Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Influences on Nursing Professional Practice

Impacts on Nursing Professional Practice The Illness-Wellness Continuum, created during the 1970s, shows that wellbeing is a powerful state; there are a few degrees of wellbeing. â€Å"Good health†, or High-Level Wellness, is accomplished through mindfulness, instruction and development, and is found on the privilege of the even Illness-Wellness Continuum chart. Signs, side effects, and handicap, which are proof of intensifying wellbeing (and in the long run Pre-Mature Death), are found on the left half of the Illness-Wellness Continuum representation as â€Å"Poor health†. In the focal point of the continuum is a â€Å"Neutral Point†, at which there is â€Å"no noticeable ailment or wellness†. (Travis, 2004). Harmonious with the Illness-Wellness Continuum, the Constitution of the World Health Organization characterized wellbeing as â€Å"a condition of complete physical, mental and social prosperity and not only the nonappearance of ailment or infirmity†. (World Health Organization, 1946). It is fascinating to take note of that this definition has not been overhauled in over six decades. This definition depicts the joining of physical, mental and social prosperity as wellbeing, and separates the condition of wellbeing from the absence of infection. Health can be considered as the mix of brain, body and soul. Ideal health permits us to accomplish our objectives and discover significance and reason in our lives. Wellbeing joins seven elements of prosperity into a quality method of living. By and large, wellbeing is the capacity to make every second count and to boost individual potential in an assortment of ways. Wellbeing includes persistently learning and making changes to upgrade your condition of health. At the point when we balance the physical, scholarly, passionate, social, word related, profound, and ecological parts of life, we accomplish genuine health. (Nordqvist, 2014). Harvard-prepared Andrew Weil, MD composed that people become acquainted with wellbeing when they are sick or have an infection (page 41). (2004). Realize that the customary valuations of wellbeing as great and attractive, and disease as terrible, are not really obvious; â€Å"health is the development of cognizance that rises above the ailment health dichotomy†. (Koerner, 2011). â€Å"Health is completeness †completeness in its most significant sense, with nothing forgot about and everything in the perfect request to show the secret of parity. A long way from being essentially the nonappearance of malady, wellbeing is a dynamic and amicable balance of the considerable number of components and powers making up and encompassing a human being.† (page 41) (Weil, 2004). Wellbeing, at that point, envelops both health and ailment and additionally sickness. Wellbeing and recuperating might be analyzed in various manners, including through the models of the physical body an d the body-mind-soul. Models of Health and Healing Larry Dossey, MD called attention to how the recognitions and convictions about wellbeing and ailment have changed after some time (Koerner, 2011). In Era I, which started during the 1860s, science was absorbed into the act of western medication. Wellbeing and ailment were considered with regards to the physical body; the cognizance of people was an aftereffect of biochemical, auxiliary, and physiological aspects of the cerebrum. Ailment was viewed as â€Å"physical in nature†; subsequently, treatment must be physical in nature. Medical procedure and drugs rewarded physical sickness. The term â€Å"physical† alludes to the body of an individual, instead of their psyche, and existed in an unmistakable structure which could be contacted or seen. It was sensible to reason that the physical body was an essential segment of each individual’s personality. The cognizance, or psyche, of a patient was associated with the job of the cerebrum. During the 1950s, Era II emerged as specialists extended their contemplations of wellbeing and saw that musings, emotions, individual standards, perspectives and qualities sway physical wellbeing. Hypertension, myocardial areas of localized necrosis, and ulcerations of the gastrointestinal framework were credited to passionate pressure. During this timeframe, treatment modalities started to address the brain awareness. (Dossey, n.d.). It has been said that numerous individuals despite everything hold this viewpoint. (Koener, ) In light of the quantum material science design, the current point of view, Era III, distinguishes the awareness which isn't constrained to a person’s body, however is portrayed as â€Å"infinite, godlike, omnipresent†. (Riley, 2011). A nonlocal mind is one unbounded; thusly, an individual’s awareness can impact and be affected by others’ feelings, including adoration and sympathy. This cross section of cognizance makes solidarity, or â€Å"oneness† among all people; we can impact each other through associations which can be made in the nursing calling by sustaining transpersonal exercises. Conversation. A critical qualification is found by contrasting the psyche in the physical group of Era I to the awareness of Era III. In the nineteenth century, the psyche was viewed as altogether separate from the neurologic capacity of the cerebrum. In the cutting edge Era, the boundless psyche has been extended to Body-Mind-Spirit and My Professional Presence Medical attendants are people, much the same as their patients. To really accomplice seeing someone that advance completeness in patients (p. 18.) (Korner, 2011), medical caretakers must be â€Å"authentically present† (Falk-Rafael, 2005). As opposed to concentrating on past or present occasions to clarify physical and enthusiastic states, medical attendants can help patients to â€Å"stay with their sentiments and figure out how to observe†¦without response, portrayal, or interpretation.† (p. 18) (Koerner, 2011). This nursing nearness makes the open door â€Å"for genuine change and growth.† (p. 18) (Koerner, 2011). Nursing scholar Jean Watson’s caritas light up that at its center, transpersonal perceives that the intensity of adoration, confidence, sympathy, mindful, network and expectation, awareness and access to a more profound/higher vitality source, i.e., ones God, is as essential to mending just like our regular treatment draws near, and is conceivably much progressively incredible in the long run† (Falk-Rafael citing Watson. See reference #30) http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.wgu.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/[emailprotected]vid=1hid=104 The system of Caring Science â€Å"is grounded in the ethic of ‘Belonging’ to that which is more prominent than our ‘Being’; it goes past clinical science, recognizing the social, life power; they philosophical, unitary field measurements hidden all of humanity.† (Watson Browning, 2012). http://watsoncaringscience.org/about-us/caring-science-definitions-forms hypothesis/ My Professional Presence Influences My Professional Practice Self-assurance, comfort with vulnerability, honesty, confidence, enthusiasm for work, and compassion are 6 highlights of expert nursing nearness (Lachman, V, 2001). A nurse’s proficient nearness can encourage a â€Å"aura of ability and authority†. (Chater, 2011) Classic dull suits with white pullovers, a clean haircut, quality shoes, and conventional gems venture an appearance of certainty and make a great initial introductions. Looking, grinning, undivided attention and open non-verbal communication can advance certainty from others. An expert nearness permits medical attendants to separate themselves from different medical caretakers. My insight, aptitudes and abilities†¦. My capacity to finish assignments and show accountability†¦ Self-advancement through systems administration, chipping in, proper online networking can expand my expert nearness. Advancing my own proficient nearness and demonstrating admiration to those with whom I come in contact can animate the calling of nursing. Crittenden, J. (2013). The careful guide for official ladies. San Diego, CA: Whistling Rabbit Press. http://www.discreetguide.com/articles/your-own image and-expert nearness/ I most intently identify with the idea of the body-mind-soul according to my expert nearness. Most sickness or disease is showed in our physical bodies. The physical agony we feel is a side effect of something in our body requiring consideration. We need symptomatic investigations to recognize irregularities, and can Also, on the off chance that we end up getting bacterial and viral ailments, it is gainful to assess if there is bargain to the resistant framework, and address any inadequacies. The considerations and feelings of people impact wellbeing, as well. Nervousness, outrage and dissatisfaction can cause circulatory strain to raise, bringing about poor perfusion. The soul is â€Å"the power inside an individual that is accepted to give the body life, vitality and power† http://www.merriam-webster.com/word reference/soul Because of my Christian convictions, I consider each individual’s soul to be their association with godlikeness. In the event that somebody is encountering torment, I think it is significant to consider if there is neurotic infection (i.e., a messed up bone or sick organ) which would profit by clinical consideration through pharmaceuticals; some sort of exercise based recuperation; or rest. It is valuable to inspect Proficient nearness Expanded familiarity with my expert nearness as a medical caretaker can assist me with bettering incorporate my experiences, objectives, and convictions as I serve in jobs of pioneer and adherent. I was eager to find out about Carla Woody’s five-phase transformational recollecting procedure of starting, detachment, looking, inception, and reemergence. (p. 208). (Koerner, 2011). There is an open door for me to rehearse care in my own life and expert life. I likewise will set aside the effort to learn and rehearse care. At more prominent recurrence over the previous year, I have wound up pondering the degree of â€Å"nursing burnout† that I feel. I turned 50 a year ago, and that achievement started m

Saturday, August 22, 2020

The Rocking-Horse Winner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Rocking-Horse Winner - Essay Example be that as it may, that isn't what occurred, when Derrick arrived at age 6, pretty much when he should begin his grade school, Alex made the most exceedingly awful betting endeavor in one of his games and wager on his whole house in those days around (Lawrence 44). It was a horrendous time for the family as they had to live their rich outfitted house and move to the open country, the underlying origination for Alex. Life in the field was quite unpleasant for the developing children as cash was consistently issues and hindered them from making the most of their youth (Greiff 56). At the point when Derrick arrived at age 13, him being the primary conceived, he saw he had the obligation of dealing with his kin as he had understood a few issues as to mind from the two his folks (Lawrence 66). His dad had lost expectation throughout everyday life and was for all time inebriated day and late evening living his mom to fake for the family by functioning as a pony chaperon in one of the farms which held horsing once in a while. After a few times of going with her mom to the pony hustling farm, Derrick began to accumulate data and create enthusiasm for the game, in spite of a few admonitions from his mom in regards to what befell his father. From a Latino pony orderly he had come to become a close acquaintence with at the farm, Derrick began taking in the craft of wagering from his companion (Stoltzfus 44). In the wake of seeing the condition at their home beginning to deteriorate after certain days going without them taking night feast, because of absence of cash, Derrick chose to wander into wagering truly. He moved toward his uncle, Sam and requested a 100 dollars credit with an assurity of installment following 5 days. Derrick was fortunate to be given in spite of his uncle knowing their money related status. Back in the farm, on an on going wagering game including horse dashing, Derrick figured out how to make his previously wager and later won 2000 dollars. He later paid his uncle’s credit with a benefit and the rest, utilized it as his cash-flow to get more cash-flow from the game. Derrick was fortunate in the game and

