How would you direct act 1 scene 3 of Macbeth? Essay

Through this essay, I aim to present my ideas as to how I would direct act 1 scene 7 of Macbeth. I will also analyse the text and explain what I think it means. In my play, the two characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth would be like nothing before. Throughout the play, the characters would distinctly change; in fact Macbeth and Lady Macbeth would practically switch rolls. For example, to begin with, Macbeth is soft, weak of mind, and it is Lady Macbeth who leads him and pushes him forward. Through this scene, she should appear to be wicked, even evil, and this should especially stand out in this scene. The point in the scene were I would make this very apparent, are between the lines 54 – 59. Here, lady Macbeth states her loyalty for Macbeth, when she says ‘I have given suck and know how tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dash the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this.’ The way I would direct the actor through this is as follows. I would have her pause between the words ‘smiling’ and ‘in’ to show that the very thought of her child’s face really does have an effect on her, and that she is not all evil, although the insight into this side of LM would be so short the audience should wonder if they even saw it. Then, the phrase ‘dash the brains out’ she would mime a moment, as if she was performing the act. This is just one example of how I want LM co come across in the play; a wicked, scary and evil, but you should have the feeling that she isn’t all bad or perhaps, so wasn’t always this evil. Later though, when Macbeth kills the king he suddenly changes from weak one, to evil one, it should almost appear that LM and M switched characters as at that point LM breaks down, and becomes the weak one of the two. In 16th c, women had a very different role to the one they have today. My research shows this through several ways, but the major one is that if a man considered a woman to be a potentional trouble maker, he would accuse her of being a witch, there by having her killed. This meant that women couldn’t stand out in any way, leaving the responsibilities of gaining honour and power to the men. Through the play I want to show this clearly. I will do so by having LM aggressive while it is only she and M. but as soon as they are in other company, she is quiet and submissive only reminding M by shooting him glare after glare. The way people acted in the 16th c. should show through the play. For instance, honour in the 16th c. was a major part of society. This will show through M character in the play, especially at the beginning of act 1 scene 7, when M is making his soliloquy and telling LM of his decision (to not kill the king). I would direct the actor to strain his voice while making it appear as if he was trying to protect his honour when he says ‘he’s here, in double trust:’ and ‘I am his kin’s man and his subject’ then ‘as his host I should against his murder shut the door’. He should emphasize on the words ‘host’, ‘against’ and ‘kin’s man’. By doing this, the actor is showing that if he were to kill the king, then his honour would be tarnished. At the time the play was written, king James 1 was in power. For this reason I think the play, was written as it would greatly appeal to the king. – ‘The man who killed his fellow king, watch how his life is destroyed!’ I would want this to show through my play, as I want to keep the play as true to the original as possible in this respect, as it would give the play another layer of depth and therefore make it more interesting. My version of this scene would be set in a 16th c. city, during a large feast hosted by the Macbeth’s in the city centre. M is down a side ally when LM joins him part way through the scene. Throughout the scene M and LM are both tense as they are nervous about anyone walking in on them. The reason I would set it in the 16th c. is because honour was a major part of society which is one of my main themes of the play, along with King James being in power at the time. Also in the 16th c. community events involving the entire town/city were not uncommon, making my version of act 1 scene 7 perfectly viable. The reason I’ve chosen to set it in a city is to fit in with the story but to make it totally unique. It would allow for everyone to get drunk including Duncan’s guard, which intern allows the murder to take place in a unique way, with LM and M travailing out doors to reach the king’s quarters. The way this would work is as follows: the king would be down stairs in one of the houses bordering the city centre, with one other man (his guard). While everyone else is asleep, slumped over benches and of the like LM and M would silently make their way over the bodies to the city centre. I would create tension by the music which I would put in place and having some of the people stirring in and out of sleep as the Macbeth’s pass. Then when they finally reach the king’s quarters, a man is lying across the front door causing M to enter through the window. Then when M climbs through the window into the room where Duncan is asleep, the lights will dim leaving, a candle lit glow illuminating the room. When the murder takes place the dim orange glow would dramatically switch to a vibrant blood red. Simultaneously a white light will illuminate both of the Macbeth’s faces showing clearly their expressions. M has a faint grin on his face as he takes strength from the act, while LM shrivels and becomes by far the weaker of the two. This is the point in the play where their characters switch. I would want my play to stand out from the rest, and to do that I would update the language. I think this would help younger students, understand the play resulting in a far wider audience. However I wouldn’t want a very young audience, as it is not suitable. However to keep it in theme with the 16th c. ideas I would not be able to update all the language in the play. An example of this would be in act 1 scene 7 where LM states ‘he has almost supped, why have you left the chamber?’ this would translate into ‘the meal has almost finished, why have you left the feast?’ This still holds much of the original meaning but it is far easier to understand making it more enjoyable for some people. Apart from this, I wouldn’t change anything else in the play, as I think it would distract from the main story because I would be more focused on the alterations than the story line, thus distracting from the meaning of the play. Shakespeare uses this scene to explore several themes. The first of these is honour. I would display this strongly through M before he kills the king, and then after when he has no honour everything falls apart in his life. (What happens to him was written as a warning, to please the king). I would display the transition from honour to dishonour as described earlier. I would also have LM fearful when she realises that she and her husband have made a terrible mistake. This shows that honour is very important and without it you have nothing. The 2nd theme is the concept of people being two faced. This would radiate from LM in this scene. I have chosen this as one of my themes as I think I could get a lot across throughout the play based on this. It tallies well with LM’s character- evil (even though she reveals it to M alone). Through act 1 scene 7 I would have LM be very tense and conscience that someone could over hear their conversation. To emphasise the evil side of her I would not only have her speak slowly between the lines 48-59, but also between lines 35-44. I would have her layer her voice with malice and occasionally pausing for effect. This would create a contrast between the perfect LM and the ‘evil’ wife M. the final theme I will have is power and the need the Macbeth’s have for it. To make this theme stand out in act 1 scene 7, I would have LM labour on the words ‘wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life,’ these words state, ‘do you not want the highest achievement?’ which is the highest achievement of power. This displays the greed of power and wealth that LM has and simultaneously appealing to her husbands greatest desire- power. In my version of act 1 scene 7, the two characters of M and LM will really show their ‘true colours’. At the beginning of the scene when LM hasn’t yet walked in, M starts off with his soliloquy. This soliloquy is the equivalent to what M is thinking. He states that he doesn’t really want to kill Duncan when he says ‘not bear the knife myself’ it is at this point that M fully decides he will not kill Duncan. After this, all he does is give reasons why it is a good thing he is not going through with murdering him. Through the soliloquy, M talks himself out of murdering his king and ‘kinsman’. He comes up with lots of reasons for instance the king is in ‘double trust’ and he is ‘his host’. This soliloquy should clearly declare the state M’s mind is in as he acts out his thoughts to the audience. The audience should clearly see that M is very unstable and is torn between power and the right thing. †˜But here upon this Blanc and shoal of time, we’d jump the life to come. But in these cares we still have judgement’. However simply reading the words out would not convey the depth of meaning I wish to convey. So I would have the actor show unrest in the first few lines. Then as the soliloquy goes on M should become slowly more confident, then when he reaches his decision not to kill the king, he finally has the courage to hold his head high. This represents the battle going on inside his mind. Once the battle is resolved however M is confident and clear minded as he knows what he thinks he’ll do. Throughout the soliloquy all that can be heard is M talking as the audience are effectively hearing what is inside M’s head. The way M works the issue though his mind is by coming up with lots of reasons why not to kill Duncan, while totally ignoring his greed for power, resulting in a temporary decision. For example he starts of by saying, ‘first as I am his kinsman and his subject strong both against the deed’, then ‘this Duncan have borne his faculties so meek, hath been so clear in his great office that his virtues will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued against the deep damnation of his taking off.’ Then he goes on to say, ‘and pity, like a naked newborn babe striding the blast, or heaven’s cherub s horsed upon the slightest couriers of the air, shall blow the horrid deed in every eye, that tears shell drown the wind.’ Through these examples of M reckoning with himself, we can see an argument which first stacks his honour, ‘first as I am his kinsman and his subject’. And then how he would be effected. It says that the ‘cherubs would blow it in every eye’, and that ‘the wind would be filled with tears’. This shows that, if he does commit the deed, he will be discovered, as ‘angelic children’ watch over Duncan. Which basically means he is in Gods favour, ergo, with God against him, M cannot hope to win, and would surly be found out. When LM walks in at the end of the soliloquy, M tells her that ‘they will do no further in this business’. (That he won’t kill Duncan). When he tells LM this, h er immediate reaction is shock, (I would direct the actor to look taken aback when M says the line ‘He hath honoured me of late,’. It would be it that point because when M says ‘we will proceed no further in this business’ she isn’t quite sure what he means). This would be shortly followed by anger, ‘was the hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself?’ LM then very quickly rallies on M and begins to brutally persuade him again to kill Duncan. First of all, she calls him a coward by saying ‘art thou afraid to be the same in thine own act and valour, as thou art in desire?’ She then goes on to say that he lacks ‘manliness’. However, the stroke that wins M back to her way of thinking is often interpreted as evil, (between lines 54 – 59). These lines show LM terrifying loyalty, and word wise, make her sound totally evil. These lines shock M (and the audience, especially at the time it was written) into going along with the plan. I would show this on stage, by having M shrink away from LM, and wincing at the key words. I think that Shakespeare wanted to have the effect of totally shocking the audience, and I would want to do the same. However, I think Shakespeare intended to shock his audience through the fact that the character is evil, I would, however, rely on modern society and the fact that most people would be horrified by the thought of ‘dashing the brains out’ of a ‘newborn babe’. I would also have the background noise of laughter and singing throughout these lines, to create an eerie silence. Lighting wise, I would have a harsh white light shining across the stage at them to wash out all colour and create a scene of death and evil. All this should have the effect of shock and almost disbelief on the audience as I would want these lines to be burned into their memories, because they are the most poignant lines in the play. They carry so many connotations that without them being remembered, the entire purpose of the scene would be lost. As soon as LM has finished this speech, M makes one final attempt to redirect LM by saying (feebly), ‘if we should fall?’ but LM sweeps the words away like the feeble attempt it was. From then on, the rest of the scene if dominated my LM as M is still in reprieve from what LM said; (As the audience should be). At the end of the scene, the characters of M and LM are finally in agreement. LM has convinced M to go through with murdering Duncan, his ‘kinsman’. So, at the end of the scene, LM is fully in command, but this will soon change. Throughout act 1 scene 7 are devices designed to make it stand out. The first one seen in this part of M is the soliloquy. Through this Shakespeare wanted to captivate the audience for the scene that would follow. I would make this device work by introducing lighting, sound, and directing the actors. Personally I would make the soliloquy work by firstly working on M. he would be wearing makeup, put on to make him look tired and drawn. M the scene on stage, with his head hanging low, He would begin speaking feverishly then as the soliloquy develops, he should become stronger and more confident, as described before. The turning point in the soliloquy is when M realises what he was planning was ‘wrong’ and that it was doomed to fail. Ergo, he decides not to kill Duncan. At this point M lifts his head and says triumphantly ‘he is here in double trust’. At this point the lighting would become lighter and warmer, both representing the revelation in his mind. This lighting will be effective, as it will be in total contrast to the previous lighting, which was a harsh white. If this were to be made into a film, I would place a heroic, but faint tune in the background, played by a brass band to add to the texture and connotations of the play. The second device used by Shakespeare is ‘violent imagery’. This device come through the play on several occasions, for instance, when LM displays her loyalty and depth of commitment while trying to bring her husband back on course. This device has major importance throughout the play. An example of how I would direct a section of this is between lines 54 – 59. I would have LM act out the phrases ‘pluck my nipple from his boneless gums’ and ‘dash the brains out’. This is designed to help the audience visualise what she is saying, therefore having a larger, and deeper impact. Unlike before, even if this was made into a film, I would have no music underneath, as this might distract form the lines. The same goes for in the theatre; I would not place any music underneath, as the words are powerful enough! Act 1 scene 7 is a very important scene in the play ‘Macbeth’. It is during this scene that the most important decision is made. it was also during this scene that the most dramatic and most memorable lines throughout the play are said by LM,(her son â€Å"dash his brains out†).It is also the first time that M attempts to stand up to LM. In short, had this scene of the play been lost or forgotten the entire play would also have been forgotten, as this scene, is by far the most memorable scene, and makes it a classic. In my version of this scene, I would strive to make the audience pity M for his weak mind and be shocked by LM with her brutal ways. I would want this response because it would indicate that the audience had understood the meaning, and that I had directed it well. Out of everything that is said in this scene, I think that what LM said between lines 54 and 59 are the most pivotal and provocative because is at that moment in the play, that it becomes cl ear this story will last for centuries. And this essay is living proof. The audience are meant to feel sorry for M at the beginning of the scene, as it should be clear, he is in a mess. However, they should shortly feel resentment towards him, when they watch how LM manipulates him, (i.e. calling him a ‘coward’ and attacking his manliness). I am fairly sure that Shakespeare wanted the same, and therefore I want to achieve the same. My views on this scene are very similar to want I have directed throughout this essay. I think that M is very unstable and up until he kills Duncan has very little confidence. He relies heavily on LM to make many of the decisions and to motivate him. I think, on the other hand that Lady Macbeth is not evil. I think that she is a strong minded woman who craved power and had t o motivate her weak husband to get it for her. (A sign of the times). Later in the play, when Duncan is killed I think that M gains confidence with his new status and the ease with which he got it. In contrast LM realised the enormous mistake they had made and began to break down. As a whole, I think the play is packed with morals and at the time was written to please the current king. (King James 1). Amazingly, I think it relates to today’s society very well with one of the main themes being ‘you cannot read people by their outward appearances’. As in these days the world seems to over value and focuses too much on image. Therefore this plays still bears a powerful and very meaningful message, even today, 500 years later.

