Significance of Loneliness and Isolation in Our Lives Essay Example

Significance of Loneliness and Isolation in Our Lives Essay As we climb up the mountain of life, we realize that at some point in time we all have to go through a stage of loneliness and isolation. It’s not easy but this stage does help us to become better people. A lot of people believe that when they get their dream career and their dream lives they would be happy beyond measures, but unfourtanely life does not work out that way. You see that stage of loneliness and isolation can happened at any stage in your life child hood, adolescence, adult hood. We all as human beings must experience this only because it makes us stronger; it opens our eyes to the world. Cathedral† by Raymond Carver and â€Å"Sonny’s Blues â€Å"by James Baldwin are two exemplary works of literature that shows the importance of going through loneliness and isolation and how it opens up one’s eyes to a whole new life. James Baldwin’s â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† is a perfect example of how one is not open with their self to view others just as others view him. The narrator of the story is a high school algebra teacher, a husband, a father, and last but not least a brother. Throughout the beginning of the story you can tell that the narrator is missing something in his life, you wouldn’t think that because it seems like he had everything. That just goes to show you that nothing is what it seems on the outside, and the narrator noticed that I believe. In the beginning of the story the narrator recently found out that his little brother Sonny had been arrested for dealing drugs. He couldn’t understand how a bright young man such as his brother could get himself into such a situation. â€Å"I told myself that Sonny wasn’t crazy†¦ he’d always been a good boy, he hadn’t turned hard or evil or disrespectful they way kids can†¦ especially in Harlem† (413). Even though he had suspicions he didn’t bother with them he kept putting it out his mind. â€Å" I hadn’t wanted to know. We will write a custom essay sample on Significance of Loneliness and Isolation in Our Lives specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Significance of Loneliness and Isolation in Our Lives specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Significance of Loneliness and Isolation in Our Lives specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer I had had my suspicions, but I didn’t name them, I kept putting them away†(413). The narrator hasn’t seen his brother for over year, even if he wanted to do something, what could he do, his brother chose the life that he is living he couldn’t do anything about it. It took the narrator a while before he wrote his brother, when he finally did it was after his daughter died. When Sonny wrote back to him, the brother felt bad, as if he was a bastard. After that first letter they stayed in constant contact with each other, they even went as far as seeing each other face to face when Sonny got back to New York. It was at that moment that the narrator felt like he needed to worry about his brother, he wondered about what type of life his brother was living. He remembered when their father had died and his mom told him that he must look after his brother,† Im telling you this because you got a brother. And the world ain’t changed† (422). Sonny wanted to become a musician and the narrator didn’t feel like that was going to be much use of Sonny in life, he didn’t really support his brother and that drove a wedge between him and his brother. That became the first sign of isolation, just because they didn’t agree on Sonny’s life choices didn’t have to pull them apart. Family is supposed to support each other through whatever. The isolation became a void of loneliness plagued into his heart. The narrator couldn’t see how being a musician was going to better nor enhance his brother’s life, he couldn’t understand that the blues tell a story, and that was the only way Sonny could get his voice heard by all. You see that was Sonny’s natural high, performing and letting people feel his vibes, his joy, his pain. By discussing the issues between them and them coming to a mutual ground, Sonny invited his brother to see him perform so he could understand better. Sonny showed him that everything that you keep bottled inside needs to be released and one way to do that is by music. Keeping everything inside is like silently suffocating yourself with the truth. Its okay to let things go, it’s ok to embrace your pain that’s how life is. Life is unpredictable you never know when a curve ball might be thrown at you, or better yet when you might be challenged. That is just the kind of thing that happened in Raymond Carver’s story â€Å"Cathedral†. It is a little different from Sonny’s Blues but it still deals with the concept of loneliness and isolation. The narrator of this story has been married to his wife for some time, but for some reason he becomes jealous of his wife’s old friend who so happened to be a blind man. His wife used to work for the blind men 10 years prior to their marriage and he was paving a visit to her house to see her and catch up, since his wife died not too long ago. The narrator was bothered by the thought of a blind man coming into his house. â€Å"My idea of blindness comes from the movies†¦the blind man moved slowly and ever laughed†¦A blind man in my house was not something I was looking forward to†(438). It seemed to me that the narrator was lonely because he didn’t know who he was; he struggled to figure out who he really was. The narrator was very stand offish when the blind man finally came over. He watched how is wife and the man interacted with each oth er. He was very quiet but he also seemed very awkward. The three ate dinner, sat and talked and even watched/listened to some TV. The narrator even asked the blind man if he wanted to smoke herbs with him, and so they did. When the narrators wife dozed off on the couch and it was just the blind man and him left alone he felt uncomfortable, the sounds of what was portrayed on the television was the only thing that broke the silence in the room. A Documentary about cathedrals. Until a thought came to the narrator and he asked the question, â€Å"Something has occurred to me. Do you have any idea what a cathedral is, what they look like, that is? Do you follow me? If somebody says cathedral to you, do you have any notion what they are talking about? Do you know the difference between that and a Baptist Church†? This question struck a very intriguing conversation between the two. The blind man asked the narrator to describe the cathedrals to him. He is making the narrator think outside of his little bubble, it was as if the narrator was afraid of who he was or maybe even ashamed of it, and I believe that the blind man knew that which is why he told the man â€Å"Why don’t you find us some heavy paper? And a pen. Well draw one together†. The narrator went to go find the stuff, came back and they began to draw the Cathedral together. Then the blind man told him to close his eyes and keep drawing. In that moment he realized that he and the blind man had more in common than he thought. He only saw blind men as nuisance and not as a human being who is lonely and isolated just like him but yet he has seen the world he has experienced everything. The blind man showed the narrator that it is okay to be scared but it’s not right to pretend to be something you not, no matter how different you are remember that we are all human and that we are not all the same, we don’t go through the same experiences but we might feel the same pain. Life is not always what we expect it to be, but one thing is for sure that it is an experience that we will never forget. Works Cited Baldwin, James. Sonnys Blues. Responding to Literature. 5th ed. New York: Mc Graw Hill. 412-37. Print. Carver, Raymond. Cathedral. Responding to Literature. 5th ed. New York: McGraw HIll. 437-49. Print. Stanford, Judith A. Responding to Literature. 5th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2006,2003/1999,1992. Print.

