Pop Culture Essays - Fashion, Body Art, Earring, Body Piercing

Pop Culture Pop Culture For thousands of years, men and women around the world have gone to redundant lengths to change their natural appearance of their bodies in an attempt to make themselves feel more attractive, to get attention, to conform to new customs of their particular cultural group, to attract a mate or sex partner, to show of their wealth or social status, or to just make an outgoing statement about themselves. Is body art really a pop culture? Our dissatisfaction with the human body and its covering is expressed in endless change. This results in the desire and adoption of a trend, these trends are shown through ways such as piercing, body painting, and tattoos, Body piercing has grown in popularity over the past five years especially among American teenagers who pierce just about anything that can be pierced: ears, noses, tongues, and navels. The most conventional form of piercing in the United States today is ear piercing, and it has become more mainstream for both sexes than it once was. Ear piercing can range from single hole in one or both ears to holes along the entire rim of the ear, but why has piercing become so popular? Given the name as Generation X youth today are known for being unable to follow a Normal Persons life and so express, and exaggerate their body until they feel comfortable, but being comfortable has become a bizarre competition, to see who can stretch their ear lobes the longest, or who has the most earrings too who has the craziest piercing, thus creating a mass trend in body piercing throught the worlds youth. Ear piercing struck America during the punk era, as a way of rebelling against parental figures and their ideas of good kids. And now during the 90s ear piercing has yet again became a popular culture, due to the influence of show business and their perspectives of beauty. Tattooing is probably the most popular form of body art in America today. The reason behind tattoos in society is to exaggerate the human body e.g. Intricate tribal armbands attract attention to mens biceps, and simple small designs attract attention to various parts of the female body especially on the lower part of the back and around the navel. The designs can be small and discreet or large and obvious. Many people prefer discreet designs that can be concealed for certain occasions. The reason for tattoos becoming such a pop culture is due largely to Hollywood films and TV celebrities. The professional wrestlers of the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) have not only become coarse, they have become body art fashion statements for our youth. Tattooed armbands, and Chinese lettering are seen so commonly that one would think that they are birthmarks. Although tattoos have become todays pop culture, tattooing has actually been practiced since the time of the ancient Egyptians. H.G Wells stated, In all ages, far back into prehistory, we find human beings have painted and adorned themselves In some cultures tattoos are considered a sign of maturity, or nobility. In the American culture tattoos are a sign of individualism and fashion. When most people think of body painting, the image that come to mind is more likely that of a Massai worrier. Yet we all paint our bodies for reasons of identification, ritual or beauty. Pop culture comes into body painting when we talk about cosmetics. A daily ritual for most women, consisting of early morning applying, afternoon touch ups and nighttime removal has become a necessity and addiction for most women today. Wearing cosmetics is undoubtedly the most prevalent type of body painting in the world. Its a multi-billion dollar industry, with an increasing male market as well. On the top level, makeup is used to cover up zits, scars or pimples. But on a deeper level, there are other reasons for using makeup. Some would argue makeup mania in American society is a product of the media, and that American men, women, and children are constantly presented with attractive images of models, movie stars, and musicians and desperately want to imitate the way they look. Taking in all the evidence past and present on body art, from an anthropological view point what

French Expressions Using Champ

French Expressions Using Champ The French word un champ literally means field and is also used in many idiomatic expressions. Learn how to say sphere of activity, battlefield, having room to move, and more with this list of expressions with champ. Possible Meanings of Un Champ field (all senses)area, domainshot, frame (filming)champagne (apocope) Expressions with Un Champ un champ closcombat areaun champ dactionsphere of activityun champ dactività ©sphere of activityun champ daviationairfieldun champ davoinefield of oatsun champ de bataillebattlefieldun champ de blà ©field of corn/wheatun champ de coursesracecourseun champ de foirefairgroundun champ de manoeuvreparade groundun champ de minesminefieldun champ de neigesnowfieldun champ de tirshooting range, field of fireun champ de trà ¨flefield of cloverun champ de visionvisual fieldun champ dhonneurfield of honorun champ à ©lectriqueelectric fieldun champ magnà ©tiquemagnetic fieldun champ opà ©ratoireoperative fieldun champ optiqueoptical fieldun champ ouvertopen fieldun champ visuelvisual fieldles champscountry(side)les Champs Élysà ©esElysian Fields (mythology), street in Paris tout bout de champall the time, at every opportunitydans le champin the shot/picture (filming)en champ closbehind closed doorsen robe des champsunpeeled (potatoes)une fleur des champswild flowerhors champoff-camer ala profondeur de champsdepth of fieldsur-le-champimmediately, right awayla vie aux champscountry lifeavoir du champto have room to moveavoir le champ libreto be free to do as one pleasesLe champ est libre. The coast is clear.à ©largir le champto broaden the scopelaisser du champ quelquunto leave someone room to movelaisser le champ libre quelquunto leave someone a clear fieldmourir au champ dhonneurto be killed in actionpasser travers champsto go through/across fields/countryprendre du champsto step/stand backprendre la clà © des champsto run awayse retrouver en plein(s) champ(s)to find oneself in the middle of a fieldsonner aux champsto sound the general salute (military)sortir du champto go out of shot (filming)tomber au champ dhonneurto be killed in actiontravailler aux champsto work in the fields

Supply Chain Mangagement Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Supply Chain Mangagement - Case Study Example Are all these SKUs necessary, profitable, and providing value to the company Many products may make good marketing sense, but Barilla's margins may be affected by the costs of the equally complex supply chain needed. b. Complacency of internal sales and marketing staff: If their reaction to JITD is any indication (p. 99-100), this may be most serious cause. Perhaps, they were just poorly managed because they did not buy the idea that a more efficient distribution system would result in higher sales and profits. Or worse, to satisfy unprofitable market demand and meet sales quotas, the sales team couldn't refuse requests of distributors and retailers even if the company's profitability suffered in the process. c. Old-fashioned distribution system: JITD was a partial solution superimposed on an existing distribution channel that proved non-scalable with sales volumes increases. JITD, by shifting control over buyer information from distributors to Barilla, marked a big difference in the dynamics of the supply chain to which existing players inside and outside the company found difficult to adjust. Poor planning and forecasting also shows how 'old-fashioned' (p. 96) is the distribution system that may have worked when sales volumes were still low and manageable. d. d. Poorly designed marketing incentive system: Marketing incentives should push the product and add predictability to market demand, but despite having a system in place every four weeks (p. 96-97), Barilla continued to experience variability in orders. Barilla has to address these underlying causes when implementing JITD that is, like all supply chain management systems, a support activity to major strategic decisions. 2. Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of the JITD program. a. The JITD was designed to give the following benefits to Barilla and its distributors: i. Better service to the end-customer who will get the product when needed. ii. Barilla and distributors can build a stronger partnership because of the mutual dependence created. Properly managed, this is good for both. iii. More stable timing of orders, generated on a predefined basis, assures better product quality. iv. Distributors will experience lower stockout and inventory levels and improved fill rates from Barilla and to the end customer. This means lower planning and ordering costs, and higher profits, for distributors as these costs are shifted to the manufacturer. v. Distributors can provide better quality service to end customers. vi. Barilla will find forecasting easier, plan its incentives better, and improve its inventory and procurement plans. Product returns will be lower as only those that could be sold given the stable end-customer demand will be delivered. b. However, JITD also has some drawbacks: i. Every employee at Barilla and distributors must fully understand and accept the program. Total participation is needed so that this change to the way things are done can be properly managed. ii. Close coordination between Barilla and distributors is needed as regards trade promotions and the gain or loss of large

