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Lying and use of fictions in day-to-day adverts has become more persistent in the contemporary society. False advertisement, therefore, refers to the use of misleading and typically unproven information regarded as false, to advertise a product or a service to customers. It also involves the exposing of untrue stories about someone, a product or a service. Such advert does not disclose the sources of information but is basically meant to persuade customers on the benefits of particular products or services. A false advertisement not only provides inaccurate information about something, however, it also omits information which it should contain (Goldman 487). This research paper, therefore, seeks to examine lies and false adverts in their immediate context and their possible effects. Whether on a national television or the local newspaper, the information conveyed by any advertisement must uphold the truth. In recent times, lies and false advertisements have been used extensively by a business enterprise through their sales agents and politicians. Business companies have always engaged in competition for customers. As result, they have conducted frequent business promotions tailored towards increasing their market share. Persuading customers is also about changing their attitudes and capturing their attention towards the products being promoted. It involves conveying of information concerning the health benefits of using a certain product as opposed to their substitutes. Consequently, to increase their sales, sellers have over a long time used exaggerations based on their products and services. They have misled customers using their untrue information on their advertisements on health benefits. In businesses, there are numerous instances under which false adverts has ever occurred. An advert is considered deceptive if it deliberately misleads its intended customers. Among the several deceptions include snapshot retouching, the omission of information, hidden fees and charges, misleading health claims, as well as oversized packaging of products among others (Bevier 25). To begin with, photographic retouching is a false advertisement used in the cosmetic industry besides the weight loss businesses. They depict false unattainable results to consumers and give a false impression of the cosmetic product's factual capabilities. This is intended to help such businesses attain a higher competitive advantage over their competitors since their false impression has fully captured their customers' perceptions regarding the effectiveness of such products compared to those of their competitors without the photo retouch. The second instance is the omission of information. Failure to include any relevant information about a product is a misleading attempt to the customers. A more relevant example is that of a television advert on prescribed drugs which may precisely fulfill the requirements of the regulations by showing a side-effect at the end of the advert. Hidden fees and charges is another strategy used by most companies to trick customer who might end up paying an excess fee on the advertised products as opposed to the actual price of the item or service unknowingly. It is commonly used in taxation levies, insurance, and shipping fee. A good example is the online selling of a product, where the delivery cost is hidden to make the product cheaper to customers. On health claim advertisements, certain words such as cholesterol-free, low sugar and fat levels, vitamins available, chemical-free product etc. in certain manufactured products may not be true but are only meant to convince the customers on the health benefits of a product, although, in reality, such allegations are not based on facts since they have no source of evidence. They are only meant to attract customers. On the other hand, politics has also formed the grounds of lies and dishonesty in many occasions since politicians have been lying to their followers during their election campaigns along the streets that they are the best. Based on their policies, they have always promised their followers many that they end up not fulfilling, rendering their promises untrue. This has built mistrust between the politician and their followers. Campaign advertisements holding untrue information have always been broadcasted on televisions and printed in local newspapers so that citizens can read and change their attitudes towards such politicians and vote them in.However, the use of false advertising to gain customers is misleading since its information lacks substantive evidence. As a result, it is subjected to some effects which are discussed here below. The effects associated with lies and false advertisements include financial loss, broken trust and customer loyalties, distorted competition among others. False advertising is costly to a company and ends up with a huge amount of money are caught (Garramone 148). For example, the uber advert, â€Å"We have made many improvements to the driver experience over the past one year and will continue to focus on ensuring that Uber is the best option for anyone looking to earn money on their own schedule† attracted them a charge amounting to $20 million dollars by the FTC since their advert was found to be based on false allegations. However, the company is also likely to suffer more serious financial losses if the advert is pulled down. By so doing, the so affected company will lose the money spent in developing the advert. The company can also be sued on the basis of a false advert and be charged more fines in court must also pay the customers who filed the caseFalse advertising has a vast effect on braking trust with clients (Garramone 152). A company engaged in such illegal act gives an impression of lack of its trustworthiness to business in the sight of customers. This will affect the relationship of the company with its existing and new customers, who will feel betrayed and are likely to look for new suppliers of the same goods and services somewhere else. Customers may lose loyalty to the business consequently, building a negative reputation of such business on the public domain. This is likely to affect the future operation of a business. Finally, deceptive advertising reduces the competitive advantage of the business. Ideally, a healthy competition between two or many companies should aim at benefiting the customers by providing them with quality products and services at a cheaper cost. However, a company engaged in false advertising may spend a larger amount of money to make their products attractive. This may hamper their creativity and innovation since they will refrain from conducting research to determine the new factual ways of bettering the quality of their services.In conclusion, false advertisement is misleading. It involves the use untrue information, without supportive evidence about the quality of goods and product. In a business perspective, the intention of a false advert is to attract more customers and increase the number of sales. It gives a false impression to the customers about a product quality. However, it affects businesses in various ways, which include excessive loss of finance, loss of customer loyalty, and disrupting healthy competition thus lowers the competitive advantage of a business. Advertisement In todays world,we are surrounded by various types of advertising. Despite the fact that advertising has become a vital part of business world today,I would argue that it has influenced people to such an extent that people start spending money even without thinking and advertising should be regulated to avoid its negative impacts. Adverts forced consumers to buy things that they event don’t need in many different ways. T.V commercials ,billboards alongside roads and in train stations,leaflets and magazines ,product placement in popular websites,all these forms of advertisement present products in such a glamourised way that we ,as consumers,are forced to buy them. For instance,many textile,garment and other industries pay huge amounts to media stars and top models to endorse their products and people,in particular youngsters,buy these products because their favourite star is in that particular product’s advert.Moreover,sometimes people are not even aware that they are g etting convinced and influenced by adverts. For instance,matches and big sports events are sponsored by companies nowadays and inturn they advertise their products and people get influenced by logos and signboards while watching a match. Similarly products are placed in websites so that people can see adds while watching dramas or movies. To put into a nutshell,we cant avoid commercials even we want to do that. However,we can minimise potential hazards of advertising by some simple measures.Firstly, there should be a regulating body to keep check on advertising industry. Secondly government should banned advertisement of those things that can be dangerous for health such as fast food,fizzy drinks,ciggaretes and alcohol. Similarly sports events can be sponsored but it is important to make sure that products of sponsored companies are not something that can have negative infuence on people such as tobacco products. In the end ,I believe that advertisements have very strong inflence on people and it is the responsibility of authorities to make positive use of this influence.Thats why advertising should be regulated and negative effects can be avoided by banning dangerous products and adverts that are aimed at children. Consumers are faced with increasing numbers of advertisements from competing companies. To what extent do you think are consumers influenced by advertisements? What measures can be taken to protect them? Whether it is on TV, radio or hoardings at the side of the road, advertisements have become a part of our lives. Advertising is a powerful and persuasive medium. Consumers are influenced by advertisements in both positive and negative ways.This essay shall delve into the ways adverts affect the common man and suggest ways to protect people from the negative effects of adverts. On the positive side ads tell us about the new products that are launched in the market. They also tell us about the working of these products. After seeing the ads, consumer s can go to the market and select things of their choice. What is more, the advertising industry provides jobs to many. Ads also touch social issues. On the other hand, advertisements can cause people to be dissatisfied with what they already gave and make them want more.Being exposed again and again to products which one cannot afford leads to dissatisfaction. Furthermore, not all parents are in the position to afford the goods which the children see advertised and want to possess. This often leads to feelings of inadequacy among them. In addition to this advertisements lead to materialism and people lay too much emphasis on material goods. People are prepared to work long hours or even turn to crime to get these goods. The solution is not simple as advertising has become a very pervasive medium.To begin with, advertisements which make false claims should be banned. Then there should be consumer awareness programmes. Consumers should be warned against too much consumerism. Finally, advertisements for liquor and those ads which show stunts should also be banned. To conclude, today we are influenced a lot by adverts, both in positive and negative ways, without adverts we would lose a valuable source of revenue which is used for the benefit of majority. Our lives would be dull without these ads and there is not much that can be done against the consumerism they promote.

