie. 1994. The National Audubon Society: Almanac of the Environment. G.P. Putnam’s Sons: New York Keller, Edward A. 1996. Environmental Geology. Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River. Merrifield, Andy and Erik Swygedouw. 1997. The Urbanization of Injustice. New York University Press: New York. Porter, Gareth and Janet Welsh Brown. 1996. Global Environmental Politics. Westview Press: Boulder.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Beaten Like Dogs Essay

? â€Å"They went by, fallen, dragging their packs, dragging their lives, deserting their childhood, cringing like beaten dogs. † This quote stated in the book the Night written by Elie Wiesel. This quote simply sums up the book in a few words. For me it shows the indescribable misery endured by the Jewish people. This quote really has a deep impact on me. It makes me realize how lucky I am, to live in a country where there is a freedom to practice whatever religion you want to be a part of. It makes me feel so bad for all the torture that the Jews suffered. When I think about the gas chambers, the starvation, and the abuse, I put myself in the position of a Jewish person. If my family was told we were all going to shower, and finally be clean, and we were actually being executed. It makes me sick to my stomach. The disgust the images from this quote bring to me, I will never forget. When I juxtapose my life with an 18 year old Jewish boy’s life in 1945 I realize the suffrage that they went through. I choose to have a job, which I get paid for. While a Jewish boy at this time would be forced to do hard labor for no pay and if they refuse they would be brutally murdered. I eat everyday three meals a day but this boy however gets little to no food. Could I live like this? Suffering everyday surviving physical and mental torture. I really don’t think I could, all of the people, good innocent people being persecuted for their religion I have realized were stronger then the over compensating Nazi’s who got there high from literally breaking down these good people. This quote has changed the way I look at my life and the freedom and choices I get to make every day. Such as: school, clothing, sports, and my job. Also the quote has changed my view on abusive parents. I’ve always known this is a bad thing, but the quote makes me picture how an abused child could feel on the inside. In my opinion Wiesel named the book â€Å"Night† because the Jewish people in the death camps felt like they were trapped in the darkness, and would never see the light of day again.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Assignment Composition Essay

As an experienced social care worker you have been asked to mentor a new social care worker. You plan to use a supervision session to explain about the duty of care and how this helps to protect individuals from harm and abuse. Prepare a set of notes to help you in this supervision session. In the notes, you must include an explanation of: Ai)What is meant by ‘duty of care’ Aii)How the duty of care affects the work of a social care worker Aiii)What having a duty of care means for a care giving organisation Aiv)How the duty of care contributes to safeguarding individuals Ai)What is meant by ‘duty of care’ Duty of care means the obligations you have in your role as a care worker to ensure that your service users are supported and enabled to live in an environment which is free from prejudice and safe from abuse or injury. This means providing care and support for individuals within the law and also within the policies, procedures and agreed ways of working of your employer. Every individual should be supported and enabled to live in a safe environment and it is your responsibilities under the duty of care are to do everything reasonable within the definition of your job role to make this happen. Aii)How the duty of care affects the work of a social care worker A care worker has responsibility at work, under the duty of care, to do everything reasonable within the law and also within the policies, procedures and agreed ways of working of your employer to make the environment for your service users safe. Your duty of care means that you must aim to provide high quality care to the best of your ability and say if there are any reasons why you may be unable to do so. As a care worker, you must adhere to a standard of reasonable care and you are expected to keep your knowledge and skills up to date in order to provide a service of no  less a quality than that to be expected based on those skills, etc. If you do not work in this way, you could be considered negligent or incompetent. You also need to keep accurate and up to date records of your work. However, you must keep those records confidential except where the wider duty of care or the public interest might justify disclosure. Aiii)What having a duty of care means for a care giving organisation The duty of care to a service user exists from the moment they are accepted for treatment or a task is accepted and they begin to receive services. This obligation applies to those working part time or full time, those in agency or temporary roles as well as students and volunteers. All health and social care organisations, whether they are public, private or voluntary organisations, have a duty of care. Their duty of care is to provide a comprehensive service to citizens and to demonstrate that, within the available resources, the appropriate priorities are chosen. They must also ensure that those people who are providing that care are able to do so safely in appropriate and timely manner. To ensure this is the case, training is provided by employers to help ensure that their employees’ knowledge and skills is up to date. Aiv)How the duty of care contributes to safeguarding individuals In order to safeguard individuals from harm, care workers have a duty of care to raise any concerns they have about any aspect of their work. These could be things such as inadequate working conditions, poor equipment, poor practice by other staff, and also raising concerns about potential abuse cases and situations of neglect. If such a situation did arise or the care worker were in any doubt at any time, it would be their duty to raise these issues with their supervisor / manager. A negligent act could be unintentional but careless or intentional that results in abuse or injury. A negligent act is breaching the duty of care. If an individual has evidence that you have been negligent, you are likely to be disciplined. You could lose your job and you could have legal action taken against you. Task B: Reflective account Describe two situations which demonstrate a conflict or dilemma between exercising a duty of care and the rights of an individual. In this first  scenario, the care and support plan for a physically disabled individual includes for the support worker to take them to a cafà © or restaurant every week. This gives them the opportunity to dine out as they are unable to do this alone. However, in this case the client is overweight and a diabetic and their doctor has said they should be making wiser choices. In situations where there is a conflict of interest or a dilemma between an individual’s rights and a carer’s duty of care, it is best practice to make sure the individual is aware of the consequences of their choice and that they have the mental capacity to understand the risks involved in their choice. Presenting the client with the information and facts in a non-judgemental way allows the individual to make an informed choice about where and what they eat. The care worker should take care to use an encouraging and supportive tone of voice and words so that the individual does not feel bullied or harassed into doing what they think the care worker wants them to do. The support worker should tell the individual the facts about eating at McDonalds and ask them if they would like to try somewhere different. It is the role of the care assistant to assist them in making those choices and reducing the risks without compromising their rights. Ultimately, if the client does not want to do so, then the care worker should take them to McDonalds if this remains their choice. If an individual insists on doing something that the care worker disagrees with, they can only advise and encourage them. However, they would be failing in their duty of care if they did not try to prevent the client coming to any harm although in this case, intervention was not necessary. Any ongoing concerns the care worker has should be discussed with their manager and perhaps they could also request the client be given more information about their condition from a health worker or dietician so they have the full facts in order to make wise choices. In the second scenario, let us assume that the client has been categorised by the appropriate professional authorities as ‘a person who lacks capacity’. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) has a set of criteria to determine whether a person is able to make informed decisions and choices. The term ‘a person who lacks capacity’ means a person who is unable to make a particular decision or take a particular action for themselves at the time the decision or action needs to be taken. The dilemma is that the care worker would still want to respect the decisions of the client but would need to exercise a duty of care to make sure that this person was not exploited as they are very vulnerable. If, after a discussion with the client, the care worker had concerns that the client had made an inappropriate decision, they would need to report it to their manager, for example, if the person has given their money away or if another person has â€Å"borrowed† it etc. By passing the information to the manager, the care worker would have respected the client’s privacy by not revealing information to outside agencies without permission and also fulfilled their duty of care by trying to safeguard them from harm. A record of the incident should be made in writing and both signed and dated. It would then be the manager’s role to inform outside agencies if appropriate, such as the police, or the client’s family. Task C: Guidance Notes Write a set of guidance notes for social care workers to help them deal with complaints. In the notes, you must: Ci)Explain legal and organisational requirements for dealing with complaints. Cii)Describe how best to respond to complaints from service users, other practitioners and the family of service users Ci)Anyone who has a concern regarding the Stockport NHS Foundation Trust which includes Tameside and Glossop Community Healthcare can make a complaint. A service user can complain about the service or the treatment they have received or alternatively, a complaint can be made on behalf of another person. If anyone is unhappy with any aspect of their care or the service received, they should speak to member of staff as soon as possible. If that staff member cannot resolve the problem or the person is not comfortable talking to them, the complainant can contact the Patient and Customer Services Department (PCS) by phone, email or post as soon as possible. The PCS aim to resolve all complaints quickly and satisfactorily  but if the issue is too complex to resolve quickly, they may ask them to put their concerns in writing so they can begin a formal investigation. Cii)Treat the person with respect, listen to their concerns and reassure them that the matter will be treated seriously. Deal with the issue promptly and in many cases, it should be possible to sort out the problem straight away. If the member of staff approached cannot resolve the problem, the PCS department may need to be involved. Explain to the person how the procedure works and timeframes: The procedure The complaint will be reviewed by the Head or Deputy Head of Patient & Customer Services. It will be graded according to the complexity and severity of the issue. A case officer will be appointed to coordinate the investigation. The case officer will check whether there are any confidentiality issues and also whether more than one organization is involved. If necessary, the persons consent will be required so that additional organization are informed. Details of the complaint will recorded on the Risk Management Database and forwarded to the correct department for investigation. Patient confidentiality will be respected. For example, if the complainant is acting on behalf of someone else, a form requesting the authorisation of the patient to disclose confidential information to them may be required. Similarly, if the patient themselves is unable to provide their consent, e.g. they have died, then appropriate authorisation for the complainant to act and receive information on the patient’s behalf may be required, such as written consent from the Next of Kin. The person who has raised a complaint should not worry that they will discriminated against and that their, or their relatives, future healthcare will be affected. To maintain confidentiality of patients and staff, letters of complaints and their replies are not stored in the patients’ records. They are kept centrally within the Patient & Customer Services Department. If the person is unhappy with the response that the Trust provides or they would like further clarification of the points raised, they should contact the case officer dealing with the complaint to discuss further options. Timeframes The Trust will acknowledge the complaint by contacting the complainant within 3 working days of it being received. The Trust will strive to provide the  complainant with a full response, wherever possible, within 25 working days. If it is likely to take longer than 25 working days to resolve, then a date by which a response is anticipated will be provided plus ongoing progress reports will be given at regular intervals.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free Essays on Pinter