Project Initiation Document (PID), Project Management, Heritage 59 Essay

Project Initiation Document (PID), Project Management, Heritage 59 Residence in Thailand - Essay Example Financial viability is always an important variable for commercial projects of this nature (Knight 2006) and already, financial feasibility has showed a net profit of THB 380 million over 36 months. The scope of the project clearly defines the boundaries of the project as in what will be involved in the project and what will not be involved in it. The Heritage 59 Residence project will comprise of a two building edifice that is located Sukhumvit Road. The first building will be a maintained 12-storey building at the front side of the site. The second building will be a reconstruction of the existing 3 story-building into a 27-storey at the back side of the site. The proposed financial scope given to the project is THB 85,000 per Sqm with the total land size of project being 806 sq.m to be completed in 36 calendar months. The scope described is graphically represented below Achievable It is important not to set an objective that will be excessively difficult to achieve. The project objective has therefore been defined to be moderate and made up fulfilling all legal provisions that were given in the course of seeking permit for the site plan. Relevant At the end of the project, there should be specific benefits that can be pointed to as the outcome of the project and this is to make a commercial gain of THB 380 million out of the project. Of the tasks, the procedure of construction team and materials will be the most highlighted. Generally, a bid will be opened for interested suppliers to tender. An executive from the Tender Board will be consulted to oversee this process. The project manager will then put in the procedures for procurement to begin by following the steps laid down by the National Procurement Board. The procurement, which is to centre stage will be undertaken through

Reflection on my leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflection on my leadership - Essay Example Such people possess innate leadership skills. A majority of these leaders would be identified by their physical features and personalities as postulated by the traits theory. It is for this reason that perhaps Hughes, Ginnett and Curphy (2009) support the argument that leadership is an art. Whereas I support the traits theory, I also acknowledge that leaders could be made, the reason why this course plays a critical role in imparting effective leadership skills in me. This science aspect of leadership helps leaders analyze each situation critically and adopt strategies that would promote the organization’s goals. As such, whereas I could leverage on my physical traits to be a leader, effectiveness would further require knowledge in leadership research. As a professional in the medical field, I seek to have leadership skills that would be applied in making business sense in my profession. I appreciate that building my leadership image would call for experience other than formal education. According to Hughes et al. (2009), formal leadership education develops contextual analysis and provides knowledge on the people to be led. It provides education on what qualities to foster for effective leadership. Nonetheless, such knowledge would only be useful if experienced in the real context, thus the importance of experience. Hence, it would be helpful if I start applying the leadership skills learnt from this course. I could start applying it in class, at home and the community, then transfer the experience to my workplace management.

Causes Of The Punic Wars History Essay

Causes Of The Punic Wars History Essay The Punic Wars were a sequence of three battles that were fought in the period 264 to 146 BC between Rome and Carthage. They were the largest battles of the time. The main reason for the occurrence of the battles was the conflict in the vested interests of the Carthagian Empire and the rapidly expanding Roman Empire. The Romans saw the need to expand their vast empire through Sicily, which was then an important hub, and was partly under Carthagian control. Carthage, being the dominant power in the West of the Mediterranean and strong in its naval power, resisted all advances by the Roman Empire, which was an extensive maritime empire. This resulted in the first of three major wars that were characterized by a number of battles. At the end of wars fought for over a century, Rome emerged victorious in the Roman-Syrian War with the defeat of Seleucid King Antiochus III the Great and went on to be one of the most powerful empires of the time till the fifth century A.D Carthage was a powerful thalassocratic city in modern day Tunisia. It had the largest navy and fought its wars through mercenaries, especially Numidian, rather than a permanent, standing army as was the case with the Roman Empire. In 264 BC, the Roman Empire conquered the Italian peninsula to the south of River Po bringing the conflict between the two rivals to a boiling point. This triggered the First Punic War that lasted between 264-241 BC. The First Punic War was mainly a naval war which was also partly fought on land in Sicily between Hiero II of Syracuse and Mamertines of Messina. The Mamertines first enlisted the help of the Carthagians but went on to betray them and sign a treaty with the Roman Senate. This led to the Carthagians to directly support Hiero bringing them at loggerheads with the Roman Empire for the control of Sicily. In 261 BC, after a defeat at the Battle of Agrigentum, the Carthagians resolved to fight their battles at sea rather than on land. They consequently successfully fought the Romans at the Battle of the Lipari Islands in 260 BC. Rome decided to expand its existing fleets to over 100 warships in two months so as to counter the all-powerful Carthagians in the sea. They were specifically designed to incorporate a Corvus so as to facilitate sinking and ramming of Carthagian ships. This guaranteed a stream of successes for the Roman infantries except for the Battle of Tunis. In 241 BC, the Cart hagians signed a peace treaty with the Romans in which they were forced to evacuate Sicily In addition to paying an enormous war indemnity. Further, in 238 BC, the Carthagians lost the islands of Sardinia and Corsica to Rome during the Mercenary War. This ensured that Rome was the superpower and could comfortably control any sea-borne or land invasion of Italy, all sea trade routes in the Mediterranean and further invade foreign shores so as to expand the Empire. Rome further fought and conquered colonies through the Illyrian Wars. Carthage was however forced to retreat and build its finances and expand its empire in Hispania. In the ensuing period between 238 BC and 219 BC, several trade agreements and mutual alliances between Carthage and Rome took place. These treaties were mainly about the release of all 8,000 Roman prisoners without ransom and the handing over of all deserters serving in the Carthage army. This latter section of the agreement was not adhered to leading to a reject of the treaty by the Roman senate and an increase in the indemnity fines. This therefore resulted in a liquidity problem in Carthage leading to the Mercenary war in which the mercenaries that had previously fought for Carthage to revolt due to loss of power over the sea-ways. With a comfortable win, Carthage and Rome enjoyed relative peace till 219 BC when Hannibal, having silver riches conquered by his predecessor Hamilcar Barca and a large native army from the subdued native tribes such as the Celts of the Po River, attacked Saguntum which was by then under special protection by Rome under conquest termed as the Iberian Co nquest. The Second Punic War occurred between 218-201 BC. Hannibal, leading the Barcid Empire, and allied to the Carthagians, crossed the Alps and invaded Italy in a series of highly successful battles. Hannibal, however, never attained the goal of creating a major division between Rome and its allies. These wars were fought on three frontiers. First, in Italy, Hannibal fought the Romans; secondly, in Hispania, Hasdrubal, a brother to Hannibal, constantly defended the colonies conquered and finally in Sicily, Rome fought for control which was further troubled by the continuing First Macedonian War. After a successful attack on Saguntum, Hannibal went further on to surprise the Romans by attacking Italy. Although he managed to win that particular battle, and also the Battle of Trebia, The Battle of Trasimene and the Battle of Cannae; he lost his only siege engines and most of the elephants and men to the icy mountains thereby strategically losing the battle in Rome which would have ensured a win of the entire war. His war strategy, which was to turn the allies of Rome against it since he could not take Rome on due to insufficient men, failed. Except for a few southern states, the rest remained loyal. Rome further drafted army after army after the defeats which ensured Hannibal was cut off from aid. Hannibal also never received any substantial reinforcements from Carthage which prevented him from decisively conquering Rome and ending the war at a win. The war raged for fifteen years during which the Roman Empire was unable to conclusively end the battle since Hannibal was a master general coupled with the fact that they were already engaged in the Macedonian Wars. Hannibal, realizing he was eventually running out of supplies, decided to retreat to his home base in Africa in aid to an attack waged by Rome but was thoroughly defeated in The Battle of Zama. In Hispania, Hasdrubal was soundly defeated by a young Roman commander, Publius Cornelius Scorpio. He therefore decide d to abandon Hispania so as to reinforce his brother Hannibal. This alliance was later trampled upon ending the Second Punic War in 201 BC. The Third Punic War, which lasted between 149-146 BC, was invoked by the extended Siege by Rome on Carthage and its consequent complete destruction. There was growing resurgence by Hispania and Greece against Rome coupled with the tangible increase in Carthagian wealth and martial power. The Roman Treaty incorporated a clause in which Carthage was to have no military thereby suffering attacks from the neighboring Numidia, a favorite of the Roman Empire. All arbitrations were done by the Roman Senate which was heavily in favor of Numidia. After 50 years since the end of the Second Punic War, The Carthagians decided they were no longer bound by the treaty and mustered an army to combat the Numidian attacks. This Punic Militarism was heavily objected to by Rome especially by Cato the Elder who declared that Carthage must be destroyed. In 149 BC, Rome issued demands that could not be met such as the proposal to demolish Carthage and build it further from the coast into the interiors of A frica. This drew Carthage into an open fight with the Romans. Over a short period, Carthagians innovatively made a myriad of weapons and were able to resist initial Roman attacks on their city. However, a three year siege on the city ended the war in which the walls of the city were breached by the Romans under the command of Scipio Aemilianus, who burnt the city to the ground and aggrandized other Carthagian settlements. The Carthagians who were not killed were sold into slavery. This brought the Carthagian Empire to an end.

