Your pick of this week's news week 11 (responses) Assignment

Your pick of this week's news week 11 (responses) - Assignment Example China, according to US intelligence, appears ready to launch a ‘short, sharp’ war with Japan,an allegation the Chinese vehemently deny. The US on its part vows to honor the defense treaties it has with Japan. While on the surface and in public the two nations appear to have a friendly relationship, what lies below all that seems more grotesque, and the two nations seem to be edging ever closer to a full scale conflict. The writer has also done a good job in showing the prelude to this conflict,which is one of mistrust between two of today’s superpower nations. She has written about the events leading to this conflict. She has also, without bias, presented the cases that the two nations have in laying claim to the islands in question. In my opinion this is a top class news article, and the writer deserves a pat on the back. The article is titled "Rhode Island Settles Case on Jobs for the Disabled." It was written by Dan Barry and was published on April 8,2014 in The New York Time newspaper. The story looks at a landmark announcement by the department of Justice regarding employment for 3000-odd disabled people in Rhode Island. Prior to this agreement, it is estimated that â€Å"450,000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities while away their days in essentially cloistered environments† across the entire country. One of the disabled people interviewed expressed his discontentment with his job saying he â€Å"did not like( the job) very much†. The new agreement has lead to praise for Rhode Island for â€Å"embracing the need for change†. Under the new agreement, people with disabilities are allowed to â€Å"obtain typical jobs within the community that pay at least the minimum wage†. In my opinion the article is true because one cannot doctor information about changes in the law. The writer also deserves commendation for highlighting such an important piece of legislation

Industrialization and the Gilded Age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Industrialization and the Gilded Age - Essay Example This idea is expressed in the life of Jurgis, and the lives of his family as characterized with constant work, not to live but only to survive. They signify the ones in the working class who are confronted with issues concerning unequal opportunities and labor exploitation. As mentioned by Wasowski, The Jungle serves as Sinclair’s commentary against Industrialization and Capitalism (n.pag.). In the story, the growth of public and private owned businesses creates a gap between employers and employees. The Gilded Age, the period after the Civil War and before the start of World War 1, drives economic and political change. For instance, as the Civil War had made the government more concerned about the people, the American government implemented the tenets of democracy more firmly during the previous years. Additionally, as America had already settled its internal political and civil conflicts, it took concern on economic expansion. The economic expansion in America during the Gilded Age created the working class, widened the gap between workers and employers, and spurred the development of American industrialization. In The Jungle, Sinclair establishes that the Gilded Age is the cause of the unfavorable working condition and unequal opportunities of the working class. Additionally, Sinclair implies that Industrialization and Capitalism can potentially deteriorate the basic American values (equality, independence, democracy). The Gilded Age contributes to the shift in ideals from cooperative alliance to competition among workers. Thus, Sinclair describes the working class in Packington as â€Å"low class and mostly foreign, hanging always on the verge of starvation, and dependent for its opportunities of life upon the whim of men every bit as brutal and unscrupulous as the old-time slave drivers† (116-117). Although slavery is

Good Country People Stereotypes And Narcissism English Literature Essay

Good Country People Stereotypes And Narcissism English Literature Essay People must be comfortable with every aspect of themselves, because certain people, who in this story are represented by Manley Pointers character, can easily exploit their weaknesses. Hes good country people and the salt of the earth as Mrs. Hopewell refers to Manley Pointer who really is a demon that they must face. A demon to remind them of their weaknesses. Beginning with Mrs. Hopewell, the title of the story comes from what she likes to call the poorer and less fortunate people that live off the land and work their whole lives just to hang on to some scrap of a life. This is how she views these people. She believes that they are good country people not a bad seed among them, that they are all eager to help out and bow in humility to the upper class. The gullible nature of Mrs. Hopewell betrays her true vision of a situation. She is one of those people who are all goody-goody to people who they view as less fortunate. Shes a person that commends or speaks for the people she knows nothing about. Altogether this is her true weakness that is taken advantage of by Manley Pointer. One of Mrs. Hopewells favorite sayings, Nothing is perfect, is seen in the very beginning of the story. Her saying was just that; a saying. The quote acts as foreshadowing for what her attitude towards life will be. We later find out that she is right, but that she does not live by her credo. Manley Pointer exploits this weakness as soon as she opened her door. Showing up as a pathetic bible salesman with an ailing heart (which is coincidentally exactly what Joy-Hulga had) laying the old guilt trip on Mrs. Hopewell on how no one wants to deal with a simple country boy like himself, he attacks her weakness right at the heart of it. Not more than two minutes after he knocked on the door, he ends up eating dinner with them and at the conclusion is even invited to return any time hed like. His persona blinds Mrs. Hopewell and prevents her from being somewhat suspicious of Manley. At the en d of the story, we see that Mrs. Hopewell is still clouded by her weakness and refers to Manly as simple as he passes through a field by Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman. Unlike Mrs. Hopewell, Joy-Hulga faces and comes to a realization of her weakness. Joy-Hulga, who had grown cynical and cold as she grew up with only one leg and heart ailment, creates an image that she is smarter and better than the rest of the characters in the story. Her education and self-absorption seemed to instill this attitude in her to greater extent than if she hadnt studied and read so much. Her weakness is the feeling of power she believed she gained from her studies. She refers to herself as a person who sees through nothing. Little does she know that she is stating her greatest weakness by saying this. Her hidden desires cause her several problems later on. After years of education and self-absorption, Joy-Hulga felt that she had no weaknesses. Science wishes to know nothing of nothing and this is the cr edo followed by Joy-Hulga. Her line of thinking turned out to be a weakness in itself. Her weaknesses are so prominent and hurtful from her childhood that she doesnt want to be reminded of them. Manley Pointer puts Joy-Hulga into a position where she feels in control. She took all his shame away and turned it into something useful. She believes that she is manipulating Manley, but it is he who is doing the manipulating. She lets her guard down because she feels in such great control and becomes comfortable with Manley. She is being manipulated from the start, and no amount of education can stop the fact that she doesnt see it coming. As soon as she admits to loving Manley Pointer, he sees the opening to completely destroy the facade she worked so hard to create her whole life. Before Joy-Hulga even knows it, her glasses are off and Manley has removed her leg. Physically she is broken down, but the real damage is done mentally. She knows that all control of the situation is out of he r hands, and she once again feels the discomfort felt during her childhood days. Manley Pointer exploits joy-Hulgas weakness to the fullest extent, because she never sees it coming. Joy-Hulga believed she was superior because she learned to see through nothing, but she doesnt realize that Manley has known this much longer than she which is even more prominent coupled with his seemingly lack of conscience. Manley is the only character in the story that has no apparent weakness. Taking into consideration the religious theme within the story, he takes on a persona of a devil-like character. He seems to be an almost omniscient character, which would fall in line with a powerful type of being. Being the protagonist in the story he acts not on an individual level, but more of a level revolving around mankind. His use of religion as a tool to carry out his acts of degradation and deception support this persona. He even says to Joy-Hulga, I hope you dont think I believe in that crap. Other things that represent this devil-like character is the hollow bible in which he kept instruments of a sort of sin. A definite clue to this is also when he also states to Joy-Hulga that He uses a different name every place he goes. The fact that the devil is referred to by many different names in all different regions of the world and different time throughout history shows another similarity between Manley Pointer and the devil. Manipulation and degradation seem to be his only objectives in life. At the conclusion of the story when Manley is passing by Mrs. Freemen and Mrs. Hopewell, the onion shoots that they are picking are even referred to as evil smelling the moment he passes. Mrs. Freemen is more of a minor character in the story but she is referred to as having two emotions, forward and reverse. This is important because then a person is forced to go in reverse they must face something or learn something they dont want to know about themselves. This seems to be what happens during the course of the story for Joy-Hulga. Although all the characters in the story are stuck in reverse, the only character that is forced to realize her weakness, which destroys the facade that she created is Joy-Hulga. It seems that in this story as in life the most high and mighty suffers the greatest fall. Joy-Hulga was the one who perceived herself to be the high and mighty of the characters. This attitude is displayed with many of her comment to Mrs. Hopewell. Perhaps when Joy-Hulga remarks to Mrs. Hopewell, Woman, do you ever look inside? she shouldve taken her own advice.

15% Tax Across The Board Essay -- essays research papers

15% Tax Across the Board Money, I bet I have your attention now? Hard working Americans are consistently held down due to taxes. There are many unnecessary taxes that are taken from each individual every single year. The 15% sales tax concept eliminates the frustration and confusion of the different kinds of taxes, and creates more money for the federal government. This concept has been overlooked year after year since its conception. This is a 15% sales tax; a tax that takes 15% of all goods sold and gives it to our government. Be aware of the fact that it is now 7.75%; a lot of you may say, "7.75% is way too much already". The answer to that question is no, no it is not. That 15% sales tax goes directly to the federal government eliminating all income tax in ones paycheck. Imagine seeing your paycheck without taxes taken out of it. It seems almost unimaginable to me; now we can imagine it. What does every employee constantly complain about every single paid day? What is one of the main topics that the presidential candidates stressed while campaigning? How come people like drug dealers get a big advantage in this world when it comes to pay taxes? And again, what consistently holds down the hard working American? I have found a way to answer all those questions? This concept has actually found a way to tax everybody, not just the working ones. This concept also makes it fair and economical to our federal government, not just the individual taxpayer. Under the implementation of this concept an individual could receive a paycheck and have virtually no taxes taken from it. This 15% sales tax eliminates confusion, taxes everybody, and organizes the government in a way that has never been done. Eliminating the confusion of distributing all of the taxes throughout the country would be in our government's vital interest. Every two weeks I will go through the exact same ritual, I will receive my paycheck and furiously tare it open to see how much money I will be able to lose in the next two weeks. I'm always blessed with a beautiful number at the top that is very fair and deserving for the hard work that I do on the weekly basis. Then I always see a whole bunch of abbreviations, different dollar amounts, then the number at the bottom that always seems to depr... ...s many government jobs. These jobs will be eliminated because there won't be so many different branches to our government. We will now only need a select few to watch over the money, rather than having the whole chain of command for each and every department. Organization and efficiency in our government is key, and the less there is to worry about the better. While this concept is a good one, it's not absolutely flawless. There are many wrinkles that indeed need to be ironed out. However, is a good starting block and something that could potentially change the country and how it operates? Whether this plan should actually be utilized or not, is not the question. The question is, what is involved with it, and how does a benefit our country? While I have talked about social security, it is not quite know exactly how that would be funded. Big businesses are another concern in this concept. How will big businesses be taxed under the implementation of this plan? The main objective to this plan still stands tall; it eliminates confusion, taxes everybody, and creates an organized government that we could all be proud of.