Sunday, August 9, 2020

Guide to Hackathon What, Why, How and Examples

Guide to Hackathon â€" What, Why, How and Examples Hackathons are somewhat informal gatherings of developers in a joined effort to produce quality results on a subject (if there is one). Their endeavors are mainly related to programming languages, improvement and management of operating system and creating original and awesome applications of all sorts while simultaneously interacting with peers and investors, broadening their network of associates which often results in startup formation or employment relation establishment. © Shutterstock.com | Dragon ImagesIn this article, we will present a general overview of the evolution of hackathons, their structure, and types. Moreover, we will discuss in which ways can hackathons be beneficial to entrepreneurs and guide you through a step-by-step guide to an organization of such events. Lastly, we will note some successful businesses that originated on hackathons. This will be done through sections 1) origins, 2) form and ambiance, 3) types of hackathons, 4) projects at hackathons, 5) hackathons for entrepreneurs and 6) successful ideas and projects which were formed at hackathons.ORIGINS OF HACKATHONThe term ‘hackathon’ is a so-called blend word consisting of words ‘hack’ and ‘marathon’. The ‘hack’ part refers to its slang meaning of program alteration but not to the illegal act of ‘hacking’. The ‘marathon’ part refers to the duration of the gatherings. Moreover, hackathons are also called hack days, hack fests or code fests. Although t he term was first used in 1999, the origins of gatherings focused on creating something new in the niche that is hosting them dates back to the 1970s programming groups. In this section, we will follow the timeline from that point in history in an effort to understand how and why hackathons came to be what they are now.1970s Hobbyist SocietiesIn 1975, an informal hobbyist society was formed â€" the Homebrew computer club. Objectives of their gatherings were to exchange technological knowledge and ideas, as well as collaborations on projects. Apple was, among other successful tech companies, founded in the Homebrew computer club. By the end of the 1970s, many such groups had been established across the United States.However, the instability in the programming industry â€" radical differentiation between over five of available operating systems â€" caused the disappearance of this kind of gatherings. Once IBM OS and Macintosh were the only two prevalent platforms from which the develo pers could choose in the late 1990s, the gatherings re-emerged, now in the form of hackathons.Formation of HackathonsThe first gathering of tech developers that was titled as a hackathon was the OpenBSD event in June 1999, in Calgary. It was an informal hackathon attended by ten people who took a weekend to work on some cryptographic programming. Only a week later, during a JavaOne conference, SUN’s marketing team challenged the attending programmers to write a script in Java, which would enable infrared communication between Palm V users and register it online. The competition was nicknamed ‘the Hackathon’ and was the first competitive gathering of the sort. However, neither of these were organized in relation to startups (OpenBSD organized an open source project, and SUN was a well-developed company).Super Happy Dev House organized hackathons in 2005 as a way of differentiating from the business orientation of the Silicon Valley. Their objective was to focus on actual progra mming and technological advancements. As such, they were launching a sort of an anti-startup campaign with the use of hackathons.Soon the Facebook team decided to follow the Super Happy Dev House example and started to form their informal gatherings. However, it was somewhat paradoxical at the time because they were a startup company using an anti-startup model for their business.In 2006 Yahoo team, organized the Hack Day with the intention of opening the circle of developers to members of a wider community â€" not only corporate programmers.A year later, the Startup Weekend marked the beginning of combining technological innovation with establishing new businesses. In the following years, hackathons spread to other niches (for example, music, gaming, education, health in combination with programming) and groups (students become a massive targeted group).Moreover, it has been proved that ideas that spur from hackathons, even if they are not noticed at the time of the creation, can b e developed into a success story. For example, the developers of GroopLy did not win the TechCrust Disrupt Hackathon. However, they continued to work on their idea and eventually sold the GroopMe app to Skype for (allegedly) more than 80 million dollars!Today, hackathons range from one hundred to more than one thousand attendees collaboratively brainstorming and developing ideas in a wide range of niches. They serve as a business platform for new software variations as well as the ground point for future employment and startup formation.For a structured and insightful historical overview of the development of hackathons check out Jon Gottfried’s lecture for the 2014 Hackcon. FORM AMBIANCE OF HACKATHONSHackathons begin with presentations about the event and the specific assignment if there is one. The assignments are mostly related to software development through focus on programming languages, operating systems, applications, or API’s (application programming interface) and, in a somewhat lesser amount, hardware development. Hackathons mostly use and develop open source software code that means that the code is available to the public for usage and alteration.Further on, attendees suggest ideas and form groups based on thematic and/or ability preferences. Formed groups proceed to develop their ideas over the course of 24 hours or more (up to a week).Once the groups have finished their work, they demonstrate results and, if the hackathon was of a competitive type, are evaluated by judges formed from peers, sponsors, and organizers. Winning teams receive prizes of all sorts â€" from cows to 250 thousand dollars.The ambiance is often informal: food comprises out of pizzas and snacks, energy drinks and coffee stream in abundance, and the participants bring their accommodation â€" sleeping bags. General spirit (even if it is a competition) is comprised of appreciation of other people’s ideas and an effort to contribute as best as one can to the project. The attitude is positive and affirmative. As many hackathons are student-oriented, it is clear that the atmosphere is playful (as proven with the cow-prize). Corporative hackathons are somewhat more professional but not rigid in form.TYPES OF HACKATHONSThe objectives and themes of hackathons vary immensely. Some hackathons target different groups while other target different subjects. From students to corporate employees through programming language and operating system types to specific niches, purposes and products, hackathons are spreading in width and depth nowadays. Here we will present some general types of hackathon organization.NicheMany hackathons are organized as a platform for development of application types such as mobile applications, operating system variations as well as web and video game upgrading. These gatherings are usually niche-oriented. For example, Music Hack Day focuses on software and hardware developments in collaboration with music enthusiasts while Science Hack Day is oriented towards different science-related applications. These kinds of hackathons are extremely popular worldwide and attract massive amounts of media attention â€" and sponsors.Language and/or FrameworkSome hackathons are organized for development of applications in a specified programming language or framework such as JavaScript or HTML5 while others differ according to usage of particular API’s. Application programming interface (API’s) is a software component that consists out of specific tools, routines, and protocols for building applications. For example, individual hackathons are held by Yahoo, Google, and Lonely Planet according to their corporative API’s.Single ApplicationThe so-called ‘sprints’ are gatherings organized in order to improve or upgrade a specific language, operating or management system by the principle of open source programming and are rarely competitive. Some of the renowned hackathons of the sort are the annual OpenBSD since 1999 a nd MediaWiki.CorporateCorporate hackathons are internal gatherings of employees of individual companies such as Google, Facebook, and Microsoft. They are organized to promote or develop new products. One of the most notable results from an internal hackathon is the Facebook’s Like button.Demographic and Level of ExpertiseHackathons can be held for a specific demographic group such as teenagers, students or women. Many technology universities (UCLA, Princeton, Yale and many others) hold hackathons for members of their community as well as students from other universities. These are usually competitive in type with awards in the form of sponsorship (from HackTX, PennApps, HackMIT and others).Some hackathons are oriented toward specific expertise levels of the programmers â€" most notably CodeDay across the United States. The objective is to advance the knowledge of iOS programming and web development through diverse workshops.AltruisticA variety of gatherings of programmers has been organized in an effort to promote acts of altruism. These hackathons have dealt with issues of politics, transit systems, local economies, education, disasters and crisis as well as psychological health (for example, DementiaHack was focused on improvement of lives of people suffering from dementia). Moreover, several hackathons were held as homage to Aaron Swartz â€" the late computer programmer and internet activist.PROJECTS AT HACKATHONSIn addition to the variety that emerges in the matters of hackathon organization, there is a multitude of approaches that participants take. In this section, we will introduce most common types of projects which can be encountered at hackathons.Upgrade of the ExistingThese projects utilize existing open source software data and incorporate new elements. These elements are either original or taken from a different application and used in a distinctive and unique combination. The objective is to research possibilities and full potential of the algo rithms and libraries that have already been used in some way. For example, a programmer decides to add new features to an application or uses a different programming language so as to improve the appearance of a web page.FusionsFusion projects combine different services in order to improve the utility of both of them. For example, taking the infrastructure of a social network and combining it with a file hosting service in order to have a simplified and more efficient information transfer (BoxMe is such a combination of Facebook and SkyDrive).All New â€" Complex ModeSome participants and groups try to build something completely new (framework, libraries or languages). The technological and imaginational complexity of this kind of undertaking often makes the end results seem unfinished (and sometimes they are). However, the previously mentioned GroopMe project proves that such projects can become extremely profitable products later on.All New â€" Simple ModeOn the other hand, some ne w applications can be unchallenging in the matters of programming but have been polished to the maximum. These applications are visibly completely finished; attention to detail has been made, and the product is ready for use.HACKATHON FOR ENTREPRENEURSAfter having introduced basic notions about what hackathons are and how they function, we would like to address their principles in the sphere of entrepreneurial endeavors. As an entrepreneur, you can find a constellation of opportunities arising from hackathons. Whether you want to host one for your business, become a sponsor, find employees or business partners, new projects you want to invest in or present, define in detail and polish some of your ideas hackathons are excellent platforms for all of these. In this section, we will browse through all of the stated and provide some additional guidelines that can come in handy.Why and How to Run a HackathonRegardless of the niche to which your business (or the business you are planning on opening) belongs, hackathons can be an excellent choice for the idea proliferation and project realization. More importantly, the marketing domains that are essential for success seek innovative ways of presenting products and/or services. Hackathons, as they are a nucleus of creativity and expertise in technology, can be the wind to the sails of your business.Primarily, you can always organize hackathon-type gatherings among your circle of employees and associates. These do not have to be dependent on technology. The principles that you should implement are collaboration, positive attitude and psychologically incentive surrounding. The gatherings should be informal brainstorming on anything work-related: from ideas for new products and services to projects on workplace design or improvement of staff relations. The following step (explained below) would be the realization of projects that have been assessed as worthy of pursuit. Such events can do much for continuous productivit y of your business.On the other hand, proper hackathons can, as we stated above, be a determinative factor for distinction of your products and services among similar ones on the market.For example, you own a fish restaurant. You have made a great menu with fresh and quality groceries; your cook is sublime, and the décor is wonderful. However, the competition is hard. Organizing a hackathon can be an excellent solution to your problem. How? If a product or a service is good, the reason it is not reaching its full potential should always be looked for in its marketing strategies. By gathering some of the local programmers for 24-hour collaboration in ways your fish restaurant can improve its marketing position might result in some downright results. Maybe they will update your social networking accounts, make a more interactive website or develop a mobile application that will provide menus and interesting facts about your type of cuisine. Perhaps they will include a simple multipla yer game that will bring the top players discount on a meal every month.Interaction with your customers is extremely important regardless of the type of business you are managing. Organizing a hackathon can provide you the means to achieve your goals. Their scale should be adjusted according to your needs and possibilities. Due to the fact that hackathons have their form, here is the guide that you should follow if you engage in such an undertaking.Step by Step Guide Towards a Successful HackathonStep 1: Define the target group of hackathonFirstly, you must have a goal in mind â€" an objective you are trying to reach with the organization of a hackathon. Is it a purely marketing oriented development you are trying to achieve or are you interested in more complex technological solutions? According to answers to these questions, you should at least roughly form the type of your project. The type of your project should influence the demographic of developers, as well as their expertise overall, or in certain areas (whether they are programming languages, operating systems or something else).Step 2: Arrange location, sponsors, promote your hackathonYou should arrange a venue of appropriate size for your event. There should be enough room for all attendees and their equipment. Provide Wi-Fi connection, sleeping areas (sleeping bags are the usual sleeping arrangement), food and drinks (snacks, pizza, coffee, energy drinks).Contact sponsors for your event â€" if sponsors attend your hackathon, more skilled participants will come. You can explain what goals you have and what industry do you represent as well as offer including some of their features as a part of the project of the hackathon.Create a web page with information about your hackathon and enlist it on some of the pages that provide calendars of upcoming hackathons.Moreover, promote your event in social networks and other forms of media. Make flyers and posters of your event with a description of the target groups of developers and a general overview of the approach your hackathon will be taking.Step 3: Set your rules for the hackathon eventWhen the day of the event comes, make sure to make a presentation about the objective of the gathering. Provide guidelines on what you are hoping to see the end results and take note of the suggestions which are being made.Step 4: Ensure fluidness of the eventMake sure connection and collaboration are at their highest level. Get to know your sponsors and your hackers. Introduce them to one another. As the fluidness of communication increases so will the quality and quantity of ideas and results. Enjoy the event and balance a positive and productive atmosphere among your ‘guests’.Step 5: Award the best project and the best team in the hackathonIt would be advisable to provide a sort of a reward for the best project and team of your event. It does not have to be something big or even financial. At least make a symbolic gesture in order to show you r attendees appreciation and recognition. You should form a judging body of people who you believe can make the right decision (peers can also be judges).Connect, Collaborate, ConstructEven if you are not ready or willing to host your hackathon, you can always participate in one â€" as a sponsor or an investor (and of course as a participant). The time spent with different, intelligent and creative people will become a part of your networking process and having a wide specter of potential associates or partners is crucial for every entrepreneur. You might get an idea for a new product or improvement of an old one. Maybe you will decide to build a startup. In every case, you will be a part of a distinctive creative process and form relations with awesome people.SUCCESSFUL IDEAS AND PROJECTS THAT WERE FORMED AT HACKATHONSHackathons are a fruitful platform for launching new advancements in programming technologies and awesome projects as well. Most entrepreneurs who participate in thes e events claim that all of their ideas and projects from hackathons find way to incorporate themselves into their business over time.The most notable example of an extremely successful hackathon project is the previously mentioned GroupMe, which is a messaging application. Started off as GroopLy, the project was not even noticed on the TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon. However, the team of developers continued to work on their project and ended up being purchased by Skype.Similar happened to the Flutter application for gesture recognition that was purchased by Google.After winning a hackathon, the Doracy application became a startup enterprise serving as a repository for legal documents and online negotiation and affirmation of contracts.Moreover, the Zaarly application that was introduced on a hackathon has also become a startup providing information on local enterprises and services one might find interest in or use of.There are plenty of other enterprises that spurred from hackathons and grew into successful businesses and they gravitate around various niche, products and services (travelling, socializing, health, education, science, arts and so on).The important thing to bear in mind is that hackathons are stacked with creativity and thus embody the excellent ideas as well as bad ideas. Nevertheless, due to the constant flux of opinions, innovation and the collaboration of different people from peers to experts in the field you are interested in, you can enhance your creativity over time and alter the bad ideas into something exquisite.CONCLUSIONWe followed the journey of hackathons from computer clubs in 1970s to the MegaHackathons that host one thousand developers for almost a week. What is always in focus with these kids of gatherings is the ‘back to the roots attitude’. This means the main objective is to create. Sponsorships, investments, startups, and awards have a big significance for hackathons nowadays, but it is clear that a prevailing number of developers still have that spark of passion for what they are doing. This spark is best lit among peers, and this is why hackathons boost exhilaration from all who participate. All things considered, hackathons bring forward a multitude of innovative ideas and projects in various industries and services. Moreover, the projects are often a combination of diverse factors that enable the development on both sides. As an entrepreneur (especially if you are in the computing or marketing niche, but not exclusively) you can open your views, refine ad properly structure your projects and ideas as well as make solid connections for you business by participating or hosting a hackathon.