Close Reading of Merwin’s Odysseus Essay

The subject in W.S. Merwin’s poem â€Å"Odysseus† feels comfortable only at sea, and, because such a notion is atypical, he cannot articulate or understand where his true home actually is. oAt peace at sea: â€Å"patience / He has wedded to† Numerous islands, but â€Å"one to call ‘home’,† even though he Merwin never specifies which island Odysseus really calls home   Ã¢â‚¬Å"which †¦ / Was the one he kept sailing home to?† †¢W.S. Merwin’s speaker in â€Å"Odysseus† is concerned about his romantic interests. â€Å"Wedded† to his adventures, he experiences a schism when interacting with the women he meets on various islands. oâ€Å"Put before him, the unraveling patience / He was wedded to† â€Å"There were the islands / Each with its woman† Odysseus seems to have a woman on each island, and, not knowing which island is home, seems not to be particularly loyal to any one of them. oIndeed, Odysseus later even says that â€Å"The knowledge of all that he betrayed / Grew till it was the same whether he stayed / Or went.† The only constant in his life is, certainly, his oceanic adventure, which, while there may be many, never change noticeably in c ontent. †¢A world-weary Odysseus relives his adventures in a repetitive, never-changing cycle, losing sight of the difference between ill-wishers and home. oJaded tone: â€Å"always the setting forth was the same,† â€Å"he had got nowhere but older,† â€Å"identical reproaches,† â€Å"it was the same whether he stayed or went† †¢The speaker in â€Å"Odysseus† roams the world, traveling in repetitive circles, hoping to allay the guilt that plagues him for â€Å"betray[ing]† so many women. oClaiming that â€Å"The knowledge of all that he betrayed / Grew till it was the same whether he stayed / Or went,† Odysseus looks for solace from the guilt he experiences from not staying true to any one woman. oWhile his days are repetitive and unchanging, his adventures are a constant, and Odysseus is able to consider himself â€Å"wedded† to that â€Å"unraveling patience† he can keep coming back to after days on land. †¢While Merwin’s speaker in Odysseus at times is unable to differentiate between those who wish him perils and those who remain remote and true, he continuously sails â€Å"home,† even while unable to define where home really is. â€Å"What wonder / If sometimes he could not remember / Which was the one who wished on his departure / Perils that he could never sail through, / And which, improbable, remote, and true, / Was the one he kept sailing home to?† Merwin rhetorically asks the listener to judge whether it really is Odysseus’s fault that he cannot distinguish between his ill-wishers and his home community. oWho is wishing Odysseus perils? Quite possible one of the women to which he was disloyal, and because there have been so many (every island, apparently), he now knows not which women still love him and which do not. †¢W.S. Merwin describes in his poem â€Å"Odysseus† the rift many experience when separating themselves from their interpretations of the norm. oOdysseus is accustomed to life as a traveler, with no real home on land. He also does not appear to be married to a woman; rather, he claims to be â€Å"wedded to† an â€Å"unraveling patience.† However, while he is habituated to his daily life, to an outsider, Odysseus lives atypically. oOdysseus recognizes this fissure, but instead of living comfortably without regards to how others perceive him, he questions himself and attempts to shape his world into a way that outsiders would understand.