The Role of the Yellow River in Chinese History

The Role of the Yellow River in Chinese History Many of the worlds great civilizations have grown up around mighty rivers- Egypt on the Nile, the Mound-builder civilization on the Mississippi, the Indus Valley Civilization on the Indus River. China has had the good fortune to have two great rivers: the Yangtze and the Yellow River (or Huang He). The Yellow River is also known as the cradle of Chinese civilization or the Mother River. Usually a source of rich fertile soil and irrigation water, the Yellow River has transformed itself more than 1,500 times in recorded history into a raging torrent that has swept away entire villages. As a result, the river has several less-positive nicknames as well, such as Chinas Sorrow and the Scourge of the Han People. Over the centuries, the Chinese people have used it not only for agriculture but also as a transportation route and even as a weapon. The Yellow River springs up in the Bayan Har Mountain Range of west-central Chinas Qinghai Province and makes its way through nine provinces before it pours its silt out into the Yellow Sea off the coast of Shandong Province. It is the worlds sixth-longest river, with a length of about 3,395 miles. The river runs across central Chinas loess plains, picking up an immense load of silt, which colors the water and gives the river its name. The Yellow River in Ancient China The recorded history of Chinese civilization begins on the banks of the Yellow River with the Xia Dynasty, which lasted from 2100 to 1600 BCE. According to Sima Qians Records of the Grand Historian and the Classic of Rites, a number of different tribes originally united into the Xia Kingdom in order to combat devastating floods on the river. When a series of breakwaters failed to stop the flooding, the Xia instead dug a series of canals to channel excess water out into the countryside and then down to the sea. Unified behind strong leaders and able to produce bountiful harvests since Yellow River floods no longer destroyed their crops so often, the Xia Kingdom ruled central China for several centuries. The Shang Dynasty succeeded the Xia around 1600 BCE and also centered itself on the Yellow River valley. Fed by the riches of the fertile river-bottom land, the Shang developed an elaborate culture featuring powerful emperors, divination using oracle bones,  and artwork including beautiful jade carvings. During Chinas Spring and Autumn Period (771 to 478 BCE), the great philosopher Confucius was born in the village of Tsou on the Yellow River in Shandong. He was almost as powerful an influence on Chinese culture as the river itself. In 221 BCE, Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi conquered the other warring states and established the unified Qin Dynasty. The Qin kings relied on the Cheng-Kuo Canal, finished in 246 BCE, to provide irrigation water and increased crop yields, leading to a growing population and the manpower to defeat rival kingdoms. However, the Yellow Rivers silt-laden water quickly clogged the canal. After Qin Shi Huangdis death in 210 BCE, the Cheng-Kuo silted up entirely and became useless. The Yellow River in the Medieval Period In 923 CE, China was embroiled in the chaotic Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. Among those kingdoms were the Later Liang and the Later Tang dynasties. As Tang armies approached the Liang capital, a general named Tuan Ning decided to breach the Yellow River dikes and flood 1,000 square miles of the Liang Kingdom in a desperate effort to stave off the Tang. Tuans gambit did not succeed; despite the raging floodwaters, the Tang conquered the Liang. Over the following centuries, the Yellow River silted up and changed its course several times, breaking its banks and drowning surrounding farms and villages. Major re-routings took place in 1034 when the river split into three parts. The river jumped south again in 1344 during the waning days of the Yuan Dynasty. In 1642, another attempt to use the river against an enemy backfired badly. Kaifeng city had been under siege by Li Zichengs peasant rebel army for six months. The citys governor decided to break the dikes in hopes of washing away the besieging army. Instead, the river engulfed the city, killing almost 300,000 of Kaifengs 378,000 citizens and leaving the survivors vulnerable to famine and disease. The city was abandoned for years following this devastating mistake. The Ming Dynasty fell to Manchu invaders, who founded the Qing Dynasty just two years later. The Yellow River in Modern China A northward course-change in the river in the early 1850s helped fuel the Taiping Rebellion, one of Chinas deadliest peasant revolts. As populations grew ever larger along the treacherous rivers banks, so too did the death tolls from flooding. In 1887, a major Yellow River flood killed an estimated 900,000 to 2 million people, making it the third-worst natural disaster in history. This disaster helped convince the Chinese people that the Qing Dynasty had lost the Mandate of Heaven. After the Qing fell in 1911, China plunged into chaos with the Chinese Civil War and the Second Sino-Japanese War, after which the Yellow River struck again, this time even harder. The 1931 Yellow River flood killed between 3.7 million and 4 million people, making it the deadliest flood in all of human history. In the aftermath, with war raging and the crops destroyed, survivors reportedly sold their children into prostitution and even resorted to cannibalism to survive. Memories of this catastrophe would later inspire Mao Zedongs government to invest in massive flood-control projects, including the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River. Another flood in 1943 washed away the crops in Henan Province, leaving 3 million people to starve to death. When the Chinese Communist Party took power in 1949, it began building new dikes and levees to hold back the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. Since that time, floods along the Yellow River have still posed a threat, but they no longer kill millions of villagers or bring down governments. The Yellow River is the surging heart of Chinese civilization. Its waters and the rich soil it carries bring the agricultural abundance needed to support Chinas enormous population. However, this Mother River has always had a dark side to it as well. When the rains are heavy or silt blocks up the river channel, she has the power to jump her banks and spread death and destruction across central China.

