Describe a Sports Event That You Took Part in or Watched Essay

I love to play badminton especially in the summer time. It is a game I really enjoy, so play it whenever I can get a willing partner. It is a lot like tennis, but I can play badminton anywhere. I do not have to go to a tennis court to play and I can play in between classes without getting sweaty. Badminton is played with rackets that look a lot like tennis rackets, but they are much more delicate. You should have a net, which sits high above the ground, and a ball that is called a birdie. The birdie has a small rubber half a ball on one end, and it fans out with feathers on the other end to help it to fly. A badminton court has a net in the center that stretches from side to side. Each side of the net has a square that the team mates play in. It is ideal to play badminton with four people, but you can play one on one as well. You can also play without points or a net, but I do not think it is as much fun. It is a game that takes a lot of energy so you get plenty of exercise playing badminton. The main reason I like the game is that everyone, man or woman, has an equal chance to compete. There are so many sports that require height or strength to be good; it is refreshing to play one that I have an equal opportunity to win. Maybe that is why I get very competitive and energetic when I play. I love the game; it is fun and rewarding, and I feel alive when playing. Describe a difficult thing you did well. ä ¸â‚¬Ã¤ » ¶Ã©Å¡ ¾Ã¦ Å¾Ã¥ ®Å¡Ã§Å¡â€žÃ¤ ºâ€¹ Ã¥  ¯Ã¤ » ¥Ã¥ â€šÃ§â€¦ §Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã¤ ¸ ªÃ¤ ½  Ã¥ â€šÃ¤ ¸Å½Ã§Å¡â€žÃ¥ Ë†Ã¤ ½Å"é ¡ ¹Ã§â€º ® You should say: what it was and explain why it was difficult. or and explain how you felt after you did it. Difficulty is a very subjective term. What one person may find difficult the other may find rather easy. For me overcoming my glossophobia was a very difficult thing. I used to be very stage shy and could never speak in front of an audience. It so happened that once I participated in an environment fair held in my hometown. We were a team of four students – Mohit, Rohan, Ravi and I. We had to make a model on pollution. It was very difficult to collect ideas for the model, but our teacher, Mrs Promilla helped us. We collected all data from different sources like the internet, library, magazines and so on We presented all three types of pollution – air, water and noise pollution – on thermocol In this project we showed the causes, effects and ways to control pollution We had to speak turn wise on our model. I remember I was very afraid to speak. But my other friends gave me the confidence. I felt very good that I was part of that team. I spoke very well that time. Getting over my glossophobia was an accomplishment for me. I felt very good after that. We won the first prize in this competition. The judges specially mentioned that the first prize was mainly because of the verbal explanation of the model. This fair was covered by the local cable TV and so many people of the neighbourhood congratulated me the next day. Our photograph was also there in the local newspaper Jag Baani. Our school principal also appreciated us I cannot forget that day. All four of us were on cloud nine on that day. So, this was a difficult thing I did well. something useful you learn from family member Describe a person who taught you a certain skill, such as cooking or driving or swimming. Please say – Who is that person? – How did he/she teach it to you? – Why did you learn it? – Was this skill useful to you? I have learnt many skills from people around me in my life. Here I would like to talk about my mother who taught me a very useful skill of cooking. My mother is in her forties and she is very tall and beautiful. She has a gifted hand in cooking. She has her unique way of teaching us, I mean me and my sister, how to cook. She never made us feel as if she was teaching us. She just kept us involved in the kitchen while she cooked. We learnt a lot just by observing her. I learnt cooking because I too want to be able to cook like her. I also learnt cooking because it is a very useful skill in today’s time. Moreover, as I plan to go abroad for my higher education, this skill will be veryuseful. I will not face any food problems. I am a vegetarian and I have heard that veg. food outlets are very few in foreign countries. This skill has proved very useful because many times I have been able to attend to guests when my mother was not at home. My mother not only taught me simple routine cooking but also some Chinese dishes. She also taught me how to make pizzas in the electric tandoor. She also bakes excellent cakes. Whenever anybody in our neighbourhood celebrates a birthday, the cake is always baked by my mother. She loves experimenting in the kitchen and she has many of her own recipes which are quick and easy and at the same time very delicious. She also presents her dishes very well. She says that the look of the dish is as important as its taste. I am fortunate, I have a talented mother who has taught me this useful skill. something you saw or experienced that made you laugh Here I would like to talk about one when I really laughed from my heart. It was my cousins wedding two months ago and we were all dancing on the beats of DJ. The groom’s father that is my uncle had taken a few pegs of whiskey. He was dancing the maximum. His odd and weird dancing steps were very hilarious and everyone was laughing at him. But he was not at all perturbed. He was thoroughly enjoying himself. My aunt tried to stop him many times but he wouldn’t listen. He was wearing a silken dhoti kurta. Suddenly he tripped and his dhoti came off.That was the most hilarious moment of all. The bride and the groom also had a hearty laugh.The photographer captured it all very nicely in his video camera. Even today when we see that we all have a hearty laugh. So this is the situation when I laughed from my heart. Describe a special meal you would like to eat: What would it be? Where would it be? Whom would you like to share it with? Why it is special for you? I’ve had many special meals in my life. Some were special because of the quality of food. Others were special because of the occasion And some were special because of the people with whom I shared those meals with. Here I would like to talk about a special meal that I would like to have. It would be dinner at the Rangla Punjab section of Haveli which is a beautiful restaurant in the suburbs of my home town. I would like to share it with my best friend who is now studying in Australia but is coming next week to spend his winter vacation here. Actually his birthday next month and I would like to treat my friend to a dinner at Rangla Punjab. Dinner is very special at Rangla Punjab. It is accompanied by cultural programmes. They serve dinner with traditional Punjabi hospitality. First they serve buttermilk which is followed by salad and light snacks. Then they serve two to three types of green vegetables and some lentil curry and rice with various types of chapatti. During winter they also serve makki di roti and sarson ka saag. Makki di roti is a chapatti made of maize floor and sarson da saag is a dish made of mustard leaves to which spinach leaves can be added. In the end they serve rice pudding and after that some jiggery. I have had dinner several times at Rangla Punjab but I would love to have it again with my friend. This time his company would make the meal even more special. I know he has never been to Haveli so he would also love it. Describe your favourite way to communicate with someone. You should say: what it is and explain why this is your favourite way to communicate Man is a social animal. To survive in this society we need to communicate with others. We can communicate in many ways – such as through cell phone, e-mail, internet chatting or by face to face communication. My favourite way of communication is through cell-phone A cell phone is a very useful gadget. We can communicate with almost anyone, from anywhere and at any time. That is why it is my favourite means of communication. It has become an indispensable part of my daily life. I use it daily to stay connected with my friends and family. I can call them, send messages and even send and receive e-mails through my phone. I have a Samsung Galaxy S2 model It is fully touch screen It has android operating system. It has its own application market through which we can download various applications according to our needs. I downloaded Talking Tom application which copies and speaks whatever you speak. I downloaded various games also. I have downloaded Sudoku which I play daily. My friends also play Sudoku and we compare our timings with each other. It has GPS facility through which we can search the desired location. Once I went to Delhi and through this GPS system I could locate my Uncle’s home easily. Otherwise it is very easy to get lost in Delhi. It has wi-fi facility. It has many inbuilt applications .It has a 12 megapixel camera. Describe a child you know. You should say: how you know him or her how often you see him/her what kind of person he/she is (= what his/her personality is like) and explain what you like about this child. I know many children but here I would like to talk about my niece, Gia, who is three years old. She is my cousin’s daughter and lives in my neighbourhood. She is very cute and I just adore her. She is a very chubby child. When she smiles, she has dimples on both cheeks which look very beautiful. I always feel like picking at her cheeks but she screams when anybody does so. She has curly hair and does not like getting her hair combed. Almost every day she comes to my house with my cousin. Then she comes to my room and messes everything up. Normally I don’t like if anyone messes up my things but with Gia I don’t mind at all. She loves chocolates and candies and I always keep some in stock for her. She is only 3 years old but she really knows how to twist everyone around her little finger. It is sometimes very amusing to watch her small pranks. She surely knows what she wants and gets it somehow. Recently, my cousin admitted her to a pre-nursery school called Petals. That school is in our neighbourhood and is very nice. She goes there happily and enjoys the three hours she spends there. She has learnt many nursery rhymes over there. Sometimes I go to pick her up from school as my cousin is busy in the household chores. I just love it when she comes running to me and hugs me tight. She has so much to share with me about her school and her new friends. May God bless her with a long and happy life. A job you would like to do My ambition is to become a teacher. I would like to teach small children i.e. primary level students. A bachelor’s in education degree is required to be a teacher. Nowadays, teaching has become a very lucrative profession. Moreover, I like being with young children. I am good at telling jokes and stories. Secondly, I am a very sensitive person. I am the first person to note if someone is sad or not feeling well. Since children don’t always say what they feel. My sensitivity would make me a good teacher. I am also a very organised person. Children need to be organised too So, I can instil these values in my children. I know that I don’t have a very high ambition but this is a very fulfilling ambition. I believe in enjoying what I do and at the same time I wish to do quality work. These children are our future. I aspire to would them to become good human beings tomorrow. I believe god has sent us all on this earth with a purpose. I hope I can fulfil this purpose by becoming a teacher. A gift you have given I have given and received many gifts in my life Here I am going to talk about a gift which I gave to my best friend on his eighteenth birthday. It was a mobile phone. He had always wanted a mobile phone. But his parents would not buy him one I saved all my pocket money for five to six months to buy this mobile It cost me Rs 2800 It is a small mobile – a Samsung X-210 model It is black rectangular and a folder type model It has many features like watch, calculator, FM radio, alarm, timer and a memory card to store phone numbers It does not have a camera but all the other features are very useful I saw an ad of this phone six months ago and immediately started saving money to buy it. Then, I used to get Rs 500 per month as pocket money. I was so fond of chocolates and candies that I used to spend all my pocket money on these things. But I remember I did not eat a single chocolate those six months. I was overjoyed to see the happy look on my friend’s face when I gave him the mobile phone. I honestly feel that there is more pleasure in giving than receiving. A childhood toy I had many toys in my childhood but here I am going to talk about my electric toy car. My father gifted it to me on my 11th birthday. I used to spend hours playing with it. I was greatly fascinated by it It is red in colour It worked with four pen torch batteries fixed in a box under the car. When I switched it on it would move in all directions If there was an obstacle on the way then the car could change directions Along with that it had lights which flickered at times. I was so fascinated by this car that I used to finish its batteries very soon. I used to show it to my friends with pride. None of my other friends had such a beautiful toy car. I just loved it when I saw the jealous look in their eyes. I remember, once I took it to school in my bag. When I came home I got a big spanking from my mother. I was very possessive about my car and never used to let anyone touch it. Even though I don’t play with the car any more I still have it in my room It brings back nostalgic memories of my childhood favourite time in a day The evening time is the best time of the day for me. It is the time when all my family members are together and we sit together and have our evening tea and chat with each other. We discuss all our day’s happenings with each other. During the day we all are busy and have no time for each other. In the evenings, sometimes, I go with my mother to do some shopping for grocery and vegetables. Once or twice a week I go out with my friends. There is a park near my house. Occasionally I go there also. All the children of my neighbourhood are there. I play some games like passing the ball with them. The elderly people of my neighbourhood are also there. It is a good time to interact with them and learn some values of life from them. There is a Mrs Sharma in my neighbourhood. Sometimes I meet her in the park. She has a great sense of humour. Ten or twenty minutes with her are really very refreshing. She is a lecturer in Kamla Nehru College, Phagwara. Sometimes, she guides me regarding studies too. Then I come home and take a nice cool bath. After that I watch TV for half an hour to one hour with my family over dinner. We all love watching some reality shows and sitcoms. Then I study or read something for an hour or two before going to bed. Describe a friend you haven’t been in contact with for a long time but who you would like to see again. ä ¸Å½Ã¥â€"Å"æ ¬ ¢Ã§Å¡â€žÃ© â€™Ã¥ °â€˜Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã¥ Ë†Ã¥ ¹ ¶ In our life we come across many people and make a lot of friends.I too made a lot of friends during my school and college days. Here I would like to talk about a special friend of my school days with whom I lost contact but would really like to meet again. His name is YINYANG. He joined my high school in 2nd when his father got transferred to my hometown.His father was teacherin my high school at that time.I remember, he was very shy by nature and used to sit next to me. In just a few days we became good friends.He was not very tall AVERAGE in terms of appearance with his curly hair and a dimple on his chin. He was very good at studies.I used to trouble him all the times as I always had problem with maths, but he was always willing to help. We remained very good friends for three years and then his father got a promotion and was transferred to Chandigarh. After that we lost all contact because we are busy with our study I always think of him and would really like to meet him as soon as possible. I made other friends but I could not get as intimate with anyone else as I was with him I could share all my secrets with him and be sure he would never tell anyone. He was so trustworthy.I think I will have to travel changchun province to reach him. I would like to share all my experiences which I had till now after we separated. It has been 3 long years and I am sure he would also be happy to see me or hear from me.I wonder what he is doing now. a decision made by others but wrong in your opinion You should say: who the person was what the situation was what decision they made and explain why you think it was the wrong decision. In our day to day life we all have to take a lot of decisions. Some decisions turn out to be very good and some turn out bad. Here, I would like to talk about a person who made a wrong decision. Actually he did not mean it to be wrong but it turned out to be wrong. This person is my cousin Ravi. He is in his mid thirties. He is not tall but looks very handsome. He is running his own business of readymade garments. He has a seven years old son Rohan, who is very naughty. He was fed up of his naughty pranks and to punish him he sent him to a boarding school in Shimla. He thought that a boarding school would teach him discipline but when Rohan came home from his boarding school everyone at home was shocked because he had become very stubborn and even more naughty. Now he answers back to everyone and does not show any respect or love for his parents. Actually, he knows that the boarding was his punishment. This was a mistake done by my cousin. Children are very sensitive and should be handled with care. My cousin should have told him that the boarding was necessary for him because the education there is very good. Then perhaps Rohan would have not felt bad about going to the boarding school. Now my cousin repents for his decision. He has decided to call Rohan back from his next session. We had a family meeting and there it was decided that it would be better if Rohan stay at home with all of us. Talk about a meaningful song I love music and I love listening to Hindi and Punjabi songs. Most of these songs are very meaningful. Here I would like to talk about a Punjabi song by a famous Punjabi singer Gurdas Maan The name of the song is Boot Polishan. It is from his album Boot Polishan It was released in 2008. The song gives the message that work is worship. Instead of begging for money a person should work and earn. It does not matter if the work is small. If a person works and earns he can always hold his head high. I heard this song about two years ago and since then it has become my favourite song. Actually Gurdas Mann is my favourite singer. He is a multifaceted personality. He is a singer, actor, director and a lyricist as well. He writes the lyrics of his songs himself. He has also acted in many Punjabi movies. All my family members also love his songs. When we go out anywhere together we play his songs in the car. All his songs have messages. He even performs in stage shows. There is a village near my home town where he comes every year and performs for charity. I went there last year. It was an electrifying experience. A thing make you relax Once I have accepted that there are unhappy issue impacting my life, it’s necessary to make room for relaxation amid all those busy things I am doing. Walking the dog can be one of the most effective ways to ease your mind. What I want to mentioned is that My pet is a very important part of life. Spend time with my pet is the most relaxing time for me. when I feel lonely, I turn to play with her. I will Talk to my pet about all the stress and anxiety I ‘ve been going through ,that makes me feel a lot better. I guess that Pet therapy is a genuine means for relaxing; you can also learn a lot from watching how the pet relaxes.