Characteristics of Modern English Drama Essay

Godot’s 60th: The University of Reading archive shows the first night Pic: Roger Pic So why are we still waiting for Godot? How has Samuel Beckett’s play grown from a tiny avant garde performance in Paris to become part of the West End theatre coach party circuit? It’s 60 years since Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot received its premiere in the Theatre de Babylone in Paris. The first public performance, in its original French form of En attendant Godot, drew an audience of high-brow Parisians, taking in the latest experimental theatre. â€Å"All the thousands who claimed they were there could never have been at the premiere. There weren’t enough seats,† says James Knowlson, Beckett’s friend and official biographer. They also couldn’t have realised that this play, beginning its shoestring-budget run on 5 January 1953, was going to be seen as one of the pivotal moments in modern drama. International appeal So why has Waiting for Godot proved so durable? How has Beckett’s work outlasted the other iconoclasts and angry young writers of the 1950s and 1960s? â€Å"I would suggest the answer lies in its ambiguities. So much is suggested rather than explicitly stated,† says Prof Knowlson. A programme from Godot’s first setting at the Theatre de Babylone in Montparnasse, Paris â€Å"People can read into it what they want to read into it.† This openness to interpretation has helped the play to avoid becoming dated, he says. For a play that’s about the passing of time, it’s curiously timeless. It asks all the big philosophical questions – about life and death and the uncertain purpose of what goes on in between – but in a way that isn’t limited to a particular place or era. And the play has acquired a remarkable record for being performed in very different international settings. No disaster or civil strife is complete without its own Godot. It was performed in Sarajevo under siege in the 1990s, in South Africa it was seen as a critique of apartheid and in the wake of Hurricane Katrina a performance in New Orleans was seen as an emblem of the city’s wait for recovery. Inmates in San Quentin prison in California saw it as their own story in a famous production in the late 1950s. Prof Knowlson’s friendship with Beckett has also created a rich and unexpected legacy for his university, the University of Reading, which now holds the biggest archive of Beckett-related material in the world. From the early 1970s, the playwright began giving manuscripts and notes to Prof Knowlson, stuffed into bags, boxes and suitcases. And this Beckett International Foundation has grown to become the definitive European collection for researchers. â€Å"He adopted us,† says Prof Knowlson – although the attention-shunning writer was never persuaded to visit the archive in person. As Waiting for Godot reaches its 60th anniversary, the university has artefacts and pictures from the original performances. ‘Something extraordinary’ It’s also a reminder of how easily the play might not have happened at all. Samuel Beckett at the BBC recording a series of his plays in 1977There were no famous faces or big funders to back the play. Instead it depended on the actor and director Roger Blin to hustle for cash and a venue – and once it had begun it relied on word of mouth for survival. None of the original cast are still alive – and the theatre itself shut down a few years after staging Beckett’s play. In an interview with French television in the 1960s, Roger Blin suggested the initial power of the play. When Beckett showed him the script: â€Å"I said to myself: This is something extraordinary and it must be put on.† Another playwright who was enlisted in the search for funding fervently promised Blin: â€Å"I will defend this play to the death.† It was still proving controversial when the first English version of the play was performed two years later in London, directed by a 24-year-old Peter Hall. Harold Pinter, also then in his twenties, saw Beckett as the the â€Å"most courageous, remorseless writer going†, while reviewer Bernard Levin described Waiting for Godot as â€Å"a remarkable piece of twaddle†. Not a ‘miserabilist’ Prof Knowlson is himself now one of the most important living links with Beckett. Continue reading the main story â€Å" Start Quote He could be very convivial, very witty, very good company, with a great sense of humour† Professor James Knowlson Beckett’s friend and biographer. And he recognises that the continuing interest in Beckett’s writing is wrapped up in the fascination with the enigmatic character of the author. His photogenic alienation has become a kind of literary brand. But Prof Knowlson argues against the view of Beckett as a â€Å"miserabilist†. â€Å"He could be very convivial, very witty, very good company, with a great sense of humour. â€Å"But there was an element of depression and despair that was part of his life, particularly after the war when he was deeply involved in writing the novels.† He says that Beckett’s idea of a happy Christmas would have been a solitary occasion. â€Å"He would have been preferably on his own and writing. He hated that kind of thing.† The underlying humour is also part of the continuing appeal of Waiting for Godot, he argues. It’s often a peculiarly bleak comedy of resistance, but the thread of humour is always there to leaven the gloom. It’s now a commonplace to see Waiting for Godot described as one of the most important plays of the 20th Century – with its reputation gathering momentum rather than fading away. The kind of movie actors who would have reached the career point of wanting to be in King Lear now want to shuffle across the stage in Godot. Design conscious A key reason for this growing resonance with audiences, Prof Knowlson says, is the visual appeal. Beckett’s strong images appeal to a design-conscious, visually-literate culture. â€Å"They have this strong visual element. I’ve become much more conscious of the filmic quality.† A handbill advertising the first run of Waiting for Godot Prof Knowlson says that he increasingly believes there is a direct link between the plays and Beckett’s interest in painting. â€Å"He was passionately involved in painting, not just that he loved to be with painters, but he was a real expert on 17th Century Dutch painting.† â€Å"He knew these pictures so well, he was so engrossed in these scenes. It seems to me that these pictures are really echoed in Waiting for Godot.† Beckett’s life was changed by the success of Godot – the international impact of the play helped him to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. His publisher John Calder also recalled how the enigmatic Godot could haunt his creator. He recounted how he had once met an anxious Beckett getting off a flight at Heathrow airport. When the plane doors had closed on the runway in Paris, Beckett had heard the loudspeaker announcing: â€Å"Captain Godot welcomes you on board.† â€Å"I wondered if my destiny had caught up with me at last,† Beckett had told his publisher. The Beckett International Foundation at the University of Reading will hold a series of seminars on Samuel Beckett and Waiting for Godot in April 2013.