Age of Exploration Essay Example for Free (#3)

Age of Exploration Essay ? The age of exploration had many varied effects on the countries involved, mainly Spain, France, and England. By establishing a prosperous empire in South America by conquering the native people, Spain became vastly wealthy off of the gold collected by its native subjects. However, since the native people were dying off rapidly due to the foreign diseases brought over by the Conquistadors, as well as malnutrition and fatigue, Spain and Portugal were the first to introduce slavery to the New World by replacing them with African slaves brought over by Portuguese slave traders. The silver mining by these slaves caused world trade to increase. Often, silver brought to Europe from America was then traded with China and other Asian countries, making silk, porcelain, and Indian spices more prevalent in Europe. Products from America that became popular in Europe included corn, potatoes, pineapples, and sugar cane. Many cultures spread and combined with others: Spanish missionaries converted natives to Christianity, which then combined the new Christian beliefs with the natives’ cultural traditions. Another example, Arabian coffee with American sugar became quite popular throughout Europe. Although saying that anyone who crossed the Atlantic (at least when referring to modern theories) truly discovered America is ridiculous, I believe that the first to do so was Leif Eriksson and his group of Vikings whose settlement was found in Canada. According to the Greenlander saga and the Eric saga, his father, Eric the Red, a Viking outlaw, discovered Greenland. In order to establish himself as a man separate from his father, Leif sailed to the west in order to discover his own land. He sailed west because there had been a rumor in Greenland for the past fifteen years of a merchant sailing from Iceland to Greenland whose ship had been blown off course in a storm. According to the rumor, the merchant claimed that there were three separate lands west of Greenland. Around the year 1000, Leif purchased the merchant’s ship from the story, and obtained directions from the same merchant. He set sail only for a few days, which was reportedly was miserable due to the conditions on the open boat. On this expedition, they were seeking trees, which were scare in Greenland, but abundant in what is now northern Newfoundland, Canada, where the party landed. Leif named the new land Vinland after the wild grapes found there and the wine the grapes produced. Shortly thereafter, the settlers began to erect a settlement and scouted the land. In 1960, the archeologist and set out to find the fabled Vinland, using a four hundred year old Icelandic map and descriptions from the sagas. On the very northern tip of Newfoundland, they came across an area of mounds and ruins near a small town. Because the ruins predated the settlement of the area, the locals had always believed that Native Americans created the mounds. In fact, through almost seven years of painstaking excavations and radiocarbon testing, it was proven that the ruins were of a settlement dating back to the year 1000. Various artifacts found at the site also confirmed its Norse origins. Archeologists have gone so far as to pinpoint which ‘house’ was Leif Eriksson’s, based on size and complexity of the structure. I believe that Leif Eriksson was the first to cross the Atlantic and settle in America because of many factors. The radiocarbon dating of the site which puts it at 1000 C. E. immediately eliminates any of the explorers from the age of exploration, as well as the Chinese in 1492, in addition to the obvious implausibility of traveling above Canada in ice riddled waters in a flimsy wooden vessel. A case could perhaps be made for the merchant in the sagas who started the rumor, but as with all epic stories, the Icelanders who were the ones to transcribe the sagas based on oral stories, may have simply added him in as a fictional supporting character. Because of this and other equally plausible scenarios, I have to concede that Leif Eriksson was the first to reach the New World by crossing the Atlantic. There is confusion among certain people about whether America was colonized because of a desire for more money on the part of England or because the colonists were seeking religious freedom from the Roman Catholic Church. This confusion stems mainly from the watered down version of Jamestown and the Mayflower that we teach students at a young age. While it is true that Puritans did indeed come to the New World seeking religious freedom, the initial desire to colonize America was all about the desire for wealth. Because of Spain’s conquests in South America, the gold it had acquired from the natives and silver mining had made the country vastly wealthy and other nations were eager to get their share of the riches. America also had an abundant supply of farmland at a time when many farmers had small farms that they toiled over in an effort to merely support their families. In addition, as more settlers moved to America and created a demand for indulgences that they were accustomed to in Europe, the companies that sold such items made more money because of the higher prices the settlers had to pay in order to accommodate shipping costs. In short, while religious freedom was a noble and idealistic dream, it wouldn’t benefit anyone or make any money, which is what people were chiefly concerned with. How would America be different if it had been settled one hundred years later, in 1592? To begin with, it probably would not be called ‘America’. America is so named after Amerigo Vespucci; however, as he died in 1512, it is unlikely that we would have been named after him. Perhaps we would be named Raleigh, after Walter Raleigh, a British explorer of both North and South America in our actual history. Christopher Columbus would not be in history books, as he would not have been to Raleigh. Native Americans thus would have never been referred to as Indians. Because of our late start as a nation, it is reasonable to assume that certain historical events in our country would be delayed, let us say, fifty years or so. Because colonization was delayed, it would take longer for tensions to raise between the colonists and the French, so the French and Indian War would not have started in 1689, but around 1739 instead. This in turn would delay the Seven years war and thus the taxed imposed by the British that led to the American Revolution, which would now begin in 1825. Thus, we would have the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1826 and become our own country in 1833. Or alternatively, because of the differing technology, we might have lost the war and still been English today. But lets assume that we won and Raleigh was founded. I believe the Civil War would have been delayed as well until 1911, three years before World War One started. Both world wars, because we did not start them, would have happened the same years as they actually did, 1914 and 1939 respectably. However, I believe that the issue of civil and women’s’ rights would have been later in coming, perhaps in the 80’s. We would probably be dealing with racism more than gay rights today, if that were the case. And our music would be behind as well, so 60’s music today would then be 80’s music now. Age of Exploration. (2016, Oct 23).