Deconstruction of Satire Cartoons

Chad Salow 1st hour English 11 February 13th, 2013 Deconstruction of a Cartoon. The form of satire that is portrayed in the cartoon I have chosen is mockery. This form of satire is aimed to make fun of something. The purpose of the cartoon is to make fun of the average business person in wealth and poverty. It is showing a large bird in its nest, cuckooing to another smaller bird above him for the money it is holding in his beak.The larger bird is in a struggle for the money reaching out as far as it can go before he would fall to the ground. While the smaller bird holding the money is looking angered, because his money is trying to be taken from him. Every cartoon has its purpose In why it was drawn. But the cartoonist’s purpose in this cartoon was to describe the average middle class business person trying to make his way into life by reaching out for everything that he could take.The larger bird in the nest would be the form of poverty and the smaller bird with the money wo uld represent wealth. The cartoonist is trying to show how anyone would reach out for money in times like this because they are struggling for it. Mainly middle and lower class people. The problems that the cartoonist is addressing are how there are to many people and family’s that are suffering under poverty and the wealthy are holding to much money, make to much money in which they don’t need or don’t reach out to the people who need it.A good example is a large company that makes loads of money from their products but wont have their products made from the country that they are in. But instead they pay others half the price to make it so they can rack up money but pay others poorly. It would seem to me that the cartoonist would like if these wealthy people would share their money or reach out further to give to others but instead, they want to be greedy. Mockery is the form of satire in which the cartoonist used in this cartoon.The cartoonist is making fun of the fact that this business person or â€Å"bird† is cuckooing for the money. That’s only because the bird wants it so badly. The cartoon could also represent some type of irony because nothing is just givin to you. It must be earned and maybe that’s why the wealthy bird wont hand it over. The humor is this cartoon is most definitely visual. The whole meaning of the cartoon is visual besides for the cuckoo! It gives strong humor in the picture of both birds. That is why I had chosen this cartoon for satire deconstruction.

