The Pianist Essay

‘The Pianist’ is a cinematic masterpiece by the Polish director Roman Polanski. One of the key ideas that appear throughout much of the film is that of ‘hope being instrumental in our survival’. This idea is portrayed through Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish pianist, as he struggles for survival in Warsaw as everybody that he once knew and everything that he once had is lost. The idea of ‘hope being instrumental in our survival’ is worth learning about as it allows the audience to realise the importance of hope in todays society – and to understand how Polanski uses music to symbolise ‘hope’ for Szpilman in the film.Polanski effectively utilises an array of visual and oral text features such as music, dialogue, and lighting to build further emphasis on this theme. ‘The Pianist’ is an honest depiction of the events that occurred during the Holocaust, through the eyes of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Jewish concert pianist liv ing in Warsaw, Poland. As the movie starts we see him in a radio studio beautifully playing the piano. But then the tanks start shooting, the bombs start falling, and the studio is damaged. He can no longer avoid the rapidly escalating situation. Germany is invading his homeland.His time as a concert pianist and radio performer has come to a sudden end. The first half of the movie focuses on the impact of the war on him and his family’s lives and the suffering of others, whilst the second half purely revolves around Szpilman’s struggle for survival and the hope in which he draws from music. Polanski heavily emphasises this idea, getting across the message that Szpilman would not be alive if were not for the hope in which he holds to – even if at times if at times it is by a tiny thread. The most obvious feature used to enhance the idea of ‘hope being instrumental in our survival’ is that of music.After being forced to desert his family and having to live in isolation with his survival being questioned almost every day, it is perhaps only the thoughts of music that keep Szpilman going. This is idea becomes more apparent when Szpilman discovers a piano in one of the flats he is hiding in. He is unable to play because he will give himself away so we instead watch his fingers move across the air above the piano’s keys as whilst the sound plays in his head and too the viewer. Throughout the film we also see Szpilman pretending to play the piano as he taps his finger across his legs.It is moments such as these that help to maintain Szpilman’s willingness to survive by keeping silent, but also how piano gives fills him with the hope that is instrumental in his survival. In other scenes such as when a German officer asks Szpilman to play piano for him, and allows him to live because of his immense talent we begin to realise that Szpilman’s hope – music, does not only help him to survive mentally, but also p hysically as he can share the gift that he has to others. It is also important to note that Polanski only music by the Polish composer, Chopin is used throughout ‘The Pianist’.His sad and evocative music brings upon a sad mood, yet one with a hint of hope and with this, the director can more vividly express his ideas a way that dialogue or action cannot. Another oral feature used throughout the film to express the director’s idea of ‘hope being instrumental to our survival’ is dialogue. Whilst Szpilman’s actions are usually used to express the director’s ideas, there are multiple instances where dialogue is used effectively to express them. In one scene around a third of the way into the film, Mr. Lipa, a businessman comes round to the Szpilman’s family’s house to make an offer on their piano.The majority of the family think the amount of money he is offering for such a beautiful piano is absurd, but when he says, â€Å"2 ,000 and my advice is to take it. What will you do when you’re hungry? Eat the piano? † Szpilman comes to the realisation that whilst music is what he needs to survive mentally, it is in fact food that he needs to survive physically and accept this offer. From this point in the film onwards, Polanski distinguishes physical survival from mental survival for Szpilman and begins to enforce the idea of ‘hope is instrumental to our survival’.We learn that Szpilman will go to all efforts to survive, shown with dialogue, â€Å"[taking off his watch] Here, sell this. Food is more important than time† but it is his hope that he will one day be able to play piano again and be happy that is instrumental to his survival. This is shown later in the film when a German Officer asks him what he’s going to do when the war is over and he replies, â€Å"Play piano again†. It is the simple, but effective use of dialogue such as this that mimic realistic si tuations in comparison to the Hollywood theatrics used in other films that establish an exaggerated, bleak atmosphere.Lighting is another visual feature that is used to good effect to emphasise the idea of hope being instrumental in (Szpilman’s) survival. Throughout the second half of the film, where Szpilman is trapped within solitude – with the hope in which he holds on to hanging by the thread; Polanski uses dark and obsolete colours with a bluish tint that combined create a very strange and desolate atmosphere. While the dark obsolete lighting clearly portrays Szpilman’s pessimism, it is the bluish tint evident that is like the ‘silver lining’ and shows the viewer the hope that Szpilman is still holding on to.In one particular scene, where Szpilman plays piano for the first time in months to a Nazi Officer, moonlight with the distinct blue tint is cast over the piano and his hands as he plays. Polanski creates this effect to make the link for th e audience that music is the hope that has been instrumental to his (Szpilman’s) survival and is the tiny thread that he has been hanging onto when everybody he knows and everything that he once had has been taken from him.In the film ‘The Pianist’, Polanski effectively employed the use of the visual and oral features: music, dialogue and lighting to better communicate his idea of ‘hope being instrumental in our survival’. These three features come together to allow the audience to truly realise the importance of hope being the sole factor that keeps Szpilman alive, and that his hope is symbolised through music. Polanski so skilfully uses these features to show rather than tell the importance of this idea and through this it is little wonder that the movie is considered a modern classic.

Natural Selection and North Carolina

Natural Selection Case Study QuestionsName _______________________________ Part I 1. Which state has more plain clover? North Carolina 2. Which state has more striped clover? Minnesota 3. Which state has a warmer average temperature? North Carolina 4. Which state has more days of freezing temperatures? North Carolina 5. Which state has drier conditions? Minnesota 6. Which state has more mollusks? North Carolina Part II 7. Why are the two gene products that are needed to produce active cyanide stored in different parts of the cell?They are stored in different cells because one is covered in stripes which the striped clover contains cyanide while the other is plain which the plain clover don’t contains cyanide 8. What are two ways that the cells can be disrupted causing the two components to come together and produce active cyanide? 9. What would be the advantage of producing cyanide? It allows perennial plants to survive which it grow again in the spring 10. Is there any disadv antage to producing cyanide? Explain.Yes, It can be damage caused by freezing and plant eaters can harm plant cells 11. What do these results tell you about the interaction between the snails and the clover? 12. It takes extra energy to produce the white stripe in the clover. Why would a clover expend the extra energy to produce a stripe rather than using the energy for growth? It would expand the extra energy because of Fitness. Part III 13. Which factors might contribute to / or inhibit the growth of the plain clover in MN?Bacteria that produce vaccines and hormones 14. Which factors might contribute to / or inhibit the growth of the striped clover in MN? Crops that resist herbicides and diseases or contain natural pesticides 15. Which factors might contribute to / or inhibit the growth of the plain clover in NC? Plants which can be eaten as vaccines 16. Which factors might contribute to / or inhibit the growth of the striped clover in NC? Growth hormones to produce lager faster o ffsprings 17.Which factor do you think caused the most selection pressure on the clover population in MN? 18. Which factor do you think caused the most selection pressure on the clover population in NC? Part IV 19. Which type of clover will be more abundant in the shallow depressions? Why? Plain because it covers the area behind the oceanfront dunes 20. Which type of clover will be more abundant in on the hill and why? Stripes because water drains quickly

Gsis Museo Ng Sining Essay

Museo ng Sining was established in April 1996. Its creation is a tribute to the creative endeavors of the contemporary Filipino. Its vision is to help define the growth and glorious flowing of Philippine visual arts. Its objectives are: To collect Philippine art and artistic expressions from the colonial period to the present . To exhibit and document Philippine and non-philippine art and artistic expressions . To heighten art appreciation among the 6SIS personnel and the general public The 6SlS Museo ng Sining functions not only as an exhibition space but as an ducational technology as well. It has the following activities: Permanent exhibition of the 6SlS Art Collection Changing exhibition in the galleries featuring cultural themes and works of new artists Art activities, lectures, workshops, and films focused on the role of art not only as an aesthetic experience but as a significant factor in everyday life 6SIS MUSEUM HELD â€Å"ME-DISINING† EXHIBIT The Government Service Insurance System (6SlS) held an exhibit in honor of the works of Toribio Herrera, one of the pioneers of Philippine painting in the 1920s who set the tone for modern day artists. The exhibit, titled â€Å"MediSining: The Art of Toribio Herrera, MD,† is held at the Upper Gallery of the 6SlS Museum of Art in Pasay City and ran up to November 30, 2009 In his lifetime, Herrera never exhibited his works to the public nor sold a painting as he did not seek monetary rewards for his art. In fact, his very first exhibition was held in 1972, four years after his death. Born in Tondo in 1892, Herrera first graduated in Medicine at the University of Santo Tomas in 1912. Later, he took a second course in Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines, and as eventually accepted to teach there. â€Å"Influenced by a deep understanding of both intricate human anatomy and the profound brush strokes and lines that make up perspective, his paintings are a Joy to behold,† said 6SlS President and General Manager Winston F. Garcia, in appreciation of the works of Herrera. â€Å"His scenes are simple yet very moving. † Herrera was part of the Amorsolo, Castaneda, Miranda Group of Filipino Genre Masters who set the tone of Philippine painting, particularly during the 1920s. We are lucky that in this country, we have our artists, who keep efining us as a country and as a generation,† Mr. Garcia added. SA AMIN MAY SINING The 6SlS Museum, in partnership with Kuta ng Sining, Inc. , also showcased the works of Quezon artists last August 7 to 28, 2009 entitled â€Å"Sa amin may Sining†. The province of Quezon is not only known for its Pahi yas festivity but also for the ingenuity and creativity of its home-grown artists. Featured artists in â€Å"Sa amin may Sining† include Noel P. Bueza, Erick Dator, Norman F. Ragudo, Monnar Baldemor, Jowell Gaela, and Efren D. Nantes. GSIS PAINTING COMPETITION cross the country, gives away hundreds of thousands of pesos each year to showcase the Filipinos’ rich talent in art. For this year’s competition, the 6SlS decided to have an open theme to encourage artists to explore their best in presenting and conceptualizing their artwork entry. The categories for this year’s competition include representational and non-representational. The 6SlS will give away Pl . 2 million this year, with the first prize winner for each category going home with P300,OOO. The second placer for both categories will each receive P200,OOO and PIOO,OOO for the hird prize. 6SlS ANNUAL ART COMPETITION The Government Service Insurance System (6SlS) believes in the Filipino artist and his invaluable role in shaping how the country thinks. For the sixth year. , the 6SlS is renewing its pledge to support artists all over the country through the Annual Art Competition, which aims to showcase the best paintings and sculptures of this generation. Beyond ensuring lives and property, the 6SlS also insures national heritage, for a nation that carries its artists is a nation that carries itself forward.