Harold Pinter Winners and losers in the plays of Harold Pinter English Literature Home Page Course Summary English Literature Resources English Literature Essays Contact Us "I think what you're talking about began in The Dumb Waiter. Violence is really only an expression of the question of dominance and subservience, which is possibly a repeated theme in my plays. I wrote a short story a long time ago called The Examination, and my ideas of violence carried on from there. That short story dealt very explicitly the with two people in one room having a battle of an unspecified nature, in which the question was one of who was dominant at what point and how they were going to be dominant and what tools they would use to achieve dominance and how they would try to undermine the other person's dominance. A threat is constantly there: it's got to do with this question of being in the uppermost position, or attempting to be." [1] Harold Pinter 1930 - Dialogue between characters in Pinter's plays can often seem enigmatic, and its purpose obscure, but it becomes less so when we realise that as often as not a battle is taking place between the characters, and that identifiable strategies are being employed. In this essay I would like to consider some of those battles, particularly in The Caretaker, The Homecoming, Old Times, and No Man's Land, in the light of the comment above made by Harold Pinter on his short story The Examination, about 'this question of dominance and subservience' being a repeated theme in his plays. I will examine what seem to be the main characteristics of the battle depicted in The Examination, and I suggest that they represent a blueprint for some of the competitive strategies adopted by characters in Pinter's plays. The Examination describes in detail one particular battle in which the narrator is defeated by his opponent, Kullus, but it is evident that the positions of dominance and subservience oscillate back and... Free Essays on Pinter Free Essays on Pinter Harold Pinter Winners and losers in the plays of Harold Pinter English Literature Home Page Course Summary English Literature Resources English Literature Essays Contact Us "I think what you're talking about began in The Dumb Waiter. Violence is really only an expression of the question of dominance and subservience, which is possibly a repeated theme in my plays. I wrote a short story a long time ago called The Examination, and my ideas of violence carried on from there. That short story dealt very explicitly the with two people in one room having a battle of an unspecified nature, in which the question was one of who was dominant at what point and how they were going to be dominant and what tools they would use to achieve dominance and how they would try to undermine the other person's dominance. A threat is constantly there: it's got to do with this question of being in the uppermost position, or attempting to be." [1] Harold Pinter 1930 - Dialogue between characters in Pinter's plays can often seem enigmatic, and its purpose obscure, but it becomes less so when we realise that as often as not a battle is taking place between the characters, and that identifiable strategies are being employed. In this essay I would like to consider some of those battles, particularly in The Caretaker, The Homecoming, Old Times, and No Man's Land, in the light of the comment above made by Harold Pinter on his short story The Examination, about 'this question of dominance and subservience' being a repeated theme in his plays. I will examine what seem to be the main characteristics of the battle depicted in The Examination, and I suggest that they represent a blueprint for some of the competitive strategies adopted by characters in Pinter's plays. The Examination describes in detail one particular battle in which the narrator is defeated by his opponent, Kullus, but it is evident that the positions of dominance and subservience oscillate back and...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Dealing With Woodpecker and Sapsucker Tree Issues

Dealing With Woodpecker and Sapsucker Tree Issues Many woodpeckers and sapsuckers are tree bark-feeding birds with unique clinging feet, long tongues, and specialized beaks. These beaks are designed to help with communicating the possession of territory to rivals and locating and accessing sap and  insects. This is done mostly by rapid drumming  and pecking noisily on tree trunks with their beaks. There is a big difference between the two birds. Sapsuckers Versus Woodpeckers The insect-eating woodpecker (family Picidae) has a long tongue - in many cases as long as the woodpecker itself - that can be quickly extended forward to capture insects from the inner and outer bark. Woodpeckers explore decaying cavities on trees and spots that have active insect activity. Woodpeckers tend to feed only on dead or dying wood and are generally considered harmless to a tree.  They do not feed on  tree sap  like their sap-sucking cousins, which can seriously damage trees.   You can tell the difference between the birds that have been visiting your trees by the holes they leave behind.  Sapsuckers have a tendency to  form lots of small holes in horizontal lines. This allows for sap to flow out when they are feeding. Meanwhile, the holes left behind by woodpeckers are larger and can be found in different spots up and down a tree.   The sapsucker is a serious tree pest. The most common sapsucker in North America, also the most destructive, is the American yellow-bellied sapsucker. The bird is one of four true sapsuckers in the family Sphyrapicus.   The American yellow-bellied sapsucker can attack, kill trees, and seriously degrade wood quality. Sapsuckers are migratory and can affect different tree and shrub species on a seasonal basis throughout eastern North America.  It spends summers in Canada and the northeastern United States and migrates to the southern states in the winter. Trees in Danger Certain tree species, like birch and maple, are particularly susceptible to death after being damaged by yellow-bellied sapsuckers. Wood decay, stain fungi, and bacteria may enter through the feeding holes. A USFS study concludes that when a red maple has been fed on by a sapsucker, its mortality rate goes up to 40 percent. Gray birch is even higher, at a 67 percent mortality rate. Hemlock and spruce trees are other food  favorites but seem more impervious to sapsucker damage. The death rate for these trees is at one to three percent. How a Woodpecker Feeds A woodpecker searches the surfaces of tree trunks and branches for wood-boring beetles, carpenter ants, and other insects. The pecking style they use for feeding is very different than their territorial drumming, which is done mainly in the spring of the year. When looking for insects, only a few pecks at a time are made. Then, the bird explores the resulting hole with its specialized bill and tongue. This behavior continues until an insect is found or the bird is satisfied that one is not there. The woodpecker may hop a few inches away and peck at another place. The bark holes created by this feeding activity often occur randomly  as the bird explores with pecking up, down, and around a tree trunk. This pecking style, for the most part, does not harm the tree. However, it can be a problem when a bird decides to visit wood siding, wooden eaves, and window frames. Woodpeckers can become destructive to property, especially wood cabins that are near mixed urban and woodland zones. How a Sapsucker Feeds Sapsuckers attack living wood to get at the sap inside. They often return to the tree to increase the size of the holes for more, fresh sap. Insects, especially those attracted to the sweet sap exuding from sap holes, are often captured and fed to the young during the breeding season. Repeated attacks of feeding  sapsuckers  can kill a tree by  girdling,  which occurs when a ring of bark around the trunk is severely injured.   In the United States, yellow-bellied sapsuckers are listed and protected under the  Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Taking, killing, or possessing this species is illegal without a permit. How to Repel Sapsuckers To discourage sapsuckers from feeding on your yard  tree, wrap hardware cloth or burlap around the area of attack. To protect buildings and other outside personal property,  place lightweight plastic bird-type netting over the area. Visual control using  toy plastic twirlers  fastened to the eaves, aluminum foil, or brightly-colored plastic strips are somewhat successful in  repelling birds by movement and reflection. Loud noises can also help but may be inconvenient to maintain over an extended period of time.   You can also smear on a sticky repellent.  Deer repellent  is also said to discourage feeding when sprayed on the tapped area. Remember that birds may choose another nearby tree for future tapping. It may be better to sacrifice the tapped and already damaged tree in favor of the loss of another tree due to future tapping damage. Source Rushmore, Francis M. Sapsucker. U.S.D.A. Forest Service Research Paper NE-136, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1969.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