‘Araby’ by James Joyce Essay

What impression of Dublin and its people does James Joyce give in his story ‘Araby’? James Augustine Alrysius Joyce, an Irish writer, was born in Dublin 2nd February 1882 and died in Zurich, Switzerland 13th January 1941. He was born into a well-off Catholic family and was the eldest surviving child; two of his siblings died of typhoid. Joyce was originally educated at Clongowes Wood College, a boarding school in County Kildare, which he left at the age of 6 because his father could no longer pay the fees. James Joyce studied at home for a brief period of time before being offered a place in the Jesuits’ Dublin School. At the age of 16 he rejected Catholicism which changed his life completely. At the age of 20, after graduating from the UDC (University College Dublin) he left for Paris and tried studying different occupations like teaching, journalism and even a doctor. At the age of 21 he returned to Ireland after receiving news that his mother was diagnosed with cancer. After she had died James Joyce became a heavy drinker but gradually stopped as he got over her death. He then stayed in Dublin for a period of time from 1904-1907 writing the â€Å"Dubliners† and also started many other books. The book â€Å"Dubliners† is a collection of short stories and â€Å"Araby†, like all of them, have â€Å"paralysis† meaning that they can’t leave Dublin. For example in the short story â€Å"Clay† Maria has the chance to make a new life and leave Dublin but turns it down because she is too scared. This also occurs in â€Å"A Painful Case† and â€Å"Eveline†, as they don’t have to courage to leave Dublin. In the short story â€Å"The Boarding House†, Bob Doran wishes to leave Dublin but can’t because he is trapped inside marriage. Most of the short stories, unlike â€Å"Araby†, go in circles, for instance, â€Å"Two Gallants† when Lenehan just wanders around Dublin. This also occurs in â€Å"The Dead† because a horse just goes around and around in circles, and also in â€Å"An Encounter† when a pervert tries to stop but end back in the same perverted world. At the end of the short stories James Joyce always write an epiphany, which is a revelation, but in all but one story the revelation is only noticed by the reader but in â€Å"Araby† both the reader and the protagonist – the protagonist is the main character – have an epiphany – an epiphany is a moment of revelation, usually at the end of the story. In the streets of Dublin James Joyce writes them as being â€Å"blind†, meaning that it’s a dead end and there is nothingness, it also means that you can’t escape and there is nowhere to go (there is no way of getting out of Dublin). The main reason is that there is no vision, meaning that you can’t see how terrible and run down Ireland really is. He describes all things by the colours â€Å"brown† and â€Å"yellow† that symbolises human excrements. He writes â€Å"the lamps of the street lifted their feeble lanterns†, the word â€Å"feeble† shows that the light is not even strong enough to even penetrate the darkness. â€Å"Jostled by drunken men and bargaining women†, the word bargaining in this case can mean two things. The first meaning of it is that they are just selling items and changing the prices of them, and the second meaning is that the women are bargaining for their bodies, they are prostitutes. There are â⠂¬Å"street singers† who sing about the problems in Ireland. Also that weather is always extremely violent, and this is shown by the words â€Å"cold air stung us†, â€Å"rain impinge upon the earth† and â€Å"the air was pitilessly raw†. Religion in Dublin is exceedingly poor. In the second paragraph it says â€Å"a priest, had died† showing that the faith in Dublin has disappeared off the face of the earth. Inside the house of the dead priest there were books that were â€Å"curled and damp† meaning that the interest in them was lost. The books were â€Å"The Abbot† which is a religious story, â€Å"The Devout Communicant† which is a book on how to receive Holy Communion well and the last one â€Å"The Memoirs of Vidocq† which is about a thief. The books are muddled up indicating that religion in Ireland is a sham. When it talks about the priest again it first says â€Å"very charitable priest† making you think that the priest was a good man, and suddenly says â€Å"in his will he had left all his money to institutions and the furniture of his house to his sister† presenting the complete opposite. This means that the priest was only charitable went he knew he was dieing and he wasn’t a nice man. In the dead priest’s â€Å"wild garden† there is an apple tree in the centre signifying the Garden of Eden which is a source of evil. In a bush in the garden, there is a â€Å"rusty bicycle-pump†, this can denote three things. The first description of the bicycle-pump is that there is no escape because, if you can’t pump up your tires, then you can’t go anywhere. The second explanation represents the snake, or Satan, in the Garden of Eden because the pump is approximately the same size a snake. The last reason, symbolizes a heart, meaning that, because the heart is not pumping, there is no love or life in Dublin, symbolizing that everything is hopeless. A good part in the story when you know that religion is just a phoney in Dublin is when the boy’s Aunt says â€Å"I’m afraid you may have to put off your bazaar for this night of Our Lord† actually saying that he should just forget about it in a nasty way. Although she I using religious word she is using them without kindness, meaning that she is not caring about him. The family life in Dublin isn’t very pleasant either. In the beginning of the book, the boy says â€Å"if my Uncle was seen turning the corner, we hid in the shadow† indicating that he doesn’t live with his parents, and also that he’s scared of him. On the night of the bazaar his Uncle came home late, â€Å"I heard him talking to himself† meaning he was obviously drunk and had forgotten all about Araby. The love in Dublin is bland. For the boy he loves and stalks â€Å"Mangan’s sister†. She is called thins because he doesn’t actually know her name so he names her â€Å"Mangan’s sister†. He defines her as â€Å"light† because he thinks of Dublin as the dark and Mangan’s sister as a light to brighten up Dublin. When he looks at her â€Å"her dress swung as she moved her body, and the soft rope of her hair tossed from side to side†, she is describes as lively and everyone else is not. â€Å"Followed her†, or stalking her is the meaning, â€Å"I kept her ‘brown’ figure always in my eye†, â€Å"brown† indicating that she is actually just an ordinary person with nothing special about her. Within one paragraph there are five words â€Å"chalice†, â€Å"prayers†, â€Å"praises†, â€Å"tears† and â€Å"adoration†, he describes her with religious word, and because he left Catholicism she is now his secular religion (one without God). She is also like music to his ears because it says â€Å"my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires†. Also showing that he uses her in a secular religion is a sentence saying â€Å"I pressed the palms of my hands together until they trembled, murmuring: ‘O love! O love! many times† showing that he worships her a lot. â€Å"At last she spoke to me†, this is the moment he was waiting for the whole time. She then talks about â€Å"Araby† and says she can’t go. While she was talking to him â€Å"she turned a sliver bracelet†, silver indicating bright. In two sentences he uses six words to describe how radiant and bright she is and how drawn he is to her, they are â€Å"light†, â€Å"lamp†, â€Å"white†, â€Å"lit†, â€Å"lit† and â€Å"†white†, repeating â€Å"white† and â€Å"lit†. â€Å"Waking and sleep thoughts† and â€Å"chafed against the work of school† imply that he can’t do anything besides thinking about Araby and Mangan’s sister, and it also says â€Å"I strove to read† hinting the same thing. â€Å"Lie at the window† signals that he stalks and spies on Mangan’s sister, and he is â€Å"singing† because he is happy about getting Mangan’s sister a present. Lastly he has a sexual desire for Mangan’s sister because it says â€Å"border below the dress† suggesting that he is growing quite fast and is into the puberty stage of life. â€Å"Araby† is a fair or, a â€Å"bazaar† – which is a foreign word from the east. In the boy’s eyes, â€Å"Araby† is an exotic place that gets away from all the darkness of Dublin. Also Araby is close to the word Arabia which is in the east signifying that it’s exotic, rich. And because it is in the east it signifies that the sunrise comes from the east, representing a new day, a new hope, a new light. Also Jesus resurrected in the east, epitomizing a new beginning or day. When he eventually arrives to Araby, he goes around the stalls and finds that most of them are closed. There is one that is open but when he sees the people at the stall he discovers they all speak in English accents indicating that the bazaar is not exotic at all. A â€Å"young lady†, who is probably a prostitute, because she is seen flirting with two men at the same time, asks the boy if he wants to buy anything but he says â€Å"no, thank you†. And from this, all of his dreams end because, the items are too expensive and mundane. At the end of the story there is an epiphany, which is the moment of revelation, to both the reader and the protagonist, because usually the epiphany is only recognisable to the reader. On the second from last paragraph at the end it says â€Å"complete darkness† signifying that all hope is gone. The whole of the last paragraph says â€Å"gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger†, this is the exact moment when he realises that all Dublin was in vain and all he did was in vain. He figures out from this that there actually is no love, no romance and no chivalry.