The competitive structure of British airports with reference to BAA Essay

The competitive structure of British airports with reference to BAA - Essay Example More particularly, the Competition Commission has made are geared its findings towards making the BAA to be more competitive. Background BAA was privatized in 1980. This was in response to proposals by the Governments Review of Economic Regulations that sought to bring changes to operations of UK Civil Aviation Authority. Furthermore, the proposed amendments have been for the sake of widening the scope of competition at the airport as well as making the ground be more even. In the recent past, due to these proposals, the sector has seen major changes in terms of structure and becoming more flexible to respond to market demands and competition. Competition has also been necessitated by BAA’s disposal of Gatwick airport to Global Infrastructure Partners. Besides, there is a wider legal framework that is being applied in all other sectors to encourage free hand in business. For instance, the Competition Act 1998, Utilities Act of 2000 and the Communications Act of 2003 have creat ed a platform that promotes fair competition.. This has further gone a long way to diminish its share of passengers and airlines in the South East. To make the market perform optimally, there is more need for BAA to divest some of its holding in other air business corporations so as to completely free up the market. Nevertheless, the future of airports business is likely to be better due to the changing market environment (Doganis, 1992). The present competitive structure of British airports Since the process of liberalization of the air industry gained progress, the sector has witnessed tremendous rise in domestic flights as well as demand for flights for European and intercontinental routes. Despite this space of freedom, there still exists some of form of regulation. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to establish the level of competition that truly exists as well as explore the precise consequences to the current and future air market. Types of markets Theoretically, there are three types of market as far as competition is concerned. Firstly, there is monopoly. This is one of the oldest forms of market where there is only one seller or buyer who has power to control the prices of commodities. In this market, he is the price setter and shall invariably do that to his advantage. This market is characterized by a number of imperfections that typically result in to negative social costs to consumers. It is also a common feature for traders in this market to report abnormal profits. Due to liberalization, in UK there is a limited number of industries that have monopolistic tendencies. According to Competitions Commission, there is need for economic regulation in such conditions so as to reduce the economic excesses that result from monopoly. Secondly, there is an oligopolistic market, that is a market that is controlled by a few market players (sellers or buyers), who habitually, agree on the price to charge for their goods and services. Just like monopol y, this market system can be quite oppressive. The British airports market can aptly fall under this category. Scholars and policy formulators do converge to a verity that in this condition, there is need for regulator intervention to make the ground fairer. Finally, there is a perfect competition that, incidentally, has dominated the majority of UK

Detroit Economic Bailout Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Detroit Economic Bailout - Essay Example Microeconomics has been described as the scientific field focusing on the ‘behavior of individual households and markets’ (Saunders and Gilliard 18); emphasis is given on ‘the criteria used for defining the level of prices and for allocating resources’ (Saunders and Gilliard 18). Microeconomic variables have a critical characteristic: they refer to economy as related to the level of households and not to the level of a region (Dow and Hillard 6). At the level of households the performance of economy can be evaluated through variables such as consumer spending, prices and wages (Dow and Hillard 7). These variables will be used below in order to justify the potential positive effects of bailout on the daily life of people in Detroit. Certain microeconomic concepts will be also used, as appropriate, for making clear the relationship between economic decisions and economic performance at household’s level. The decision of Detroit’s governors to ask for a Federal bailout has faced strong criticism. The success of a similar plan used for the city’s two major auto companies, Chrysler and General Motors (Maynard 2013) is often used for justifying the necessity of Detroit’s bailout. ... At a first level, an aid of $300m has been decided to be granted to Detroit (Isidore 2013). This sum of money will not be used for paying part of the city’s debt, which is estimated to $18-$20 billion (Isidore 2013, Proctor 2012); about $150m of the total aid to Detroit will be given as a program for ‘refurbishing/ cleaning abandoned properties’ (Isidore 2013) and about $140m for the improvement of the city’s transportation system (Isidore 2013). Other programs referring to indirect benefits for the city, such as the hiring of public servants, have been also approved aiming to help the city to recover (Isidore 2013). So far, the Congress has been opposed to the provision of financial aid to Detroit on the basis that such claims could be set by other cities (National Report 2013). President Obama has decided to bypass Congress and proceed to the financial support of Detroit so that the expansion of the crisis is controlled (National Report 2013). The value o f the bailout of Detroit can be understood by presenting the statistics related to the city’s economic performance at household level. In 2009 the average household income in Detroit has been declined by a percentage of about 92% compared to 2000 (Figure 1). Detroit, Michigan: -92.2% Michigan: -98.8% Figure 1 - Median Household income in Detroit and in Michigan in general, from 2000 to 2009 (Source: City Data) The scheme for the bailout of Detroit could enhance the city’s average household income in the following way: by increasing the public servants working across the city households across Detroit could be given an important financial relief, a fact that would lead to the

Good Leadership, a Prelude to Cooperate Feat Research Paper

Good Leadership, a Prelude to Cooperate Feat - Research Paper Example What many flout is that prelude to its fall; Enron had a fully-fledged, state of the art and even award-winning management team. How could such a jolly turnout to be so bad, what was being overlooked? The answer lies in its leadership and organization’s culture. In this paper, a review of the management, leadership and organization culture of Enron is discussed. More specifically the leadership style of Jeffery Skilling as the CEO of this corporation will be analyzed and how his approach to leadership was principal to the eventual fall of Enron. According to Forbes magazine’s Amy Rees, a company cannot afford to have poor leadership if its main aim is a success both monetarily and otherwise. Whenever a company has good leadership, employee retention, morale, corporate culture, good communication, integrity, and employee satisfaction are inevitable. These factors serve to catapult a firm to even greater heights. Ross Perot one of greatest visionary of our time once said that leaders have to lead by example and inspire people, not try to manage or manipulate them, only inventory could be managed, people just have to be lead. To do an extensive SWOT analysis on the thesis statement of this paper, it is vital to detail what good leadership entails. What character traits, type, or style of leadership makes a good leader? In the 20th century most scholars believed that leaders were born, not built, you had to have inborn qualities that were vital to leadership. While to some extent these assumptions still hold, for the most part, today it is possible to become a leader through learning the ropes or by instilling character traits such as charisma, integrity, or assertiveness in oneself. In short, Leadership can be taught (Giuliani & Kurson, 2002).

Bowling for Columbine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bowling for Columbine - Essay Example The possible conclusions of Moore adhere to a few criminological theories, among which the Classical and Rational Choice Theories can be considered the most convincing. The eclectic nature of Moore’s arguments can also lead to the Integrated Theory. The basic argument of Moore is that the American community has a strange affinity towards gun crime, for which the easy accessibility of gun merely serves as an encouragement. In this sense, there are no sufficient deterrents for an average American citizen to be held back from possible crimes. The movie begins with the sequence of Moore acquiring a free gun for opening a time deposit for a specific sum in a Michigan bank. The argument by the Michigan Militia that guns vouchsafe the safety of the individual and family is shown as a reductive one, discounting the possibilities of increasing numbers of gun crimes in a society where everyone is entitled to possess a gun. Though there exists sufficient punishment as a deterrent in America, there is not enough awareness among the public regarding the use of the guns. Eventually, it is possible that the guns end up being I the hands of school kids, like Erik Harris and Dylan Klebold, who perpetrated the shocking massacres at Columbine school. Using the metaphor of an irresponsible game like bowling, Moore exposes the lack of proper concern and clear rules reading the possession and use of guns. In a culture where even teenagers can procure guns from supermarkets, one has to assume that the rational choice deterrence would be nonexistent. Even though Moore asserts that the easy availability of guns is not the only reason why the crime rates are shooting up, the lack of proper deterrents combined with this situation could definitely be a major reason. Integrated Theory can also provide significant explanations for the American gun crime rates. There could be several reasons for the use of violence, which basically stem from the use and misuse of

Gold Marilyn Monroe and Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair Essay

Gold Marilyn Monroe and Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair - Essay Example The essay "Gold Marilyn Monroe and Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair" analyzes wo paintings, Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair by Frida Kahlo and Gold Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol. Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair, by Frida Kahlo hangs at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, currently on show among other masterpieces of the time. Kahlo painted this medium-sized canvas in 1940, shortly after her divorce from Diego Rivera. Theirs was a tempestuous relationship, shown by their remarriage the following year and the content of this picture, which shows Kahlo after she sheared off most of her long hair . Many art critics have opinions about why she painted herself in such a masculine way: short hair, man’s suit, unladylike posture. It is perhaps to state that after her husband’s infidelity with her own sister Cristina, she was making herself unattractive, unfeminine and unapproachable. Others say she always had masculine tendencies, shown by her relationships with women. The tru th lies somewhere between, more related to grief and mourning than to statements of gender. Kahlo was part Jewish. She was very close to her German-Jewish father Wilhelm Kahlo , and was probably expressing the Jewish way of grieving something lost, something dead: her love. The verse from Jeremiah (Ch 7, v 29), in the Old Testament: ‘Shave your head in mourning, and weep alone on the mountains.’ And in Micah Ch 1:1, ‘Weep, you people of Judah! Shave your heads in sorrow...’ are well known. It is almost certain Kahlo would have known.