Bar coding

A taxonomic method that identifies the species of an organism by using a small genetic marker in the mitochondrial DNA of the organism is DNA bar coding. The mitochondrion of most eukaryotes contains the mitochondrial DNA, and the rate of mutations is faster that are responsible for a significant variation in the DNA sequences of the mitochondria between the species. The identification of the species via DNA bar coding relies entirely upon the short fragment of mitochondrial DNA.Recently interest is increasing to use a short sequence of tags namely bar codes for identifying and documentation of the species. (Blaxter,2003, Hebert and Gregory,2005). The standard sequence of the DNA used as a bar code is the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase I or COI. A number of studies show that utilizing barcode gives accuracy in the classification of the species. (Kerret. et. al, 2007). The chitons live near the edge of the ocean they are mollusks.The chitons of the north pacific region are di verse comprising around 80 species, and all these species belong to the genus Mopalia. (Eernisse). The present paper discusses on identification of the species of the genus Mopalia from the extremely diverse community of chitons of the north pacific region using the DNA bar coding. DNA bar coding: To characterize the species of the organisms a novel technique exists termed â€Å"DNA bar coding†, and the technique uses a short sequence of DNA on the standard position of the genome.Obtaining the DNA sequences is quick as they comprise a very short sequence in comparison with the whole genome. The cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 of the mitochondrial region is the standard bar code region that contains a length of 648 nucleotide base pairs. There is a variation of the DNA bar codes among the individuals of the same species, but it is little. The effectiveness of the DNA bar code is directly dependent on the minor variation within the species, which is smaller than the differences be tween the species.(Consortium). Genus Mopalia: Fauna and flora of the north pacific region is diverse with long coastline and cool temperatures. Many species of the chitons play an important role in the ecology of the rocky shorelines. The Mopalia group has its recent origin with an interesting morphological similarity that attracts case study for DNA bar coding. DNA bar coding using the genus Mopalia: Up to now focus of the studies on DNA bar coding was mainly with the collection of the species within the geographical areas. (Hebert et. al,2003a).Studies in DNA bar coding with reference to the monophyletic groups is less leaving the ambiguity whether this technique is useful in distinguishing the closely related species. (Moritz and Cicero,1994)The present study uses the genus Mopalia, a challenging case study for the DNA bar coding methodology. The genus Mopalia is a recently originated; monophyletic that has a wider geographical occurrence. (Kelly et. al, 2007). Kelly et. al stud ied 19 species of the genus Mopalia, and six closely related species that out group the 131 individuals of the total of the 25 species used.The character-based assessment referred to as the characteristic attribute organizations system is fast, that avoids the false-positive data and it also retains the information on evolution that is in the character-state data. (Desalle et. al, 2005). This approach gives a new perspective to the methods of DNA bar coding. This kind of information is more like a traditional taxonomy. (Desalle et. al, 2005). The CAOS method or the character based method gives clear information, and getting the information is faster, and there is accuracy in the identification of the query sequences of the given data set.The CAOS method is sensitive that distinguishes the taxa of the monophyletic group of the closely related species with a very short sequence of the mitochondrial DNA. The advantage in this method is that it preserves the evolutionary information in the form of character data that avoids the false-positive identification of the query sequences. The number of diagnostics that supports the placement of a query sequence in a clade also used as a confidence value. The bar coding group has no relevance with the CAOS method; this is because the diagnostic character distinguishes monophyletic groups.While distinguishing the monophyletic groups, reference is not a requirement about the relative degree of divergence within and between the taxa. The additional advantage with the CAOS approach is its use as a means of cataloguing the diagnostic molecular characteristics used to distinguish the species. These diagnostics complement the traditional taxonomy. (De Salle et. al, 2005). Even though the description of the species depends on the multiple lines of evidence, the CAOS approach is a good tool to identify significant intraspecific divergences.Additional evidence that includes morphological, geographical, ecological, and behavioral tha t is diagnostic for the new taxon. The CAOS method preserves the character state information, reports diagnostic differences for each node. This method helps the taxonomists to identify and describe divergent organisms that require further scrutiny. (Blaxter,2004). In this method threshold values for the species level are not necessary, which addresses the critical issues in other methods. (Meyer and Paulay,2005). This method of DNA bar coding corrects some pitfalls of the distance based approaches.The inclusion of the evolutionary and taxonomic information in this method gives a context in which there is interpretation of the sequence data and gives a real promise to the DNA bar coding. The CAOS method gives a way to the researchers’ confrontation to identify and make the sense of diversity. Conclusions: The distance based methods for DNA bar coding lack the accuracy that largely depend on the degree of disparity between the intra and site-specific variation that is the bar coding gap. (Meyer and Paulay,2005).Insufficiency in sampling the taxon will increase the disparity that increased the apparent accuracy. CAOS method of DNA bar coding addresses the problems associated with the distance based methods of bar coding. References: Blaxter, M. (2003). Molecular systematics—counting angels with DNA, Nature, 2003, vol. 421, pp. 122–124 Hebert, P. D. N. & Gregory, T. R. (2005),The promise of DNA bar coding for taxonomy. System Biology (54), pp. 852–859. DNA bar coding, consortium for the bar code of life. Available on http://barcoding. si. edu/, retrieved on 30 October 2007.

Decisions in Paradise Part 2 & 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Decisions in Paradise Part 2 & 3 - Essay Example These should be planned well. Discuss with the team the estimated effort for each activity and ensure that the person who is assigned the activity is committed to completing it as well within the scheduleâ€Å" (Mariam, 2002). This can be done by implementing a mission statement that every employee is aware of. In turn these employees must know what their job is in relation to this mission statement and must be prepared to do whatever it takes to complete these tasks. In order to come up with this mission statement, brainstorming amongst those at the top of the company is necessary, as this statement will be what drives the future of the company. Once this plan in finalized, it can immediately be placed into action, which will help the company’s growth immensely. After all, it is very difficult to reach a goal when you are unaware of what it is, so a mission statement, along with some organizational planning, should be the company’s first priority. Within this planning , some discussion on how this will affect the country of Kava should be included. This means that jobs should be provided, with as little affect on the environment as possible. Also, steps should be taken to lessen the effects of potential disasters that could ruin business. The goal of human resources in this situation should be to keep a close affiliation with the various ethnic groups in Kava, while give each of them a hand in the company’s future. What this means is that workers can be employed from each ethnic groups, without one ethnic group being allowed superiority over the other. By forcing the different ethnic groups to work together, the company might be able to help support some cohersion between them. This would create a less hostile environment for all involved, as the different ethnic groups would be helping each other to improve their living conditions. By actively recruiting Kava residents, the company would be taking steps towards improving the company’s influence within

Using an extended example critically examine whether the sector matrix Essay

Using an extended example critically examine whether the sector matrix framework gives a better strategic understanding of product markets than the concepts of product or commodity chains - Essay Example This has given rise to the concept of commodity chain. Different firms with heterogeneous geographical distribution engaged in production activities of a commodity is said to constitute a global commodity chain. This is known as the Global Commodity Chain (GCC) model. (Dicken P., 2003) According to Hopkins and Wallerstein a commodity chain is defined as â€Å"a network of labor and production processes whose end result is a finished commodity†. The process of production of a commodity is of main importance in the commodity chain. The entire process can be thought of being comprised of a network of points where each point is related to its preceding one in terms of procuring raw material, production, distribution and consumption. These interorganaisational points are technically defined as ‘nodes’. The geographical location of the nodes is generally different from one another. This explanation provides an innovative view for explaining the global inequalities in development. The nodes that are located at the periphery of the network are open to more competition than the nodes at the centre. As a result, central nodes are subject to more aggregate wealth than the peripheral nodes. This distribution is augmented by competitive pressures of innovat ion that flows from the centre to the periphery. It is natural that the core areas will enjoy better support facilities like infrastructure than the peripheral area. (Birch K., April 2006) The Value Chain Analysis developed by Michael Porter is an important tool in the hands of business managers that help to increase the value of the offering by a firm.. The generic value chain model suggests of breaking the entire set of activities undertaken by a firm into primary activities and support activities. The primary value chain activities include inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and after sales

Law in Practice UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Law in Practice UK - Essay Example Mr. David Balls, aged 41, has mentioned that he is married to Edwina Balls, 32 years of age. This couple has been married for a total of 8 years. On Valentine’s Day of 2011 (February 14th, to be exact), Edwina did not return home. A man named Harry Williams phoned Mr. Balls and informed him that he and Edwina had been having an affair for the past three months, and, in fact, she was asleep in his bed right now. David found out where Mr. Williams was calling from and he rushed out of his home to go to Harry’s house to confront him. David was driving from his home along Romford road and through the traffic lights (East) at Manor Park junction towards Ilford where Harry lives. At that moment, another driver came from the right and smashed into the driver’s side (offside) of his car. The police and the ambulance were alerted to the scene. David sustained bad bruising to his right leg but otherwise was unhurt. The other driver, however, had been thrown through her windscreen onto her own bonnet, and then onto the ground. The other driver—Katherine Buckingham, age 31 years old—sustained whiplash, a broken nose, concussion, and a badly bruised shoulder. Katherine also sustained cuts on her face and arms from the windscreen. Police officers told David that Katherine had not been wearing a seatbelt. Both drivers were breathalysed but neither was over the alcohol limit for driving. Everyone owes a duty of care to those affected by his or her actions and is liable in law for his or her negligence. Tort is the law that relates to civil wrongs, and in particular the laws relating to negligence. Personal injury is a particular form of negligence which can be brought to the courts on the part of the plaintiff. Mr. Balls does have a case for suing Ms. Buckingham, because personal injury consists of doing damage to s omeone’s person. However, Katherine may have a case when it comes to Mr. Balls running into her on the road, since what he did could be considered driving recklessly in a fit of passion—similar to how second-degree murder is not premeditated but is a crime of passion. Katherine might not be liable for David’s wrongdoing here, although she could be given a fine for not having worn her seatbelt. Here, the law of tort, negligence, and duty of care will be sufficiently explained. II. Law of Tort ‘Tort’ is the French word for a wrong. Torts are civil wrongs. Civil wrongs can be contrasted to criminal acts although one action might result in a potential liability for two claims, one civil and one criminal. If D runs into P on the road, D is liable to be prosecuted for civil sanctions such as fines, community penalties or imprisonment, which might be applied by the civil courts. But P can also sue D in the civil courts for any damages for the injury and lo ss that has been suffered. Negligence is a tort. III. Negligence, Liability for Negligence, and Defences Against Negligence The case of â€Å"Donoghue –v- Stephenson† (2011), set out the basic principles of negligence in English law (pp. 1). The case concerned food poisoning suffered by Mrs Donoghue whose bottled ginger beer was contaminated with the remains of a decomposed snail. As Mrs Donoghue didn’t buy the ginger beer (her friend did) she had no action in contract law (so she wasn’t a party to that contract). The case decided that, in English Law there must be and is a general conception of relations giving rise to a duty of care. The liability for negligence is based upon a general public sentiment of wrongdoing for which the offender pays. The case created the concept of negligence as an action in civil law allowing injured parties to sue wrongdoers for their loss and damage. To find a defendant liable for

There Is an Ultimate Control of the Entire Universe Research Paper

There Is an Ultimate Control of the Entire Universe - Research Paper Example There Is an Ultimate Control of the Entire Universe Some of the explanation they have provided to counter the creation theory are quite amusing, since at some point they fail to provide a very comprehensive answer. This makes them still go back to the creation theory as the base for the existence of the world. Among some of the critics of creation theories are the scientific studies and some religious beliefs. Thesis Statement With the immense discrepancies and failures in the critical explanations offered, we are taken back to one origin of creation being the Supreme God. It is then that we accept the fact that the world and all that happens in it is controlled by a supreme being. This supreme creator, in my opinion, is God. Buddha Teachings The teachings of Buddha are quite fascinating. Buddha as we can say is the founder of the Buddhist religion. In the book, What Buddha taught by Ra?hula (1974) we are introduced into beliefs and convictions of Buddha about what happens to the world. In this text Buddha teaches about the attaining of enlightenment and perfectness. Through his life Buddha was able to find the path of liberation. Liberation in this case is the attainment of enlightenment through knowing the truth. Buddha teaches that human beings are the supreme beings of all the creatures, and as such they are the masters for themselves. They should not, therefore, be enslaved to any other supreme being. He goes further to point out that human beings have an ultimate control over their destiny, and there is no other being that is responsible for the destiny of a person. Buddha displays that he himself achieved the highest level of enlightenment and liberation. This made him to be seen as even superhuman and a perfect being. He attributes his achievements to his own will and intelligence. According to this teaching then, one can attain anything and can decide anything in life and get it. All that happens in the world is, therefore, through the mind and intelligence. The more one gets to be enlightened, the more they become intelligent, and the easier they find it to manipulate the world around them. So, it is not that there is some being somewhere that controls one’s life and destiny. It is your mind that can do all this and not any other thing. What the humans need to do is to go through the meditations taught in Buddhism, and through this meditation enlightenment will come in (Charles, 2012). The meditation as described by Buddha is the deep and continuous soul search that leads to the realization of the truth about the world. Through the process of meditation one gets insight because they look at things objectively and extract that thing from the environment. In doing this the thing is investigated carefully only by the mind of a person and not with the help of any other person or any other supernatural being. This is the point where Buddha takes the basis, that it is only human intelligence that is able to find truths about what is happening in the universe. This view is what b rings serious critics of the Buddha teachings. There is a being that is responsible for what happens in the universe, and that human beings have little control and influence of the happenings. The Critics of Buddha Teaching Though Buddha himself claims to have attained enlightenment through the medit