Benchmarking Money Transfer Services

Benchmarking Money Transfer Services Free Online Research Papers Money transfer overseas is that process in which money can be transferred from one location to another. Various companies are offering this type of services to a large number of customers. Money transfer process is fast, reliable, as well as convenient to manage. By these methods, money can be sent or received in any part of the world without any harassment. Western Union Money Transfer was incorporated in the year 1851 and is a leading financial services provider specializing in money transfer business in the United States. Western Union Money Transfer offers a wide variety of services to its customers, which include money orders, consumer-to-consumer money transfer and many other types of commercial services. In 2006, the number of operating units of the Western Union Money Transfer was 2700,000 with branches of this renowned financial service in more than 200 countries worldwide. When it comes to sending money from place to place, Western Union is the most well-known money-transfer company around. While Western Union is the forerunner in this service industry there are alternatives. Western Unions main competition is from MoneyGram. MoneyGram allows customers to send and receive money through 75000 centers throughout 175 countries across the world. MoneyGram has been providing trusted payment and financial services since 1940. MoneyGram diversity of branches gives you choice and convenience, with many offering extended hours so you can send and receive money at a time that’s convenient for you. MoneyGram claims to be cheaper than the leading money transfer provider, although costs may vary by country and the amount of the international money transfer. Furthermore, Western Union started a strategy to decrease their prices in 2009, and they could be cheaper than MoneyGram. This issue will be presented and analyzed through this research. 1.2 Problem Presentation In this case study, I’m working with Ahli Bank (quality assurance department), who are looking forward to improve the performance of MoneyGram service in Jordanian market. They need to measure the level of people awareness of their money transfer service as a main competitor of the leading Money transfer service Western Union, taking in consideration that Western Union has a monopolistic position in Jordan. They need also to know how satisfied the current customers with their service in order to make any improvements and to be able to close the service gaps. They need also to plan their marketing strategy accordingly, so they need to know where they should align their plans, how they could increase their market share by increasing people awareness in the first place. They need a real comparison between two services to take a full image about the current situation, and how could Western Union succeed with continuous efforts for improving themselves, and rewarding their cust omers to keep their loyalty. They need to collect Jordanian feedback and measure their responses, measure their awareness, and loyalty level. So, which attributes should be measured? How much do a quick response, the spread and costs affect customers’ satisfaction? How should they gather the customer expectations? How should the company fulfill these expectations? How could they close the service gap? How could they achieve and sustain a competitive advantage? And how could they shine in money transfer industry in Jordanian market?! 1.3 Why benchmarking Benchmarking is the master key to becoming the best; and it is one of the most effective means to identify improvements which can make a significant difference to our service. This improvement could be defined as increasing customer satisfaction in the most effective manner. In this research, we are trying to provide Ahli Bank with solid data about the awareness and performance of MoneyGram service comparing with the main competitor Western Union. 1.4 Purpose 1. To highlight money transfer services in Jordan. 2. To benchmark money transfer services – MoneyGram and Western Union – in the following dimensions: Spread Cost Awareness SERVQUAL five dimensions: Reliability Responsiveness Assurance; Empathy, and Tangibility 3. To discover the gaps between MoneyGram and Western Union, and come up with recommendation that may close the gaps and help Ahli Bank to improve the performance of MoneyGram. 1.5 Strategy The strategy in this project as follows: 1. Distributing a survey which built on SERVQUAL model, the results of this survey are analyzed and measured to give us a feedback about the gap between MoneyGram and the money transfer leader Western Union. 2. Visiting the suppliers of money transfer services (banks, and money exchange agents) 3. Electronic awareness survey to measure the awareness level of MoneyGram service as a competitor of Western Union. 4. Calculating the net promoter score NPS, to measure the responses on the recommend question, and measure the loyalty of customers. 5. Collecting information about the cost and spread of both services. 1.6 Limitations 1. Limited time to complete the study. So we can’t conduct interviews with money transfer users to get more information about their needs and attitudes. 2. Confidentiality of data regarding the visited agents, especially when they know the visit is for research purposes. 3. Confidentiality of Ahli bank documents: all data are gathered outside the bank, using surveys and mystery shopping. 4. Jordanian culture: Jordanian can’t understand the importance and added values of research, so they keep their information confidential, they are preservatives from participating in surveys, and they are not aware of their requirements and needs when they are answering the service quality questions. These issues complicate data collection process. 2.0 Methodology 2.1 Process Analysis – Flowchart The following flowchart represents the process of sending and receiving money through money transfer agents. 2.2 SERVQUAL Survey SERVQUAL is an instrument for measuring how customers perceive the quality of a service. This method is based on the five quality dimensions: Tangibles – the appearance of the physical facilities and materials related to the service Reliability – the ability to perform the service accurately and dependably Responsiveness – the willingness to help customers and provide prompt service Assurance – the competence of the system and its security, credibility and courtesy Empathy – the ease of access, approachability and effort taken to understand customers’ requirements The data obtained from this tool can be used to compute service† quality gaps. By examining these various gap scores a company can not only asses its overall quality of service as perceived by customers but also identify the key dimensions, and facets within those dimensions, on which it should focus its quality improvement efforts. Our survey in this project is based on SERVQUAL instrument, with 20 questions to cover the service quality five dimensions, 4 questions each (See Appendix 1). We had distributed the survey in Arabic language, and we tried to cover different age groups, different education levels, and different occupations. 2.2.1 Survey Analysis Sample size: 64 participants (Random sampling) 48 responses were included in our analysis. (75%) 16 responses were excluded from our analysis (25%). These responses were from Ahli bank employees, which could bias our analysis to MoneyGram. Western Union users: 67% of the sample ïÆ'   81% using money exchange subagents 19% using banks MoneyGram users: 23% of the sample ïÆ'   18% using money exchange subagents 82% using banks Other services users (SpeedCash, Wire transfer †¦): 10% of the sample ïÆ'  supplied by banks Sample demographics: Demographic variables Segments and percentages Gender 52% Male 48% Female Age group 2% Less than 21 48% 21 to 30 25% 31 to 40 17% Above 41 years Educational level 45% Bachelor 6% Master and above 13% College and less 36% Unspecified Occupation Teachers, Lawyers, Pharmacists, Managers, students†¦ Table 1: SERVQUAL survey sample demographics 2.2.2 SERVQUAL methodology 1. The answers of survey 20 questions were entered in an Excel sheet, where the answers of Western Union users separated from the answers of MoneyGram users. 2. Find the average score for every statement of 20 statements. 3. Calculate the Gap Score for each of the statements where the Gap Score = Perception – Expectation. (We have considered the expected score to be 4.25 for all questions) 4. Obtain an average Gap Score for each dimension of service quality by finding the average gap score for the statements that constitute the dimension. 5. Calculate the importance weights for each of the five dimensions of service quality constituting the SERVQUAL scale. The sum of the weights should add up to 100. We had distributed the dimensions statements (in Appendix 2) for some people where every statement represents a one specific dimension (Sample: 30 participants) The average weight score for each dimension after analyzing the responses is displayed in the table 2. 