Interview with a HR Director Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interview with a HR Director - Essay Example Why I chose to interview an HR Director? People generally confuse HR Directors with HR Managers, and do not generally know the exact responsibilities of each of the two, and more precisely, the HR Director in the HR department of an organization. HR Director is also not talked about as frequently as HR Managers in the discussions of various HR professionals. I personally consulted a lot of resources to learn about the work of an HR Director. However, every time I tried, I got to listen or read about an HR Manager. Discussion about an HR Director is not as abundant as that of other HR professionals. Therefore, I considered interviewing an HR Director so that I could both enhance my personal understanding of an HR Director’s job, and share the information with others to enhance their knowledge about an HR Director. Questions of the interview: frequently used by an HR Director? ... 12. Although HR Director fundamentally assumes the role of a leader for the HR department, yet he/she also has to be a very good Manager to do the job perfectly, agree? 13. Where is the interface between leadership and management? 14. What HR roles, other than HR Director, have you played in your professional career so far? 15. How have those roles influenced your capabilities as an HR Director? 16. Is it recommendable for an individual to start directly from an HR Director’s post without a former experience in lower level HR jobs? The learning I gained: The fundamental responsibility of an HR Director is to monitor the activities of all the organization’s divisions. The HR Director communicates with the top management and devised strategies so as to enhance the organizational policies, practices and procedures as per the changing demands of the growing business and the altering business environment. An HR Director interviews employees, trains new workers, decides pay r ates for different employees, and prepares organizational benefit plans. The HR Director also balances the general ledger (Jeffress). Occasionally, an HR Director may study the system of other organizations with a view to determining the competitive salaries and wages, and developing a modified and improvised recruiting campaign for hiring talented employees for the organization. In small scale businesses, the HR Directors frequently meet with the workers to learn their individualistic and collective concerns and resolve their issues to improve their performance. On the other hand, in large scale businesses, the duties of HR are distributed between different departments in order to achieve accuracy in work and make it

Publix Case Essay Example for Free

Publix Case Essay This list of items changes from region to region and even from store to store. The items on the theft-prone list are locked up for safe keeping. It is essential that Publix continue to take the necessary actions to prevent the likelihood of theft. While a company cannot prevent all attempts of theft, it can certainly do its due diligence to ensure that the number of cases of theft is minimized. Additionally, Publix employees play a major role in reducing the amount of legal costs the company incurs. All employees are expected to work to ensure store safety on a consistent basis. By being proactive with these types of training programs and locking away commonly stolen merchandise, Publix is lessening the amount of time and money it spends on legal issues. Economic Factors With the recent downturn in the economy, many customers are now looking for the lowest price retailer to purchase from. Publix has built its brand based mostly on the quality of products and the shopping experience, not the lowest price. Retailers that consumers generally equate to low prices include Wal-Mart and bulk buying retailers like Costco and Sams Club. With that in mind, in times like these, Publix seems to be at a major disadvantage. Publix understands that there is strong competition in the supermarket industry(Weinstein, pg 272). Publix, like many other grocery chains, is having a difficult time competing with low cost supercenters. Even in a recession, the average American consumer is still spending a large portion of their income on food. Although U. S. food spending is on the rise, supermarkets are not capturing their fair share (Weinstein, pg 274). Consequently, Publix has to now change the consumer focus on price to one of value. Publixs goal is to make every customer feel personally valued in such a way that they see themselves as one in a million(Weinstein, pg 269). If Publix is able to continue to differentiate its products value for the consumer, it may be able to convert the supercenter shopper into a loyal customer. Social/ Cultural Factors At Publix, everything revolves around pleasing the customer, which is why it has enjoyed much of the success it has had since the 1930s(Weinstein, pg 269). Superior customer value and quality of products are cornerstones in the Publix culture. Publix depends on the fact that a more educated consumer is willing to pay a slightly higher price for great service. The average Publix customer is well-educated and lives within a 5 mile radius of the store in which they shop. Publix understands that it is far easier to maintain a current customer than to attract a new one. Thus, Publix associates are [also] encouraged to use their daily observations, customer feedback, survey evaluation, and other data to improve their jobs, better serve their customers, and make Publix a better place where shopping is a pleasure'(Weinstein, pg 280). Technological Factors An industry study revealed that by 2007, about 20 million households in the United States will purchase groceries, food, and other household items online†¦However, to date, none of the major grocery chains have mastered the online arena(Weinstein, pg 281). Publix is working towards how to profitably master implementing the technological processes that its customer is demanding. In an attempt to enter the online grocery market, Publix launched PublixDirect in 2001. This service came to an end in 2003 despite all the proper planning that went into its conception. It is imperative that Publix finds a way to control its costs in an effort to compete with the few successful online grocers that currently dominate the market.

Negative Effects of Media on Youth: Causal Effect Analysis

Negative Effects of Media on Youth: Causal Effect Analysis Natasha Nguyen Why is it difficult to show that media causes harm to young people? Introduction The impact of the media on young people has long been an issue, with concern that younger audiences are negatively influenced by media. Effects research has been used to determine whether media causes harm on young people. However, media effects research has its difficulties in generating viable results. This paper will outline why it is difficult to show a direct causal effect from media resulting in negative outcomes and behaviours from young audiences. No media effects researchers believe in direct effects and a cohort of media scholars make valid claims supporting this statement. Barrie Gunter effectively explains the validity problems with media effects research, with Albert Bandura’s famous ‘Bobo Doll’ experiment as an example. David Gauntlett’s views on the flaws of the effects model are also relevant to the discussion and McQuail makes very constructive points on how audiences can choose how they let media affect them. To further justify that it is difficult to show that media causes harm to people, the ideas discussed will be related to the case study of the murder of 2 year old James Bulger. Validity of Effects Research Early media effects experiments, such as the Payne Fund Studies, consisted of children participants being placed in artificial environments (Gunter 2008,p.1085). They were fed dosages of media violence controlled by researchers who then exposed them to environments where they could behave in aggressive ways if they choose to (Gunter 2008,p.1085). However, these studies have been criticized by scholars for lacking validity (Sparks, Sparks Sparks 2009,p.272). The experiments were too far-fetched to produce any feasible results about media effects as they were artificial; taking users out of their natural habitats, feeding them media they would not usually consume and using unrealistic representatives for real-life violence (Ruddock 2013,p.27). Gunter (2008) is especially adequate at explaining the problems with validity in effects studies. He outlines the issues with conducting experiments in artificial settings. Participants are aware of researchers and act accordingly, doing what th ey thought the researcher wanted (Gunter 2008,p.1088). Gunter (2008,p.1102) reports how the selection of media extracts fed to participants were devoid of their original context and could be interpreted differently when embedded in their original source. Media effects research cannot be discussed without referencing Bandura’s (1963) Bobo Doll experiment (Sparks, Sparks Sparks 2009,p.272). The study illustrated that when watching a televised model commit aggressive actions, children were more likely to imitate the actions if the model was rewarded instead of punished (Sparks, Sparks Sparks 2009,p.272). This suggests an association between aggressive media influences on the children to mimic the aggressive acts but Gunter (2008) cautioned against mistaking association for causation. There were many flaws to that experimentation, with even Bandura (2009,p.110) himself discussing the severe constraints tied to controlled experimentation. Flaws in the â€Å"Effects Model† In response to traditional media effects studies, Gauntlett (1998) discusses the flaws of media effects studies, outlining why it cannot be used to prove that media causes direct harm to young people. Firstly, he discredits effects research for coming to social problems backwards. Researchers start with violent media and attempt to find ways to connect it to social problems, such as aggression, instead of beginning with social problems to find their causes (Gauntlett 1998,p.214). Gauntlett (1998,p.216) also criticizes the effects model for treating children as inadequate and more manipulable than adults, being influenced into behavior adults wouldn’t be. He questions the validity of effects research by discussing the use of artificial studies, claiming that they are selective and based on the belief that the subjects will not change their behavior as a result of being observed (Gauntlett 1998,p.219). In examining some of the flaws that Gauntlett presents, it is clear that it i s difficult to research media effects to show a direct causal effect as the methods traditionally used undermine the validity of the results. Audience’s Choices on Effects The influence media has commonly depends on audience motivations, as information conveyed is not what influences audiences but rather people’s self-determined reaction to this information (Petty, Brinol Priester 2009,p.126). Pieslack (2007) delves into this concept through his studies of music and war. He states that people voluntarily expose themselves to the effects of media, citing soldiers at war as an example who become aggressive after listening to rap music because they want to become aggressive (Pieslack 2007,p.134). McQuail (1997,p.205) explains how typical effects models were perceived as a one-way process of causality, from media to consumer, where the audience was viewed as a passive recipient of media content. However, individuals have unique tastes in media, with some more inclined to expose themselves to media violence (McQuail 1997,p.206). This destroys the notion of media messages being forced upon individuals unwillingly, evidencing that young audiences know ingly visit effects upon themselves (Ruddock 2013,p.28). Young people often learn from media because they choose to (Bandura 2009,p.97). This demonstrates the difficulty in showing that media causes harm to young people as there may be a correlation between aggression but there is no proof of direct causation, with certain individuals choosing to let media influence them (Gunter 2008,p.1095). Audiences Backgrounds Media aggression does not have the same effects on everyone and some may be more susceptible than others to effects of media violence (Gunter 2008,p.1095). Individual media audiences have different psychological makeups that influence the way they respond to aggressive media (Gunter 2008,p.1112). The consumption of violence and aggression from media is complex and must account for the audience’s differing psychological profiles (Gunter 2008,p.1097). Media violence can produce aggression when paired with troubled social conditions (Ruddock 2013,p.35). We cannot assume that violence from media consumers is directly linked back to the media as there are many other influences which can cause aggression in individuals. Peer influences, family conflicts and other factors may all influence aggressive behaviour (Sparks, Sparks Sparks 2009,p.273). It has also been reviewed that negative effects of media violence were mostly visible among the poor, less educated and socially disenfranc hised (Ruddock 2013,p.35). This proves that violent media effects are mostly a risk for individuals whom already had difficult lives and as a result, it is difficult to prove a direct causal effect from violent media. The James Bulger Murder In 1993, controversy over media effects on children surfaced following the murder of two-year-old James Bulger by two ten-year-old boys, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. Bulger’s body was found mutilated on a railway line two days after his murder. Though no evidence of it was brought to trial, violence in videos was considered a possible stimulus. There were many links made by the press between the crime and events in a film called Childs Play 3 (Bignell 2002,p.134). Venable’s father had rented the film however, Venables did not live with his father and had never seen the film (Bignell 2002,p.134). There was no way to connect the crime to the film and direct effects were never proven and authorities concluded that the crime was the case of two disturbed individuals acting on dark impulses, rather than on the influence of violent media. Thompson grew up in a brutal environment, being assaulted by five older brothers and an alcoholic mother. His tough upbringings may ha ve produced aggression when paired with violent media. He could have chosen to let aggressive media influence him voluntarily, wanting to become more aggressive to deal with his surroundings. This underlines Pieslack’s (2007) point about audiences voluntarily exposing themselves to media effects. The boys’ psychological makeup could account for their actions and their responses to aggressive media. Venables came from troubled family conditions, exhibited low self esteem and was temperamentally fragile. His difficult circumstances made him more vulnerable to the effects of media content, as discussed by Gunter (2008). It would be wrong to assume that violent media directly caused the boys to commit the crime as there was no direct proof and a range of other factors clearly had influence on the pair. Concluding Remarks It is difficult to show that media causes harm to young people and that a direct causal effect resulting in negative outcomes exists. The view that media has direct and powerful effects on audiences is more accepted by the general public than media effects scholars (Oliver Krakowiak 2009,p.517). Some researchers acknowledge that media violence can influence viewers but not in all circumstances, all audiences and not directly (Gunter 2008,p.1063). Media effects scholars such as Gunter, Gauntlett, Pieslack and McQuail disagree with direct causal effects. In researching media effects through experimentation, results compiled are questioned for their validity as research conducted in artificial environment can encourage unnatural participant responses. Aggressive behaviour cannot be solely blamed on violent media content as there are many other factors which influence an individual’s motives for being violent. As seen through the James Blumer case study, an individual’s mo tives, psychological makeup and social background can influence the level of power media has over them and disproves the idea of direct effects. Reference List Gauntlett, D 1998, ‘Ten Things Wrong with the Effects Model’, in R Dickinson, R Harindranath O Linne (ed.), Approaches to Audiences: A Reader, Arnold Publishers, London, pp.120-130 Gunter, B 2008, ‘Media Violence: Is There a Case for Causality?’, American Behavioural Scientist, vol. 51, no. 8, pp. 1061-1122 McQuail, Oliver, M Krakowiak, K 2009, ‘Individual Differences in Media Effects’, in J Bryant M Oliver (ed.), Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research, Routledge, New York, pp. 517-531 Petty, R, Brinol, P Priester, J 2009, ‘Mass Media Attitude Change: Implications of the Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion’, in J Bryant M Oliver (ed.), Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research, Routledge, New York, pp. 517-531 Pieslack, J 2007, ‘Sound Targets: Music and the War in Iraq’, Journal of Musicological Research, vol.26, no. 2, pp. 129-149 Ruddock, A 2013, Youth and Media, SAGE Publications, London Sparks, G, Sparks, C Sparks, E 2009, ‘Media Violence’, in J Bryant M Oliver (ed.), Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research, Routledge, New York, pp. 269-286