Metropolitan Police and are they Racist Assignment

Metropolitan Police and are they Racist - Assignment Example This approach is not only unacceptable, but also shameful. Therefore, this research aims to find out with the help of data whether this hypothesis is true or not. Analysis is made on the basis of a detailed discussion about the history of racism and its roots. It then looks into various incidents of racism that have taken place in history and Police’s involvement in them. Besides, it takes a closer look at the August riots and its various causes. In the end, a conclusion is presented that sums up the discussion and gives out some recommendations on the basis of it. TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 INTRODUCTION 4 Research Background 4 Aims and Objectives of the research 4 Rationale for the selection of the research 5 Research Question 5 Hypothesis 6 Review of the Key References 6 Key references for this study include the website of metropolitan police service and BBC website from which statistics of the August riots have been taken. Discussion about his tory of racism and introduction to institutional racism and its history, Macpherson and Scarman report and different incidents of police acting racist have been taken from various books and journal articles. These books include Racism and Borders: Representation, Repression, Resistance, Institutional Racism: A Primer on Theory and Strategies for Social Change, Racist Victimization: International Reflections and Perspectives and many others. 6 Justification for the selected research design 6 DISCUSSION 7 Some Statistics and Background Information 7 History – Britain 7 Racial Profiling – a history 9 London Riots, 2011 9 Some Popular instances 12 ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION 14 Racism in Metropolitan Police Service – An analysis 15 Conclusion 15 REFERENCES 17 INTRODUCTION Research Background No matter how much everyone condemns the idea of racism but it is seen that everyone encourages it in one way or the other and intentionally or unintentionally acts like a racist. T he phenomenon is so spread that even Metropolitan Police Service is not protected from it. There have been numerous incidents in the past that show that Metropolitan Police Service is racist in its attitudes and actions. Racism is the act of discriminating different races on the basis of different stereotypes attached with the races. Individuals have attitudes that they discriminate between people on the grounds of their races. When this discrimination takes the form of some kind of action and becomes inseparable with the acts of the institution then only it becomes institutional racism. This term will be used repeatedly in the course of this report (Scott, 1974, p. 6). Metropolitan Police Service, popularly known as the Met, looks after the territory falling in Greater London and deals with the crime and its causes in its territory. It also has the responsibility of helping in with the national targets of counter terrorism and protection of the British Royal Family and Government o fficials. Aims and Objectives of the research This research aims to identify instances in the past to verify whether Metropolitan police service has done racism in its actions or not. The research aims to look at some background information and history of racism in Britain and different developments made throughout the history in order to deal with this evil in the society. Furthermore, it aims to view some of the popular instants in which police showed racism in

For and against reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Article

For and against reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) - Article Example The TSCA provisions do not apply the same to new and existing chemicals. According to TSCA, any new chemical substances are any chemical that is not part of the chemical substance list collected and published under TSCA section 8(b). This list is referred to as the â€Å"TSCA Inventory†. The TSCA act has had a great impact in ensuring protection of the American citizen and the environment. EPA has had successes compiling data on chemical toxicity, market use, and exposure under TSCA’s section 4 which allows EPA to do testing and information provisions. However, these results have been limited because very few test policies and rules have been enacted by the TSCA. Through the new chemicals program set by TSCA has proven to be a successful example of a precautionary review policy. These provisions apply at the pre-manufacture level of manufacturing before the product is let out to the public. This provision sets disciplinary reviews to assess risks associated with new chemicals. This ensures that there is protection against potentially harmful chemicals. Due to its high disciplinary measures, this has scared investors who are venturing into new and advance technology in chemical industry. The regulations have high legal threshold which is almost impossible to meet. The TSCA program for existing chemicals has ensured that the EPA is able to monitor its inventory and also analyze manufacturing and consumption by the public. On the other hand it has been viewed by many to be a failure. The existing chemicals have pose a challenge on EPA to prove that chemicals already approved will not present risk and that the benefits of regulation overpass the costs. Lack of assurance favors the keeping of these chemicals on the market. EPA limitation on power to regulate existing chemicals provides a hindrance to bringing safer chemicals to market. While chemical manufacturers invest important