3 Examples of Bad Letters of Recommendation from Teachers

3 Examples of Bad Letters of Recommendation from Teachers SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips While you may have seen examples of really impressive recommendation letters, what about the really bad ones? What exactly do bad letters look like, and what makes them so subpar? Bad recommendation letters can be hard to put a finger on, because they aren't necessarily critical or disparaging about a student. Instead, they might leave a poor impression because they come off as unenthusiastic, unspecific, or simply too short. The examples below represent letters that would do very little to help a student's college application and, worst case scenario, could even hurt it. By knowing what weakens a letter or leaves a negative impression in the minds of admissions officers, you can make sure your letters don't contain any of these features.First up... The Unenthusiastic Recommendation Dear Admissions Committee, I'm writing to recommend Jamie to your undergraduate program. As a student in my th grade English class, he performed well above average. Jamie is a hard worker and is well liked by his peers and teachers. I've been impressed with him as a student. Jamie has a strength for discussing books, and he participated well in my class. In his group projects, Jamie listened to his peers and was respectful of their input. Along with his three classmates, he earned an A on a group presentation about the various types of conflict inHamlet. Jamie is a conscientious student and rarely missed an assignment. With his strong effort and respectful attitude, Jamie leads by example. Jamie took a variety of courses in high school and was especially interested in psychology and history. He balanced his time well, participating in both the Interact Club, and, in his sophomore and junior year, the track team. No one ever has a bad word to say about Jamie. He's an all around good kid. I'm confident that Jamie will be an asset to whatever college he attends next year. He's a good student, kind friend, and was a pleasure to have in class. He has my recommendation. Please feel free to contact me for any further information at unimpressedteacher@gmail.com. Sincerely, Luke WarmEnglish TeacherHumdrum High This letter has positive things to say about Jamie, so what exactly makes it so bad? The Break Down This letter isfine, but it barely goes above the minimum to recommend Jamie. While Mr. Warm says that Jamie is respectful, conscientious, and a hard worker, he sounds completely unenthusiastic about him. He neither reveals deeper insight into Jamie's character, nor uses excited language to highlight his points. Jamie's English teacher doesn't even qualify that he "highly" recommends him. His mediocre ranking of Jamie as "well above average" further suggests his lack of enthusiasm. Besides the generic language that leaves little impact in the mind of the reader, this letter also contains some questionable phrases. By saying that Jamie "leads by example," his English teacher may be indicating a lack of concrete leadership positions at the school, whether on purpose or not. Furthermore, by focusing on how others perceive Jamie, the teacher removes a lot of his own personal perspective from the letter. Admissions committees want letters from teachers who know a student well and can speak to his good qualities. A letter that seems distant and impersonal is less effective. Even the example the teacher uses, of Jamie getting an A, is less personal because it refers to a group project. It neither highlights Jamie's individual skills, nor provides a very interesting story. This letter provides little insight into Jamie's character or personal qualities. While the teacher says generally positive things, he doesn't sound too impressed with Jamie or like he took the time to write a strong letter. He doesn't have much specific to say about Jamie, so the recommendation letter does little to differentiate him from other applicants. Overall, this letter won't do much to help Jamie's application. Another example of a bad recommendation letter is one that just presents facts and figures. For all intents and purposes, this kind of letter could be written by just about anyone with a copy of the student's resume. This letter's almost all facts and figures. The Resume Repeat Dear Admissions Committee, It is my pleasure to recommend Tabitha, who excelled in my junior year AP Biology class. A hard worker with an interest in the natural world, Tabitha earned an A for the course and received a 5 on her AP Biology exam. Most impressive to me is that she did all this while balancing her responsibilities as Class Treasurer, hospital volunteer, and literacy coach. Tabitha goes above and beyond with her activities and somehow succeeds in all of them. As Class Treasurer, Tabitha organized fundraisers and raised over $2,000 for the junior year prom. She advertised events through the school and worked with students and faculty to organize attendance. Beyond this, she volunteers two days a week at the local hospital, where she spends time with patients and helps visitors navigate their way around. Tabitha doesn't just use her skills with people at the hospital; she also has worked with children for the past two years, helping them build their literacy skills. All this while juggling a full class schedule that included three AP classes. Tabitha excels in and out of the classroom. She won the Tisch Library Award in sophomore year for academic achievement, and her impressive performance in my class earned her the 2014 Biology award. She was one of the top scorers in her class on the PSAT, and she earned a 4 and two 5's on her AP exams so far. Tabitha is a top student whose grades, awards, and involvements speak for themselves. I highly recommend Tabitha for admission to your undergraduate program. She is an active student who will continue to contribute greats things to her college. Her achievement in school is all the more impressive considering her busy schedule and extracurricular and professional involvements. Please feel free to contact me with any questions at resumereader@gmail.com. Sincerely, Reita RationScience TeacherBelabor Boarding School At least Tabitha's letter sounds a little more enthusiastic than Jamie's. But it's still not especially strong. Let's look at exactly what makes it ineffective. The Break Down It sounds like Ms. Ration is impressed with Tabitha's accomplishments. Tabitha seems to be a highly achieving student with impressive grades and extracurricular involvements. However, admissions committees already know about all her grades, awards, and involvements from the rest of her application. This letter repeats a lot of information that the admissions committee already has on file. Plus, by trying to include everything that Tabitha does, it actually says very little. It's all breadth and no depth.A strong letter woulddive deeply into specific skills or qualities, rather than skimming over a lot of different points with a general overview. A recommendation letter should personalize a student and give deeper insight into her intellectual capacity and character. It should be from a teacher who can highlight something specific about a student. Her science teacher may know little about Tabitha's work as a literacy coach. She could speak much more insightfully about Tabitha's skill for scientific inquiry and interest in medicine. This letter also uses no anecdotes or examples to illustrate something meaningful about Tabitha, relying instead on facts and figures. Perhaps the most telling example of where the letter writer went astray is when she says that Tabitha's accomplishments"speak for themselves." In fact, recommendation letters are required because grades and statistics don't fully speak for themselves. Recommenders are supposed to speak about a student in a revealing, meaningful way. They should help distinguish the student from other applicants and talk about her passions and motivations (in other words,why she does what she does). Instead, this letter focuses on what Tabitha does. As a highly achieving student, Tabitha might be applying to a selective school along with lots of qualified applicants. They may share similar grades and accomplishments, so the recommendation letters are especially important for providing something beyond the resume. Unfortunately, this letter doesn't do that. It could be written by almost anyone with a record of Tabitha's school and community involvement. Finally, a recommendation letter that's too short immediately gives a bad impression to admissions officers. They can see right away that a teacher didn't spend much time on it. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. The Short Letter Dear Admissions Committee, It is my pleasure to recommend Ethan for admission to your college. I had Ethan in my th grade math class. He was a strong student, worked well with others, and impressed me with his consistent effort. In addition to taking a challenging course load during junior year, Ethan took part in the Amnesty International Club and contributed to the school newspaper. He wrote a compelling article about the current state of civil rights in America. Ethan has my strong recommendation for college. He's bright, motivated, and has strength of character. I'm sure he will do great things. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at cantbebothered@gmail.com. Sincerely, Shirley RushedMath TeacherAbrupt Academy Just by looking at it, you can see what makes this recommendation letter so weak. Besides its short length, what else makes it ineffective? Is that it? Is there more on the back...? The Break Down Like the other two examples, this letter doesn't say anything bad about Ethan. But overall, it's lacking. For one thing, it's way too short. A recommendation letter should be a full page in length. Second, the article mentions some of Ethan's strengths - his consistent effort, his newspaper writing, and his apparent interest in issues of human rights. But the short letter doesn't take time to delve into these qualities and paint a fuller picture of Ethan. The teacher mentions a compelling article about civil rights, but doesn't explain what it said or why Ethan was motivated to write it. There are a few points here that could tell the reader a lot more about Ethan if the recommender had described them more fully. As it is, the letter offers little information or insight. As part of Ethan's application, it would be quickly forgettable. Strong recommendation letters take time and thought to craft. Apart from what I already discusses, what other features weaken all three of these recommendation letter examples? What Else is Wrong with These Letters? Another thing that none of these letters do is customize to the college or program the student is applying to. Often, teachers provide one letter for students to upload to their Common Application and send off to all their colleges. While this is fine for the most part, it can strengthen an application if the letter is customized to the specific school, especially if it's a selective school. If a student is applying to an Ivy League school like Harvard, then she should strive to make every aspect of her application as strong as it can possibly be. This includes obtaining recommendation letters that are customized to Harvard and attest to her ability to succeed in such an academically rigorous environment. Again, the letters don't have to be customized, but it's a good idea for them to be if the school is especially competitive. It's more important that they are enthusiastic, use powerful language, and tell meaningful and memorable stories that reveal a student's unique qualities and help differentiate her from other applicants. None of the above letters accomplish this, unfortunately. Whether you're a teacher writing a letter or a student getting one for your college applications, what can you do to avoid having a letter like the ones above? This is a close call. Avoiding a bad recommendation letter doesn't have to be. What Can You Do to Avoid a Bad Letter of Recommendation? If you're writing recommendation letters for your students, make sure your letter isn't weakened by word choice that is lukewarm and could be made stronger unnecessary repetition of data from a student's resume a focus on academic ability without much mention of personal qualities statements not backed up with specific examples generic or cliche phrases. As you revise your letter, be on the lookout for words that could be made stronger or examples that could be made more specific. If you find yourself in need of more information or material, talk to the student about her interests and goals and what qualities she hopes you'll highlight in her letter. Students should share information with their recommenders, as well as let them know what would go into their ideal letter. If you're a student applying to a writing program, let your English teacher know that you'd love her to talk about your writing skills. If you're an aspiring future engineer, ask your physics teacher if she'll speak to your problem solving abilities. This helps your teacher make your letter more specific and effective. As letters take time and effort to do well, students should ask their teachers early - especially ones who get slammed with recommendation requests senior year (English teachers tend to get a ton of requests). Both students and teachers alike need to put serious time and thought into their recommendation letters to get strong ones. These references are a very important part of the college application. The best ones require planning, effort, and communication between students and their recommenders. What's Next? Now that you've read these examples of bad recommendation letters, check out these examples of strong reference letters (coming soon). For more on writing strong recommendation letters (that don't end up sounding unenthusiastic, repetitive, or uninformed), check out this in depth guide. Do counselor recommendation letters differ from teacher recs at all? Read about how school counselors can write strong recommendation letters for the students on their caseload. Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Paper on the book Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Paper on the book - Essay Example A clear analysis of the period reveals that Ferdinand’s assassination was a less aberrant attack and more typical of the times, and challenges the argument of those who perceive the years prior to the war as relatively tranquil. Several other occurrences during the period indicate that the period was quite abnormal than one might think. These events include the assassination of protuberant figures including Australia’s empress (1898), president of French republic (1894), king of Italy (1900) and the 1901 killing of American president. Additionally, the outrageous fact that terrorists in those days killed millions of people by driving explosive-laden vehicles into buildings indicates technical restrictions (Stone, 196). However, these were not anomalous events during the period considering the many activities that had transpired and disrupted peace in Europe. Although the first three quarters of the 19th century were quite tumultuous, the evidence presented by Norman comprehensively convinces readers that terming the period 1878-1919 as a turning point in Europe on the basis of the tranquil that was experienced is merely a misrepresentation of facts. The internal commotions and raucousness experienced were so much. Germany failed to win WWI due to poor military strategies, poor Kaiser’s coordination, and was fighting against a highly tactical and military powerful entente that could balance means and will with ends. German naval tactics reveal misappropriation and misallocation. Considering that it had greatly been weakened by the Britain naval in the years prior to WWI, the navy could be better organized and resources allocated effectively if Germany’s dream of winning the war were to materialize. Instead, 1895-1914, billions were irresponsibly used for surface fleets, scoffing funding for inventions such as submarines, while only twenty five of its submarines were in a