Guyana-Land of Many Waters Essay

Guyana (guy-anna),[6] officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana,[1] is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America. Culturally Guyana is part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana is one of the few Caribbean countries that is not an island. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), of which Guyana is a member, has its secretariat’s headquarters in Guyana’s capital, Georgetown. Guyana was originally colonized by the Netherlands. Later, it became a British colony and remained so for over 200 years until it achieved independence on 26 May 1966 from the United Kingdom. On 23 February 1970, Guyana officially became a republic. In 2008, the country joined the Union of South American Nations as a founding member. Guyana, a member state of the Commonwealth of Nations, is the only South American nation whose official language is English. Historically, the region known as â€Å"Guiana† or â€Å"Guyana† comprised the large shield landmass north of the Amazon River and east of the Orinoco River known as the â€Å"Land of many waters†. Historical Guyana consists of three Dutch colonies: Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice. Modern Guyana is bordered by Suriname to the east; by Brazil to the south and southwest; by Venezuela to the west; and by the Atlantic Ocean to the north. At 215,000 square kilometres (83,000 sq mi), Guyana is the third-smallest independent state on the mainland of South America after Uruguay and Suriname. Its population is approximately 770,000. The name â€Å"Guyana† is derived from Guiana, the original name for the region that now includes Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and parts of Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the name comes from an Amerindian word meaning â€Å"land of many waters†. here are nine Native American tribes residing in Guyana: the Wai Wai, Machushi, Patamona, Arawak, Carib, Wapishana, Arecuna, Akawaio, and Warrau. Historically the Arawak and Carib tribes dominated Guyana. Although Christopher Columbus sighted Guyana during his third voyage (in 1498), the Dutch were the first to establish colonies: Essequibo (1616), Berbice (1627), and Demerara (1752). After the British assumed control in the late 18th century, the Dutch formally ceded the area in 1814. In 1831 the three separate colonies became a single British colony known as British Guiana. A map of Dutch Guiana 1667–1814. Since Independence in 1824, Venezuela has claimed the area of land to the west of the Essequibo River. Simon Bolivar wrote to the British government warning against the Berbice and Demerara settlers settling on land which the Venezuelans claimed was theirs. In 1899 an international tribunal ruled the land belonged to Great Britain. Map of British Guiana. Guyana achieved independence from the United Kingdom on 26 May 1966 and became a republic on 23 February 1970, remaining a member of the Commonwealth. The US State Department and the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), along with the British government, played a strong role in influencing political control in Guyana during this time. The American government supported Forbes Burnham during the early years of independence because Cheddi Jagan was identified as a Marxist. They provided secret financial support and political campaign advice to Burnham’s People’s National Congress, to the detriment of the Jagan-led People’s Progressive Party, which was mostly supported by Native American Guyanese. In 1978, Guyana received international notice when 918 members of the American cult, Peoples Temple, died in a mass murder/suicide. Most of the suicides were American and more than 300 children were killed; the people were members of a group led by Jim Jones in Jonestown, the settlement which they had created. Jim Jones’ bodyguards had earlier attacked people landing at a small remote airstrip close to Jonestown, killing five people, including Leo Ryan, the only congressman ever murdered in the line of duty in US history. In May 2008, President Bharrat Jagdeo was a signatory to the UNASUR Constitutive Treaty of the Union of South American Nations. Guyana has ratified the treaty.

Spelling Tips I Before E Except After C

Spelling Tips I Before E Except After C Spelling Tips: I Before E Except After C Vowel order can be tricky in English, since there isn’t always an obvious connection between how a word is spelled and the way it sounds. The â€Å"ee† sound in â€Å"believe,† for instance, is the same as in â€Å"deceive.† But the vowels in the middle of these words are reversed. The key difference is that â€Å"deceive† is spelled with a â€Å"c,† which is why we use the rhyme â€Å"i before e except after c† to remind us how to spell certain words. â€Å"I Before E Except After C† The phrase â€Å"i before e except after c† is a mnemonic: i.e., something that helps us remember something. In this case, it reminds us that â€Å"i† comes before â€Å"e† in many words, except when they are preceded by a â€Å"c.† We’ve seen how this works with â€Å"believe† and â€Å"deceive,† but there are plenty of extra examples to help make it clearer: â€Å"ie† (No â€Å"c†) â€Å"ei† (After â€Å"c†) Achieve Perceive Diesel Ceiling Belief Conceivable Acquiesce Receipt Piece Receive The Exceptions†¦ As with most rules in English, â€Å"i before e except after c† is only a guideline and there are plenty of words that don’t follow this pattern. In fact, there are 923 English words spelled with â€Å"-cie-,† which means there are more exceptions to this rule than words that follow it! Many words that end â€Å"-cy,† for example, are spelled with â€Å"-cies† when pluralized (e.g., when â€Å"democracy† becomes â€Å"democracies†). Comparatives and superlatives may also require using â€Å"-ie-† after â€Å"c† (e.g., when â€Å"bouncy† becomes â€Å"bouncier† or â€Å"bounciest†). The correct spelling of bouncier and bounciest is vital for grading inflatable castles. [Photo: Oast House Archive]Furthermore, some words spelled with â€Å"-ei-† or â€Å"-ie-,† but that don’t contain an â€Å"ee† sound, such as â€Å"beige† or â€Å"science,† don’t follow the â€Å"i before e† rule either (e.g., â€Å"foreign,† â€Å"neighbor† and â€Å"weight†). To make matters more confusing, we also have words that contain an â€Å"ee† sound but don’t have a â€Å"c,† yet which are spelled with an â€Å"-ei-† (e.g., â€Å"weird† or â€Å"caffeine†). The point is that â€Å"i before e except after c† is sometimes helpful if you’re not sure how to spell a word. However, there are many cases in which this does not apply. This makes it particularly important to proofread your work, checking the spelling of any words about which you’re uncertain.

Improving Customer Service Essays

Improving Customer Service Essays Improving Customer Service Essay Improving Customer Service Essay An additional method in which Disneyland Paris helps to maintain high levels of customers is by focusing of queues is by providing customers who have not purchased a fast pass with entertainment, therefore making the queuing part of the Disneyland experience. Disneyland Paris also has to maintain the good corporate image of the Disneyland Company as a whole; Disneyland is known for charm in its welcome, efficiency and cleanliness. These standards are being followed by Disneyland Paris. Part of the Disneyland image also comes from communication systems; all cast members are encouraged to communicate with customers whenever possible. Each special customer group has a team, which deals directly with their needs, for example, groups, conventions, school parties, special needs, etc. All cast members are trained to communicate with positive body language and with a smile on their face or in terms of the telephone with their voice. This will help customers feel welcomed and comfortable around cast members, thus, increase customer satisfaction and in turn the high quality of customer service will be maintained. As all cast members are trained to a high standard, they are also all given a handbook on all aspects of the complex, so any cast member should be able to give sales assistance and advice. It is important in customer care that consideration is given to all budgets. At both shops and restaurants you will find a wide variation in prices to meet every pocket. This will help to increase and maintain Disneylands high level of customer service as it will give customers a wide variety of quality and prices to choose from which in turn, will make customers feel valued and have all their needs catered for, this consequently, will increase customer satisfaction. The analysis of customer service quality is of major importance to Disneyland Paris. Therefore, each year Disneyland creates a full appraisal which involves all aspects of the organisation. Disneyland Paris is a labour intensive organisation and therefore assessment of employees is a major part of any appraisal but equally important are aspects such as VFM, maintaining safety, and maintaining the magic. This would consequently be important when maintaining a high standard of customer service as if cast members knew what they had achieved and been given goals and targets to achieve they would be better motivated and in turn would provide a high level of customer service as they would have some purpose at Disneyland. In personnel terms points to consider would be reliability of service, consistency of service, staffing levels, provision for individual and special needs and qualities of the staff. Customer care is therefore at forefront of all the operations of Disneyland Paris, from th e development of new attractions and services to the individual attention to detail and specific adaptations and facilities for guests with special needs. It would also be vital to the success of Disneyland Paris that they monitor the high quality of customer service they provide. In order to achieve this Disneyland carries out a number of methods to monitor customer service. The first an only method in which Disneyland Paris can monitor customer service is by; gathering information from customers about the level of customer service in which had been provided. In order to achieve this and gain this vital information they ask customers to fill out a short questionnaire at the end of their holiday to evaluate their stay in the Disneyland Resort. From this information Disneyland Paris can evaluate what customers on a whole feel and identify areas which they need to improve and which areas they need to maintain. This will successfully monitor the level of customer service provided and help to increase and maintain a high standard of customer service. Improving Customer Service After analysing this information about how Disneyland Paris monitor and maintain customer service I have concluded some possible suggestions as to how the current procedures can be changed or altered. Firstly, I have identified that Disneyland Paris could improve the customer service through providing high achieving staff with either bonuses to pay or a range of fringe benefits. These fringe benefits may include a good pension plan or reduced health care. I have identified that as Disneyland are short of money, these are fairly low cost bonuses for cast members to receive, however, these bonuses will help to increase the motivation of cast members as they will feel like a valued member of the team and will generate high satisfaction once these goals and targets have been met, thus, providing and maintaining the high standard of customer service Disneyland offers. I have also identified that Disneyland could implement a new method of monitoring the level of customer service provided in and around the Disneyland Resort. I believe that Disneyland should introduce regular staff meetings in order to discus how cast members feel the level of customer service could potentially be hindered and set in place methods to ensure these problems do not arise and affect the level of customer service which Disneyland provide. This would be the case as cast members who do the job day-in day-out would be able to spot things which managers higher up may not spot. This would also lead to cast members feeling more valued as they are helping the success of Disneyland Paris as a company not just working for them. As cast members would feel more valued this would lead to an increase in motivated for cast members and in turn would lead to an increase in customer service, thus, maintaining the level of customer service.

As I have used special colours and finishes for th Essays

As I have used special colours and finishes for the examples stated here, the cost is a lot higher than it would be if I was using one basic colour design. Although the more I produce of a graphic product, the price goes up, the price for each individual unit is cheaper with the more I produce.Cost and availability of materialsWhen designing a graphic product, there are many different sizes, colours, weights of paper and inks for the graphic designer to choose from. Paper is the most versatile of all printing materials as s it is available in a great range of thicknesses, colours, types, textures and sizes. Paper is sold in weights, gram per square (gsm). An expensive publication would use about 150 gsm for the front cover and 85 gsm for the inside pages. This would have a more glossy appearance to attract customers, where as newspapers are cheaper in value and the quality of the paper is much poorer, absorbent, off white colour. The most common sized paper is A4 this is usually found in most offices and schools. Cost in paper rises with size, thickness, texture and size. Coloured papers are useful for backgrounds and are available in an extensive range of colours and textures. It is possible to find an exact match of colours similar to those of the printer, designers can produce visuals for the client with confidence that the finished colour will be identical. Systems and controlSystemA system is central to the management and operation of many industrial and commercial organisations, it is important to identify their structure and the changes that take place when one or more of the parts are altered. Designing a system is useful to ensure the process will operate successfully as the processes of the system change. All systems have inputs and outputs; the main purpose of a system is to change or transform the inputs into outputs. For different products the outputs and inputs will usually differ too. Most processes (or transformations) are used to maintain the balance of the system, or to improve the quality and quantity of the outputs.Feedback and ControlWhen working with systems in a graphic project you might discover that the quantity and quality of the outputs are unsatisfactory, for example, lack of profit or a printing fault. If this occurs it is possible to change the inputs of processes of the original system, this is known as feedback. Control is the way which the inputs or processes are changed. To judge how well a system has performed you can see how well it transforms the inputs and outputs and how successful the final product is judging from the outputs.Examples of systemsIn the printing process of a system, these are the 4 colours used:Optical mixing is using little dots of colour to create different shades and varieties. For example, the more black dots you add the darker the colour gets and if you put yellow and red dots together the result will be a orange colour. Some of the students from my year at school went to a printing factory and brought back these samples of optical mixing. Lithography was introduced in the 17th century but only dominated the trade in late 20th century.The diagram on this page shows off set litho, a term referring to the method of transferring ink from the plate to a rubber blanket and then onto paper. This process is designed so there is no contact between paper and plate and this prolongs the working life of the plate while preventing paper from getting damp from the water used in the offset litho process. The process relies on the fact that the oil and grease do not mix with the water. This method is ideal for use of newspapers, magazines, books, posters, letterheads and packaging and is a widely used process, which provides good quality printing. It is also ideal for mass-producing up to a million copies of a graphic product. The process can be expensive for short runs, but ideal for long runs and either single or multiple colour products. One way to check the quality of my finished graphic product is to inspect it/them and ensure they are all satisfactory. The alternative is a more