Bank Internship: National City Corporation

This past summer (2002), I was an intern in the Credit Department at the corporate headquarters of National City Bank located in downtown Cleveland. During my time as an intern I was able to put my classrooms knowledge and experience into practice dealing with real world situations. Let me give you an overview of what our department basically did on a day to day basis. We were what you would call the â€Å"number crunchers† of the building. Senior Credit Officers, Loan Officers, and Secured Credit Analysts would send numerous financial statements for various companies to our floor. These financials, with the attached project (I will explain the projects/assignment later) would then be assigned by our department head to specific analysts. We were then responsible for completing the desired task that the Officer had requested by a certain date and time. Analysts would gather as much information about the company as needed and perform the various tasks in order to get the Officer’s approval of the completed product. All in all, that is basically what the Credit Department did on a day to day basis, but this is just a brief overview. I will go into further detail throughout the remainder of the paper. On my first day at the internship, I was introduced to my supervisor and Assistant Vice President of Credit, Anita Swoboda (she interviewed me and gave me the job over the phone, so we had never met) and the rest of my coworkers on the 9th floor. After the introductions were made and I was situated in my new desk, I was instructed to go to a computer in the back of the office to learn the system that the department worked off of. The instructional tour took me through the database that I would be using on an everyday basis and showed me what everything the specifics of the system. The database was constructed like an Excel spreadsheet, but it was specifically made with equations for the different data entries. After I was fully acquainted with the database (it is called FAMAS), I was given my first assignment to complete. The slang term used around the office for these financial tables was â€Å"spreads†. The spreads were the end result of the data entered into FAMAS. I was given a set of financial statements from a specific company and my job was to enter the relevant data into the necessary categories and subcategories in the system. After all of the data was entered, I had to check to make sure that the balance sheet was in balance, the income statement provided the correct net income for the period ending, and the cash flow statement was in accordance to the company’s given data. If everything was in place and all of the data was correct, I then would print off the â€Å"output†. The output gave six pages of the summarized data that I had entered. Three pages were the replicas of the balance sheet, the income statement, and the statement of cash flows. The other three pages gave concise ratios and detailed reconciliations pertaining to the data. This, inevitably, was used by the Officer to make an accurate assumption about the stability of the company’s cash/asset/liability position. This was the most basic and most assigned project for the analysts in general. The next type of responsibility that I had was in the contents of what was called a Criticized Asset Sheet or CAC for short. These CACs were used by Officers when a company was underperforming according to National City’s standards for loan payments. These companies often times would have negative net income levels for more than one year, poor repayment practices in the past, and overall bad quality dealings with National City in general, just to name a few. The CAC required the analyst to do the assigned company’s spreads as well as a number of other pieces of financial analysis in order to give the Officer and the committee a better idea of where exactly this company stood and if it was beneficial to keep doing business with them. I was responsible for going through another database (I was taken through another step by step training session, this time with an individual) to get all of the pertinent information needed for the assessment. This new database allowed me to get detailed information on all of a company’s outstanding loans (i. e. what type of loan, when it matures, how much is outstanding, etc. ), the list of beneficiaries/individual signers on the loans as well as their financial commitment in the company, and the company’s past status on its old loans. After gathering the necessary information, it was my duty to input the data into a pre-designed word document and add verbiage to tell what each number represented (this is difficult to explain without showing you exactly what the sheet looked like). I would then send an updated copy of the CAC to the Officer (whoever it was that I was working with) and he would look over it to see if there should be anything else added and also to see if there were any mistakes that I had made. After looking over the sheet, the Officer would then send me a new copy of the CAC via interoffice email with his/her pdated section. Their section dealt mostly with notes from the last meeting, recommendations, developments, etc. which were relevant for the next meeting with the committee. I would then take this new copy and send it over to Secured Credit, where someone would derive an analysis on collateral determinants, cash flows summaries, etc. and that would then go into the CAC at the end. After I had collected all of the necessary items, I would put the CAC together with my section, the Officer’s section, the Secured Credit comments, and the spreads. I would then print out a copy and give it to the CAC secretary who would put it on the stack of other CACs to go down to the printing room for multiple copies. These copies would then be distributed to the various committee members when the CAC was due to be discussed. It was the committee’s duty to discuss the company’s situation with the Officer (the Officer was closely related with the company, meaning that he had gone to the location, spoken with the executives on several occasions, etc. to see if it was feasible or not to continue funding their outstanding loans or if they should be ended. The last responsibility I had as an intern at National City was the most detailed and the most important assignment that permanent analysts completed. Toward the end of my internship, it was noticed by my superiors that I could handle large workloads and put out excellent results. So, my supervisor decided that I should be taught how to do the main thing that permanent analysts d id on a regular basis. These assignments were called Credit Sheets. The Credit Sheet incorporated all of the things that dealt with the CACs and the spreads, but required an extreme amount of financial information and overall analysis. This sheet dealt with the loan structure, financial position of the company, statements from the CEO, industry and company analysis, future implications that may hinder the business’s performance and various other aspects of the overall picture company and its industry in general. These sheets were usually between 30 and 100 page reports and were done because a company was seeking new loans, extensions on old loans, or more borrowings. My duties were to gather all of the information that I could about the company and its industry. I would be in constant contact with the Officer so that he/she could give me any updated financial or company news in general and also so that I could let them know how my progress was coming along. I would then construct a broad industry analysis as well as a very detailed company analysis. It was also my job to provide a detailed financial analysis of the company including collateral trends, borrowing base, future commitments, 1, 3, and 5 year cash flow analysis, and projected future position. The sheet, again just like the CAC, would be passed between the Officer and myself, with him/her adding necessary information as necessary, until we were both confident with the content. The sheet would then be presented to the committee and it would be determined through discussion, whether or not the company’s request was valid according to the information presented and the committee’s feeling about the future of the company. I did also have other various responsibilities such as side projects for different people and whatnot, but basically, the things that I described above were my most important responsibilities. These duties, no matter how large or small, were an integral part of the corporation’s functioning as a whole. During my time as at National City, I, along with the two other interns and the new permanent employees, was required to take a Commercial Credit class. We would meet as a group one or two times a week with Anita, in a classroom setting, and go over the different topics we were assigned to read. There were five parts in all: Qualitative Company Analysis, Credit Risk Analysis, Cash Flow Analysis, Balance Sheet Analysis, and Case Studies. These areas were integral in the learning process of dealing with Commercial Credit in that it taught us what to look for when dealing with companies’ financial statements and allowed us to take a more in depth look at the financial process. It was an incredible learning tool because it allowed all of us to take what we were learning in the classroom and use it in a real world situation. I thought that that aspect was the best part of the internship in that it expanded on my current skills and enabled me to experience situations that cannot be taught merely in a college setting. The purpose of an internship, as I see it, is to make a person aware of the world that waiting for them after college and to give them a better understanding of what is out there in corporate America. Not only did this internship show me what could be waiting for me after college, but it also taught me a great deal about how a corporation works as a single unit. My job and status in the corporation was not looked down upon and I was not handed filing work or other types of â€Å"busy work†. I was being taught and molded in a way that was in accordance to how they train their ermanent employees. It was truly an incredible learning experience for me. The internship was very beneficial to my future professional career. I speak with employers now and they are thoroughly impressed with my experiences at National City. I have a superior knowledge of certain aspects of the financial world that has given me a leg up against the competition during the interviewing process as well as in conversations with professionals in the field. I feel more comfortable and confident with my skills and abilities than I have ever felt before. National City made me feel important and now that is the attitude that I carry around with myself. The thing that I enjoyed the most about my internship at National City was the fact that I was treated as an equal and important member of the corporation. Aside from the learning aspect of the job, I gained a sense of what it would be like to be an employee of a large company, such as a bank. I was given work that the permanent employees were doing and I was expected to perform within the same parameters. I also enjoyed the work setting in general. We worked hard, but it was a laid back atmosphere where you could really get to know the other people in the office. Plus, most of the people that I worked with were either fresh out of college or had graduated just a few short years back. There were also a few Ohio University College of Business alumni in my department which made for interesting and resourceful conversations. With all of things in mind, I cannot stress enough how much I enjoyed the fact that this job really taught me a lot. I know that I have already mentioned this, but the knowledge that I gained from my time at National City was priceless. I never thought that an internship could be so beneficial to me in the long run, but I was proven wrong in this case with flying colors. The internship, overall, was just an incredible experience for me and I am truly grateful that I was given the opportunity to prove my self while expanding on my skills at the same time. The College of Business has done a fantastic job in preparing me for my professional career in many ways. Many of the classes I have been required to take have given me a strong base of knowledge in particular areas of finance. I felt extremely prepared for this job when I first started just because of the fact that the finance and accounting classes that I have taken so far have taught me a great deal about the raw material in dealing with income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, etc. The course I took at National City was mostly a method of fine tuning my already present skills and also a means of allowing me to put my entire classroom learning to work in real world situations. The course that really prepared me the best for this position was the second business cluster (301i). In the cluster, I learned how to better my time management skills, work through tough situations, and gain more experience with interacting with other individuals (group work). I thought it was amusing that the permanent analysts were working on industry analyses for their projects and I was able to help them because of the fact that I had done so many of them in the cluster. I guess I really didn’t realize just how much I have truly learned until I experienced it first hand in a situation like the one I just mentioned. The introductory finance class given in the cluster (FIN 325) was also an important class that helped to prepare me for this job. I was introduced to the stock market on a more specific level and was taught about how to â€Å"analyze† the numbers (basically, what everything means). But, like I said, the overall knowledge that I gained from all of the classes I have taken here at Ohio University have been a huge benefit to my professional career. When I began my internship, I knew that I was prepared, but I didn’t know that I could be fully prepared for the task that was laid before me. To my relief, everyone around me was extremely helpful if I had any problems with anything and the Credit class also refreshed my memory about some of things that I may have forgotten over time. All in all, I was prepared enough to perform to the best of my ability and to add value back to National City. My overall outlook on my career and future has always been a concern of mine. I would always ask myself what kind of job of do I want to have when I graduate, where do I want to work, what will make me happy, etc. and it has always been hard for me to answer. To be honest with you, I never thought that I would want to work at a bank, to become a â€Å"banker†. But after experiencing a banking job first hand, I feel that it is something that I truly enjoy. I feel that banking is a great place for a finance major to start off in a career because it allows one to gain an understanding about the â€Å"meat and potatoes† of the financial world. Banking is a broad field to get into because there are so many aspects of it and so many different career paths to follow. I have interviewed with a number of companies to get a feel for what is out there for finance majors coming out f college and have found that it is mostly banking or sales. I know for a fact that I do not picture myself in a sales type position (life insurance, broker, etc. ) and that banking just seems to be the right fit for me. I have had the benefit of being able to take an in depth look at what the banking industry is all about and what it has to offer to myself i n regards to developing my professional career. I am happy to say that I am currently in the second round of interviews with National City for a Commercial Banking position. This is a position that I feel will be the most beneficial for me to begin at directly out of college. I feel that this position will give me the sound financial background that I need in order to advance in my career and develop into the professional that I have always strived to become. This internship was a great experience for me, one that gave me something more than just a paycheck. National City is an excellent corporation and deserves praise for its efforts in the internship arena. Please let me know if there are any other questions that you would like answered, for I may be able to explain myself better in spoken words (592-6294). Thank you.

Physical Attractiveness and Long-term Relationships Essay

Physical Attractiveness and Long-term Relationships - Essay Example Women often favor the "macho man" than his less attractive competitor. Accordingly, "Human attraction to aesthetics, good looks advertise good health" (Lecture, 7/18/2007). True enough, physical beauty alone can blind individuals and lure them to dive into an intimate association. In the real world situations, it is notable that the satisfaction of the physical ideals becomes an important basis in people's search for casual, non-committed, short term relationships. However, physical attractiveness alone is insufficient in sustaining that bond let alone ensure the longevity of that relationship. It becomes apparent that both sexes relax their ideals of physical attractiveness when considering a long term partnership. An intimate relationship which is fully founded on the physical attractiveness of each partner is most likely to fail. Beauty is a shallow basis in pursuing a long-lasting relationship. The success or even the mere survival of a relationship depends on more intrinsic factors like the partner's acceptance of each other, sensitivity, commitment to the relationship, and most especially their level of understanding and love to each other. Real life examples provide us more than enough illustration to support this argument. As partners goes through their relationship, they become overwhelmed with concerns which are bigger than what meets the eye. Thus, as they began to face the storms and struggles, they begin to care less about the physical appearance of their partner. In fact, just spending time with the person 24 hours a day each day of the week makes the importance of physical beauty fade into the background. At this stage, the partners become more concerned on their individual diffe rences, emotional struggles, and other problems. The ability of the partners to surpass these critical periods is determined by their love for each other alone and not on their level of physical attractiveness. Love alone, which enables a person to accept his partner for all that she is and instills him with the commitment to make the relationship work, can sustain a long term partnership. Relationships which are founded on immediate physical attraction are more likely to fail when individual differences become apparent. In fact, these partnerships are often disastrous and can be attributed to the high divorce rate and long-term singledom (Feinmann, s. 4). Physical attractiveness can be more detrimental than beneficial in a relationship. Studies stress that beauty often boosts the self-confidence of women, gives them security in the relationship and becomes their ticket in doing dirty tactics: "Data from young U.S. females show that compared to less-attractive females, attractive females report higher frequencies of using attractiveness enhancement tactics (e.g., wearing makeup), flirting with other males to make a date jealous, and acting possessively" (Elia/Chen p.33). All of the aforementioned strategies of more attractive female becomes damaging to the relationship because they can become causes of disagreement between partners. Flirting with other men and becoming overly possessive are two things which are extremely loathed and are unacceptable to guys. In this way, physical attracti

The Changing Representations of African Americans in Drama Essay

The Changing Representations of African Americans in Drama - Essay Example The fact that "racism inscribed in the nation's Constitution and legal history has practically insured that a national tendency towards blindness, psychosis and stammering around race would carry over into the 21st century,"(Tate 44) and this is clearly demonstrated in America's modern media. Today we see the demonstration and celebration of the clever and reflective achievements of African Americans not only in the field of entertainment, but also in other distinct fields as well. This paper will explore the changing representations of African Americans in theatre and television. I will also examine the implications of these roles and the ways in which they influence others’ perceptions of the black race. There are many intelligent Blacks working in the American theatre today who have labored to bring forth its daring and often healing truths. Reviewing the bulk African American performance, theatre and drama, and brings into focus the years of glory of the Harlem Renaissance, ranging from the plays and sporting events to fights and dances. To assess the development in the American African theatre, one needs to examine the important contributions of the black male and female playwrights. With the contemporary focus on multi-cultural theatre, anthologies of plays by African Americans are important additions about the Black theatre because the number of venues in producing plays by African American authors has greatly increased (Collier). Criteria that make a television and film drama great and some productions mediocre are the significant stories that show the age and the period by portraying the characteristic conflict and choices and immediate circumstances of the characters’ lives. ' lives. Today, the visual media and studies are employing different approaches and methods whereby some skim the surface and shun the question of value, while others penetrate beneath the surface and take on questions of value in the most direct way. Drama and movies have presented models that have had the ability of being challenging, probing, insightful and therapeutic by portraying believable characters in credible situations, challenged to make choices. It is clear "America is experiencing a new black cultural renaissance, and nowhere is it more evident than on the nation's theatre stages." (Nesmith). While old stereotypes are not completely gone. Some shows project Blacks as lazy and not wanting to better themselves, when in reality it is an enormous struggle to overcome oppression and gain equal opportunities for themselves. Everything produced on the television cannot always be great drama. Certain shows set back race relations because their view of Black assimilation is not projected positively. But the works of the African American playwrights present the philosophy and magnitude due to the depth of the inner unity between the characters and the concrete collisions of the socio-historical forces of their time. Around the 1950's, the visual entertainment was shifting toward television shows, and it became important for the survival of the motion picture to have new ideas. This resulted in the 1950 Hollywood presentation of a Black middle class family, "No Way Out." "Thirty years ago, at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, in the year Malcolm X was shot and riots broke out across the country, Douglas Turner Ward used comedy and satire to deliver a message of the

