Past experience to people Essay

Experience, which is the best teacher in our life to leading our behaviors and changing our mind. Culture, which is also the root for individuals values.Both of them give us lots of influence and changing our life all the times.It is hard to say which changes us the most on such a controversial question.Just like experiences lead us what to think and cultures provide us how we think. They are individually and connecting with each other.Despite our past experiences affecting the way we see the world uniquely, it is more often based on our individual cultural background. Overview Firstly, this essay will discuss the general influence to individuals of past experience Past Experience is a component which helps people gaining experience on every parts during our daily life.In the recreation activity,there is a relation between the preferences and past experience.The experienced level which has a great influence to make the choice.So that unexperienced people who do not know how to choose the suitable for entertainment and their decision will be different and wide.Experienced customers who have more specific need and their decision will be similar which is the most suitable in their past experience. Thus, more experienced people are, more specificity their entertainment chosen will be. For example,high experienced individuals in desert and mountain who has more specificity selection of the site decision than these no experienced individuals. Schreyer(1982) reported that river runners with higher experience levels stated the desired outcomes of their trips more specifically. (Watson et al., 1991) Some studies also shows that psat experience is related with site choice.They found that some more hard but no limited routed were chosen by managed users.The reason is that their experience proved them confidence and easy way to face this area.Past experience not only shown the choice detail for individuals bus also gain the knowledge about arranging their activities. In conclusion, experienced individuals whose choice specificity is stronger ,differentiation on different kinds of situation dimension is higher.The general influence of past experience is also shown in study work and all parts of our  life.Although the exciting and looking forward level is also reduced comparing with the first try.More experience brings us an efficient and suitable daily arrangement. Which is different from the influence of experience, culture is the basic background for individuals to think and control their way to solve the problems. Culture is how individuals life being, its is one of the most basic thing about human beliefï ¼Å'idea and values. Culture is different between different area, its the most important thing to effect our daily life.During the generations, humans communicate entertainment and lifestyle is always changing by the developed technology.But as the root of a nationality, culture always do not change.There is no doubt that everything I’ve talked about, thought with, every decision, belief which is closely related by my own culture. It is also important to be able to recognize and respect other cultures, and not believe one’s own culture is more valuable or superior than the rest. Sometimes issues of racism occur when people are unable to connect culturally with others. Being tolerant and understanding what other cultures value is the key for successful acceptance of one another.

Virgin Mobile Marketing Metrics

Virgin Mobile’s business model consists of several different strategies for success. On July 2002, Virgin launched its new cellular service company, mostly geared for individuals ages 15- 19. The UK-based company had plans to acquire new clientele by tapping the youth market with the following tactics: Text messaging bundles: Virgin believed text messaging was a key selling point for youth as kids would often communicate with friends or family through this medium as it was cheaper than daytime minutes and a more discrete form of communication while in class.Ring Tones: Virgin offered a large selection of favourite and popular tunes and music that could be set as your cellular ringtone. Fun Clips: Are audio clippings of new gossip, sports information, jokes and other information that teens generally have interest in and have the time to review. Other features such as Music Messenger allowed cell phone users to share their favourite music with their friends and classmates.These features appealed more to the youth market and generated additional cell phone usage (if not by using minutes) and customer loyalty. Virgin believed that these mediums would bond customers to their phones therefore creating more interest. Virgin signed contracts with several phone manufacturers such as: Kyocera, Nokia, LG and more to enable a variety of phones to choose from; each providing a different benefit that would appeal to the youth.By adding these features and targeting the 15-24 market, as well as being a contract-free cell phone provider, this generated more interest in the market because the ones under 18 would have had to use their parents to sign a contract for them in order to have a wireless device, this way, Virgin enables customers the freedom. Assuming the number of customers is 5 in year one, and retention rate is 75% the decline in customers yearly thereafter will be deducted by the same percentage.By taking the number of effective customers in 2001 and multiply ing it by retention rates we acquire the pattern or deduction. (copy and pasting the formula along the years 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006; the five-year wireless contract). | | | | | | Retention rate was calculated by assuming the number of total customers was 100. 25 customers left to another service provider. 100-25 = 75. (75/100) *100 = 75% Retention. Tab 1 of spreadsheet Tab 2 of spreadsheet

REFLECTION ON RESEARCH AND METHODOLOGICAL CHOICES IN THREE ACADEMIC Essay

REFLECTION ON RESEARCH AND METHODOLOGICAL CHOICES IN THREE ACADEMIC ARTICLE ON THEORY OF COMPLIANCE - Essay Example This write up presents the analysis of three articles dealing with different ideas regarding customer compliance. Casabov and Da-Cuhna (2004) evaluated whether call center services are comprised of client centricity or by control of customer by employees. Dellande and Nyer (2007) studied the impact of public commitment to customer compliance, while Dellande, Gilly and Graham (2004) evaluated the providers’ role in gaining compliance. Casabov and Da-Cuhna (2004) studied two Brazilian call centres seeking to determine whether the service interfaces fortitudes were customer guided or depended on the control of employees over the customers. The enquiry adopted the use of direct surveillance and semi structured interviews to collect the information. The information was collected from managers, overseers and technicians. The researchers carried out 33 interviews and two-week observations in two call centres. The study indicated that control was extensively practiced and did not resu lt in prolonged customer dissatisfaction. Dellande, Gilly and Graham (2004) evaluated the role of service provider in ensuring compliance. They used weight loss subjects from Lindora Comprehensive Weight Control. Lindora uses a platform based on medicine to regulate weight. The program has clinics throughout southern California. Data was collected by use of questionnaires disseminated to nurses and patients, use of archival data, and interviews. The data analysis method used was the PLS structural equation method given the complex mathematical nature of the data presented. They found out that provider expertise determined client’s role clarity, which in turn affected compliance. Attitudinal homophily was a significant factor in influencing compliance. Further, they concluded that role clarity, and role ability influence compliance. Dellande and Nyer (2007) evaluated the effect of public pledge on acquiescence. The study seeks to investigate the role of open commitment in gain ing client acquiescence. The study collected data using 3 x 2 full factorial designs employing three levels of commitment. They engaged the use of median split to generate two ranks of SNI (low and high). The subjects were drawn from an online marketing introductory course. 102 students participated but 96 completed the study. The researchers evaluated the effect of an open declaration to conserve paper on the students’ continued conservation of papers during the term. The researchers found out that people who made an open declaration to conserve papers conserved more papers that those who made private declarations and those who did not make any pledge. Further, those who made private declaration conserved more than those who did not make any pledges. Part two: Methodological evaluation of the articles Casabov and Da-Cuhna (2004): Employee Control in Call Centers The methodology employed in the article tackling the call centers service deliveries in two Brazilian call centers employed the use of exposed surveillance, where the researcher were strategically placed to view the reactions of the customers for two weeks. The study also engaged the use of semi-structured questionnaires to 33 employees of the two call centers. The respondents included call centers managers, their supervisors and the operative staff members. The sample size in qualitative researches has been debated by various scholars in an attempt to identify the ideal size. Stead, Struwig and Struwig (2001, p.

Critically evaluate claims that there has been a transformation in the Essay

Critically evaluate claims that there has been a transformation in the character of biomedicine and the emergence of a new paradigm for health care at the start - Essay Example e used in order to explain the development of health and illness within a particular society or among a specific part of the population (using as criteria the gender, the ethnicity and so on). From a different point of view, it is suggested by Eisenberg (1977) that disease is a different concept from illness. In fact it is stated that disease could be better described using the following description: ‘physicians diagnose and treat ‘diseases’’ (Eisenberg, 1977, 11) whereas ‘†¦ patients suffer ‘illnesses’’ (Eisenberg, 1977, 11). On the other hand, in accordance with a study of Helman published by Ember et al. (2004, 733) ‘traditional classification of illness can be divided into four classes: natural, supernatural, personal and social’. In other words, health is closely related with the social and cultural characteristics of a specific society. The level of technology developed within the particular society could be also regarded as having a significant impact on the health conditions of the specific population. Under these terms, the development of biomedical model of disease/ health can help in order to understand all the aspects of health and disease within a particular society or in relation with a specific part for the population (gender, race and class inequalities could be observed in this case regarding the level of health provided to people within a specific state). The main characteristic of biomedical model of disease/ health is the fact that the above model regards health as the absence of disease. In this context, all theories referring to the relationship between health and disease could be equally applied in order to examine the credibility of this model in all its aspects. In accordance with the study of Turner (1987, 9, in [2]) ‘the model assumes that all human dysfunction might eventually be traced to such specific causal mechanisms within the organism and it presupposes a clear mind/body distinction where ultimately the

Castle Bingo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Castle Bingo - Essay Example ----------------------------------------------13.0 Appendices----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------13.0 Castle Bingo Executive Summary The research’s finding is that there are many significant supports from each community have a concern on modernization of the active leisure of Castle Bingo and to improve the parks and open more spaces for advancements. There is a significant support for the use of council budgets to support the castle leisure services and strong and effective support for all the small increases in council tax to cater for the improved services especially for games. There seems to be general opinions for the current technology and community services about the Castle Bingo which has been an existing company based in Cardiff office for many years. The concern is on the two types of the customer that is off line based on attending clubs and on line gamers based on internet and their web sites. The findings from th e research are that Castle Bingo online web site concentrates on the information based on the club information. The current location for the main club is favored mostly especially on the by the focusing groups but their experience is expected towards the current location of the sites for the new facilities. The main concern is that the offline and online castle leisure is to focus on the effective marketing research program. Clearly, there is a feeling of the focus group members that the current contract of leisure in problem. This is perceived from the work against all the sports for all the members and the promotion including the management which is mostly concerned with the targeting group. Improving the quality of the on going centers in better location would encourage the current users on the improvement on effective marketing programs though these issues would be addressed in the management teams. Most of the people urge that the council should use its funding including the ta x from the councils to provide sports and other services in order to make the marketing research effective and efficiency. The decisions of the managers in Castle Bingo are based on the benefits of the company as a whole but not on the side of the individuals. Introduction Castle leisure researches interviewed a representative samples targeting 1000 people from the city using an agreed questionnaire. The studies were concerned with 10 locations for researcher where by the sample sizes were formulated: Sample size: this includes the sample social demographics of the data according to their ages and sex. Sample size Male and females Total 1020 15-24 Spalding 850 25-30 Long