Dworkins Distinction Between Ethics and Morality Essay

Dworkins Distinction Between Ethics and Morality - Essay Example Certainly, morals are informed by both â€Å"majorities† and â€Å"minorities†4 and it, therefore, makes sense that standards are set, regulated and enforced by via executive functions. For Dworkin, it is within this paradigm that the political community exists. The political community is a pivotal point of individual and collective identity. Depending on whether or not the political community is successful or not, members of the community will either perceive that the political community enhances the quality of our lives or limits it.5 According to Dworkin, morals and religions differ and conflict among groups and thus it is impossible to construct a universal legal or communal code that embodies all moral and religious ideologies and values. Thus, political communities set limits and standards for all.6 In this regard, Dworkin’s conceptualization of the relationship between morality and ethics explains the relationship between morality and the law in a way that is consistent with Rawls’ idea of justice.7 For Rawls, justice is achieved by setting standards, but by avoiding prohibiting moral and religious beliefs that deviate from the established standards. A just society instead will tolerate the views of others.8 Similarly, Dworkin advocates for a political framework that takes a neutral stance in that it does not favor one set of religious or moral values over another.9 Rawls conceptualization of justice and the political community is more realistic than Dworkin’s theory. It is conceivable that a legal and/or political framework can set and enforce specific moral standards and at the same time recognize and tolerate other religious and moral standards that are different from the normative standard. This would accord with ideas of equality. Thus Rawls’ theory of political liberalism makes more sense than Dworkin’s theory of liberal community. Dworkin advocates for a neutral framework while admitting that it is impossible to formulate a universal moral code. Arguably, in order to be neutral, the political community’s framework must reflect the common values of all members of the community. The values and morals of some members of the political community will be left out since the liberal community must determine and set standards for all to follow. Therefore, Dworkin’s theory of liberal community is a bit contradictory. Nevertheless, Dworkin insists that law and the liberal community that informs the law is beneficial to members of the community because it formulates standards thus facilitating fairness and certainty. It also ensures that members of the community are treated equally and thus makes the community more sincere and enhances the moral rationale for the exercise of executive powers.10 The difficulty with this aspect of Dworkin’s reasoning, however, is that the executive may decide to treat all members of a community with equal oppression.11 In such a case, w ould the executive have a moral justification for the exercise of its powers? The answer according to Gough and Stables is found in Dworkin’s general assumption that the liberal community is structured around respect for rights and dignity of the members of the community.

Coca cola in china market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Coca cola in china market - Essay Example This proved futile as the local media always gave first preference to the local firms’ products during its advertisement in peak hours. This disadvantaged coke as a whole leading to decrease in sales in the markets. To overcome this, company should have launched its own website (Staff, 2012). This would have helped the company to acquire and control a broader market place. Many customers would have followed the launched online hub to get information about the company’s product. This would have increased the sales as consumers would be at ease to get information on new company products and offers thus creating their commitment to the products. Secondly the company incorporated the initial American culture it had early adopted in the US market in other foreign markets. This led to its failure in many external markets like in Germany. People disliked the idea of coca cola using American culture in advertising and developing its products. The foreign customers were angered by this act of coke using American culture to advertise products in their countries. This they viewed as an infusion of foreign culture that competed with their own culture (Chan, 2012). Many consumers boycotted the coca cola company products and instead shifted to locally produced products. ... This led to few people getting to know of the existence and advantages of the coca cola products. This method adopted by coke proved to be too expensive but very ineffective as it failed to achieve its goal of popularizing coke products in China. Instead coca cola could have invested the money it used to finance the road shows in sponsoring the Olympics. Many Chinese involve themselves in Olympics either as participants or viewers. By getting involved in sponsorship of the Olympic games coca cola would have attracted many Chinese who create their time to watch the Olympics thus creating a large pool of customers across China (Chen, 2012). In china coca cola could have used traditional ways of packaging mostly used to integrate Chinese culture in a product. Coca cola would have succeeded more in China if it adopted a new packaging method with unique features like red stars that mostly appeal to Chinese youths this would have enabled the company to segment a market of the young custome rs (Li, 2012). In its advertisement coca cola used American Santa Claus. In it operation in China it could have used a similar photo but with the Chinese costume. This would have attracted a large pool of customers especially children thus helping the company to segment the market. In it worldwide Olympic campaign that went by the name â€Å"move to the beat† coca cola advertising department decided to use the London national anthem beats in their campaign song. This didn’t go well with the Chinise. Many young Chinese didn’t associate London with music. This costed coca cola a lot as many young potential customers opted to consume other products manufactured by their own local companies. Instead of this error of using Britain national anthem beat in to advertise its

The impact of VAC Therapy on management of sternal wound infections Literature review

The impact of VAC Therapy on management of sternal wound infections after cardiac surgery - Literature review Example The impact of VAC Therapy on management of sternal wound infections after cardiac surgery Sternal wound infection after cardiac surgery is a serious problem resulting in increased patient morbidity; mortality and duration of hospital stay (Luckraz et al 2003). The incidence of this infection has been variably reported as 0.5 to 5% and the resultant mortality as 10 to 25% (Sjogren et al 2006; Schimer et al 2008). Conventionally, many management techniques have been recommended to treat this complication like surgical debridement with open dressings, closed irrigation of the infected wound, or reconstruction with vascularised omental or pectoral muscle flaps (Domkowski et al 2003). Vacuum assisted closure (VAC) therapy is one of the newer modalities to treat this complication (Evans & Land 1997) which has been widely adopted. Application of negative pressure was successfully used for treating chronic wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers (Eneroth &Â  van Houtum 2008; Ubbink et al 2008). After it was found successful in achieving faster healing in these wounds, use of this therapy has been extended for the management of sternal wound infections as well (Luckraz et al 2003; Domkowski et al 2003; Hersh et al 2003; Sjogren et al 2006). However, i t hasn’t been proven yet with good evidence that its efficacy is more than the conventional treatment. Thus, the main objective of this review is to determine the effectiveness of vacuum assisted closure therapy in the management of wound infection after cardiac surgery. ... Also, it allows re-examination of the wound and bedside debridement, as and when required. To apply negative pressure, wound area is packed with special dressing (polyurethane sponge/foam or polyvinyl alcohol foam) and covered with a transparent tape which seals the wound. A drain tube passes through this tube which is connected to a vacuum tube which sucks out the fluid through this drain tube. Negative pressure applied is in the range of -75 to -125 mm Hg (MAS 2006). Conventionally, medical (antibiotics) and various surgical modalities have been used in the treatment of deep sternal wound infections (DSWI) (Singh, Anderson & Harper 2011). Surgical management options include closed suction antibiotic irrigation system, omental flap reconstruction, pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi or rectus abdominis muscle advancement or rotation flap, and microsurgical free flap. Early wound exploration is combined with any of these techniques. Regimen of sternal fixation with sternal plating sys tem is also getting popular (Singh, Anderson & Harper 2011). Traditional methods of wound care involve regular cleaning and dressing of the wound different kinds of dressing materials from simple gauzes to chemical impregnated gauzes as per the type of the wound. However, VAC therapy is being projected as one solution for multiple wound types. Search strategy A manual search was conducted for the journals, books and other data related to the subject. Internet was also accessed for searching for journal articles pertaining to the subject. CINAHL database via the EBSCO host platform was utilized to perform a literature search because it is the most wide-ranging nursing database and is easy to search. MEDLINE and COCHRANE database

Islamic peace and war Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Islamic peace and war - Essay Example Thesis statement: The Islamic point of view on peace is based on restoration of peace, and war is based on internal insurgencies and external aggressions, not on religious motivation to fulfill selfish motives or to create an Islamic world. The Islamic point of view on peace is based on morality, cooperation, and common goodness. Besides, an Islamic state is responsible to disregard differences and to propagate freedom and peaceful co-existence. John Kelsay stated that, â€Å"In its broadest sense, the Islamic view of peace, like its western counterpart, is in fact part of a theory of statecraft founded on notions of God, of humanity, and of the relations between the two† (30). On the other side, diversity is one of the core aspects of peace in Islam. One can see that peaceful co-existence cannot be implemented without the help of a strong central authority. At the same time, human life is considered as sacred in Islamic point of view. Besides, killing one self (suicide) and killing others is not the proper way to attain salvation. To be specific, human beings must show willingness to follow the rules and regulations in a society. One can see that strict implementation of laws and regulations can maintain peace and security in a society. For instance, the low rate of criminal activities in the Middle Eastern Islamic states proves the same. Within this scenario, the criminals are aware of the fact that their instinct to commit crime will attract strict punishment from the authorities. Still, the strict implementation of laws and regulations cannot be considered as attempt to neglect individual liberty because common welfare and peace is important. Besides, Islam propagates peace, disregarding any sort of difference based on caste, sex, or racial identity. So, the Islamic point of view on peace is based on Islamic teachings, and the strict maintenance of laws and regulations in a society, by providing importance to

Discussion questions and participation questions...will load the rest Essay

Discussion questions and participation questions...will load the rest of participation questions - Essay Example The only risk that existed is associated with the value of the investment. Corporation can also issue commercial paper in the form of bonds to raise capital as well. Bonds are sold in lots of $1000 face value bonds that pay a predetermined coupon or interest rate. All corporations that are publicly traded in the United States is obligated to comply with the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002. Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) was created in order to protect investors and create greater accountability in order to raise investor confidence in the reliability of the financial markets. A provision that affected the way accounting firm perform business with companies is the prohibition of accounting doing both the audits and other types of business contracts with the same firm. Now the accounting audits are performed by independent auditors. A company can become delisted it fails to comply with the Sarbanes Oxley violation. For example a company that is caught cooking up the numbers could face severe penalties from the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC). Trademarks can add a lot of value to the corporation if they are properly marketed. The legal protection the trademark provides ensures that other firm cannot imitate their trademark names and other types of intellectual property. If another company or individual violates the trademark of a company the firm that is hurt can sue the person or corporation responsible for the trademark violation. Two companies that have been able to penetrate global marketplaces due to its trademark property are McDonald’s and Starbucks Cafà ©. It takes on the average 16 years and $800 million dollars to develop a new drug. Due to the high cost of developing prescription drugs is the reason why so many drugs are so expensive. Patents provide social justice to business for their investment. A patent creates a temporary monopoly for the holder of the patent. Companies can charge whatever price they please during the protected period due to the fact

The argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The argument - Essay Example It is also believed that India was one of the few countries which pioneered the consumption of this plant as a tool for recreation and relaxation. The Sadhus and the Gurus who practiced the art of spiritual elevation found this plant to be extremely useful for their purpose. Ancient Hindu text Soma Veda refers to Marijuana as the â€Å"food of the thinking mind.† (ElSohly, Mahmoud) Despite being termed as a life saving drug, there are a number of side effects of this plant because of which the legalization of marijuana has not yet had a concrete stance in the law making process. Marijuana comes from the plant known as Cannabis Sativa. The major psychoactive compound in the plant is known as THC, and this is the element which is responsible for the psychoactive effects in the human mind. The female plant of Cannabis Sativa is consumed by people as it is said to be more potent with THC than the male plant. Marijuana has been used for medicinal as well as recreational purposes. I t influences the human body and mind in many different ways and even has the power of changing the mood to the perception of the human mind for a particular object. It enhances hunger when consumed and can lead to weight loss among those who consume it. It relaxes the muscles and also helps the mind calm down after the THC molecules hit the ‘cannabinoid’ receptors which are present in the human mind. ... The reason is valid as they understand that no matter what the law says, people will still be able to find means to procure Marijuana and consume it for their relaxation purposes. (Iversen, Leslie) However, they fail to understand that in spite of them consuming the plant in such a fashion, it remains a fact that this is not the legal way and they are going beyond the boundaries of law to procure and use this item. This is where the argument of legalizing Marijuana erupts, as those who want to smoke it and want it to be legalized raise their voice. These are the people who say that the boundaries of law have to be stretched to accommodate those societies which have been living on this plant for centuries now. However, there is strong counter argument from the other camp, as they believe that it is a drug and has extremely volatile effects on the human mind and body, and therefore it should never be legalized. The topic is indeed compelling and timely. The argument of legalizing Marij uana will never run out of time. It has been a debate which has been going on for ages now and the whole process of societies opening up to it and accepting it the way they have accepted alcohol will take a lot of time and effort, from those who want to legalize it and also from those who think it is in the right domain to legalize it and let the people decide for themselves. People from all walks of life have indulged in this ecstasy, be it the rock stars, the founding fathers of USA, or the common average man smoking in his courtyard, or the young students in college ready to take on the mantle of their life. It has been used and consumed by every kind of person out there and

Discussion questions and participation questions...will load the rest Essay

Discussion questions and participation questions...will load the rest of participation questions - Essay Example The only risk that existed is associated with the value of the investment. Corporation can also issue commercial paper in the form of bonds to raise capital as well. Bonds are sold in lots of $1000 face value bonds that pay a predetermined coupon or interest rate. All corporations that are publicly traded in the United States is obligated to comply with the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002. Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) was created in order to protect investors and create greater accountability in order to raise investor confidence in the reliability of the financial markets. A provision that affected the way accounting firm perform business with companies is the prohibition of accounting doing both the audits and other types of business contracts with the same firm. Now the accounting audits are performed by independent auditors. A company can become delisted it fails to comply with the Sarbanes Oxley violation. For example a company that is caught cooking up the numbers could face severe penalties from the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC). Trademarks can add a lot of value to the corporation if they are properly marketed. The legal protection the trademark provides ensures that other firm cannot imitate their trademark names and other types of intellectual property. If another company or individual violates the trademark of a company the firm that is hurt can sue the person or corporation responsible for the trademark violation. Two companies that have been able to penetrate global marketplaces due to its trademark property are McDonald’s and Starbucks Cafà ©. It takes on the average 16 years and $800 million dollars to develop a new drug. Due to the high cost of developing prescription drugs is the reason why so many drugs are so expensive. Patents provide social justice to business for their investment. A patent creates a temporary monopoly for the holder of the patent. Companies can charge whatever price they please during the protected period due to the fact

Reviewing Films Depicting Supremacy of Artificial Intelligence Essay Example for Free

Reviewing Films Depicting Supremacy of Artificial Intelligence Essay There is without a shadow of a doubt that we are now living in a time when there is almost nothing we cannot accomplish. The outbreak of high technology all around the world is soaring, and day by day, improvements on what is already highly intelligent devices are being developed. From computers, to cellular phones, to MP3 players, everything has been made accesible to man. Because of this technology, man can bask in his creations and marvel at the genius that he has invented through the years. Half a decade ago, todays technology wouldnt have even been deemed as possible. Yesteryears most advanced technological developers probably wouldnt have even dreamed of the possibilities of what we now have today. But such is the development of the human mind: our intelligence is further developing and increasing, being able to establish new concepts and ideas to be used for our own benefits. Indeed, with this highly advanced technology, we are further establishing ourselves as the dominant species of the planet. For us, we are in charge of our own destinies, and no species of another kind can tell us otherwise. But one is lead to ponder about the marvels of our own creations. What if the articifial intelligence we created were able to evolve themselves? What if these computers suddenly became self-aware, and starts acknowledging its own existence? It is true that we are the one who controls the technology, but what if the technology were able to control itself? If it became self-aware, what if, all of a sudden, it starts to refuse to follow its human creators? And if not the computers themselves, what if one person controlling these technologies started using them for their own ulterior motives? With our main defenses relying on technological advances, what if these advances were suddenly used against us? Would the humans still be able to lay its claim as the rulers of the earth when a something else establishes themselves as more intelligent and dominant? Such is the fear that some of us have: the fear of having our own technology turned against us. We fear the idea that perhaps someday, these computers that we have in our homes would become intelligent enough to start recognizing its own existence. In the early nineties, technophobia became rampant among the adults, although this fear was largely based on the misconceptions on computers being too overly complicated. Still, for some people, the advancements in technology is reason for them to be cautious about our own inventions. Creating Technopobia in Movies Since early in the 1980s, there have been a string of movies depicting highly advanced technology being used woefully and without any regard towards others. These movies often show state-of-the-art gadgets or creations, which are used against the protagonists to further cause ruin and devastation. Oftentimes these gadgets are used for the wrong reasons, and with its infinite possibilities, it creates the fear that maybe what we have created may not be totally beneficial to us, and could possibly create more harm than help in the long run. Perhaps the most popular among the movies that came out during the eighties that depicted this theme was the 1984 movie Terminator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a human cyborg sent back in time. In the future, Skynet, a computer system fights a losing war against the humans who built it, and who it nearly exterminated. Just before being destroyed, Skynet sends a Terminator back in time to kill Sarah, the mother to be of John Connor, the Leader of the human resistance. The terminator can pass for human, is nearly indestructible, and has only one mission: killing Sarah Connor. One soldier is sent back to protect her from the killing machine. He must find Sarah before the Terminator can carry out its mission (MGM. com). This movie portrays Skynet as a super computer, one that is capable to making decisions for itself. The super computer becomes self-aware, and recognizes the human race as a threat to its existence. It therefore wages a war against all of mankind, which almost led to the anniliation of the entire planet. In 1998, the movie Enemy of the State provided a different insight on abusing highly advanced technology. Robert Dean, the main character of the story, is just a successful and gutsy labor lawyer when he runs into an old college friend who was a big hurry. Unknown to him, that friend secretly drops a disc and viewer containing footage of a political assassination overseen by the senior advisor to the National Security Agency. Unfortunately, that politician soon learns what Dean has in his possession and secretly uses the vast resources of the NSA to find, investigate and stop him before he goes public. Soon, Dean finds himself on the run, with his assests frozen, his loved ones watched and actively hunted by NSA agents using all the survellience technology they have available. Not knowing what is going, Dean must stay one step ahead while trying to figure out the cause of this mess (Yahoo! Movies). This movie dwells on the idea of government surveillance and the invasion of our personal privacy by the government. We see from the movie that these technological advances could be easily used against us, and just as it could make our lives easier, it could also make it extremely difficult. We also find that if technology were to be used the wrong way, then those in power could have a commanding control over our very lives. Another movie that depicted computers going against humans was the highly acclaimed The Matrix. Thomas A. Anderson is a man living two lives: by day he is an average computer programmer and by night a malevolent hacker known as Neo. Neo has always questioned his reality but the truth is far beyond his imagination. Neo finds himself targeted by the police when he is contacted by Morpheus, a legendary computer hacker branded a terrorist by the government. Morpheus awakens Neo to the real world, a ravaged wasteland where most of humanity have been captured by a race of machines which live off of their body heat and imprison their minds within an artificial reality known as the Matrix. As a rebel against the machines, Neo must return to the Matrix and confront the agents, super powerful computer programs devoted to snuffing out Neo and the entire human rebellion (Whatisthematrix. com). The movie is almost identical to the concept of the Terminator, in which there is a computer mind that becomes self-aware of its own existence. Knowing that it has the power of technology, it sees the human race as disposable, and decides to take over and control the entire world. When Neo met Morpheus, he was awakened to the fact that they were being used by the computer systems as mere batteries to continue sustaining their own power. And it was up to them to reawaken the rest of the world from this nightmare that is the Matrix. The Fear of Control What these three films had in common was theme of technology taking over the human lives. The films shared similar highly advanced technology that in one way was very helpful, but at the other end caused problems that were catastrophic. This is what we are afraid of; that maybe perhaps at some point, our own creations would backfire on us and cause a lot of harm towards society, and it would perhaps be unstoppable when it happens. Perhaps what motivates the persistence of these kinds of themes is the fact that we all know that this fantasy that they try to present could and might become possible in the future. Fifty or so years ago, our technology today wasnt even thought of as possible. A lot of things are being developed today that our predescessors couldnt have possibly dreamed of back in the day. Nowadays, the sky is the limit. The human race is making every dream come to life, developing newer and better technology every single day. So deep inside, we know that this threat of computers taking over is not a long shot. We see that perhaps someday, artificial intelligence would become this advanced as to be self-aware. And if this happens, whats gonna stop them from taking over the world and eliminating the human race? In terms of humans going against fellow humans using technology, we ourselves could be comparable to this technology. Donna Haraway mentions how we are like the cyborgs, which are both part machine and part organism. She further states: In short, we are cyborgs. The cyborg is our ontology; it gives us our politics. The cyborg is a condensed image of both imagination and material reality, the two joined centres structuring any possibility of historical transformation. In the traditions of â€Å"Western† science and politics—the tradition of racist, male- dominant capitalism; the tradition of progress; the tradition of the appropriation of nature as resource for the productions of culture; the tradition of reproduction of the self from the reflections of the other—the relation between organism and machine has been a border war (Harraway, 516). With the peer-to-perr capabilities of networked computer communication today, it is likely to have a major impact on both the film and music business. Depending on how this technology is used, it could have either a postive or negative effect on these industries. Everything could be made easier with technology, films and music could be produced with relative ease, and everything to be made more accesible. On the other hand, changing the sytems could mean doing things a lot different, which could cause a chain reaction among those who are involved. Business could be done more efficiently, but it could leave people out of jobs. Human work might be replaced by much more efficient computers doing their jobs, and that could have an effect on the economy of the country. Looking back, technology has certainly come along way since back in the old days, when all of this conveniences didnt exist. It is easy to picture people being intimidated by these advancements, due to its infinite potential. Depending on how it is used, it could be very good for all of us, or it could be catastrophic to all. Only time will tell whether these technological improvements would come back to haunt us in the long run. Works Cited Enemy of the State. Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 3 June 2008 from http://movies. yahoo. com/shop? d=hvcf=infoid=1800021531 Haraway, Donna. â€Å"A Cyborg Manifesto. † The New Media Reader (1985). pp. 515-541. The Matrix Trilogy. Whatisthematrix. com. Retrieved 3 June 2008 from http://whatisthematrix. warnerbros. com/ The Terminator. MGM. com. Retrieved 3 June 2008 from http://www. mgm. com/title_title. php? title_star=TERMINAT