The Private Sector Essay Example for Free

The Private Sector Essay Below is a quick summary on the key events from the present day back to 1936 and a brief description of what each one is about 1936 Billy Butlin opens his first holiday camp at Skegness with over 600 chalets included 1938 Holidays with Pay Act introduced People given time off work whilst still getting paid 1946 Fred Pontin opens his first holiday camp near Weston-Super-Mare Competition to the Butlins holiday camp 1950 First packaged air holiday organized by Horizon Advance in technology allowing this to happen 1952. First jet airline passenger service faster and more comfortable way of travel 1959 First jet airline passenger service to Australia transport and technology has allowed for this to happen 1960 Number of domestic holidays exceeds 30 million for the first time and number of holidays rises to 3. 5 million showing an increase of people taking holidays Early 1960s First global distribution systems developed by American airline companies 1968 Worlds first commercial Hovercraft operated from Dover to Boulogne Advance in Technology and meant people could get across quicker than with ferry. 1969 Development of Tourism Act introduced. Formation of the British, English, Scottish and Wales Tourist Boards Government realized that they had to promote the country for tourism and for incoming and domestic tourists 1976 Concorde goes into service A supersonic transport plane built by Britain and France, begins passenger service 1981 60 per cent of households in the UK have regular use of at least one car More money been made and another form of transport meaning that domestic tourism can expand with people been able to travel in the UK easier. 1987 Number of holidays abroad exceeds 20 million for the first time, whilst domestic holidays fall to 28. 5 million, the lowest number since 1955 Showing that the advance in flying and cheaper holidays abroad with sun are tempting people to go that way 1992 EU Directive on package holidays introduced EU has found it important to pass legislation 1992 Department of National Heritage formed For Culture, Media and sports 1995 Le Shuttle and Eurostar carry first passengers through Channel Tunnel New quicker way of getting across the channel 1997 70 per cent of all households in the UK have regular use of at least one car Showing that more money is coming into the households 1998 Number of holidays abroad exceeds 30 million for first time Cheaper flights and cheaper accommodation abroad. More time 1998 An estimated 1. 4 million people purchased travel tickets on the internet New cheaper way of getting tickets for travel and also quicker 1999 The English Tourism Council replaced the English Tourist Board 2000 Air passenger duty reduced on economy flights removes barrier to the growth of inbound tourism. 2001 September 11th and Foot and Mouth disease hits Britain meaning restrictions to people going into certain places People afraid of flying after the 11th attacks. 2002 Terrorist bomb in Bali Effect on people wanting to travel, meaning there could be an increase in domestic tourism 2003 SARS broke out and in March Iraq war started For both, People not wanting to travel abroad meaning there could be an increase in domestic tourism The main reasons for the rapid growth in the industry since the end of the Second World War are: 1. The changing social economic circumstances. Increase in leisure time   Increase in disposable income   Increased car owner ship 2. Technological developments 3. Product development and innovation 4. Changing consumer needs and expectations and fashions I will explain each of these reasons below E1 Changing Social Economic Circumstances 1. Increase in Leisure Time There are a variety of reasons why there has been n increase in the leisure time. Firstly there has been a decrease in working time since 1971. The table below shows the decrease in working time from 1971 to 2001. Full Time Workers 1971 2001. Weekly hours of work 42. 0 39. 7 This has resulted in an increase in free time for people and therefore more time to go away. People have also been encouraged to take time off work and go on holidays because of the introduction of paid holidays. With the introduction of this it has encouraged people to take holidays because they can take time off work whilst still been paid. There has also been an increase in the amount of days that people have off from work and the annual hours or work per worker has also decreased. All of which equal to an increase in free and leisure time. Full Time Workers 1971 2001 Paid Holiday Days 16. 7 25. 1 Public Holiday Days 6. 0 8. 0 Annual Hours of Work per Worker 1,999 1,807 Another factor for the increase in leisure time is that of more people employed as just part time workers, as the table below shows. Key Labour-Force Statistics 1971 2001 % of Labour Force employed as part-time workers 15. 5 30 This table shows a big increase in the amount of part time workers in 2001. This could mean that if someone only works 4 days a week they will have more leisure time and therefore more time to go on holidays. There have also been changes in the age structure of the population   Decrease in birth rate   Population Getting Older Increase in life expectancy The decrease in birth rate means that people have more time on their hands and also more money because they dont have young children to look after. The growth of the population means that there are more people which can mean more holidays been sold And finally the increase in the life expectancy means that there are more old aged pensioners and when they have retired from the working life they will have a lot more time to do leisure activities. There has been an increase in ready meals. Whereas before the 1990s people would have to go to different shops such as the groceries and the butchers and then preparing all the separate ingredients which were very time consuming. Now you can go to the local supermarket and buy meals already prepared which just need heating up and also they are significantly cheaper. Saving money and time can increase the leisure time. Finally the introduction of household consumer goods means that cleaning up around the house is easier and a lot quicker than before which also saves time. 2. Disposable Income. Disposable Income is money that is left over after you have bought something. This money goes into a variety of things such as the following list:   Tax   National Insurance   Pension   Mortgage   Clothing   Council Tax   Power   Food Individual disposable income has risen in the UK which has meant an increase on the consumer spending on travel and tourism In the economy when there is a recession this means there is high unemployment, high interest rates and high inflation. When the economy circumstances are in recession the taking of holidays is usually one of the first items of household expenditure to be cut out. An example is in the early 1990s recession in the UK led to a decrease in the overseas holidays, with consumer confidence low due to the fears of unemployment and a fall in house prices. When there is a boom in the economy though, this leads to high employment, low in interest rates and low in inflation. This means that there is confidence for the consumers because of the high employment and with extra money through disposable income more money is been spent in the travel and tourism industry. The rate of inflation is another key factor in the UK economy. The rate of inflation is the rise in prices of products and can affect whether people buy certain products and when a holiday increases in price then consumers will look elsewhere if they feel the holiday is not value for money. The exchange rate is also a key feature in the UK economy. When the English pound is strong against other currencies such as the euro and the dollar then people are more likely to travel abroad because they are getting more money for their pound and so outbound tourism is greater. However this affects inbound tourism to the UK because the exchange rate for foreign countries is not as good. 3. Car Ownership Since 1945 there has been an increase in the car ownership that people now have. In 1997 70% of all households in the UK had regular use of at least one car and now there is an estimate of 20 million cars in the UK The effect of households having access to cars is that it can encourage travel in the UK. It is a lot easier to go by car to places than other forms of transport around the UK and this will increase the domestic tourism. In 1998 80% of trips were taken by cars with a 3/4 of the population visiting the countryside at least once a year which shows how important the use of a car has been for the UK tourism. Another factor of the increase in car ownership is that the development of the road network has led to the rise in the visit to the countryside E1 Technological Developments Since the 1940s there has been a steady increase in the technological developments with aircraft, ships and trains all been developed and carrying larger numbers In the 1970s there was the development of the jet engine which encouraged people to travel abroad and with prices falling in recent years and the introduction of cheap airlines such as easy jet it has encouraged people to fly abroad. This has also led to the further developments of package tour holidays with the transport and accommodation all been included. In 1999 the most popular tourist destination abroad was Spain with more than a quarter of UK tourists going there. Below is a table showing the percentage of people going to certain European destinations Under 16 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 and over All1 Spain 32 28 24 26 26 30 31 27 France 29 17 18 21 19 17 17 20 USA 7 7 9 9 8 6 5 7 Greece 4 10 7 6 7 6 3 6 Eire 2 5 5 5 5 5 7 6 This table also shows the kinds of age groups that visit those countries. Another popular holiday destination outside of Europe is the USA. This is all related to the growth of technology because it has allowed people to travel around more and get to places which were before impossible. www. statistics. gov. uk Following the opening of the channel tunnel there has been more competition for the transport industry. The channel tunnel has offered a quick and cheap way of travel across to channel and into the rest of Europe. With flight prices also falling with the introduction of cheap airlines such as Easy Jet and Ryan Air, people have chosen to go this way because it is the fastest way of travel and with prices falling the best option for many people. This has led to a problem for the ferries on the sea because people have chosen to use over forms of transport such as the airlines, the euro tunnel has also suffered because of this. Airlines can now be cheaper than the ferries and Euro tunnel with the introduction of low cost airlines and quicker. To compete therefore with other forms of transport, ferry has started making their holidays start from the ship with nightclubs, bars, cinemas and other entertainment. This to compete and keep ferry going. 2. Communication and information systems. The development in the communications and information technology systems has resulted in a significant impact on the travel and tourism industry. The computer reservation systems (CRS) and global distribution systems (GDS) has improved the sales of airline tickets, packaged holidays, hotel accommodation and other tourism products since the development in the late 1960s in the USA. The use of Global Distribution Systems has enabled companies such as Thomson to operate commercially in the world and develop partnerships with airlines; hotel groups; tour operators and so on. The internet has had a huge impact on the travel and tourism industry. Back in the 20th century people would go down to the travel agents and book their holidays through this all together with flights, accommodation and so on. However with the introduction of the internet people have found booking holidays through this is usually cheaper and quicker than going down to the travel agents. You can now book each aspect of the holiday separately and many people have recognized this and now you can easily book flights and accommodation on the internet for cheaper than going to the travel agents which have led to problems for the travel agents. 3. Product Development There has been changing needs and expectations of the consumers such as people now expecting to have ensuite bathrooms which have now become a necessity rather than a luxury to people There has also been a development of the mass market tourism industry with resorts such as Euro Disney becoming more and more popular for tourists because it is a holiday which there is something to do all the time. Things like Innovative travel products, domestic tourism and the seaside resorts and holiday camps have all been developed since the 1950s and these have been developed because they are popular and countries can make money and people have the time to go to them. People started to travel abroad in the 1970s because it was becoming possible to do so with the advance in technology such as the introduction of airplanes, people having more time on their hands with things such as paid holidays and as it has become cheaper and cheaper to get abroad people have left the UK as they are guaranteed sun more in other countries than here in the UK. Even though the domestic tourism have fallen since its peak in 1974 of 40 million people the industry has thought back with the development of short breaks such as weekend breaks to major cities in the UK or to country places such as the Lake District for which has offered a cheap and relaxing way to get away for a short time. Blackpool is an example of a 12th month holiday destination. This is because Blackpool has something to offer all year round such as the pleasure beach and the lights as well as concerts. Tour operators, airlines, hotels and travel agents are consistently under pressure to develop their innovative products in order to meet consumer need and retain their market share in the competitive market. Tour operators have successfully developed innovative new products for specific markets such as families and single people. The industry is continuing developing new products and services to cater for all markets. Examples for tour operators developing their products can be offering late deals for cheaper prices and given special offers. For example when a large group are going on a skiing holiday some tour operators will offer discounts on the party. E1 Features of the Travel and Tourism Industry Travel and Tourism can be split into two groups which are:   Commercial (The Private Sector)   Non-Commercial (Public and Voluntary Sectors) The UK travel industry is dominated by the private sector with the majority been small and medium sized organizations. These private sector companies have the main to simply make a profit. The main activities in the private sector are:   Sales Catering and Accommodation. Travel Services Entertainment Many are public limited companies which are owned by shareholders. There is also the Public Sector in the travel and tourism industry. These are largely funded by central or local governments. These organizations include tourist boards and local authorities which run museums, art galleries and tourist information centres. Visit Britain and the National and Regional tourist boards are the key public sector organizations involved in supporting the UK industry. Previously the Visit Britain was known as the BTA. Visit Britain markets Britain to the UK as well as the rest of the world to build on the value of tourism in Britain and throughout the year by creating world class destination brands and marketing campaigns. Its goal is to promote Britain to the rest of the country and the rest of the world. Visit Britain is funded by the Department for culture, media and sport. Regional Tourist Boards support the work of the national tourist boards to promote the domestic tourism. There are 10 regional tourist boards in England and there are 3 in Wales.