Amtrak Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Amtrak - Essay Example The company’s train service connects nearly 500 destinations in 46 states. The company information indicates that Amtrak served 30.2 million passengers and achieved ticket revenue of $1.9 billion in 2011 fiscal year (AMTRAK, 2008). It would be recommendable for the Amtrak to introduce its railroad services to Denmark, one of the most developed economies in the world. Although Denmark is an economically and industrially developed country, its railroad industry is still struggling to provide superior services to passengers. â€Å"Railroad transport is not competitive in Denmark and is only being sustained by higher subsidies than other modes of transport† (OECD, 1999, p.77). Denmark remains to be one of the Western European countries with limited number of long distance bus transpiration. Today, a large number of passengers depend on bus transportation for their journeys, and hence Amtrak services are most likely to be accepted by the Denmark’s railroad passenger industry. Currently, the country has roughly 2,600 km of railway lines and passenger trains are a common mode of transport in Denmark. In addition, the country has well developed infrastructure facilities, which is a vital element for railroad passenger industry. Denmark has some major rail connections to its adjacent countries including Germany and Sweden. Although there are numerous positive factors for Amtrak to introduce its services in Denmark, some operational barriers exist in the new global country. The OECD report (1999, pp. 77-78) reflects that increased governmental regulations have become a growth impediment to Denmark’s railroad passenger industry. The report also points out that Denmark does not effectively seize transportation opportunities provided by its neighboring countries. As a result, such government level restrictions may limit the operational efficiency of the company in Denmark. In addition, Denmark has only limited number of electrified

Apple's Make-vs.-Buy Decision Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Apple's Make-vs.-Buy Decision - Research Paper Example Another appropriate approach for Apple to recruit talent is to hold a job fair in technical schools and universities where there is an abundant supply of fresh and raw talents which Apple can mold according to its company culture. 2. Describe the recruiter traits and behaviors that would lead to the most successful recruiting campaign for Apple. Apple is in a very competitive industry where hiring the best and the brightest is also a competition among the industry players. Having this kind of environment, it is necessary that the recruiter has to have the traits that attract the best and the brightest and represents Apple well as an organization. The critical trait that a recruiter in Apple must have is its high aptitude and learning curve in technology. The best and the brightest employees are also equally discerning about their potential employers and sees the company through its representative- the recruiter. It would then necessary to impress potential recruits that Apple is the company that they could grow professionally when they work for the company. When it comes to behavior, the recruiter does not have to rigid which is typical among HR personnel in the corporate world, but could be casual as long the recruiter knows the job and the industry. Professionalism in the IT industry is gauge not by its appearance but what it can do. Its founder in fact, Steve Jobs was known to be fond of wearing jeans in coming to work. 3. Suggest three (3) ways that Apple can effectively plan for HR resources. Rank in order of cost to implement. a. Institute and strengthen employee retention program Apple should institute and strengthen its employee retention program so that it would not lose them to competition and embark again in a costly effort of recruiting new talents. Just like getting new customers, recruiting employees can also be costly in terms of opportunities lost (Dernovsek, 2008) due to the absence of talents that would do specific task. In short, Apple must f irst arrest any employee turnover before embarking with any recruitment program. b. Hold job fair Job fairs are relatively cost efficient way of recruiting the right talent (Guld, 2007). It has to be conducted in the university campus or onsite to â€Å"capture† the market of potential talents. In addition, the remuneration requirements of these potential employees are not also that costly compared to a seasoned employee because they will be joining the company at an entry pay grade. c. Buy another company While this may be convenient way of having the necessary talent for the company to do the internal manufacture of chips for Apple, it could be expensive and therefore requires careful consideration before making the purchase because it may affect the company’s bottom line if the acquisition proves to be wrong. 4. Discuss the benefits that forecasting provides for Apple. Forecasting talent need and its accompanying cost provides Apple the advantage of foresight. Forec asting places Apple in a unique and better position to prepare now for what is needed in the future so that when the demand rises for their microchips and intend to do it internally, they already have the talent to get it done. Recruiting the necessary talent when the need is already there may be considered too late because there is a gap between the actual need and respond time of the company’

Religious Beliefs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Religious Beliefs - Essay Example This essay will explore the important lessons drawn from the teachings of these different religions as narrated through writings. Overview Several lessons can be drawn from the practices and religious beliefs of different religions in the world. Some of these religions include Shamanism, Pagan or Upanishads have unique lessons that can be drawn from these religions. One of the common lessons that can be drawn from the different religions is the use of myths to explain or pass on different beliefs. For instance, the Greek and Mesopotamian cultures explain the origin of human life through use of different myths. We witness the myth of the Epic of Gilgamesh, whereby the creation of human life is better explained through the use of the myth. The use of myths is common in several religions since it is used to explain the inexplicable. The Mesopotamian culture has a belief that the creation of human beings was done to free the lesser gods from their oppressive labors. Among the Greek cultu re, we witness the Homeric Hymns which were used in explaining different occurrences between different people. For instance, circumstances such as sibling rivalry is best explained by in the Homeric Hymns through the story of Apollo and Hermes who were brothers competing against each other. The creation and control of the earth is a great learning point that could be used in drawing lessons about mysteries of life. The Kena Upanishad among the Hindus is used in explaining the order of the world. Moreover, it brings out the story on creation among the Hindu society (Parmananda 89). Taoism is another religion that makes use of myths to explain the creation of the world. Tao Te Ching makes use of symbolism in the different myths to reflect the power of the Tao, he elucidates that the origin of all things and how unimaginable is the Tao. This is used in explaining that the origin of all things in the world emanates from a Supreme Being like the Tao. Consequently, in the Upanishads, the origin and the creation of the earth is explained trough use of different myths. Death is explained to Nachiketa by the Seer and this knowledge gets the reader to know more concerning the religion trough the use of myths. The existence of a Supreme Being and the connection between this Supreme Being and human beings is another lesson we learn. From the different religions, we get to know that human beings have always interacted with gods in different circumstances. For instance, the Homeric Hymns elucidates on the relationship that existed between gods such as Zeus and Human beings. Moreover, gods like Demeter lived among human beings and visited many people during her stay on earth. In Taoism, we notice that the relation of God (Tao) and human beings is emphasized through the work of the Tao. When we lean on Tao and its teachings, we get to know that God and people work together to achieve different purposes in life. Taoism teaches obedience since all understanding and power comes from Tao (Tzu 74). The relation between God and human beings is better emphasized in the Kena Upanishad whereby we get to know that we cannot understand ourselves if we do not understand God. The knowledge of the Brahman is important in fostering good relation between God and people. Among the Mesopotamian culture, religion was used in fostering good