Influencer Marketing On Twitter Marketing Essay

Influencer Marketing On Twitter Marketing Essay Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+ have knowledgeable unprecedented growth over the last few years and are some of the most talked about destinations on the web. Social media offers an opportunity to connect and interact with your customers, analysis about your product, promote your brand and drive traffic to your website. Social media marketing programs usually center on efforts to create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it with their social networks. This form of marketing is driven by word-of-mouth, meaning it results in earned media rather than paid media. Social media has become a platform that is easily accessible to anyone with internet access. Increased communication for organizations fosters brand awareness and often, improved customer service. Additionally, social media serves as a relatively inexpensive platform for organizations to implement marketing campaigns. Social media itself is a catch-all term for sites that may provide radically different social actions. Keywords: Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Web Analytics, Online Business, Web Branding, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Linkedin, Youtube What are the major social media sites? Many online services now have a social element, the five most important social media sites for businesses are: Facebook. Social network available in 70 languages with over 800 million members worldwide, and more than 425 million monthly active users logging in with mobile smart phones. Twitter. Micro blogging site where users post frequent 60 character messages with over 1 billion tweets sent a week. Google+. Social network launched in 2011, attracting 25 million members in its first month! Linkedin. Business focused networking site with over 8 million members in the UK, and 2 million companies profiles worldwide. Youtube. Video sharing site owned by Google, with 8 million unique visitors each month and 100 million people taking a social action (likes, shares, comments etc) every week. SOCIAL MARKETER FACEBOOK There are more than 800 million people using Facebook every day. This platform offers more than just a way to stay connected to friends and family; it is an essential tool in the B2B marketing toolbox. Facebook allows your business to be available to people on a trusted, popular platform, where prospects can see real people (their friends, family or colleagues) interacting with you and your brand. This sets the stage for you to build stronger, more immediate relationships with them. Facebook Pages can help your company build awareness, share interest, create loyalty, strengthen marketing, and promote peer-to-peer sharing. For that first split the elements of a Facebook page-and how you can take advantage of them: How to See and Be Seen An interaction can be defined as a summary of Likes, posts, or comments about the page. To show up in as many users top newsfeeds as possible, your content must be brand new, attractive, current and convincing. Then it becomes a cycle; you post content that gets Likes and comments, and your future content appears in the newsfeeds of those that Liked and commented on earlier content. Dont forget: as prospects interact with you through Likes, reposts, or shares, you should be tracking engagement. Facebook Groups The Group feature is useful for demonstrating your companys passion for a topic, and gathers like-minded people to share ideas. The best part is that the more people join your group, the more it gets promoted to their friends and networks, growing the groups popularity and growth. Creating a Facebook Group is a great way for businesses to create awareness, increase inbound links and promote loyalty. Facebook Lists Facebook launched this feature in response to Google+s circles, so it functions in a very similar way. You can subscribe to and organize lists for different topics or influencers you want to follow. As an example, you might have a list for Social Media Influencers and another list for competitors. Through lists you can easily view and post to select groups or a company, which makes it easier for you to monitor and engage. Facebook Promoted Posts Promoted posts show up in the newsfeed of all your fans and are visible to their friends as well. It becomes a sponsored story that is seen by more people than a regular post, so be sure that when you do choose to promote a post, it is strong, recent and gripping. It is pretty safe to say that businesses will never be able to compete with posts that are strictly entertainment-based or for social purposes only. But by using this promoted post feature, you can call attention to posts that you believe will generate the most impact. Facebook Ads While your Facebook ads need to appeal to your audience, think exterior the box. Use eye catching pictures and gripping language. Remember: youre competing for attention in a noisy environment. Facebook Apps Before the timeline changes took place, you could capture Likes via your welcome page by gating your content and encouraging users to Like your page for access to this exclusive content. This has gone away with timeline. Now Facebook gives you the option to feature up to twelve apps. Four of these apps are shown by default, with the remaining apps under the fold and only visible by clicking and expanding the tab on the right. Allowing you to change the apps appearing above the fold is one of the most interactive and engaging portions of the timeline and your best chance to showcase a call to action or offer that will convert. Consider the image a small advertisement rather than an image. SOCIAL MARKETER TWITTER In 2007, Twitter began as what many considered to be a flash-in-the-pan social media outlet, but as of 2011, Twitter had over 200million registered users and is one of the 10 most popular sites on the Internet anything but a passing phase. Companies that lack a strategic, lead-generating plan of attack for their Twitter accounts are losing out on access to a huge potential customer base and the opportunity to showcase themselves as social confidence, relevant businesses. Being followed on Twitter is an incredibly strong signal of online attraction for your business. Think of Twitter as the water cooler for B2B marketers: its energetic community where businesses can prospect leads and assemble as thought leaders to discuss relevant industry topics. B2B marketers are always striving to provide good content in an easily digestible and timely format. On Twitter, it is easy to quickly compose Tweets and messages aimed at those interested in your company or product. Twitter Following Becoming someones follower on Twitter accomplishes four goals: You identify Twitter accounts that will be relevant and interesting to you, your organization and your industry. You let people know that youre on Twitter, and encourage them to follow you back. Twitter is a great platform for engagement, so once you follow someone on Twitter you can work on starting a conversation. Guidelines for Following Find people to follow by importing your contact databases using tools that Twitter provides. Be sure to also follow people that your competitors are following. Do a search for experts in the field who are tweeting. If possible, try to make sure to follow back relevant people and companies that are following you. You dont want to upset scenario, customers or partners by not following them! Twitter provides easy search functionality so that you can find people that are talking about your company and your industry. Read the tweets of those you follow and search for tweets on keywords relevant to your product or service. Create lists. By creating a list you can easily segment people who you are following. Strategy to Make Your Tweets Engaging and Easy for a Follower to Retweet: Always use a URL shortened. You only have 140 characters, so make it count! Keep tweets below 140 characters, ideally under 100 characters. It makes retweeting easier to do. The symbol # on Twitter is known as a hash tag. These tags are used to affiliate a tweet with a certain topic and can be useful for tracking social marketing campaigns and connecting with customers. Avoid the temptation to use tools that send automatic direct messages. You can also engage Twitter followers and influencers by including @ mention in your tweets. You can do this when you post content you think will resonate with an influencer. Use Twitter lists to segment users by interest or group together brand advocates and your favorite twitter users. Keep in mind that when you add a user to a public list they are notified and the list is open and searchable to all users. Use Twitter during events and to promote things like contests. A great way to engage your Twitter followers is to create a contest that asks followers to contribute in some way you want your Twitter feed to be a mix of Tweets youve created, as well as replies and retweets. Promoted Tweets in Search Always see significant spikes in relevant Tweets during industry events. You decided to take advantage of that and use Promoted Tweets in search results during key B2B conference dates. This allowed us to be part of relevant conversations when the conversations are hot. Influencer Marketing on Twitter Twitter is a fantastic platform to learn who your influencers are. Because Twitter is designed for quick exchanges of information and shares, you can start to keep track of who is re-tweeting your content and engaging in conversations. Remember to reach out to your top sharers to create relationships. The more you engage directly with your top influencers, the more they will continue to promote your content. Promoted Tweets in Timelines A Twitter strategy we have used with great success is launching Promoted Tweets in timelines targeted to followers and users who are similar to our followers. Our Promoted Tweets contain timely and engaging content like contests for trips to industry events and links to thought-leadership pieces. We set up a series of three tweets per campaign and rotate them accordingly. For timelines, we run three tweets on one campaign for three days at a time Messaging To some, this may sound backwards or surprising, but do not use Twitter to only promote your company. Sure, calling out your companys new eBook or webcast is an important part of your tweeting. But if you never contribute to the conversations taking place, if you never offer something personal or fun or funny, you are missing the prime opportunity unique to Twitter. Twitter is about building relationships. Engage and be engaged. Remember, your content should create value and ultimately, be helpful to your network. In B2B marketing, retweeting material that will be helpful to your network is good, but writing your own informational material is even better. SOCIAL MARKETER Google+ Google+ is quickly becoming an essential part of any businesses social media strategy. Google+ had over 90 million users, this social network is going to grow very quickly as Google is making a Google+ account mandatory for all Gmail users. Google + is also playing a major role in SEO by making it easier for marketers to show up in search results. About Page An essential but often overlooked important first step, the about page is a fantastic opportunity to give a quick overview of what your business is all about. You can also link back to specific pages and services from this page directing potential customers to the most important pages on your website. Its important to have a balance of marketing savvy copy thats also SEO friendly. Make sure to include information that searchers will want to know about your company. Take advantage of the fact that Google+ allows you to use bullets in your description which makes it simple to create an easy-to-read list of your products and services. Google+ Events Google recently announced the Events feature which allows Google+ users to send out customized invitations to anyone regardless of whether or not they are Google+ users. It syncs beautifully with Google Calendar and shows up automatically when a user confirms for an event. The Party mode feature of Events allows everyone in attendance to instantly upload pictures to the same album using the Google+ mobile app, creating a living, real-time photo journal of a specific time and place. You can then show the photos off in sequential order as a slideshow all within Google+. Google+ Circles This functionality allows a marketer to segment their followers. Unlike other social networks, through Circles, marketers can develop audienc and communicate highly segmented messaging to each audience. This allows you to have a more authentic dialogue with your key prospects. Google+ Hangouts Use Google+ Hangouts for video conferencing. Again, the beauty here is that it is highly integrated with other Google applications. So, if you use Google apps for your business, Hangouts can be a quick and easy way to connect teams and get some face time with a prospect. The Business Benefits for Setting Up Google+ Authorship: Increases awareness of your overall Google+ profile page. Studies have shown that Google Authorship increases click through rates. Helps your content stand out from the crowded search page results. Adds a human element to your content and increases trustworthiness. Improves your chances of showing up in more personalized search results. Protects the original posts ranking position as higher than a post that has scraped or syndicated the original content.