6. Calculate the weighted average gap score for each of the five dimensions of service quality multiplying the average gap score for every dimension by the weighted scores. Then sum the calculated scores to obtain the average weighted gap score. (See table 2) 7. Calculate the weighted average score for each of the five dimensions of service quality by weighting the average score to the weight for each dimension (for example: Tangibility weighted score = ( 3.84 * 18.93 )/5 = 14.55). Then sum the calculated scores to obtain the average weighted score. (See table 3) 2.2.3 Findings Our results for Western Union and MoneyGram in the following tables: Dimension Western Union MoneyGram Average Gap Score Weight Weighted Gap Score Average Gap Score Weight Weighted Gap Score Tangibility -0.41 18.93 -7.69 -0.55 18.93 -10.33 Reliability -0.32 22.78 -7.29 -0.43 22.78 -9.84 Responsiveness -0.25 22.44 -5.61 -0.41 22.44 -9.18 Assurance -0.14 18.9 -2.66 -0.41 18.9 -7.73 Empathy -0.38 16.95 -6.36 -0.64 16.95 -10.79 Average Weighted gap score -29.61 -47.86 Dimension Western Union MoneyGram Average Score Weight Weighted Score Average Score Weight Weighted Score Tangibility 3.84 18.93 14.55 3.70 18.93 14.03 Reliability 3.93 22.78 17.90 3.82 22.78 17.40 Responsiveness 4.00 22.44 17.95 3.84 22.44 17.24 Assurance 4.11 18.9 15.53 3.84 18.9 14.52 Empathy 3.88 16.95 13.14 3.61 16.95 12.25 Average Weighted score 79.08 75.43 Table 2: SERVQUAL Weighted Gaps Scores Table 3: SERVQUAL Weighted Scores Chart 1: Displaying weighted gap scores Chart 2: Displaying weighted scores Implications 1. A negative Gap score indicates that the actual service (the Perceived score) was less than what was expected. Accordingly, we can find that the two services are supplied under expectation, but with higher gap for MoneyGram service. 2. The highest gaps are in tangibility and empathy dimensions for MoneyGram, they should work more on these two dimensions to provide them in more quality oriented manner. 2.3 Awareness Survey Electronic survey had been created using Vista survey (vista-survey.com/). It was arranged logically, so the questions that will be presented are related to the previous answers. For example, if the participant said that he never heard about MoneyGram, I will not ask him if he ever used MoneyGram service. (The complete sets of questions in the awareness survey are listed in Appendix 4). 2.3.1 Survey Analysis Sample size: 73 participants Western Union users ïÆ'   56% (40 participants) MoneyGram users ïÆ'   8% (6 participants) Other services users ïÆ'   5% Not current users of money transfer services ïÆ'   34% Sample Demographics: Demographic variables Segments and percentages Gender 52% Male 48% Female Age group 7% 18 to 25 47% 26 to 30 27% 31 to 35 5% 36 to 40 14% Above 41 Employment Status 79% Employed full time 3% Employed part time 12% Homemaker Full time student 3% Retired 3% Currently unemployed 2.4 Net Promoter Score (NPS) NPS is a management tool that can be used to gauge the loyalty of a firms customer relationships. We can calculate NPS based on the answer of the recommend question in the survey, the answers are classified as follows: Promoters – who answered YES are loyal enthusiasts who will keep buying and refer others, fueling growth. Passives – who answered Not Sure are satisfied but unenthusiastic customers who are vulnerable to competitive offerings. Detractors – who answered NO are unhappy customers who can damage your brand and impede growth through negative word-of-mouth. NPS captures two key behaviors: 1. Buyer economics (the value of the customer) 2. Referral economics (their potential value through referral). The first deals with an individual’s own choices and the second with how those choices influence others. The difference- the net- is the metric of interest. It takes into account the positive impact of Promoters (higher repurchase rates and referrals) and the negative impact of Detractors (negative comments, lower repurchase rates) to yield a summary metric. Higher percentages of Detractors also link to reduced growth rates. This evidence shows that it is not just Promoters but the absence of Detractors that create a positive growth engine. The ultimate question (The recommend question) We asked the following question in our survey to calculate NPS: Q. Would you recommend the service provider for other people? Results from SERVQUAL survey: Western Union users MoneyGram users YES 84% 74% Not Sure 13% 26% NO 3% 0% NPS = Promoters – Detractors NPS (Western Union) = 84% – 3% = 81% NPS (MoneyGram) = 74% 0% = 74% Results from electronic awareness survey: Western Union users MoneyGram users Absolutely, all of the time (Promoters) 36% 17% Most of the time (Promoters) 39% 67% May or may not (Passives) 15% 17% Probably not (Detractors) 5% 0% Would never recommend (Detractors) 5% 0% NPS = Promoters – Detractors NPS (Western Union) = (36% + 39%) – (5% + 5%) = 65% NPS (MoneyGram) = (17% + 67%) – 0% = 84% Implications: NPS for Western Union is greater than MoneyGram, so Western Union users could promote the service more than MoneyGram users. We have some passives for both services (higher for MoneyGram); those can be attracted by competition easily. MoneyGram in the two surveys doesn’t’ have detractors. This is a good indication of potential growth. But in this study, we can relate this result to the few no. of participants from MoneyGram users. That’s because, we used random sampling, and we expect the percentage of MoneyGram users in the sample is reflecting the actual no. of users. The two scores are considered quite high, we need more research and interviewing people with open-ended questions to elaborate more about their attitude toward their money transfer service, and this should be conducted by Ahli bank on 60% of MoneyGram users as this research has limited time to be finished. NPS is a good methodology to adapt it. It needs more research, and group discussions to be implemented in the bank. 2.5 Area of study Our area of study is Gardenz Street. We did choose this street as it has a well and large coverage of money transfer agencies. We have found that the spread of the services over the banks and money exchange agencies in this area as follows: 15% MoneyGram 85% Western Union International spreading of the two services as follows: 97% for Western Union 3% for MoneyGram We can find that these international spreading numbers are reflected into Jordanian market, regardless that the spread in our area of study was quite higher than international numbers. 2.6 Mystery Shopping Duration: 3 days Location: Banks and money exchange agents in Gardenz Street. Tool: Checklist (see Appendix 3) The visited suppliers: Western Union MoneyGram Banks Housing bank Jordan Kuwait bank Commercial bank Jordan bank Ahli bank Money exchange agents Petra ME Aboud ME AlFurat ME AlAlami ME Abu Shaikha ME Mesharbesh ME AlRaed ME Summary: The above listed money transfer suppliers were visited. These suppliers are located in our study area (Gardenz Street). We are looking in our visits to check if the standards are implemented and to which level they are performed. We have covered the following dimensions in the visits: the sign, promotion and feature knowledge, application filling, and extra benefits provided to customers. Analysis: Suppliers average scores: Western Union MoneyGram Banks 3.51 3.19 Money exchange agents 2.72 2.6 Field Observations: 1. The banks supply the service in more quality oriented manner. That’s because the banks are well prepared for providing financial services, and the money transfer is one of the main services delivered to customers. 2. It was obvious that the banks don’t give attention and priority for money transfer service as one of their services, so they don’t have a specific employee for this service, the customer should wait in a queue most of the time, and you could wait a long time to find the responsible part inside the branch to deliver the service to you. 3. The money exchange agent can supply the service without long waiting time, they have specific employee to serve you, and the time for delivering the service is more convenient for customers. But the money exchange agents don’t follow standards in tangibility (cleanness, modern equipments), and their employees don’t have the required knowledge in delivering this service. 4. The sign of Western Union is attractive in its color and size in most suppliers’ offices. That’s doesn’t apply on MoneyGram at all, it could takes you long time to perceive an agent while you are passing by the car. 2.7 Price Comparison (Transfer Fees) The transfer fees are set from the international companies of both services. Sending $1000 from Jordan to the following countries: MoneyGram Western Union Egypt $12 $15 Philippines $12 $15 Srilanka $19.9 $15 Indonesia $9 $10 Emirates $50 $47 Implications: There are some countries were MoneyGram is cheaper than Western Union. Western Union revised their prices and minimized them since one month from starting this study. It was more expensive than MoneyGram. Western Union used the same low transfer fee for all the countries which have high number of labors inside Jordan. Those labors are the most targeted customers who care about the prices to be low and competitive. 3.0 Outcome 1. Benchmarking results Based on the previous analysis, each one of the following criteria will be given a rate out of 5, to be able to determine the gap between the two services. Western Union MoneyGram SERVQUAL Dimensions 3 2 Market Share 5 1 Awareness 4 1 Price 4 4 Spread 5 2 The above table shows that the Western Union is better performing in most criteria, and the price is the only one that provided on the same level from both services. 2. Awareness The following pie chart illustrates the awareness level of MoneyGram in Jordanian market (based on awareness survey results) 3. Service quality The service quality in which money transfer service is supplied should be revised and work on for both services to be more reliable and competitive, but MoneyGram should work more on service quality as it has higher gap from expected performance than Western Union in SERVQUAL dimensions. 