Medical Tourism in Goa Essay Example for Free

Medical Tourism in Goa Essay Medical Tourism in Goa Tina D’costa TYBBA MES college of Arts, Commerce Management studies Medical Tourism The seven wonders of the world are all too well known. However one can’t help but marvel at other developments, that have developed magnificently over the years. These unsung heroes are the ones that carry Indias legacy forward. India in a developing country, but we do not wish to limit ourselves to the meaning of the word that entails ‘developing’. If one takes a look at the Medical facilities offered here in India, they would be amazed at the state of the art facilities and quality of service one receives, that complies to international standards. Particularly if you are an NRI, tourist or foreigner, you can be sure of receiving unprecedented attention. The common man too can now find solutions of world-class healthcare with very affordable price tags. Health care and tourism seems quite an odd couple, but with the growing needs in the health-care industry coupled with the idea of a holiday after, is irresistible and people are looking towards India both for allopathic and ayurvedic treatments. The idea of medical tourism never crossed the Goan mind until the seting up of the Apollo Victor Hospital at Margao which is the first super specialty, multi-specialty, tertiary care hospital in the state. With the advent of this hospital, Goa suddenly woke up to this new concept, which caters to people coming in either for planned treatments or for unplanned treatments. Medical tourism is a recent phenomenon in Goa. Many world class medical hospitals like Apollo and Vivus have been started in Goa, which provide world class facilities at a fraction of the corresponding cost abroad. Foreigners from many developed countries prefer to come to Goa for a variety of treatment ranging from dental surgery, hearing problems, knee replacements to even heart surgery. This is a market where Goa has potential for further development and the government should take steps to see that this market can be sustained and increased medical tourism can be promoted in the future. India’s smallest state, Goa, has earned a negative reputation for its drug culture, rave parties, and nude beaches. However, the Ministry of Tourism  is trying to reverse this image through its active promotion of medical tourism. The Ministry is making laudable efforts to showcase the state’s potential, especially in offering  medical vacations  for  tourists who continue to find  affordable  health  care  insurance  a rarity back in their respective  countries. Considering the thousands of  tourists  who flock to Goa annually for its beautiful scenery and its rich architectural heritage, the  medical  tourism industry  here is projected to record impressive growth. Tourism is Goas primary industry. It handles 13% of all foreign tourist arrivals in India. Goa has two main tourist seasons: winter and summer. In the winter time, tourists from abroad (mainly Europe) come to Goa to enjoy the splendid climate. In the summertime (which, in Goa, is the rainy season), tourists from across India come to spend the holidays. Tourism is generally focused on the coastal areas of Goa, with decreased tourist activity inland. Goas tourism contributes to 16% of Indias total foreign exchange earnings. In 2009-10 there were more than 2. 5 million tourists reported to have visited Goa, both domestic and foreign and total revenue earned for the fiscal year 2009-10 from tourism is Rs. 5000 crore as against Rs. 4000 crore in the previous year. A major upcoming concept attracting a lot of tourists to Goa is the rise of Medical Tourism in Goa. Dentists in Goa claim that tourists save over 70% on their dental treatment if done here in Goa. Hence they are now offering holiday packages which include expensive dental treatments too. The Booming Medical Tourism. The concept of medical tourism is not a new one. The first recorded instance of medial tourism dates back thousands of years to when Greek pilgrims traveled from all over the Mediterranean to the small territory in the Saronic Gulf called Epidauria. This territory was the sanctuary of the healing god Asklepios. Epidauria became the original travel destination for medical tourism. Spa towns may be considered an early form of medical tourism. Factors that have led to the recent increase in popularity of medical travel include the high cost of health care or wait times for procedures in industrialized nations, the ease and affordability of international travel, and improvements in technology and standards of care in many countries of the world. Medical tourists can come from anywhere in the world, including Europe, the UK, West Asia, Asia, US and Canada. This is because of their large populations, comparatively high wealth, the high expense of health care or lack of health care options locally, and increasingly high expectations of their populations with respect to health care. Health tourism provides have developed as intermediaries to unite potential medical tourists with provider hospitals and other organizations. It has been started that â€Å"medical tourism is promoted much more heavily in the United Kingdom than in the United States†. A large draw to medical travel is convenience and speed. Countries that operate public health-care systems are often so taxed that it can take considerable time to get non urgent medical care. The time spent waiting for a procedure such as a hip replacement can be a year or more in Britain and Canada; however, in Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Cuba, Colombia, Philippines or India, a patient could feasible have an operation the day after their arrival. Additionally, patients are finding that insurance either does not cover orthopedic surgery (such as knee/hip replacement) or imposes unreasonable restriction on the choice of the facility, surgeon, or prosthetics to be used. Medical tourism for knee/hip replacements has emerged as one of the more widely accepted procedures because of the lower cost and minimal difficulties associated with the traveling to/from the surgery. Medical tourists may seek essential health care services such as cancer treatment and brain and transplant surgery as well as complementary or ‘elective’ services such as aesthetic treatments (cosmetic surgery). Ayurveda Treatment Ayurveda which is form of medical treatment originated from India has gained a lot of prominence in European world for health benefits. Ayurveda means life and Veda signifies knowledge. Therefore by its definition Ayurveda lifts itself beyond the realms of diseases and treatments. It treats life as a single composite phenomenon. After Kerala now Goa is one of Indias best destination for combining Tourism with Ayurveda Treatment. A Goan  Medical  Vacation India is known worldwide for the quality of cardiac procedures and joint replacement surgeries. Tourists from all over the world come down to Goa to take in the sights as well as to benefit from Medical amenities available. Goa is uniquely positioned to develop its health tourism sector. Affordable  Health  Care  Insurance is  a Problem for Goan Locals. While  tourists  rave about the  medical  tourism  facilities  that Goa offers, Goan locals are feeling the pinch due to the escalating  prices  of  medical  treatments. There is now a clamor for an improved  health care  system in the state. The average Joe on the street can afford neither the exorbitant rates of the specialty  hospitals  nor basic  health care insurance. Adding to this dilemma is the lack of  available clinical  services  in remote areas plus the high  prices  of  medication  for  senior  citizens Medical tourism has come to be a new branch of tourism so formed in recent times. The following are some reasons why one visits Goa for Medical tourism: 1. Variety and abundance of available medical skills Goa is very well prepared to service foreigners when it comes to health care. Most Goan doctors speak perfect English, a majority of them are also schooled or trained abroad. While India in general has an universal healthcare system ( meaning that most drugs or procedures are free for the local population) there is also a healthy competition between governmental and privately run hospitals and healthcare institutions for servicing the more wealthy locals with lifestyle procedures (like cosmetic surgery) or visiting foreign tourists (who want to save a dime or two compared to their home countries). If you look around in the tourist belt , you can find plenty of private healthcare providers. Especially the north-western coastal region (Candolim, Calangute and Baga) one can find dental clinics spread all along the coastal belt. In this mentioned area alone I can easily count 30-40 dentists, while larger hospitals mainly only have outlets here, with their main operations to be found in the larger cities like Mapusa, Panaji or even Margao in the south. Major hospitals to consider are for instance the Vrundavan Hospital in Mapusa, Manipal Hospital in Dona Paula, Vintage Hospital in Panaji, Apollo Victor Hospital (very new and a bit more expensive) and NUSI Hospital in/near Margao. Some of the medical services ffered here are: General Medicine and Cardiology, Orthopedic Surgery, Pediatrics, Trauma and Critical care, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Endoscopic and Laproscopic Surgery, Gastroenterology and Oncosurgery, Neuro surgery, Cosmetic Surgery, ENT, Urology, Nephrology, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Dental, Medical Genetics and Counseling, Respiratory Medicine, Physiot herapy, Dietetics, Alternative and Ayurvedic Medicine. Vaccinations too, can be had in almost every hospital. 2. Quality of Surgery, medical personnel and other amenities This one is a bit hard to describe and has to be seen to be believed. Hospitals here in Goa for sure don’t look very special from the outside. Once inside, and you are in a complete different world. The hygiene in every hospital is generally good. Sometimes you really have to wonder, how they can maintain a hospital so clean in an area that looks like a rubbish dump from the outside. Welcome to India! Here especially, looks can be deceiving. Operational devices, x-ray machines, dental equipment and other instruments are of high standard, although not quite on par with Singapore or European ,machines (except the dentists maybe). But you can expect modern facilities and up to date staff and nurses in spotless uniforms. So for general healthcare services and minor surgeries I wouldn’t be afraid to go under the knife here, as most established procedures didn’t change much over the last couple of years. 3. Short Queues or waiting Times Generally, most dentists and hospitals in Goa have very short waiting times, completely different to healthcare providers in Europe or other developed countries, where you sometimes have to make appointments weeks in advance. As a foreigner you can enjoy a very individual and prompt reception. Dentists usually will arrange appointments only 2-3 days away, convenient enough to get a procedure done during a 2-week holiday. The same applies for consultations without appointments with specialists. As a paying customer you usually don’t have to wait long in crowded waiting areas. The few times we had to visit a doctor it was all between 10-15 minutes of waiting times. You also don’t have the feeling that the doctors are very pushy and want to have you out within 5 minutes of their time. A checkup is done very thorough and in an individual manner. The stuff is generally friendly and genuinely interested in your well-being. 4. Low Costs of Generic and Branded Medicine Most medicines can be bought here without prescriptions either right in your local pharmacy or ordered by them if not in stock. Goa is dotted with thousands of pharmacies at every corner. Again the tourist areas from Candolim to Baga have the highest density of pharmacies, while I found Mapusa further to the north-east the best stocked. The best thing: prices for medicines are fixed! So you don’t have to haggle like with everything else in India. Prices are printed on the boxes of medicines and that’s exactly what you pay Another specialty: some branded items are sold here already as generics, even though in most other countries you still can only buy the branded (more expensive) product. One example, a modern tacrolimus-based skin ointment is anywhere else in Asia only available as the branded version (Protopic) and will cost you anything from 300. 000 Rupiah in Indonesia, around 1. 200 Baht in Phuket, 2. 150 Peso in the Philippines to 80-100 SGD in Singapore. No genericsavailable. Buy the real thing or forget it. Not here in India: A generic version (Tacroz Forte) costs a mere Rs 320 for 10g. That is only 20% of the price in Indonesia or Thailand, 15% of the price in the Philippines or 10% of a similar product in Singapore. Isn’t that amazing? Talk about globalization and how you can exploit it for yourself! I found that true for other specific medicines as well. Here are just a few examples for other more common products: Band Aid wash proof: Rs 20 for 10 pieces Immodium: Rs 20 for 10 capsules Paracetamol 500: Rs 14 for 10 capsules Vitamin B complex: Rs 15 for 10 capsules Topical Antibiotic Spray: Rs 195 (40g) Antibiotic Skin Cream: Rs 50 (10g) Broad Spectrum Antibiotic: Rs 50 for 10 capsules Now I just wish, they would be able to send all those cheap medicines abroad to my next travel destinations! 5. Low Consultation and Doctor fees As with everything else in India, one can compare prices and get an impression of the doctor for their surgery first, before committing to a procedure. Luckily the initial costs are very low (for dental procedures, the first checkup is generally free of charge, while for other consultations the fees are quite low, see below). Costs for surgery is generally only a small percentage to health care costs if done in Europe, Australia or the US. I was in Singapore once and was in awe over their low health care costs compared to India. There, major plastic surgeries were nearly dirt cheap. For minor surgeries however, you could save even more, considering getting it done here in India. One example: a friend from Singapore visited us here in Goa, to get a cyst removed on her wrist. While the same surgery would have cost between SGD 1. 200-1. 600, the same procedure was only around SGD 300-400 here in Goa. All with similar quality, aftercare and all costs included. That is only 25% of the cost compared with Singapore I had some dental work done here in Goa, fillings and tooth cleaning, all done very professionally and on short notice. As mentioned above, to consult a specialist, you don’t have to pay a fortune here. From my own and my friend’s experience and what other friends and relatives abroad told me, here are some examples of consultation fees: Dentist: First Consultation – free of charge General Practitioner: Rs 100-250 per Visit Dermatology: Rs 100-200 per Visit Orthopedist: Rs 250 per Visit For minor surgery, like the above mentioned cyst removal, here are some example prices: Orthopedic Surgeon Charges: Rs 5,000 per surgery Anesthetic Charges : Rs 1,500 per surgery Operation Theater Charges: Rs 2,300 per surgery Hospital bed per day: Rs 1,000-2,000 for common ward, depending on hospital Hospital bed per day: Rs 4,000-7,000 for private room, depending on hospital Here are some dental examples: Glass Ionomer Filling: Rs 960 Composite Resin Filling: Rs 1,600 Porcelain to Metal Crown: Rs 7,200- 10,500 Stellon/Fibre Glass/Travelon Dentures: Rs 12,000-24,000 Metal/Invisible Braces: Rs 24,000-44,000 Conclusion: Goa is an interesting location for getting your health propped up and getting those long postponed surgeries done. You have modern facilities, short waiting times and very affordable prices for procedures, hospital services and medicines. Over that you will probably recover much faster, with a holiday in an exotic location added as a bonus. These days with the global financial crisis upon us, prices for flights and package deals to Goa are as low as they can get. So many people are flocking to Goa now, to benefit from the low costs the most. Some people even try to strike a deal with their health insurance provider, either to cover parts of their costs or acknowledging an otherwise not possible surgery. As with everything in India , one has to be aware of some pitfalls too : while medicine prices are generally fixed, this can’t be said about the services and hospital procedures. But there is a good competition, so one can comfortably look around, ask and compare prices before committing to anything. In short, there is a broad variety of options to choose from here. One can talk to different doctors and if in doubt, stick with a larger and well-known hospital instead of a small private clinic. With the facilities Goa can offer, it could be easily converted into a centre of excellence for Medical Tourism. Add to it, the flavour of Goan hospitality, medical tourism could be made very attractive. We therefore have an excellent opportunity to market health care in Goa, especially to the Britishers who consist of 60 per cent of the total tourists arriving in Goa.