Attack Prevention Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Attack Prevention - Essay Example he information in the computer is not secure, this is because it is susceptible to people who hack the software’s and access the information .The ones responsible for hacking the computer today, are believed to have bad intentions of manipulating other peoples information stored in the computer. The core reason for the article is to inform home users on how criminals are on rise to involve them in fraud and data theft with an aim of getting wealth through their criminal activities of hacking other peoples software’s. The article refers from an article that is online from Cyber Media India Online Ltd, that claims that home users are always at high risk due to poor security measures in place and thus become victims at all times. It also suggests on the use of malicious code as a way of attacking desktop software’s and web browsers. The article also offers some techniques on how the home users can put home security measures to curb malicious networks and application dealings (Chou, 2014). The page was written by an organization and the author is unclearly identified and I think the identification of the author to miss is purposeful. The author of the article is affiliated to the organization because he/she has written on the topic related to the aim of the organization which is to inform the public about the criminal acts by the hackers of software’s. The page where the article is written does not give a link that is blank for one to comment or ask questions regarding the article (Chou, 2014) This is a scholarly site and the author is writing towards achieving the goals of the site but not to sell the information. The article tries to inform about various mechanism that can be used as prevention measures to avoid fraud and theft of data. It is very easy to identify a specific point of view in this article. The site targets the scholars and at the same time, the general public. The main objective of the site is to inform and educate both the general public

HRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

HRM - Essay Example They tend to hire, promote, and retain minorities; encourage vendor diversity; and training for employees. Some, like Coca-Cola, Motorola, and Mars, actually conduct cultural audits to ensure that diversity is pervasive in the organization. Employee development is designed to help the organization ensure that it has the necessary talent internally for meeting future human resource needs. The focus of employee development is on a future position within the organization for which the employee requires additional competencies. Stoner, J. A. F. Freeman, R. E. Gilbert, D. R. (2006, pp. 187-216) argued that all managers are required to perform duties that are ceremonial and symbolic in nature. For instance, when the president of a college hands out diplomas at commencement or a factory supervisor gives a group of high school students a tour of the plant, he or she is acting in a figurehead role. All managers also have a leadership role. This role includes hiring, training, motivating, and disciplining employees. The third role within the interpersonal grouping is the liaison role. Mintzberg, H. (1989: pp. 176-219) described this activity as contacting outsiders who provide the manager with information. These may be individuals or groups inside or outside the organization. The sales manager who obtains information from the quality-control manager in his or her own company has an internal liaison relationship. When that sales manager has contacts with other sales executives through a marketing trade association, he or she has an outside liaison relationship.1 Formal education: Golden, K. A. & Ramanujam, V. (1985: pp. 89-96) mentioned that the use of educational qualifications in screening candidates seems to be a universal practice. A recent study of 300 large organizations in 22 countries demonstrate that employee selection practices differ by nations but a few common procedures were found and formal education is one of them. Employee development and

The Impact of Prejudice and Discrimination Research Paper

The Impact of Prejudice and Discrimination - Research Paper Example prejudgment or wrong perceptions and a tendency to generalize everyone belonging to that particular group as having a personal trait, characteristic, behavior, or feature that is indicative of the minority group. People can sometimes be blind to the truth even if actual observation belies their mis-perceptions due to a consistent refusal to see that some people can be very different from what they make them out to be in real life. Slavery in America during its early years is a good example of how prejudice or discrimination can have long-lasting consequences if perpetrated by a larger group. Racism arising from ignorance, bias, prejudice, and discrimination results in exclusion of a minority group from the political, economic, and social spheres of society. Its effects usually are negative especially if racism is committed systematically and embedded in the psyche of the general population which in turn helps to perpetuate the wrong ideas and wrong perceptions of a minority group such that it becomes almost a permanent feature of a society, carried from one generation to the next generation. Its ill effects can be felt or seen in lower incomes for the group and exclusion from opportunities usually accorded to members of the general population. Biased treatment of minority groups also reflect badly on the whole society because it is indicative of its own intolerance and inflexibility towards other people who many not share the same beliefs. There were cases in the past in which discrimination was well documented because it was made official policy and there are also recent cases in which discrimination is not so blatant or overt but still results in the systematic exclusion of a minority group. All cases have negative impacts on the minority people discriminated against. It is the aim of this brief paper to discuss one event of discrimination and prejudice in the past and then discuss a more recent similar event in contemporary times. Both events (past and

What Is a Worldview Essay Example for Free

What Is a Worldview Essay John Lennon of The Beatles once said, â€Å"I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something found in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It’s just that the translations have gone wrong.† This quote can be picked apart and gone over time and time again, and every time we could say it means something completely different. I wholeheartedly agree with what John Lennon said in this quote; he was a smart man, although he was uneducated. I would like to educate myself, as much as possible, while writing this paper as to know what I am speaking about and why I am speaking about it. The world is a crazy place and right now I have no idea what to believe in. I am hoping that through the course of writing this essay I may be able to put my finger on my worldview. Ken Funk, professor at Oregon State University, states in his article, â€Å"What is a Worldview,† that a worldview is defined as, â€Å"The set of beliefs about fundamental aspects of Reality that ground and influence all of one’s perceiving, thinking, knowing, and doing.† Now, let me explore my cosmological, theological, and anthropological beliefs. First of all, let me explore my cosmic beliefs. The origin of the universe is unproven by God or science in a whole way. I would like to think that God created the Big Bang, therefore God created the universe. If God created the universe, then what is the origin of life? On this subject, I am certain that we, man, and all other life have evolved from amoeba. There may be different types of amoeba, but everything has evolved to where it is today, and will continue to evolve. This fact has been scientifically proven and reproduced in other ways. Secondly, I would like to explore my godly belief system. The fact that God or Gods exists or does not exist is a very touchy subject. I would like to believe there is a higher power, but have not seen any physical or scientific evidence of this for myself. I would need to see some physical proof before I could completely agree or disagree. There are good people and there are bad people in every religion and faith, no matter what their conviction is. This is why I have a hard time believing in God as most people know. The relationship between God and the material universe is also unproven, therefore hard for me to be certain of, as is the relationship of God and man. Third of all, let’s talk about my anthropological beliefs. This is also a sensitive subject in every sense of the word, yet easier for me to talk about. Man’s make-up is scientifically proven. We know how cells work, divide, and reproduce. The study of human anatomy could tell you that. Man’s place in the universe is right where it is, right here on Earth. We have free will because we are human, were created with a brain as it evolved from ameba, and because we know how to use our brains for good or evil; whichever we choose. Man’s responsibility here on Earth is to take care of our planet for the evolution of beings that are left to walk on it after we are dead and gone. We also have an obligation to save as much as we can so that the species after us can learn from our mistakes. Man’s nature is generally good, in my opinion. To conclude, there is still a lot to learn about origins, theology, and cosmology. I do not think that one person can state as a single fact that they are absolutely right about any of this. To end this paper the same way I began, a quote by John Lennon, â€Å"Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.† I agree with John, if we focus too much on the religion and origin of things we will not be able to enjoy life to the fullest. Worldview was a very difficult topic for me to comprehend!