Essay --

The Partition of India in 1947 illustrated what the real situation for decades with conflicts of religion and dominance as India gained independence from the British Raj. The process of dividing the subcontinent along sectarian lines resulted to the establishment of Pakistan as the predominantly Muslim sections of India; and the establishment of the Republic of India composed of the southern and majority Hindu section of India. Religion played a major role in the conflicts that existed between Hindus and Muslims aggravated by British imperialism. The Hindus were unwilling to accommodate Islam and the conflicting religious views between Hindus and Muslims made it extremely difficult for their peaceful co-existence. Hinduism is a strict hierarchical structure that is separated into thousands of castes to isolated units. Hinduism as a closed society commands loyalty from the implemented system of each caste with the presence of outsiders considered as the barbarians. Any connection with such outsiders through intermarriage and any other kind of relationship or by simply sitting, eating or drinking with them are forbidden because such outsiders would only pollute the purity of Hindus. Hinduism principles are primarily directed against those who do not belong to them and all foreigners even if such individuals referred to as Maleccha are inclined to their religion. Hinduism in its strict intolerance of other faiths led to the rejection of Hindus to assimilate Indian Muslims and ensured of a barrier that always divided Hindus and Muslims. The religious differences were fundamental to the separation of Muslims and Hindus and the hostility that constrained the possibilities of cooperation between them. The Muslims shared a se... ...ions of right and wrong and has placed the British in a very ugly world impression of Britain’s evil capability of stirring up hatred and doing nothing to suppress the consequences of division the imperial power orchestrated; and thus left the Hindus and Muslims in conflict and an absolute despise of the British. The scheme of winning wars using the troops of India clearly benefitted the British Empire even with the result of the loss of millions of Indian soldiers. The British were the great benefactors of the conquered peoples who generously gave in to promises to address the natives’ sentiments for independence. The British Empire was fed a boost for its international power with the ordinary public playing the no role in international politics except its consent to continue the illusion of popular mandate in the conception of state power by modern democracy.