Security in dorm halls Essay examples -- essays research papers

Security in dorm halls on universities across the nation is a huge problem that each campus must address, due to the amount of people living in such close quarters. Residence hall security should be an important factor in the college decision making process. Today’s college freshman arrives for the first day of his/her college career hampered with personal property of substantial value. Most students come to college equipped with an advanced computer system and can be the target of burglary. Many other items of value accompany the student. Sexual assaults are also a potential problem. The possibility of theft and sexual assaults make residence hall and individual room security a basic prevention strategy. To ensure a safe campus, it is imperitive to secure residence halls and escort all guests.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most college students do not think about the repercussions of being lazy about security in their respective residence halls. However if there is no attention paid to who comes in and out, many crimes can and usually do happen. For instance, at the University of Connecticut, a survey of 690 undergraduates found that more than half of dorm residents say they have propped open a secured door. Nine out of ten know someone else who have also done the same. Half of those students who had witnessed these doors left partly open, knew of incidents where strangers had come into the building unescorted. Of those strangers, one in five knew of a crime that resulted b...

Torte Law :: legal trial court

1. Explain the most important role of the trial judge in a legal proceeding. Answer1. The most important role of the trial judge is to keep order in the court and is in charge when a jury is present to make sure that the lawyers do not use improper methods to influence the jury during the case. 2. When a trial court makes a legal error in deciding case, what steps must the party take to have the legal error reviewed? Answer 2. If the trial court makes an error then the party needs to take the case to the appeals court. The job of the appeals court is to review the proceeding of the trial court and correct legal errors made by the trial judge. They must accept all the trial court’s 3. Why does a person seek an equitable (equity) remedy in a civil case when instead of a remedy law? Describe difference between an equitable remedy at law Answer 3. A remedy is a form of court enforcement of a legal right resulting from a successful civil lawsuit. Remedies fall into three general categories: (1) Damages - monetary compensation for the plaintiff's losses, injury, and/or pain or restitution measures designed to restore the plaintiff's status to what it was prior to the violation of his or her rights, (2) Coercive remedies - requiring a party to do or omit doing a specific act through injunctive relief or a court order of specific performance (3) Declaratory judgment - the court determines individual rights in a specific situation without awarding damages or ordering particular action. Monetary damages are often referred to as a legal remedy while coercive and declaratory remedies are termed equitable remedies. 4. State the name of the document used to commence a civil lawsuit against a defendant. Answr4. The name of the document used to commence a civil lawsuit against a defendant is called â€Å"summons† 5. Define substantive law-sets out the rights and duties governing people as thy act in society. Creates or defines rights, privileges, duties, obligations, and causes of action that can be enforced by law Define procedural law- law that prescribes the procedures and methods for enforcing rights and duties. Procedural law establishes the rules under which the substantive rules of law are enforced. 6. Define judicial law-law of or relating to a judgment, the function of judging, the administration of justice, or the judiciary a) State when federal court can review the decision of a state court on a legal question?

Natural Landscape :: Poetry, Painting

The Industrial Revolution raised concerns about the natural landscape when broad social and economic changes also generated increasing pollution across England. Around the same time, ideas of naturalism (from French Philosophical writings) swept across Europe. They persuaded people to go back to nature’s simple ways. Enlightenment theories of Reason disseminated ideas of nature as teacher and guide. However, landscape painting in England was unimportant at that time, compared to Portraiture or History Painting (Gardner 2009, pp 793). A passion for landscape art was advanced by the developments in road and rail infrastructure due to rapid industrialization. New thoughts on the Subjective associations of landscape painting with spirituality, Morals and Philosophy were inspired by Romantic poetry. 19th century Poetry epitomized sublime forces and mystical kinship with nature (Gardner 2009, pp 793). Landscape painting soon emerged, becoming a medium for a full range of conscious and subconscious emotions; it entered the realm of sublime and symbolic expression The Industrial Revolution which began in the middle of the 17th century brought vast social and economic change to the demographic landscape of Great Britain. This phenomenon later spread to the U.S. and Europe, affecting similar changes to (their) social and economic conditions (Wyatt 2009). The English landscape was the scene of rapid physical transformation. Spinning mills loomed where once there was an unspoiled country side. The swift expansion of steel and mining industries turned night into day. Days were turned into smog filled panoramas of gloom. An increase in wealth also brought with it physical problems caused by pollution and unhealthy working conditions. Figure #1 is a representation of an Industrial landscape at night. The strange glow of a coal furnace is contrasted against the natural light of the moon. The picture embraces an honest depiction of present conditions. Its dystopian context is symbolized by the contrast between a man-made industrial hell and natural landscape. The genre of landscape painting in England during the 18th century was not given as much importance as portrait painting or historical illustration. This â€Å"hierarchy of genres† (Langdon 2007) lost importance during the industrial revolution when people began to relate to the subjective impressions found in landscape painting. The subjective association of landscape with emotional meaning evolved when new sensitivity to the world of nature inspired poets and writers. The pure force of nature’s metaphor compounded with poetic and prosaic imagery. One of Wordsworth’s first Romantic poems regrets the loss of mans spiritual union with nature.