Message vs. Style in Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe Essay Example for Free

Message vs. Style in Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe Essay The message is more important than the style. I totally disagree with this statement in the context of Things Fall Apart as I believe that in this particular work, the message is of equivalent importance to the style; to have a particular writing style whose sole purpose is found in informing readers as to the purpose to the message, and then to NOT have a message, would be useless, whereas having a message to tell readers, WITHOUT such a writing style as is necessary to allow them to absorb the purpose, would again be useless- therefore the message and writing styles are equally important in this story, as one cannot do without the other. In this case, the central message of Things Fall Apart, that African culture is complex, can only be absorbed by readers if Achebes writing style, which incorporates the use of dialogue, conflict, proverbs, diction and setting, allows them to develop such recognition of cultural complexity- the author cannot merely instruct the reader to believe that the culture is indeed complex, and still expect the reader to believe as such without question. Firstly, Achebe makes ample use of dialogue as a component of his writing style to carry forth the message of a culturally complex society. For example, Okonkwos conversation with Obierika as to the Oracles desires in Chapter Eight introduces significant cultural elements to the readers. Okonkwo argues that his participation in the murder of Ikemefuna was justified, but Obierika contends otherwise, declaring that Okonkwos actions are of the kind for which the earth goddess, Ani, wipes out whole families. In the conflict between their different views we see the strong influence exerted by their religion on each person, and also acquire recognition of significant religious elements, namely the Oracle and the earth goddess. That Okonkwo and Obierika should have differing opinions about the Oracles religious intentions indicates the presence of complex perceptions of the same religion. This complexity in religious perceptions then implicitly suggests to readers an inherent complexity in the religion itself, for without such complexity differing religious perceptions would not occur. Religion is a core component of culture, as clearly the culture of a society must not contradict the religious views held by that same society, and having a complex religion as a component of culture in turn suggests that the culture of the society must be complex as well. Dialogue thus serves to carry forth Achebes message that African culture is complex. At the same time, in the suggestions of complex culture found in dialogue, we see how Achebes style of writing encourages readers to gradually reach a perception of his central message on their own, which is important in that the readers must themselves perceive such cultural complexity through development of their own thoughts on the issue- exactly as Achebe intended. To have a dialogue without any inherent message would also make such dialogue purposeless, as Achebe could not possibly describe an overarching purpose to that conversation. This shows how dialogue as a component of the writing style gives such a writing style an importance equal to that of the message; without dialogue being employed as such, readers cannot acquire knowledge of the message, whereas if there was no message, then dialogue would have no purpose. Dialogue as a component of the writing style thus creates a situation where the style is of equal importance to the message. Secondly, traditional African proverbs, a significant element of Achebes writing style, are used to highlight cultural complexity. An example would be Okonkwos declaring that a childs fingers are not scalded by a piece of hot yam which its mother puts into its palm in defence of his participating in the murder of Ikemefuna. He argues that he did as such due to the Oracle declaring that Ikemefuna would have to be killed. That proverbs can be casually used in dialogue to illustrate various points, such as the above proverb serving as a defence for ones actions, is an indication of a highly-developed language. A societys culture is based upon its language, for language serves as the primary medium of communication between humans in a society, and as such readers recognize that language is an important component of culture, therefore having a highly-developed language would thus suggest that society is culturally complex. Proverbs being thus used in Achebes writing style have therefore led to the subtle formation of such a suggestion to readers, which in turn allows readers to follow through on that suggestion, and thereby reach the conclusion that African culture is complex is nature- this being the exact message which Achebe is trying to bring across to readers. Proverbs being a component of Achebes writing style, we can see how they contribute to the carrying the message of cultural complexity across. However, such a writing style also finds its primary purpose in carrying a message; therefore without such a message of cultural complexity, the proverbs would lose their meaning. In this sense, we can safely state that the writing style, through its encompassing the use of proverbs, is of equal importance to the message. Thirdly, Achebes choice of diction also plays a very large role in his writing style. Throughout the story, the narrator refers to the housing for Okonkwos wives as Obi, court messengers as Kotma, and characters use traditional welcomes such as Nno. That such traditional African words should appear throughout the story, interspersed with all the English words, gives readers the impression that such words cannot be simply translated into English. This then suggests to us that language in the society must be very highly developed, for such words do not have a counterpart in the English language, despite the vast vocabulary of the latter. Indeed, I had to refer to the glossary in the book for the English translations of such words. When readers make such inferences, they cannot help but come to the conclusion that the Africans cannot be culturally primitive- to have such a highly-developed language must in turn suggest a highly developed culture, which is exactly the message Achebe is trying to bring across. Thus Achebes choice of diction greatly aids his writing style in carrying the message across to readers, who realize from such implicit suggestions the central message of this work. Indeed, if Achebe did not wish to have a message of cultural complexity, it is plausible that such traditional African words would not appear. Thus we can see how the success in carrying the message across is highly dependent on the writing style, and the shaping of the writing style itself is highly dependent on the type of message being carried across; the message and the style are equally important. Lastly, Achebes description of the various settings in which events take place play a part in shaping his particular writing style. The setting of Ezeudus funeral in Chapter Thirteen is an example of how the setting as a component of Achebes writing style serves to carry forth the message of cultural complexity. Ezeudus funeral was a warriors funeral, and now and then an ancestral spirit, or egwugwu, would appear from the underworld. From the description of this setting, readers are able to more readily appreciate the complexities of traditional African culture; that their culture incorporates a strong, pagan belief in the existence of supernatural beings, the egwugwu, and a similar belief in the existence of an underworld. This places emphasis on a major religious component in their culture. Ezeudus funeral being considered as a warriors funeral also allows us to acquire insights into the importance of a particular social class, the warrior class, in their society. The setting has thus contributed to readers being able to recognize two major components in African culture, the former being religion, the latter being a social component. That these two different components should become so elaborately intertwined in this one ceremony is evidence of a complex culture. The reader, in reviewing the description of the setting, thereby acquires knowledge of the central message of cultural complexity which Achebe is trying to bring across, without Achebe having to explicitly declare as such; this clearly shows how Achebes writing style of placing information from which readers have to make their own inferences has led to our understanding the message of the novel. Without such a description of the setting, readers might not have been able to absorb this message. On the other hand, without a message, the description of the setting would be useless, as the purpose of such a writing style would be to enlighten readers as to a particular message the author wishes to convey. Therefore I believe that writing style and the message are of equal importance. In conclusion, I believe that the writing style and the message are of equal importance, as the former serves as the vehicle for the latter, whereas the latter exists to give the former purpose. Neither can do without the other, and therefore their interdependence lends them equal importance.