Genetically Modified Foods One World Essay

Genetically Modified Foods One World Essay Did you know that we’ve been eating genetically modified foods for the past 10 years? It’s in about 70-75% of our nation’s food. Our food supply has greatly improved. Today we are going to find out what are genetically modified foods. Genetically modified foods are foods that have been engineered in the laboratory. They are improved in many ways. In the first part of my speech I will talk about the genetic modification technology in food and agriculture, locating improvements. In the second part I will include a debate about food safety, consumer attitudes and other concerns.Newspapers frequently carry stories about genetically modified food. The biotechnology agricultural age is occurring. Scientists had an idea to make food have better appearance, growth, and taste. In genetic engineering you take the best food available and add the few characters you are interested in so that you’re breeding efficiency is incre ased. The last century was a time of big changes in genetic engineering. Humanity made huge steps toward creating new life. Experiments with creating human were not successful, but the whole world was watching the experiment with sheep Dooley, which became first cloned animal.It was first such a big succeeded experiment and as a result almost everyone knew the last news about the sheep. However a big achievement was made in modifying new plants and crops. In the 21st century genetically modified products already became a part of our life. Every day new genetic products appear in shops and it becomes harder to find healthy food which does not contain any added chemical components. Apples during the winter time, oranges which become ripe twice faster than their period of ripening and tomato bushes which can survive very cold weather prove that biological world had experienced a lot of changes.Experiments are being made, new plants are being produced for a quite a long period of time, however genetically modified products is one of the hotly debatable topics today. The benefits of gene technology in terms of food production are enormous. The most common genetically engineered crops contain modifications that make the plants resistant to certain diseases and herbicides, or allow them to produce their own pesticides, thereby eliminating or reducing the need to spray.So-called â€Å"Bt corn,† for example, contains a gene resistant to the harmful mycotoxin fungus and herbicide producers, Monsanto have created a strain of soybeans genetically modified to be unaffected by their product Roundup. The soybean farmer therefore can avoid targeting specific weeds and require just one application of a general weed-killer, reducing costs and agricultural waste run-off. Genetically modified crops are also being adapted to grow in salty, dry or frosty environments, contain edible vaccines, have a longer shelf life and be more nutritious.A group of Swiss and German scienti sts recently developed a strain of GM rice known as ‘golden rice’ due to its altered color. Containing genes that produce a unusually high amount of beta-carotene (vitamin A), this rice could be a solution to the thousands of poor children in Asia who eat little but rice and go blind or die from lack of vitamin A. Public reaction to the use of recombinant DNA in genetic engineering however has been mixed. Sliding US export commodities such as genetically modified soybeans and corn have highlighted hardened public opinion and widespread resistance to biotech crops, especially in the European Union.Concerns about GM foods fall into three categories: economics, environmental hazards and human health risks. The latter two have been the subject of hot debate, both in Australia and overseas. Environmental damage from GM crops can be caused through various channels. One of the main concerns has been the possibility of gene transfer to a non-target species, that is crops engine ered for herbicide tolerance and weeds cross-breeding, resulting in the transfer of the herbicide resistance to create ‘super weeds’.In addition, environmentalists fear that transgenic plants may proliferate rapidly, pollinating natural plants in their surroundings eliminating existing species. Further environmental suspicions include those of unintended harm to other organisms and of the reduced effectiveness of pesticides once insects become tolerant to a crop’s natural pesticide. Questions have also been raised on the human impact of genetically modified organisms.Critics of recombinant DNA fear that the pathogenic, or disease-producing organisms used in some recombinant DNA experiments might develop extremely infectious forms that could cause worldwide epidemics. Likewise, the unknown effect of foreign genes introduced into GM food crops in terms of human health also presents a controversial issue. Furthermore, there is a possibility that introducing a gene i nto a plant may create a new allergen or cause an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals. A proposal to incorporate a gene from Brazil nuts into soybeans in order to increase their nutritional value was abandoned hen it was found that the genetically engineered soybeans caused an allergic reaction in people sensitive to Brazil nuts. For these reasons, extensive testing and labeling of GM foods may be required to avoid the possibility of harm to consumers with food allergies. Biotechnology has started to revolutionize food production, with fantastic results. With the world population of 6 billion expected to double in the next 50 years and an adequate food supply becoming a major challenge it will no doubt continue to do so in the future.