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Gun Rights Under President George W. Bush

After a series of new laws under the administration of President Bill Clinton instituted background checks for handgun purchases and banned assault weapons, gun rights took a significant step forward during the eight years of the George W. Bush administration that followed. Although Bush himself supported several mild gun control measures and vowed to sign a renewal of the Assault Weapons Ban if it reached his desk, his administration saw several advancements of gun rights on the federal level, especially in the courts. A Supporter of ‘Common Sense’ Gun Control In debates during both the 2000 and the 2004 presidential campaign, Bush stated his support for background checks for gun buyers and for trigger locks. Additionally, he said on multiple occasions that the minimum age for carrying a handgun should be 21, not 18. However, Bush’s support for background checks stopped at instant checks that did not require waiting periods of three or five days. And his push for trigger locks extended only to voluntary programs. During his administration as governor of Texas, Bush implemented a program that provided voluntary trigger locks through police stations and fire departments. During the 2000 campaign, he called for Congress to spend $325 million in matching funds to enable state and local governments across the country to set up similar voluntary trigger lock programs. While his advocacy was for voluntary trigger locks, Bush said at one point during the 2000 campaign that he would sign a law requiring trigger locks for all handguns. On the other hand, Bush was an opponent of state and federal lawsuits against firearms manufacturers. An 11th-hour victory of the Clinton administration was a landmark deal with firearms manufacturer Smith Wesson that would see lawsuits cease in exchange for the company including trigger locks with gun sales and implementing a smart gun technology. Early in his presidency, Bush’s stance on gun industry lawsuits led to Smith Wesson withdrawing from its promises made to the Clinton White House. In 2005, Bush signed legislation providing the gun industry federal protection against lawsuits. The Assault Weapons Ban With the Assault Weapons Ban set to expire before the next presidential term was complete, Bush stated his support for the ban during the 2000 presidential campaign but stopped short of pledging to sign an extension. As the 2004 expiration date neared, however, the Bush administration signaled its willingness to sign legislation that either extended the ban or made it permanent. â€Å"[Bush] supports reauthorization of the current law,† White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters in 2003, as the debate over the gun ban began to heat up. Bush’s position on the ban represented a break from the National Rifle Association, which had been one of his administration’s staunchest allies. But the September 2004 deadline for renewing the ban came and went without an extension making it to the president’s desk, as the Republican-led Congress declined to take up the matter. The result was criticism on Bush from both sides: the gun owners who felt betrayed and the gun ban proponents who felt he did not do enough to pressure Congress into passing the AWB extension. â€Å"There are a lot of gun owners who worked hard to put President Bush into office, and there are a lot of gun owners who feel betrayed by him,† keepandbeararms.com publisher Angel Shamaya told the New York Times. â€Å"In a secret deal, [Bush] chose his powerful friends in the gun lobby over the police officers and families he promised to protect,† said U.S. Sen. John Kerry, Bush’s opponent in the looming 2004 presidential election. Supreme Court Appointments Despite a cloudy picture on his overall stance on gun rights, the lasting legacy of the Bush administration will be his appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court. John Roberts was nominated by Bush to replace William Rehnquist in 2005. Later that same year, Bush nominated Samuel Alito to replace Sandra Day O’Connor on the high court. Three years later, the court took up arguments in District of Columbia v. Heller, a critical case revolving around the District’s 25-year handgun ban. In a landmark ruling, the court knocked down the ban as unconstitutional and ruled for the first time that the Second Amendment applies to individuals, providing a right to own guns for self-defense inside the home. Both Roberts and Alito ruled with the majority in a narrow 5-4 decision. Just 12 months after the Heller decision, another monumental gun rights case made its way before the court. In McDonald v. Chicago, the court struck down a gun ban in the city of Chicago as unconstitutional, ruling for the first time that the gun owner protections of the Second Amendment apply to states as well as to the federal government. Again, Roberts and Alito sided with the majority in a 5-4 decision.