How to Lose an Account

1. Things had gone well with this account overall. What, though, were the critical issues in determining the customer’s satisfaction that led to the loss of the customer? Was the problem simply a lack of satisfaction with the product? Using concepts from the chapter, describe how the customer’s value equation was influenced by the experiences both before the call and during the call. Companies in all industries and of all sizes understand that customers are perhaps their most valuable assets. Improving the overall customer experience is vital for continued success and survival, and always has been.In the words of many industry professionals, losing a customer is the absolute worst thing that could happen to our company. This mantra has always stood true, but when we're fighting with competitors for every dollar, customer retention is key. In our case we have a functional type of relationship between the customer and the company. â€Å"Functional relationships are long- term market exchanges characterized by behavioral loyalty – the buyer purchases the same product out of habit or routine. â€Å" (J. Tanner, p. 354) As we can see from our case the relationship between Mobile Connection and Health Resources of Texas (HRT) is continuing for 3 years.In the functional relationship customer satisfaction is very important because without it, behavioral loyalty cannot develop. Customer satisfaction is the degree to which a buyer is satisfied with a product, service or company. Companies are very interested in ensuring that customers are happy with the performance of a product or the quality of service because it will affect future purchase decisions. In fact, quality may be the most important of the customer satisfaction objectives because the consequences of a bad product or poorly performed service are virtually impossible to overcome.In our case the problem is not exactly with the product but with the service. The service is poor because Tony L agera, the service director, made promises that he had never fulfilled. He even didn’t pay too much attention to the customer’s request but the worst thing is that Tony was dishonest. In order to have a successful long-term relationship the most important thing is to have mutual trust. Because without trust ( partners can trust and depend on each other, resolve problems as they arise and settle differences between them when it necessary) unhappy customers will not stay loyal to the company nd will go out to our competitors. According to J. Tanner â€Å"trust is a belief by one party that the other party will fulfill its obligations in a relationship† (p. 362). When we earned the trust of the other party, our relationship is strong and we do not need to constantly monitor each other’s actions because both believe that other parties will act in a way that is best for both parties. But trust only is not enough, which is why it is a combination of five factor s: dependability, competence, customer orientation, honesty and likability.As we can see, Tony did not possess the honesty factor. When Sharon Collins raise the problems about the copiers, Tony was also aware of the problem but hadn’t processed the request to replace the copiers yet and he was told to say that the company was reviewing the problem and the problem would be solved in one way or another. The problem occurs when Sharon called the service director to explain the problem, Tony hemmed and hawed and avoided answering the question, and as a result he was being dishonest.Honesty is both truthfulness and sincerity and honesty is related to dependability and competence about the product and services that the company, in which the salesperson is working, provides. Here is the problem, Tony did not admit that he didn’t know what to answer and just avoided to answer to Sharon’s question directly. Customers can very easily determine when they are being laid and as a result dissolution occurs. The worst thing is that Tony didn’t realize that he performed poorly, he thought everything went well and he did great job.That is why he has to improve his skills and knowledge but unfortunately it is too late because the company had been rejected to be part of the bid. All of the things I said so far led to the loss of the customer based on his/her dissatisfaction. As far as it goes to the Customer Value Equation, I may say that it is influenced in a negative way especially after the call, I mean it has decreased. As we already know Value = Benefits minus Cost. Customer Value is equal to benefits (it includes functional and emotional benefit) minus the cost (the price of the product, time and effort needed to for purchase and psychic costs).Our CVL decreased because of the following reasons: first, the benefit decreased because the customer is dissatisfied with the services, therefor the emotional benefits went down; second, the cost (not th e price of the product) increased because it took more time and effort for Sharon to explain what the problem was and to wait for a proper answer for her request (when and how would the problem be fixed). Hence, the customer value decreased based on the things I have explained above. 2.Was there anything the sales rep or his boss, Robert Lawrence, could have done after the sales call to save the business? Everyone must be involved in customer satisfaction. All personnel have the capability, at some level, to influence customer satisfaction. Top management must communicate exactly how personnel will be expected to contribute because it's often not intuitively obvious how this is possible. Therefore, Robert should have not sat in a silence. He as a manager of Mobile Connection should act as a role model for all of other employees at the company.He should have intervened in the relationship between Sharon and Tony and should have done something to keep Sharon as a customer. Robert migh t have met with the customer face to face and have an open communication – discuss the problems and find the proper solution that will satisfy the needs and wants of the customer. As we know in the relational partnership all the communication between customer and the company goes through the salesperson (Tony), but when this doesn’t lead to the wanted results, the manager must insist on direct communication.It is better for the both parties and it is easier to keep the good partnership for longer period of time. 3. Not only were there no other problems during the previous three-year contract, but Mobile had originally won the business away from a competitors and significantly improve HRT’s situation. Why didn’t that enter into the picture? Sometimes one little thing may terminates the long-lasting relationship. In our case buyer’s dissatisfaction was the main reason to put an end to the existing relationship.The problem was that the Sharon’s expectation was not fulfilled and the reason was the bad services which led to customer dissatisfaction. The good customer service is essential for the success of the company and to its survival in this competitive market. Bad customer service occurs when a customer is not satisfied with his services. The customer will not feel like he has been treated fairly, listened to or that his concerns have been addressed by employees of a company as in our case. When customers are dissatisfied with a company’s customer service, it can have negative effects on the business.As such, business owners must identify and resolve bad customer service but this did not happen in our case because the manager just stayed silent and did nothing to fix the service director’s bad performance. Therefore, dissolution of this partnership occurred because of bed services. This could have been avoided if the company had provided better training and motivation for its employees in order to have a better performance and escape customer’s dissatisfaction. CITATION: 1. Tanner, John F. â€Å"Building Partnering Relationship. † Selling: Building Partnerships. 8th  ed. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin,  2007. 350-365. Print.

Five Ethical Approaches for Companies

Being honest and trustworthy is one of the most important aspects within business ethics. The object of a business is to produce products that consumers have faith in and have confidence that they are getting the best deal with no hidden inconveniences. The Markkula article gives five examples of ethical decision that each business should take into consideration when making transactions with customers or implementing a product into the market. The utilitarian approach, virtue approach, rights approach, fairness approach, and common good approach are all steps the business should use to make sure their brand is ethical. Companies like amazon, apple, and Wal-Mart are ethical and have prospered because these companies hold everyone accountable for their actions and decision-making. Amazon has great policies set for the consumers with multiple low prices valuable material as well as Wal-Mart. Apple has a code of ethics that is set for all individuals that work for them. To more thoroughly detail these principles, Apple has drafted a code of business conduct that applies to all its operations, including those overseas†(Fund). Enron, Aig, and Fannie Mae Foundation are companies that did not always use ethical decision-making and therefore went under. â€Å"After 1992 Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were encouraged to purchase â€Å"affordable† mortgages from banks, which essentially meant mortgages that did not pass the usual creditworthiness requirement for loan†(Congleton, 2009). Fannie Mae gave loans to anyone who basically applied thus, resulting in a major crisis in America. Good ethics in business would be to compete fairly and honestly, to communicate truthfully and to not cause harm to others. These are things that Enron did not seem to display, which led to Enron’s operations file for bankruptcy in 2001†(Studymode 2008). Enron was convincing people do invest in insurances of their firms, but took the money and did not pay up for any claims. An unethical approach that Aig is known for is giving Ceo and other officials of the company bonuses and vacations when they were a faili ng business an investor were losing money.