Isms Related to the film Waking Life Assignment

Isms Related to the film Waking Life - Assignment Example An appreciation of the influences of surrealism, Dadaism, and expressionism as reflected in the film Waking Life should begin with an appreciation of the distinguishing features of the three isms. In general terms, films that embrace the aspect of surrealism will often tend to portray certain cinematographic techniques in unnatural, and bizarre, unrestrained, and nearly superfluous representations to capture the essence of the subconscious potential. This is usually meant to uncover the hidden truths and potentials that are naturally restrained by the conscious processes. The reliance on the subconscious to create new meaning and expand on old realities requires a determined shift from the usual order, which is synonymous with the conscious world. In this film, the film director employed multiple techniques to achieve the aspect of surrealism (Linklater 67). The visual and audio techniques of the film evoke a sense of strangeness that dislocates natural truths as known in the physica l world. By representing characters and situations in dreamlike worlds, the director achieves the purpose of aligning the aspects of reality in distorted forms. There seems to be no established order and the representation of the physical forms is generally distorted or, in some cases, altogether formless. The representation of these aspects of reality might be considered as one of the primary considerations of the director in his desire to engage the subconscious processes of the mind. The discussions that take place in this film are generally aimed at emphasizing on illusory realities, which are held as supreme and limitless. For instance, the protagonist eventually floats to oblivion at the end of the film. He is lifted by indescribable forces and appears to have finally transited into the dream world and woken up from the illusion of the physical world in line with the reflections that dominate the film. It might be necessary to regard this aspect of floating as the ultimate tri umph of the super-real over the real. Paranormal feelings and actions are brought out in the reflections and actions of the film to unleash the full potential of the subconscious processes. The use of light and colour also contributes to the development of the surrealistic features of the film. There is little balance in colour, which makes the representations to appear incongruous and altogether indescribable. In this manner, it makes sense to consider this film as the ultimate representation of alternative forms of existence that can be achieved by harnessing the power of the subconscious mind. Dadaism has very close relationships with surrealism and is usually regarded as the parent idea from which surrealism emerged. Dada art usually seeks to unsettle aspects of reality in ways that does not make sense within the conventional systems. Both surrealism and Dadaism emerged in Europe after the periods of war as a rebellion by artists to the ways of thinking that culminated into the chaos (Elger 71). They were embraced as the antithesis to the dominant systems of thought. Dadaism would embrace mediocrity, nonsense, and outlandish qualities to expand on the various aspects of reality. It would be important to regard these forms of art as encompassing the entire

Children's Development, Health and Well-being Essay

Children's Development, Health and Well-being - Essay Example This paper will now discuss the different ways by which children develop in their early years and primary settings, with specific focus on their health and wellbeing. First, a discussion on the developmental needs and conditions of children in their primary school years would be presented, followed by a discussion on the theories and key educational initiatives and how these impact on children’s development. Legislation pertinent to the topic will then be discussed, including the key elements which impact on children’s development, health and well-being. Legislation relevant to schools and children will also be made part of this discussion as a means of understanding the connections between policy and classroom practice. Body During the primary years, learners are highly energetic and highly engaged in physical activity. They are also entering a period of experimentation with various possible identities (Fabian and Dunlop, 2002). They explore themselves and their relati onship and similarities to their peers, including the differences between the male and female gender. They are also able to participate enthusiastically in various activities, as well as to expand their mental development in ways which may be considered reflective (Fabian and Dunlop, 2002). These learners have needs which relate to the application of complicated, dynamic, interactive and cyclical activities. The learning process for these children would have to call for them to elaborate, reformulate, and reflect upon their knowledge and values (Fabian and Dunlop, 2002). In other words, they have to be supported on how their develop responsibility for their learning. The years following conception until birth to the first eight years of the child’s life are crucial to their complete and healthy mental, emotional, and physical growth (Robinson, 2007). Their brain’s rapid development often starts as early as the prenatal stage and continues until after the child’s birth. The cell formation of the child is often already complete before their birth with a newborn infant having about 100 billion brain cells (Robinson, 2007). Their brain maturation as well as the development of their neural pathways is however continued after birth until their early childhood. In effect, early childhood is a time where the environment also has a crucial role to play in determining the eventual direction of the child’s development. The environment impacts on the number of brain cells and connections made, but also how these connections would be wired (Waller, 2009). The goal of removing excess neurons and synapses from the immature brain is a process which goes on until the child’s adolescence, but is especially dramatic during the child’s early years (Waller, 2009). This process is also guided to a significant extent by how the child is experiencing the outside world. According to different studies, if the brain does not gain enough stimulat ion during this critical period, it would be very difficult for the brain to later rewire itself at a later time (MacIntyre, 2007). Poor nutrition before birth and in the first years of the child’s life can also seriously impact on brain development and cause neurological and behavioural issues including learning disabilities and mental retardation (MacIntyre, 2007).

Defining Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Defining Religion - Essay Example ?s explanation of his duties as a warrior and the ways where he can elevate his consciousness to the level of Krishna made the Bhavad Gita a structured theology for the Hindus just like the Bible to the Christians. In the Gita, as it is simply known, contains the guide on how to live one’s life which led Hinduism to be â€Å"a way of life†. In the Gita, Lord Krishna explains to Prince Arjuna why he has to fight the Kuruskshetra War to restore his karma; that there is a cycle of birth and death and the soul does not really die but only the body that decays during the cycle of birth and death. This is to allow a person to improve on their karma through their lifetime of action until enlightenment and vijnana is achieved. Darsan for Hinduism is a way of seeing with reverence and devotion that one may receive blessings. It is the equivalent of the Christian faith’s â€Å"vision† of something holy or the divine. In simple practice, Darshan only involves seeing the image of god so that the devotee may experience spiritual upliftment (Pattnaik). The New Testament’s Gospel of Mark and Gospel of John are one of the synoptic gospels of the life of Jesus Christ, the central figure of the Christian faith. The Gospel of Mark is the narration of Jesus Christ’s baptism to His nailing to the cross to ascension. The Gospel of Mark Chapter 14 – 16 is the prelude to Jesus Christ’s nailing to the cross when Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. Jesus Christ knows about it as he already predicted the betrayal and had Last Supper with his Disciples before he was arrested. The miracles that Jesus Christ known to perform are also contained in the Gospel of Mark such healing of the sick. The Gospel of John on the other hand accounts the teachings of Jesus Christ when He was doing His ministry. It begun with Jesus Christ’s affirmation with St. John the Baptist and culminated with His resurrection from the dead. Gospel of John’s chapter 1 was Jesus Christ’s teaching

Academic Report and Financial Calculations 04031 Essay

Academic Report and Financial Calculations 04031 - Essay Example A model of the HR function and its implications were critically evaluated in light of the chosen capital investment project and trading with its Co-share. As per the evaluation of the project suitable conclusions and recommendations were provided and in addition the reflective statements were prepared. Capital budgeting is a method through which a firm decides to invest in the long term investment proposals (Baker and English, 2011). Capital budgeting can also be measured as a scheduling process which helps in deciding which investment like new machinery, new products, replacement machinery and new plants can prove to be cost effective (Phaup and Kirschner, 2010). It is used for budgeting of vital capital investments. The different techniques for calculation used in the capital budgeting process are NPV method, IRR method, payback period and profitability index method. In the capital budgeting process, there exist some non financial qualitative aspects in case of project viability (Lan, Chung, Chu and Kuo, 2003). Every organization is recognized for their surroundings and norms. It becomes necessary to gauge in order to shape the behavior of the employees in an organization. There are three stages in capital budgeting analysis including decision analysis for building knowledge, op tion pricing for establishing position and discounted cash flow for making decision regarding investment (Garcia, Contreras, Correia and Muà ±oz, 2010). In context of project valuation, it is necessary for a company to ensure that their potential projects are in order to the employee’s culture because going further than that may crash the financial factors. The study is conducted to analyze the implications of the project and their impact on human resource (HR) (Law, 2004). The implications of the project includes capital budgeting calculations to choose the profitable project, evaluation of the chosen project, ethical considerations and relating a HR function model with the

Social Problems Work Essay Example for Free

Social Problems Work Essay When referring to social problems, society generally looks at them from a larger objective or standpoint. The problem is going to include some typified examples, general terms that are associated with the problem, and statistics created in the claimsmaking process. This macrosociological approach relies on what the media has portrayed the problem to be. It is the job of social problems work to narrowly tailor aspects of a social problem in order to attempt to solve or address it in a practical and immediate manner (Best 227). Best explains that social problems workers, such as doctors and teachers, have encountered stereotypes of their roles that require them to perform grand feats but they work in highly regulated systems and industries. Bureaucratic procedures make it difficult for the workers to effect change directly. This also leads to varied amounts personal discretion that social problem workers possess. Since social problems work is narrowly tailored, specific individuals receive personal attention. These cases can be a doctor and patient’s interaction, a teacher’s conversation with their student, or a police officer’s interaction with a citizen who has made a call. When they are trying to make accurate assessments of each case, the social problems workers have to ask themselves questions like â€Å"What seems to be the problem Which aspects of the case are relevant†¦ Does this seem to be a serious matter†¦ What is the nature of the subject†¦ Are other people watching†¦ Are there work-related considerations†¦? (Best 236-239). Because the nature of their work can be so sensitive, social problems workers find that they are caught in the middle or blamed for the outcome or consequences from their work. As expected, social problems workers expect for the subjects to cooperate with their plan of action in order to help eliminate their issues, but when they do not, the workers are left to deal with the consequences. â€Å"Social problems worker try to control the flow of information about their activities. They generally prefer that others learn about the work they do directly from them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  in order to prevent the possibility of information being distorted by media outlets looking to portray their work in a certain way (Best 248). Some social problems workers go the extreme and tamper with the information they submit to reporting agencies to ensure that they are seen in the best possible light. They are able to get away with this because there are many situations in which workers are required to use their own personal discretion with out having to defer power to their supervisors or bosses until afterwards. Social problems workers are required to bring larger, abstract problems to a personal, more detailed level. Doing this can benefit certain claims by bringing an actual face and story to a social problem. It does not only create the perfect victim, but it gives a face and a personal account of how the social problem has directly affected their life or wellbeing. Activist as claims makers would benefit from using social problems workers, their subjects, and cases as a method to personify their claim. Experts as claims makers would only be able to capitalize off of social problems work by using the possibly skewed data and statistics they provide in order to give an overall picture. By looking at individual workers and cases, there is a chance they can encounter a unique situation that is not consistent with the data or point they are trying to make. In lecture, we discussed the need for claims makers to not only have statistical and concrete information to prove and advance their claim, but the need for the public to be able to relate to it and see how is also affects them or their loved ones. If it does not, there will be no reason for them to want to support the cause. Social problems work is an ideal way for this to be done because it finds a medium between expert testimony and activists. Many people have interactions with social problems workers, so it is easy for them to bring up their concerns with a particular problem and see how and if they can help or are at risk. For example, child abuse is a social issue that draws attention because of the underage status of its victims. People see children as helpless and in need of a nurturing guardian. Any adult can as a police officer, doctor, or teacher what resources are available to serve as a safe haven for abused children. I feel as though the media and social problems workers have made efforts to use each other for their own gain and benefit. Various media outlets can call upon social problems workers to boost their ratings by bring sensationalized stories and cases. This is used to play on the emotions of the public and â€Å"guilt† them into advancing their cause. This can be seen with infomercials regarding poor children in â€Å"third world countries†, children with cancer, and animal abuse advocates. Organizations like Feed The Children use images of celebrities or former government officials next to images of poverty stricken, starving children. Viewers are made to feel guilty because they are told that the amount of money they use on their daily coffee can provide essentials for that child. Once the viewer has made the connection between how much their Starbucks cost and the idea that their child does not have to live that life, they are then compelled to donate to the organization. The social problems worker in the commercial has been used a pawn for donations and ratings. Similarly, hospitals that specifically cater to children with terminal illness show individual cases of these children and their doctors. Sometimes their parents explain that their child would have not survived without the donations from viewers because the hospital does not charge for their services. The doctors also add their perspective as to how much their procedures would have cost. After they have explained the financial aspect of the individual child’s care, they then proceed to use the medical terminology for their condition with images of young children attached to massive hospital equipment. After watching the commercial and listening to the doctors, the public generally assumes that they are correct and donates to the organization. The media does this as well with animal abuse advocates. They show footage of domestic pets with lesions and injuries. Viewers are led to assume that they came from their owners. While the intentions of social problems workers are usually genuine, they are put on display on these commercials for the benefit of the organization and the network airing it, not necessarily the actual social problem or those affected by it. Social problems workers have the hard task of doing their jobs and helping their subjects in their particular cases. This is a difficult task because of the bureaucratic red tape and policies that they work through. For them to try to solve an entire social problem by themselves would be an endless task, especially due to the added consequences and stresses from the general nature of their work. This can lead to embellishments in their actual efficiency and a lackadaisical attitude towards the issue entirely. Different types of claims makers have attempted to use social problems workers to benefit them and not the entire problem, but despite this, their social problems worker and those they come in contact with are an invaluable aspect to ridding society of the issue in its entirety.