4. Spread The spread of MoneyGram suppliers over the studied area was in very low percentage comparing with Western Union. But we can find lower percentage in international spreading of MoneyGram which could reflect on most areas inside Jordan (3% MoneyGram, 97% Western Union) 5. Customers Preference The customers would like to use money exchange agencies for transferring money for their prompt service and availability for longer period of time, but the most suppliers of MoneyGram are banks!!! 6. Money Transfer Fees The transfer fees of the two services could be on the same level, some countries are cheaper for Western Union, and some are cheaper for MoneyGram. 4.0 Recommendations 1. Increase the number of money exchange agents who supply the service on the quality standards of the contactor (Ahli bank). That’s because most of money transfer users prefer to use money exchange agencies for this service. 2. Apply NPS score and its improvement methodology. NPS when combined with appropriate diagnostics and follow-up actions; it drives improvements in customer loyalty and enables profitable growth. Ask the customers the recommend question, calculate NPS form time to time, and seek to increase the promoters and decrease the detractors. 3. Increase Awareness level. Jordanian people are not aware of MoneyGram service as a main competitor of Western Union, and a reliable service for money transfer, and half of them they don’t hear about it before. Accordingly, Ahli bank should start awareness campaign and creative marketing to increase the awareness level. 4. Apply quality standards for money exchange subagents. They should implement Ahli bank quality standards, to deliver the money transfer service as customers’ expectations. That could be applied by providing them with training on service quality, and continuous monitoring for their commitment to standards. International company should assign a budget for these training as well. 5. Review prices with the international company. Provide the customers with affordable and competitive prices to keep their loyalties. Moreover, offer them extra benefits like special discounts and gifts in continuous manner. 6. Review the sign with the international company. It should have more attractive colors and design, and which should reflect the brand all of the time, and the color should be positioned in customer mind for MoneyGram as we always perceive the yellow color for Western Union. 7. Activate online money transfer for Jordan. The online money transfer is available through MoneyGram website for some specific countries. They should negotiate with the international company to make Jordan one of them, so customers can send money from and to Jordan electronically with lesser transfer fees. 8. Continuous quality improvements and benchmarking. Find new area for improvement; evaluate the processes, benchmark against competitors continuously. References http://finance.mapsofworld.com/money/transfer/western-union.html,  © Mapsofworld.com 2008 https://www.moneygram.com/,  © 2009 MoneyGram Ms. Rawan Sharabi Ahli Bank Quality Manager Email: rawansa@hotmail.com Appendix 1 – SERVQUAL Survey Talal Abu Ghazaleh College of Business Questionnaire The following survey is built to benchmark the money transfer services and to assess the quality in providing this service. As a user of money transfer service, we would like you to participate in this survey. All data will remain confidential in strict accordance with the ethical standards. Please answer the following questions as accurately as possible. Thank you for helping me to complete this dissertation research. Which money transfer service are you using? Moneygram Western Union Other What is the service provider channel that you are using the money transfer service through (Name the bank or the money exchange agency)? Why did you choose it for this service? Read the following items carefully which concerns money transfer service that you are using: Circle one number for each statement: Strongly Disagree (1), Disagree (2), Not Sure (3), Agree (4) and Strongly Agree (5) 1. The service provider has modern looking equipment. (LCD, furniture, PCs, printers, queuing system, ) 1 2 3 4 5 2. The service provider has clean office and equipments 1 2 3 4 5 3. The service providers reception desk employees are neat appearing (well dressed, well shaved, suitable makeup, ) 1 2 3 4 5 4. Materials associated with the service (such as postures, brochures) are visually appealing at the service provider. 1 2 3 4 5 5. When the service provider promises to do something by a certain time, it does so. 1 2 3 4 5 6. When you have a problem, the service provider shows a sincere interest in solving it. 1 2 3 4 5 7. The service provider performs the service right the first time. 1 2 3 4 5 8. The service provider insists on error free records. 1 2 3 4 5 9. Employees in the service provider tell you exactly when the services will be performed. 1 2 3 4 5 10. Employees in the service provider give you prompt service. 1 2 3 4 5 11. Employees in the service provider are always willing to help you. 1 2 3 4 5 12. Employees in the service provider are never too busy to respond to your request. 1 2 3 4 5 13. The behaviour of employees in the service provider instils confidence in you. 1 2 3 4 5 14. You feel safe in your transactions with the service provider. 1 2 3 4 5 15. Employees in the service provider are consistently courteous with you. 1 2 3 4 5 16. Employees in the service provider have the knowledge to answer your questions. 1 2 3 4 5 17. The service provider has operating hours convenient to all its customers. 1 2 3 4 5 18. The service provider has employees who give you personal attention. 1 2 3 4 5 19. The employees of the service provider understand your specific needs. 1 2 3 4 5 20. The service provider has your best interests at heart. 1 2 3 4 5 Would you recommend the service provider for other people? Yes No Not sure Name(Optional): _____________________________ Gender: Male Female Age: _______________ Nationality: ___________________________________ Education: ____________________________________ Occupation: ___________________________________ Appendix 2 – Survey Dimensions Weighting German Jordanian University Questionnaire Money Transfer Services Benchmarking Listed below are the five sets of features pertaining to money transfer suppliers. We would like to know how much each of these sets of service features is important to you. Please set the points for each of the following features according to how important it is to you (Points: from 1 to 5). Features Points 1. The appearance of the suppliers’ physical facilities, equipment, personnel and communication materials. 2. The suppliers’ ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately 3. The suppliers’ willingness to help customers and provide prompt service. 4. The knowledge and courtesy of the suppliers’ employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence. 5. The caring individual attention the supplier provides its customers. 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Please answer the following questions as accurately as possible. Thank you for helping me to complete this dissertation research. 1. Have you ever heard of MoneyGram service before? ( ) Yes ( ) No ( ) Not sure 2. How did you first hear about MoneyGram service? ( ) Magazine ( ) Radio ( ) Internet ( ) TV ( ) Friend or relative ( ) Other If Other, please specify: 4. Are you currently using the money transfer service? ( ) Yes ( ) No 5. Which is the money transfer service you are using? [ ] MoneyGram [ ] Western Union [ ] Express [ ] Other If Other, please specify: 6. Overall, how would you rate MoneyGram service? ( ) Excellent ( ) Very Good ( ) Good ( ) Fair ( ) Poor 8. What is your favorite thing about MoneyGram service? 9. Would you recommend your money transfer service to another person? ( ) Absolutely, all of the time ( ) Most of the time ( ) May or may not ( ) Probably not ( ) Would never recommend 10. Name (Optional): 11. Your age: ( ) Under 18 ( ) 18 to 25 ( ) 26 to 30 ( ) 31 to 35 ( ) 36 to 40 ( ) 41 to 45 ( ) 46 to 50 ( ) 51 or older 12. Your Gender: ( ) Male ( ) Female 13. Which category best describes your employment status? ( ) Employed full time ( ) Employed part time ( ) Homemaker ( ) Full time student ( ) Retired ( ) Currently unemployed ( ) Disabled ( ) Dont Know/Not Applicable Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction 4 1.1 Background 4 1.2 Problem Presentation 5 1.3 Why benchmarking 5 1.4 Purpose 5 1.5 Strategy 6 1.6 Limitations 6 2.0 Methodology 6 2.1 Process Analysis – Flowchart 6 2.2 SERVQUAL Survey 8 2.2.1 Survey Analysis 8 2.2.2 SERVQUAL methodology 9 2.2.3 Findings 10 2.3 Awareness Survey 12 2.3.1 Survey Analysis 12 2.4 Net Promoter Score (NPS) 14 2.5 Area of study 15 2.6 Mystery Shopping 16 2.7 Price Comparison (Transfer Fees) 18 3.0 Outcome 20 4.0 Recommendations 22 References 23 Appendix 1 – SERVQUAL Survey 24 Appendix 2 – Survey Dimensions Weighting 27 Appendix 3 – Mystery Shopping Checklist 28 Appendix 4 MoneyGram Awareness Survey 29 Research Papers on Benchmarking Money Transfer Services Twilight of the UAWThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NicePETSTEL analysis of IndiaAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanThe Project Managment Office SystemOpen Architechture a white paper