A Study on the Benefits and Drawbacks of Affirmative Action

This paper will study and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of affirmative action hiring practices on municipal police and fire departments in the United States.To start, we shall first define affirmative action.   Affirmative action refers to policies intended to promote access to education or employment aimed at a historically socio-politically non-dominant group, typically, minorities or women.Motivation for affirmative action policies is to redress the effects of past discrimination and to encourage public institutions such as universities, hospitals and police forces to be more representative of the population.   This is commonly achieved through targeted recruitment programmes, by preferential treatment given to applicants from socio-politically disadvantaged groups and in some cases through the use of quotas.Opponents of affirmative action policies argue that it is based on collectivism and merely another form of discrimination because it can result in qualified app licants being denied entry to higher education or employment because they belong to a particular social group, usually the historically socio-politically dominant group; typically majority races and men. (Wikipedia Encyclopedia, 2007)Affirmative Action is also defined as the positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded. When those steps involve preferential selection—selection on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity—affirmative action generates intense controversy. (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2007)Simply put, affirmative action means taking positive steps to recruit, employ, train, and promote workers who traditionally have been discriminated against in the job market. (Pellissippi State Technical Community College, 2007)In the United States, affirmative action is a policy or a program of increasing the representation of certain de signated groups allegedly seeking to redress discrimination or bias through active measures, as in education and employment. It is usually achieved through the use of discrimination and preferential treatment for those groups. Proponents of affirmative action generally advocate it either as a means to address past or present discrimination or to enhance racial, ethnic, gender, or other diversity.However, opponents of affirmative action contend that affirmative action programs are discriminatory in that they promote under-qualified individuals over higher qualified individuals based on race and ethnicity.  Ã‚   Affirmative action in the United States mostly applies at transition points—times when individuals are changing their employment, housing or enrollment.Those most affected thus include working age adults who hope to improve their lot through a change in obtaining housing, employment or the pursuit of educational opportunity.   This arrangement has the greatest impac t on young people, while maintaining the status and position of established members of society. (Diversification of U.S. Medical Schools via Affirmative Action Implementation, 2003)The roots of affirmative action can be traced back to the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act where legislation redefined public and private behavior. The act states that to discriminate in private is legal, but anything regarding business or public discrimination is illegal.   There are two instances when opposing affirmative action might seem the wrong thing to do.Affirmative action has been the subject of numerous court cases, and has been contested on constitutional grounds.   But despite this, we still have many advantages to list.   To further understand the topic on affirmative action hiring practices in municipal offices and fire departments, we shall list and discuss also the advantages or benefits of affirmative action hiring practices in the United States, those advantages that will only apply on hiring in municipal offices and fire departments. A Study on the Benefits and Drawbacks of Affirmative Action This paper will study and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of affirmative action hiring practices on municipal police and fire departments in the United States.To start, we shall first define affirmative action.   Affirmative action refers to policies intended to promote access to education or employment aimed at a historically socio-politically non-dominant group, typically, minorities or women.Motivation for affirmative action policies is to redress the effects of past discrimination and to encourage public institutions such as universities, hospitals and police forces to be more representative of the population.This is commonly achieved through targeted recruitment programmes, by preferential treatment given to applicants from socio-politically disadvantaged groups and in some cases through the use of quotas.Opponents of affirmative action policies argue that it is based on collectivism and merely another form of discrimination because it can result in qualified applican ts being denied entry to higher education or employment because they belong to a particular social group, usually the historically socio-politically dominant group; typically majority races and men. (Wikipedia Encyclopedia, 2007)Affirmative Action is also defined as the positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded.When those steps involve preferential selection—selection on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity—affirmative action generates intense controversy. (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2007)Simply put, affirmative action means taking positive steps to recruit, employ, train, and promote workers who traditionally have been discriminated against in the job market. (Pellissippi State Technical Community College, 2007)In the United States, affirmative action is a policy or a program of increasing the representation of certain designat ed groups allegedly seeking to redress discrimination or bias through active measures, as in education and employment.It is usually achieved through the use of discrimination and preferential treatment for those groups. Proponents of affirmative action generally advocate it either as a means to address past or present discrimination or to enhance racial, ethnic, gender, or other diversity.However, opponents of affirmative action contend that affirmative action programs are discriminatory in that they promote under-qualified individuals over higher qualified individuals based on race and ethnicity.  Ã‚   Affirmative action in the United States mostly applies at transition points—times when individuals are changing their employment, housing or enrollment.Those most affected thus include working age adults who hope to improve their lot through a change in obtaining housing, employment or the pursuit of educational opportunity.This arrangement has the greatest impact on young p eople, while maintaining the status and position of established members of society.(Diversification of U.S. Medical Schools via Affirmative Action Implementation, 2003) BibliographyAn Affirmative Action Status Report: Evidence and Options. Retrieved 08 August 2007, from [http://www.puaf.umd.edu/IPPP/1QQ.HTM]Affirmative Action is Reverse Discrimination. Retrieved 08 August 2007, from [http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_eth_aa_reverse.htm]Affirmative Action – Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 08 August 2007, from [http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/affirmative-action/]Affirmative Action – Wikipedia Enyclopedia. Retrieved 08 August 2007, from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirmative_action#Arguments_In_Favor_of_Affirmative_Action]How Affirmative Action Effects Us All. Retrieved 08 August 2007, from [http://www.studyworld.com/newsite/ReportEssay/SocialIssues/Racial%5CHow_Affirmative_Action_Effects_Us_All-321553.htm]Myth: Affirmative Action is reverse discrimination. Fact: Affirmative Action is compensatory justice. Retrieved 08 August 2007, from [http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-reversediscrimination.htm]Shaheen Lakhan – Diversification of U.S. Medical Schools via Affirmative Action Implementation. BMC Medical Education. 2003.The Major Affirmative Action Cases: A Digest of the Record. Retrieved 08 August 2007, from [http://www.acenet.edu/bookstore/descriptions/making_the_case/legal/digest.cfm]What is Affirmative Action? – Pellissippi State Technical Community College. Retrieved 08 August 2007, from [http://www.pstcc.edu/organizations/affirmao/what_is_aa.htm]

What is the relationship between happiness and meaning?

The question of life’s meaning and the nature of man’s happiness is a philosophical question. The wish for meaning is a concern of every individual. Human drive and motivation are controlled by passion and the goal to achieve what they hope to conclude as success in order to be happy and contented in life. One can never be happy in the absence of any sense of fulfillment and contentment from any results that may arise from that action. There are several kinds of people in this world if we must define drifters, the meaningless or the empty, and the selfless. Where then in this category do we understand life meaning and its impact to happiness? The philosophy of life lies on the determination of the meaning of life.   Man fully concedes to the level of happiness preset by his own definition of success and self fulfillment distinguished by acceptance on the limitations and coverage of the meanings of life (Hudson 1996). Man creates and walks in the path of his own destiny compact with the belief and knowledge of what one should strive for along with the practical organization of emotions and interest to the best purpose for self. The practical man may not be interested in the concept of doing good for the society whose context and meaning of friendship are purely material and commonplace. His interest may focus more on what people can do for him. So any event in his life not in line with his principles creates dissatisfaction and unrest. Philosophy makes man stand firm on principles and values that goes beyond normal understanding of life and the world where sometimes choices are not justified by their consequences. This is a matter of individual self fulfillment building meanings around belief creating a philosophy that serve to preprogram and structure life visions and values. The matters of philosophy, meaning, fulfillment and happiness always go hand in hand. Happiness therefore is a matter of participation on something that has worth and value for the person that can in turn give him his personal definition of sense of fulfillment. A lot of people are unhappy because they demanded too much of themselves which made them unable to savor their feelings of pleasure n small accomplishments. Happiness is a degree of fit between a person’s expectations and results towards its extended joy or peace. We note then that the well being of man comes from how one understand virtue and social implications of daily behavior. Happiness does not revolve around material possessions, good health or good relationships because you may or may not have that and still feel unhappy. Happiness sometimes comes with a life filled with purpose and meaning knowing the source of life and surrendering one’s purpose in living say for example the life of Mother Teresa of Calcutta (Jacobs 1991).   The pursuit of good life ultimately leads to happiness making life meanings a passion that drives one to work selflessly for the well being and happiness of other people. Sometimes in life people need to realize that losing control and understanding the meaning of it could make a person happy. When one learns to forego and try not to shape events and people into what he wants these people to be then he may see himself happy. The best way to achieve happiness is to stop its pursuit of the inevitable but work one’s way around it. Life’s meaning is derived from self expressions and identity necessary to make life worth living. The meaning of life is contingent on the circumstances of life and is the measure of the nature of happiness of an individual. Meaning is then is the component of man’s happiness. Losing life’s meaning makes a person feel like a dead man walking in the face of the earth with no goal or direction. Most of the time, people who feel emptiness in their hearts normally ends their life or commits crime hurting other people because they don’t see the value of life. One may wonder why rich people could very well donate large sums of money like millions of dollars to other people. Selfless giving and knowing true happiness are derived from the meanings that they have set on their lives. Take for example Brad Pitt who donated five million dollars to rebuild New Orleans. You might wonder how one could work so hard to achieve riches and then give it away for the happiness of others. The meaning of selfless giving is the true wisdom of happiness. We say then that happiness is based on the philosophy of life’s meaning. It is very individualistic and sometimes hard to comprehend but it is the true meaning of happiness. References Hudson, D. W. (1996). Happiness and the limits of satisfaction. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publisher Inc. Jacobs, W. J. (1991). Mother Teresa: helping the poor. Brookfield, Connecticut: Millbrook Press.   

Airline History Jet Blue Airways Essay

â€Å"I will bring humanity back to air travel†. This was the gist of the message given by Jet Blue Airways CEO David Neeleman in February 2000 in New York City during the inauguration of its maiden flight from John F. Kennedy Airport to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. jetblue. com (2008). With initial capital of US$130 million, David Neeleman combined his experiences from three airline companies where he was previously connected and implemented an innovation of airline service marketing strategy centered on low cost fare and customer needs satisfaction that rocked the aviation business. Since its inception, JetBlue was associated and maintained its own service brand positioned as low cost airline with high quality customer service. The branding extends to the employees in terms of benefits and stock purchase options. For three consecutive years since its inception, the airline tested its new brand of air travel within the US different states. When enough experience was collected as to consumers acceptance of its unique brand of airline travel, the company embarked into the international flight market. It was in May 2004 that an international flight flew from New York’s JFK International Airport to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico (Peterson, 2004). Currently, JetBlue Airways flies to 54 destinations in 6 countries (jetblue. com, 2008). Jet Blue Airways’ business success is a proof of carefully analyzed plan of strategies centered on satisfying customer wants and needs. The strategies made the customer feel important and felt that Jet Blue cares for them (Jetblue. com/about/,2008). †¢ They offer tasty snacks and drinks Snacks are needed by flight customers though it’s a 45 minute flight only much so in a 5 hour flight. They provided this in response to the needs which they learned from customer complaints in most airlines. Instead of saying free snacks and drinks, they 2 present the message in a different way by saying â€Å"tasty snacks and drinks† †¢ They provide serious R&R. â€Å"JetBlue has made red-eyes a thing of the past with the introduction of our new Shut- Eye Serviceâ„ ¢ on all overnight flights from the West. On these Shut-Eye Flights Customers are enticed to sleep with the help of a Bliss ® Spa amenity kit containing breath-freshening mint lip balm, lemon+sage body butter, an eyeshade and ear plugs. Then, just prior to arrival, customers are treated to a â€Å"good morning† service of hot towels, and Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and tea, orange juice or bottled spring water. â€Å"(â€Å"Why you’ll like us†, jetblue. com/about, 2008). To this date, this kind of service is the only one of its kind in the airline industry. JetBlue did this to differentiate its service from other airlines regarding care for the customers. †¢ The company is offering great low fares with their own Bill of Rights. The customers, in their mind, JetBlue’s strategy is value for money fares, lower in cost than competitor airlines but with high priced quality service, their own way of aring for the customers. Satisfaction is guaranteed with customers’ Bill of Rights. †¢ Award-winning service Their service is with a smile, from the pilot to cabin attendant. Smile is a gesture meaning you are welcome, a great way of expressing we care. As of November 2008, the company garnered a total of 100 different awards including the most coveted Best Airline Award and Best Market Development Award (jetblue. com, 2008). †¢ The company is offering a customer loyalty program This program is designed to maintain loyal customers and indirectly use them in he promotion of their brand of service called â€Å" word of mouth†. The satisfied customer will always have the urge to tell others of their good experience with JetBlue. This is an excellent way and inexpensive promotional gimmick. 3 Signing up to the customer loyalty program is hassle-free because you can do it online. †¢ Offering exclusive features of cabin flight The following features are one and only of its kind in the aviation industry: direct TV programming, XM Satellite Radio, Fox InFlight movies and free wireless. JetBlue made these amenities available to their customers without any additional harge unlike other airlines and they were the first to offer this kind of amenities. †¢ Widest legroom for the customer to stretch The airplane Airbus 320 has the widest legroom between the seat rows thus letting the passengers feel relaxed and enjoy the flight. This is the most important feature of JetBlue planes. †¢ Jetting to Green â€Å"The Jetting to Green program offers JetBlue’s customers the opportunity to offset CO2 emissions generated by their travel. Upon completing their itinerary online, customers will have the option to link directly to www. carbonfund. org/jetblue to offset heir flight’s carbon footprint† (jetblue. com/green/, 2008, 1st para. ). This is the latest addition to the marketing strategies of the company which is in lined with company social responsibility of caring for the environment. The customers can help in maintaining environmental sustainability. No other airline has thought of this; only JetBlue. With the company’s offer for stock option purchase and the social responsibility consciousness in the conduct of its strategic operation, in addition to its being customer needs reactive, anyone will be proud to be a part of the company.

Finding the Ratio of Mole of Reactants in a Chemical Reaction

Title: Finding the Ratio of Mole of Reactants in a Chemical Reaction Purpose of Lab: To find the coefficients of two chemical reactants that appears in a balanced chemical equation using the continuous variations method. Pre Lab Questions: 1. 2AgNO3(aq) + K2CrO4(aq) > 2KNO3(aq) + Ag2CrO4(s) 2. There is enough to make a valid conclusion because, on the graph, one can clearly see that the two lines intersect. Thus, one can also determine the mole ratio. The mole ratio is approximately 2:1 (AgNO? to K? Cr? ). Procedure: 1.Obtain 175mL of the bleach solution in a clean 400mL beaker and 175mL of Solution B in another beaker. 2. Measure the temperature of both solutions and record. The solutions should be the same temperature. If they are not, you will need to make a correction for the temperature difference. 3. Using a clean 10mL graduated cylinder, measure 5. 0m: of NaClO and pour the solution into a Styrofoam cup. Using a clean 50mL graduated cylinder, measure 45. 0mL of Solution B and add this to the Styrofoam cup. 4. Stir with a thermometer, and record the maximum temperature reached of the final solution in your data table. . Pour the solution out, rinse the cup and thermometer, and repeat steps 1-4 using a different ratio of the two substances, always keeping the volume at 50. 0mL. 6. Continue testing various ratios until you have at least three measurements on each side of the one that gave the greatest temperature difference. 7. Plot your data on a graph, ? T ? vs. Reactant volume (mL). 8. Draw two best fit straight lines, and determine where they intersect. Be sure to include the points at the 0:50mL and 50:0mL rations. If at any points do not fall close to the lines, repeat these measurements.Find the stoichiometric mole ration of reactants from the line of intersection on the graph. Data: Initial Temp of both: 23. 5? Na2SO3 (mL)| NaClO(mL)| Max. Temp. (? )| 45. 0mL| 5. 0mL| 28. 9? | 5. 0mL| 45. 0mL| 27. 5? | 25. 0mL| 25. 0mL| 42. 3? | 40. 0mL| 10. 0mL| 33 . 4? | 10. 0mL| 40. 0mL| 30. 9? | 30. 0mL| 20. 0mL| 43. 5? | 20. 0mL| 30. 0mL| 38. 6? | Conclusion: In this lab we found the coefficients of two chemical reactants that appeared in a balanced chemical equation using the continuous variations method. The mole ratio turned out to be 1:1.One can be able to find the correct mole ratio after plotting the results on a graph that showed the trend of change in temperature. Theory: The theory of this experiment was continuous variation because it gives the stoichiometric ratios for the correct chemical equation if one does them correctly. Error Analysis: Instead of keeping just one initial temperature for all the tests, to make it more accurate, we could have measured the initial temperature of the solutions before each reaction. The exactness of the thermometer could have altered our results. Related essay: Measuring Reaction Rate Using Volume of Gas Produced LabAlso, there was an error in measuring the reactants using graduated cylinders. This most likely happened because graduated cylinders are not the most accurate way to measure a liquid. Post Lab Questions: 1. Different temperature changes occur when mixing different volumes of the two reactants. The experiment was made so the volume of solution and the total number of moles of reactants was a constant for all of  experiments, since temperature change was directly proportional to the amount of reactants. Therefore, the optimum ratio is the ratio of the volume of reactants.It consumed the greatest amount of reactants, formed the greatest amount of products, and generated the most heat and maximum temperature change 2. A constant volume of reactants must be kept in all trials so that the subsequent changes in temperature can be compared. They are proportional to the amount of reactants consumed in the reaction. 3. Ye s. The concentrations of  the two solutions must be the same in order for the stoichiometric mole ratio of the reactants to be accurate after the results of the trial are graphed because molar  concentration is moles of solute divided by liter of solution. . A limiting reagent is reactants in a chemical reaction that will be completely gone before all other reactants in the reaction are used up. This will also cause the reaction to stop. 5. Both measurements limit the precision of the data. The measurement of temperature limits the precision of the data to 3 significant figures. The thermometer used was able to be read to the tenths of a degree. On the other hand, the measurement of  volume limits the precision of the data to 2 significant figures.The graduated cylinders used, only could measure volume to the nearest mL and anything after that was an estimate. 6. The limiting reagent along the upward sloping line of the graph is Na? SO?. The limiting reagent along the downward slope line is NaClO. 7. Other physical properties that could be used in the method of continuous variation, besides temperature change, could be color change, the mass of a precipitate that forms, and/or the volume of a gas produced. 8.It is more accurate to use the point of intersection of the two lines to find the mole ratio rather than the ratio associated with the greater temperature change because one most likely did not use the exact mole ratio. Thus, the point of intersection is a more likely an average. Also, the maximum amount of each reactant might not have been used to get the highest temperature; the highest temp wouldn't necessarily have the highest mole to more ratios. 9. The average of the temperatures would be used as the initial temperature.Graph: Calculations: The intersection point was at approximately 28. 6 mL Na? SO3? and 21. 4 mL NaClO. Moles Na? SO3? = 0. 5 M(. 0286 L) = . 0143 moles Na? SO3? Moles NaClO = 0. 5 M(. 0214 L) = . 0107 moles NaClO .0143 moles Na? SO3? /. 0107 = 1. 34 moles Na? SO3? which rounds to the nearest whole number, 1 . 0107 moles NaClO/. 0107 = 1 mole NaClO The stoichiometric mole ratio is 1:1 for the reactants. The actual stoichiometric mole ratio for the reaction is 1:1.