Effects of BackGround Music on Phonological Short-Term Memory Essay

Improving recall has been the goal of many scientific studies (Higbee, 2001; Lachman, Weaver, Bandura, Elliot, & Lewkowicz, 1992). As a result, a debate surfaced on the best method to achieve this goal. This study chose to focus on only two methods, emotional state and emotionally arousing words. One’s emotional state or mood is important to consider when exploring memory, because mood affects one’s recall of information (Happiness-Levine & Burgess, 1997; Thaut & l’Etoile, 1993). Music, depending on the type, can help induce or change one’s mood (Rickard, 2012). This is important because, music is apart of many of people’s daily lives. Students, especially, listen to music while they study a task that relies on one’s memory. Beyond just exploring mood, this study wanted to look at what type of word is best remembered. Previous research (Doerksen & Shimamura, 2001; LaBar & Phelps, 1998; Zimmerman & Kelley, 2010) found that people tend to recal l and remember emotional words better than neutral non-emotional words. Building upon these findings is important because, if certain types of words were confirmed as inherently memorable then these words would be powerful. They could be used as powerful tools for writing memorable speeches, lectures, and advertisements. One’s mood working in conjunction with emotional words, could lead to effortless increase in one’s own ability to recall information A recent study by Ferguson and Sheldon (2013) looked at inducing positive emotional states in their participants using classical music. In their study, participants listened to either 12 minutes of an upbeat â€Å"hedonically positive† classical music piece or a slow â€Å"hedonically ambiguous† classical music piece. Their results showed that participant... ...ompany. LaBar, K. S., & Phelps, E. A. (1998). Arousal-mediated memory consolidation: Role of the medial temporal lobe in humans. Psychological Science, 9(6), 490-493. Lachman, M. E., Weaver, S. L., Bandura, M., Elliot, E., & Lewkowicz, C. J. (1992). Improving memory and control beliefs through cognitive restructuring and self-generated strategies. Journal of Gerontology, 47(5), P293-P299. Salamà ©, P., & Baddeley, A. (1989). Effects of background music on phonological short-term memory. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 41(1), 107-122. Thaut, M. H., & de l'Etoile, S. K. (1993). The effects of music on mood state-dependent recall. Journal of Music Therapy, 30(2), 70-80. Zimmerman, C. A., & Kelley, C. M. (2010). â€Å"I’ll remember this!† Effects of emotionality on memory predictions versus memory performance. Journal of Memory and Language, 62(3), 240-253.

Hope Springs Eternal and The Shawshank Redemption :: Shawshank Redemption

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I hope I can make it across the border. I hope I can see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.† (106)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hope Springs Eternal is a story that demonstrates how important it is to keep hope alive. Throughout the entire story, Andy was different from most everybody else, especially the other inmates. This was something readily picked out by the minister/warden. He had accused Andy of walking around as if he where at a â€Å"cocktail party†. Red explained it better when he described some of the qualities in Andy that made the warden say what he did. He always walked light footed and always kept his shoulders squared. He never developed that kind of hazy dead look that the other inmates had. Nor did he adopt their hunched over sluggish walk when it came time to go back to their cages. The thing that constantly beamed from him, and differentiated him so much from everybody else was the thing he never gave up; hope.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Andy didn’t know from the get go that he was going to escape from a hole he dug in the wall. In fact he didn’t know he was going to escape at all. But he always had hope that he would leave the Shank. This is evident in how he had taken his money and saved it from getting washed away by the on coming hurricane. Also, he had his good friend set up a bank account for his new identity. He kept this hope of getting out although it changed a few times. At first it was just hope of getting out somehow, then it was escaping, for a brief time it came back to getting out legitimately when he met Tommy Williams. It got to Andy when the warden crushed that hope by transferring Tommy, but he didn’t give up. His hope went right back to escaping through that little hole he dug.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you gave up on hope, then you gave up on life. In the Shank the inmates gave up hope pretty early, and that is why they developed those bland, dead eyes. They were not living; they were merely going through routine. It’s probably for that reason that so many inmates last such a short time in the outside world. They would shrink away in fear when confronted with life, because they had been so long without out it.