The Semai Culture Essay Example for Free

The Semai Culture Essay A peaceful Malaysian culture by the name of Semai, is mostly known for their non-violence approach to life. This society calls the Malay Peninsula of South Asia home. With a unique way of life, the environment and their beliefs help mold the culture and its people. This paper will outline how the Semai culture socially interacts, survives in the forest and why they remain such a peaceful culture. Living in various areas within the mountains and rainforests of Malay Peninsula, the Semai culture is highly opposed to violent activity and is always on the move. This non-violent belief is also a contributing factor to why Semai’s move around peninsula, because if any type of tension is created between neighboring groups or tribes the Semai will quickly relocate to avoid violence. In comparison to the lives in America, Semai’s daily activities are much different. As a foraging group, which means they live a hunting and gathering lifestyle; the Semai’s are always moving around year after year in search for new prime areas that are good for farming and hunting. As a foraging community, Semai’s also practice some horticultural techniques for example, cutting and burning greens and using the ashes an enriched fertilizer to the crops (Nowak Laird, 2010). In the small Semai community labor is divided among the men and the women. Men are mostly responsible for hunting, women are responsible for things like weaving and harvesting rice, however everyone works together when taking care and maintaining the crops. The Semai community is mostly made of nuclear families, meaning the families are made of both the mother and father and the children. The Semai community does not have a true political structure but the eldest male in the family are looked at as the leader and they rely on him to keep the peace. During any decision making within the Semai group women and men are involved. Like many other cultures the elders are also looked at for guidance during any decision makings because they are the most  experienced and respecting within the family and community (Nowak Laird, 2010). Gender relationships are easy going concept in the Semai culture because both genders are equal in the culture. Semai’s believe in the bilateral descent system, which is also the system most American’s believe in. Bilate ral descent means the kinship connection is equally important on the mother and father side. There is not a formal wedding ceremony between man and woman. The community will simply recognize a man and woman as a married couple if they are sleeping, eating, and living together. If the couple stops this activity then they would be considered separated (Peacefulsocities.org). Within this peaceful culture everything is shared, so thanking someone is actually an offensive gesture because the culture greatly believes in sharing. Sharing does not only take place within the nuclear family. Sharing is a way of life for everyone in the community, so whatever food that’s available is equally shared with everyone. Even the elderly or sick that were not able to contribute are still given equal shares as everyone else. A simple act like this explains why this culture is so peaceful. To openly share with everyone in your community or village without a second thought and to get offended when someone says â€Å"thank you† shows a true noble characteristic. This is something that the American society can learn from. In addition, this culture is a great example of how generalized reciprocity work, because during this practice an immediate return is not expected, it is just believed that everything will work it’s self out in the long run (Nowak Laird, 2010). Even when working outside the Semai community, the beliefs and morals of the Semai culture is still reflected in their thought process. The example below will illustrate how the people of Semai would struggle with modern day thinking of production and labor, which also means you have to separate the responsibilities of work and family. â€Å"A Semai man was hired by a logging company to level an area in the highlands, working a specified number of hours over four days. Instead of working over the requested period he completed the job all in one day, freeing the other days to work in his orchards and fields. When he went to collect his wages, the manager informed him he would not be paid because he did not follow their instructions. The Semai man did not demonstrate the punctuality and discipline the company required. In industrialized society, time is  perceived in a linear, progressive fashion. Time is commoditized (time is money), it is scarce (dont waste time), and it is organized by a clock. For the Semai man and other preliterate peoples, time is repetitive, cyclical, and unchanging. Time is not alienable; in other words, it cannot be bought. sold, or transferred to anyone else, and there is sufficiency. Time is not organized by a clock but by nature and rituals. Thus, based on the above comparison of concepts of time, it is clear there would be a difference of opinion. The Semai man argued that to work the schedule the company had requested would have prevented him from finding additional work and restricted his ability to go hunting; he had completed the task satisfactorily and therefore deserved payment. To him, how he had completed it in terms of scheduling was irrelevant—he had been asked to level a field and he had done so. Whether the task was completed in one day or four was unimportant—the work was done (Dentan, 1977)† (Nowak Laird, 2010). The Semai culture believes in Punan, which includes a list of different sanctions that encourages proper behavior such as sharing and non-violence. Semai’s believe that human feelings such as, unfulfilled desires could cause an individual to be vulnerable to evil spirit that can cause a person to become ill or die. It is also believed that these forbidden internal emotions can even cause animal attacks to a person. The surrounding forest is also considered to be full of evil spirits that are waiting to attack. So anyone that decides to venture out on their own are at great risk and the Semai community would assume that individual has gone mad or crazy. With the belief that there are malevolent spirits that are waiting to prey on the living, the Semai culture believe that remaining peaceful and sharing is a vital factor to their livelihood (Robarchek, 1998). This belief system also reflects how Semai children are raised. Due to the importance of non violence children would rarely receive and physical punishment, however they would receive threats of punishment from evil spirits. Due to the closeness of the Semai community, everyone is involved in raising the child which embodies the importance of sharing. From childhood individuals are taught how to behave, what to believe, what to value and how to produce. In conjunction to these basic elements and the  environment around us, we are molded into individuals that create these interesting cultures around the world. The Semai culture is very different from others due to their belief system and their way of life. However, they are very similar to other cultures with their kinship and social structure. This paper outlined how the Semai culture socially interacts by encouraging gender equality and respect, foraging and using horticultural techniques in the forest, and remaining peaceful through the Punan belief. . Reference Nowak, B., Laird, P. (2010). Cultural Anthropology. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education Peaceful Socities.org (n.d). Peaceful Societies. Alternatives to Violence and War. Retrieved November 19, 2012 from http://www.peacefulsocieties.org/society/semai.html Robarchek, C. A., Robarchek, C. J. (1998). Reciprocities and realities: World views, peacefulness.. Aggressive Behavior, 24(2), 123-133. Retrieved December 1, 2012 from EBSCO Sà ¸rensen, M. (2007). Competing Discourses of Aggression and Peacefulness. Peace Review, 19(4), 603-609. doi:10.1080/10402650701681251 Retrieved December 1, 2012 from EBSCO

Social Media In The Hospitality Industry

Social Media In The Hospitality Industry Armstrong and Kotler state the internet is revolutionising the way we think about à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ how to construct relationships with suppliers and customers, how to create value for, and how to make money in the process; in other words revolutionising marketing. This has led to a significant shift over the last couple of years from using traditional sources such as newspapers, television, radios and leaflets. (Thevenot, 2007, Young, 2007, Cheung et al. 2008 and Field 2008) note that word of mouth marketing is the most powerful promotional tool, with Social Media just finger tips away; this makes it even more crucial for businesses to recognise and acknowledge it. It has been defined as a second generation of Web development and design that aims to facilitate communication, secures information sharing, interoperability, and collaboration on the World Wide Web (Paris et al. 2010: 531). This essay seeks to critically explore the issues and benefits associated with the use of Social Media. The application of Social Media has developed the way organisations communicate with their guests, since it was introduced in the early 90s society towards a new era. It has evolved from being a tool that was used by the public to connect with old and new friends to giving businesses and consumers the opportunity to have a two way conversation (Lim et al.2012). Additionally Social Media enables organisations to promote their brand and connect with their customers on a more intimate level (Ragone, 2012 and Wilson et al. 2012). Over the last few years the use of Social Media has increased, with many social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Googleplus emerging). Research undertaken by Burson-Marsteller (2009) who are a globally recognised Public Relations company, discovered companies who made the most profit in Fortune magazine were registered with three networking sites these included Twitter, Facebook and Blogs. 54% of the businesses joined and used Twitter, 32 % had blogs and 29% had a Facebook page. The report went on to show that 94% of the organisations used their Twitter to keep consumers updated. Additionally 67% were using Twitter to deal with customers inquiries or queries. Wigder et al. (2010) reported the growth of Social Media from 2005 to 2009 grew from 1 billion to 1.6 billion, similarly it is expected to increase by 42% by the end of 2012. Social Media has made such a significant impact on the hospitality industry. The most important and possibly damaging Social Media sites to the hospitality industry are Trip Advisor, Yelp and Booking.com, they are on the increase as they have been seen to gain substantial popularity with potential travellers (Xiang and Gretzel 2010). According to Pantelidis (2010) tourists are more willing to put their faith in the reviews written by other travellers compared to those by professional reviewers such as the AA (Automobile Association). Sparks and Browning (2011) say customers want information that is easy to process, which is why they look to Social Media, they also believe by reading peer reviews they are more likely to get accurate information. Therefore the demand for Social Media is growing fast and it is important for businesses that want to survive to adapt and to get their name and brand out there, with the recent economic problems that the world has been facing any opportunity to win over the competitors should be taken (Gretzel et al. 2007 and Fraser, 2010). The explosion of this application brought many opportunities as well as challenges and issues. Saunders and Graham (1992) believe as guests are directly involved in the service process; it brings uncertainty in the delivery process .For that reason its difficult knowing what the customer regards as high and acceptable standards. Standards may also be determined by how a guest feels emotionally rather than how the organisation has delivered the service. A guest might go into a hotel today and be ecstatic with the service that the organisation has provided whereas two weeks later they may go in again but emerge feeling disappointed despite receiving the same level of service. They may go on Social Media voice out their frustrations at the hotel. Saunders and Graham (1992:246) state Focus on the customer is very much a part of the provision of a service. Seeing as service is intangible it is difficult to determine what each individual considers acceptable, naturally all the consumer can rely on is their feelings towards the experience. As a result it makes quality harder to define and varies from each customer to the next. Service is not something you can store; it is measured immediately by the recipient. Under these circumstances any measurement taken is thus too late to avoid a failure in contact with the customer (Saunders and Graham, 1992: 246). Although these theories were identified years ago they still apply to the hospitality industry today. Another challenge which Social Media has presented is there is no way to verify who is making reviews or comments. As a result disgruntled employees could go on Social Media to write negative reviews. Parkes (2011) claimed Trip Advisor is being used to blackmail hoteliers by guests to get special discounts or complimentary upgrades. An investigation carried out by Kenber (2011) discovered 80 hotel owners had complained about guests blackmailing them with negative Trip Advisor reviews. Allegedly the guests had threatened to give them one star reviews if they did not comply with their demands. Some of the requests consisted of half price rooms and meals and compensation for false food poisoning. Trip Advisor has since responded by saying that hotels that have been victims of these threats should contact them. A program which was aired on Channel 4 Attack of Trip Advisors (2011) showed how negative comments affected the hospitality organisations. With some having claimed a loss of busin ess and tainted reputations. However Trip Advisor said both parties are given a chance to comment and address the reviews to the sites visitors and reviewers and have the last say. The most important issue the hoteliers failed to understand was how guests do not complain during their experience and then write bad reviews on Social Media sites such as Trip Advisor (Parkes, 2011). A further issue that was identified by Ragone (2012) is that some hoteliers believe Social Media is and should be used only in the technology or sale areas. Whereas, they are supposed to combine the two in order to maximise its potential. If used correctly and effectively Social Media can bring in many benefits for the organisation. An important benefit which organisations capitalise on is; it is free advertising (Thomas, 2009). Large chains such as Hilton Hotels, Marriot International, Four Seasons and Starwood Hotels have welcomed both Twitter and Facebook with each of them having over 100,000 likes on Facebook and over 50,000 followers on Twitter. A number of brands such as Sheraton have started to incorporate Facebook into their websites. So whenever a guest makes a post on either one it can be seen on the other (Kwok and Yu, 2012).Others such as Marriot have taken a slightly different approach, they invited a number of celebrities and journalists to their newly refurbished properties in 2010, to start a Twitter campaign and share their thoughts with their followers live on the property (Ehotelier, 2010 and Kwok and Yu, 2012). As far as Social Media is concerned it is essential for hospitality businesses to have s imilar initiatives such as those practiced by the two hotels mentioned above. On the other hand it is important for businesses to realise that even if they choose not to participate or use Social Media, customers can always comment and review the hotel or restaurant (Sparks and Browning, 2011). It has become common practice now for many hospitality businesses to feed information from other Social Media sites to their Facebook page (Thevenot, 2007). Accor have a link on their website which leads guest to trip advisor so that they can have a look at previous guests comments. This gives former guests and potential travellers the opportunities to share and like reviews and messages (Fraser, 2010 and Kwok and Yu, 2012). A study done by Nielsenwire (2012) showed that the public devotes 20% of their day to social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and linkedIn. Social Media is a mixture of fact and opinion, impression and sentiment, founded and unfounded titbits, experiences, and even rumor (Blackshaw and Nazzaro, 2006: 4).so it important for businesses that use Social Media to be able to deal with and clarify both the positive and negative feedback they may receive from guests. If the feedback is not dealt with this could lead to the organisation damaging their own reputation (Field, 2008). According to Verma et al. (2012) the hospitality industry is aware of the impact Social Media has on its potential guests. Research done by (Kwok and Yu 2012) has shown that many hospitality businesses are trying to find a balance between responding to their guests on Social Media and adhering to the International Ratings organisations. Hospitality businesses have adjusted and made changes to their business models in order to accommodate and make the most of Social Media. Mobile applications have also had an impact on the way consumers search and plan their holidays. Both of these factors have led to a change in the way businesses look and communicate with customers, as they are treated more like an active stakeholder (Sigala et al. 2012). Majority of the businesses that have welcomed Social Media, actually encourage their guests to use Trip Advisor, as they like to think of it as a marketing and promotion tool in which they can gain loyal consumers. Similarly some like to take advan tage of this opportunity as a way to gather feedback in order for them to improve their services (Verma et al. 2012). As a result they could they are able to overcome challenges and solve their problems more efficiently. The businesses that have had success when using Social Media are those that have been open and encouraged their guests to comment. Litvin and Hoffman (2012) suggest it is crucial for hospitality businesses to encourage guests to comment as it shows that they are honest and open. They go on to suggest ways for businesses to promote Social Media to their guests. The first is having a sign which reads If you have enjoyed your stay please let others know by sharing your thoughts on Trip Advisor similarly they propose printing it on the receipt when guests are checking out or when they are leaving the restaurant. Obviously there is no guarantee that it will encourage a customer to write a good review because whenever a customer is involved there is always an element of u ncertainty. However when loyal consumers are encouraged to comment they can counter negative comments, and will have a positive influence on the potential travellers (Litvin and Hoffman, 2012). They later pointed out the significance for management to get involved by responding to the negative reviews. With Social Media becoming more mobile this has enabled guests to be able to record videos and take pictures which they can Post on their Social Media sites (Wilson et al. 2012 and Verma et al. 2012). It has also been established that hospitality marketers need to realise creating customer value and satisfaction are at the heart of the hospitality and travel industry (Dev et al. 2010:460). In addition they believe for hospitality businesses to be a success they need to inform and make sure profit maximisation is part of the roles and responsibilities for the revenue manager. McKenna (2012) claims there are a number of procedures being introduced to stop false reviews and to name those involved and the organisations that have paid them or encouraged them. Yelp is a site similar to Trip Advisor but is used more in the USA; it has developed a tool to alerts people that a review is believed to be false. Trip Advisor is also thought to be considering introducing a similar system. To conclude Social Media has become the centre of hospitality businesses Internet marketing strategy, many hospitality businesses especially the well-known brands have perceived and realised its potential and are maximising it when marketing their business. Since its inception it has developed interest in both consumers and businesses. The issues and challenges brought by this application have made it essential for hospitality businesses to understand and embrace customer feedback. As discussed earlier consumers consider peer reviews more important in making purchasing decisions. The only way businesses can use it as a successful tool is by making sure they listen to their guests and respond quickly and efficiently. Social Media if used properly can generate some profit for any organisations. To put it more simply consumers want to be kept up to date about what is going on in the businesses; they are able to do that by using Social Media as its free and easily accessible. The issues that have been identified above such as perishability and lack of control; are not easy to manage for hospitality organisations all they can do is make sure quality and high standards are maintained. Verification is also an issue that will need to be dealt with by the Social Media websites; this is an on-going problem that could cost hospitality businesses large amounts of money and their reputation. No one has come up with any solutions addressing the issues of fake reviews, they can only take responsibility and if needs be investigate the claims that consumers have made, to ensure it does not happen again. It is also very important for organisations to respond, apologise and acknowledge when they are at fault and find ways to compensate the guest