Overall, Canada is a good country in which to live Essay

Overall, Canada is a good country in which to live - Essay Example Canada, despite a multilingual society where more than one language is understood and spoken uphold equality among the Canadian residents, and this is a common act practiced in Canada as they are taught moral values and concerns towards each other. Canadian populations have migrated into a situation of linguistic and ethnic subordination; there normally is no difficulty since the option of migration back to their home country provides a safety valve. Although Canada possesses a wide range of sociological problems involved in the contact between racial and ethnic groups with different mother tongues, but still despite ecological propositions about the nature of linguistic pluralism Government maintain such societies, who work toward unilingualism. The framework is then applied to the Canadian setting, focusing on two related but conceptually distinct events: first, the forces which determine how groups will adapt to the presence of others who speak different tongues; second, the long- run factors which determine whether pluralism will be maintained or evolve into a unilingual society. Most provinces provide only limited training in French, ensuring that all French Canadians will acquire English in the schools. In several instances, for example, French-language instruction can be made available up to an hour per day in the early grades. On the other hand, French is widely available as a second language in high schools and sometimes in earlier grades. Canada appreciates a unilingual society that is the main reason why Canadian children are being taught equality and brotherhood at elementary level. They are well groomed and well mannered. Canadian Government place high value on parenting with a polite attitude towards children. Canadian provisions include all the basic necessities for the child’s healthy physical, mental and psychological growth. Even certain provisions start before birth of a

Nature vs. Nurture in Intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nature vs. Nurture in Intelligence - Essay Example He went on to analyze biographical dictionaries and encyclopedias, and became convinced that talent in science, the professions, and the arts, ran in families. This suggestion became know as eugenics, "the study of the agencies under social control that may improve or repair the racial qualities of future generations, either physically or mentally." Galton wanted to speed up the process of natural selection, stating that: "What Nature does blindly, slowly, and ruthlessly, man may do providently, quickly, and kindly". Galton was convinced that "intelligence must be bred, not trained". Such arguments have had massive social consequences and have been used to support apartheid policies, sterilization programs, and other acts of withholding basic human rights from minority groups. In the heyday of eugenic IQ testing in the 1920s there was no evidence for the heritability of IQ. It was just an assumption of the practitioners. Today that is no longer the case. The heritability of IQ (whatever IQ is!) is now a hypothesis that has been tested - on twins and adoptees. The results really are quite startling. No study of the causes of intelligence has failed to find a certain and often substantial heritability. What varies from study to study is the amount that can be attributed to heritability. Evidence in favour of "nurture" "Give me a dozen healthy infants & my own specific world to bring them up in, & I'll guarantee to take any one at random & train him to become any type of specialist I might select - doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant, chef & yes, even beggar & thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors." - John B. Watson, 1924 This was a famous quote in the heyday of behaviorism, when the child was considered to be a 'tabula rasa' (blank slate) onto which anything could be sculpted through environmental experience. This would be a 100% environmental view, but virtually no psychologists would accept such an extreme position today. So, what can we say about nature vs. nurture as causal determinants of intelligence A conservative, seemly safe position is that: "In the field of intelligence, there are three facts about the transmission of intelligence that virtually everyone seems to accept: 1. Both heredity and environment contribute to intelligence. 2. Heredity and environment interact in various ways. 3. Extremely poor as well as highly enriched environments can interfere with the realization of a person's intelligence, regardless of the person's heredity" (Sternberg & Grigorenko, 1997, p.xi). 4. Although most would accept a causal role of genetics, the exact genetic link and how it operates is very far from being understood - another point that most psychologists would agree on. It is certainly not a single gene, but a complex

Fashion and technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Fashion and technology - Essay Example The essay "Fashion and technology" analyzes the examples of design that integrate fashion and technology. This essay also talks about the ideas about the body-machine, the cyborg body etc. Since the evolution of the fabric design, cloth fashions have evolved remarkably in accordance with the changing human behaviours and needs. During the ancient times, clothing was not a prime concern for human beings, and materials such as animal skin were used to cover the human body. The advent of the fabric revolution saw the introduction of well designed suits and fabrics. These suits and fabrics were made from exotic materials in order to offer protection from the adverse environmental conditions. Today, man has shown his ingenious capability by engineering clothing designs and fashions that no one could have ever thought of during the fabric evolution. The modern technology has become the principal driving force for all the advancements in the fashion industry. Science is playing a key role i n the fashion industry, and it has brought about the introduction of novel materials that have changed the quality and adaptability of fabrics in the fashion industry. These materials that have so far assumed the name of smart materials allow fashion designers to come up with the so-called bright fabrics within the fashion industry. High-end technology such as atomic force microscopy and polymeric nanofibres are currently applied in designing, manufacturing and quality assessment of emerging fabrics.

Managing Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managing Performance - Essay Example Likewise, the organization will be active, physically, statistically, economically etc due to the organized activity of the workers and the departments. Like brain in the human body, the leader of the organization in the form CEO (Chief Executive Officer), MD (Managing Director), Chairman, manager, supervisors etc will put his/her brain and manage the various human filled departments. So, organized human activity is planned and controlled flow of human energy. So, if organized or planned activity is carried out with precision, the organization will be a success. But, precision in organizing or planning cannot be done without the initiatives of the workers and departments and also without a knowledgeable, capable and powerful initiator. Like the five different fingers in one’s hand, each human is different from one another having different characters, attitudes, education, background etc, etc†¦And the unison of these different humans under a single organization to reach a target is, and will always be a difficult proposition. As these different humans could only create a different working culture, the success rate will be minimal. If a common working culture, if correctly said, the perfect, feasible and winnable working culture is ‘operationalised’, through out the organization, the organization will be a success story. The script for the success story could only be scripted by an effective leader or manager. With this optimum working culture the performance of the management can be increased manifold. So, this paper will critically explore the difficulties in efforts to manage employee performance and how the organization and its leader or manager can try different methods to get optimum performance. While trying these different methods or approaches, the organization would face potential problems, but if the methods are carried out perfectly it

World Class Operation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

World Class Operation - Essay Example According to the report findings the main role of benchmarking is to provide the management with the necessary information and knowledge of what composes the best performance in a certain field. Superior performance is mainly connected to output, efficiency, quality and other parameters that are related to performing a certain job. Therefore, benchmark not only investigates the best practices to improve the performance in the organization but the ways to achieve this performance. As a result, benchmarking is not a process of understanding the measurements but understanding the conditions necessary to achieve the desired results, the necessary results, and competency required in order to achieve top performance in the organization. As the research declares benchmarking has an important role of enhancing transparency in the organization. This is through enabling the organization to scrap off different aspects that hinder the flow of information from one department to the other. Through information sharing, the organization is able to understand the best practices to put in place in order to improve service delivery to the customers. The level of transparency and accountability within the organization is enhanced tremendously. The purpose of benchmarking is to enable the organization to develop realistic goals and strategies that will improve the performance of the organization. Benchmarking has an important purpose of providing the organization with a sense of urgency for improvement.

Strategic Mapping Of A Dubai Based Hospitality Organization - Jebel Essay

Strategic Mapping Of A Dubai Based Hospitality Organization - Jebel Ali International - Essay Example Jebel International Hotel strategies will be analysed using tools for business analysis such as SWOT, five forces model and value chain management. The Dubai Based Hospitality Organisation Jebel Ali Gold Resort & Spa is located in Jebel Ali, 2.5 Km away. It a forty minutes drive from Dubai International Airport and city centre. The hotel is situated in 128 acres piece of land with stunning natural feature. The hotel is housed in a five storey building commonly known as the legend of Dubai. The entrance to the hotel is signified by its famous blue marble that is faceable from a distance meaning one is entering a world class hotel. Within the building are a number of shops and boutiques where the hotel guests do their shopping. Many people prefer to take their family at this hotel or even for business stay. 1 Jebel International hotel is part of Dutco Group of Companies that was established by Yousuf Baker in 1947. The late Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum re-constituted the company the same year and it became Limited Liability Company. 2 The management of the hotel ensure that they spot the emerging trend in what their customers look for in a hotel. They ensure they identify a new opportunity for exploitation in order for them to have a large market share in terms of hotel clients. The demographic analysis shows that Jebel Ali Gold Resort & Spa is located in a conducive environment for the purpose of attracting more customers and retaining the current one. This was done after doing a feasibility study in their market and hotel industry at large and offers what their competitors are not offering. This ensures that the hotel made better decisions in terms of marketing and facilities for their hotel. (Jebel Ali International Hotels, 2006) By forecasting on their customers' tastes and preferences, the management of Jebel International Hotel are able to satisfy them by ensuring they offer world class services in their hotel. This competitive advantage ensures that the hotel attracts and retains customers and by the time their competitors adopt their new technology, they have already made enough sales. Jebel International Hotel has strengths for being one of the leading companies in the hospitality industry in the Middle East. This is so because it has created a brand name in the industry thereby it has a strength against it competitors. Strengths also can be seen in the capacity of the Hotel. The hotel is built in a five storey building hence it has a large capacity in terms of accommodating visitors. Since the hotel has a large visitor's capacity, it is able to accommodate more visitors against its competitors. Rarely can one get at their hotels and miss a room to stay. Visitors to the hotel are usually welcomed and escorted to their beautiful rooms. This excellent customer service ensures that customers always come back after being treated well by the employees of the hotel. This kind of strength enables the hotel to always prevail in the market in terms of the number of visitor's visiting the hotel. This increase the sales of the company hence they remunerate their employees fairly. 3 The infrastructure on the other hand are excellent hence are strengths to the Hotel thereby ensure that the hotel