Small Bussnes Ganha

Tourism accommodation business owners indicated factors such as maintaining lifestyle, being their own bosses, capitalizing on a business opportunity, generation of retirement income influence the decision to own/operate a small tourism accommodation businesses. These variables can be categorized as non-economic and economic factors. It was found that though the owners were motivated by commercial enterprise goals, these are subordinated to the pursuit of socially driven lifestyle motivation factors.Small tourism accommodation business owners in Ghana perceive the non- availability of skilled hospitality personnel and limited access to structured capitalist training programmed as the greatest challenge facing their industry. Key Words: Ghana, Small Tourism accommodation businesses, motivations, challenges INTRODUCTION Ghana has designated its tourism industry as one of the new growth sectors for economic development, employment generation and poverty reduction in its development fram ework document (growth and poverty reduction strategy (GAPS II, 2005).This development framework recognizes the tourism industry in Ghana as a growing, vibrant and dynamic one with a great potential for job creation. Ghana, like many sub-Sahara countries, has primarily an agrarian economy and produces few exportable services. Tourism has been identified as one area that can bring improvements in the services sector of the economy. In recent years there has been an expansion of investments in the tourism industry, especially the small tourism accommodation businesses sector.The total number of registered tourism accommodation businesses in Ghana as at 201 2 was 1,838. Compared to 420 and 1992. Of the 1838 hotel stock as at 2012, 69% can be classified as small tourism accommodation enterprises based on guestroom capacity of 15. Currently tourism is the fourth-largest foreign-exchange earner in Ghana after old and cocoa and foreign remittances. International tourist arrivals rose from 698,069 in 2008 to I in 201 1 with corresponding receipts from LOS$ 1. 4 Billion to CSS$ 2. Billion respectively, while direct and indirect jobs created by the sector increased from 234, 679 to 330, 514 during the period (GTAG, 2012). The government of Ghana acknowledges that accommodation businesses sector is an important part Of the Ghana tourism industry (NNTP, 1995) and has identified tourism accommodation businesses as catalysts for tourism development and by extension for the economic growth of the country as he industry is a major source of income and employment. The accommodation business sector in Ghana is 1 00 percent private sector owned and it characterized by many independent businesses.According to a recent survey, 69% of all tourism accommodation businesses in Ghana have less than 15 guestrooms and 88% of all tourism 2223-XX Copyright: 0 2014 AUGHT – Open Access- Online @ http//: accommodation businesses have less than 25 guestrooms and only 3 percent of these tourism accommodation businesses have more than 50 rooms (Mechanics, 2011; GET, 2012). The tourism accommodation businesses landscape fleets a large number of lower rated businesses, especially those in the budget category, 68%, which are typically small family owned and operated establishments.The rapid growth in the number of small tourism accommodation businesses in Ghana and the role they play in the promotion of tourism makes it imperative for a better understanding of the drivers in the sector. Interestingly, worldwide the tourism and hospitality industries are characterized by many small firms but generally, research in the tourism accommodation business sector has focused mostly on large tourism accommodation business chains. Invariably, not much research attention has been given to small independent especially those in developing countries such as Ghana.Although there is a growing body of high quality small business literature, much of it is general and few studies have foc used on small businesses (Thomas, 1998). Majority of research on small firms has focused on the personal attributes, motivations and practices of entrepreneurs and other economic and socio-demographic factors that affect small firms in general. It is generally acknowledged that sector differences play an important part in explaining the operations of small genuineness (Thomas, 1998) and the tourism accommodation business sector will benefit from such recognition with a sector focused research.Whiles many tourism accommodation businesses in Ghana can generally be classified as small firms, they have peculiar characteristics that need to be given an adequate amount of attention if we are to get a better understanding of how they operate. This paper examines the motivations and challenges of small tourism accommodation business owners in Ghana to get a better understanding of these factors. The outcome of the research will offer policy makers insights can influence their support aerogr amme for an efficient development of the tourism industry.LITERATURE REVIEW Defining Small Tourism accommodation businesses Morrison (1996) argues that traditionally the tourism industry has been dominated by small businesses and this still remains true. Globally, a common feature of businesses in the hospitality and tourism industry is that greater percentages, (95 percent), are small firms (See, Curran 1 996; Ashley and Rawson, 2006). This assertion holds in Ghana where 97 percent of all tourism firms are classified as small (NNTP, 2012).Small tourism accommodation businesses are a component of small tourism and capitalist firms, which can be classified as small businesses. However, what constitutes a small business is a major challenge in the SEEM (small and medium enterprises) literature (Curran & Storey, 1993). This is acknowledged by Morrison, (1996) who states that the term small businessmen is a difficult one to define. To date, there is no agreement in the literature about how small firms should be defined.The heterogeneity of small firms, their characteristics and global variety has led to it being defined in several ways. Storey (1994) concluded that there is no single, uniformly acceptable definition of a small firm. Several researchers have made significant efforts at defining small firms (See for example, Marked 1983; Gangly 1 985; Curran and Blackburn 1 991 ; GOES 1991; storey 1 994; Thomas 1 AAA, Addressed 1 999; Decker, Schaefer and Blander, 2006) but there is no consensus on these definitions. Existence of the numerous definitions of small firms has been attributed to the failure of most research to adequately identify the nature Of small firms leading to 2 various definitions being used in different research contexts. Storey (1994) is of the view that these various grounded define actions have been used according to he particular sector, geographic or other contexts in which the small firm is being examined. Curran et al. 1986:3) refer to th e â€Å"great deal of agonizing over the issue of definition by small businesses by researchers such as Bolton (1971 Banks and Cone (1983); and Curran and Stonewort (1 984), from which no satisfactory solutions have emerged†. One reason for such diverse definitions relates to size and sector differences of small firms. Definitions at sector level which relate quantitative measures Of size, such as number of employees, sales turnover, profitability and net worth, may mean that in some sectors all firms may be regarded as small, while in other sectors there are possibly no firms which are small.Burns (2001, p 8) argues, â€Å"being a small firm is not just about size defined in simple statistical terms and that small firms also have other important defining characteristics†. These need to be considered to have a full appreciation of a small firm. Existing literature on tourism and hospitality are not clear on definitions of small tourism and hospitality firm leading to v arious definitions being considered by various researches.Curran & Storey (1993) in making a case for defining small ours and hospitality firms differently, stated that though studies of small firms in the tourism and hospitality industry reflect a liberal usage of the term small firma to that found in the general small business literature it is important to highlight the principal features of these definitions as they affect tourism and hospitality firms. There is the opinion that service firms are better understood if their distinctiveness from manufacturing firms is recognized (Voss et al. 1988). The definition of small tourism and hospitality firms therefore must be informed by a consideration of what makes small tourism ND hospitality firms different from other small enterprises. The above notwithstanding, in developing a definition for small tourism and hospitality firms, which includes small (STABs), it is important that the definition be both comparable to other industries, while at the same time reflecting the unique characteristics of the tourism and hospitality industry (Morrison and Conway 2007).Beaver (2002) is of similar view and states that small firm definitions may need to incorporate the specific nature and context of respective industrial sectors if they are to be meaningful. Although defining small tourism and capitalist firms along tangible measures such as number of rooms and employees are essential, the intangible and qualitative features inherent in small firm ownership and management in general and at sector levels also needs some consideration if a meaningful definition is to be derived (Burns, 2001). Small Bussnes Ganha Tourism accommodation business owners indicated factors such as maintaining lifestyle, being their own bosses, capitalizing on a business opportunity, generation of retirement income influence the decision to own/operate a small tourism accommodation businesses. These variables can be categorized as non-economic and economic factors. It was found that though the owners were motivated by commercial enterprise goals, these are subordinated to the pursuit of socially driven lifestyle motivation factors.Small tourism accommodation business owners in Ghana perceive the non- availability of skilled hospitality personnel and limited access to structured capitalist training programmed as the greatest challenge facing their industry. Key Words: Ghana, Small Tourism accommodation businesses, motivations, challenges INTRODUCTION Ghana has designated its tourism industry as one of the new growth sectors for economic development, employment generation and poverty reduction in its development fram ework document (growth and poverty reduction strategy (GAPS II, 2005).This development framework recognizes the tourism industry in Ghana as a growing, vibrant and dynamic one with a great potential for job creation. Ghana, like many sub-Sahara countries, has primarily an agrarian economy and produces few exportable services. Tourism has been identified as one area that can bring improvements in the services sector of the economy. In recent years there has been an expansion of investments in the tourism industry, especially the small tourism accommodation businesses sector.The total number of registered tourism accommodation businesses in Ghana as at 201 2 was 1,838. Compared to 420 and 1992. Of the 1838 hotel stock as at 2012, 69% can be classified as small tourism accommodation enterprises based on guestroom capacity of 15. Currently tourism is the fourth-largest foreign-exchange earner in Ghana after old and cocoa and foreign remittances. International tourist arrivals rose from 698,069 in 2008 to 1 in 201 1 with corresponding receipts from ISIS 1. 4 Billion to CSS$ 2. Billion respectively, while direct and indirect jobs created by the sector increased from 234, 679 to 330, 514 during the period (GTAG, 2012). The government of Ghana acknowledges that accommodation businesses sector is an important part Of the Ghana tourism industry (NNTP, 1995) and has identified tourism accommodation businesses as catalysts for tourism development and by extension for the economic growth of the country as he industry is a major source of income and employment. The accommodation business sector in Ghana is 1 00 percent private sector owned and it characterized by many independent businesses.According to a recent survey, 69% of all tourism accommodation businesses in Ghana have less than 15 guestrooms and 88% of all tourism 2223-XX Copyright: 0 2014 AUGHT – Open Access- Online @ http//: accommodation businesses have less than 25 guestrooms and only 3 percent of these tourism accommodation businesses have more than 50 rooms (Mechanics, 2011; GET, 2012). The tourism accommodation businesses landscape fleets a large number of lower rated businesses, especially those in the budget category, 68%, which are typically small family owned and operated establishments.The rapid growth in the number of small tourism accommodation businesses in Ghana and the role they play in the promotion of tourism makes it imperative for a better understanding of the drivers in the sector. Interestingly, worldwide the tourism and hospitality industries are characterized by many small firms but generally, research in the tourism accommodation business sector has focused mostly on large tourism accommodation business chains. Invariably, not much research attention has been given to small independent especially those in developing countries such as Ghana.Although there is a growing body of high quality small business literature, much of it is general and few studies have foc used on small businesses (Thomas, 1998). Majority of research on small firms has focused on the personal attributes, motivations and practices of entrepreneurs and other economic and socio-demographic factors that affect small firms in general. It IS generally acknowledged that sector differences play an important part in explaining the operations of small genuineness (Thomas, 1 998) and the tourism accommodation business sector will benefit from such recognition with a sector focused research.Whiles many tourism accommodation businesses in Ghana can generally be classified as small firms, they have peculiar characteristics that need to be given an adequate amount of attention if we are to get a better understanding of how they operate. This paper examines the motivations and challenges of small tourism accommodation business owners in Ghana to get better understanding of these factors. The outcome of the research will offer policy makers insights can influence heir support programm ed for an efficient development of the tourism industry.LITERATURE REVIEW Defining Small Tourism accommodation businesses Morrison (1996) argues that traditionally the tourism industry has been dominated by small businesses and this still remains true. Globally, a common feature of businesses in the hospitality and tourism industry is that greater percentages, (95 percent), are small firms (See, Curran 1 996; Lassies and Rawson, 2006). This assertion holds in Ghana where 97 percent of all tourism firms are classified as small (NNTP, 2012).Small tourism accommodation businesses re a component of small tourism and hospitality firms, which can be classified as small businesses. However, what constitutes a small business is a major challenge in the SEEM (small and medium enterprises) literature (Curran & Storey, 1993). This is acknowledged by Morrison, (1996) who states that the term small business; is a difficult one to define. To date, there is no agreement in the literature about how small firms should be defined.The heterogeneity of small firms, their characteristics and global variety has led to it being defined in several ways. Storey (1994) concluded that there is no ingle, uniformly acceptable definition of a small firm. Several researchers have made significant efforts at defining small firms (See for example, Marked 1983; Gangly 1 985; Curran and Blackburn 1 991 ; GOES 1991; storey 1 994; Thomas 1 AAA, Addressed 1 999; Decker, Schaefer and Blander, 2006) but there is no consensus on these definitions. Existence of the numerous definitions of small firms has been attributed to the failure of most research to adequately identify the nature Of small firms leading to 2 various definitions being used in different research contexts. Storey (1994) is of the IEEE that these various groundedÃ'Å¡ define actions have been used according to the particular sector, geographic or other contexts in which the small firm is being examined. Curran et al. 1986:3) refer to t he â€Å"great deal of agonizing over the issue of definition by small businesses by researchers such as Bolton (1971 Banks and Cone (1983); and Curran and Stonewort (1 984), from which no satisfactory solutions have emerged†. One reason for such diverse definitions relates to size and sector differences of small firms. Definitions at sector level which relate quantitative measures Of size, such as number of employees, sales remover, profitability and net worth, may mean that in some sectors all firms may be regarded as small, while in other sectors there are possibly no firms which are small.Burns (2001, p 8) argues, â€Å"being a small firm is not just about size defined in simple statistical terms and that small firms also have other important defining characteristics†. These need to be considered to have a full appreciation of a small firm. Existing literature on tourism and hospitality are not clear on definitions of small tourism and hospitality firm leading to v arious definitions being considered by various researches.Curran & Storey (1993) in making a case for defining small tourism and hospitality firms differently, stated that though studies of small firms in the tourism and hospitality industry reflect a liberal usage of the term small firma to that found in the general small business literature it is important to highlight the principal features of these definitions as they affect tourism and hospitality firms. There is the opinion that service firms are better understood if their distinctiveness from manufacturing firms is recognized (Voss et al. 1988). The definition of small tourism and hospitality firms Hereford must be informed by a consideration of what makes small tourism and hospitality firms different from other small enterprises. The above notwithstanding, in developing a definition for small tourism and hospitality firms, which includes small (STABs), it is important that the definition be both comparable to other industrie s, while at the same time reflecting the unique characteristics of the tourism and hospitality industry (Morrison and Conway 2007).Beaver (2002) is of similar view and states that small firm definitions may need to incorporate the specific nature and context of respective industrial sectors if they are to be meaningful. Although defining small tourism and hospitality firms along tangible measures such as number of rooms and employees are essential, the intangible and qualitative features inherent in small firm ownership and management in general and at sector levels also needs some consideration if a meaningful definition is to be derived (Burns, 2001).Such intangible and qualitative features include lifestyle business motivations that have been identified in relation to micro and small-scale tourism firms (Locker and Morrison, 1999; Buick et al. , 2000; Get and Carlson, 2000; Kampala, 2004). From this perspective, qualitative social rewards may be priorities over those of a quantit atively defined economic nature (Appleton et al. , 2004). Thus, Morrison and Conway (2007) argue that any meaningful definition of small tourism and hospitality firms need the recognition, justification and combination of the associated quantifiable and qualified features.