Research On The Types Of Chocolates English Language Essay

Research On The Types Of Chocolates English Language Essay Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America, with its earliest documented use around 1100 BC. The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste, and must be fermented to develop the flavor. The type of chocolate is determined by the various amounts of cocoa butter and chocolate liquor the chocolate contains, as well the amount of sugar and any other ingredients added to the mixture. TYPES OF CHOCOLATES Dark chocolate Sweetened chocolate with high content of cocoa solids and no or very little milk, it may contain up to 12% milk solids. Dark chocolate can either be sweet, semi-sweet, bittersweet or unsweetened. White chocolate Chocolate made with cocoa butter, sugar, milk, emulsifier, vanilla and sometimes other flavorings. It does not contain any non-fat ingredients from the cacao bean and has therefore an off-white color. Milk chocolate Sweet chocolate which normally contains 10-20% cocoa solids (which includes cocoa and cocoa butter) and more than 12% milk solids. It is seldom used for baking, except for cookies. Sweet dark chocolate Similar to semi-sweet chocolate, it is not always possible to distinguish between the flavor of sweet and semi-sweet chocolate. If a recipe asks for sweet dark chocolate you may also use semi-sweet chocolate. Semi-sweet chocolate This is the classic dark baking chocolate which can be purchased in most grocery stores. It is frequently used for cakes, cookies and brownies. Can be used instead of sweet dark chocolate. It has a good, sweet flavor. Contains often 40-62% cocoa solids. Bittersweet chocolate A dark sweetened chocolate which must contain at least 35% cocoa solids. Good quality bittersweet chocolate usually contains 60% to 85% cocoa solids depending on brand. If the content of cocoa solids is high the content of sugar is low, giving a rich, intense and more or less bitter chocolate flavor. Bittersweet chocolate is often used for baking/cooking. Unsweetened chocolate A bitter chocolate which is only used for baking. The flavor is not good, so it is not suitable for eating. HEALTH BENEFITS OF CHOCOLATES Studies show that eating chocolate, primarily dark chocolate, may contribute to improved cardiovascular health. Packed with natural antioxidants, dark chocolate and cocoa sit in the same good-for-you category as green tea and blueberries. Thats because chocolate comes from cacao beans (or cocoa beans), which grow on the cacao tree and are full of natural plant nutrients. Most of the studies to date highlight dark chocolates health values because it has the highest percentage of cocoa solids, therefore more flavanol antioxidants. Heart Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate: Dark chocolate is good for your heart. A small bar of it everyday can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well. Two heart health benefits of dark chocolate are: Lower Blood Pressure: Studies have shown that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate everyday can reduce blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure. Lower Cholesterol: Dark chocolate has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent. Other Benefits of Dark Chocolate: Chocolate also holds benefits apart from protecting your heart: it tastes good it stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure it contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant it contains Theobromine, caffeine and other substances which are stimulants Ph.D., Mark Stibich, (2006). Health Benefits of Chocolate. Retrieved 6 March 2011 from About.com: http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongnutrition/p/chocolate.htm cacaoweb (2005). types of chocolate. Retrieved 6 March 2011 from cacaoweb: http://www.cacaoweb.net/chocolate.html HISTORY OF CHOCOLATES 1500 B.C. 300 B.C. The Olmec Indians are believed to be the first to grow cocoa beans (kakawa) as a domestic crop. Cacao trees have grown wild for possibly 10,000 years. The Olmec civilization lasts to about 300 B.C. 300 B.C. 500 A.D. 250 to 900 The Olmec, a very sophisticated society, give much of their culture to the Maya, including xocoatl, sho-KWA-til. Consumption of cocoa beans is restricted to the Mayan societys elite, in the form of an unsweetened cocoa drink made from the ground beans. A.D. 600 1000 600 The Maya migrate into northern regions of South America and Mesoamerica, establishing the earliest known cocoa plantations in the Yucatan. Nobles drink frothy cacau from tall pottery beakers. Beans are a valuable commodity, used both as a means of payment and as units of calculation. Beans are local and international currency: a turkey could be bought for 200 beans, a tomato for 3 beans. Later, when the Maya trade with the Aztecs, 400 beans equal 1 Aztec Zontli, 8000 beans equal 1 Aztec Xiquipilli. Ancient Mexicans believe that Tonacatecutli, the goddess of food, and Calchiuhtlucue, the goddess of water, are guardian goddesses of cocoa. Each year they perform human sacrifices for the goddesses, giving the victim cocoa at his last meal. 1200 AD: The Aztecs believed the first cocoa plant was created by Quetzalcoatl who came from heaven on the morning star. As the Aztecs didnt know about sugar, other spices were used. Mostly spices like chilli to flavour the drink as it was a little bitter. During this time, cocoa beans were used for currency as they valued the plant so much. 1492 Columbus brings back a few beans to present to the King and Queen. However, they were mostly ignored amongst all the other wonderful array of goods that were brought back. 1528 Hernando Cortez again sees the benefit of the cocoa bean and surmises that it might taste a little better if sugar cane was added. Vanilla pods, flowers, cinnamon and other spices were used also. This blending was regarded as a success! Because of the high cost of cocoa, it was still a luxury which only the rich could afford. 1645 Beans were again part of the dowry of Princess Maria Theresa to Louis XIV. This time, the phenomenon of chocolate took off in France. It was also considered an aphrodisiac and was reputed to have helped several Kings and Queens to entice their lovers. 1671 An accident by a kitchen boy leads to the making of praline. A tray of almonds was dropped. Chef tries to whip the kitchen boy but instead drops the pan of hot sugar over the almonds. The Duke of Plesslis-Praslin was served up the cooled mess and was so happy with it, he named it after himself Late 1600s to early 1700s Chocolate houses spring up all over Europe. During this mass craze for the drink and the increase in growers, cocoa bean prices drop. The invention of a steam engine helps with the grinding of the beans and speeds up manufacturing. 1765 The first chocolate making factory in the USA. 1800 Chocolate becomes an Industry on its own. 1900-1970s 1900 Milton Hershey creates a model factory town town called Hersheyville dedicated to the production of chocolate. The specialty is the Hershey Kiss. Around 1900, the price of cacao and sugar drop tremendously, making chocolate affordable for the middle classes. 1912 Jean Neuhaus invents the chocolate shell that can be filled with soft centers and nut pastes, offering vast variety to the previous dipping and enrobing of chocolate. 1925 Barry Callebaut begins the production of chocolate couverture, in Belgium. (We dont know which company made the first couverture.) The New York Cocoa Exchange begins in New York City. 1926 Belgian chocolatier, Joseph Draps starts the Godiva Company to compete with Hersheys and Nestlà ©s American market. 1930 Nestlà © makes first white chocolate, named Galak, although it was called different names, such as Milkybar or Alpine White, in different countries. During the 1930s, brand names become increasingly important. After two years of research, Nestlà ©Ã‚  launches the Black Magic bar.4 1939 World War II rationing includes chocolate: in Europe it is rationed to 4 ounces per person per week. Sales of chocolate are half of pre-war sales. Production of Kit Kat, a leading brand, is suspended.4 1980s Present 1980 A story of chocolate espionage hit the world press when an apprentice of the Swiss company of Suchard-Tobler unsuccessfully attempted to sell secret chocolate recipes to Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, and other countries. 1986 Valrhona introduces the concept of the single origin chocolate bar, making their first with beans exclusively from South America. The 70% cacao bar is named Guanaja in honor of the island of Guanaja, off Honduras, where Christopher Columbus first tasted chocolate almost 500 years earlier. They call it a Grand Cru chocolate. 1990s Following Valrhonas pioneering efforts, other designer chocolate bars debut, including bars made from the beans of single plantations. Today, annual world consumption of cocoa beans averages approximately 600,000 tons, and per capita chocolate consumption is greatly on the rise. But the best chocolate, made of criollo beans, is just 5% of the world crop. 2000 A new generation of chocolatiers knows no bounds. The fusion cuisine of the late 20th century has logically found its way to chocolate: exotic spices such as saffron, curry and lemongrass are now commonplace in chocolate, as are everyday kitchen foods such as basil, goat cheese and olive oil. Most appropriately, chocolate has returned to its Mesoamerican roots. Many artisan chocolatiers now offer some version of Aztec chocolate, spiced with the original new world flavors of chile and cinnamon. The market has seen growth in organic and kosher brands and high percentage cacao chocolate is recognized as a functional food, delivering antioxidants. It seems that the Aztecs were right about the health-giving properties of cacao. 2000 The Cote dIvoire is the worlds largest exporter of cacao beans, 1.4 million tons. The Netherlands both imports and grinds the most cacao. Some is made into chocolates; the remainder is processed into couverture and cocoa powder and exported to other countries which make their own chocolates from it. the nibble (2006). The History Of Chocolate. Retrieved 6 March 2011 from the nibble: http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/chocolate/the-history-of-chocolate.asp TASK 2 PROJECT PLAN Task Description Marks Time Date 1 Research. The purpose of this research and the aim of the website is to promote chocolate as a versatile and healthy food. 10 1week 4th to 20th Feb 2 Project plan Produce a project plan for the way you intend to complete the rest of this assignment. 10 1week 21st to 27th Feb 3 Design Specification Using the appropriate techniques to specify the structure and navigation of the proposed site. 15 2weeks 27th Feb to 5th Mar 4 Website The website must be developed using XHTML 1.0(transitional or strict) and consist of 6 interlinked pages. A home page from which it is possible to navigate to the other resources in the website. A page that explains about health and chocolate. A page that describes the history of chocolate from ancient Mesoamerican times to present day. A recipe of the month page A page that provides links to other websites of interest and sources of further information A page that demonstrates the use of HTML forms 40 1 month 5th Mar to 5 April 5 Critical evaluation A short report of 1000 words analyzing the website you have submitted 25 2 weeks 5th to 15th April TASK 3 DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS HEIRARCHY Home Instructions Photographs Health benefits Recipe of the month Links Submission form History of Chocolates Fig 1.1 Site Plan Background info Home page has to communicate purpose of website. External sites (User will be required to press back button to go back to our site or have external sites open in a new window New Recipe Entry Page title Provide forms for users to submit new recipes Links Page title Give links to other websites of interest Recipe of the month Page title One quality photograph Clearly structured instructions History of chocolates Page title Describe history of chocolates Health and Chocolates Page title Provide health benefits of chocolates Give types and quantities of chocolates that should be eaten Show drawbacks of chocolates Home Page Background info Health chocolates History of chocolates Recipe of month Links New Recipe Entry Fig1.2

Loving v. Virginia Essay -- Miscegenation

Miscegenation: Noun; Marriage, cohabitation, or sexual relations between two members of two separate races. Most commonly used in reference to relations between African Americans and Caucasian Americans (blacks and whites.) In 1960’s nearly 4 out of every 225 marriages was interracial. This was frowned upon in the early to mid 1900’s and this is what two people, Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving had to face. Racial indifference or a racial supremacy has been an issue in America as long as it has existed. It began with the Native Americans on this soil we thrive on today. The whites of the time pushed the Natives of what land they could and fooled them off of the rest of it. They took their children, and tried to conform them into a race they were not, and never would be. From there on, our nation grew larger and more independent. In 1619, 127 years after North America had been discovered, a Dutch man traded his cargo of Africans for food. This gave our nation its first g roup of â€Å"servants.† The uproar of slavery did not start until the 1680’s as far as the records show. The idea of slavery gave some, not all, Caucasian Americans the idea that they were better than the blacks who worked for them. Mind sets like these set the ball in motion for anti-miscegenation laws. 41out of our 50 states had these laws at one time, leaving only 9 states without ever having an anti-miscegenation law. These states being: Alaska, Hawaii, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and New Jersey. 15 of these states abolished these laws only after the Loving V. Virginia case which was ruled on the 12th of June, 1967. That day, this couple got what they had wanted more than anything. They’re home back and their love to be a... ...icant. This one for many families today is very important. These cases are also the reason why during a census you have the opportunity to check multiple races, instead of just one. This case stirred debates of gay marriage, which is a matter of personal opinion. It is up to you whether that is a pro or a con. As we can now see, Loving v. Virginia opened plenty of doors. It took a couple that were strong and would not be beat down by hearing their marriage was illegal or how wrong they were. Richard and Mildred Loving did what every interracial couple wanted to do; make a difference. The couple gained the right to move back to their home with their families, to stay in their hometown peacefully, and to hang their marriage license on the wall and know that it is now recognized by every state. Race made no difference to them, it shouldn’t to anyone else either.

An Analysis of Richer Sounds PLC Essay -- Business Management TQM Essa

An Analysis of Richer Sounds PLC 1.0 A Report on How Richer Sounds Functions 4.1 A Classification of the business according to its ownership, and an explanation of the benefits and constraints of this type of ownership Richer Sounds is part of the Private Sector, which consists of businesses who seek to make a profit. Julian Richer is the sole owner of Richer Sounds, which means he has full control over the business, but the Directors run it. Richer Sounds is a regional unlisted Public Limited Company, which means it is not listed on the Stock Exchange. Julian Richer is owner of all the shares of Richer Sounds, but the official name of the company is still Richer Sounds PLC, even though the shares are not for sale to the public. Julian Richer also gains the advantage of limited liability, which means he is not personally liable for any of the company’s debts. The most he can lose is the money he has invested in the company, so he has not put any of his personal possessions at risk. 4.1.1 Richer Sounds’ Legal Requirements Richer Sounds also have legal requirements that it has to abide by; such as they must have its name and address, ect registered at the Companies House where they will also have to send annual returns and financial statements. This is one of the disadvantages of being a Limited Company the fact they have lots of paperwork due to annual statements. The advantages and disadvantages of Richer Sounds are shown further on in the report. Also the financial affairs of Richer Sounds have to be published because the company’s stakeholders need to see how the business is performing. 4.1.2 Memorandum and Articles of Association The documentation that Richer Sounds is likely to encou... ...follows: www.richersounds.co.uk www.msn.com (search engine); searched words such as Richer Sounds PLC, Richer Sounds’ products and prices, communication. Textbooks I used are as follows: Business Studies for you, authors David Needham and Robert Dransfield Business Studies, authors Ian Marcouse, Andrew Gillespie, Barry Martin, Malcolm Surridge, Nancy Wall. Line relationship . Each person has a superior and staff know whom they should report and for which staff or work area they are responsible for. Informal relationship. Staff have frequent contact through their work, but have no formal relationship. Staff relationship. This is where no formal authority exists, but advice is sought. Lateral relationship where the staff in different departments with the same level of responsibility need to co-operate or co-ordinate their activities.

Racial Wealth Inequality

Caitlin Maltbie 009606309 Take Home Essay Question 2: Racial Wealth Gap Between Blacks and Whites After racial discrimination was made illegal in the 1960s, blatant and bigot racism has seemed to disappear, yet remaining racist attitudes have continued to put blacks at an overall disadvantage due to the progression of these attitudes into institutionalized settings and policies.The result of historical and contemporary discrimination and segregation is a widening gap of racial wealth between blacks and whites. Now, America could be argued to be a dichotomized society of black and white, proving that the Kerner Commission was correct to predict that â€Å"our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white, separate and unequal (Bobo & Smith 1998: 178). † Although whites didn’t necessarily intend on such a separate and unequal society, they don’t plan to change it either.The reasons behind this perpetuating, widening gap that I will discuss follow a hi story of disadvantage versus advantage dating back to the time of slavery, as well as segregation and discrimination in practices such as hiring processes, loans, residential structuring, wages, and government aid which have resulted in increases of unemployment among inner-city blacks as well as concentrated poverty. Blacks are at a disadvantage to whites because they lack human capital tracing back to equal education and job opportunity that would regularly aid to accumulate wealth as it does for whites.Starting back as far as the 16th century, slavery crippled chances for blacks to gain social and economic mobility. Now, we continue to see these crippling effects among generations of blacks. Not only do whites typically earn more annually, they have an easier time finding employment. The racialization of the state could be considered the starting point of the racial wealth gap between whites and gaps, and can be seen in policies and programs in the U. S.. Beginning during the tim es of slavery, if blacks were able to accumulate any amount of money they would spend it on the freedom of themselves and their family, whereas whites were ble to purchase assets with their money and eventually able to generate monetary inheritances for their upcoming generations. To add to the disadvantages, in the 19th century homestead laws didn’t allow African Americans to take advantage of federal land-grant programs. The core of the New Deal legislation, the Social Security Act of 1935 ultimately cut blacks out of receiving any benefits due to the fact that it exempted agricultural and domestic workers. The New Deal also exempted blacks because they fell beneath the threshold for coverage due to lower wages.After World War II, the Fair Housing Act funneled loans away from cities into the suburbs, furthering the chances of blacks to own homes. Contemporary policies such as the AFDC practically forces wanting recipients to rid themselves of any assets to pass a test in or der to receive benefits. The Internal Revenue Code and the Internal Revenue System gives tax breaks on assets such as homes, so due to the fact that blacks have less assets than whites, they again are at a disadvantage.The result has been that blacks have continuously put more into the system and have received less in return. Homeownership in America is the primary means for generating wealth, and it also serves as a pathway to community and schooling, and parental assistance in buying a first home is key to setting opportunities for their adult children and their families (Shapiro 2003: 87). However, although monetary support among whites is most likely to go from parents to adult children, elderly blacks are more likely to need help themselves from their adult children (Shapiro 2003: 87).This leaves new generations of blacks living up to a duty to provide for their elders rather than accumulating wealth for themselves and their children. Due to racialization of the state in homeow nership practices, it has been very difficult for blacks to come upon owning a home. Because government policy follows racialized attitudes, the FHA was able to follow â€Å"restrictive covenants† in which they prohibited blacks to move into white neighborhoods, claiming to â€Å"protect† these white communities.Also, the government began to help families buy homes by supporting loans, however these loans would only apply for nicer neighborhoods, where redlining, a process in which bank employees literally â€Å"redlined† bad parts of town, was absent. The result of this was that blacks couldn’t buy homes because the homes they could actually afford were in the redlined areas. The redlined areas often became their homes, where public housing was built after many blacks were condemned to live in their houses after the Urban Renewal Program intended to decrease inner-city slums by pushing them out.Also, construction of new freeways and highways through citi es during the 1950s forced blacks out of their homes (Wilson 1996: 194). Whites now were concentrated in the suburbs, and blacks were left trapped in public housing areas where these structures acted to form concentrations of urban ghettos, where unemployment rates were two-and-one half times as high as whites and annual wages 11 percent lower due to deindustrialization and the migration of jobs to the suburbs (Bobo & Smith 1998: 180).On top of this, the Reagan and Bush administration decreased spending to subsidize cities, proving the shift in the federal government’s support for basic urban programs which had exaggerated the rates of unemployment and social organization in the inner-city neighborhoods (Wilson 1996: 194). Even after racial discrimination became illegal in the 1960s, suburbs diversified among race rather than class, as zoning laws and discriminatory land-use kept blacks out of suburbs because they didn’t allow the construction of apartment buildings or low-income housing (Wilson 1996: 193).Economic detour can be traced back to the fact that blacks have never been in control of the means of production. For blacks wanting to start their own businesses, which would in turn make them able to generate more assets, it has been hard. Even while other people of color have been able to successfully own and run their own businesses, people fail to patronize black businesses. On top of not being able to own their own businesses, blacks have also had to face to the employers who still maintain negative racial attitudes towards blacks during hiring processes, especially involving inner-city residents (Oliver & Shapiro 1995: 198).More than nine-tenths of white parents (91 percent) surveyed hold assets compared to fewer than two-thirds of black parents (94 percent (Shapiro 2003: 81). Among families with positive assets, the financial capacities of the parents of white families are four times greater than those of the parents of black families ( Shapiro 2003: 83). Half of all whites come from families with the ability to deliver head-start assistance versus only a fifth of blacks (Shapiro 2003: 84).Cultural capital is yet another form of inheritance that allows families with ample assets to pass along nonmonetary benefits to their children that give them a competitive edge in school, the job market, and other areas. Cultural capital is typically found where wealth is high (Shapiro 2003: 85). Over the lifetime, whites’ inheritances are on average seven times larger than blacks’ inheritances. Black boomers will inherit 13 cents for every dollar inherited by white boomers.The legacy of grandparents of black baby boomers, who lived and toiled under harsh discrimination and glaringly different conditions, did not include financial resources. We see a glimpse of the racial reality of two generations ago continuing to impose and structure differences onto the present generation of young adults and a generation of chi ldren still coming up. Post World War II economic prosperity benefited whites substantially, whereas blacks still faced discrimination in the work place, therefore they were unable to really save any money.Deindustrialization in the post-World War II period had a profound effect on people living these cities. Many who had worked in manufacturing plants lost their jobs as plants closed and moved their operations in the South, overseas, or elsewhere. These people were forced to find other types of employments, and some became poor (Iceland 2003: 109). Building of low-income projects in already poor inner-city neighborhoods in the post-World War II period, contributed to poverty concentration. Residential segregation interacting with economic change and social alienation, played a key role in the perpetuation of concentrated poverty.National black unemployment is officially above 15 percent and rising while white unemployment is 7. 6 percent (Wright 2012: 142). Because the tactics for maintaining systemic white privilege changed in the 1960s, the rationalizations for explaining racial inequality changed, too. Whereas Jim Crow racism explained blacks’ social standing as the product of their imputed biological and moral inferiority, color-blind racism explains it as the product of market dynamics, naturally occurring phenomena, and presumed cultural deficiencies (Bonilla-Silva 170).

My Narrative Report in Pal

Internship or on the job training is one way by which we students are given an opportunity to apply the theories and computations that we have learned from school. It also helps us to obtain applicable knowledge and skills by performing in actual work setting. Earful tool and possibly even a source of recommendation when they take that big lift from being students to career professionals. The On-The-Job Training (OJT) is one of the requirements in order for a student to be able to graduate from college and to become a professional. This training prepares the students to practice their profession. Thus, in adjusting one’s self and mingling to others one must cope up with the different standards and attitudes of the people in a particular field of industry. It is also a bridge to enhance the students’ skills that should be an advantage when they finally land a job. It’s proven and well tested! Experience is definitely the best teacher. There are countless things that I’ve learned during my On-the-Job Training at Philippine Airlines. Being in a new and never-been-to environment was a big challenge to me. I exerted great effort to cope up with the means and manner of living of the new environment that I’d indulged into. I did my best to blend in and went in with the flow of what the real world is offering. One of the requirements as graduating students of the College of Arts and Letter is On-the-Job Training. This Training exposes us to the real environment of a certain organization. Thus, adjusting oneself and mingling others is a must to cope up with different standards and attitudes of every individual in a particular field of industry. In furtherance, OJT will be a bridge to enhance our skills in communication and technical activities that makes it a plus point the sooner we landed a job and help ease the culture shock while dealing with different specialized people of their expertise. I went to other organizations to have an OJT but sad to say there were already different students from different schools who had come first to conduct an OJT. I was already desperate, hopeless and we’re running out of time. I came up with a decision and suddenly an idea flashed in my mind â€Å"Why not try Philippine Airlines? Due to lack of time, I went directly to the Branch Manager of Philippine Airlines, Legazpi City and submit a letter for approval in conducting an OJT in their organization. Knowing that I already accepted to conduct an OJT, my worries were then blown up by the wind as if my heart felt empty with thorn and pains of miseries. The manager told us the Don’ts and Do’s in the company like; Doâ⠂¬â„¢s: Wearing of Formal Attire Good Grooming Be On Time Don’ts: Do not go out in the Airline field without wearing a vest. Do not wear slippers Do not wear â€Å"maong† pants Don’t be shy Then my journey started in PAL†¦ my first week was a disastrous one. Why? Exactly 8am on the very first day of my report in the office the router was damaged due to faulty electrical wiring of transformer by ALECO. So all the computer transaction were then changed to manual type. The manager let me stay in his office for an hour or so because of what had happened. In that day I was oriented on what to do and exposes to other employees as well. And hey, before I forgot I have a company from other school, they are from La Consolacion College of Iriga City, a Tourism student. At first I am shy to them, I didn’t talk to them I just stayed in the office of the manager, but because of their super-duper nice approach to me and to their super friendly attitude we become friends. They guide and teach me what to do. My co-OJT named Margarette, Angela, Erika and Rhea. I learned more about what OJT means and to be patient is more important when you have a relationship to other people especially when you do not know them well. I had encountered different attitudes between clients and my employer, they have more jokes than us and we have to be sports and control our feelings. I meet new friends inside the company even though they have more guys than girls. I have a new co-OJT trainee after the first batch had been finished their 180 hours, named Makie, Eunice, Marieson and Shiryne. They are a tourism student from Iriga City also to be exact a classmates of my co-OJT the other month. They are a nice person and kind to me. And because of that I let them fill in to my ever loving slum book. Hehehe Check in Area I was trained on what specific things to do in the check in area like weighing the baggage’s, tagging with an international, local, perishable, push ups and fragile stickers and of the course adding baggage number and how it weighs. I was told also the allowed kilo of baggage and allowed kilo of hand carry. I was assigned also to PAL number seats in rows and columns. On the second day I was trained on what to do in the manual system. It was so strenuous even the employees were busy that time. I assist them at the back and I am always alert to avoid destruction. I was oriented also about the mandatory elements and the cleanliness around the check in area. Ticketing Office I was assigned in answering the phone for clients who wants to inquire in a specific date of flight, lucky you are if the customer is in good mood. I also type in the Documental Transmittal or Acknowledgement Receipt, Shipping Order ( I type certain records then pass it to the cargo area) Updated forms (air them back to Manila) I also do an accounting like the domestic sales report. I was also assigned to print the tickets and pass it the cashier. In ticketing area I was then given a short examination by one of the employees on how to use the electronic system of ticketing. Sir Mayor taught me how to do the work. Food Well, as part of my on-the-job training in the Philippine Airlines, I was part to the group to feed the tummy of my sir and maam. My co-trainee said that we need to prepare a food when we done our training. So I joined the group. I contributed 200php for the food. Then, there my OJT ends.