Graffiti Identification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Graffiti Identification - Essay Example Graffiti have been an issue of concern to the members of different communities because of their impacts. There are positive impacts but the negative impacts have been found to override the positive impacts. Graffiti can be traced back to Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. Today, most of those who do graffiti do it on the subways and walls of big cities and vehicles among other areas. Most of the sharp instruments like pencils, marker pens and even knives serve as mediums of creating graffiti. Many people have had the mentality that areas with graffiti are unsafe. According to Morgan and Louis (2009), the term graffiti refers to informal marks, scratching, carvings, drawings or even paintings made on people’s property without their authorization. Graffiti is of different kinds and each kind has its particular characteristics. For example, Hip hop graffiti has a characteristic of mural paintings and ‘tagging’. Graffiti has often been criticized as causing negating impacts to the community, and it is very difficult to convince some of the people otherwise. However, what should be understood is that there are positively motivated graffiti. The following are some of the positive impacts of graffiti: 1. Promotes young talent: Most of the time, graffiti have been seen as causing a lot of damage to the community. However, it is one way of promoting the talents of young people. Graffiti has been seen as inspiring to young artists since they get the opportunity to show case their creative sides. For example, South Ayrshire’s community safety partnership has helped young people from the town of Wallacetoun on a graffiti project (South Ayrshire Council, 2013). 2. Conveying a message: Some kinds of graffiti have been used to convey messages, especially to the authorities when people are not happy with their administration. Graffiti is used as a peaceful way of demonstrating. It has been seen to provide people with a platform to participate in pu blic conversation or debate (Morgan & Louis, 2009). They can also be used to communicate messages of road safety and show the commitment of people involved in the art. 3. Improvement of abandoned buildings in the community: Unused buildings and underpasses tend to improve when graffiti are drawn on them. This is achieved when good quality and non-offensive graffiti is used to brighten areas that have not undergone renovation for a long time, thus improving the environment around them (Campbell, 2008). Negative Impacts The following are the negative impacts that have resulted from graffiti: 1. It is expensive: It has proven very difficult to estimate the cost of graffiti in general; however, there are different ways that show that graffiti is expensive to the community. The cost that comes in with cleaning graffiti from the walls is very high (Morgan & Louis, 2009). Thus the community might spend a lot of money that would have been channeled to better projects, in

Global Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Global Business Strategy - Essay Example This further asserts that liberalism and structuralism dominates and applies to WTO system as an organization that is weaving global influence in world political economy. Liberalism, National Protectionism and Structuralism Liberalism theory is etymologically derived from individual’s love of freedom and democratic principles. Applied to governance, liberalism adheres to liberal democracy which is inclined to more peaceful administration of government. Pluralist liberalism contends that the inequitable distribution of power cause gaps and may result to international conflict while economic liberalism rest on economic interdependence of states to establish peace and cooperation (WTO, 2011). In regulatory processes, liberal policies and foreign relations are driven by the principle of accommodation. Under liberalism, individuals and private groups seek to promote their independent interests within the context of differentiation, individual autonomy and an unlimited competition b y seizing either absolute or comparative advantage (Roy, 2011). It seeks to limit the role of the state in the economic activities. Economic nationalism, on the other hand, refers to the set of policies which regulate the capital generation, economic control, labor management. Capital generation also deals with tariff imposition and some restriction on the movement of labor, goods and capital (The Economist, 2009). It is contrary to globalization, liberalization and unrestricted free trading. It seeks to assert the role of the state in managing national economy. Cross-national trading is consistent to economic protectionism and import substitution. As a consequence of this, economic protectionism extols the imposition of tariff trade to control national involvement in international trading and encourage their local industries to cultivate their business, unions and market for domestic competitiveness (Economist, 2009). Roy (2011) pointed that a country barring economic liberalizatio n would confront problem on decreasing trade relations and poor strategy in trade management. Under mercantile operations, protectionist economy prefer the exclusive trading within a region or country, hence, their raw materials and resources are not exported but are utilized for its own populace. Developing internal competitiveness proved advantageous for them to nourish their independence, inventiveness and innovation in managing domestic markets (Economist, 2009). It’s likewise aimed at stimulating its economy, free from external compulsion and to revolve their finances within. It is against foreign acquisition of national resource for multinational-sourced developments. Structuralism is a theory which focuses on framework or models about how an institution or organization coordinate and interrelate for the full completion of their tasks Structuralism relates to the ties of government and its people in an interrelated social fabric and operation of governance (Balaam & Dil ham, 2010). In trading, this points to the relation of investing countries to host nations in international trading relations. Since structure binds people, the political and economic relations are likewise sensitive to system of social behavior, culture, economic dynamism or political processes. It illustrates some frameworks and policies that are maybe extensive, diverse and sometimes complicated, especially on international market relations between less developed countries and the industrial or

Issues in Human Resource Strategies That Improve Organizational Performance Essay Example for Free

Issues in Human Resource Strategies That Improve Organizational Performance Essay A rapidly changing economic environment, characterized by such phenomena as the globalization, and deregulation of markets, changing customer and investor demands, and ever increasing product market competition, has become the norm for most organization. To compete, they must continually improve their performance by reducing costs; innovating products and processes; improving quality, productivity, and speed to market; and more importantly by improving their individual performance within the organization. In order to do this, a set of distinctive human resource strategies, defined as internally consistent bundles of human resource practices (Dyer Reeves, 1995), is clearly essential. Sparrow and Marchington (1998) suggested that HR practices are the most advanced, the most sophisticated, and the most efficient basis for organizing and for obtaining high performance from employees since it seeks to strategically integrate the interests of an organization and its employees. In addition, a number of studies have also indicated that there is a positive relationship between effective HR strategies and organizational performance. Specifically, it is suggested that HR practices can improve organizational and operational performance when matched with quality manufacturing strategies (Stone, 2002). Nevertheless, despite the positive relationship found between HR practices and firm performance, there are a number of issues and questions surrounding them. One problem in relating HRM and performance is the lack of theoretical background; resulting in both terms remain ambiguous concepts. Other questions arise in relation with the link between HR strategies and performance are the inconsistent findings in regards to what constitutes a high performance HR strategy (Becker Gerhart, 1996; Cooke, 2001) and the problems with HRM and performance measurements (Guest et al. , 2003). The aim of this essay is to outline and explain the issues in developing human resource strategies that improve organizational performance. Specifically, the essay shall begin with presenting the issue of theoretical background of the concept of HRM and organizational performance. Subsequently, it shall discuss the issue about diversified strategies used to improve performance, and the problems in measuring HRM and performance. ?HRM and Organizational Performance: The Lack of Theoretical Background Guest (1997) pointed out that to improve our understanding of the impact of HRM on performance; we need a theory about HRM, a theory about performance, and a theory about how they are linked. Unfortunately, there has been a great deal of debates amongst leading researchers and practitioners about the concept and contributions of HRM practice in managing employees in overall organizational objectives (Loosemore, Dainty Lingard, 2003; Analoui, 1998; Sparrow Marchington, 1998). McCarthy and Stone (1986) argued that the concept of HRM is ambiguous and that its contribution to organizational performance remains unclear and is not well understood. In addition, Sparrow and Marchington (1998) pointed out that rather than adding value to the business through its strategic integration with managerial objectives, HRM can remain a disappointingly mechanistic function. Similarly, there is no universal theory about performance (Guest, 1997). It was proposed that the meaning of performance involves two dimensions; the types of criteria and the weight of each. Organizations have different interpretations of performance according to the sector of their industries. Service providers, for example, might consider customer satisfaction as their top performance indicator, while manufacturers might view inventory level as an important criterion to measure their performance level. In addition, some organizations put financial results on top of their performance indicator list and employee’s job satisfaction at the bottom, but others may view this in the opposite position. As a result, it is hard, if not impossible, to define the concept of performance that applicable for all organizations. The impact of HR practices on firm performance is without a doubt an important topic in the fields of human resource management, industrial relations, and industrial and organizational psychology (Huselid, 1995; Jones Wright, 1992). This literature, although largely conceptual, concludes that HR practices can help to create a source of sustained competitive advantage, especially when they are aligned with a firm’s competitive strategy (Jackson Schuler, 1995; Wright McMahan, 1992, both as cited in Huselid, 1995). Specifically, a large majority of published studies found an association between HR practices and firm performance, regardless of whether they are cross-sectional or longitudinal, whether conducted at establishment or company level, whether based on strong performance data or subjective estimates, whatever sector they are based on, whatever operational definition of HRM is used, and wherever they are conducted (Guest et al. , 2003). Nevertheless, despite the positive thrust of most empirical findings, Wood and de Menezes (1998, as cited in Guest et al. 2003) failed to find consistent associations between HRM and performance. Furthermore, Wood (1999) has also argued that the relationship between HRM and performance is relatively weak. One possible explanation lies in the various contingency factors, other than HR activities, that might contribute to organizational performance such as organizational culture (Kotter Heskett, 1992; Van der Post et al. , 1998), business strategy (Richard Brown Johnson, 1999), and political considerations (Ferris et al. 1998). ?Improvement Strategies: Is There One Best Way? Much of the research on the link between HRM and firm performance has looked at single HR practice such as compensation or selection, while others attempted to look on the impact of combining different HR practices to improve firm performance (Becker Gerhart, 1996). Pfeffer (1998, as cited in Tyson, 1997), for instance, put forward a seven-principle best practice which he believed is universally applicable. The seven best practice HRM elements include; employment security, selective hiring, self managed teams, high compensation contingent on organizational performance, extensive training, reduction of status difference, and information sharing. Theoretically, bundling several HR practices should produce greater performance effects than any of the individual human practices (Dyer Reeves, 1995). However, in reality, there is no single standardized bundle of HR strategies that is universally applicable for all organizations. Each firm might require different bundles of HR strategies to improve its organizational performance.