Roaring Twenties Essay Example for Free

Roaring Twenties Essay Roaring Twenties refers to the 1920s, principally in North America, one of the most colorful decades in history. During the era, there was a turn toward normality in politics, the return of veterans from World War I, the growth of jazz music, the emergence of a new face of modern womanhood (the flapper), and Black Tuesday, the harbinger of the Great Depression. Moreover, the years of the Roaring Twenties were marked by several inventions and discoveries of far-reaching consequences; unprecedented industrial growth and accelerated consumer demand and aspirations, coupled with significant changes in lifestyles; and a series of events, national as well as international, which shaped a large part of the history of the 20th century. The eras affluence, however, did not include all social groups since many sharecroppers and tenant farmers (black and white) in the South continued to live in poverty. The Roaring Twenties started in North America and spread to Europe as the effects of World War I diminished. In Europe, the years following the First World War (1919-1923) were marked by a deep recession. Europe spent these years in rebuilding and coming to terms with the vast human cost of the conflict. Unlike in the aftermath of World War II, the United States did little to try to rebuild Europe. Instead, it took an increasingly isolationist stance. In Canada, an important economic transformation accelerated as Britain was wholly supplanted by the United States as Canadas main economic partner. By the middle of the decade, economic development started to soar over in Europe, and the Roaring Twenties broke out in Germany, Britain and France, where the second half of this decade was termed the Golden Twenties. In France and Canada, they were also called the Crazy Years (annà ©es folles). The spirit of the Roaring Twenties was marked by a general feeling of discontinuity associated with modernity and a break with traditions. Everything seemed to be feasible through modern technology. New technologies, especially automobiles, movies and radio spread the idea of modernity to a large part of the population. Formal decorative frills were shed in favor of practicality, in architecture as well as in daily life. At the same time, amusement, fun and lightness were cultivated in jazz and dancing, in defiance of the horrors of World War I, which were still present in peoples minds. The period is often called the Jazz Age. The Roaring Twenties are traditionally viewed as an era of great economic prosperity driven by the introduction of a wide array of new consumer goods. Initially, the North American economy, particularly the economy of the US, took some time to convert from a wartime economy to a peacetime economy. After this dull phase, the economy boomed. The United States increased its role as the richest country in the world, with industry aligned to mass production and a society with a culture of consumerism. In Europe, the economy did not start to flourish until 1924. The government was associated with laissez faire economics, which helped create the conditions for the boom. In 1922, t The development of mass production allowed for cheaper prices of technology products. Most of the devices that became commonplace had been developed before the war but had been unaffordable to most people. The automobile, movie, radio, and chemical industries skyrocketed during the 1920s. One of the most important of these was the automobile industry. Before the war, cars were a rare luxury. In the 1920s, cheap mass-produced vehicles became common throughout the U.S. and Canada. The popularity of jazz spread. Jazz became associated with all things modern, sophisticated, and also decadent. Because of the dreary economic situation after World War I, many American and European families needed to replace the incomes of the family fathers lost in the battlefield; women had to accept a job and move outside the home. It reflected on the fashion. corsets went out of style, and some women even bandaged their breasts to make them look flatter. Flappers, as these women were called in the U.S., wore short dresses with a straight loose silhouette. Speakeasies became popular and numerous as the Prohibition years progressed and lead to the rise of gangsters such as Al Capone. They more commonly began to operate with connections to organized crime and liquor smuggling. The Roaring Twenties was a period of literary creativity, and works of several notable authors appeared during Books that take the 1920s as their subject include: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is often described as the epitome of the Jazz Age in American literature. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque recounts the horrors of WWI and also the deep detachment from German civilian life felt by many men returning from the front. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays the lives and morality of post-World War I youth. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway is about a group of expatriate Americans in Europe during the 1920s.

Microsoft Surface Table: 3D Modelling and Touch Controls

Microsoft Surface Table: 3D Modelling and Touch Controls Background and Context Three Dimensional (3D) Modelling is the process of creating a 3D representation of any surface or object by manipulating polygons, edges, and vertices, in simulated 3D space ­1. 3D modelling is used in many different industries, including virtual reality, video games, TV and motion pictures. 2A 3D modelling software generates a model through a variety of tools and approaches including: Simple polygons. 3D primitives simple polygon-based shapes, such as pyramids, cubes, spheres, cylinders, and cones 3Spline curves a curve that connects two or more defined specific control points. 3NURBS (non-uniform rational b-spline) Computationally complex, smooth shapes designed by bezel curves. Scope and Objectives In this project, the 3D model produced, was the 5G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey. The final version of the prototype is supposed to be a model of the whole University campus, which would be able to display the temperature, noise levels, and a few other statistics in every single area on the map. In order to record data, an IoT Desk Egg4 was created. This Desk Egg is a multi-sensor suite with feedback mechanisms and wireless communication capabilities. Using this Desk Egg, environmental data, such as light, sound, temperature, noise, humidity, dust density are measured and recorded. Separately, these recordings have limited value, but when combined, and analysed in aggregate, the sensors provide a rich context of its immediate surroundings. 5The objective of this project is to enhance the model with touch navigation capabilities, similar to 3D navigation on a mobile phone or tablet. The current model is constructed for a Samsung SUR40 touch table, running Microsoft Surface. The model has been implemented using PixelSense and in addition, Microsoft Surface Game Studio 4.0 and the Window Presentation Foundation (WPF). To go about enhancing the model, investigations would have to be established, on what changes would be involved to implement touch navigation, before implementation and testing of the aforementioned varieties. Introduction[SO1] Microsoft PixelSense 6Microsoft PixelSense orientation capabilities are used and seamlessly integrated into the application, which also supports multiple simultaneous touch points. The Samsung SUR40 can only run Windows 7, as the Surface SDKs are only fully supported on Windows 7 and not any newer Operating System. Window Presentation Foundation To initiate an application for any Microsoft Surface devices, especially for the PixelSense, the Microsoft Surface Game Studio 4.0 and Window Presentation Foundation (WPF) are required. Rowe (2012) shows a few points that can assist a developer to innovate and create a great application for the Samsung SUR40 Surface Table.7 Implement a darker background as it does better with quality during contact. Multiple screen interactions, in which, the users finger and objects, can be detected. Actions only must be interacted by the users fingers to avoid detection errors, and adding sound effects, acknowledging the users finger interaction, should be done. Ensuring the user immerses into an outstanding experience from the application. Since the PixelSense has 4 corners, it will be more convenient for users to be able to turn the orientation of the application, while offering an easy means of leaving the application. The points of interaction with the application, should be well sized and well-spaced, to prevent manipulation errors during input. Working with Touch Input To implement the 3D touch controls, a key prerequisite for the project is the availability of touch control capability. Using the System Information app, which could be launched from the Run dialog box, with the syntax msinfo32.exe. As seen from the image below, the Samsung SUR40 Surface Table, has 52 individual touch points. This confirms that the table supports the touch interaction and the touch framework is ready to use. Fig 1. The Run dialog, with the corresponding syntax, used to launch the system information window. Fig2. A System Properties window, showing the details on the touch capability. The initial edition of the 3D modelling software has sub-par touch navigation controls, but it makes up in the availability of buttons which are mapped to specific viewing points of the model. Having these buttons provides a way of navigating through, but lack the fluidity of the touch input system you would get from any other 3D modelling software. Fig 3. An image showing the initial edition of the source code, with buttons. Development Environment In order to be able to work on this project, a few software programs have to be installed. These software programs are specifically required to create an application for a Microsoft PixelSense device. These include: Windows 7 Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 Microsoft XNA Framework Redistributable 4.0 Refresh Microsoft XNA Game Studio Platform Tools Microsoft Surface 2.0 SDK Microsoft Surface 2.0 Runtime GitEXT Windows 7 Windows 7 is the latest operating system that the Surface SDK supports, hence, all the programming done, had to be on a PC running Windows 7. Running these programs on a Windows 10 PC, gives an unfixable error. A Windows 7 license had to be purchased. Microsoft DreamSpark provides a free license to the University of Surrey students. Using the downloaded ISO file, a USB boot key was made, using DiskPart, so as to dual boot Windows 7 on the laptop used. Using DiskPart, empties the flash drive of all its contents, its advisable to use an empty drive, or back up its contents. Fig 4. The error shown when the program is being opened on a Windows 10 PC. Fig 5. Image showing the free purchase of a Windows 7 Operating System, using DreamSpark. DiskPart is the Windows built in disk management program, using CMD to call it, the following syntaxes will create a custom USB key for any appropriately sized flash drive: List disk This lists out all the disk drives connected to the system, and their sizes, with disk numbers Disk ###, for easier disk reference. After finding your particular disk, use select disk x, x being the respective number of your disk. This basically tells the program you plan on working on this disk. Clean This clears your drive of previous configurations and empties it. Create partition primary This creates a primary partition on the cleaned drive. Select partition 1 This selects the recently created partition. Active this sets the selected partition as an active partition. Format fs=fat32 This syntax formats the flash drive to a requested file system. In this example, the file system being FAT32, the legacy file system recognizable by most BIOS (Basic Input Output System) firmware. Fig 5. The image shows the procedure for creating a USB Key, Disk 2. Visual Studio 2015 Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 is now a free software, but for the Enterprise version, a key is needed, but as a University of Surrey student, one is provided free of charge, under the DreamSpark account. Fig 6. Image shows free purchase of Visual Studio Enterprise, using DreamSpark. Microsoft XNA Framework and Microsoft Surface SDK A Microsoft Surface SDK installer was downloaded and installed, as an extension, for the Visual Studio 15 suite. This enables Visual Studio to compile on the Microsoft Surface XNA Game Studio framework. The installer sets up two important frameworks, which are the Microsoft Surface WPF and Microsoft Surface XNA Game Studio 4.0. These frameworks are applied to help developers with the creation of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) applications respectively. A successful install will show something like this, when creating a new project in Visual Studio. Fig 7. The image shows a properly installed XNA Game Studio Framework. GitEXT GitEXT is an extension for windows, that helps manage a git repository. The programs source code had to be worked on alongside a few colleagues, as they had other objectives in terms of updating the 3D Modelling software. Using a git repository, helps with management of different modifications and changes between different editors of the same source code. Fig 8. The image shows an installed git extension for version management. Camera Movement Running a camera location around an object is a concept of projecting different views from different positions for audiences. It is an essential task for the developer to implement this concept in the application. In order to implement, a series of matrix calculations are required to move the camera from its current position to a desired place and display the object with high quality and performance. The current camera, as stated earlier, seen in Fig 3, has a fixed position, and does not move around the model, rather, there are fixed points in camera can be. These points are controlled by the arrow buttons. To fix this problem the touch framework has to be implemented. Touch Gesture The touch functionality of the program depended on raw input, and only moved the model round a fixed point. The method of implementation made navigation with the touch screen, somewhat ineffective. The XNA framework installed, comes with a touch input namespace namely Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Input.Touch. After extensive research on this library namespace, using this namespace made implementing a new gesture-based, touch framework for the code straightforward. The namespace provides support for gestures like tapping, double tapping, horizontal drag, and a few others. Development After researching various libraries and namespaces for a substantial understanding of the initial source code, coding began. During initial coding, it was discovered that the method of navigating the model, was rotating the camera round a fixed object, as it gives the same illusion as the model moving round its axes, as opposed to the manipulation of the model itself in front of an immovable camera. Using this logic, the touch code had to manipulate the cameras movement and not the movement of the model. While implementing the touch framework, a few redundancies were removed, such as the buttons used in moving the camera and a few others, to provide for a more immersive experience when using the 3D model. Fig 9. The image shows the 3D model with redundancies removed.