Concord Bookshop Organizational Change Essay

Today’s organizations are facing many challenges such as threats of inflation, deflation, and recession resulting worsening the economy of the United States. According to Borkowski (2005) and Spector (2010), they state that the economy worldwide is very difficult nowadays because many internal and external forces. One of the best seller bookshop, the Concord Bookshop, lost control over the market because of huge losses. To stay open to business the company needed a change. The company hired a new president to help the company to maintain finances and funcionality, but employees had tremendous resistance to the change. The company made a drastic plan to change employees behaviors to improve bussines, but owners of the bookshop did not use effective implementation for the change process. On the other hand, workers at Concord increased resistance to the change process because owners did have neither communication nor inclusion of changes; instead, they increase their fear and unc ertainty of the employees. Adding more, the owners failed to use effective redesign, mutual engagement, and shared diagnosis (Spector, 2010). This paper will define the phases in the organizational change process, including phases not completed or implemented at the Concord Bookshop leading the organization to fail. Assessment of Forces The Concord Bookshop had been on the market for 64 years, it was one of the best independent stores in New England, but they went off business because their profits were tightened. Other bookstores such Amazon Barnes and Nobel increased their finances because they made changes according to the needs of new technologies and customers expectations. The progressions of these bookstores were implemented by redesigning their business; so their earnings went higher. The Concord Bookshop had a particular characteristic to attract customers, according to Joanne Arnaud, director of the Boston Literacy Fund and a Concord resident, she signed the letter: â€Å"What make the Concord Bookshop different are the people and their institutional memory and their memory for a customer, they are so warm and welcoming† (Spector, 2010, p. 2). The organization needed a good strategic plan to maintain business open. The company needed a change, but they made a drastic plan that employees had strong resistance to the change. Owners failed to communicate the employees the shared diagnosis, the severity of the problem, and they did not use effective implementation for the change process. This happening made workers feel devaluated; they stated that something on their lives were lost. Adding more, the owners failed to use effective redesign and change process, mutual engagement, and shared diagnosis (Spector, 2010). Strategic Responsiveness According to Spector (2010), the president of Concord Morgan Smith’s attempted to bring financial discipline to the Concord Bookshop facing sensitive realities. Owners, employees, customers, and suppliers approved the desire of maintaining the store’s viability. In addition, Smith’s approach and the actions taken by leaders created resistance of the employees because they did not do the correct strategy to solve the company losses, also they did not implemented the plan; therefore, these errors led to resistance, conflict, and resentment. Identifying the need for change is vital; first, it is required to do an assessment on the organization, employees, finances, and structure. Implementation is crucial; however, it is necessary to do a deep recognition for effectiveness of strategic response. The main forces that make organizations to change are external, industry environments, and new operating requirements generated from these environments; for example, new technology available, new trends of selling on the Internet, and more. Today’s organizations are facing many challenges; for example, trade, and industry insecurity, wars, and terrorism weaken the economy globally. External forces affect in general weakening the economy of the United States. One of the major external forces affecting businesses is the increased use of technology and the availability of the Internet (Borkowski, 2005) (Spector, 2010). According to Spector (2010), strategic renewal requires organizational change, Concord Bookshop needed to move from a traditional and conservative store for British shoppers to Internet buyers. The strategy for renewal of business, leaders need to align internal processes, structures, and systems in accordance with demands of the market system. For example, â€Å"New organizational capabilities, talents and skills possessed by employees need to be built† (Spector, 2010, p. 5). Managers need to discontinue old behaviors on employees by selecting new approach, in which employees feel comfortable and secure to accept the change. Consequently, workers needed new orientation on-the-job, new tasks, and responsibilities to assure the viability of the company as well as employment. The goal of any organization is to create lasting modification in patterns of employee’s behaviors to support strategic renewal. Concord Bookshop Strategic Renewal was not implemented * Strategic renewal requires organizational change; in the case of Concord business was not implemented. Strategic renewal demands, â€Å"Wide-scale invention, reinvention, and redesign of business processes and organizational structures require organizational change. The leaders in charge of the organization did not do renewal demands. According to Spector (2010), Concord closed after 64 years on business making many people unemployed, they felt depressed and devaluated for the store situation. Mistakes found in the organization were the following: employers did not complete mutual engagement and shared diagnosis, they did not restructure leadership adequately, and they failed to diagnose the pattern of behavior within a top leadership team (Spector, 2010).The conflict put pressure on the store when independent booksellers are staggering from competition and the Internet. * Phases of the Organizational Change Process not Completed or Implemented at the Concord Bookshop that Led the Change Failure Turnaround Turnaround is a technique that focuses on processes for improvement. Turnaround addresses finances of the balance sheet enhancement and technology. Concord did not complete turnaround well; instead, there was not salaries deducted, and employees did not lose their job immediately. Adding to this, there was misunderstandings and fears to employees; these reasons put the company on fire. Smith on the other hand, did not focus on new behaviors, turnaround looks at the company’s assets seeking manage finances to stabilize the cash flow; Smith did not manage well finances of the company. According to Mark (2007), employees did not receive efforts to change with pleasure. In the process of implementation, some resistance from employees comes from different internal sources; also resistance comes from external sources. Workers at Concord had increased resistance to the change process. Techniques and Tools Techniques and tools is a non-behavioral phase of change process. Concord failed to change this technique by not using organizational processes, mechanics, and other interactions intended to produce a product or service. For example, in 2007, Netflix started a new technique for improving customer service by substituting hundreds of telephone call centers for e-mail based response system. They save money, and created new employment; call center representatives were added to payroll. For instance, Concord could have done this technique and turn to different customer service system. This system could fit well for Concord Bookshop to attract new customers to stay alive on business (Spector, 2010). Outsourcing Outsourcing is a change technique, this tools implements the turnaround and transformational behavior change (e.g., cost-saving) implications (Spector, 2010). Organizations find outsourcing a very important strategy because: 1. Outsourcing saves money by transferring jobs to lower-paid workers. 2. Outsourcing enables companies to concentrate on core competencies. 3. Outsourcing offers a hedge against shifting technologies and customer preferences by lowering fixed costs and building flexibility (Spector, 2010, p. 16) Smith’s approach crated a conflict, resistance, and resentment. The organization needed to change to respond to the external demands. Concord leaders did not communicate the change well as they should so employees would understand and change behaviors. The organization needed to change the demands of the customers adapting the business to sell according to the new technology; for example, the new mode of communication was the Internet. Therefore, by the time they wanted to fix it was already late. Smith did not do outsourcing well because he did not realign the behaviors of the employees with company strategy and customer expectation. Trigger Events and Change According to Spector (2010), Organizational change is typically initiated in response to a trigger event. Spector (2010), states that Trigger event is a shift in the environment that precipitates a need for altered strategies and new patterns of employee behavior. For the Concord Bookshop, the increasing penetration of online booksellers into the store’s market space triggered the requirement for strategic renewal (Spector, 2010, p. 18). Trigger events are external or internal to an organization. Trigger events help to precipitate the need to alter behavioral patterns of employees. Concord Bookshop faced external trigger events. Trigger events may come from inside the organization; for example, when the organization hires a new leader. According to Spector (2010), she says â€Å"Jack Welch was promoted to CEO of General Electric (GE) in 1981, the company was enjoying decades of prosperity and success† (Spector, 2010, p. 18). This is an example of internal source of trigger event; Spector (2010), said â€Å"Virtually from the outset, in a quest for transformational change† (Spector, 2010, p. 18). Trigger events are so crucial for their magnitude and potential personal impact. They set into motion a series of mental alterations as individuals struggle to understand a situation. According to Spector (2010), â€Å"trigger events have a nature to umbalance established routines and evoke conscious thought on the part of organizational members. It makes people’s emotions to react to a change. In short, according to Spector (2010), states â€Å"Trigger events bring people’s mindsets into the arena of change† (Spector, 2010, p. 18) Conclusion The Concord Bookshop downsizing was terrible, the owners of the bookshop made changes to their organization without using an effective change process and implementation. The result of their approach was the resistance of the change from people in the organization. The organization made a numerous mistakes on not communicating to employees the severity of the problem. The owners of the bookshop recognized that the trigger event for the need for change was to recover financial profit. However, they did not involve the rest of the staff when this problem aroused. If they did a complete shared diagnosis stage, the issue would be solved properly. Last, the owners failed to move and redesign stage of the effective change process. The owners needed to redesign the roles and responsibilities, and involve the employees on planning solutions, so changes will be accepted more easily (Borkowski, 2005) (Spector, 2010). References Borkowski, N. (2005). Organizational Behavior in Health Care, 1e. Miami, Florida: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Mark H. (2007). The tools and techniques of change management, Journal of change management Vol 7 p37-49 http://www.scribd.com/doc/78216618/Spector-2e-Instructors-Manual Spector, B. (2010). Implementing Organizational Change. Theory into Practice, Second Edition. USA: Pearson Education. Rosen, J. (2011). Bookstores and Bloggers. Publishers Weekly, 228(20), 20. Taken from EBSCO September 252012.

Chance & Story Essay

In third grade through sixth, I had a friend named Chance. We were best friends and often spent long days and nights over at each other’s house. Whenever I stayed at Chance’s, the house was filled with noise from the two of us and his six brothers and sisters. Chance’s family was Mormon, a religion that my family knew nothing about except the name. He once explained why his family was so large, but it made little sense to me at that time. During the summer between sixth and seventh grade Chance’s family moved away to Utah. I’ve learned a bit more about Mormons since but this assignment offered me an opportunity to learn more about the religion of my friend and how Mormons feel about how they are perceived in the United States, especially concerning the law and discrimination. Chance’s family was only one of many Mormons in my town and surrounding areas. Patty is a good friend of mine who attends the Mormon church in town since she was a baby, so through her I was able to find three people to interview. Her parents were not available, but she introduced me to a Mormon missionary Brian, a neighbor Barbara, and Chris, her mother’s home- teacher. Brian is twenty years old and is originally from Nova Scotia, Canada. He is currently nearing the end of his Mormon mission, which is a semi-required two year work for Mormon young men to an area chosen by the head church in Salt Lake City, Utah. He had just graduated high school when he began the training for the mission. His mission is to go door to door in the neighborhoods to share his beliefs and teach anyone interested about the basics of the church. Barbara is also not originally from this area. She was born and raised in Provo, Utah, which is where the Mormon university Brigham Young is located. She moved here ten years ago when her husband’s job transferred. She is forty-three years old, has five children between six and fifteen, has a college degree from BYU in marketing but doesn’t currently work outside her home, and has been married for twenty-three years. Chris is from this area and has lived here all of his fifty-six years. He is an elder at the church, has four children and sixteen grandchildren so far, works as a machine repairer, and volunteers for the church as a home-teacher in which he regularly visits church members for further teaching about the church. Having such different subjects to interview proved very interesting. Each shared that they have dealt with some sort of discrimination in their lifetimes as Mormons. They all indicated that the problems are rarely very serious and never violent, but are more subtle. Barbara notices the negative attitude towards Mormons most of the three because she lived for so long in Utah, which is heavily populated with Mormons, especially where she lived in Provo. She said that when the family moved, she was surprised to find that there are people who still believe Mormons are the many-wives religion. One woman at her children’s school even asked once if Barbara was one of several wives of her husband. Neither Brian nor Chris said that they have had this problem. Brian said his problem is more centered on his mission work. He has often heard people say ‘there go the two-by-twos. ’ The missionaries work in pairs, so he said the term stuck. For the most part, he says people are friendly towards him and often comment that Mormons are the nicest people they know, but very few choose to actually discuss the church’s teachings. Instead Brian and Chris both said that most people are interested in if Mormons are a cult that traps unsuspecting victims. Barbara also said this is something people have asked in round-about ways such as through her kids. All three said that it is often frustrating the poor view that they feel the majority of Americans have toward the Mormon Church. Barbara and Chris’s children mostly have other Mormon friends, and those that are not Mormon are seldom allowed to attend activities organized for the Mormon youth such as dances, outings, or sport activities if they are to be held at the church. They say that no one has said directly why the kids can’t attend, but all three believe that it is related to the negative view of the church. They all also indicated that any issues that arise are always social in nature, that they have never had a problem with employers or the law regarding discrimination. Interestingly, as I interviewed each person, I found myself also curious about the ‘oddities’ of the Mormon church. When Barbara mentioned the many-wives idea, I wanted to know more about it. So I was doing exactly what the three had said most people do: expressing curiosity about the strangeness instead of the good qualities of the church or its teachings. However, I did learn quite a bit about the basic structure of the church, why it is based in Utah, and how Mormons view the world and the after-life. Since the problems that Mormons experience are almost always social, it is a matter of slowly changing the public’s view of the church. Chris believes that the commercials the church has put on television have gone a long way in changing perceptions about the church. Brian said that attitudes are better in Canada towards the church most likely because it started in the USA, where it experienced a lot of discrimination in its beginnings. So it is a matter of time and continued sharing for the Mormon Church to be recognized as a legitimate religion and not as a cult.