Work Ethic Essay Sample

Work Ethic Essay Sample Essay on Work Ethic Work ethics is believed to be an idea that work, hard work and diligence, has a positive outcome. They also believe that a person should prioritize work and work only in order to live a successful life. Some may disagree on this but there are people who really make their lives revolve around working. Being a workaholic is not bad but on some point, this trait can become a problem because too much work can lead to sickness. It is okay to work as long as you take good care of yourself. A strong work ethic is needed in order to survive a life that is centered in doing your job. The following are the top ten work ethics. When you enter a job the first impressive move you will take is being always on time and never be absent. Attendance is one of the most important factors when an employer looks for an employee. When a person is late many things are wasted and it is not good for the business. You will never find a boss who wants his or her employee to be always late. This will impress and inspire your co-workers and your boss. Every company believes in the saying that the early bird catches the worm so an early employee will be the most productive. The second one is the character of an employee. The character of a person is important in the workplace because it will determine his or her connection with his colleagues. It is so important that a person has a good attitude so that he can get along with his co-workers and the job will be done easily. The third one is team work; this is applicable to an individual or a group of people. Team work is definitely needed because some job requires coordination b etween more people. It will also show how a person will communicate to the other to finish a certain task. The fourth quality is the appearance; sometimes looks really matters. If you will notice, some job posts include pleasing personality as a requirement. People in the business world needs people who are presentable looking in order to persuade the clients and convince them that their company has real business because their employees look presentable enough to be believed. It does not necessarily mean that the person should pass the standard of beautiful; he or she just needs to be presentable. Next one is an attitude, just like character it shows how a person acts towards the others. Tough times will also test someone’s attitude on how he or she will react in a problem. The sixth quality is productivity; it is something that makes an employer keeps his or her employee. A productive person always gets the job done even before the deadline. The kinds of people who are productive are good for the company because the salary given to them are all worth it. The other qualities include organizational skills, communication, cooperation, and respect. Organizational skills are needed because it will make a person do his or her job in the easiest way possible. Communication is needed in any field of the workplace because this is what makes people understand each other. If an employee does not know how to communicate, he or she will not be able to impart his or her ideas and that may cause the company a big loss. Cooperation is important because when an employee is not cooperat ing the job will not be done. Last but not the least is a respect for each other. Without respect, the job will not be done successfully. Everybody should respect each other regardless of their race, age, gender, and religion. Respect should be given and not demanded because it is something that is offered to a person without anything in return. All of the mentioned qualities should be exhibited by a person who wants to work with strong ethics. If a person has all of those qualities, he or she will surely stay in the job he or she loves. The drive of a person to make something successful will make him or her goals come true. The strong work ethics is nothing without hard work and patience in doing the job.

Reactive and Preventive Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reactive and Preventive Healthcare - Essay Example Is it appropriate for an individual to show concern about one's blood pressure, once one suffers a heart attack Is it sensible to care about one's food habits and lifestyle, once a person develops a peptic ulcer Nearly 50 percent of the Americans suffering from chronic ailments could trace their maladies to faulty lifestyles and non-compliance with the lifestyle adjustments prescribed by the healthcare personnel (American Heart Association: Online). There is no denying the fact that in such cases, reactive healthcare is like purchasing an umbrella after the rains are over. This premise does not obliterate the relevance of reactive healthcare. Still, preventive healthcare is certainly superior, as it attacks a disease at its very genesis. There are some facts, which command a general acceptance in the local and global medical community, and do not require any statistics to achieve credibility. It is a known reality that cigarette smoking causes cancer, heart diseases and a plethora of other ailments. According to the American Heart Association, in the period 2000-2004, approximately 443,000 US citizens died of smoking related illnesses every year (Online).

Brown vs board of Education Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Brown vs board of Education - Research Paper Example As such, the paper seeks to critically discuss the impact of racial segregation especially on students in public schools. The case of Brown v. Board of Education (1954, 1955) marked a major victory for blacks in the US who were major victims of racial segregation in schools. Though the Supreme Court judges in this particular case were deeply divided over the case, they realized that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. in delivering the judgement in this case, they stated that, "We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. . ." (USCourts, n.d). Indeed, this judgement in the case of Brown v. Board of Education (1954, 1955) is plausible since it is a victory to those people who are segregated on the basis of their race. Racial segregation has negative impacts especially on the victims particularly the people belonging to an â€Å"inferior race.† Racial segregation is dehumanising since the segregated groups are relegated to lower levels of society and they are often treated as inferior. Under law, this practice should not be permitted since it impacts negatively on other people who may be deprived the opportunity to live happier lives through their hard work. People who are looked down upon often view themselves as inferior and they are not capable of doing anything meaningful that can improve their welfare. They also end up failing to get opportunities to pursue courses and careers that can improve their welfare. The aspect of racial segregation is inhumane since it is believed that all people are created equal by God. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), human beings are born with inalienable rights and these should not be violated by other people. Article 7 of the UDHR (1948) states that, â€Å"All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal