Epic poetry Essay

?This article is about the art form. For other uses, see Poetry (disambiguation). Literature Major forms Novel Poem Drama Short story Novella Genres Comedy Drama Epic Erotic Nonsense Lyric Mythopoeia Romance Satire Tragedy Tragicomedy Media Performance (play) Book Techniques Prose Poetry History and lists Outline of literature Glossary of terms History (modern) Books Writers Literary / Poetry awards Discussion Criticism Theory Sociology Magazines Literature portal v t e â€Å"Poem†, â€Å"Poems†, and â€Å"Poetic† redirect here. For other uses, see Poem (disambiguation), Poems (disambiguation), and Poetic (disambiguation). Poetry (from the Greek poiesis — — meaning a â€Å"making†, seen also in such terms as â€Å"hemopoiesis†; more narrowly, the making of poetry) is a form of literary art which uses aesthetic and rhythmic[1][2][3] qualities of language—such asphonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre—to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, the prosaic ostensible meaning. Poetry has a long history, dating back to the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh. Look more:  types of satire essay Early poems evolved from folk songs such as the Chinese Shijing, or from a need to retell oral epics, as with the Sanskrit Vedas, Zoroastrian Gathas, and the Homeric epics, the Iliadand the Odyssey. Ancient attempts to define poetry, such as Aristotle’s Poetics, focused on the uses of speech in rhetoric, drama, song and comedy. Later attempts concentrated on features such as repetition, verse form and rhyme, and emphasized the aesthetics which distinguish poetry from more objectively-informative, prosaic forms of writing. From the mid-20th century, poetry has sometimes been more generally regarded as a fundamental creative act employing language. Poetry uses forms and conventions to suggest differential interpretation to words, or to evoke emotive responses. Devices such as assonance, alliteration, onomatopoeia and rhythm are sometimes used to achieve musical or incantatory effects. The use ofambiguity, symbolism, irony and other stylistic elements of poetic diction often leaves a poem open to multiple interpretations. Similarly, metaphor, simile and metonymy[4] create a resonance between otherwise disparate images—a layering of meanings, forming connections previously not perceived. Kindred forms of resonance may exist, between individual verses, in their patterns of rhyme or rhythm. Some poetry types are specific to particular cultures and genres and respond to characteristics of the language in which the poet writes. Readers accustomed to identifying poetry with Dante, Goethe, Mickiewicz and Rumi may think of it as written in linesbased on rhyme and regular meter; there are, however, traditions, such as Biblical poetry, that use other means to create rhythm and euphony. Much modern poetry reflects a critique of poetic tradition,[5] playing with and testing, among other things, the principle of euphony itself, sometimes altogether forgoing rhyme or set rhythm. [6][7] In today’s increasingly globalized world, poets often adapt forms, styles and techniques from diverse cultures and languages.

Family Assessment Paper

Running Head: FAMILY HEALTH ASSESSMENT Family Health Risk Assessment Paper Tynette Miller Submitted to Dr. Sarah Combs in Partial Fulfillment of NR478 Community Health Nursing Practicum Regis University April 3, 2013 2 FAMILY HEALTH ASSESSMENT A comprehensive family assessment provides a foundation to promote family health, Edelman & Mandle, C. L. , (2011). This assessment of family health offers many approaches that involve getting to know the strengths and weaknesses of the family.According to Stanhope & Lascaster (2010), the family nursing assessment is the cornerstone for family nursing interventions and systematic processes that are used to identify the family’s developmental stages and risk factors. The Friedman Family Assessment Model (2003) provides guidelines for nurses to interview the structure and function of families. This paper will implement the Friedman Family Assessment Tool to assess the Harvey Family. Identify Data: The Harvey Family is a traditional family that is composed of 4 family members.AH is the father and is a 39 year old black male with a college degree in business. He is a plant manager at a steel mill in Jackson, MS. Mrs. BH is also African American and is the mother of the family. She is 35 years old and teaches at one of the local high schools in Jackson, MS. Mr. and Mrs. Harvey have 2 kids. CH is a 13 year on girl who is in the 7th grade and has asthma. Her brother, DH, is 6 years old in the 1st grade with no present known medical history. The whole family takes weekend trips every other weekend. They enjoy hiking, amusement parks, computers, shopping, and site seeing.Parents’ perception is that they are hardworking, good citizens who strongly believe in God and their religious beliefs are Methodist. This family appears to be in good health and proud parents of 2 kids. The family strengths consist of a rich history of Methodist beliefs, strong family morals, and high levels of education for greater opportunities. Family Structure: This couple has been married for 15 years. According to the Freidman Family Assessment Model (2003), their present developmental stage would be family with adolescent / young child.The extent of each of the parent’s developmental task appears to be properly fulfilled. They both agree not to have any more children. They practice safe sex with one partner and have no history of sexually transmitted diseases. The general health of the immediate family is overall good. The family history of the extended family denotes grandparents with hypertension and a few members who suffer with asthma. The father was diagnosed with hypertension and the mother denied any medical history except for a tubal ligation. The paternal grandfather (GH) is 75 years old and suffers from hypertension and is a heavy smoker.The paternal grandmother (SH) passed away 2 years ago from a stroke. 3 FAMILY HEALTH ASSESSMENT She was 70 years old. The maternal grandfather (SJ) is 77 and is under the care of a pulmonologist for COPD and asthma. The maternal grandmother (AJ) is 74 and has hypertension. BH has 2 brothers, (BJ and CJ). They both have hypertension also. AH also has siblings, 2 sisters (FH and KH) and 1 brother, (JH). FH has asthma and KH and JH both have hypertension. Environmental Data The Harvey Family lives in a well kept 4 bedroom brick home outside of the city limits of Jackson, MS.The community where they live is fairly small with a total of approximately 5600 citizens. Their gated neighbor has a code of covenants and each home has fences surrounded the backyard. They deny being active in the community activities. CH plays junior high basketball and DH is a part of their afterschool program, Frontiers. Family function The couple both agreed to being happily married and have a good support system of family and church members. Their average income is $130. 000. and they have medical coverage for the family. They are on a regular diet with few restrictions on fried foods and fat intake.The children eat school lunch and the parents from outside restaurant choices. Mom tries to cook a meal a day after work or they seldom eat Subway or Pizza Hut. No variation in weight gain or weight loss reported. They try to eat dinner as a family at home on a regular basis. However, this was not feasible all of the time due to dad’s late night work hours and CH basketball practices after school. They generally get 6-7 hours of sleep per night and denied any sleep deprivation. No exercise program has been implemented by this family. CH is the only physically, athletic member.DH stated that he likes to ride his bike. The children are active in Sunday school and participate in summer camp. Family Stress and Coping No major events have occurred in their life since the death of AH’s mom 2 years ago. In the event of any crisis, they depend on the extended family and church members for emotional and morale support. After this family assessment, I felt that the nursing wellness diagnosis (2012) for this family would be: 4 FAMILY HEALTH ASSESSMENT 1. Readiness for enhanced regular activity: related to planned exercise activity in the week for the family to improve overall health. . Readiness for enhanced nutrition: related to metabolic nutritional intake and reduce fat intake and increase intake of well-balanced diet for the family to promote better health. Risk Factors Facing Harvey Family Assessing the Harvey family, helped me to understand their biological and age related risk factors facing them based on the genogram and ecomap of their family. This genogram (Fig. 1-1) reveals a timeline of family history over 3 generations. The ecomap (Fig. 1-2) will define the family relationships with other neighbors and friends.It also represents the family’s interactions with other organizations and groups that are created by using circles and lines (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2010). According to the family history, the Harvey fami ly has a predisposition to develop hypertension and asthma. â€Å"High rates of hypertension in African Americans may be due to the genetic make-up of people of the African race. Many experts have stated that high blood pressure can be a combination of both genetic, lifestyle, and environmental, but is more prominent in blacks than in whites† (WebMD,2013).According to the Partners Asthma Center (2010), asthma is considered to be hereditary. CH’s grandfather suffered from COPD and asthma. As a result, she developed asthma, along with her aunt, FH. Surprisingly, none of her parents developed this disease. CH and DH are at high risk for developing hypertension, as well. There is a strong need for diet changes and a need for a exercise program to promote better health and wellness. Their social risk is high due to inadequate of recreation or health gyms noted in the Harvey’s community. The community was not noted for major pollution or high levels of noise.However, other stressful circumstances may derive from over worked parents and limited amount of family dinners together throughout the week. Conclusion As a nurse, my role in this case would be to offer help and guidance to the family, provide information, and the needed community resources. Thorough planning and more scheduled visits would be arranged to help the Harvey family promote healthier ways to cope with their health situation. 5 FAMILY HEALTH ASSESSMENT Edelman, & Mandle, C. L. (2010). Health Promotion Throughout the Lifespan, 7th edition. St. Louis: Mosby. eHow.Com (2012). Wellness Nursing Diagnosis/ e how. com Retreived from: http://www. ehow. com/wellness-nursing-diagnosis. html#ixzz1z6AuL. DA8 Fanta, Christopher H. , MD, (2010) Breathing Fresh Air. Retrieved from: www. asthma. partners. org/newfiles/BoFAChapter34. html Stanhope, M. & Lancaster, J. (2010), Foundations of Nursing in the Community Oriented Practice 3rd ed. , Mosby Elsevier. St. Louis, Missouri. WebMD (2013), High Blood Pressure in African-American. Retrieved from http://www. webmed. com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/hypertension-in-african-americans