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

The Potato Peeler Analysis - 1131 Words

The Potato Peeler (Fig. 1) (reverse: Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat) (Fig. 2) by Vincent van Gogh (1885) is one of many paintings that lack highly saturated hues and colors by van Gogh. Many have a misconception that his darker and less saturated paintings come from a short time in his life when he experimented with dark colors; the reality is that his more saturated paintings were not developed until the last four years of his life and his less saturated pieces come from a longer period in his life. Given how different the two pieces are, one can assume they are unrelated; they really show how much he grew as an artist and how much he challenged himself to move from less saturated still lifes, portraits, etc. to the more vibrant and†¦show more content†¦Much if not all of his work before 1886 was very similar; very little use of vibrant color, subject matter was that of dark landscapes/scenes, still-lifes, and portraits of others (like The Potato Peeler). It was not until h e left for France that he decided to focus more on himself, thus transforming his style into what we recognize more easily today. There seems to be a misconception that he had always painted with vibrant colors and little thick strokes; but he only painted this way for a brief time in his life. Van Gogh was influenced by Jean-Franà §ois Millet to paint rural scenes and life style; it is said that in the winter from 1884 to 1885, Van Gogh painted more that 40 portrait studies of peasants, including The Potato Peeler (Department of European Paintings). These studies would then lead to his piece called The Potato Eaters as seen in Fig. 3 (The Potato Peeler (reverse: Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat) ). Van Gogh was inspired to portray rural life this way because he â€Å"intended to relay to the viewers a feeling of the coarseness of rural life† (Stotland, 387). Van Gogh was more focused on life around him and depicting it in a more humanistic way. Although the use of light and s hadow may be exaggerated to some extent, the color stays accurate to what humans do look like. A few more minor pieces were painted after in the same style as The Potato Peeler; but after his move to France, his style changes to the more vibrant and impressionist style we knowShow MoreRelatedThe Potato Peeler Analysis1151 Words   |  5 Pages The Potato Peeler (1885) (Fig. 1) (reverse: Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat) (1887) (Fig. 2) by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) is one of many paintings that lack highly saturated hues and colors by van Gogh. Many have a misconception that his darker and less saturated paintings come from a short time in his life when he experimented with dark colors; the reality is that his more saturated paintings were not developed until the last four years of his life and his less saturated pieces come from a longerRead MoreEntrepreneurial Plan ( Business Plan )11907 Words   |  48 PagesSnacks have always been a part of our everyday routine and one of the most favored snacks is chips. From students grabbing a fast snack in between classes to professionals having their 30-minute coffee break, chips have been the choice. From the humble potato to whole wheat variants, chips have diversified into more than your basic snack fix. Chips have always been synonymous to junk foods. Junk foods are food that has low nutritional value and often times are high in fat, sodium and cholesterol. DespiteRead MoreEssay on Mcdonalds Case Analysis1889 Words   |  8 PagesMcDonalds Corporation Comprehensive Case Analysis Introduction About everyone at some age, at some point or another, and in some country has gotten a sample of Americans symbol for fast food through the golden arches of McDonalds. This report will attempt to analyze the external and internal sectors that affect the companys success. The external analysis will provide opportunities and threats while the internal analysis will show indicators of strength and weakness. It will then followRead MorePrepare, Cook and Finish Food: Vegetable Dishes3217 Words   |  13 Pagesrequirements must be met. Color, consistency as required by the recipe, flavor, texture, nutritional factors as well as seasoning must provide in the vegetable dishes. Nutritional factors include food labels, calories, nutritional information and analysis that helps promote healthy eating by telling about the foods we eat. Not only is the presentation of the dish mandatory but the flavor and taste of the dish as well. (A) Correct temperature for holding and serving vegetable dishes The correctRead MoreAbout Food Production7086 Words   |  29 PagesVegetable section ï  ¶ Staff Cafeteria ï  ¶ Banquet Kitchen Use of General and Specialized Equipment Hygiene and Sanitation ï  ¶ Kitchen Hygiene ï  ¶ Personal Hygiene Kitchen Safety ï  ¶ To prevent cuts ï  ¶ To prevent burns Portion Control Waste Management Analysis Section ï  ¶ Inter Departmental Relationship ï  ¶ Standard of Cleanliness and Hygiene ï  ¶ Personal Grooming ï  ¶ Discipline and Moral ï  ¶ Wastage and Economy Measure Suggestions Conclusion Recipes Introduction The kitchen is a place where food is preparedRead MoreFeasibility Study Chapter 1-318936 Words   |  76 Pagesresponsibilities, the type of business ownership used, the organizational chart as well as the compensation scheme. The marketing aspect is delimited to the study of the description and price of the product to be sold, the analysis of the market, ( the SWOT Analysis ), the Demand and Supply Analysis, Demand and Supply Quantum, Marketing Program, Product Strategy, Price Strategy, Place/Channel Distribution, Promotion Strategy, Sales forecast, and the Presentation of the tables of the market survey. The technical