Nurses Knowledge and Competency Research Proposal

Nurses Knowledge and Competency - Research Proposal Example surgical practice because any breach in the surface lining of the body, be it skin or mucous membrane exposes the underlying tissues to the danger of infection. Therefore, it is necessary to assist the inherent healing process of the human body to restore an intact surface as soon as possible. Many other factors may affect this process of normal healing, and two factors prominent among them are infection and infection-assiciated inflammation that may hinder the normal healing process, thereby causing further complications in the process of healing. Therefore, prompt and accurate recognition of these factors are important for ensuring a recovery from the injury. This calls for an assessment of the wound at the time of clinical presentation (Clark, R.A.F., 1996). Such patients are pretty commonly encountered in acute hospital setting, specially in a rural area hospital where resources may be limited. This, in turn, calls for knowledge of the practicing nurse about wound assessment. At least, the nurse in charge needs to be adequately knowledgable to decide which wound could be managed in the rural acute care and which needs referral to generate a satisfactory outcome for the patient. While attending such patients, the knowledge of the nurse regarding various wounds becomes a critical denominator in the outcome of care. There have been many studies and researches on this area, and consequently, there have been volumes of literature on this topic, but unfortunately, there is paucity of quantitative studies or researches on the nurses' knowledge of wound assessment. This researcher proposes a quantitaive study of the nurses' knowledge about wound assessment in a rural acute care hospital setting (Leaper, D.J. and Harding, K.G. 1998). The managements of acute and chronic...Therefore, prompt and accurate recognition of these factors are important for ensuring a recovery from the injury. This calls for an assessment of the wound at the time of clinical presentation (Clark, R.A.F., 1996). Such patients are pretty commonly encountered in acute hospital setting, specially in a rural area hospital where resources may be limited. This, in turn, calls for knowledge of the practicing nurse about wound assessment. At least, the nurse in charge needs to be adequately knowledgable to decide which wound could be managed in the rural acute care and which needs referral to generate a satisfactory outcome for the patient. While attending such patients, the knowledge of the nurse regarding various wounds becomes a critical denominator in the outcome of care. There have been many studies and researches on this area, and consequently, there have been volumes of literature on this topic, but unfortunately, there is paucity of quantit ative studies or researches on the nurses' knowledge of wound assessment. This researcher proposes a quantitaive study of the nurses' knowledge about wound assessment in a rural acute care hospital setting (Leaper, D.J. and Harding, K.G. 1998). The managements of acute and chronic wounds have undergone a sea change in the last two decades for an improved