Heat exchanger Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Heat exchanger - Essay Example In this experiment, the shell and tube exchanger that was used comprised of a number of tubes that were parallel in a cylindrical shell which had no significance until 15%. The experiment was conducted in environmental ambient temperature and distilled was added to make it successful since it does not contain impurities and has less probability to cause damage to the equipment. There was no significant change because the percentage error obtained for heat transfer coefficients for both concurrent and counter current is below 15%. In comparison to the counter current, the overall heat exchanger for concurrent flow is under control since there was a significant change for counter current has a significant change. Based on the estimated overall heat transfer, the expected exit temperature has the percentage error for both co-current and counter current was below 15% and thus no significant change. During the experiment, the heat losses for both co-current and counter current were above the expected percentage value, therefore creating a mean of high heat losses. The percentage error of the overall heat transfer coefficient for the co-current and counter current were not as expected indicating a significant change in the co-current. This shows that the efficiency of the heat exchanger effects on parallel flow more than counter flow. Heat transfer is a widely used method of cooling warm fluids to lower temperatures while using a barrier to separate the two flows and is majorly applied in petroleum and chemical engineering. The shell and the tube heat exchanger are the equipment commonly used in this experiment because of the users’ ability to manage the pressures and temperature. In the shell and tube exchanger, the cylindrical shell is lined with some tubes internally. Its operation underlies the principle of two fluids flowing, one inside the tube and the other externally. The flows can assume either parallel or cross counter

Friday, October 18, 2019

SHORT STORY, EXPOSITORY STYLE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SHORT STORY, EXPOSITORY STYLE - Essay Example reater good of the child realize that though there are constitutional guarantees for equality men seems to be less equal than women in this perspective. During the divorce process, the father has to undergo child custody evaluation at which point he learns that the daily access to rear the child is shared or fully impeded. The father has to take immense efforts to convince the custody evaluator by pointing out the reasons why he is good as a custodial parent. The evaluation is a questionable process because it can be either rational or fair since evaluation is carried out without any benchmarks or standardized testing. It is even more difficult for fathers to be a custodial parent because the mother is usually given custody in the best interest of the child. According to Old Bureau of Census statistics the proportions at which the father and mother obtained to be the custodial parents in the early 90’s stood at 1:90, while 9% of the kids were assigned to the care of family members.. Though custody evaluations takes place, the evaluators conclude with an expected judgment which usually favors the mother to be the custodial parent because the child has been raised by the mother and she would be able to offer a more stable life. This leads to a reason that a father is disqualified for custody because they do not spend much time with the kids since they were working. But this should not be a reason to penalize men (Hughson, D). Court orders are sometimes biased even if the evaluation process finds the father to be most suitable custodial parent. On the social front, children who grow up without a father at home is at an increased risk of transforming into a criminal in the society. Children are also likely to drop out of school, indulge in drug abuse, commit suicide or get pregnant. Therefore gender bias towards fathers in gaining custody must undergo a change (Child Custody and Support). Fathers are back lashed when it comes to the custody of the child because

The Impacts of Sequestration on the Department of Defense Research Paper

The Impacts of Sequestration on the Department of Defense - Research Paper Example Reductions of federal funding across the boards, also known as sequestrations have had a considerable impact on the fiscal years prior to, and during 2014. It not only reduced optional operations, but also cut down on the direct spending of the federal budget (Epstein, 2013). This has led to widespread concerns about the Department of Defense’s personnel, reallocation budget, customer’s service and other such details. The federal budget cuts affected the Department of Defense Human Resources Management in several important ways. The former level of readiness, although sustained, has experienced an irrecoverable deficit due to a decade of counterinsurgency operations (Roulo, 2014). According to the Department of Defense website, the current President Budget promises to restore the equilibrium between readiness and planned force structure. The Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011 encumbers this shift to the mission of Department of Defense. This is due to the fact that the reduced funding levels have decreased not only the number of trained personnel, but also hampered the maintenance of ground vehicle and aviation. Furthermore, the flying hours of Navy and Marine Corps are to be decreased, which would also result in decreasing the levels of their readiness (Estimated Impacts of Sequestration-Level Funding, 2014). Such are the impacts of sequestration that there has been a radical expected drawdown to 450,000 active soldiers, 335,000 in the Army National Guard and 202,000 reservists by the end of 2015 fiscal year. (Roulo,2014) These reductions will further lead to the Department of Defense relying more on National Guard. The Army personnel and readiness are perhaps facing the greatest drawback as almost 70 percent of the total cut-downs are facing in its direction. The Army, for instance cancelled seven combat training sessions and skilled personnel was lost due to frozen salaries (Roulo, 2014). This reiterates the Department of Defense concern about