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Women’s Studies Free Essays

Major Essay Women across the world face challenges and experiences such as gender class inequality, oppression, struggle with identity, sexual awakening, women’s objectification, personal resistance, reliving women’s history, female empowerment and etc. These are some of the themes that will be addressed In this essay. These themes will be supported by feminist short stories from books such as â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper and other stories† by Charlotte Perkins Gillian and â€Å"The Bloody Chamber and other stories† by Angela Carter. We will write a custom essay sample on Women’s Studies or any similar topic only for you Order Now Through the use of aesthetic texts, women’s challenges and experiences will be interpreted using the themes in these stories. In the story â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gillian, focuses on women living In the 19th century where men have a high standing In the social hierarchy that oppressed women, Gender plays a big role In social hierarchy. Even a rich woman cannot exercise the same rights and privileges as men would. Women were not given the same equality as men. Gillian focuses on the themes such as personal resistance and women’s history. As the narrator in this story battles with err own psychological mind and the outside world, she slowly falls into deep madness as her obsession grows with the yellow wallpaper. To relief herself from going Insane, she keeps a Journal that exercises her creative mind as her husband prohibits It. This act of writing In her Journal Is also similar to the movie, The Hours where the character Virginia Wolf wrote everyday to keep herself sane in her confinement. The wallpaper represented her sanity and freedom. As a show of resistance from her husband she tore the wallpaper, which made her feel free and powerful. â€Å"l wonder if they all come out of that wallpaper as I did? (Gillian 34) shows her longing of freedom and resistance. Women during this time period did not have much value as they were expected to be only wives and mothers and cannot carry on other responsibilities. â€Å"It Is so discouraging not to have any advice and companionship about my work† (Gillian 24) as her husband instructed her to stay in confinement and away from writing. She has spent her days confined in a room where there is only a window to look at which eventually made her insane. As a woman living In the 19th century, the narrator had no control over her own life and had let her husband dominate her. Women did not have the same opportunities as men did. The author’s use of these themes gave the story a powerful message of women longing for freedom and equality in their society. In the story, â€Å"If I Were A Man† by Charlotte Perkins Gillian, focuses on a woman who fought social boundaries and â€Å"take risk to improve themselves and their material condition† (Hoofers 36). As in this story, women were not ready for business but Gillian challenged that. Gillian focuses on the themes such as gender Identity and empowerment, During this time period, women’s roles were to stay confined In their preference in gender role was examined in this story, â€Å"Gerald had already about that bill, over which she- as Mollie- was still crying at home† (Gillian 39) shows how different the roles of men and women were. Women were the only subdue to be emotional who stayed at home while the men were the ones who held themselves together with pride and dignity. Mollie Matheson finds herself to be happy when she becomes her husband Gerald â€Å"walking down the path so erect and square- shouldered† (Gillian 35) as manly as she can ever be. The thought of being a man gave Mollie a sense of pride and dignity compared to when she was a woman. In Mollies sense to have equality amongst men, she â€Å"felt such freedom and comfort† (Gillian 36) in becoming Gerald as she has all these privileges a woman would not have. Empowerment became a big symbol once Mollie started to earn money and privileges only men would have had. She never had dreamed of how it felt to have pockets† (Perkins 36) shows how she realizes that she is powerful having money and being able to support herself without the need of having a man to rely on. The themes used in this story became an awakening for women to reach higher and climb the social hierarchy to have equal opportunities as men do. In the story, â€Å"The Cottage† by Charlotte Perkins Gil lian, focuses closely on how traditional male and female roles are slowly evolving. In this story, despite of the old believe in women serving as wives and housekeepers was challenged. Gillian focuses on themes such as gender identity and status. Malta is expected to be nothing but a wife and housekeeper as â€Å"what they care for most, after all, is domesticity†¦ What they want to marry is a homemaker† (Gillian 55) according to her friend. This shows how inequality and lack of freedom plays along in traditional roles f women. Also, Mammal’s lack of independence and longing for Ford’s approval shows how she follows the traditional role of a woman. â€Å"l could cook. I could cook excellently†¦ But if it was a question of pleasing Ford Mathews- † (Gillian 56) as her goal was to please Ford and nothing but Ford. Women were expected to act polite and demure, as they do not want their status to be devalued. â€Å"†¦ She thought it would look better if we had an older person with us†¦ † (Gillian 57) shows how women are confined to act a certain way and are not able to show who they truly are. Women are also seen as trophies or objects a man can have whenever he wishes, â€Å"And woman? He will hold her, he will have her when he pleases† (Gillian 100). Women were treated nothing equally as men but in this story, this concept was challenged. The themes in this story reminds us that women do have traditional roles but can always do something more than being a wife or housekeeper. In the story, â€Å"The Bloody Chambers† by Angela Carter focuses on sexual awakening and women’s objectification through fairytale storytelling. This challenges the typical fairytale story in which is structured as pleasant and happy into gory and violent. The heroine was blossoming into adulthood as she experiences her sexual awakening upon to losing her virginity. â€Å"†¦ Away from Paris, away from girlhood, away from the white, enclosed quietude of my mother’s apartment†¦ (Carter 7) shows her freedom from childhood and practice her sexual curiosity. She also compares the act of â€Å"†¦ A tender, delicious ecstasy of excitement†¦ † (Carter 7) leading up to intercourse as meet her husband. She longs and waits the moment when her husband deflowers women â€Å"have been major targets of sexual s tereotypical and detrimental orphaned† (Adams and Fuller 7) and seen as sexual objects. Marquis viewed the heroine as a sexual object that he can torture and violate. The heroine felt violated as Marquis in a way forced her to undress and deflower her like â€Å"disrobing of the bride, a ritual from the brothel† (Carter 15). The heroine is comparing the lost of her virginity as a ritual from a brothel depicts how disrespected and disgusted she felt while doing this act. Marquis was a power hungry who showed no respect to her brides. The heroine did not feel that losing her virginity was a special act but rather a aromatizing experiences as â€Å"watched a dozen husbands approach me in a dozen mirrors†¦ â€Å"(Carter 15). Although the story ended with a happy tone, the story still degrades women as the heroin was relieved that she was able to cover her red mark as the blind piano tuner â€Å"cannot see it†¦ T spares me shame† (Carter 41). The themes portrayed in this story shows that fairytale stories objectify women and given women a lesser value then they should have. In the story, â€Å"Puss in Boots† by Angela Carter examines the role of violence in sex and woman’ objectification. The young woman was predicted as a poor girl who was arced to marry a rich man. In this c ase, gender and class play a role in social status in this story. As Signor Pantone symbolizes violence and sex for the young woman, as she wishes for sexual gratification she must submit to violence. L gave her the customary tribute of a few firms thrusts of my striped loins† (Carter 70). As Signor Pantone was murdered and passed away, the young woman and Puss’ master proceeded with the act of intercourse despite having a dead corpse next to them. â€Å". They’re at it, hammer and tongs, down on the carpet since the bed is occupy† (Carter 04) shows the young woman’s absurd attraction of violence towards sex. It seems like the young woman is aroused by the acts of violence around her. Women were called unpleasant names and were treated as property by their masters or husbands. One of Signor Pantheon’s servants was being called a â€Å"hag† and described as someone who is very ugly and useless. Also, Signor Pantaloon sees the young woman as property and a sense of please giver. She is also a prisoner of her own where she can only â€Å"sit in a window for one hour and one hour only’ (Carter 101) shows how she doesn’t have freedom and is being held captive by her own husband. The themes of violence in sex and women’s objectification helped shaped the story poor outlook on women’s value. In the story, â€Å"The Tiger’s Bride† by Angela Carter focuses on women’s objectification and sexual awakening. The heroine is a beauty whose father had a gambling addiction in which he had lost to the Beast. The heroine then was used as a wager for her father’ gambling addiction. â€Å"My father lost me to The Beast at cards. † (Carter 60) shows how devalued the heroine is. There is also patriarchy played in this story. As the father and the beast holds the heroine in captivity and she has o voice in her own life. â€Å"My father said he loved me yet he staked his daughter on a hand of cards. † (Carter 62) shows how helpless and out of control the heroine’s life is. She is being used as an object and nothing more but a value of money and not life itself. The heroine’s sexual awakening is measured when she transforms into a beast. This also signifies sex and birth as a way of her transformation. Losing her virginity lick the skin off me! † (Carter 69) she describes herself being reborn into a tigress. This act of rebirth signifies a man’s reclaim in sex, as a man controls a woman during intercourse. This also ties in with violence in sex as she sheds blood during intercourse and sheds her own skin to become awaken. The themes delivered a powerful message of the pain and relief in finding one’s awakening. Through the use of feminist themes and ideas, writers Charlotte Perkins Gillian and Angela Carter sent powerful messages in their short stories. Charlotte Perkins Gillian mostly used the feminist themes such as personal resistance and gender identity to explain the underlying meanings in her stories. Characters in Sailing’s writings were rebellious and did not conform to social norms. As they, freely expressed themselves in their own way with a positive ending. Contrary in Angel Carter’s writings, focused on themes such as women’s objectification and sexual awakening. The male characters usually portrayed having some essence of evil controlling the female character. The stories in Carter’s books are very dark and sexual. Some descriptions in her writing almost have a sense of pornographic image. Both writers gave us a grasp on how themes powerfully send messages throughout the stories. Adams, Terrier M. , and Douglas B. Fuller. â€Å"The Words Have Changed But the Ideology Remains the Same: Misogynistic Lyrics in Rap Music. How to cite Women’s Studies, Papers

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Microeconomics Assignment free essay sample

Economics Assignment One Part Two The flood which unusually occurred in Australia from 2010 to 2011 in summer, owing to the unusual amount of rain, destroyed the main producing areas of bananas in Australia, caused a large-scale reduction of bananas in Queensland. Bananas as the first biggest selling fruit in Australian market, the main producing areas for the banana market which flooded in the Cyclone Yasi, has caused the Australian citizens to be concerned about the shortage of bananas.This essay is about discussion of banana market in relationship between supply and demand for bananas after the severe flood from 2010 to 2011 during the summer period. After the flood caused by powerful Cyclone Yasi, the fact that the main producing areas were devastated by the flood, the production for bananas is still experiencing a large-scale reduction, at mean time, the demand for banana remains the same or even increasing compare to last year thanks to an expectation about higher price of bana nas in the future. As Tony Nigro from Fresh who represents producer wholesalers, stated that banana stocks at Melbourne Market were down to 15 percent of normal supply level compared to other years, reaching the lowest level since Cyclone Yasi devastated Queensland producing areas in February (Cooper, 2011). Compared with June in last year, each week the suppliers could get 114,000 cartons of bananas per week. However, this year, and wholesalers could only got 18,700 cartons a week at a shocking price of 13. 00 dollars per kilogram to buy in, and the price in store is approximately 13. 8 dollars, and the highest price skyrocketed even reached to 15 dollars per kilogram, and the old price of bananas usually was 1. 99 dollars a kilogram in June, 2010, hence, the price in June in store is approximately 7-fold the usual price last year (Cooper, 2011). The skyrocketing price is owing to the shortage of the bananas. The shift in demand curve could be caused by many factors, for instance, income, prices of related goods, tastes, expectations and number of buyers, change of input prices, technology, expectations, and the number of sellers.For example, in case of a Smartphone market in Korea, owing to the earthquake took place in Japan in March, where supplies several components, elements, chips to Korean market to produce this Smartphone. After the earthquake, several factories closed down and were not able to produce these core parts for this Smartphone, and the Smartphone factories in Korea cannot produce this Smartphone since there was a shortage of a few elements for producing the Smartphone.This resulted in the decrease in supply of Smartphone in the markets of some countries whose Smart phones are produced in Korea. Law of demand states that as the price of one good increase, quantity demanded for the good decreases. (Gans, King, Stonecash Mankiew, 2009). The goods that consumers choose to buy according to their needs and wants. According to the article, Australia’s banana markets are experiencing shortages of bananas since the Cyclone and flood destroyed most of crop lands in Queensland.The destroyed crop lands including banana farms has significantly decreased the number of banana sellers in the market which resulted left-shift in supply curve. Before the Cyclone and flood, the general price of banana was 1. 99 dollars in the store but after experiencing the flood, the quantity supplied of bananas decrease largely from 114,000 cartons in Melbourne market last year during the month of June to the 18,700 cartons in Melbourne market this year in June. At the original price level of bananas, generally there was dominant supply for the bananas which attributed to lower price ($1. 9) of bananas. However, this year, after dreadful natural disaster, the banana supply in the market was even much less than 18,700 cartons in Melbourne market while the quantity demanded for bananas was still strong. As a result, there is shortage in the banana market. As there is a shortage in the market, market failure occurs. Suppliers will increase the price of product as quantity demanded for the bananas decreases. The price of bananas will keep going up until it reaches the point where quantity demanded of consumer meet quantity supply of bananas.Price rises from 1. 99 dollars to 13 dollars and quantity demanded falls from114,000 to 18,700. Now new equilibrium for the banana market has achieved as quantity supply and quantity demanded for the banana market has maximized. Market failure has fixed. From the article about the shortage of bananas in Australian market and the concern caused by the shortage, we can learn how relationship between price and demand in market affects supply of the market. Supply can be changed by many factors.So far, in this essay we focus on how the decrease in the number of sellers or producers in the market can change market situation and how consumers response to. Suppliers in the banana market increase the price of bananas when there is a shortage in the banana market. In respond to the increase in price of bananas, consumers decrease the quantity demanded of bananas which lead the original equilibrium move to the new equilibrium of the banana market. By this adjustment process of the market, we can conclude that markets price changes according to the change in quantity demanded and quantity supplied for the product.