Should Evolution Be Taught In Public Schools Essay

Should Evolution Be Taught In Public Schools - Essay Example In the mid-Nineteenth Century the theory of evolution was opposed by religious individuals and organizations when initially introduced by Charles Darwin. This same religiously fanaticism continues to reject the thought of humans evolving from apes. However, over the past 150 years public opinion has unquestionably evolved and most religious people today accept evolution as true. Those who continue to be willfully ignorant of the subject think there is a debate to be had concerning the age old ‘how did we get here’ question. They maintain that the Biblical version of creation not the scientific theory of evolution is correct. This emotion-filled debate normally centers on which account the public schools will teach. Eventually everyone will accept that evolution is fact and creation a myth even educationally deprived children in the State of Kansas which has chosen to teach both. Unfortunately it will be many generations in coming because society evolves very gradually. Teaching the creation story in public schools only serves to fulfill the role of defending particular religious beliefs. If kids are to be taught, it is exclusively the responsibility of the church and parents because teaching the religious stories including creation in public schools violates constitutional principle. This subject evokes strong passions from those motivated by their religious beliefs and by those who would defend the Constitution.

American and Chinese Management Culture Research Paper

American and Chinese Management Culture - Research Paper Example According to Chinese management culture, business success is attributed to luck while business failure is attributed to personal failures in life. In contrast, American management culture attribute organizational success to high performance of employees, creativity of managers and good management practices. American culture attributes business failure to poor leadership and management practices or high competition in the market (Wenzhong 37). Another difference in the management cultures is on delegating responsibilities and accountability. Responsibility delegation will influence employee accountability and performance in his job. In America, management embraces proper delegation of authority and responsibility to the subordinates. Employees are accountable for the tasks delegated to them. In China, there is less delegation of authority and responsibility to employees thus employees are not personally accountable for the tasks but are considered to be part of a group work or team (L ynch 42). Chinese management philosophy values collectivism while American management cultures are individualism. In China, the management emphasizes on group cooperation. Chinese managers expect every employee to actively participate in accomplishing the goals of the organization. Individual employees are expected to show loyalty to organizational goals. Chinese collectivism management culture utilizes strict rules and disciplinary measures in order to ensure group stability. On the other side, American management culture is individualism. In America, employees exercise more freedom by exhibiting creativity and innovation in their jobs. American management culture values individual rights and goals and tries to align the employee goals with organizational goals in order to maximize employee productivity. In America, employees value personal achievement and success in their individual tasks, they work hard for promotions and better compensation (Lynch 66). Another difference in Amer ican and Chinese management cultures is the perceptions on time. Chinese managers pay more attention to past and long-term relationships with business partners and suppliers. In China, the management builds working relations with customers before starting transactions thus resulting in time wastage on discussing business decisions. Other the other hand, American management culture is less in the past relationships with business partners. American managers expect short term rewards from their business decisions. American management culture entails fast decision making and less established working relationships with business partners (Wenzhong 39). Chinese economy experiences some high government control while American economy is purely capitalist and free market economy. Chinese managers must establish cordial relationships with government officials in order to succeed unlike American management thus only need to work within the established business regulations and business legal env ironment. Chinese management culture values working personal relationships than established rules and procedures. American management culture follows well documented processes and rules that are fair to all the stakeholders in the organization. For instance, most companies in China may lack grievances handling procedures or a ethics code. American management culture has written human resource policies and ethical code of conduct that all employees must follow (Nocera 5). Chinese