Donald McKay :: essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the 1840’s and 1850’s America experienced its golden age in shipping and sailing.1 At the front of this era was Donald McKay whose innovative ship designs lead to the numerous sea speed records, some of which stand today. For most of the early 19th century American ship building consisted of merchant and cargo ships. It took a long time for these ships to sail across seas. With the increased speed came decreased time to wait for pay. Another need for increased speed was the California gold rush of 1849. People wanted to make the trip as quickly as possible in order to stake their claims. Donald McKay’s clipper ships enabled people to do that.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This paper investigates why Donald McKay is the father of American clipper ships. He was born in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, September 4, 1810.2 When Donald was sixteen years old he had the desire to learn the trade of ship building, so he went to New York. In 1826 New York was the worlds best shipbuilder and shipbuilding was America’s leading industry. McKay decided that in order to learn the trade he must obtain an apprenticeship. So he became an apprentice to Isaac Web who has appropriately been called the â€Å"Father of Shipbuilders†. This is because more successful master shipbuilders came out of Web’s shipyard than from any other place in America.3 At the conclusion of his apprenticeship he went on to work for Brown & Bell. In 1832 packet building was the best and most readily available work in New York. The majority of these ships were built at Isaac Web’s, Brown & Bell’s, and Smith & Dimon’s. At this time McKay was wh at would be called a free lance ship wright. McKay then married Albenia Martha Boole the eldest daughter of John Boole.4 At this time McKay then went to Newburyport and formed a partnership with William Currier.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They formed the firm Currier & McKay and built the Courier. This was McKay’s first real production as designer and builder of a ship. The Courier was built for the coffee trade between New York and Rio de Janeiro and was sold to Andrew Foster & Son.5 Their firm soon dissolved and McKay then become connected with William Pickett and formed the firm of McKay & Pickett. Under this name they built the New York packet ship St. George. This was the first of the Red Cross Line.

god? :: essays research papers

Many people have tried to prove through many ways that God exists. Anselm used the ontological argument, proposing that if God could be thought of and perceived, then God has to exist. At the center of the ontological argument is the idea or concept of existence. The Ontological argument is a group of different philosophers arguments for the existence of God. "Ontological" means talking about being and so in the Philosophy case, that being is the existence or being of God. The ontological argument differs from other arguments in favor of God because of the fact that it is an a priori deductive argument, a priori means that a person arguing this can reach a certain conclusion by the use of reason and not proof. A deductive argument means that if the premises that are put into the argument are true, then the conclusion must be true. Thus, Anselm tends to base his argument on the definitions and the terms that he used. Anselm’s first form of the argument is that God is "that than which none greater can be conceived" (45) . Firstly, it must be emphasised that Anselm’s definition does not limit God to being the "greatest" but Anselem makes it known that nothing greater can be thought than God himself. Therefore, God should not in any way be linked to terms such as ‘omnipotent’ as terminology such as this limit him to what he really is. With this definition, Anselem tries to prove that not only does God exist in the mind but also in reality. He is saying that Because God is something and can be perceived, God must exist. Another way of stating this is that: God is perfect so he must exist because he would not be perfect if he didn't exist. Anselm uses the example of "the fool" to prove his point on God’s existence. He says that when "the fool" says that "There is no God" in the Psalms, he must therefore understand what he hears , and what he understands in his language by the term "God". Therefore, if he knows what God is, God must exist as it is impossible to know what something is if it does not exist. The atheist, as Anselm points out, is able to understand the phrase "being than which none greater can be thought." He concludes that if an atheist can understand this, then God is in the atheist's understanding.

Comparing The Epic of Gilgamesh and Noah and the Flood Essay -- Book o

Comparing The Epic of Gilgamesh and Noah and the Flood It is said that life is 10% what you make it and 90% how you take it. It is not the circumstances of life that determine a person's character. Rather, it is the way a character responds to those circumstances that provides a display of who he is. "From the Epic of Gilgamesh", as translated by N.K. Sandars, and "Noah and the Flood" from the Book of Genesis, both Gilgamesh and Noah face similar circumstances, but don’t always respond to them the same way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Accepting immortality and the ultimate powerlessness to be in control of death's inevitability is something that both Gilgamesh and Noah encounter. Gilgamesh faces the death of his closest companion, Enkidu, with hopelessness, fear, and anger. "In his bitterness he cried, 'How can I be at peace? Despair is in my heart. What my brother is now, that I shall be when I am dead. '" (p. 141) To Siduri's questioning, Gilgamesh responds, "Because of my brother I am afraid of death, because of my brother I stray through the wilderness and cannot rest." (p. 144) Noah, faced with the impending death of everyone except his own family and the pairs of creatures joining him in the ark, is unquestioning and obedient in following God's instructions. After the instructions about the animals that he is to take into the ark, "Noah did so; just as God commanded him, so he did." (p. 172) When God tells Noah that He will blot out all of creation in forty days and forty nights, "†¦ Noa...