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Martin Bormann Essays - SS-Obersturmbannfhrer,

Martin Bormann On the night of October 15, 1946, ten of the twelve major war criminals, condemned to death at the Nuremberg trials, were executed. Of the two who eluded the hangman, one was ReichMarshal Hermann Goring, who committed suicide by swallowing a lethal vial of cyanide two hours before his execution. The other man was Reichsleiter Martin Bormann, who had managed to gain an enormous amount of power within the Nazi Party. He was virtually unknown outside of the Party elite as he had worked in the shadows of Hitler. As the end of the war drew near, many of the top Nazis were fleeing. Hermann Goring had fled west, and had been captured by American soldiers, after the death of Hitler had been announced. In Hitler's political will, Goring had been expelled from the party while Martin Bormann had been named Party Minister . According to Jochen Von Lang, Gobbels and Bormann had "held a military briefing on the night of May 2, 1945. " Gobbels had already decided to commit suicide but Bormann desperately wanted to survive. The last entry into his diary was "escape attempt! " Martin Bormann's whereabouts after this night is unknown. There are many speculations as to his fate ranging from the probable to the spectacular. Reichsleiter Bormann who, according to A. Zoller, "exercised absolute control over the whole structure of the Reich" and yet, virtually unknown to the public, was born June 17th, 1900. He was born in Saxon to a Postal Clerk. Bormann joined an anti-Semitic organization in 1920 and by 1923 he was a member of the Freikorps. During this period, he was imprisoned for a year for murder and one year after his release Bormann joined the Nazi Party as a financial administrator. By 1933 he had worked his way to being made a Reichsleiter, a General of the SS and the Chief of Staff to Rudolf Hess. When Hess took flight to England, Bormann gladly inherited his position and became Hitler's deputy. He had many enemies in the Party and Goring explained that even Goebbels feared him and his power . Bormann saw himself to be quite a noble character and in a letter to his wife dated April 2nd, 1945 he wrote that, "if we are destined, like the Nebeliung, to perish in King Attila's hall, then we go to death proudly and with our heads held high." For all his bravado, as the time to fight arrived, Bormann made a frantic attempt to survive. At the end of the war, the allied leaders decided to prosecute top Nazis as War Criminals in Nuremberg. As Martin Bormann was missing, it was decided that he would be tried in absentia. Although the allies had testimony stating that Bormann was dead, they ignored it because if "Bormann at this point was to be declared dead by the court, and then to surface later on, die-hard Nazis would suspect that perhaps the Furher was alive too." In order for allied credibility to remain intact, Bormann was to be tried for Crimes against Peace, War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity. Dr. Friedrich Bergold was appointed to this difficult task of defending a missing man. He considered it "a miscarriage of justice for the Tribunal to try his client in absentia." The International Tribunal sentenced Reichsleiter Martin Bormann to death. The night of May 1-2, 1945 is the last known whereabouts of Martin Bormann. The Reichsleiter was desperately trying to leave Berlin alive. He had tried to negotiate with the Russians for a brief cease-fire in order for him to obtain a safe passage through the enemy's lines. It had been rejected. The survivors in the Fuhrerbunker were attempting to escape the city and every twenty minutes a group left. Bormann emerged wearing an SS uniform without rank and a leather overcoat. His pocket contained a copy of Hitler's will, securing him to power. His group, that included Axmann, Kempka and Stumpfegger, arrived at the Friedrichstrasse Subway station but were held up at the Weidendammer Bridge. The Russians held the other side of the bridge and therefore made it impossible to cross without the cover of tanks. Miraculously, some German tiger tanks and a few armoured personnel carriers drove up . Bormann's goup crouched around the tanks and began to cross the bridge. Bormann and Stumpfegger were together, Kempka was behind them and further behind was Axmann. A Russian projectile hit the tank beside Bormann and it exploded . After this point, the truth of the fate of Bormann is

Friday, March 6, 2020

Radon Experiment essays

Radon Experiment essays The purpose of this study was to determine the amount of radon in the homes of students and affiliates from St. Marks High School, see if the amounts were normal and satisfactory for EPA guidelines, and to note any patterns that occurred. To conduct the experiment, prepared test packages were distributed, used in individual homes, and sent to the lab for analytical purposes. Results were then sent from the lab back to the individual. Overall, the results showed no significant pattern, but certain cities tended to have higher values. Also, a few individual homes had high enough levels of radon to warrant corrective action according to EPA guidelines. According to this sample, the amounts in Delaware are not enough to warrant a massive effort to reduce radon despite the few outliers that could be explained by other variables. Therefore, Delawares radon levels are at acceptable levels. Radon is a colorless, tasteless radioactive gas produced naturally during the radioactive decay of uranium in the earths crust. It generally seeps through the ground and enters buildings, where it can accumulate to high levels. The reason it is dangerous is because of the alpha particles it emits, which is a form of ionizing radiation that is very damaging to body tissue. It is possible for the particles to become lodged in ones lungs and damage surrounding tissue and it greatly increases the risk of lung cancer. If high levels are found, the concentrations of it can be minimized by sealing basements concrete floors and by ventilating crawl spaces and basements. In Delaware specifically, results are expected to be less than four picocuries per liter of air. The test for radon was conducted using a prepared packet full of a substance that absorbed radon. The package was left in a room in the home for approximately three days and then sealed and sent to the lab. The ...

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

The Ideas of an Ideal Social Order and Separation of Power in the US Assignment

The Ideas of an Ideal Social Order and Separation of Power in the US - Assignment Example Linkage groups in the US House of Legislatures are responsible for keeping people on what is happening by giving them information and being involved. The initiator's intention was to enable Congress members to provide the connection between citizens and government. James Madison gives an explanation that public views are good when passed through a medium of a special body of citizens that can represent the interest of their country. The groups are of four types and are known as linkage institutions in the United States since they play a vital role in involving citizens to the government. These groups are not part of the government, but exclusive of them, the United States will not be able to maintain democracy. Examples of such ways by which American national government represent the interest of its citizen include Broad points of view represented by political parties that present people with alternative approaches on how the government is operated. By electing people to public offic e, each party seeks power so that its positions and values become public policy. Interest groups manage people with common welfare. They also influence government through citizen’s attitudes to support their points. They usually represent a closely related set of apprehensions. An important role played by the media is connecting people to the government. Most citizens find out about candidates for office, the burning issues of the day and also public official activities through, newspapers, radio, television and also the Internet.

Monday, February 3, 2020

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 7

Management - Essay Example The management theory acts as the frame work for running the business. It is essential in dealing with employees, and in understanding the business environment(Robbins et al.2008). History of management As indicated by Robbins et al. (2008, p. 29), the ancient management practices were implemented in projects such as the construction of the Great Wall of Chinaas well as the pyramids of Egypt which employed thousands of people. During the construction of the Egyptian pyramids, a single pyramid would employ more the 100000 workers for 20 years; hence, someone had to be assigned the task of organizing and controlling the people and the materials to be used. Such activities led to the study of management practices. Robbins et al. (2008, p. 29) further stated that, in 1776, Adam Smith published a book that argued the economic benefits that organizations get from practicing effective management practices such as division of labour and breaking down jobs to narrow tasks, which played a role in increasing the labor productivity, and in enhancing the skills of the workers. The other concept that has played a role in management is the industrial revolution of the18th century in the Great Britain. Industrial revolution was important because it enhanced the use of machinery for production instead of manpower. This made the production of goods more efficient by reducing the finance and time resources used for production. The tasks that were previously taken by human beings were substituted by machines which enhance both accuracy and quality. In the 19th century, there was a major step taken to enhance proper management through the development of formalized management theories which were implemented in large organizations. These were scientific management, general administrative theory, quantitative organizational behavior and contingency. The scientific management theory explains the use of scientific methods to ensure that various tasks are implemented. The scientific theo ry was further enhanced by Fredrick Taylor, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth. Taylor observed that most tasks were executed with neither application of skills nor professional standards; thus, reducing their output to a third of what was expected from a worker. To maximize the application of skills by the workers and increase the production efficiency, workers were assigned tasks according to their abilities and characteristics. Frank and Lillian Gilbreth studied on ways to avoid wastage of the body movements. The study was implemented through the selection of the right tools for the right job so as to optimize work performance. The experiments for this study were done through bricklaying, and by reducing the motions from 18 to 2, a move which proved to be more productive. The four principles of management developed by Taylor were; developing professional techniques for each component of the individual’s work, selecting and training the employees, cooperation with the employees and dividing the responsibilities amongst the management and employees (Robbins et al.2008). The general administrative theorywas developed by Henri Fayol, in an effort to enhance effective management practices by educating managers on ways to execute their tasks and in return achieve positive results. Fayol’s idea was based on creating a suitable working environment and controlling workers to achieve higher productivity. This approach is applicable in any organizational setting. This concept is important in determining

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Customer Satisfaction Case Study of Hotel