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Inception of Activity Based Costing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Inception of Activity Based Costing - Essay Example Activity-based costing enables reasonably accurate allocation of overheads. The activities in an organization are spread across the organizational processes and value chain. The traditional methods of costing faced severe criticism due to inaccuracies. While it is easy to apportion direct costs to individual products in a company with a wide product mix, it is difficult to apportion indirect costs to the products. Therefore traditional methods sought estimates to assign overhead costs. In the earlier paradigm, Labor costs constituted a substantial part of the total cost of manufacture. Therefore direct labour costs were used to assign the overhead costs to various jobs relating to the manufacture of products. But today there has been a paradigm shift with technology pervading the value chain replacing a large chunk of Labor by automated processes. The proportion of materials cost in many industries has augmented with the dwindling of labour costs. Similarly increasing automation and shrinking life span of machines have led to the increase in capital costs. T here has also been a concomitant increase in overhead costs pertaining to information technology and depreciation of expensive plant and machinery, maintenance and utilities in most industries. In the new paradigm, the companies found direct labour as the basis for apportionment of overheads inaccurate to capture the costs for the products. The companies, therefore, used machine hours instead of direct Labor for apportioning the overhead costs. With the growing complexity of manufacturing processes, neither direct Labor nor machine hour would suffice as bases for allocation of overhead costs to processes of products. Therefore the new circumstances demanded multiple bases for allocation of overhead costs. These factors paved the way for the evolution of activity-based costing, which uses multiple bases for overhead allocation.  Ã‚  

The Legal Process of Establishing Business Partnership Essay

The Legal Process of Establishing Business Partnership - Essay Example It involves an agreement between two or more parties to enter into a legally binding relationship that is essentially contractual in nature†2. Partnership is fundamentally identified as a relation of an agency. Agency can be stated to be a person identified as an agent who willingly undertakes to act for any other party. The other party is termed as principal. There is a mutual consent prevalent between both the intended parties in this relationship3. The owners belonging to a partnership are generally synchronized by the Partnership Act of every state as well as territory. As identified by the Partnership Act, the meaning of ‘partnership’ and ‘firm’ is identical4. In context to the agreement of partnership the roles, responsibilities, liabilities, power of certain partners to bind the firm, partners bound by acts on behalf of the firm, effect of notice that firm will not be bound by acts of partner and the criteria for dissolution of an agreement of p artnership needs to be discussed with regard to the provided case. ... ular firm and remainder of the partners in the firm except the partner who performs the act has in effect no right to act in relation to the firm in the precise issue and the person along with whom a particular partner is generally dealing either is aware that the partner has actually no right or is unfamiliar about the factor does deem the particular partner to be a partner belonging to the firm4. According to the statement of Section 10 of the Partnership Act of 1963 a particular act or any particular instrument with regard to the business belonging to a firm except for an incorporated limited partnership is compulsory on the firm and the present partners in the particular firm as well if it is performed by a particular person who has been sanctioned to conduct such an act or carry out the instrument devoid of the fact that if the person is a partner of the firm or not, in the name of the firm or in any further way presenting an intent for binding the firm4. According to proclamati on of Sec 12 of the Partnership Act of 1963, if it was decided by the present partners belonging to a firm aside from an incorporated limited partnership that precincts are to be sited on the established power of one or more than one of the obtainable partners to unite the firm, an action defying the agreement is not requisite on the partnership with regard to a person within view of the notice concerning the agreement.  

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Inception of Activity Based Costing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Inception of Activity Based Costing - Essay Example Activity-based costing enables reasonably accurate allocation of overheads. The activities in an organization are spread across the organizational processes and value chain. The traditional methods of costing faced severe criticism due to inaccuracies. While it is easy to apportion direct costs to individual products in a company with a wide product mix, it is difficult to apportion indirect costs to the products. Therefore traditional methods sought estimates to assign overhead costs. In the earlier paradigm, Labor costs constituted a substantial part of the total cost of manufacture. Therefore direct labour costs were used to assign the overhead costs to various jobs relating to the manufacture of products. But today there has been a paradigm shift with technology pervading the value chain replacing a large chunk of Labor by automated processes. The proportion of materials cost in many industries has augmented with the dwindling of labour costs. Similarly increasing automation and shrinking life span of machines have led to the increase in capital costs. T here has also been a concomitant increase in overhead costs pertaining to information technology and depreciation of expensive plant and machinery, maintenance and utilities in most industries. In the new paradigm, the companies found direct labour as the basis for apportionment of overheads inaccurate to capture the costs for the products. The companies, therefore, used machine hours instead of direct Labor for apportioning the overhead costs. With the growing complexity of manufacturing processes, neither direct Labor nor machine hour would suffice as bases for allocation of overhead costs to processes of products. Therefore the new circumstances demanded multiple bases for allocation of overhead costs. These factors paved the way for the evolution of activity-based costing, which uses multiple bases for overhead allocation.  Ã‚  

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Persuasive Narrative in Rhetoric Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Persuasive Narrative in Rhetoric - Essay Example There are three main principles of narrative analysis. They are the principle of succession, principle of transformation, and the principle of mediation. The paper will use these principles in explaining the persuasive use of narrative rhetoric in Obama’s inaugural speech. Rhetoric is this case is the aspect of speaking effectively. The paper will also use narrative rationality to explain the persuasive effect of narrative in rhetoric. This paper will considerably focus on patho, logos, ethos, and their individual effect on persuasion in regards to narrative rational. Pathos, logos, and ethos are the three pillars of public speaking. They are the rhetoric styles of persuasion. I will use examples from the Obama inaugural speech to illustrate each of these points. The paper will then draw an informed conclusion on persuasive use of narrative in rhetoric. The Principle of succession is present in Obama’s inaugural speech. The Principle of succession relies on time and cha nge to explain the meaning of the sequential arrangement of objects, elements, and incidents in a narrative (Scharf, 2003). Everything is in time. Stage for the speech was perfectly set in front of building constructed by black slaves. The speech is filled by words signifying sequential events, â€Å"I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors† (New York Times, 2009). These words seek to persuade the audience on his concern for the job at hand. The use of incidents like rising tides, still waters, clouds, and ranging storms is also sequential. They seek to persuade the audience that things and situations change with time and hence they should brace themselves for that change. Additionally, the use of incidents like the abandonment in the capital, when the enemy was advancing and the staining of the snow with blood, play a major role in persuading the audience that their history ha s not been good and hence the need to change it. This principle consequently leads to the principle of transformation. The principle of transformation relies on unities to define patterns that signify change in state of mind or state of affairs and hence defining the beginnings and endings. There is massive use of this principle in Obama’s inaugural speech. The phrase, â€Å"Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America† (New York Times, 2009) signify change in the state of affairs. These words seek to persuade the audience that it is time to act towards good for America. Other words that signify change of state of mind are, â€Å"Our capacity remains undiminished, but our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions† (New York Times, 2009). These too persuade the audience that change is irresistible at this time. It marks the beginning of putting off unple asant decisions and the end of protecting narrow interests. Moreover, from the energy in his words and the applause that he receives it is sure that Obama and the American people are ready for this change and hence the eminent success in narrative persuasion. This principle additionally leads to the principle of mediation. The principle of mediation relies on desire and ability to get a better understanding of the environment hence

Monday, October 14, 2019

Delivery of Customer Service Excellence within UK universities Essay Example for Free

Delivery of Customer Service Excellence within UK universities Essay There has been continuous increase in the number of people pursuing higher education. This has been contributed to by the changing society that requires one to continuously update and keep up with the education standards. As the demand of education increases, there is an increase in demand for higher education in the face of decreasing government funding (White, 2007, p.67). The decrease in government funding in many countries has resulted to self-sponsorship among most of the students. With the students, being self-sponsored there is need for amore market driven stress on focus on the customers’ needs and in this case, the students are the customers. As the number of students with the objective of going to universities increase so does the application of marketing in the field of higher education (Lomas, 2007, p.456). The marketing of university services has necessitated the change in the relationship of the students and the university to have a customer provider relation. The treatment of students as customers has been at an increase due to the increase in number of universities. The increase in number of universities increases competition-necessitating need for customer service among the universities to increase the number of student’s enrollment rate. To establish if the students are customers one has to determine the services provided by universities and the consumers of the products or services provided. According to Martinez (2013, p.56), education provision can be classified as a service, which can be separated into service delivery and service content. Whereby service, content cannot be negotiated with the students but service deliver is negotiable. Simple the content covered in the classrooms is not determined by the students but the way in which this content is delivered can be negotiable. The customers of the service provided by the universities are students. The service delivered in this case refers to the standard way in which education is applied or impacted on the students. The quality of service is determined by the standards applied in an institution, the equipment’s applied, technology, materials, instructor, and the timing in which this education takes place. The two types of service provided by the universities attract different consumers. The service content attracts customers that are external to the institution who include private and public employers and the society. The students are described as the service consumers since they are partners with the institutions and are the main consumers of the services provided by universities. Universities can also be described as service providers since it cannot be classified as service provider since they do not manufacture any of their final products instead they offers good that are not physically visible. Having classified the services provided by universities it could be established that there are several types of consumers of the universities products. The main customers are however, the students who are directly affected by the quality of services provided. Secondly, there are external consumers who are affected by the services provided in a secondary level. Having established students as consumers then universities should strive to always satisfy customer’s needs. In addition, universities should be improved by comparing them with the service provision industry, as an ever-increasing competition forces to do so. Trends in the universities also draw it closer to customer-oriented service industries. Students   want to be involved in the decision making process of the universities more than depending on the market forces, this qualifies   the students to be the customers since the articulation of their opinions increases or decreases the royalty and retention rate of the universities customers. In some countries like UK and Austral, universities senior management and government agencies insist on the need to consider students as the customers. This is evident in Oxford University where the satisfaction of the students is a paramount objective for the institution. This is justified by the fact that the marketing department of the university has students suggestion cites where they collect the needs and wants of the students. This opinion is however, not supported by the academic staff that states that recognition of students as customers decreases the quality of education since the needs of the students are not in all cases right like the expectation in businesses(Lomas, 2007, p.34). Governments all over the world and particularly the UK government have been seen to put in place mechanisms for assessing the quality of the services provided by universities. This assessment is meant to allow the government to identify areas that need improvement. The government also puts in place measures that drive up the quality of education and provide enough information about the universities that will help students determine on what institution is proper or the best among the many provided. Government makes reforms at universities to change the perception of universities into business –like organizations (Lomas, 2007, p.54). According to Pittman (p. 342), the relationship between the student and the universities are special unlike most of the service industries. The recognition of universities as service providers, in one way or another the market forces lead into the treatment of the institutions as businesses. The treatment of universities as businesses has been evident in the running of Cambridge university and other leading universities in the UK that engage in marketing strategies aimed at pleasing the students in the universities. This therefore includes the marketing strategies used by businesses. The business focus is the satisfaction or meeting customer needs and similarly universities should focus on meeting the students’ needs to survive in the market. Students attend universities with different objectives including, pursuit of their person interest, desire to gain qualifications, prepare for academic and research careers and preparation for the world of work. These needs are sufficiently provided by most of the universities however, the students choose the universities that provide these services with a more customer centric culture. The universities are now under pressure to make the students feel as the kings and at the same time not deteriorate their standards of their curriculums or standards. This calls for the universities to differentiate themselves and creating a customer oriented relation with the students to increase the enrollments and retention rate. Customer Relationship Management Theory Customer relationship management is an important aspect of any business. It is the process of obtaining, retaining an increase the market share, or customer base of a business. It includes the management of off-line and in-line relationships with consumers. Customer relationship management requires the running of business in a customer centric approach that considers the customers first. Universities have increased in number necessitating the need of marketing activities that differentiate each university and increase their competitive advantage. The ever-increasing competition levels have brought about changes in the dynamics of the education business particularly in the university level. The customers of universities have continuously been enlightened and choose the best among the universities. This has increased the need and importance of a customer centric culture that strives to understand the customer’s needs. Universities have understood the need to invest in new technologies to allow them to gain advantage in the competition by exploiting their brand value, customer base, and investments in infrastructure in order to increase the number of enrollments, as their direct link to the customer satisfaction and profitability (Martinez, 2013, p.56). Customer relationship management allows the universities to analyze their consumers at different levels to allow the detection of their needs, preferences, potential areas that require improvement and after this, the universities are able to establish or implement the necessary actions to achieve customer satisfaction. Universities engage in every year orientation for the students to display the facilities in the institutions. This is evident in Manchester University, Liverpool and Cambridge that allow the interested students to view the facilities and from their judgment choose a university that best suits their needs. Achievement of customer satisfaction is a core objective to many businesses as it increases the competitive advantage and thus increasing profitability of the organization. The increase in number of universities increases the bargaining power of the consumers who in this case are the students. Today students want to enroll in universities with better services, lower fees, good infrastructure, skilled tutors, and access to various services within an institution. This pressures the universities to look for new ways that are going to satisfy these needs and ways to keep the students and the rest of the customers satisfied before any other institution does (West, Ford, Ibrahim, 2010, pg.89). According to Bay, Darlenen, Daniel, Harold (p. 15), students are the purchasers of the service provides and therefore the customers of some of the campus services and the facilities, which are provided at a price. Students have to pay for the education provided at full price in order to benefit. The service provider determines the standards of the service though the services provided at aimed at satisfying the customers. This is similar with the universities who are expected to determine the needs of the customers but at the same time ensure that they satisfy the customer’s needs. Students can also be seen as clients of the campus facilities such as libraries, administrative services, and computer laboratories. Students could use these services as free of charge but since they are charged this makes the students the clients of the universities. These universities have a responsibility to the students Total Quality Management According to total quality, management customers are the people to whom an organization sells its services or products. This makes the students and in some cases the parents, private and public institution, and the government the customers of the universities. TQM model identifies students as stakeholders in educational decisions. They are however, not the only stakeholders and at times, the needs of the students come second to those of the society. Under the TQM, frame work the students create a market force under which the universities have to adopt to survive in the market (White Naomi, 2007, p. 600). The TQM model states that quality starts and ends with the customer, this is because of the increased competition in the market that has necessitated the focus on the customer to gain a competitive advantage. According to the concept, the satisfaction of internal customers leads to the satisfaction of the external customers and consequently every customer both the external and internal are satisfied. The theory states that several factors including, customer expectation, company operations, and the employees responsible for delivering the services to the customer bring about customer satisfaction. The creation of a customer centric culture is of great importance to an organization. This creates satisfaction among the consumers and the customers increasing their royalty and increases the retention rate of customers. Focus on customers increases the advertisement of a product by the word of mouth of the satisfied clients reducing the operation cost and increasing the number of consumers. Concentration on consumers is the best tactic or weapon against competitors since the customers are the final determinants in the existence of an organization (George David, 2007, p.970). Universities are businesses that should re-orient the services rendered so to keep the customers satisfied. In the past universities were not treated as businesses since there were countable universities and the number of students were minimal and there were no competition. Currently the market is flooded with universities, which increases the need of the perception of the customer as the king and always right. With the increased number of universities the buyers of universities services are fewer and this increases the need for quality services   which is dependent on the extent that   an university is able to meet and exceed the customers’ requirements (King, 2001, p.190). Total quality, management recognizes the student’s perception of quality change as they progress from one stage to another. This allows the institutions to continuously update their services to meet the customers’ needs and expectations in every level, Needs of the customers in universities consist of the minimum necessary human elements that must be rendered to retain the customers in this case the student. If the students’ needs are not met then they are likely to discontinue their education in one university and continue in another that meets its needs. Universities are defined to be successful if the student enrollment and retention rate is high compared to the rest in the market. Total quality, management programs are also seen to be successful if they facilitate customer retention and enrollment in universities. Needs and want satisfaction in universities is therefore structured towards the basics of performance, providing what the students want and what they are unable to survive without (White Naomi, 2007, p. 600). Ways in Which Expectations Can Be Managed and Service Excellence Achieved Universities can use different mechanisms to improve their service excellence. The first strategy on improving service excellence is the determination of the superior services they offer. The service must identify and target customers segments according to the type of services attributes that they must demand. Universities must identify group or students with similar expectations in terms of what aspects are associated with the excellence in service. The universities should continuously find the proper trade- off between inferior performance for one attribute with superior performance for another (Bay, Darlene, Daniel Harold, 2001, p.16), The customers themselves best understand their needs. Expectations can be managed if the service providers are able to understand the needs of the customers. In universities, the students are the main consumers of the services offered. Universities should identify the students’ needs by encouraging feedback on the services provided. This allows the meeting of their needs and consequently increasing the customer royalty and the enrollment rate. The second strategy is the employee management system that allows ensures that the employees treat the customers are content. Universities should ensure that their employees meet the needs of the customers and have a customer centric culture. In the case of universities the academic personnel should ensure the student’s needs are met and also that the services rendered are of quality (Lomas Laurie, 2007, p.35) The third element is benchmarking the service provided and the services provided by other universities. This allows the universities to identify the areas that need improving and the areas that are outstanding. This allows the universities to merge or close up the gap between them and their competitors. Benchmarking also gives new ideas of products or the services that the competitors are offering. This increases the products offered and the quality of service (West, Ford, Ibrahim, 2010, pg.89). The fourth element is continuous improvement of the services and products offered by institutions. The continuous improvement of services reduces the chances of products becoming obsolete. University students needs keep changing with periods, change in equipment infrastructure, and the time. This necessitates the universities to update their services continuously so at to increase customer satisfaction and maintain customer royalty. The last step is being of conscious of bad service delivery. Looking at the past bad experiences allows and institutions to learn what are being done wrong. Continuous review of past mistakes allow the correction of the poor standard services previously provided and introduction of new services that meet the customers need. The last is the implementation of technology to improve customer satisfaction and in meeting the customer needs. The increased perception of students as customers has increased the enrollment in most universities. This is because of the students feeling that their needs are catered for. This has been evident with the increased enrollments in the oxford university. Conclusion The focus on customers is a core objective for any business. Universities are classified as service delivery business with the students being the major customers. The identification of the customer needs is a relevant and important factor in the satisfaction of customer needs. In universities and higher education institutions students are classified as customers since they are the purchasers of the services provided by the institutions. Universities are obliged to provide quality services to the students. There has been increased number of universities with time, which has increased the competition among the universities to gain competitive advantage. The increased competition has necessitated the need for a customer centric culture to gain more customers. References Bay, D.   Daniel, H. 2001. â€Å"The Student Is Not the Customer-An Alternative Perspective†, Journal of Marketing for Higher Education Vol.11, No. 1, pp.1-19 Biswas, S. 2011. Relationship marketing: concepts, theories and cases. New Dehli, India, PHI Learning. George, D. 2007. â€Å"Market Overreach: The Student As Customer†, The Journal of Socio-Economics, Vol.36, pp.965-977 HErnon, P., Whitman, J. R. 2000. Delivering satisfaction and service quality: a customer-based approach for libraries. Chicago, American Library Association. Hess, E. D. 2011. Growing an entrepreneurial business: concepts and cases. Stanford, California, Stanford Business Books. King, S.P. 2001. â€Å"The Funding of Higher Education in Australia: Overview and Alternatives†, The Australian Economic Review, Vol.34, No.2, pp.190-194 Lomas, L. 2007. â€Å"Are Students Customers? Perceptions of Academic Staff†, Quality in Higher Education, Vol.13, No.1, April, pp.32-43 Martinez, M. 2013. Creating a service culture in higher education administration. West, D. C., Ford, J. B., Ibrahim, E. 2010. Strategic marketing: creating competitive advantage. Oxford, Oxford University Press. White, N, R. 2007. â€Å"The Customer Is Always Right? Student Discourse About Higher Education In Australia†, High Education, Vol.54, pp.593-604.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Analysis of Google :: Internet Search Engines Technology Essays

Analysis of Google Google is a play on the word googol, which was coined by Milton Sirotta, nephew of American mathematician Edward Kasner, and was popularized in the book, "Mathematics and the Imagination" by Kasner and James Newman. It refers to the number represented by the numeral 1 followed by 100 zeros. Google's use of the term reflects the company's mission to organize the immense, seemingly infinite amount of information available on the web. Back before Google? Aye, there's the Rub. According to Google lore, company founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin were not terribly fond of each other when they first met as Stanford University graduate students in computer science in 1995. Larry was a 24-year-old University of Michigan alumnus on a weekend visit; Sergey, 23, was among a group of students assigned to show him around. They argued about every topic they discussed. Their strong opinions and divergent viewpoints would eventually find common ground in a unique approach to solving one of computing's biggest challenges: retrieving relevant information from a massive set of data. By January of 1996, Larry and Sergey had begun collaboration on a search engine called BackRub, named for its unique ability to analyze the "back links" pointing to a given website. Larry, who had always enjoyed tinkering with machinery and had gained some notoriety for building a working printer out of Legoâ„ ¢, took on the task of creating a new kind of server environment that used low-end PCs instead of big expensive machines. Afflicted by the perennial shortage of cash common to graduate students everywhere, the pair took to haunting the department's loading docks in hopes of tracking down newly arrived computers that they could borrow for their network. A year later, their unique approach to link analysis was earning BackRub a growing reputation among those who had seen it. Buzz about the new search technology began to build as word spread around campus. The search for a buyer Larry and Sergey continued working to perfect their technology through the first half of 1998. Following a path that would become a key tenet of the Google way, they bought a terabyte of disks at bargain prices and built their own computer housings in Larry's dorm room, which became Google's first data center. Meanwhile Sergey set up a business office, and the two began calling on potential partners who might want to license a search technology better than any then available.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Rudyard Kiplings Kim Essay -- Rudyard Kipling Kim Book Report Essays

Rudyard Kipling's Kim Kim gives a vivid picture of the complexities in India under British rule. It shows the life of the bazaar mystics, of the natives, of the British military. There is a great deal of action and movement, for Kipling's vast canvas painted in full detail. The dialogue in the novel makes use of Indian phrases translated by the author, they give the flavor of native speech in India. They are also touches of the native behavior and shrewdness. Setting: The time the novel took place was around the late nineteenth century. The story takes place in a hot and dry location of British India. Most of the scenes either take place in the wilderness or the streets of India. Plot: Kim grew up on the streets of Lahore. His Irish mother had died when he was born. His father, a former colorsergeant of an Irish regiment called the Mavericks, died eventually from doing drugs and having too much to drink, and left his son in care of a half-caste woman. So young Kimball O'hara became Kim, and under the hot Indian sun his skin grew so dark that one good not tell that he was of the Caucasian race. One day a Tibetan lama, in search of the Holy River of the Arrow that would wash away all sin, came to Lahore. Struck by all possibility for an exciting adventure, Kim attached himself to the lama as his chela. His adventures began almost at once. That night, at the edge of Lahore, Mahubub Ali, a horse trader, gave Kim a cryptic message to deliver to a British author in Umballa. What Kim did not know was that Mahbub was a member of the British Secret Service. He delivered the message as directed, and then lay in the grass and watched and listened until he learned that his message meant that eight thousand men would go to war. Out on the big road the lama and Kim encountered many people of all sorts. Conversation was easy. One group in particular interested Kim, an old lady traveling in a family bullcock cart attended by a retinue of eight men. Kim and the Lama attached themselves to her party. Towards the evening they saw a group of soldiers making camp. It was the Maverick regiment. Kim, whose horoscope said that his life would be changed at the sign of a red bull in a field of green, was fascinated by the regimental flag, which was just that red bull against a background of bright green. Caught by a chaplain, the Revere... ...nally distinguishes himself as a member of the British Secret Service. 2. A Tibetan Lama- Becomes Kim's instructor and whose ambition is to find the holy River of the Arrow which would wash away all sin. After Kim's education is complete he accompanies the lama on his wanderings, though he is really a member of the secret service. In the end he finds the river he is looking or, it ends up being a brook attached to an old woman's house. 3. Mahbub Ali- A horse trader who is really a member of the secret service. He is largely responsible for Kim's becoming a member of the British secret service. 4. Colonel Creighton- The director of the British Secret Service, who permits Kim to resume the dress of a street boy and do secret service work. 5. Hurre Chunder Mookerjee- A babu, and also a member of the Secret Service. He is Kim's confederate in securing some valuable documents brought into by spies for the Russians. Personal Evaluation and Conclusion: I personally liked the novel "Kim". The reason I liked the novel is because I love adventure stories. The story line of "Kim" was very exciting and kept me in suspense.