Endgame and Act Without Words Essay -- Drama

Endgame and Act Without Words Beckett: Endgame Hamm is horrofied at the notion that existence is a recurring matter and therefore is cyclic; that beginnings and endings (60- 62) may be amalgamated in the grand scheme of things and that life will start afresh again. Nevertheless, the contradictions confuse his desires. He is terrified of the flea and rat that Clov finds and wants to exterminate them in case "humanity might start from there all over again," but he also suggests that he and Clov go South to other "mammals." He wants to be left alone, but clings to Clov and does anything he can to pull him back into the room. Most confusingly, he believes that nature is changing, though all evidence indicates that it has "zero" change. Under his misanthropic exterior is a desperate craving, the fear of being alone that has been with him ever since childhood (as Nagg tells it). Light (52- 56), which is used as a symbol of hope and life, expresses many of the displayed facetts of Hamm's personality. He is attracted to whatever light there is in a world where the light is fading (54), asking Clov to push him under the window so he can feel it on his face. On the other hand, we also learn that he withheld light from someone named Mother Pegg, who died of darkness. Compounding this is Hamm's blindness; he has been cursed with darkness (50-56), and he wants others to share the same depressing and miserable fate. When he polishes his dark glasses (41- 45), it is a futile routine of equal parts poignancy, resentment and bitterness. Indeed, Hamm's routines are all futile (38, 44). As in many of Beckett's plays, routines are what humans perform to convince themselves that death is not imminent, that each day is the same. Ironically, the empty, absurd practices only push them closer to death. In the "endgame" of his life, Hamm is only partially reconciled to death—he wants it to come, but he admits that he "hesitate[s]" to "finish." (Beckett 3) The routines fill this middle ground, staving off death while drawing it ever closer. Both men question why they put up with each other, and at one point Hamm suggests that Clov help him out of compassion. The real reason is that both are dependent on each other (8- 14) and afraid to leave and be alone, despite their constant threats. The play takes a surprisingly moving turn here at the e... ...aises the whistle to his lips, hesitates, drops it. Pause.) 74. Yes, truly! 75. (He whistles. Pause. Louder. Pause.) 76. Good. 77. (Pause.) 78. Father! 79. (Pause. Louder.) 80. Father! 81. (Pause.) 82. Good. 83. (Pause.) 84. We're coming. 85. (Pause.) 86. And to end up with? 87. (Pause.) 88. Discard. 89. (He throws away the dog. He tears the whistle from his neck.) 90. With my compliments. 91. (He throws the whistle towards the auditorium. Pause. He sniffs. Soft.) 92. Clov! 93. (Long pause.) 94. No? Good. 95. (He takes out the handkerchief.) 96. Since that's the way we're playing it... 97. (he unfolds handkerchief) 98. ...let's play it that way... 99. (he unfolds) 100..and speak no more about it... (he finishes unfolding) 101.speak no more. 102.(He holds handkerchief spread out before him.) 103.Old stancher! 104.(Pause.) 105.You... remain. 106.(Pause. He covers his face with handkerchief, lowers his arms to armrests, 107. remains motionless.) 101.(Brief tableau.) 102.Curtain Work Cited: Beckett, Samuel. Endgame and Act Without Words. New York: Grove Press, 1958.

Interruptions and Delayed Explanations in Act III of The Crucible Essay

The Crucible Essay In act three opportunities constantly arise for the whole problem of the play to be cleared up satisfactorily, but these are always frustrated. Show how this act is one of interruptions and explanations which are tragically delayed. The crucible is a play written by Arthur miller and concerns the mass hysteria, which led to the 1692 Salem witchcraft trials in the U.S.A. At that time the people who lived in Salem believed in witches and the devil. They believed that the bible told them that witches should be hanged and they were required to live by strict puritan laws. The main characters of the play are Elizabeth Proctor and her husband John. John had an affair with their maid, Abigail, and it was her intention to destroy Elizabeth and marry John Proctor herself. After Elizabeth and other members of the community have been arrested on charges of witchcraft, the trial begins and there are many opportunities to show that the people arrested were innocent but the many interruptions make this impossible. At the start of act 1 Martha Corey is being questioned by judge Danforth and Hathorne to see if she had been involved in witchcraft. Her husband, Giles Corey interrupts to say that Putnam wants everyone’s land. â€Å"Thomas Putnam is reaching out for land.† Corey says that he has evidence to prove this. Then he is interrupted by Reverend Parris who undermines Corey’s evidence by saying he was a very argumentative person. Corey is interrupted again by Francis Nurse who says that the girls are all frauds â€Å"We have proof of it sir they are all deceiving you.† John Proctor arrives in the court with Mary Warren and the evidence as well but they are interrupted by Parris who tries to blacken Proctors name by say... ...s a whore and she has a motive to kill his wife. Proctor’s wife is called in and Proctor has already told the court that she never lies, could never lie. Elizabeth Proctor is asked about Proctors relationship with Abigail and she said he had done nothing wrong. To save her husband, because committing adultery is a hanging offence, she tells that lie and condemns him. Proctor asks Mary to continue with her evidence but she turns against him and accuses him of being in league with the devil, â€Å"you’re the Devil’s man she points at him she says she will not hang with him and tells the court that he told her, â€Å"I’ll murder you, if my wife hangs.† Proctor tells Danforth â€Å"you are pulling heaven down, and raising up a whore!† If any of the people had been allowed to give their evidence without interruptions, the outcome of the court case might have been different. Interruptions and Delayed Explanations in Act III of The Crucible Essay The Crucible Essay In act three opportunities constantly arise for the whole problem of the play to be cleared up satisfactorily, but these are always frustrated. Show how this act is one of interruptions and explanations which are tragically delayed. The crucible is a play written by Arthur miller and concerns the mass hysteria, which led to the 1692 Salem witchcraft trials in the U.S.A. At that time the people who lived in Salem believed in witches and the devil. They believed that the bible told them that witches should be hanged and they were required to live by strict puritan laws. The main characters of the play are Elizabeth Proctor and her husband John. John had an affair with their maid, Abigail, and it was her intention to destroy Elizabeth and marry John Proctor herself. After Elizabeth and other members of the community have been arrested on charges of witchcraft, the trial begins and there are many opportunities to show that the people arrested were innocent but the many interruptions make this impossible. At the start of act 1 Martha Corey is being questioned by judge Danforth and Hathorne to see if she had been involved in witchcraft. Her husband, Giles Corey interrupts to say that Putnam wants everyone’s land. â€Å"Thomas Putnam is reaching out for land.† Corey says that he has evidence to prove this. Then he is interrupted by Reverend Parris who undermines Corey’s evidence by saying he was a very argumentative person. Corey is interrupted again by Francis Nurse who says that the girls are all frauds â€Å"We have proof of it sir they are all deceiving you.† John Proctor arrives in the court with Mary Warren and the evidence as well but they are interrupted by Parris who tries to blacken Proctors name by say... ...s a whore and she has a motive to kill his wife. Proctor’s wife is called in and Proctor has already told the court that she never lies, could never lie. Elizabeth Proctor is asked about Proctors relationship with Abigail and she said he had done nothing wrong. To save her husband, because committing adultery is a hanging offence, she tells that lie and condemns him. Proctor asks Mary to continue with her evidence but she turns against him and accuses him of being in league with the devil, â€Å"you’re the Devil’s man she points at him she says she will not hang with him and tells the court that he told her, â€Å"I’ll murder you, if my wife hangs.† Proctor tells Danforth â€Å"you are pulling heaven down, and raising up a whore!† If any of the people had been allowed to give their evidence without interruptions, the outcome of the court case might have been different.

Cultural Background Summary Essay

My family comes from different cultural background which has been molded by assimilation, climate of pluralism and acculturation. I am a Filipino and I grew up in Oahu in Hawaii, whereby people in Hawaii have modest-economic status, low income and little education hence less satisfaction to their needs. I never had enormous understanding of cultural diversity and my culture as Filipino as I grew up because I had a combination of native Austronesia civilization which influenced the Hispanics and American cultures (Ciria-Cruz, 1994, p. 16). This affected my cultural background a lot. As argued by Gramann and Sandra, 1998 people of my culture have differences in their language, traditions and mode of dressing which contributes towards cultural diversity. There is difference in moral and religious conceptualization among the people and differences on how each person interacts with the environment within the community (Gramann and Sandra, 1998, p. 57). My cultural identity is characterized by my race mainly skin color and other physical characteristics according to social class and ethnicity. Ethnicity is classified according to behavior, cultural knowledge and my cultural identity. Cultural backgrounds come out as a result of different reasons. My cultural identity have been shaped by my cultural backgrounds which have influenced how I interpret the world around me, perceive myself and relate with other people. The information I have concerning my cultural background has increased my cultural knowledge and gave me an overview of cultural issues and characteristics. I usually identify my needs and preferences and always remember that I cannot reduce to set cultural norms. My cultural backgrounds vary with that of other people due to migration and time of arrival at that particular destination, socio-economic background, and period of settlement, education level, cultural and religious background, rural and urban residence, different life experiences with migration experience (Feagin and Feagin, 1993, p. 42). According to Feagin and Feagin, 1993 my identity has been molded by assimilation, acculturation and climate of pluralism. My cultural identity faces racial discrimination with. Ciria-Cruz, 1994 argued that, different books have racial composition, culture and demographic information of Filipino people. As argued by Feagin and Feagin, 1993 my cultural identity face substantial prejudice, discrimination and stereotype and people of my cultural background mainly struggle to maintain and preserve their culture and identity. Even speaking their own language result to severe sanction such as, losing their jobs and being made fun of by other communities. This cultural diversity within the communities has a significant challenge to multiculturalism and it threatens the survival of my community. Race influence relates to my community and interaction of people within my community has been racialized negatively and positively. Pluralism can help in solving this by enriching experiences for my cultural background (Feagin and Feagin, 1993, p. 54). Diversity in my cultural background is due to ignorance of cultural background language which is extensive. Lack of basic cultural background hinders people from comprehending language. Religious culture has assimilated me on various behaviors of human beings. Regional culture has been shaped by geographical environment and natural conditions. Acculturation has impacted on my cultural background in which people has anticipated on changing their behavior through influence on different aspect such as age, gender occupation recency of arrival, socioeconomic status, and education (Ciria-Cruz, 1994, p. 18). Cultural characteristics suggest the influence of acculturation across generations. Through assimilation people avoid interacting with dominant cultures with the degree in which people maintain and relinquish attributes of their native cultures. Through assimilation people desires meets with dominant cultures which is not necessary in maintaining an identity of their native culture. Some people don’t like being assimilated but the degrees to which people may agree to be assimilated vary as a result of cultural diversity (Gramann and Sandra, 1998, p. 61). Assimilation has molded my cultural background through economic, social and political integration. This has been possible since my ethnic group changed to that of the host society. Cultural assimilation has given rise to different economic development patterns reducing cultural diversity by standardizing socio-cultural traits like ethics, beliefs, norms and codes of conducts. The climate of pluralism identifies what people in my culture share in common. This helps in maintaining ethnic identity and cultural identity. Acceptance of pluralism affects people’s feelings of cultural identity with effect of interaction being posited between ethnic and cultural identity. The diverse attitudes towards my cultural background can be viewed as positive forces with compatibility on learning second language. Language is the key to identification and if I want to change my cultural identity I have to change my linguistic identification. Conclusion My cultural background marks my cultural identity in which various factors have contributed to cultural diversity. Factors like assimilation, pluralism and acculturation. My cultural backgrounds vary because of migration and time of arrival at that particular destination, socio-economic background, and period of settlement, education level, cultural and religious background, rural and urban residence, different life experiences with migration experience. Diversity in my cultural background is due to ignorance of cultural background language. List of References Ciria-Cruz, R. (1994), â€Å"How far have we come,† Filipinas, Vol. 3, No. 4, pp. 16-18 Feagin, J. & Feagin C. (1993), Cultural Diversity, 4th Ed. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall Gramann, H. , & Sandra, L, (1998), â€Å"The effect of cultural assimilation on the importance of family-related and nature-related recreation among Hispanic Americans,† Journal of leisure research, Vol. 30, No. 4, pp. 57-68

Functions of Management

Week One Individual Paper: Functions of Management Vicky L. Minik MGT/330 January 13, 2013 Dr. Kathleen Dominick Week One Individual Paper: Functions of Management The four functions of management planning, organizing, leading, and controlling will impact greatly organizational success because no matter what type of organization it is for instance it can be retail, food, labor, construction, military, or service industries like hospitals, police, or even nonprofit organizations they all follow the four functions of management to get the job done effectively and efficiently.Without one of the four functions correctly carried out management will have failed and production or service will experience negative outcomes significantly. Management’s functions are to achieve goals through working with and through people (Management Innovations, 2008). Each of the four management functions are valuable, and one cannot function without the other. Managers must create a detailed action pl an toward a specific goal. Determining what the organization goals are and how to achieve them, management can begin planning towards the intended objective.Setting aims and following up on the execution of the plan is a critical step in the planning process. Ensuring that the plan is both effective and efficient must be included in the initial plan. In some situations involving the employees in the planning process will empower them to get the task completed. Organizing is usually the second step in a manager’s responsibilities of his or her functions. Knowing how many people and what resources are needed for the completion of the organizations target goal is critical to the success of the company.A manager will determine how to delegate or distribute task and position employees according to the plan. Possessing all the necessary resources so that the employees can accomplish their jobs is a process in organizing for the success of the company. Without an organized workplace a manager will face negative outcomes in reaching the planned task and will reflect in job performance. The next step is leading and is accomplished by communicating, motivating, and encouraging employees toward productivity.Leading and managing is not the same thing contrary to popular belief. Leading is the influencing of people so that they will contribute to organization and group goals; it has to do predominantly with the interpersonal aspect of managing (Olum, July). A manager manages employees making sure that tasks are completed on time and policies are followed and adhered to. Employees see managers as one that will motivate and guide them to assist them to reach the firm’s goals. In an ideal situation a manager is also a leader.Managers who want to lead effectively need to discover what motivates their employees and what inspires them to reach the organization objectives. Controlling is the fourth and final step in the process in which the manager evaluates and mon itors the results of the accomplished goal and its effectiveness and efficiency. Managers need to pay close attention to cost incurred while fulfilling the plan. If resources are not available because of lacking funds, the organization goal cannot be accomplished.Paying attention to the performance as well as the cost, making adjustment accordingly will assist in the company in making a profit that in turn aids the employees with job satisfaction and security. An effective manager will share this information with their employees to enhance and build trust through involvement. Being a manager involves different tasks that vary. Planning, organizing, leading, and controlling are four of the main functions that must be performed in any management position.Management is a balancing act of many diverse workings and a good manager will maintain the balance and keep employees motivated to reach the organizations goals. A manager who administers the four functions properly will be the reaso n why the organization will have success. References Management Innovations. (December 03, 2008). Define Management & Its Functions. Retrieved from http://managementinnovations. wordpress. com/2008/12/03/define-management-its-functions Olum, Y. (July 12, 2004). Modern Management Theories and Practices. Retrieved from http://upan1. un. org/intradoc/groups/public/document/AAPAM/UNPAN025765pdf. Functions of Management Week One Individual Paper: Functions of Management Vicky L. Minik MGT/330 January 13, 2013 Dr. Kathleen Dominick Week One Individual Paper: Functions of Management The four functions of management planning, organizing, leading, and controlling will impact greatly organizational success because no matter what type of organization it is for instance it can be retail, food, labor, construction, military, or service industries like hospitals, police, or even nonprofit organizations they all follow the four functions of management to get the job done effectively and efficiently.Without one of the four functions correctly carried out management will have failed and production or service will experience negative outcomes significantly. Management’s functions are to achieve goals through working with and through people (Management Innovations, 2008). Each of the four management functions are valuable, and one cannot function without the other. Managers must create a detailed action pl an toward a specific goal. Determining what the organization goals are and how to achieve them, management can begin planning towards the intended objective.Setting aims and following up on the execution of the plan is a critical step in the planning process. Ensuring that the plan is both effective and efficient must be included in the initial plan. In some situations involving the employees in the planning process will empower them to get the task completed. Organizing is usually the second step in a manager’s responsibilities of his or her functions. Knowing how many people and what resources are needed for the completion of the organizations target goal is critical to the success of the company.A manager will determine how to delegate or distribute task and position employees according to the plan. Possessing all the necessary resources so that the employees can accomplish their jobs is a process in organizing for the success of the company. Without an organized workplace a manager will face negative outcomes in reaching the planned task and will reflect in job performance. The next step is leading and is accomplished by communicating, motivating, and encouraging employees toward productivity.Leading and managing is not the same thing contrary to popular belief. Leading is the influencing of people so that they will contribute to organization and group goals; it has to do predominantly with the interpersonal aspect of managing (Olum, July). A manager manages employees making sure that tasks are completed on time and policies are followed and adhered to. Employees see managers as one that will motivate and guide them to assist them to reach the firm’s goals. In an ideal situation a manager is also a leader.Managers who want to lead effectively need to discover what motivates their employees and what inspires them to reach the organization objectives. Controlling is the fourth and final step in the process in which the manager evaluates and mon itors the results of the accomplished goal and its effectiveness and efficiency. Managers need to pay close attention to cost incurred while fulfilling the plan. If resources are not available because of lacking funds, the organization goal cannot be accomplished.Paying attention to the performance as well as the cost, making adjustment accordingly will assist in the company in making a profit that in turn aids the employees with job satisfaction and security. An effective manager will share this information with their employees to enhance and build trust through involvement. Being a manager involves different tasks that vary. Planning, organizing, leading, and controlling are four of the main functions that must be performed in any management position.Management is a balancing act of many diverse workings and a good manager will maintain the balance and keep employees motivated to reach the organizations goals. A manager who administers the four functions properly will be the reaso n why the organization will have success. References Management Innovations. (December 03, 2008). Define Management & Its Functions. Retrieved from http://managementinnovations. wordpress. com/2008/12/03/define-management-its-functions Olum, Y. (July 12, 2004). Modern Management Theories and Practices. Retrieved from http://upan1. un. org/intradoc/groups/public/document/AAPAM/UNPAN025765pdf. Functions of Management Week One Individual Paper: Functions of Management Vicky L. Minik MGT/330 January 13, 2013 Dr. Kathleen Dominick Week One Individual Paper: Functions of Management The four functions of management planning, organizing, leading, and controlling will impact greatly organizational success because no matter what type of organization it is for instance it can be retail, food, labor, construction, military, or service industries like hospitals, police, or even nonprofit organizations they all follow the four functions of management to get the job done effectively and efficiently.Without one of the four functions correctly carried out management will have failed and production or service will experience negative outcomes significantly. Management’s functions are to achieve goals through working with and through people (Management Innovations, 2008). Each of the four management functions are valuable, and one cannot function without the other. Managers must create a detailed action pl an toward a specific goal. Determining what the organization goals are and how to achieve them, management can begin planning towards the intended objective.Setting aims and following up on the execution of the plan is a critical step in the planning process. Ensuring that the plan is both effective and efficient must be included in the initial plan. In some situations involving the employees in the planning process will empower them to get the task completed. Organizing is usually the second step in a manager’s responsibilities of his or her functions. Knowing how many people and what resources are needed for the completion of the organizations target goal is critical to the success of the company.A manager will determine how to delegate or distribute task and position employees according to the plan. Possessing all the necessary resources so that the employees can accomplish their jobs is a process in organizing for the success of the company. Without an organized workplace a manager will face negative outcomes in reaching the planned task and will reflect in job performance. The next step is leading and is accomplished by communicating, motivating, and encouraging employees toward productivity.Leading and managing is not the same thing contrary to popular belief. Leading is the influencing of people so that they will contribute to organization and group goals; it has to do predominantly with the interpersonal aspect of managing (Olum, July). A manager manages employees making sure that tasks are completed on time and policies are followed and adhered to. Employees see managers as one that will motivate and guide them to assist them to reach the firm’s goals. In an ideal situation a manager is also a leader.Managers who want to lead effectively need to discover what motivates their employees and what inspires them to reach the organization objectives. Controlling is the fourth and final step in the process in which the manager evaluates and mon itors the results of the accomplished goal and its effectiveness and efficiency. Managers need to pay close attention to cost incurred while fulfilling the plan. If resources are not available because of lacking funds, the organization goal cannot be accomplished.Paying attention to the performance as well as the cost, making adjustment accordingly will assist in the company in making a profit that in turn aids the employees with job satisfaction and security. An effective manager will share this information with their employees to enhance and build trust through involvement. Being a manager involves different tasks that vary. Planning, organizing, leading, and controlling are four of the main functions that must be performed in any management position.Management is a balancing act of many diverse workings and a good manager will maintain the balance and keep employees motivated to reach the organizations goals. A manager who administers the four functions properly will be the reaso n why the organization will have success. References Management Innovations. (December 03, 2008). Define Management & Its Functions. Retrieved from http://managementinnovations. wordpress. com/2008/12/03/define-management-its-functions Olum, Y. (July 12, 2004). Modern Management Theories and Practices. Retrieved from http://upan1. un. org/intradoc/groups/public/document/AAPAM/UNPAN025765pdf.

Spa – Cr. to the Rightful Owner

This chapter presents the discussion of reviewed related writing of authors that the researchers collected during the course of the study. Material reviewed came from different books, studies and other professional writings from both foreign and local books. Conceptual Literature The worldwide spa industry is worth in the region of US $40 billion and has grown at a phenomenal rate in the past ten years (Haden, 2007). The growth of health food, gyms and the investment in leisure facilities proves that consumers are looking for more than relaxation during a break or holiday; this is unsurprising given time is so precious to contemporary consumers (Lynch, 2002). Harmsworth (2004: p. 173) claims that â€Å"the spa market is one of the fastest growing leisure sectors, where societal trends and aspirations find instant reflection in the developments on both the demand and supply sides. The market is very fragmented, each segment catering for different customer needs, which continuously change in line with social and lifestyle changes. † According to Libosada Jr. C. and Bosangit C. (2007) stated that spa is a resort with mineral or thermal water used for drinking and bathing. The term is derived from the name of a town in Belgium and has been applied to similar resort worldwide. The Kentucky-based International Spa Association (ISPA), an organization which claims to set the standards for the spa industry makes no mention of water in its definition, arguing that â€Å"a spa serves as an educational and cultural institution that promotes and integrates individual wellness, health and fitness as well as social well-being, harmony and balance through wellness, prevention, therapy and rehabilitation of body, mind and soul† (Loverseed, 1998: p. 48). Later, the ISPA offered an all-encompassing, holistic definition, claiming that spas are entities â€Å"devoted to enhancing overall well-being through a variety of professional services that encourage the renewal of mind, body and spirit† (Mintel, 2005). It is claimed by Jenner and Smith (2000) that visiting spas is one of the earliest forms of tourism. Spas found their beginnings thousands of years ago, when ancient civilisations used them for their healing properties and as an important part of their social structure (Vierville, 2003; Spaa, 2002). The therapeutic use of baths was remarkably long-lived; such popularity was no doubt partly due to the fact that baths were both pleasant and, by the Roman imperial period at least, comparatively freely available (Jackson, 1990). It was after this time that public interest in baths began to peak (Spaa, 2002). Spa tourism has many varied definitions; there is no â€Å"officially† agreed upon definition of what a spa should or should not be – what makes it such? Many believe that the word ‘spa' is an acronym based on the Latin phrase â€Å"sanitas per aquas† – meaning ‘health through water', in fact the Oxford English dictionary’s definition of a spa is from the Latin â€Å"solus per aqua† or â€Å"health by water† defined as â€Å"a place with mineral springs considered to have health-giving properties† (Loverseed, 1998). Thornton and Brutscher (2003) maintain that the word and the concept of spa actually originated from the time of the Roman Empire when battle weary legionnaires tried to find a way to recover from their military wounds and ailments. Therefore suggesting that traditionally, water is not only inexplicably linked to the definition of spas, but that it is the water which defines it. The European Spas Association’s (ESPA) definition of a spa is also dependent upon the water element; they define a spa as „a mineral spring or a place or resort where such a spring is found? (Jenner and Smith, 2000). Unlike the ESPA, the British Spas Federation (BSF) reviewed its definition with regard to widening its membership, which at that time consisted only of the municipal authorities of spa towns. However, the BSF was later replaced by the Spa Business Association (SpaBa) who in turn redefined the spa, returning the centrality of the role of water by defining a spa as â€Å"an establishment providing a minimum of one approved water based treatment using water of known composition. The spa should be staffed by appropriately trained therapists and have minimum standards of furnishings. The water should be enhanced with minerals, either naturally or with an additive† (Mintel, 2005). Others, especially in the USA, hold a far less rigid view of what constitutes a spa. The Kentucky-based International Spa Association (ISPA), an organization which claims to set the standards for the spa industry makes no mention of water in its definition, arguing that â€Å"a spa serves as an educational and cultural institution that promotes and integrates individual wellness, health and fitness as well as social well-being, harmony and balance through wellness, prevention, therapy and rehabilitation of body, mind and soul (Loverseed, 1998: p. 8). Later, the ISPA offered an all-encompassing, holistic definition, claiming that spas are â€Å"devoted to enhancing overall well-being through a variety of professional services that encourage the renewal of mind, body and spirit† (Mintel, 2005). It is claimed by Jenner and Smith (2000) that visiting spas is one of the earliest forms of tourism. Spas found their beginnings thousands of years ago, when ancient civilisations used them for their healing properties and as an important part of their social structure (Vierville, 2003; Spaa, 2002). The therapeutic use of baths was remarkably long-lived; such popularity was no doubt partly due to the fact that baths were both pleasant and, by the Roman imperial period at least, comparatively freely available (Jackson, 1990). It was after this time that public interest in baths began to peak (Spaa, 2002). By the medieval period, the idea that thermal springs could have medicinal properties was firmly established. But in the 18th and 19th centuries, taking the waters? began being a fashionable pastime for Europe?s upper classes. In fact, the popularity of this habit is what established places in the UK, such as Bath, Brighton and Harrogate, as early tourism destinations (Jenner and Smith, 2000). Today’s spa is an interesting combination of ancient traditions and modern facilities; in recent years, the value of prevention, healthy lifestyles, and relaxation has been embraced by many and the spa is again finding its place in modern society as a place uniquely geared to address these needs (Register, 2005). In one of the major formative tradition for current pattern of health and well-ness spa tourism worldwide, the Roman Empire left behind a long list of spas all over Europe, which they built while they were occupying new territories. With the demise of the Western Roman Empire in 450 AD, so too came the demise of the Roman bath tradition in Europe, although Spain, North Africa, and the Middle East maintained a highly developed bathing culture. This was a result of the influence of the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire and the subsequent Arab conquests and maintained the influence of Roman bathing tradition in those countries (The Spa Association, 2005). The City of bath in England provides an example of the fusion of Roman history with later trends in spa and wellness demand and supply in Europe (White, 2000). After the springs had been abandoned as a bathing resource in 1978 (although not touristically or respect of their mineral waters), the Bath spa project was launched by the City Council in 1997 in order to restore bath to the leading spa town of England, with the expectation that the project would stimulate the revival of spa culture in the UK. The hew spa facilities in Bath are just a short distance from the original Roman bath site and they used natural hot spring water drawn from the same springs that have served visitors for at least the last two thousand years. The new facilities are designed to offer relaxing and extended therapeutic treatments. Although they will not act as a cure for serious illness they will act as a cure for the human spirit, as outline in reference to the conservation statement for the adjacent Roman Baths (Clews, 2000). In countries such as Hungary the change from centuries of thermal bathing culture to modern wellness facilities has been slower than in countries without a history of hot or mineral hot springs. In Budapest the increase use of day spas builds on the ancient way of relieving stress and physical ailments through hot water treatment, and day spas and wellness facilities are now being established in a society that is becoming more conscious of the importance of healthy lifestyle (LaForest, 2004). In Budapest the locals congregate in public thermal baths such as the Szechenvi to relax, swim and take many of the cures and treatment on offer. They are also known for taking the national pastime of playing chess into thermal pools (The age, 2005). And further to the east in Russia the Soviet era thermal baths were an integral part of the national health system. In Europe Austria was one of the first countries to adopt the more recent concept of wellness and to act upon quickly. The country affectively appeals to key tourist target groups by positioning itself to offer wellness treatments that unite the body, spirit, personal desire, culture, and natural resources embodied by the spring (Nahrstedt, 2002). Australia has an unmatched infrastructure when it comes to wellness holidays and health-related tourism, and was ranked number one in the world for quality of life and its healthcare services in the early 2000s (Garalli, 2002). According to Nahrsetedt (2002) Austria boasts an intact natural environment in conjunction with its wellness spas, an association that is also very popular in the Japanese tourist market. In Japan itself though, with literally thousands of geothermal springs and the Japanese preference for authentic and unadulterated hot spring water, wellness centres are not yet developed to quite the same extent, leaving the European style wellness facility as a potential favorite for the Japanese while on holiday. In Japan, in tradition hot springs have been developed into days spas known as kuahausu derived from the German word kurhaus, providing separates bathing areas for men and women with thermal mineral pools at different temperatures, a cold pool area with fountains and waterslides, bowling alleys, gyms, saunas and steam rooms, massage services, restaurants and bars, relaxation rooms, music rooms, and video games (Altman, 2000: 07). But the main bathing attractions are the traditional hot springs called Onsen. Often used by groups of people who enjoy sharing a bath after leaving the world of corporate work behind? As well as families and couples, a trip to an Onsen is classed as the ultimate bonding experience because all are equal once they shed their designer clothes and other status symbols. The captain of Iceland, Reykjavik, has been designated on official spa city by the European Spa Association (Iceland Express, 2006). This seems well deserved a quite logical, because the Icelanders have many facilities where they can take care of their health, well-being and leisure. Several active Volcanoes and high temperature geothermal field provide natural hot springs all over Iceland and most towns have at least one public geothermal swimming pool. The Health and Wellness Spa Industry Having said that, rising customer expectations concerning health and wellness are the foundation in which the modern health and wellness spa industry is building an ever-increasing supply of facilities for the medical and general (wellness) visitor, to the extent that this form of tourism is now worth in excess of 250 billion US dollars per year and attract some 150 billion active spa-goers world-wide (ISPA, 2007). Caution is needed here though, because for example these figures are said to include 19. 1 million Japanese spa-goers. Japanese data (Beppu International Tourism Office, 2007) suggest that there are over 150 million Onsen users alone in that country (Chapter 9). This discrepancy would appear to relate to the varying definitions of wellness and spa use that were discussed earlier, where the Japanese tradition is more about simply bathing in hot water than about the American tradition of beauty spa that underlies the research undertaken by the International Spa Association. As a result of this, many Japanese users may not be counted if the data are concentrating on analyzing the spa experience rather than the totality of health and wellness tourism based on the use of hot and mineral springs. The trend toward indulgence in a relaxing environment, which began after World War II (Foster & Keller, 2008), has thus turned into a global movement but one that is a significant departure from the original concept of health spa that mainly specialized in rehabilitation of recovering from illness and injury. The new emphasis lies in prevention of disease and maintenance of good health more that cure, with high expectations regarding health improvement even if there are no particular health problems. Along with the body, mind and soul are also catered for in many spas in a holistic approach of creating harmony for those in need. This often includes new-age treatments as well as the more traditional water-based therapy. The key element in all such facilities is water. Be it apart of the natural landscape surrounding a facility (ocean, rivers, lake and waterfalls), decoration in the background (pools, fountains) or an active treatment component, water is a very important element in the world of spas and wellness. More and more spas without a natural hot springs are investigating the possibility if tapping into mineral geothermal water resources to enhance their business. The trend towards natural looking environments or setting is also evident in many spa hotels and resorts where swimming pools and thermal bathing facilities are designed and built to looks are natural as possible, with rock pools the most typical and widespread design. The development of these spa and wellness water resources can be divided into two broad types: Hot spring: These are usually well known and general appreciated for their curative value and their therapeutic benefits based on both water temperature and mineral content; Mineral springs: These can be cold or warm water from a nature spring, with curative value based on the type and concentration of minerals in the water. Often, the water can be taken internally too and is bottled and distributed (Cooper, P. nd Cooper, M. , 2009). Current International Trends in Spa and Wellness Tourism The trends of indulging in a relaxing environment has turned into a global movement but one with a significant difference from the original concept of health and natural hot and mineral spring spas, which mainly specialized in rehabilitation. The new emphasis lies in the prevention of disease and in the maintenance of good health instead of cures, with high expectation regarding health improvements even i f there are no specific problems. Mind and soul are usually catered for long with the body in many spas using holistic approach of creating harmony for those in need, including new-age treatments as well as the more traditional rehabilitative therapies. The main center of attention at present appears to be a natural healing method incorporating Asian treatments accompanied by the esthetic appeal of Eastern lifestyles and culture, which are in great demand. Therapies of Asia origin are often combined with European balneotherapy and hydrotherapy as well as sport and fitness facilities to offer diversity of options in order to attract as many customers and client as possible. Nearly all spas cater for aspects with special signature treatments to ensure that there are no missed opportunities (Cooper, P. and Cooper, M. , 2009). Characteristics of Spa Tourists Traditionally it has been women who have primarily used spas. However, a consumer research conducted by ISPA in 2003 determined that 29% of spa tourists around the world are men; this figure rose to 30% in 2004. As men continue to represent a significant proportion of the spa market, more spas are offering special treatments for them and men-only spas continue to open in cities around the world (Grihault, 2007; Mintel, 2005; Messerli and Oyama, 2004). The Baby Boomer generation (45-60 years old) continues to be the core consumer base for the global spa tourism industry. According to Haden (2007) industry analysts have long known that health conscious Baby Boomers have been the main driving force behind the worldwide boom in the spa industry. However, some argue the appeal of the industry reaches a larger age-range; Swarbrooke (2000: p 78-79) claims that most visitors to spa sites are in the social classes A, B and C1 and are between 30 and 65 years of age. Mintel (2005) have a similar view, claiming it is the 25-64 year old market who dominate the customer base for spas; this group tends not to be at the family life stage, and their members are as likely to be male as female. The average age of visitors to spas is currently 49 years (ETC, 2002). Yet Hudson (2003) argues that by 2050, 20 percent of the world’s population will be sixty years or older; and by 2150, this figure will increase to over 30percent. These claims seem dramatic; however it is clear from all the statistics available that the population is aging and that this trend is set to continue. Latest research by International Database, US Census in 2007 confirms these figures and shows the number of people aged over 55 years is projected to reach 2. 