Customer Satisfaction Case Study of Hotel Customer satisfaction: A case study of the Travelodge Hotel. Docklands, London. Dissertation declaration â€Å"Is it possible for hoteliers to provide a quality of services that meets with customer satisfaction whilst at the same time reducing the quantity of services that are provided?† Abstract Budget hotels in the hospitality sector are continuing to make significant inroads into the market shares previously enjoyed by the standard hotel chains, even in select areas such as the City of London. However, the question is whether this new type of accommodation supply is being created at a cost to the consumer in terms of customer value and satisfaction. Using the Travelodge hotel Docklands as a case study, this research attempts to address this issue. From the result of a SERVQUAL measurement survey conducted with 48 of the hotels customers, the conclusion is reached that, whilst in theory there is no reason why the customer quality of service should be less, in practice the customers expectations that are attached to a lower price do not equate with the perceptions of the hotel management in some areas, particularly in relation to human resources. There is therefore a need for the management of such establishments to achieve a better level of balance between these two determinants. Table of Contents (Jump to) Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Rationale for research 1.2 Customer retention 1.3 Aims 1.4 Objectives 1.5 Overview Chapter 2: Background 2.1 Tourism in the UK 2.2 Tourism in Docklands Chapter 3: Literature Review 3.1 Customer satisfaction 3.2 Service quality 3.3 Methods used to measure customer satisfaction and service quality 3.4 Summary Chapter 4: Research Methodology 4.1 Research method choice 4.2 Data collection 4.3 Performance of the research Chapter 5: Data presentation and analysis Chapter 6: Implications of the research findings Chapter 7: Conclusion 6.1 Application 6.2 Recommendations Chapter 1:  Introduction The vast majority of commercial concerns, irrespective of whether their business is product or service orientated, are aware of the fact that continued business success is dependant upon determining that the quality of service they provide for the customer equates to or exceeds the perceived expectation of satisfaction that customers have when they decide to enter into transaction with the business. Furthermore, as Michael Porter (1985 and 2004) suggests in his researches into the subject of competition, quality of service can also be used as a strategy to gain competitive advantage, particularly in a crowded marketplace, which certainly exists within the tourism industry. In the context of delivering the quality of service that satisfies the customer, perhaps the hotel industry finds itself in a unique, although some would say unenviable position. Most other industries and sectors only engage with the consumer for a matter of moments during the course of their visit. However, with the hotel industry the interaction this business sector has with the consumer can last from several hours to many days. Similarly, with a number of customers in close proximity, it can be also be said that customer-to-customer interactions form part of the product (Kandampully et al (2001, p.28). In addition, the number of interrelated services within a hotel is invariable far more complex and diverse than other businesses will be offering. For example, in a retail environment, the connection with the customer is the quality of the product and service quality at the point of sale and after sales service. However. With a hotel, customer satisfaction can be influenced by a number of factors. From the product aspect, this will include the standard and quality of the main product, namely the hotel room, in this case relating to the dà ©cor, furnishings, facilities available, cleanliness and cost against performance. In terms of services provided, the hotel will also be judged by several diverse elements. These include the relation built between customers and front office staff, cleaners and employees in other facilities being offered, for example the service received from employees engaged within the waiting, bar-tending, local knowledge and health facility aspects of the busine ss. As a result of these service and quality issues, and in an effort to ensure that these meet with the expectation and satisfaction levels of their customers, one would therefore expect that the market players within the hotel industry would be constantly seeking ways to improve upon the services that their establishments offer. If this is the case, how is it then that, over the past two to three decades, the industry has seen a proliferation of budget and low cost hotel chains emerging, one of the most well known of which within the UK is the Travelodge brand? 1.1 Rationale for research It is the question regarding how budget hotel chains are managing to deliver customer satisfaction whilst at the same time reducing the levels of services being provided that forms the rationale for this paper. There has been a reasonable amount of research dedicated to the delivery of customer satisfaction by the method of adding to the levels and qualities of the services being offered, as would be the case in the tourism industry, for example with five star hotels. However, research into the ability of a commercial organisation to maintain the same standard of customer satisfaction levels, particularly within the UK tourism and leisure industry, when that organisation is operating a â€Å"low-cost† strategy, which by definition is primarily focused on driving down the business costs by reducing the levels of services being made available to the customer, is more limited. 1.2  Customer retention Another factor that makes the â€Å"low-cost† strategy and its removal of services within the hotel industry sometimes difficult to understand is that most literature concentrates upon the fact that providing a quality service that matches customer satisfaction is important in terms of customer retention (Parasuraman 1997, Schiffman and Kanuk 2000 and Porter 1998). On the surface therefore the rule of keeping customers returning by offering them less does seem to contain a dichotomy of views that are incompatible. However, many of the some of the recent observers, Including Zeithaml (1988), Agrawal (2000) and Porter (2004) in his later works, have begun to study this particular issue, finding that there can be a relationship between the less services and customer satisfaction. It is the intention for this paper to add value to these opinions. 1.3  Aims From the explanations given above therefore it can be seen that the aim of this research is to address the following question: â€Å"Is it possible for hoteliers to provide a quality of services that meets with customer satisfaction whilst at the same time reducing the quantity of services that are provided? In an effort to assist in the provision of a definitive response to the hypothesis set, it is intended to use as a case study research carried out at a specific location of the budget hotel chain Travelodge, namely their establishment in Docklands, London. 1.4  Objectives In the process of defining the theoretical and practical response to the hypothesis, as well as adding value to the existing research conducted with the subjects that are covered, these being customer satisfaction and service quality within a tourism and leisure environment, the following three objectives have been set: Customer perception and satisfaction Although there has been considerable literature relating to customer perception and satisfaction determinants, within this research the intention is to broaden this area to take account of how these issues can be best related to the â€Å"budget† service provider and by what methods such organisations can determine that a) the reduction of services reaches an optimal level and b) how other areas of service quality can be introduced in a manner that will continue to improve the business relationship with and retention of customers without adversely impacting upon the business â€Å"low-cost† strategy. Gaps within service quality measurement. Using the â€Å"SERQUAL† method of measurement, which is discussed in more detail in chapter three, we shall look particularly at the â€Å"gap† element of this methods in an attempt to define how these have can and have been applied effectively and successfully to the budget hotel business model despite the fact that these models concentrate upon the task of reducing the levels of services being made available to customers in return from price advantages. The future. From the results indicated above, it is intended to ascertain whether the process of understanding how the use of quality of service in a budget business environment can provide lessons that could be applied to other â€Å"premier† brand hotel businesses within the industry or if these results are strategy specific and therefore not transferable across different business models. The significant data which has been used to provide the foundation for this research paper has been collected through the use of then primary quantitative method of structured questionnaires and interviews, which will be discussed in more detail in chapter four. 1.5  Overview Following this introductory chapter, the second chapter in this study provides a brief background into UK tourism, including the levels and reasons for tourisms within the docklands area, as well as a history relating to the Travelodge hotel chain and its Docklands unit. In chapter three a critical literature reviews is conducted into the major areas of customer satisfaction, service quality and the various theories and models that have been developed to measure these aspects of the business operations. Chapter four is where the methodology for the main research carried out in support of this research is explained in greater depth. It will include an understanding of the strengths and limitations of the chosen research method, together with details of the manner of the performance of these methods. This will be followed in chapter five by the data findings and an analysis of these findings, the implications of which will be further discussed in chapter six. The paper will be drawn to a conclusion in chapter seven, at which point any relevant and appropriate recommendations will also be presented. Following the conclusion of this study, a reference list of all the resources used, together with appendices that contain additional information and data that is considered to add value to the understanding of this paper will also be attached. Chapter 2  Background As stated previously, tourism is one of the most important industries in the UK economy. Therefore, as the core theme of this research is related to an organisation within this industry, it is appropriate to provide some background relating to UK tourism and the Docklands area in particular, as wells as the organisation that is forming the case study, namely the Travelodge hotel group. 2.1  Tourism in the UK The level of tourism in the UK has seen a diverse change depending upon the criteria that one uses. For example, with regards to domestic travel of UK residents, this saw a reported decline of –4.0% in the last 8 months of 2006 when compared with the previous year, although there were still nearly 102 million overnight trips (Visit Britain 2008 b, p,4). Conversely, the numbers of overseas visitors increased by 9%, rising to nearly 33 million trips (Visit Britain 2008 a, p.8), as can be seen from the following table (figure 1). In total therefore, tourism in the UK in 2006 saw a participating total of approaching 135 million customers, who visits were for both leisure and business purposes (see figure 2). With between 59% and 74% of the domestic journeys involving overnights stays of one to three days (see figure 3) and 42% of overseas journeys having the same duration, this provides a significant existing market opportunity for the UK hotel industry and room for continued growth, especially as at present it is estimated that only around 30% of the domestic visitors choose Hotels and guest houses for their accommodation needs (see figure 4). However, with hotel occupancy rates having fallen in recent years, especially in the capital, although this was partially due to terrorist attacks (Chetwynd and Knight 2005), it is important for hoteliers to ensure that they are providing the necessary level of quality service to capture this market. 2.2  Tourism in Docklands Visit Britain statistics (2008 a, p.11) indicates that of the total inbound tourism trade during 2006, nearly 16 million visitors chose London as their destination, with many more domestic tourists swelling that number. Similarly, compared with the rest of the UK, the hotel occupancy levels in London remain at a reasonably high level of around 72% (Visit London 2008, p.4), due mainly to the high mix of customers from the domestic and international leisure and business sectors. Having spent over  £12 billion on regeneration of the area, London Docklands is taking its fair share of visitors, with 24 hotels at present and a further five in development (LDVC 2008), of which the Travelodge budget hotel in Coriander Avenue, E14 is one. 2.3  Overview: Travelodge – London Docklands The Travelodge brand of hotels, which was originally formed in the US, has seen a number of owners since then, with the latest being a  £675 million acquisition for the group by Dubai International Capital in 2006. It is the UK’s second largest budget hotel chain with over 300 units in the UK offering around 22,000 rooms (Editorial 2007), although the company expects that to expand to 32,000 within the next three years, an plans to more than double this expansion by 2020. In 1985 the group was the first hoteliers to strip out what it considered to be non-essential services in an effort to reduce costs of hotel stays to the minimum, which in 2007 were around  £26 a night. Another example of the budget cost example can be seen from the group’s Docklands hotel, where normal rates of  £49  £59 per night can be reduced to as low as  £29 if they are booked around three weeks in advance. Travelodge’s mission statement is aptly summed up on their website as â€Å"Pay for things you don’t want? That’s crazy!