Friday, October 11, 2019

The Grieving of the White Mistress

I did not know what time it was. I was still in my bed and comfortably tucked in my sheets. Everything is still, no chirping of the birds and no squeaks from the squirrels.Only the whispers of the winds that hustled against the glass windows broke the overwhelming silence. The fire is burning at the fireplace and I could smell the wood burning. But no matter how thick my flannel pajamas are layered with my thermal, I could not help myself from shivering.My eyes were still closed but my brain was already conscious. Apparently, my down covers have fallen from my bed. As I tried to reach for it I saw through my bedroom window that it was already snowing. It was the first day of snow of the year, and it was magnificent.It was the day before Thanksgiving. The crimson leaves of the deciduous trees that line our street have completely fallen. From the warmth of my house, I watched the outside world welcome the coldest season of the year.As if barren, only the green colored pine trees contra sted the landscape of white covered grounds. Six inches thick of snow has cloaked the earth with its solemn beauty. Like minute specks of dust falling gently, ice fell as if God is chistling from the heavens above. The velvety white gleamed and reflected the light that penetrated through the dark clouds in the horizons.The skies seem so heavy, as if heaven and earth are reaching for each other's bosom. Pavements are drenched with melted snow and rooftops are laid with perfect veil of white against the smokes of chimney. Such a picturesque piece of land, such life in this dark and cold weather.After a rose from my bed I took my robe from the edge of my bed and wore my winter slippers. I hurried to the kitchen where I found my Mom mixing hot chocolate on the stove. She poured the black thick liquid on a mug decorated with Old St. Nicholas' portrait sleeping on a rocking chair.I added sprinkles of marshmallows and settled myself on the stool by the nook. I smelled the sweet savory flav or evaporating and smiled at my Mom with content. I love winter mornings, all the peace that envelops the earth lets me contemplate through the depths of my long sleeping soul.I went to the bathroom to take a shower. When I turned the knob and the waters started to gently lather my flesh, the hot waters steamed and misted the smoked windows.   It is a very relaxing feeling to find yourself so warm in this extremely frosted environment. After I finished, I put on my winter attire.I have prepared several pieces of clothing to prudently warm me through different layers. I wore my black colored thermal covering the entire lengths of my arms and legs and wrapping my body's torso. Its smooth texture was a comfort to my skin. Then I continued with my dark blue turtle neck fleece sweater and I slid into a pair of straight cut denim jeans.I took my knee length winter boots made of camel colored suede with flat soles, wore them on my feet and slipped on my black down jacket that extends to my waist.I took my beret and placed it on my head and I warmed my hands with a pair of gray colored and knitted gloves. I finished off with with a long scarf that matches my mittens, wrapped it on my neck and stepped out of our front door.The cold winds gently brushed through my face and softly blew my hair. A distinct chill rushed through my veins which immediately made my shoulders tremble a little.I smelled the air and found myself smiling as I understood that pumpkin pies are being baked at our neighbor's oven. Its sweet flavor entered my nose and I heartily enjoyed its scent. I saw my friend living next door, she is already outside playing with the snow. I saw her lying on the ground repeatedly swaying her arms and feet upwards and downwards.I realized that she is making a snow angel, as if a lass in the midst of a fairly land. I ran towards her and leaped next to her and made my own childhood memories come to life. The earth was soft and cold and I just stared at the skies wit h a sigh.Winter days are beautiful, they have their own charm and endearing beauty. Though most of the world seems to be barren and lifeless, it still holds a promise of rejuvenation. Nights may be longer than days, but the darkness retires our spirit and refreshes our sousls.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

How to Copy and Paste

Below is a free essay on â€Å"Copy And Paste† from Anti Essays, your source for free research papers, essays, and term paper examples. Behind every great man is a beautiful, charming maiden who holds his heart. What if this woman was not absorbed with taking care of his heart but was completely absorbed with money, reputation, and her own needs. In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Mrs. Daisy Fay Buchanan is the object of affection or the â€Å"rock of [Gatsby's] world. â€Å"(99) All Daisy's life she has wanted to be noticed, to be heard, and to be loved. However, when everything she has always anted is being held in her hands, in the form of Gatsby, Daisy chooses money as her form of happiness ultimately leading to her misery. Daisy's action and choices are extremely defined by her â€Å"East egg† way of life, which is a representation of old money and high class society within the novel. In short, Daisy thinks with her wallet instead of using her common sense, her he ad, or her heart. When reading the novel â€Å"it [seems]†¦the thing for Daisy to do [is] to [leave Tom], child in arms†(20) but unfortunately â€Å"there are no such intentions in her head†.The reason being, Tom is her financial prov†¦ †¦ middle of paper †¦ †¦ aisy is the definition of charm and beauty, she will never allow herself to hold his heart. Daisy's love for money, her reputation, and her own needs have ultimately led to her down fall. Daisy chose to marry Tom and his wealth over being Gatsby's foundation of love. Daisy believed money would give her the attention, giver her the voice, and give her the love she wanted all her life. However, all she has received from pursuing money is misery. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby

The History of Art, Changed

Many artists and musicians have a claim to fame: Elvis Presley is â€Å"The King† of rock-and-roll, Michael Jackson is â€Å"The King† of pop, Miles Davis made jazz what it is today. But perhaps the only musical artists that are known for having changed an entire era of youth musically, politically, socially, and even economically are The Beatles. John, Paul, George, and Ringo are four names that when said together will, in most cases, solicit the same response: The Beatles. There was Beatlemania, Ed Sullivan, early years, transition years, drug years, war years, the fighting, and of course, the break-up. Their first appearance on â€Å"The Ed Sullivan Show† is just as vivid in the memories of baby boomers as is the memory of John F. Kennedy†s assassination. Perhaps most surprising is that The Beatles did in 8 years what most artists can†t do in a life time; they impacted youth culture and became arguably the most well known artists in history. In 1956, at the age of 16, John Lennon started a band by the name of the Quarrymen (Schaffner 12). Playing mostly in local clubs, The Quarrymen were a neighborhood band. On July 6, 1957 John Lennon would meet Paul McCartney for the first time. One of John's band mates, Ivan Vaughan, also a friend of fifteen year old Paul McCartney, invited Paul to the St. Peter's Church in Woolton, Liverpool where the Quarrymen would be playing. Introductions were made; Paul picked up a guitar and John was genuinely impressed with Paul, not only because he could play so well but because he could tune a guitar, a feat that the others had not yet mastered. A few days later while riding his bicycle, Paul ran into Pete Shotton, one of the Quarrymen. Pete told Paul that they had talked it over and John wanted Paul to join the band. After a moment's contemplation, Paul replied â€Å"Oh, all right† (Goldman 72). John and Paul quickly became friends, and the historic song writing duo was born. Ivan Vaughn would go on to introduce John and Paul to George Harrison. Paul discovered that the fourteen year old George knew dozens more chords than he and John put together (Giuliano 28). George could also pick out actual solos instead of merely strumming (Goldman 75). The band†s name went from Quarrymen to The Silver Beetles, and finally to the Beatles. One of John's rock ‘n' roll heroes was Buddy Holly whose band was called the Crickets so John tried to dream up an insect name of his own. The result was â€Å"Beetles†, but unable to resist the pun, he changed â€Å"Beet† to â€Å"Beat†. Explained John, â€Å"When you said it, people thought of crawly things, when you read it it was beat music† (Schaffner 19). Members were added and thrown out of the group eventually leaving only John, Paul, and George. On a brief outing to Hamburg, the three members would meet a drummer by the name of Richard Starkey, later to be known as Ringo Starr. He got the name â€Å"Ringo† for the many rings he wore on his fingers. On January 24, 1962, the Beatles signed a management contract with Brian Epstein.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Body Art Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Body Art - Research Proposal Example As discussed, the research question to be addressed in the course of this research is, "Is Body Art Important in Forming Young People Identities In Britain". This question has been chosen because it is of interest to me personally, in terms of the art itself, but also in terms of understanding the motivations behind altering one's body through body art. The phenomena of body art is becoming increasingly popular in Western societies, and the reasons behind this increasing popularity are of interest to me, sociologically speaking; I am interested in knowing why body art is increasing in popularity and why people participate in body art, in terms of their personal histories and perspectives. The widespread nature, and long history, of body art suggests that the human body has been, and is, a canvas for the expression of cultural ideas. Body art is something universal, that is documented across all of recorded time, and as such, the reasons behind it's use and incorporation are of fundamental interest in the understanding of cultural politics and issues of self acknowledgement and representation. This section will show what other research has been done, and will present gaps in the research that this current research proposal will address. A brief background and history of body art will be presented, which will introduce the work of other theorists, in terms of what they say about the links between the body and modernity, and the links between body and identity, for example. Body art is essentially art that is put on, or consists of, the human body (Brain, 1979). There are many forms of body art, including: tattoos, piercings, henna painting, branding, scarification, body painting or other, less invasive, less permanent, types of body art, for example, corseting. Many academics include other forms of body modification, such as plastic surgery, under the umbrella of body art, but this is the subject of much discussion. Others include extreme performance under the umbrella of body art, for example, mutilation on stage, or sadomasochism, or pushing the body to it's physical limits (for example, the work of Oppenheimer), but again, the inclusion of these categories of body modification under the umbrella of body art is subject to much debate. Body art has been around for centuries, with tattooed Mummies being common from the age of the Egyptians, to henna painting in India, which is centuries old. The inhabitants of the islands of the Pacific have some of the most magnificent tattooing in the world, which is known to have been practiced by them for centuries. Many other cultures, from Africa to Australia, to the Pacific islands, are known to have participated in body modification (neck stretching, ear ornamentation) for centuries. The widespread nature, and long history, of body art suggests that the human body has been, and is, a canvas for the expression of cultural ideas. Body art is something universal, across all of recorded time, and as such, the reasons behind it's use and incorporation are of fundamental interest in the understanding of cultural politics and issues of self acknowledgement and representation. The increasing trend for body art amongst Western