Maximum Megaherzt Case Study

Magali Ekome Ndong MGT 4330 Dr. Margaret Shipley Tuesday November 6th 2012 Case#4 Maximum Megahertz Project Maximum Megahertz Olaf Gundersen, CEO of Wireless Telecom Company, is facing a difficult situation. He accepted a project proposed by 6 of his cleverest R&D specialist, The Maximum Megahertz project. This project is now behind. In order to get out of this â€Å"quandary† and avoid such issues in the future, Olaf Gundersen and his team should ask themselves these questions. How can they learn from their mistake? How to identify a risky project and put an end to it?This particular case is related to chapter 14 of our textbook. This chapter deals with project closure or what to do when your project is done. Although here our project is not done, these chapters discuss the main reason why it is so. It is said on page 505 of the textbook, â€Å"the closure phase is as important as any other phase of the project. Observation tells us that organizations that manage closure and review well prosper. Those who don’t tend to have projects that drag on forever and repeat the same mistake over and over†.It is said in our case that this project is not the first one Olaf and his company as difficulty with. Matter of fact, there were three other projects that could not be completed in the last 5 years. The CEO kept on investing resources into these projects knowing that they were dead end. We can therefore, affirm that Olaf did not learn from his mistakes. He needs to include in his future plan of action a review stage after each project completion. Here, we seem to have a â€Å"perpetual† project which is a never ending project.For instance, completing this project will take 6 additional months when it is already 4 months late. Also, this project initially demanded $600,000 and now requires $800,000 more. The team faces numerous issues such as power reduction, speed increase and use of a new technology battery. In regard to all the informatio n given, I will suggest that Olaf puts an end to this project. He could certainly pour more resources into the project, but doing so will not be a wise decision, in regard to his past failures.Also, Olaf is already discouraged and unmotivated about this project â€Å"his gut feeling tell him the project will never materialize, and he should get out†. In other to avoid having the same issues down the road, Olaf and his team need a plan of action. In this plan he first needs to review past projects and identify recurring issues. For that, he should hire and independent facilitators that will review previous or current projects that will draw lessons learned and advise on future procedures.Second, he needs to evaluate his team members and look for any issues such as effectiveness of group decision, problem solving processes, group cohesion and quality of information exchanged as suggested in our textbook page 512. Also, before accepting any new project, Olaf should make sure he understands all the parts and that his Telecom Company is fit to fulfill the project. An article by Ted Klastorin and Gary Mitchell, suggest that planning is a critical step in project completion.We can read from this extract from the article, Optimal project planning under the threat of a disruptive event, â€Å"A critical part of most project plans is a baseline schedule (or pre-schedule; Herroelen, 2007; Van de Vonder et al. , 2007) that is frequently used for timing resource allocation decisions in supplier contracts as well as communicating with project stakeholders and setting benchmarks for project monitoring and control. The importance of defining stable baseline schedules has been recognized by the Project Management Institute (Project Management Institute, 2008)†.Furthermore, this article adds that â€Å"Given the importance of baseline schedules in the planning process, researchers and practitioners have focused on methodologies for finding schedules that are robu st to random durations†. In this article, the authors propose a model or formula to use in case of disruption as follow â€Å"In this article, we introduce a problem faced by managers who are planning complex projects; that is, how should project managers react when faced with the threat of a possible DE that would stop all work on the project for a given period while overhead and indirect costs continue to accrue?While this problem is related to previous work on project risk, our model analyzes policies that minimize expected total costs under very general conditions†. Although we will not go in dept. into the model, but we are here assure that they ways to effectively deal with disruptions. In conclusion, Olaf should step out of this project and refrain from engaging in any new ones before he consults a review committee that will help highlight the errors he has made in the past. Also, we suggest that looks closer at his planning strategy and eview his team. Works Cit ed Case Megahertz Project page 530 Project Management: the managerial process Erik W. Larson, Clifford F. Gray, 5 ed. Chapter 14 Project Closure pages 504-531 Project Management: the managerial process Erik W. Larson, Clifford F. Gray, 5 ed. Optimal Project Planning under the Threat of a Disruptive Event, Ted Klastorin, Gary Mitchell IIE Transactions Vol. 45, Iss. 1, 2013 ABInform http://wj2gn4jw9z. search. serialssolutions. com. ezproxy. uhd. edu/? ctx_ver=Z39. 8-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/ProQ%3Aabiglobal&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft. genre=article&rft. jtitle=IIE+Transactions&rft. atitle=Optimal+project+planning+under+the+threat+of+a+disruptive+event&rft. au=Klastorin%2C+Ted%3BMitchell%2C+Gary&rft. aulast=Klastorin&rft. aufirst=Ted&rft. date=2013-01-01&rft. volume=45&rft. issue=1&rft. spage=68&rft. isbn=&rft. btitle=&rft. title=IIE+Transactions&r

American Dream in Great Gatsby

The American Dream was an important theme in the book, The Great Gatsby. Every single character was somewhat involved or motivated by the American Dream vision. In the Great Gatsby, American Dream symbolized the â€Å"freedom and opportunity to better yourself and your situation. Characters had different ideas of going through the American Dream. Gatsby loved money, reinvention, and the American Dream.He planned to reinvent himself for a woman that was put on such a igh pedestal, that when brought down, his world had become something of an illusion. Daisy became a sort of goal, a symbol for wealth, that he basically makes her lose her humanity in his eyes. A sort of paradigm in which she was an object, when he won her it meant he was what he always wanted to be. By the end, the real shocker that brought him back to earth, that made him realize Daisy was an actual human, was seeing Patricia, Daisy's daughter. Another character that symbolized the American Dream was Myrtle.Her only go al was to better her situation, such as being very materialistic and greedy. She decided to have an affair with one of the most unavailable and wealthiest men in the city. She was in the â€Å"relationship† not because of love or lust, but because of money. Someone that symbolized the American Dream in a positive way was Nick. He was from a family of old money yet he was willing to give up his family money and work hard. Nick wanted to build up his old name. Money was never very important to him as it was for the others.He actually understands how the American Dream corrupts the minds of all trying to achieve it. Nick was disillusioned with the American Dream by seeing how it immorally unethical it was. Yellow (such as silver and gold) that means corruption wealth and dishonest and white that means fapde and pure are colors that represent an egg which is a major symbol in the Great Gatsby. A theme of Self-Discovery and Intolerance was directly directed to Nick. He knew he wan ted to find himself and create his name not live off of what his family has.The theme of the green light represented Gatsbys hope, renewal and rebirth of this new relationship with Daisy. Gatsbys motivation to move forward and better his situation Just to be with Daisy starts with that green light. It basically Just means plain wealth to him. Red was a symbol connected to Nick because he is the only one that does not think corruptly. Red symbolizes death in which Nick has seen people's true self die out because of the American Dream.

Marijuana Legalization Essay

Thesis Statement: Although America is the land of the â€Å"free† you do not really have too many â€Å"free† choices you can make. Americans should have the right to choose whether or not marijuana should be legal. II. Background III. The tax benefits that can be created A. If legalized they can tax it how ever much they want B. Can be regulated IV. Drug enforcement money can be diverted. A. Can help other needy departments that lack money. B. Keep the court system and jails less full for real criminals V. It’s no more harmful then alcohol or tobacco A. Must use it in moderation. B. If abused it can cause health effects like anything els. VI. Rebuttal VII. Conclusion Marijuana Legalization Although America is the land of the â€Å"free† you do not really have too many â€Å"free† choices you can make. Americans should have the right to choose whether or not marijuana should be legal. The government should not be able to tell people what to do, as long as they do not hurt others in their actions. Three reasons why marijuana should be legalized are taxation benefits, drug enforcement money can be diverted and utilized in other needy departments, and the drug generally isn’t more harmful than alcohol or tobacco if used in moderation. In a study done these were the results of how many people die per year from each: â€Å"Tobacco- 400,000, alcohol- 100,000, all legal drugs- 20,000, all illegal drugs- 15,000, caffeine- 2,000, aspirin- 500, marijuana- 0† (us policy on drugs). Background â€Å"The Marijuana, cannabis, or hemp plant is one of the oldest psychoactive plants known to humanity. Cannabis has become one of the most widespread and diversified of plants† (marijuana history and timeline). Cannabis or hemp plants are grown throughout the world and develop into what we know as weed. â€Å"1915 – 1927 Cannabis begins to be prohibited for nonmedical use in the U.S., especially in SW states†¦California (1915), Texas (1919), Louisiana (1924), and New York (1927)† (marijuana history and timeline). â€Å"The U.S. government and the media began spreading outrageous lies about marijuana, which led to its prohibition † (Amsterdam cannabis mystery). â€Å"Since 1996, thirteen states have legalized medical marijuana use: AK, CA, CO, HI, ME, MI, MT, NV, NM, OR, RI, VT, and WA. Eight of the thirteen did so through the initiative process† (Get the facts). The taxation benefits that the United States could receive from legalizing marijuana could be limitless. When something is in such a high demand and the government regulates it they have the right to charge what ever they want for it intern giving them full control over the market. It works sort of like a monopoly because if the user cannot get in anywhere els then they only have one choice and that’s the government. If you look at the current taxation benefits from tobacco and alcohol alone it just shows you how well they do. â€Å"An enormous amount of money is raised through government taxation of alcohol, cigarettes, and other â€Å"sins†. The legalization of marijuana would create another item that could be taxed. I’m sure the government would have no problem spending all that extra money† (Should marijuana be legalized). Drug enforcement has become a bigger and bigger agency throughout the United States to try and stop drug trafficking. â€Å"The U.S. federal government spent over $19 billion dollars in 2003 on the War on Drugs, at a rate of about $600 per second. The budget has since been increased by over a billion dollars† (drug war clock). So it would be in a huge advantage for the governmental spending program if they didn’t have to dump as much money into the (DEA) every year. Therefore; giving the government more money to spend on different governmental agencies that are in need of the extra cash flow. Not only would it give us more money for other departments but it would also keep  are court systems less crowded and jails freer. â€Å"Many consider the War on  Drugs an expensive failure. Resources for DEA, FBI, and border security are only the tip of the iceberg. You must add in the cost of police officers, judges, public defenders, prosecutors, juries, court reporters, prison guards, and so on. Legalization of marijuana would free up those people to concentrate on more important things like terrorism, harder drugs, rape, murder, and so on† (Should marijuana be legalized). Marijuana is proven not to be more harmful then tobacco, or alcohol if used with self-control. â€Å"Most doctors would agree that it’s not very harmful if used in moderation. It’s only when you abuse the drug that problems start to occur† (Should marijuana be legalized). But isn’t that true if you abuse anything problems start to occur? For example if alcohol, coffee, or food just to name a few are abused you could develop serious health conditions. But would you want the government to tell you how much food you could eat or how much alcohol you can consume when you go out? People should be able to make their own dictions when it comes to their health. So what makes marijuana any different from food, alcohol, or tobacco? Rebuttal A general worry of government officials is how its legalization can lead to abuse and how many will suffer from the long-term effects of marijuana. Marijuana certainly can be misused, but in a country were alcohol and tobacco are legal resistance to legalizing marijuana is a bit of a contradiction. Alcohol and tobacco lead to millions of deaths in America .To be accurate with numbers over 100,000 die each year in the U.S. from alcohol, about 15,000 are caused by vehicle. Marijuana causing deaths are zero in its long history. Marijuana is less addictive than alcohol and easily treated if addiction does occur. Alcohol is hands down more dangerous out of these two drugs, it’s kind of backwards on the part of the government that marijuana is prohibited while alcohol is available to the population at large. It is clear to me that the legalization of marijuana would not only be good for people in distress from terminal illness but, also would help empty out local jails keeping room for more serious criminal offenders, saving money on the DEA programs and making more money obtainable for other government  funded program, and also the availability of all the tax benefits. â€Å"Amsterdam cannabis mistry.† CANNABIS/HEMP WAS LEGAL, WHY WAS IT BANNED?. 15 Apr 2009 . â€Å"Drug War Clock.† 15 Apr 2009. 15 Apr 2009 . â€Å"Get the facts.† medical marijuana. 15 Apr 2009 . Marijuana History and Timeline. 15 Apr 2009 . â€Å"Should Marijuana be Legalized under any Circumstances?.† April 7, 2008. 15 Apr 2009http://www.balancedpolitics.org/marijuana_legalization.htm â€Å"The Top Ten Reasons Marijuana Should Be Legal.† alternet. September 1, 2007. 8 Apr 2009 http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/60959/ â€Å"us policies on drugs.† legalization of marijuana. 13 Apr 2009 http://www.legalizationofmarijuana.com/index.html