† (Travelodge 2008). They further go on to explain this statement by outlining the fact that the quality of their services to the customer is the provision of nice beds, clean rooms and a value for money price which the inclusion of items such as room service, extra towels, toiletries and other items that are seen by other hoteliers as value added services, would prohibit the business from achieving. According to press releases (Travelodge 2008 b), the company has seen significant growth during the course of 2006, with revenues increased by 19% and room occupancy by 24%. These results are in line with the reports issued by the Mintel group (Kuhn 2007), which shows that in the four years to 2006 the budget hotel sector grew by 38% , out performing other sectors of the industry that could only manage 12%, to exceed the  £1 billion barrier of revenue for the first time. It can be seen from this background and the statistics that the budget hotel industry is obviously making inroads into traditional hotel markets. However, the question which this research will address is whether this is simply based upon the price advantage or if other service quality and customer satisfaction issues have also influenced the growing popularity of the budget hotel sector. Chapter 3  Literature Review During the course of the past six or seven decades there has been a considerable amount of literature and research produced that has endeavoured to address the issues of customer satisfaction and service quality, as well as a number of models of measurement that can be utilised in respect of the latter. This critical literature review will discuss a selection of these studies and in particular endeavour to identify whether there is a link between these and the model that has been deemed appropriate for the budget hotel sector, or indeed where gaps in current literature exists. 3.1  Customer satisfaction Customer satisfaction has been the subject of a reasonable amount of academic literature over the past few decades from a number of perspectives. For example, researchers such as Porter (1998), Parasuraman (1997) Agrawal (2000) and Harrison (2003) have all outlined the benefits of customer satisfaction as an integral aspect of competitive advantage. As Hennig-Thurau, and Hansen (2000, p.62) comment in their study on relationship marketing, it is the intention of all businesses â€Å"to try and engender a high level of customer satisfaction in order to positively influence our customers repurchasing and communicative behavior†. There is little doubt that the level of satisfaction experienced by customers will impact upon the way they react to a product or service, in other words it drives their behaviour (Schiffman and Kanuk 2000). However, the difficulty that all academics have wrestled with over the years is in defining exactly what â€Å"customer satisfaction is† and, perhaps more importantly, which determinates influence the achievement of customer satisfaction. Hennig-Thurau and Hansen (2000, p.8) define customer satisfaction as being the â€Å"emotional or empathic reaction† that occurs within the customer as they judge the experience of the product or service against the expectations they had prior to that experience. Richard Oliver (quoted in Holbrook 1999, p.56) rests with the definition that ideals and excellence is equal to satisfaction. Ziethaml (1998) adds further substance to these definition by explaining that satisfaction is all about the perception of value when adjudged again st price, quality, need and payment, In summarising this position, Zeithaml (1988, p.14) stated that â€Å"Perceived value is the consumer’s overall assessment of the utility of a product based on perceptions of what is received and what is given †¦ value represents a trade-off of the salient give and get components,† in other words the cost of ownership against the value perceived. This is a definition that has been accepted by a number of other researchers, including Christopher (1996), although as Dr Brennen (2003, p.4) observes, there is some departure from this consensus in respect of the component parts that make up customer satisfaction, with some observers only including price as a denominator whilst others include the total cost of ownership. Nevertheless as Suzan Boztepe (2007, p.56), points out, to identify customer satisfaction, â€Å"The emphasis is on the point of exchange, and money is seen as a fundamental index of value.† It is as that moment, when the product of service has been purchased and used, in the respect that a contractual agreement has been entered into, that the customer makes a value judgement about what they have been given in exchange for what they have paid. In this situation it is therefore usually the case that the higher the level of quality of service promotes a higher level of satisfaction (Kandampully et al. 2001, p.8). In respect of the determinates that engender satisfaction within a customer, there do of course extend beyond the simple and direct use of the product or service. Parasuraman (1997, p.1) refers to this position when he talks above the â€Å"attributes and consequences arising from that use,† which indicates that satisfaction levels can be increased or decreased by other internal and external factors. Boztepe (2007, p.58) agrees with this comment, promoting the view that the context and environment within which the use is received will impact upon the customers enjoyment or satisfaction with the experience. In the context of the hospitality environment of hotel industry that is the basis of this study, this aspect is very important. For example, if the human service in a particular establishment is good but the physical environment, in terms of dà ©cor, equipment etc is not, this would reduce the customer’s enjoyment and therefore lower the satisfaction and value they g ain from the experience. Similarly, in the case of the hotel attention has to be paid to the external factors. For example, if the service from employees and the environment is good, but other guest create a situation that is disturbing or unpleasant to the customer, this nay also adversely affect their satisfaction with the experience and the value they gain from it. Therefore, it can be seen from the forgoing that when providing a service or product the supplier, or in this case hotelier, has to understand not only how the customer behaves or is likely to react to the value of the service provided, but also be aware of the factors that might adversely influence that behaviour. If that is not understood â€Å"the likelihood of consumer satisfaction diminishes, as does the potential for a profitable business† (Holbrook 1999, p.116). After all, as Porter (1998, p.411) succinctly explains the situation, in order to gain competitive advantage, the aim of the business should be to ensure that the whole format of the various elements of the business supply chain should be geared towards delivering a product or service to the end user that adds â€Å"to their convenience and satisfaction.† To achieve this position the marketer has to understand the whole of the customer behavioural process, which includes what drives them to make the origi nal choice, known as the pre-purchase period, how they will react to the actual use or consumption of the product and their reaction after that use, the post-purchase period (Holbrook, 1999, p.43). If the business bears these aspects in mind, and reacts positively to them, there is more opportunity to be able to provide the customer with a unique product of service that will be perceived by them to have a greater level of value and therefore being more satisfying (ibid p.121), which has the added benefit of potentially engaging the customers loyalty and therefore makes the retention of the customer more likely. In a practical sense this position cannot be achieved unless there is a quality of service. 3.2  Service quality Following on from an understanding of the factors that determine what values give satisfaction to a customer, it has been found that, in essence, this is uniquely linked with service and the quality of that service, which is another area where there has been a concentration of literature over the past few decades. In terms of definition of the words, because of the nature of this paper, the definition of service being relied upon is that promoted by Kolter (1999), who stated that: â€Å"A service is any benefit or activity that one party can offer to another, which is essentially intangible and does not result in the ownership of anything. Its production may or may not be tied to a physical product.† Harrison (2003) and Holbrook (1999) regard quality as being the originator for meeting the expectation of value and satisfaction for the customer. In this respect, Holbrook (1999, p.13) states that â€Å"quality, generally, is an externally mediate perception that a product or service possesses excellent levels of the key quality dimensions which define quality for that product/service.† From the commercial aspect therefore, it is apparent that businesses have a need to use service quality in order to attract customers and to retain their loyalty in a manner that will lead to them continuing to purchase the service in the future, in other words quality is one of the core competing elements (Berry and Parasuraman 1991). An essential element of this will be to aim to provide the customer with an experience of service quality that they perceive to be of a higher value than they can expect to receive elsewhere, at least for the same price and conditions (Hennig-Thurau and Hansen (2000, p.169). Service quality has to permeate through all aspects of the business which, as has been identified earlier, will include the way that employees react to clients, the dà ©cor and content of the environment where the service quality takes place and the control of external determinates. These latter â€Å"situational / environment characteristics† (Holbrook 1999, p.30) are extremely important in a hotel environment as they will directly impact upon the customers perception of value and satisfaction. For example, if when arriving at the hotel the customer is required to wait for some time to become registered and given their room keys, this could adversely affect their satisfaction levels. Furthermore, this experience may reflect in their post–purchase behaviour, for example with the memory of the experience being marred by this one incidence, thus reducing the value they have gained and the likelihood of re-booking. However, what has to be remembered is that each business is unique and will therefore have to find its own way of using service quality in an effort to gain competitive advantage. What works for one sector of an industry or even an individual business may not work for another. In fact trying to change a business service quality strategy to emulate that of another business may do more harm than good (Porter 1998, p.531). For instance, the service quality format and strategy developed by budget hotels such as Travelodge may not work for the five-star hotel sector of the industry. Nevertheless, as can be seen from this discussion, it is important for the commercial organisation to research the are of service quality as it impacts upon their particular business model as this will provide them with â€Å"valuable insights† into how to promote their goods or services in a way that is deemed to provide the customer with the level of service quality that they are expecting (Hennig-Thurau and Hensen 2000, p.13) 3.3  Methods used to measure customer satisfaction and service quality There are a number of methods for measuring the relationship between customer satisfaction and service quality that have been discussed in literature over the years, both from the academic and practical viewpoint. For the purpose of this research it has been decided to use the SERQUAL method originally developed and later revised by Parasuraman et al (1991). However, prior to reviewing this particular method and the reasons for its choice, it would be of benefit to briefly discuss some of the other measurements that are available. Other methods One method of measurement that is particularly popular in the hospitality sector, especially with guesthouses, is the use of comments and feedback from the customer. As Porter (1998, p.147) acknowledges this system of testimonials does have value in the respect that it provides the supplier with a direct indication of the levels of value and satisfaction experienced by the customer. However, the difficulty with this process is twofold. Firstly, the construction of the process may be misleading for the customer and the business (Kandampully et al 2001). For example, a simple complaints format does not show areas where the business is succeeding. The second aspect of this process is that it is not sufficiently defined. The business managers need to know in which specific service quality areas they are performing well or not. Without such definition it is difficult for them to be able to address areas that are perceived by the customer as a concern. Two other methods that prove quite popular are the general satisfaction and the continuous monitoring surveys and polls. Both of these have their drawbacks. In terms of the former, whilst it is in many ways similar to the SERVQUAL method chosen, its concentration upon the customers perceptions leaves it weak in terms of providing practical results that can be directly implemented by the business. Continuous surveys on the other hand have the inherent problem of adding to administrative costs within the business and, in addition, there may be issues with sampling (Visit Britain 2008 b). These can result from the fact that, being random in nature, continual update of relevant data is required, which may not always be easy for an individual business to acquire or manage. SERVQUAL Measurement The SERVQUAL method of measurement is one that has been â€Å"extensively applied† (Shahin 2005, p.4) and has been found by many to be particularly useful in providing a â€Å"true measure of customer service† (Kandampully et al 2001, p.68). It is seen to be relevant to the hospitality sector and has been used extensively in this area of commerce. Although in some cases this model has been extended by researchers to a dozen elements, essentially the foundation of the SERVQUAL process is founded on five key factors (Sahney et al 2004), which are: Tangibles. Physical facilities, equipment and appearance of personnel. Reliability. Ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. Responsiveness. Willingness to help customers and provide prompt service. Assurance (including competence, courtesy, credibility and