Effective Classroom Policies and Procedures

Effective Classroom Policies and Procedures   In order for your classroom to run smoothly you will need to write your own policies and procedures handbook. This handy guide will help you and your students (and parents) know exactly what you expect of them. Here are a few examples of the types of things that you can put into your classroom policies and procedures handbook. Birthdays Birthdays will be celebrated in the classroom. However, in order to ensure the safety of all students in the classroom and throughout the school with life-treating allergies, no food products may be sent in that include peanuts or tree nuts. You may send in non-food items as well such as stickers, pencils, erasers, small grab bags, etc. Book Orders A Scholastic book order flyer will be sent home each month and payments must be received by the date attached to the flyer in order to ensure the order will get out on time. If you wish to place an order online, you will be given a class code to do so. Class DoJo Class DoJo is an online behavior management/classroom communication website. Students will have the opportunity to earn points throughout the day for modeling positive behavior. Each month students can redeem the points earned for various rewards. Parents have the option to download the app which will allow you to receive instant notifications and messages throughout the school day. Communication Building and maintaining a partnership between home and school is essential. Parent communication will be weekly through notes home, emails, a weekly newsletter, on Class Dojo, or on the class website. Fun Friday Each Friday, students who have turned in all their work will earn the chance to participate in â€Å"Fun Friday† activities in our classroom.   A student who has not completed all homework or classwork will not participate, and will go to another classroom to catch up on incomplete assignments. Homework All assigned homework will be sent home in a take-home folder each night. A list of spelling words will be sent home each Monday and will be tested on Friday. Students will also receive a math, language arts, or other homework sheet each night as well. All homework must be turned in the following day unless stated otherwise. There will be no homework on the weekends, only Monday-Thursday. Newsletter Our newsletter will be sent home every Friday.   This newsletter will keep you updated on what is happening at school. You can also find a copy of this newsletter on the class website. Please refer to this newsletter for any weekly and monthly classroom and school-wide information. Parent Volunteers Parent volunteers are always welcome in the classroom, regardless of the age of the students. If parents or family members are interested in helping out on special occasions or would like to donate any school supplies or classroom items, then there will be a sign-up sheet in the classroom, as well as on the classroom website. Reading Logs Reading is an essential and necessary skill to practice each night in order to achieve success in all content areas. Students are expected to read on a daily basis. Each month students will receive a reading log to track the amount of time spent at home reading. Please sign the log each week and it will be collected at the end of the month. You can find this reading log attached to your childs take home folder. Snack Please send in a healthy snack each day with your child. This peanut/tree nut free snack can be anything from goldfish, animal crackers, fruit, or pretzels, to vegetables, veggie sticks, or anything else that you can think of that is healthy and quick. Water Bottles Students are encouraged to bring in a water bottle (filled with only water, not anything else) and keep it at their desk. Students need to be well hydrated in order to remain focused throughout the school day. Website Our class has a website. Many forms can be downloaded from it, and there is much classroom information to be found on it. Please refer to this website for any missed homework assignments, classroom pictures, or any further information.

Apple, Google, and Microsoft Battle for Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Apple, Google, and Microsoft Battle for - Essay Example Initially, the journey of Google begins as one of the search engines. However, it gained popularity by its ‘copyrighted Page Rank’ search algorithm that allows the web clients to experience advanced results. Moreover, another main feature of Google is that it allows every organization whether small or large to advertise online through this medium. In order to experience superior web-based services and software applications, Google provides its users a low-cost and supple infrastructure. Microsoft: the business model of Microsoft mainly spotlights the Windows operating system that is available on workstations. In addition, the products related to Microsoft are good for both organizations and consumer users to work easily on desktop. However, Microsoft is still struggling to increase its business in order to keep the customers integrated. In this study we compare the main prospective of users shifting from Personal Computers (desktop) to mobile devices that are providing Internet services. The Smartphone or tablet device market is an economy of around $400 billion. The computing based devices are gaining popularity globally therefore every company is struggling to be in this race. In order to win in this struggle, companies must advertise and claim its large user following. In fact, Apps plays an important role for the popularity of the Smartphone or tablets. Thus, benefit is gained by the company who has launched the most appealing device enriched with loads of apps. Apple: (Reynolds) Mmore than 250,000 apps can be downloaded by the Apple Incorporated Users and thus making it at the top list. The earning are about 30% on buying every app. Apple Incorporated Only allows a controlled proprietary system that allows users to purchase apps from Apple store. Google: recently Google has launched the Android mobile OS operating system for the users of non-Apple products. There are several features that are not available in Apple Inc for example,

A company profile for a company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A company profile for a company - Essay Example In other words this type of structure facilitates decentralization. The corporate staffs at GE are divided into 5 sub divisions. The key subdivision of the corporate staff at GE are Commercial public relations, Legal, Global research, Human resource and Finance. The organization structure of GE shows that it is headed by the corporate executive office. They are in turn supported by shareowners and board of directors. The corporate executive office in turn elects a chairman and CEO. In 2014 the total no. of employees who worked in GE are 307,000. In 2014 the chairman and CEO of the company was Jeffrey R. Immelt. In 2014 GE had 2 vice presidents namely Keith S. Sherin and John G. Rice. They were additionally holding the post of president and CEO of GE capital and Global growth and operations respectively. The president and CEO of other divisions was namely Charles Bankenship for appliances and lighting division, John L Flannery of healthcare division, David L. Joyce of GE Aviation, Rus sell Stokes of GE transportation, Stephen R. Bolze for GE power and water, Lorenzo Simonelli for Oil and Gas division and Mark W. Begor for GE energy management. GE has many divisions and manufactures several things. In fact GE is a conglomerate of several divisions. The various subdivisions of GE are capital, appliances and lightning, healthcare, aviation, transportation, power and water, oil and gas, energy management and Global growth and operations. The main products that GE thus manufactures are lighting appliances. In the power, water, oil and gas sectors too GE is the leader as GE provides power, water, oil and gas. GE aviation is a subsidiary of the general electric and is one of the major suppliers of aircraft engines for the commercial aircrafts that operate. The major competitors of GE aviation are Rolls-Royce and Pratt and Whitney. GE aviation is amongst the top aircraft engine suppliers.