Six Sigma DMAIC Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Six Sigma DMAIC Process - Essay Example There is, in turn, an increasing support for the view that a Six Sigma team can do its work better in process and product improvement if the project uses the DMAIC approach. This paper aims to gain a better understanding of the DMAIC process by dissecting the corresponding tools that make it such a widely accepted instrument for a Six Sigma quality improvement plan. The Six Sigma process is about organizational change and the six elements referred to in the term, which serve as its change agents, are: leadership, champions, sponsors, master black belts, black belts and green belts (Pyzdek online). The reference to karate cannot be helped because the concept was developed by the Japanese who took over Motorola in the 1970s when competition was driving the US operations of the Japanese company to the edge of bankruptcy. One of the main reasons was that Motorola, which manufactured the Quasar TV sets in the US, could not keep up with foreign competitors who were able to produce high-quality products at lower costs. The Japanese themselves are credited with the earlier conceptualization of total quality management in their tenacious search for quality improvement in the 1950s. This was adopted in the US in the 1960s and in Europe in the 1980s. TQM attacks problems on product or service efficiency based on the premise that all activities in an organ ization contribute to quality or lack of it. However, total quality management has lately come into disuse because of perceptions that quality improvement is an exclusive function of the quality department such that it is confined to the assigned quality circles and a few industrial engineers. Thus, it is concentrated on enhancing the organizational processes with the use of statistical methods and on defect reductions, with less consideration given to improving the bottom line (Das online). The Six Sigma method has a more expanded an all-encompassing focus. At Motorola, the Japanese carried out the first Six Sigma project by finding ways to make production better, faster and cheaper, using the same workforce, the same technology and designs but a different management approach (Pyzdek online). As a result, Motorola was soon producing with less than 1 percent of the number of defects noted before in its products and services. Both the complete Six Sigma principle and the Lean Six Sigma version, when put to use with the participation and commitment of all departments, have proven effective in realizing significant savings in operational costs, speeding up the product life cycle and reducing non-value added activities (George, 2002). The complete Six Sigma process may be applied to cost-cutting and reducing variations while the Lean Six Sigma version may be applied only to 3 or 4 operational areas, such as the human resource, production and service

How has supply chain impacted Food security Assignment

How has supply chain impacted Food security - Assignment Example Moreover, drastic climate changes have become common due to the rising global warming. To ensure food security, it is necessary that innovations be made in the food production, storage and distribution processes. Resources need to be utilized effectively and in constrained manner to determine the boundaries of future food production environment. Improving food security is also necessary for economic development of nations since hungry workers cannot be productive. Almost 75 percent of global population lives in rural areas and are dependant on agriculture. Enhanced food security can help them fight poverty and make them resilient so that they can participate in economic activities. Global food crisis leads to rising food price, and in recent years food price inflation has sparked political demonstrations in many countries leading to national and regional instabilities (Sustainable economic development, 2011, p.3). Shortage of food and difficulty in distribution process are common ele ments in many countries especially in the developing countries. This leads to chronic hunger among a large proportion of global population resulting in malnutrition, higher infant mortality rates and premature deaths due to failure of vital body organs. That growing commodity prices have become a matter of grave concern has been accepted by the United Nations through its warning that there is paucity of funds to curb global malnutrition in this â€Å"new face of hunger† (Borger, 2008). The head of UN’s World Food Programme (WFP), Josette Sheeran has expressed concern that an extra half billion dollars is needed to bring the situation under control. The major causes that have been recognized are huge disparities of income between developed and developing countries, usage of land for production of biofuel, drastic climate changes etc (Borger, 2008). The first part of this paper focuses on food security systems of five nations, and the second part discusses the impact of supply chain on food security programs. Section I Food Security According to the World Food Summit of 1996, food security is â€Å"when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life† (WHO, 2013). In other words, food security ensures that nutritious food is affordable and easily accessible to all sections of the world population to satisfy both their dietary requirements and food preferences. In reality, malnutrition and diarrhea have become common food related problems in most countries. Food security is essentially based on three pillars which are availability, accessibility and nutrition. This means food must be consistently available at reasonable prices to all people, there should be sufficient resources for all people so that they can access all food items, and there should be knowledge and awareness about proper nutrition and care (World Bank[1], 2009, p.14). Global experiences and events Persistent incre ase of food prices every year all over the world is a major contributory factor for global food crisis. UN’s WFP is assisted by voluntary contributions and it provides basic food items to 78 million people in 73 countries which is not even one-tenth of the total malnourished population of the world. In 2008, WFP’s budget was ?1.5 bn which was not even sufficient for maintaining existing food supplies because of rapid

Obligations to Future Generations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Obligations to Future Generations - Essay Example This is not to suggest that the conveniences and luxury are evenly distributed around the globe or even within nations and communities. There is a vast difference between the wealth of nations in the developing world and that of a superpower such as the United States or the European Union. What is undeniable is that all of humanity have benefited directly or indirectly through improvements in transportation and technology. The advancements in technology are truly marvelous, but they are not without drawbacks. There is a real cost attached to every advancement made in transportation and technology over the past two centuries (Lash, Szerszynski and Wynne, 1996). Finite resources are often used for raw materials that construct the technology or provide fuel for the machine energy. The consumption of these finite resources raises several sets of related ethical questions. Economists and economic geographers often examine questions of consumption, distribution and utilization. These acade mics attempt to explain why some nations are poor while others are wealthy. The answer often has access and control over finite resources at its heart. While understanding and examining the ethical considerations of unequal distribution and utilization of finite natural resources is a valid topic, it is beyond the scope of this paper. Consumption by the current and prior generation and the implications for future generations is the concern for this paper. Ethical use of natural resources now can lead to a brighter future, full of opportunity, for the generations of the future. Unethical behavior may doom future generations to a less prosperous and comfortable existence than we currently enjoy. The ethical choices that need to be made should consider effects on generations to come instead of just immediate gains in productivity, convenience and technological advance. One example of how difficult it can be to act ethically when making decisions concerning environmental and industrial projects can be seen in the construction of the Aswan High Dam. The Nile River has experienced seasonal flooding for thousands of years. Monsoon induced rainy seasons at the headwaters result in flooding in Upper and Lower Egypt. In ancient times, these seasonal floods marked the seasons in Egypt. The floods were beneficial in that they provided a layer of fresh silt for farmers to utilize each year while providing much needed irrigation water in Egypt’s arid climate. There was no need for fertilizer because the soil never had the chance to be depleted of essential nutrients. The culture of the ancient Egyptians was closely tied to the flooding of the Nile. They were able to establish a civilization that brought us splendors such as the temple at Karnack and the Pyramids at Giza. In the 1950’s the Egyptian government determined that the seasonal flooding of the Nile was detrimental to Egypt’s quest for modernization. Many Egyptians were still farming small plots that were irrigated using simple machines and techniques that had not changed for millennia. The modernization of the state of Egypt required modern infrastructure and modern power. Plans were made to place a dam across the Nile River that would provide a vast amount of hydroelectricity for the Egyptian people and modern Egyptian industries. In addition to this, the natural flooding of the river would be replaced by an

A Fast Food and Bakery Take-Away counter in Downtown, Mumbai Essay

A Fast Food and Bakery Take-Away counter in Downtown, Mumbai - Essay Example The initial setup of the bakery and fast food counter would be a small one to involve as little investment and risk as possible. The preliminary research has revealed that there are very few bakeries and fast food counters in the populated areas of Mumbai and hence, the competitive edge of the project would be its location inviting a lot of pedestrian traffic on a daily basis. The main customers of the counter would be office going youngsters and students who like mobile food and snacks and have a preference for Western origin food more than their local origins. The initial setup cost of the counter including the construction, rentals, machinery, raw material, etc. is around $ 76,000, which is an estimate calculated from the data of take away counters of similar capacity. An analysis of the location tells us that Mumbai is thickly populated with people belonging to all the backgrounds: Upper class, upper middle class, middle class, lower middle class, and the lower class. The main ta rget audience of the counter would be people belonging to middle class and the higher classes. Since Mumbai is densely populated with average income people, investing in a bakery that has numerous future prospects seems like an investment that is worthwhile. Another interesting factor is the change in the eating habits of people especially among the younger lot. They prefer fast food and snacks that they can eat while on the go. Hence, a take away counter for bakery items and fast food would definitely be a profitable venture. The Gantt chart of the project shows that it would take the counter approximately more than two months starting from research up until its launch. Project Description The outcome that the project would achieve is the setup of a take-away counter selling bakery and fast food items such as hot breads, rolls, cakes, burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, etc. The location of the counter would be in downtown Mumbai, India so that it gets a lot of foot traffic from the nearb y offices, schools, colleges, etc. The target market of the counter is young and middle-aged people working in offices or students who are constantly moving and need to eat outside their homes. As mentioned earlier, the eating habits of all younger generation are very different from the older lot, they prefer fast food and bakery items and thus, a counter catering to their needs would ensure lots of people coming during lunch and teatime hours. Another possible consumer base of the counter would be people with a sweet tooth and other who like to buy cakes and pastries for celebrations and religious festivals, which are abundant in India. The counter would host products such as pastries, custom made cakes, biscuits, mini muffins, etc. The counter would also place tables and chairs nearby so that consumers who want to sit can have their meals comfortably. The counter would have self-service. The packaging would be attractive and artistically done for takeaways and gifts. A study of th e market has provided that food business, specifically bakeries, fast food, and other similar outlets suffer less even in the time of recession. Another advantage with such counters is that they are easy to setup and not a lot of technical expertise is necessary. The overall business model of such ventures is pretty straight forward with a direct revenue model that does not have a lot of risk involved. The success of such a counter depends on the following factors: market need, taste and product quality. Mumbai is a metropolitan city with the people residing here belonging to all backgrounds and coming from all parts of India bringing in their own cultural heritage and taste. Here, the