Learning Goals and Their Impact on Performance

At the same time, personality and dispositional goal orientation are iintegrated through a hierarchy of goals where personality is associated with higher order goals (values), which affect intrinsic motivation. The link to performance is hypothesized through the impact of goal orientation. Under a performance orientation, individuals are less likely to increase effort when they encounter difficulty because they assume that if they do not possess the ability to solve the situation, an increased effort will do little to help. This lack of effort when facing challenge is likely to depress their performance.On the other hand, under a learning orientation, individuals will experience an adaptive pattern and they are more likely to increase effort when encountering difficulty and this effort is likely to increase performance. Short Description A model evaluates the influence of distal factors, such as culture on individuals? dispositions to adopt either learning or performance goals with p erformance. The paper presents several hypotheses on the influence of cultural dimensions, dispositional goal orientation, and individual performance.Keywords Cultural Values Goal Orientation Organizational Behaviour Human Resources 5 Goals and Performance of Global Firms Personality and Culture: Learning Goals and Their Impact on Performance of Global Firms Much research in organizational behavior has often ignored the impact of national culture on the individual (Boyacingler and Adler, 1991). This is not surprising since national culture’s influence in organizational behavior occurs at such a deep level that people are not usually aware of its influences (Triandis, 1983).For example, even though it is clear that values and goals of societies differ, most theories on work motivation have been made in the US with a US perspective (Boyacingler and Adler, 1991). This may encumber the generalizability of some of these motivation theories to a global environment because, as Hofst ede (1980) affirms, even when some principles in motivation may be almost universal, the way managers implement them depend on individual differences in values and goals.These differences are determined by local conditions (Hofstede, 1980), and can be analyzed through the predominance of specific cultural dimensions. This paper contributes to fill the void of culture in many motivation theories, and considers the influence of cultural dimensions on intrinsic motivation, specifically, how cultural dimensions may influence an individual’s goal orientation. Culture and mid-range theoriesLytle, Brett, Barsness, Tinsley, and Janssens (1995) suggest some guidelines for the study of how culture can affect mid-range theories like goal orientation: The first step includes the development of a functional definition of culture and its dimensions, then the identification of a mid-range theory, in this case goal orientation within intrinsic motivation, and finally, the generation of speci fic hypotheses about why and how those cultural dimensions will influence goal orientation.

Racial Discrimination Within the Gay Community Essay

My community is the most diverse of all. I am speaking of the gay community. Our community consists of people from every race, every religion, every gender, and every economic sector. We claim to be all-inclusive, embracing everyone despite our differences and celebrate our diversity with pride very openly. The issue of gay civil rights came to national attention on June 27, 1969. On that evening, police raided a small gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village called The Stonewall Inn, which sparked three days of rioting. The event is considered the single most important event that led to the modern movement for gay civil rights. The gay community’s perseverance has led to gay pride celebrations being held across the country. San Francisco is the considered the birthplace of pride celebrations, as a â€Å"gay-in† was held on June 27, 1970, to commemorate the one year anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Current pride celebrations often include themes such as inclusion and diversity, demonstrating the gay community’s beliefs that everyone should be treated equally, regardless of any differences. However, as Buchanan (2005) stated, â€Å"We claim to be the most maligned group in society, but when it comes to discrimination, some say that gays can give as good as we get† (Gays at receiving end of bias claim). The issue of racial discrimination in the gay community came to light when the San Francisco Human Rights Commission (HRC) issued their report on April 26, 2005 after an investigation of alleged discrimination at a popular bar in the Castro. The investigation was initiated by a group of citizens that claim the bar, SFBadlands, was practicing discriminatory acts in employment and patronage. I frequent the bar in question regularly and am personally acquainted with an African American who works there as a bartender. The group making the accusations, And Castro For All, alleged in a letter sent to the HRC June 22, 2004, that the owner of the bar implemented policies to discourage African Americans and women from patronizing the bar. The group also alleged that the bar owner practiced discriminatory hiring practices. Out of the forty-five employees of the bar at the time, only seven were â€Å"people of color† and none were women. The group requested the HRC investigate the bar owner and his business practices to determine if there were any â€Å"civil rights violations†. The group also requested the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to revoke the owners’ liquor license. Further allegations against the bar and it’s owner included unwarranted removal of African-American and other minority patrons from the bar, inferior service to minority customers and denial of entry of minority customers due to dress while white patrons dressed similarly were admitted. The commission found the bar and its owner discriminated against African-American job applicants and customers, however there was insufficient evidence to conclude any other wrongdoing. During the ongoing investigation, And Castro For All staged protests in front of the bar that caught media attention and sparked national conversation regarding the persistence of racism in the gay community (VanDeCarr, 2005). During these protests, the bar was busy as usual. The demonstrations, one of which was held during the Castro Street Fair, a popular street fair held every October, did little to diminish patrons to enter the bar. As I stood in line that day waiting to enter the bar, listening to the chant â€Å"Think before you drink† there was not much for me to think about. I had talked to the African-American bartender that I know about the allegations, and he responded that the allegations were false. The protests and demonstrations by And Castro For All have been compared to the civil rights and women’s movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s. The fight for gay marriage has also been compared to the civil rights movement. These comparisons have people of color raising an eyebrow, and have bred hostility where it should have sown solidarity. In Massachusetts shortly after gay marriage was legalized, Governor Matt Romney told city clerks they could enact a 1913 law forbidding out-of-state couples from marrying if their home states would not recognize the marriage. The law was written with the intention of barring interracial marriages. The Massachusetts Supreme Court made another equation when gay marriage was legalized. They referenced the historic cases that legalized interracial marriages to the case that led to the legalization of gay marriage by citing the difference as a single trait: skin color in the interracial cases, sexual orientation now. This â€Å"formula of gay = black has upset some Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people of color† says Hernandez (2005 Gaily ever after 11). During the 1990’s when the gay movement went mainstream, LGBT people of all colors claim it became a mouthpiece for wealthy gay men. The reason the comparison of gay marriage to the civil rights movement has raised indignation say some LGBT people of color is because it does not account for the racial and economic privileges white gays have. In not being able to marry, some say this is the first time that white gays are feeling the effects of discrimination. Further accusations of racial discrimination in San Francisco’s Castro district disrupted a meeting of the Merchants of Upper Market and Castro (MUMC) on March 3, 2005. The subject of racial discrimination came to a head when the President of MUMC was accused of paying obligatory attention to the growing concerns of racism in the Castro. White males own most businesses in the Castro, a fact that many do not realize. In attendance at the meeting were about 25 members, five of which were either non-white or female. Thanks to a neighborhood economic development program organized by the LGBT Center of San Francisco, a yoga studio opened in October of 2004, which is the first black-owned business in the area in a few years. So, what does the future of the Castro look like? According to Bevin Duffy, an openly gay man on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors is hopeful. Speaking after a mediation agreement was signed between the owner of SF Badlands and the group An Castro For All, Duffy is quoted: ‘This has been a painful process but it has created a great deal of awareness of the distance we need to go to be a truly inclusive community†¦. I hope for all of us it is an opportunity to heal now and to move forward, with each of us individually committed to be open, welcoming and accepting to people in our community who may be different. ’ (Bajko, 2006, p. 2). Not everyone shares Mr. Duffy’s optimism. Gomez (2006) states â€Å"Thirty years from now maybe queer will have evolved from a fashion statement†¦and retained its original connotations: progressive, independent, empathetic, activist. Colored queers will still be making the noise of protest†¦Maybe by then we’ll believe we’re stronger together than apart† (Race: the growing chasm, 10). I think Gomez is wrong, at least when it comes to my neighborhood. I have hope for my neighborhood. The Castro has long been seen as â€Å"gay mecca† to LGBT people the world over, and hopefully the racial scar isn’t too deep. At least the actions of a few people have paved the way to change. Until we can resolve the inequalities in our own backyard, will we then be able to achieve equality with our straight allies, such as equal marriage rights. Once we become the kind of people we say we are, then we can become a racially diverse role model for the world.