6 billion or approximately 27. 7% of the world?s population by 2050. Thus, the number of individuals aged 55 and over is forecast to grow at a rate of about 4% per year over the next 43 years (Haden, 2007). According to a survey carried out by the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB), 70. 8% of those aged over 45 years had been on holiday in 2006, compared to 64. 9% of the general UK population. A Mintel study of US travellers in 2005 revealed that those over 55 years are more inclined to take holidays lasting five days or longer. Maintaining health in retirement has become a top priority. In a 2006 study of US health and fitness clubs in May 2006, Mintel found that those aged over 55 years were far more likely to participate in some form of strenuous exercise five or more times a week than other segments of the population (Haden, 2007). If such predictions are dealt with wisely, the outlook for the industry appears to be positive; it will help to drive tourism’s growth in general and health-related travel in particular. Taking this into consideration, such a shift will clearly have substantial implications for the international health and spa tourism industry. Research Literature Health spas had their origin in Europe and many resorts had name that were associated with spas. The popularity of mineral springs carried over to Northern America and the springs were the location of some of the earlier resort. It is important to differentiate between spa hotels and resort spas. Spas hotels cater only to spa clientele and all guests must participate in the meals, treatment and exercises. On the other hand, resorts spas are amenities that are available to the guest, and charges are made for the various usage of spa (Liguori, S. and Gray, W. ). Administration of spa hotels heavily involves people with a medical background, whereas resort spas are merely operating departments of the resorts. Exercises-oriented facilities are swimming pools, tennis court, handball and racquetball courts, jogging trails, hiking and weight and aerobic training. Spa program include dietary program, massage, herbal wraps, exfoliation, that also therapy, facial and hydrotherapy. Under both scenarios, staffing involves people experienced in the program and administrative personnel. Ways for boosting revenue The method presented in the previous section illustrated the overall contribution of resort spas to resort revenue, in order to offer more insight into how spa managers can increase their spa revenue, the author of this study conducted to an interview with a spa director of one of the leading resorts spa in Southwest Florida. The director state that resorts should first focus on guest experience to increase their sales. In that director’s case, she mentioned that her resort was able to increase the incremental spending from $658 to $985 per night by packaging spa and other activities together. The director also stated that pre-arrival process is a critical component for revenue maximization. She offered a case as an example where she use a system called â€Å"power booking† in which a spa front desk agent was calling guest two to three days to prior to the spa reservation date and providing the opportunity for upgrades and additional bookings base on availability (Rutherford, D. and O’Fallon, M. 2011). According to O’Fallon M. and Rutherford D. (2011) stated that spas are booming such a significant component of the service menu for resorts and full service hotels that their absence, especially in amenity- rich resort environment, is glaring obvious. Within the leisure industries in 2003, revenues related to spas ranked number four behind golf fees and dues ($19. 7 million0, cruise lines revenues ($14. 7 million), and health club revenues ($14. 1 million). At $11. 2 million, spa revenues outpaced amusement park revenues ($10. 3 million), box office receipts ($9. million), and vacation ownership sales ($5. 5 million (Thacker, 2004; Audi and Wright, 2004). In this section, we first examine trends that support a sea change in North Americans’ attitude toward spa demand demographics; we discuss the type of spas currently popular in the industry, development and operational considerations, the components of a spa experience, compensation issues, and trends in the spa industry. Spa demand According to the International SPA Associations research, between 2002 and 2003, 11% of the national population over the age of 16 made one or more spa visits. This statistics shows that in xten Americans visited a spa during that period. Additionally, of these, 41% were visiting spas for the first time, indicating a larger population embracing spa usage. Age demographics show that 145% of clients are between the ages of 16 and 24, and over 50% are in the 24 to 44 age bracket. An emerging national statistics is the number of male visits to spas. 23% of spa visits and 29% of spa goers were men in 2003, trending toward special gender oriented treatments and male- only spas being opened worldwide. Spa selection criteria are determined by a number of factors. An established and known environment for instance, as part of an established resort, club or destination spa often influences the decision, and does atmosphere, quality of treatment, and friendliness of staff. Additionally, among spa goers nine out of ten respondents report they would return for a similar experience. Most spa customers believe they receive good value for their spa dollar. On a 10 point scale, services were given an average of 8 for value; with massage generating 8. 8 on the value such as Canyon Ranch are opening in the day spa market, adding new competitive pressure on the independents. Non-traditional players are also adding product supply. For example, corporations are creating in house spa environments, hospitals are adding wellness as part of their repertoire, and medi-spas, with a primary focus on cosmetic surgery, are adding spa business as an additional profit center. Health club are also trying to capture a piece of the pie by adding spa practices. The rationale in this market is that time-crunched patrons can benefit from the one-stop-shopping approached to fitness and wellness but the health club operator also uses the spa as an enticement to join the fitness centre. As the day and destination spa markets become saturated, it will become imperative for survival that each operator differentiate itself from the competition. The necessity for market segmentation to ensure clear communication with consumers will be a key to success in the maturing spa market. Another component of success will be a branding strategy that the consumer can immediately identify with respect to spa performance and the consumers personal comfort travel (Rutherford & O’Fallon 2011). Health Issues and Spa Demand. Increasingly, spa goers are looking to create prolonged wellness that integrates and renews body, mind and spirit. To that end, Eastern and Western lifestyle issues related to medicine, philosophy, and spiritual are becoming a mainstay of many spa/wellness experiences. To best deliver this, the wellness spa (located at day, destination, or resort environment) supports guest’ needs by creating an experience, not just a series of treatments. All the guest amenities, treatments, and programs must be seamlessly integrated into a personally tailored guest experience. This experience should be targeted toward couples, parents with children, and teenagers. In the early 1990, spa were considered a natural outgrowth of fitness facilities and focused primarily on treatments related to body wellness. As market sophistication evolved, the body mind connection attracted consumer focus. In the beginning of the twenty- first century, spas and marketers are overtly addressing body, mind, and spirit connections in order to respond to emerging market sensibilities (Rutherford & O’Fallon 2011). Spas as an Operating Department. Historically, spa operations were treated by management similarly to other revenue departments, like catering and restaurants. These departments were simply perceived as an amenity needed to attract guest to the hotel. As long as the department broke even, or didn’t lose too much money, their ability to increase occupancy was deemed sufficient justification for their existence. However, in the late 1990’s, hotel spa followed the path of other operating departments and were transformed from support to profit centres. This trend is strong and continues today (Rutherford & O’Fallon 2011). Spa Trends: On site industry trends Anti-aging treatments and products are driving much of spa menu and retail development. This calls for devoting a treatments room to outpatient medical procedures. Programming and spa menu items include sun damage treatments, chemical skin for renewals, and other rejuvenation techniques that build on repeat procedures. Commensurately, spas are developing retail product lines so that clients can take the spa experience home and continue the wellness regime. Global Industry trends Trends in day, destinations and amenity spas influence each other. According to Susan Ellis (2004), president of Spa Finder, a spa marketing company, after the rise of the medical spa and broadening spa participations by men and teens, spa use is expected to become more popular in the future. Spa Finder’s trends to watch for are: those personal elements that make the spa experience special will find their way into the design of personal living spaces in private homes; private, gated living communities will develop around central spa facilities, much like golf and sly-in communities. Managing visitor’s expectation and experience. Visitor’s expectation of a wellness centre or spa will differ greatly according to which country they come from, their language and their experience of wellness facilities generally. For example, the British or Americans would have a very different understanding of what they would expect to find in spa (i. e. luxury, pampering, and beauty) from a Central or Eastern European (i. e. healing waters, physical health checks, and medical treatments). Information provision and marketing is therefore extremely important in managing visitor expectation. In some cultures, nudity in spa is the norm or even a requirement in some areas (e. g. suanas and steam rooms). This is true of Austria, Germany and some spas in CEE and Scandinavia. However, for some visitors (e. g. American, British, Asians, and Southern Europeans) this can be unexpected and even embarrassing. In some cultures (e. g. Finland and Japan) men are separate from women when using sauna or spa facilities. In other cultures, mixed nudity is accepted. Some nationalities are used to doing activities in groups and are not used to enforced silence (e. . Southern European). This can create a certain amount of tension in countries, where spas and wellness centers are seen as quiet, restful, sometimes even spiritual spaces (especially in sauna and steam rooms) Help may also be needed to guide visitors around spas, as it could be their first visit or rituals and traditions may differ from those in their home country. Language may be a barrier where there is little or no translatio n, especially in countries where language can seem completely unfamiliar (e. g. Finland, Japan, and China). Visitors sometimes have problems knowing which entrance to use if there is more than one, which ticket to buy when there are many options, and might not understand the cloakroom system (e. g. in Hungary, where a cloakroom attendant usually has to be approached for a locker and key) or the new technology (e. g. in Austria when the locker system can be operate using a wristband). Knowing just how long to stay in medical, mineral or thermal waters is not clear to the inexperienced. Even if 20min is the recommended time, bathers need to know how long to rest or whether they should go to a cool shower after. Just a small information panel outside a bath, sauna or steam room can be enough to inform visitors, what the recommended length of time should be. (Smith & Puczko 2009). Atmosphere Creating a relaxing, clean, and pleasant environment is a paramount importance for all wellness facilities, but most especially for spas and spa or wellness hotels, which may also need a touch of luxury (spiritual or holistic tourist may accept more basic facilities). The use of design, colour, lightning, and location of furniture, degree of natural light, greenery, views, music or scents can all contribute to creating a harmonious atmosphere. Certainly, most of these qualities are determined during the planning process. The management may face difficulties when the services and/ or the surrounding environment do not support or accompany each other. These mismatches certainly result in sub-optimal satisfaction and consequently lower the optimal revenue level 9 (Puczko & Smith 2009). Spa Tourism Spa tourism is arguably the best known form of wellness tourism and is sometimes treated as being synonymous with wellness tourism. ISPA (2007) defines spa as ‘places devoted to enhancing overall well-being through a variety of professional services that encourage the renewal of mind, body and spirit’. ISPA also defines the key elements of the spa experience: relax; reflect; revitalize; and rejoice. It is difficult to distinguish between spas and more general forms of wellness (e. g. holistic retreats); however, it also shows clearly the diversity of the spa sector. There are now numerous sub-sectors within spa tourism and it is no longer enough simply to use the label ‘spa’ and assume that tourist will know what to expect. Perceptions differ greatly, for example, tourist in Central and Eastern Europe are very similar with the concept of historic medical spas, whereas other visitors (e. g. from the United States or United Kingdom) with expect something similar to a beauty salon. Spa are now of a highly complex and diverse nature. This diverse nature starts with the name and its likely meanings. Bath, bano, bad, therme/ terme, grotto, spa, kupele, furdo – all mean a thermal water-based spa, in various languages. The translation of the name from the original language often uses the term ‘spa’, but these establishments are not really always spa. Spas may differ widely in terms of what they offer, that is their services or treatment supply, and however, they have one thing in common, which is the aspiration to improve health and well-being. Most spas have some form of water-based treatments; however there is a difference between mineral, thermal, and healing waters: mineral waters; it has at least the set amount of dissolved mineral content which is minimum 500mg/1 or 1000mg/1; thermal waters: natural waters that are at least 30 C or 32 C at source (this can vary country by country); healing waters; the healing affects have to be proven, that is evidence-based. The International Spa Association (ISPA, 2007) has defined the ‘ten domains of SPA’ or segments of the industry as: the waters; food, nourishment, diet, and nutrition; movement, exercise, and fitness; touch, massage, and body work; mind/body/spirit; aesthetics, skin care, natural beauty agents; physical space, climatology, global ecology; social/cultural arts and values, spa culture; management, marketing and operations; time, rhythm, and cycles. Not every spa contains every domain. The rejuvenation of the spa concept has generated several attempts to categorize spas. Since the modern concept of spas were established in the United States, one of the most comprehensive categorizations comes from the International Spa Associations (ISPA, 2007 and the Spafinder Magazine, 2007): club spa; day spa; spa hotel; holistic spa; medical spa; bath; resort spa; sport spa and structured spa.