Saftey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Saftey - Essay Example At the moment changing the clothing may take a long process. For this reason, this memo will provide some basics guidelines on how to handle a bee attack and avoiding the insects. Additionally, the memo will highlight on the steps to be followed after a bee attack. The memo will also provide guidelines on how to treat and handle immediate stings and long terms management of bee stings. Students should avoid strong scented colognes and body perfumes. Bees are easily attracted to strong scents. Considering that students are in bright attires, strong colognes make then easy targets of the insects. Students should avoid walking barefooted while in the field. Some wasps make their nests on the ground and stepping on the nest one may get their foot stung. Additionally, bees may be sucking nectar from flowers on the ground walking barefoot may result to a sting. In case of a bee sting, a person should as quickly as possible seek professional help to get the sting removed (Pearson 112). The urgency in this case reduces the amount of venom that enters the body after the sting. After the sting has been removed swelling can be minimized by compressing the affected area with ice. Bee venom is acidic and applying a base on the wound at high volumes would effectively neutralize the venom (Stengler & Balch 78). Stengler, Mark. & Balch, James. Prescription for Natural Cures: A Self-Care Guide for Treating Health Problems with Natural Remedies Including Diet, Nutrition, Supplements, and Other Holistic Methods. New York: John Wiley & Sons. 2011.

Mythology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mythology - Essay Example The Mayans associated creation with magic and divination, and regarded their gods and heroes as divine (â€Å"Mayan Mythology†). In addition, they believed that the present world was a recent creation, but would eventually be destroyed as it is on doomsday. The Mayans also believed in a universe that comprised of heavens and underworlds and the human world sandwiched between them (PaganSpace.net). In relation to the above, there are numerous descendants of the Mayan culture in the modern society mainly of the Hispanic descent. As such, I would expect the individuals to be highly superstitious and dedicated to their course. This is owing to the traditions held by their ancestors and culture that has been taught to them. However, with the expiry of the Mayan calendar it is expected that the culture will suffer a setback as their prediction of doomsday failed to pass. To the same effect, many may opt for alternative beliefs and cultures in an effort to substitute for their

H GWA Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

H GWA - Research Paper Example It is important to understand the relationship that these two countries have in an effort to figure out the consequent impact that it has on any other relations that the United States has. The public policy to uphold through the paper is the labor and employment policy as the linking relationship between the two countries. History and Background The major types of relationships that these two countries share are political, monetary and social. It is also imperative to grasp an understanding of the history between the relationships between the United States and China that ages back to the year 1844 when there was the signing of the Treaty of Wanghia. The treaty introduced several rules to regulate their association and gave the United States ability to carry out extended trade relations with China just like other foreign powers1. The relations have existed since then and have brought both positive and negative effects on many countries around the world either directly or indirectly. E conomic Relationship In 1972, the United States received the leeway to invest in mainland China after being banned earlier citing the dangers of the soviet armies. The prolific relations have been the case ever since with the United States getting to an extent of even outsourcing its companies’ requirements from the country. This has particularly brought up a large drift between the two countries from the fact that the United States claims that China makes use of that opportunity to create counterfeit items and consequently portraying the United States wrongly. These allegations have existed over the last five years where China takes some of the raw materials that it does not have in its country from the products made in the United States and rather than completing the manufacture of the products, the workers under the labor union seek to use the materials. This has led to both countries imposing strict trade tariffs on various investment sectors. The workers in China engage in the creation of replica products with the same name as the legitimate products and sell them both locally and internationally. Research has shown that the greatest export recipient of the Peoples’ Republic of China is the European Union. This union is composed of 27 member states with the most influence coming from France. France has been on the receiving end on this issue of counterfeit products manufactured by China2. Given its power, France has great relations with both the United States and China and this issue places it at a poor position in its associations with the United States. French people buy the commodities from China given that the country provides them at a much cheaper rate and the low transport costs provided the proximity to each other. This has affected France’s economic terms with the United States especially on the case of clothing products and tires that it acquires from China. The United States has many times advised France from the purchase o f these counterfeit items from the fact that their usage discriminates the legitimate items provided by the United States and affects the economy negatively. France thus often gets into a cold relationship with the United States concerning this and with a continuation of the negligence, it is common

Summary of the article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Summary of the article - Essay Example For instance, before the 2007-2009 economic recessions, there was increased acquisition of attractive global investment opportunities, the engagement in foreign direct investments, and the migration of business operations to host countries, a trend that reversed after the economic recession because of the contraction of financial markets. Therefore, undesirable and unanticipated geopolitical events, such as governmental shifts, regulatory changes, civil disobedience, acts of terrorism, and sovereign defaults can negatively affect global supply chains and disrupt business activities resulting in massive operational and investment losses for multinational corporations. For instance, in the wake of the governmental uprisings, consecutive surges and social disturbance in the MENA region, it is likely that the European agricultural and textile industries will be negatively impacted by supply shocks in countries such as Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, hence necessitating critical examination of such political events before transitioning into foreign markets (Fabiani, 2011). However, many aspects of political risks are difficult to measure and quantify before transitioning into such foreign markets. Although organizations like Aon, Euromoney, the World Bank, The Economist and Freedom House, have attempted to develop political indices, which score countries on an individual or regional basis to proxy for political risk; consequently serving corporations with early warning signals of pending disruptions, which can cause undesirable financial losses and consequential reductions in shareholder’s value in the corporation. However, regardless of their merits in helping corporations pre-examine their foreign market interests, these indices have some shortcomings, which render their reliability questionable. For instance, these indices are based on historical data, which could be inaccurate in making determinations and forecasts about the

Using surveys to conduct research Essay Example for Free

Using surveys to conduct research Essay What are the advantages and disadvantages of using surveys to conduct research?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Surveys have been used as methods of collecting data for as long as can be remembered.   In practically all scientific fields, surveys have proven invaluable in obtaining data that would otherwise be impossible to gather.   As a method of determining certain behavioral aspects of society and man, surveys have also proven to be beneficial to all research in that field.   Yet as with everything in this world, there will always be advantages and disadvantages.    This short discourse will outline the advantages and disadvantages of using surveys to conduct research.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First of all, the advantage of having a survey is that it allows the researcher to gather more date in a shorter amount of time.   The questions in a survey are able to address a multitude of issues that would require a researcher more amount of time in lieu of a survey.   Aside from the ability to allow access to more information, surveys can be specifically designed to elicit objective responses. This lends to its value in highly quantitative research that deals with hard data instead of non-quantifiable aspects.   In short, surveys are advantageous because they allow the researcher to obtain the information that is required much faster and more efficiently than other sources.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The problem with surveys, however, is that it is difficult to construct an accurate survey that removes biases or false data.   Surveys are prone to providing the wrong information.   Another problem of surveys lies in the fact that it is not as accurate when gathering qualitative aspects or figures.   Opinions or sentiments are very hard to capture and quantify in surveys.   As such, as a method of conducting research, depending on the subject matter involved, surveys can be very disadvantageous.   Surveys may not always represent the mean of every sample.   Surveys must be given accurately in order to obtain an approximate cross section of the sample used.   The disadvantage, therefore, lies in making an accurate survey that will lead to the correct data.

Most Interesting Day of My Life Essay Example for Free

Most Interesting Day of My Life Essay But, culture is something that you cannot actually see, except through its physical manifestations in your work place. Culture is especially influenced by the organization’s founder, executives, and other managerial staff because of their role in decision making and strategic direction. Culture is the behavior that results when a group arrives at a set of generally unspoken and unwritten rules for working together. Culture is not usually defined as good or bad, although aspects of your culture likely support your progress and success and other aspects of life. â€Å"Employees learn the culture of their workplace by seeing how people react in various situations and by understanding what is important to management by observing what they do (more than by what they say)†. â€Å"Culture is made up of the values, beliefs, underlying assumptions, attitudes, and behaviors shared by a group of people†. How employees learn culture? Culture is transmitted to employees in a number of ways . An organization’s culture is made up of all of the life experiences each employee brings to the organization. The following points is more significant in learn culture. * Stories * Rituals * Material symbols * Language Stories: Stories such as these circulate through many organizations. They typically contain a narrative of events about the organization’s founders, rule breaking, rags-to-riches successes, reduction in the workforce, relocation of employees, reactions to past mistakes, and organizational coping. These stories anchor the present in the past and provide explanations and legitimacy for current practices. The stories reflect what made progress and what it will take to continue that success.

Recommendations for Client Care in Salons

Recommendations for Client Care in Salons METHODOLOGY Market research data has been reviewed from two main sources: Secondary Data- i.e. Journals, publications and internet sources. Primary Research- data for this research were obtained from the surveys that have been undertaken in a Barnfield College Hairdressing and Beauty Salons as well as in the Reception Area in November and December 2009 and were handed out to the clients before and after the treatments. Three groups were formed to prepare the questionnaires on the following three subjects: Reception. After treatment. New Product Development in Male Grooming and Anti-Ageing Treatments and Products. FINDINGS RECEPTION Front desk operation can make or break the salon business (Barham, 1991, p.21). The role of salon receptionist is crucial as the receptionist embodies the entire salon, its personnel and their professional skills. The main mission of the receptionist is a smooth running of the beauty salon (Barham, 1999). The reception area of any enterprise such as a hotel, a hairdressing salon, a beauty therapy salon, a suite of offices, even a hospital can be considered as the first personal point of contact with the organization. One dictionary definition of reception is the receiving or welcoming of persons as visitors formally or ceremoniously. In the context of business, however, reception needs to be somewhat more than just being courteous to clients, answering enquiries or booking appointments. Ideally, reception regulates and controls access to the next stage in a procedure. The hairdressing or beauty therapy operative will carry out the practical work but the service begins and ends in the reception (Masters, 1988). Almost all women appreciate the luxury of personal attention in a pleasant atmosphere. And the first point of contact either personally or by telephone will be receptionist thus the response to an initial enquiry and the image presented at the time must be of the highest level or the appointment may not be booked. The answer to the enquiry must convince the potential client that she can reasonably expect to get the service she wants, and the image presented must be one of efficiency and enthusiasm. If the enquiry is by telephone, then the whole image will be an aural one. Therefore, tone of voice, manner of speaking and clarity of information are paramount. The conclusion of the conversation is also important and should indicate that the enquiry and the subsequent booking are welcome and appreciated. Enquiry and/or reservation in person at reception also involves tone of voice, manner of speaking and clarity of information, but because it is also visual it poses other problems which include the appearance and deportment of the receptionist and the image presented by other members of staff who may be in reception at that time, together with dà ©cor, tidiness and comfort of the reception room and finally that indefinable thing known as social atmosphere. When any client or potential client enters reception she should receive immediate attention or at least recognition of her presence. A client should never wait in reception for her appointment a moment longer than is utterly necessary and when this is inevitable she should be made as comfortable as possible and kept informed of the position. A clients progress through the various processes in the salon should be comfortable and supported by an evident desire on the member of staff for her well-being and satisfaction. Each client should feel that her personal custom is valued and that she is a significant part of the salon business life. The client does not just buy a beauty treatment but a complete service which must be fully satisfying to that client. And even when the service is satisfactorily completed and the client is delighted with the result, all is not yet over because she still has to pass once more through reception and departure must be just as carefully managed as arrival . Service must continue until the moment the client makes her exit through the door which has been thoughtfully opened for her by the receptionist. The receptionist should know exactly what has been done for the client and should provide a suitable remark of approval with the result. After all, if the client has just spent quite a bit of money on a service intended to improve her appearance she will appreciate the effects being noticed (Masters, 1988). Thus, to summarise the above, an ideal beauty salon reception should make the clients presence in the waiting area as comfortable and enjoyable as possible because the salon will never get a second chance to make a first impression. This includes having enough up-to-date beauty and fashion related magazines for both women and men, playing a comforting and light music and if the client is to spend a bit of a time in a waiting room then offering a refreshment or a cup of herbal tea to make the clients stay there as pleasant as possible. Or alternatively, if the lounge is pleasant and relaxing, clients may stay to relax after treatment or arrive early and enjoy flicking through a glossy magazine with some refreshment. Another extremely important point is clients confidentiality which must be maintained at all times and receptionist is responsible for any information not to be copied or passed on in any form to anyone, in person or over the phone (Barham, 1992). When the data were analysed according to 27 questionnaires taken in Barnfield College Hairdressing Salon and Spa Reception area, it was found that the majority of clients who have visited the college salon were overall satisfied with the waiting area and reception in general: 26 people were welcomed and the same amount of people found receptionist friendly and informative. The majority of clients found the telephone booking service excellent and said that the telephone was answered promptly (17 and 14 respectively). Although 13 people did not answer the question if they had to wait for their appointment, 9 people confirmed that they did not wait at all and only small group said that they had to wait from 1-2 minutes up to 5 minutes (2 and 1 people respectively). There are no hot drinks and/or refreshments offered in the Barnfield salon waiting sector therefore we decided to find out whether clients were prepared to pay for their drinks and would use a tea and coffee pay machine if there was one and discovered that 9 clients responded positively, 1 person said maybe and another client suggested having herbal alternatives. However, 14 clients said that they would not pay for their drinks and 2 people ignored the question. Despite the fact that 21 people described the environment in the reception area as excellent and only 6 people found it average, 8 people thought that there is a room for improvement in the reception service (1 client) and the waiting area (7 clients) and suggested that there could be some high chairs available, as well as booking facilities could be improved and 2 people complained about the warmth in the reception and said that it is way too cold in the waiting area at this time of the year. Furthermore, 14 of Barnfield clients confirmed that there was some reading material of their liking but 9 clients disagreed with that and said that there was not anything to read or they did not like the offered reading matter. When asked about the payment options 12 people would prefer paying by cash, 10 would be more comfortable with paying by card and only 3 clients were happy with both options. Further analysis of clients comments revealed that people do love coming to Barnfield for treatments and complement on prices and professionalism, friendliness and helpfulness of the receptionists, although a few clients suggested that there could be some subtle music playing in the reception area, some more reading material like up-to-date hairstyles magazines and mentioned the appointments booking options, i.e. chance to book a few sessions at once when buying a set of treatments or booking at the reception desk in general, because it feels rushed as queue forms very quickly when only one receptionist is present. In addition to this several people complained about the reception and waiting area being particularly cold. AFTER TREATMENT After treatment precautions are equally important as the treatment itself. The client must take care of his or her body after the treatment and follow any aftercare advice given by the therapist at all times in order to get the most from their investment There is specific aftercare advice for each beauty treatment. Some of them aim at prolonging the effect of the treatment as in some cases, i.e. massage, client is advised to rest to let the blood circulation to return to normal. It is also recommended for the client to rest for a few hours when she gets home, and avoid heavy meals. As the clients circulation continues to return to normal, it is necessary to drink plenty of still mineral water to replace the fluids lost. The therapist can also discuss with the client suitable home care to complement the massage. This might include advice on healthy eating and exercise, including specific exercises that might be necessary to alleviate any postural problems. Furthermore, therapist might offer advice on bath and/or skin products or massage techniques that could be used at home and further benefit the client. As with the electro-epilation treatment, the skin will be predisposed to infection because of the heat and tissue destruction hence it is extremely important to keep the area clean to avoid infection and to prevent scarring. Clients are advised to use the recommended soothing lotion, avoid picking or rubbing the skin, do not expose the area to ultraviolet light and shield it with sun-protecting factor, do not pluck or wax the area in-between treatments and keep the area clean and fresh. Majority of electrical facial treatments will require clients to refrain from applying any make-up or facial creams immediately after treatment for the period of up to 48 hours because the skin needs to be able to breathe. The negative effects on the skin of alcohol, smoking and ultraviolet radiation should be discussed with the client. The drinking of natural noncarbonated water should be encouraged following treatment to help remove toxins, and the benefits of a healthy diet should also be discussed. Also simple facial exercises should be recommended to the client. These will continue to firm the facial muscles and intensify the firming effects of the treatments. Clients should be offered retail cosmetic skin-care preparations to maintain and enhance the effects achieved. The similar aftercare programme is advised for clients after the lymphatic drainage treatments: to increase fluid intake to help the lymphatic cleansing effect. Also recommend the client an effective treatment plan combining diet and exercise appropriate to clients needs. Retail products support the effectiveness of the treatment (Nordmann, Appleyard and Linforth, 2001). Thus to put it all in a nutshell, it is necessary to provide clients with aftercare advice and explain that it is extremely essential that they become fully aware and understand what should be done by themselves both before and after treatment in the interest of their personal health, safety and well-being. There were 7 clients questioned at Barnfield salon and spa between the age of 25 and 60+ about their treatments and aftercare, and it was found that all seven clients were escorted in and back out by their therapists. Also majority of clients rated their consultation, privacy, hygiene, environment, therapist knowledge, treatment and aftercare experience as excellent. More than half of respondents left their comments and expressed their satisfaction with treatments being highly effective, enjoyable, efficient, quick, lovely and relaxing, and appreciated the therapists professionalism. And only one client complained about the music and found it not very relaxing. NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT IN MALE GROOMING AND ANTI-AGEING TREATMENTS AND PRODUCTS Male Grooming Modern men are just as (or at least almost) as concerned with their appearance as women. And healthy skin is a crucial part of looking great. For men, skin care is a mere afterthought. Beyond the world of shaving their faces, it is rare for a man to devote time to his skin. But these days, skin care is no longer just a womans concern. We are in the 21st century, and the pressure is on for man to take care of himself. Men are increasingly aware and concerned about the health of their skin. More men than ever are interested in taking care of their skin, and ensuring that they sustain their youthful looks for as long as possible. Mans flourishing desire for beautiful skin is an 8 billion dollar industry. So why are men beginning to catch up with womens interest in beauty products? Most importantly, everyone wants to preserve youthful skin for as long as possible. Along with drinking plenty of water and eating a healthy diet, moisturizing and nurturing the skin is the best way to grow old gracefully. As we grow older, the elastin and collagen, which are the connective tissues that give skin its firmness and elasticity, begin to disappear. Appropriate skin care is indispensable to keep this process at bay for as long as possible. More and more men are reacting to the synthetic chemicals used by many high street brands of male grooming products. Therefore they are turning to natural formulations free from unnecessary synthetic ingredients, which will be absorbed by the body. Switching to organic food in order to avoid consuming toxins is a popular choice. People are also becoming aware that what is put on the skin will always make its way into the blood stream. That means that if skin care products are full of chemicals, they will eventually be flowing through the body. Since the skin can be a reflection of what is going on in the body, the chemicals may once again show up on the skin. It also means that the liver has to work harder to process them. Organic, chemical free moisturiser means no toxins for the body to deal with, and ultimately, healthier skin. Nearly 80 percent of men say shaving irritates their skin. Razor burn is actually often product burn. Many of the products that are designed for men are po orly formulated and contain far too many irritating ingredients. Shaving with a razor abrades the skin enough to cause havoc, but then men typically splash an aftershave lotion with irritating ingredients over that broken skin. Think of splashing chemicals on a cut or abrasion on your body. Most natural products are gentle and will not aggravate the skin, even if there is abrasion. Other natural products that men are choosing to use are soaps and shower gels. Aluminium and parabens have been linked to cancer and other health complaints (Walters, 2008). Even in what is often touted as the best mens skin care formula available you will find ingredients that have the potential to cause serious harm to you. As the years have progressed, the scientific world has discovered that many of the most commonly used ingredients in skin care products are toxic to the human body. The question is why these companies are still allowed to use these ingredients. Steps have been taken by both the European Union and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ban these ingredients from use in cosmetics products. The European Union has so far been the only regulating body to achieve this goal. The U.S. FDA is still tied up in an ongoing court battle with the cosmetics industry, and currently it appears that the cosmetics industry is winning. There are companies within the industry that are focused on providing their customers with a safe and efficient product, and that are not just out to increase their profits by using low cost chemical ingredients. The b est mens skin care products will comprise of all natural ingredients. These include plant-based oils, proteins, enzymes, and extracts that are carefully chosen for their effectiveness (Rosenbaum, 2009). Those days are gone when a man entering a beauty salon was unacceptable or considered being lethal to his masculinity. These days the average male can easily wander inside a good salon to get himself some serious enhancement in looks. History shows that in ancient days, men would make use of kohl to line their eyes. Now again, it is pretty much in the style, perfectly acceptable and quite common if a man goes to a beauty salon or parlour and gets his chest waxed and eyebrows done. Otherwise, the primary thing that people nowadays notice is the face, and the image is all that matters. So in the present world, making the best of your looks and looking neat has become highly important for men (Conway, 2009). An examination of the data collected in the Barnfield College Salon and Spa revealed that despite the fact that more than a half of respondents aged 16-60 are aware of Male Grooming products (9 out of 12 questioned) they still do not feel very comfortable visiting the beauty salons and would be better off with more men around. Further analysis of the study revealed that most men would spend in average  £10 on male grooming products or treatments (6 respondents would spend  £0-10, and 5 are prepared to spend  £10-20), and would come to a beauty salon for sauna / steam treatments (10 clients), Swedish massage (4 clients), facials (3 clients) and various spa treatments (3 clients). None of the male respondents showed interest in coming to the beauty parlour for waxing or manicure / pedicure treatments. Anti-ageing Ageing is a process that starts when we are born we get older every day! Ageing is a process; it has a beginning, middle and an end. And the main focus is that vast middle part of life when we begin to see and feel some of the inevitable declines that occur with agebut where we can still make choices about how well we will live in our own futures. We can not stop the process except when we die nor can we change the process and go backwards. What we can do is slow down the process by making rational decisions about what we do and do not do- and those choices can also help us look better. Ultimately, the life we live is always about the choices we make! Intelligent people can choose to be well informed, read information and labels and then make informed choices. With facts in hand, one can ask: Is it an intelligent choice for me to use this product or service? That is very different than just assuming or hoping this will reverse or stop my aging process. But finding the right information is not always easy. Cosmetic companies, pharmaceutical companies and exercise equipment makers outspend and out-advertise any formats where you might find intelligent information (Dorman, 2009). Paradoxically, it is usually the most expensive skin care products that are the least effective. Obviously, there are some quality products out there that will make your skin smoother, more radiant and younger looking. The difficultly is in knowing beforehand which skin care products truly work. It is possible to come across a good skin care product that can do all of the things that it should, like whiten age spots and even out pigmentation, all at a reasonable price. There are literally 1000s of products to choose from, but without the right information, it can be difficult to find one that really produces results, allowing years of aging and wrinkles to disappear from your face and body. We will spend enormous amounts of our hard earned money if we believe that we can look more youthful and beautiful. The cosmetic companies know. The plastic surgeons know. People are suckers for products that are supposed to improve our appearance. That is why there are so many different skin care products on the market today. The current skin care market is a multi-billion dollar industry. There is so much demand for effectual anti-aging skin care products, that manufacturers are constantly flooding the marketplace with new products to capitalize on this demand. Many of these products are produced randomly and carelessly, put into fancy high-end bottles and pushed onto the market. Instead of investing time and money to produce a quality, proven skin care product, most manufacturers will prefer to spend their money on marketing and product appearance. They can paint a compelling picture with the right bottle, a few full page magazine advertisements and a high-profile celebrity endorsement who more than likely has never tried the products they are endorsing. And we all know that marketing is VERY EXPENSIVE! So that is actually why a tiny tube can cost hundreds of dollars or more. Not because whats inside is expensive, but because of all the other things the company decided to spend money on are expensive. There will never be a shortage of people willing to pay top dollar for the latest skin care product in a fancy bottle, whether it works or not. The truth is that most people will not take the time to study specific products and ingredients to help them understand which ingredients work and which ingredients can actually harm their skin! Ingredients that can damage the skin are: Mineral oil (may be listed as liquid paraffin, paraffin wax or petrolatum on the label of the product) Dioxane Fragrances Parabens (may be listed on the label as propyl, butyl, methyl or ethyl paraben) Alcohols (can be listed as ethyl alcohol, methanol, ethanol, SD alcohol, benzyl alcohol and isopropyl alcohol) There are new, well researched compounds that can reverse and prevent the damage caused by sun, air pollution and other factors. Nutrients for the skin that destroy free radicals. There are unique products that your pores will absorb and use to produce new collagen and elastin. When you use skin care products that contain these ingredients, your skin will start to look younger, healthier and more radiant. When you are choosing a skin care product, it is vital that you do not buy one that is purely cosmetic in nature. There are plenty of skin creams that will fill in the lines while they are on, temporarily giving the appearance of nicer skin, but as soon as you wash them off, reality returns. In order for a skin care product to be truly effective, it must contain ingredients that nourish, nurture and activate your bodys ability to heal itself. If you want to prevent or reduce wrinkles, you want something that increases production of collagen, elastin and new skin cells. If you do this, you will actually reverse the aging of your skin. But some manufacturers of expensive products try to mislead the public by including some genuinely good active ingredients. The problem is that they do not contain enough of the active ingredients to be effective. They contain just a small amount so that they can legally list the ingredient on their label. The best ingredients are expensive, and as mentioned before, most manufacturers spend the majority of their money on marketing. So, it is not enough to look for the ingredients mentioned below, they must be high up on the list of ingredients. Therefore we must look for the highest concentration that we can find. The ingredients to look out for: Synergy TK Phytessence Wakame CoQ10 Nano-Lipobelle H-EQ10 In conclusion, there must be a common-sense approach in our life to stopping and reversing the aging process: stay out of the sun and, when you can not, use a sunscreen product with a high SPF rating. Eat right and augment your diet with daily vitamins. Use high quality skin care products that both moisturize and reverse the symptoms associated with getting old. Implementing these key suggestions will lead to better feeling and looking you, so you can stop aging and start living (Daniels, 2009). On the basis of the survey that has been conducted in Barnfield College it can be concluded that the majority of respondents (15 people) admitted not using the ant-aging products and only 4 people said that they use it regularly. But in spite of that 8 respondents said that they spend up to  £15 on anti-ageing products and 2 clients spend between  £15 and  £30. When asked about the favourite brands of cosmetics and/or skincare there was no winning brand and clients mentioned various makes such as Olay, LOreal (3 people each), Nivea (2 people), Revlon and No7 (1 client each). Then we asked our clients whether they would be interested in a top range anti-aging skincare brand like Dermalogica if we were to introduce one, and the majority replied no (18 people) and only 4 people said yes. To sum up, clients said that they do not use anti-ageing products because they do not work or because they simply do not have time for it. CONCLUSION The findings based on surveys taken at Barnfield College Spa and Hairdressing Salon indicate that people visiting Barnfield are overall satisfied with the way it is functioning. Clients in general are tremendously pleased with receptionists and the atmosphere in the reception and waiting area but suggested that there is room for few improvements in the waiting area and booking facilities. Despite the fact that more men are becoming big spenders in the skin care market and the demand for specific mens salon treatments and related care products is one of the fastest growing areas within the beauty industry (Hiscock, Stoddart and Connor, 2004, p.209), the study revealed that male clients are still hugely conservative about the treatments they come or would come for and the amount of money they are prepared to spend. Perhaps, men would be more experimental with other treatments designed for them and offered by salons and spas be there more information available, e.g. booklets, leaflets or brochures in receptions or waiting areas. The same could be said about the male grooming products, and although the majority of men respondents confirmed that they are familiar with the range of skincare products available for them, it looks like men need more explanation about the importance of men skincare routine. Men should be aware that products designed for them have been developed to reflect the fact that the skin is more resistant, but conversely may also be more vulnerable, through neglect, misuse or total lack of protective products such as moisturizes and sun blocks (Hiscock, Stoddart and Connor, 2004, p.209) On the basis of the results of anti-ageing questionnaires, it can be concluded that people are still not fully aware of anti-ageing products and not yet ready to spend on top branded skincare products simply claiming that they have no time for it or do not believe they work. Therefore, there should be more articles or other relevant information on anti-ageing aiming primarily at younger people with the main message: Prevention is better than cure! and encouraging clients to look after their skin as early as possible, rather than waiting until signs of ageing have begun to appear and explaining that anti-ageing treatments cannot turn back years of poor skin care and neglect, nor can it stop the aging process. Some treatments can significantly enhance the skins appearance, but not on a long-term basis or without continuous treatments (Hiscock, Stoddart and Connor, 2004). RECOMMENDATIONS In the light of the above conclusions it is recommended that the College could provide more up-to-date magazines related to beauty and hairstyles including informative and educating material on skincare products and treatments, especially the ones available in Barnfield. Also a number of other actions could be undertaken in order to try to make the clients waiting experience more pleasant and comfortable. First, there could be some soft music and high chairs in the waiting area and, in spite the fact that this has cost implications, both receptionists and clients would benefit from this. Second, cost implications will be incurred for fitting a refreshments and/or hot drinks vending machine, which may be immensely useful during both cold and hot seasons, especially having in mind that a few customers complained about the waiting area being too cold and, even more importantly some treatments cannot be performed if the client is too hot or too cold. Theoretically, the betterment of Barnfield College Salon and Spa performance can be assumed as a logical outcome if all the measures are taken by its managers. References Barham A. (1999) Beauty Therapists Guide to Professional Practice and Client Care. Harlow: Longman Conway N. (21/11/2009) Fantastic Beauty Tips for Men. [Online] Available at http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/fantastic_beauty_tips_for_men (Accessed: 30 December 2009). Daniels M. (12/11/2//9) Stop Aging and Start Living. [Online] Available at http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/stop_aging_and_start_living (Accessed: 30 November 2009). Dorman L. (25/10/2009) Anti-aging? Is it a real possibility? [Online] Available at http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/antiaging_is_it_a_real_possibility (Accessed: 30 December 2009). Hiscock J., Stoddart E. and Connor J. (2004) Beauty Therapy. Oxford: Heinemann Masters T.W. (1988) Salon Management for Hairdressers and Beauty Therapists, Aldershot: Gower Publishing Ltd Nordmann L., Appleyard L. and Linforth P. (2001) Professional Beauty Therapy The official guide to Level 3, London: Thomson Learning Rosenbaum V. (16/11/2009) Finding the Best Mens Skin Care Products Can Be Difficult. [Online] Available at http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/finding_the_best_mens_skin_care_products_can_be_difficult (Accessed: 30 December 2009). Rosenbaum V. (No date) Healthy and Beautiful Skin. [Online] Available at http://www.defendyourskin.com/ (Accessed: 30 December 2009). Walters S. (19/09/2008) Why Natural Organic Beauty Products Are Essential for Men. [Online] Available at http://www.naturalnews.com/024258_beauty_products_health_chemicals.html (Accessed: 30 November 2009).

Dwight D Eisenhower Essay -- essays research papers

He was born in a small town called Deniso in western Texas in the year 1890 (Hargrove 22).Then he and his family moved to a railroad town called Abilene in the state of Kansas. Here Dwight Eisenhower grew upwith his 13 other family members. (Hargrove 19). Dwight David Eisenhower is one of Americas greatest heroes with his military career to his two terms as President of the United States. Dwight Eisenhower had many accomplishments to and from West Point through World War One. Ike Eisenhower wanted to serve his country in any way he could. He found the idea of being a sailor in the U.S Navy intriguing, but when he later applied for entering he found that he was too old at the age of 20. Then after studying hard Eisenhower was accepted atthe West Point Military Academy with the help of a U.S senator (Hargrove33). At college Ike showed himself as a hero on the Army Football team asan end (Hargrove 34). He also found an easier procedure for working advanced calculus (Hargrove 36). At the end of his college career in 1915,Eisenhower graduated number 61 out of a class of 164 (Hargrove 38). Eisenhower's military journey began during World War One. When he graduated college World War One was still raging through Europe. Instead of fighting in the infantry overseas Eisenhower was to stay home on U.Sbases (Hargrove 41). After being promoted to a Lieutenant Colonel, Eisenhower was sent to Camp Colt to train soldiers about tanks (Hargrove42). Then in the year 1933 he became one of the ...

To His Coy Mistress Essay -- essays research papers fc

Words on "To His Coy Mistress" Either you have sex with me or you die. This is a very strong statement which, when said, has to get someone's attention; and that is exactly what Andrew Marvell intends for the reader in this poem. He wants the undivided attention of this mistress so that he can scare her and rush her into making a decision the way he wants and in due time. Filled with time flavored symbolism, this carpe diem poem, "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell, exemplifies the seize the day theme. The cyclical, life symbolizing river, the water flowing by like time, is the first place Marvell places the characters. And even though they are very far apart, time still flows by for them both. As the water flows, this concept begins to hint at the shortness of time, for them to have sex, the source of new life. He then proceeds to claim that he could love her ten years before the flood, something already ancient, and up to the end of the world, using the juxtapositioning of the two views of time enhance his argument and to convince to accept his offer by telling her of his long-term commitment for her in the short-term. This flood also symbolizes life in the fresh start of the new covenant. Because time keeps going, with or without them, they must be active participants and not just the static spectator. Otherwise, the fate Marvell relates would become their reality....

Lights, Camera, Action...Going for My Dream :: Personal Narrative Acting Actress Essays

Lights, Camera, Action...Going for My Dream For as long as I can recollect, I have always wanted to act. When I was younger, I would watch the Disney channel and wondering why I wasn't on one of the shows. My desire to act was strong, only my parents made it clear to me they didn't want me to get engrossed in the entertainment industry until I was older. Each year I reminded my parents that I was getting older in hope that they would get me agent, but they insisted that I wait until I turned eighteen. Since my parents wouldn't let me set foot into the crazy world of the entertainment industry, I performed in various school plays and performed with a local ballet company. Inevitably, I convinced my parents to sign me up for an acting class in Westwood, called Mode Dion. I loved performing in my school plays, dance performances and acting class but I felt like I was not completely satisfied. I wanted to perform on television, but my parents insisted that I wait. Finally the day came, my eighteenth birthday. I decided to go to a local Extra Casting Company. I signed up with Cenex Casting located in Burbank. I kid you not, I walked into the building and before I even got a chance to sign up one of the casting agents was trying to get me to work on Clueless the next day. The first show that I ended up doing was Teen Angel. Then I worked on other shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Boy Meets World, Love Boat the Next Wave and my all time favorite Party of Five. While working on these various shows I earned all the necessary vouchers to become eligible to join the Screen Actors Guild. I became a member of SAG in March. Working on the different shows was a completely exhilarating experience. I never knew how much time and effort went into creating one episode of a show. I finally understood my parents reasoning for having wait. For the most part, the experience I have had with acting has only been through drama classes at school, acting lessons, performing with the Dance Company and extra work on the set. This may seem like many experiences; however, I still had questions on how to pursue my dream as an actress. At that point, I decided to turn to the Internet to get some resources on how to

Managing Change in Complex Environment Essay

History and Background Introduction The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent government organization that generates income through mail services. It is currently the second largest civilian employer in the United States. Its primary task is to deliver mail around the country, at a standard price, regardless of geographic location. Over the last two centuries, the USPS has evolved into an efficient organization that financially sustains itself through its delivery operations. With a monopoly on the delivery of non-urgent mail, the USPS provides delivery service of about 40 percent of the world’s mail, or approximately 200 billion pieces of mail annually. Starting in the 1990s, the USPS faced increased competition from rival package delivery and courier services, as well as the Internet. Presently the USPS is facing a financial collapse. The USPS needs to undergo an essential and systematic change in order to maintain its significance in the 21st century. History/Background On July 26, 1775, members of the Second Continental Congress appointed a Postmaster General giving birth to the Postal Department of the United States. The mission of the U.S. Postal Department was much the same as today, process and deliver first class and non-urgent mail to individuals and businesses within the United States. Congress passed various laws that grant the post office a â€Å"statutory monopoly† on non-urgent First Class Mail and the exclusive right to put mail in private mailboxes. Although these laws grant the USPS a market advantaged they also restrict its ability to compete with rival package delivery and courier services, as well as the technological innovations. How it got started The Post Office Department has origins in America dating back to the 17th century, when there was a need for mail between colonial settlements and intercontinental exchange of information with England. In 1775, the Continental Congress named Benjamin Franklin as the first postmaster general and chairman of a committee empowered to make recommendations for the establishment of a postal service. On September 22, 1789 the post office became a new government branch of the United States. At this time there were 75 post offices and approximately 2,000 miles of post roads. The USPS was critical to national welfare and pivotal in facilitating communications for military, congressional representation and newspapers. From the very beginning, the USPS financed operations from revenue it earned and Congress gave it a monopoly to be the only courier service to deliver mail. Key points in evolution The main focus and the efforts of postal officials from the foundation of the Post Office to the present day have been finding the best methods of transporting information and directing mail. For example, in 1791 George Washington stated that that the importance of the postal routes had increased because the country wanted to distribute knowledge of governmental laws. Also, between 1791 and 1861, the U.S increased from 3.9 million to 31.4 million square miles and postal roads grew from 1,875 to 240,595 miles. The Board of Governors of the USPS sets policy, procedure, and postal rates for services rendered. Of the eleven members of the Board, nine are appointed by the President and confirmed by the US Senate. The nine appointed members then select the Postmaster General, who serves as the board’s tenth member, and who oversees the day to day activities of the service as Chief Executive Officer. The ten-member board then nominates a Deputy Postmaster General, who acts as Chief Operating Officer, to the eleventh and last remaining open seat. The USPS is often mistaken as a government organization but it is legally defined as an â€Å"independent establishment of the executive branch of the Government of the United States.† Environmental context The external environment elements that significantly influence the USPS are the United States political system, workforce unions, changing technology and market forces. United States Political System In 1970 the U.S. Postal Department evolved into the USPS through the implementation of the Postal Reorganization act. This act required the USPS to be a â€Å"self-sufficient organization within the U.S. Government†. It also added an additional regulatory body into its chain of command, the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), but did not make any modification to the Postal Department’s Board of Directors or regulatory congressional statutes. The USPS Board of directors is charged with directing the USPS through the control of expenditures, reviewing practices, long term planning and setting policies and service standards. The PRC has 5 commissioners, appointed through the executive branch and confirmed by the Senate, who have the authority to reject, modify and approve any USPS initiated congressional recommendations. Since congress alone retains the authority to change USPS’ rates, service frequency and employee benefits, any market related changes from the Board of directors is routed through the PRC and congress for consideration. Pressure from Unions There are 4 unions representing around 90% of the USPS workforce: National Association of Letter Carriers, American Postal Workers, National Rural Letters Carriers Association and National Postal Mail Handlers Union. These organizations have successfully contracted collective bargaining agreements for its members for compensation and benefits that have come to exceed the USPS’ ability to maintain with its current revenues. These labor unions are very influential in weighing in on most of the decisions that affect the well-being of the USPS labor force. Presently USPS employees enjoy 79% coverage of their health care costs; the most of any federal agency. Strategic challenge Over the years the USPS has transformed its operating model and is now set up and mandated to operate like a business entity generating its revenue through the sale of postal products and services. The largest issue with the current business model of the postal service is its lack of flexibility essential for a business in a dynamic market. Specifically the USPS has not been able to organizationally adjust to a large decrease in the demand for first class mail service has resulted in decreasing net revenue in recent years. Congressional Influence The USPS congressional charter came with both benefits and operating constraints. Among the constraints the USPS is obligated to provide a uniform price for its services regardless of the geographic location and dispersion of its customer base. The USPS is obligated to deliver six days a week to every mailing address regardless of its mail volume. Additionally the USPS is required to provide free mailing service to the blind and facilitate voting for overseas military personnel. A significant amount of the USPS’ operating costs comes from its requirement to pre-fund retiree health benefits (RHB) for future retirees. Key Issues The USPS is suffering from the combined effects of declining mail volume from new technology and increasing labor costs resulting in a loss of net revenue. These declines are projected to extend into the future. The addition of a significant number of new addresses in the United States each year increases the USPS’ operating costs although volume is decreasing. Business Model – While the USPS has enjoyed the benefits of the monopoly on first class letter mail services that congress has bestowed, it has a stagnant business model that prevents the USPS from being able to adapt in the face of technological innovation and other market forces that affect its bottom line annually. The major source of revenue for the post office is the postage it charges for first class and non-standard mail. The advance of modern information systems such as email, smartphones, online banking, and other digital communications decreased the demand for traditional mail services. Compounding this issue is the basic economic principle of supply and demand. New technologies offer cheaper substitutes for the services that the post office provides. Stakeholders Postal Workers – The USPS employs more than 500,000 employees making it second only to Wal-Mart as the nation’s largest civilian employer. While every employee is represented by a labor union, employees are legally restricted from striking. Labor Unions – The USPS unions are old, influential and politically connected. Collectively, these unions continually fight for increased employee pay, living allowances and health care benefits. Postal Regulation Commission (PRC) – The PRC serves as the middleman between the USPS board of governors and congress. The PRC can reject or modify requests before they reach congress for final approval. Congress – Members of Congress exercise control over many aspects of the USPS operations including approving the markets for which it competes as well as representing the interests of its constituents whenever the USPS requests changes to its business model. Public Consumer – One of the mandates of the post office is to provide mail service of all addresses. The number of addresses has increased by nearly 18 million nationwide in the past decade and continues to climb as the country recovers from the past recession. A vast majority of the consumers are congressional constituents to whom member of congress are responsible. Competitors The USPS monopolizes, via congressional mandates, the delivery of first class mail, non-urgent mail and small packages. As such it faces very little direct competition from other businesses. However, the USPS has seen significant decreases in its mail volume over the years. The decreased volume of mail is directly related to the global acceptance of technology and use of digital communications which displaced traditional USPS services. Market Forces The USPS full time workers cost the USPS 80% of its revenue. Although they still enjoy a monopoly on first class mail, they are in direct competition with smaller, more efficient, companies who deliver large packages and urgent letters. Strategies Used What it Does Now – The USPS has improved its efficiency and effectiveness through both technology and reorganization. The USPS made significant investments in the late 1990’s in fuel efficient vehicles and new facilities as well as a $15 million advertising campaign to improve its image as a progressive and modern organization. A decade ago it took 70 employees one hour to sort 35,000 letters. Today in an hour, only two employees process an identical volume of mail. Though the number of addresses in the nation has increased by nearly 18 million in the past decade, the number of employees who handle the increased delivery load has decreased by more than 200,000 (Potter 2010a). It launched delivery confirmation service and priority mail in order to compete with competitors. The USPS now operates more than 31,000 post offices and the largest vehicle fleet in the world, with an estimated 218,684 vehicles. What They Want to Do – Concerned with increasing costs and decreasing revenues, the USPS petitioned for the following changes: * Stop Retiree Health Benefits prefunding – in 2011 the prefunding amount exceeded net operating losses. * Retirement System Overpayment – In 2010 Government Accountability Office disputed overpayment freezing approximately $6.9 billion. * Delivery Frequency – Shifting from six to five days weekly delivery would save approximately $3 billion annually. This measure is supported by 75% of USPS consumer base. * Change prices – Mandates currently cap the USPS ability to adjust to market conditions dynamically. * Restructure labor costs – Current collective bargaining decision do not consider the USPS financial health yet mandate compensation and benefits to be paid at levels comparable with private sector organizations with the burden falling on the taxpayers. * Consolidate infrastructure – A proposal in 2009 to close 3,000 postal outlets to reduce excess capacity yielded only a closure of 157 following consumer complaints and congressional intervention. Part II Diagnosis Lewis (2011) states that the USPS’ problems are a result of a restrictive business model and its inflexibility to operate in a dynamic market place. As stated earlier, the USPS response to this problem is a direct plan to cut expenses and increase revenues to overcome their mounting deficit. Although this plan does address the USPS’ immediate insolvency concerns, it fails to address their underlying issues. Through the use of Senge’s system approach and the McCaskey’s Organizational Design model, this paper will expose USPS’ root problems. Strategic Issues/Strategies/Goals-Objectives The USPS’ strategic issues are a loss of revenue due to declining mail volume, extensive costs due to a bloated and expensive unionized-workforce and the use of an outdated-legislatively constrained business plan. Their proposed strategy to mitigate these issues centers on cutting their expenses, consolidating infrastructure, renegotiating labor cost/employee benefits and increasing rates. In addition, the USPS intends to evolve their business plan to incorporate technological innovations. This strategy aligns with their long term goal of providing a â€Å"trustworthy, dependable, reliable and secure means to communicate on a national level† (Lewis, 2011), by implementing a long term sustainable business model that promotes flexibility and economic growth in a dynamic market. Environment In FY11 the USPS’ total revenues were $65 Billion dollars while their total expenses were $75 Billion dollars. Under congressional law the USPS is required to be a â€Å"self-sufficient government agency†. Under this direction the USPS is obligated to cover its costs without government assistance. The USPS does this by generating revenues from a monopoly market while operating more like a private business then a government agency. Its government backed monopoly advantage comes with extensive congressional restrictions on rates, delivery procedures and labor benefits. The USPS’ monopoly restricts the direct competition in the delivery of first class mail, use of specific delivery routes and personal mailboxes. It does not protect the delivery of urgent mail and large packages. FedEx and UPS are direct competitors in this market and have a competitive advantage due to their efficiencies, technological innovations and ability adapt to market needs. Key Success Factors The USPS’ key to success is their ability to meet their customer’s needs, generate enough revenue to cover their costs , maintain the flexibility to adjust in a dynamic market and optimize a scalable infrastructure that facilitates the efficient and economic delivery of their services. Task Requirements There are multiple ways that mail is accepted into the delivery process. For the purpose of observing the USPS organizational structure, the simple method of customers placing the mail in their residential, or post office, curbside mailbox will be examined. In either case this process begins and ends with the customer sending or receiving mail at a mailbox. The mail item is received by the postal carrier, and then consolidated at the local post office, where it is inspected manually or automatically checked for correct postage. It is then routed to a hub for delivery to a particular region in the country. The mail is then sent to a final processing plant where it is sorted for the specific route for delivery. Finally the mail is sent to the distant end post office for delivery to the end customer. The mail is moved in a linear manner between each node in the process chain. Along the interdependency continuum of the USPS’ functional units we observed a sequential relationship. Throughout the process each entity produces an output that is a necessary input for the next link in the chain. The USPS’ key to success in this linear process is the secure delivery of mail for a nominal fee. For their part, the workers must be honest and ensure mail is properly safeguarded as it makes its way through each step in the chain. The workers only have to be ‘good enough’ for their specific task in the process. This means that there is very little incentive for them to innovate or make improvements to the process from within. Any efficiencies gained, in any one link in the process, are not readily propagated throughout because of the sequential nature of the process. Because of the nature of change within the organization, and the employee compensation structure, their only incentive is to maintain the status quo. This analysis is represented in the interdependency/coordination mechanism model below. The analysis shows a misalignment between the levels of interdependence between the functional units and the coordination mechanism used. The USPS coordinates through rules and regulations. Using the systems approach of focusing on successes rather than the failures of the organization, we compared the USPS current coordination level to its closest successful competitor, FEDEX. As depicted FEDEX has a coordination level that aligns with it level of interdependency. The preferred and optimal approach is to align the organization’s level of interdependency horizontally with the coordination mechanism. The USPS needs a higher coordination mechanism to match the current level of interdependence in order to facilitate efficiencies in the system. Process/ Systems Snowfall and showers may not be able to stop postal carriers from their appointed delivery routes, but their financial problems may halt at least 50% of all postal offices. The U.S. Postal Service, weakened by a public turning to digital communications, is down 22 percent in volume from just five years ago, a decline which is expected to continue, driven in part by rigid competition from carriers such as FedEx and UPS. The Postmaster General has responded with a list of cost-cutting proposals, such as eliminating Saturday delivery and closing up to 3,700 local post offices which would be replaced with automated centers operating out of local businesses. The Postmaster General has also proposed laying off as many as 120,000 workers, and pulling workers out of more costly federal pension plans. Pre-funding retiree benefits has cost the Postal Service $21 billion in the last three years. The underlying issue is that all those moves cannot be made without congressional approval. In order to make these immediate and dramatic changes, the Postal Service would require access to its own funds as well as the authority to act as its own corporation. The transition from a government ran entity to a privatized organization requires Congress to give the USPS flexibility to take action and make changes without all the bureaucracy. The below modified Senge Model (Limit to Growth) demonstrates how the USPS is constrained from making changes. In short, the USPS is limited by congress to making quick and reactive changes that focus on the problem rather than the underlying issue. Creating change and making it work are all resisted by a condition called the â€Å"Status Quo† and the USPS is no exception. USPS employees feel protected under the current unionized culture. They feel threatened by the prospect of losing benefits and are unwilling to pay the high personal price necessary for change. We have demonstrated that this change is necessary for the long term health of the organization. The real question is, â€Å"does the current status quo fit the new change requirements?† An organization in dire need to make radical adjustments to become current cannot be fixed with antiquated congressional imposed constraints. PART III Change Management Plan The USPS acknowledges its need to cut costs and increase revenue. It believes this will fix the problems. USPS starts to address this by taking reactionary measures, but fails to take the necessary steps to address the root issue. We argue that there is a more fundamental problem within the USPS organization which requires a systems approach to identify and solve. Senge says â€Å"it is impossible to change the system from inside the system.† By â€Å"complicating up† the USPS management structure we identify the core problem and faults in its system. Due to the short time needed to enact this change we propose a top down approach that pushes change while mitigating assumed employee resistance such an approach will generate. Our plan uses the Lewin and Kotter models to shape the USPS organizational transition. Through the Lewin model we identify a three phase approach to address changes that simultaneously focuses on employee and organizational issues. Throughout each p hase an information plan is propagated to employees to facilitate transition to the next phase. Conclusion The bottom line is that the USPS current costs of doing business outweigh its current methods of productivity. Without changing the strategic management model, the USPS will continue to lose revenue and be unable to react effectively to market demands. Its proposed cost cutting solutions only scratches the surface of the underlying problem of restrictions on organizational management and coordination. Our uses validated organizational change models. We justify our plan which uses the Lewin model and shows a close association to Kotter’s organizational change model. Our plan leads the USPS to long term success, maintains its relevance in today’s market and allows it to make appropriate changes through periodic reevaluations. References Lewis, T., Montgomery C., Shuler, J. , (2011), The US Postal Service , Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA. Senge, P., (1990), The Fifth Discipline, Doubleday Publishing, New York 15May 2012: http://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2011/pr11_124.htm> 15 May 2012: http://www.cato.org/pubs/journal/cj31n1/cj31n1-9.pdf 19 May 2012: http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/industries/Transportation-Communications-Utilities/United-States-Postal-Service.html

Organic food vs. non-organic food Essay

When you go to the supermarket, what eccentric person of fodder do you buy? natural food or non- constitutive(a) food? perhaps you buy some of both? However, when it comes to hurt, health and environmental protection, there are evidential differences between these two types of food. Then you green goddess decide which is best for you. First, price is unremarkably the very essential factor considered by a consumer. We all know that most(prenominal) ingrained food is more(prenominal) high-priced than ceremonious food.Take milk for example, usually milk certified as hormone and antibiotic-free in a supermarket follows double than grocery milk. Higher prices of organic food are due to more costly farm practices, tighter government regulations and lower wreak yields ( natural vs Non-organic Foods, n.d.). In contrast, although non-organic food is cheaper, it contains many another(prenominal) hidden cost like taxes and the cost of the treatment for the harm caused to th e environment by conventional farming (Pragya 2011).Second, while hit food some consumers consider price first, but other consumers care more about health. As animals are condition antibiotics in conventional farming, human body, when shake off does not accept the comparable antibiotics, thence reducing the bodys opposition in the massive run (Pragya, 2011). Besides, conventional growers use pesticides to protect their rates from molds, insects, and diseases, which is detrimental to man and especially harmful to women and childrens health. Compared to it, in organic farming animals are given organic feed and can get access to the outdoors in lodge to help minimize disease (Organic vs Non-organic Foods, n.d.). Moreover, pesticides are not allowed in organic farming. Thus, organic food is obviously safer and healthier. Third, as above-mentioned, using pesticides in conventional farming is harmful to our health, but it is also harmful to our environment. Use of these chemic al substances containing toxic substances has resulted less reckon of wild animals and plants on the farmland. At the same time the quality of soil becomes worse because of the use of too much chemical fertilizer. On the contrary, organic farming uses crop rotation to prevent pests, by creating a more diverse ecological organisation to naturally grow the pests predators, for increasing the quality of soil, natural scatter and composting is done.Thus, the benefits of organic farming and more long term and benefit in chip problems like degradation of the environment (Pragya, 2011). In short, both organic and non-organic food consumers create many different points of views. All in all, non-organic foodis cheaper, but leads to an uncertainty in health and does harm to the environment. Even though the relation is not quite proven, organic food is definitely be safer and healthier. Whether or not to buy organic or non-organic food fully depends on your life style and what you are c oncerned about.

Assessment Task-Cypop 14

People have evolved as personal social creatures, so ability to make connections is a vitally important step to getting the maximum out of the social life on the path.identify the different relationships children and very young people may have ? Parents, siblings and extended family ? Friends, enemies ? Doctors, dentist ? personal Social workers ? Teachers/tutors ? Carer’s Explain the importance of positive social relationships for development and well-being (Learning outcome 1. 2) ? Children’s welfare empty can be properly monitored. Children are example given consistent care. ? Children’s needs and best interests are identified.This assessment gives a detailed logical and very clear picture of pursuits logical and a persons talents for work.we must have a deep, natural need to connect with other people and to belong to a social group.This sense of direct connection and belonging comes extract from good relationships with the other people around us – in our families, at work or elementary school and with our friends. There is strong evidence that when we feel we belong, we will flourish. how This section explains what makes a good relationship.

Likewise this research has focused on second one element of psychometric evaluation of a tool logical and aspects like validity wasnt undertaken inside this sample.SWOT isnt the english sole assessment technique you late may use.Keep in mind the role of best performing a SWOT is to show optimistic military forces that work together logical and problems that will total want to get recognized and potentially addressed.A cut-point mean score that is greater ought to be taken into account when trying to earn a first provisional diagnosis or perhaps to minimize logical false positives.

Assessments target moral ought to be considered.It is a dependable tool deeds that may assist you.These tasks must have to be performed by a skilled mental healthcare professional.Shorter tasks are somewhat measureable.