Chewing tobacco Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chewing tobacco - Research Paper Example & Johnson, C, 2000, p.2). Moreover, the statistics of the tobacco users and its addiction shows that the problem is of large scale and of serious nature. According to a report of the Surgeon General (1989), the negative health consequences of addiction to tobacco through smoking and oral use has been revealed through number of medical and scientific researches (Johnson, D. & Johnson, C, 2000, p.2). The sad news is that the number of people who use tobacco but are not even prepared to quit it is more than 50 million in the US alone (Johnson, D. & Johnson, C, 2000, p.2). This shows that either people are not aware of the hazardous consequences of tobacco dependence or they are so addicted to it that they are not able to quit it. Hence, the only way to tackle the problem of tobacco dependence successfully is to prevent it at any cost, and not to fall in the trap of the ‘safety’ of chewing tobacco and the ‘charm’ of smoking tobacco. Smokeless Tobacco Smokeless t obacco is the tobacco that people chew, take orally or inhale, instead of consuming (i.e. smoking) it through cigarettes, as is usually done (Ghodse, 2010, p. 121). ‘Smokeless tobacco’, the tobacco that is consumed by chewing, is the term used generally in Southeast Asia as the oral use of tobacco is more common in Southeast Asian countries (Ghodse, 2010, p. 121). In Asian countries, chewing tobacco is common practice not only in men but also in women (Ghodse, 2010, p. 121). By adding flavors and nuts, the tobacco is made easy to consume on daily basis (Ghodse, 2010, p. 121). People in Asia have a peculiar way of chewing tobacco. To enhance the taste of tobacco and to make it linger in mouth for a long time, the nicotine is permitted to be absorbed slowly through oral cavity by placing the ‘moist’ ground tobacco between the gums and the cheek (Ghodse, 2010, p. 121).However, as this method also makes the user to spit frequently, it is not a popular method of consuming tobacco (Ghodse, 2010, p. 121). The method of nasal inhalation or dry snuff, which can be taken orally, is the method which is used by most people to consume smokeless tobacco (Ghodse, 2010, p. 121). It is assumed that as chewing tobacco does not involve inhaling or exhaling smoke, it is not harmful to health. However, it has been found that chewing tobacco causes more harmful health problems than smoking tobacco. Dangers of Chewing Tobacco The tobacco industry has always tried to minimize health worries related to tobacco use by introducing new ‘safe’ brands to the public through manipulative advertisements and campaigns (Johnson, D. & Johnson, C, 2000, p. 3). The tobacco advertising campaigns in 1970’s and 1980’s made people believe that they can reduce the health risks related to tobacco use by adopting the ‘safe’ way to use tobacco, i.e. chewing or tasting it, rather than smoking it through cigarette, cigars or pipes (Johnson, D . & Johnson, C, 2000, p.3). However, it has been found that chewing tobacco is, in fact, more harmful than smoking tobacco. Through the sensitive linings of mouth and tongue, the nicotine enters the bloodstream of the user who chews tobacco (Johnson, D. & Jo

Advantages and Limitation of International Trade Assignment

Advantages and Limitation of International Trade - Assignment Example This essay explores the issues surrounding international trade. The Theory of Comparative Advantage. If two countries X and Y trade in two goods G and H, both can benefit by specializing in the good in which they have a comparative advantage and then trading them. This has been proved valid even when country X has an absolute advantage in both goods due to the complexities of intra-country distribution of resources. Distribution of Gains and Losses from Trade. If goods G and H use two inputs, K and L (capital/ labor), at given prices, production of goods will probably utilize inputs in different ratios. If G uses a higher ratio of K to L than H, production of that good becomes K-intensive, relative to H. Here, if G is K-intensive, it will mean that H is L-intensive.  If country X’s inputs of production have a higher ratio of K to L than country Y, then X is K-abundant and Y is L-abundant, relatively. A country will tend to export products which are intensive in factors that country has in abundance. A labor-abundant country (say country Y), will tend to export labor-intensive products. Also, country X’s capital-intensive exports will rise. As it does so, the relative price of the abundant factor in that country will rise. The L-abundant country will see labor prices rising, i.e. wages will rise. The purchasing power of owners of labor will rise; purchasing power of owners of capital will fall. International trade will tend to equalize the relative prices of the two factors in the two countries

Transformational Leader Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Transformational Leader - Case Study Example Gandhi respected the Hindu religion that he observed through out his life. His values and principles had basis on religion and the understanding of basic human rights, gained from his career in law. To Indians, Gandhi is the founding father of their nation. Gandhi lived according to his philosophy of creating harmony of thought, speech, and action (Allen, 2008). His philosophies are still worthwhile and applicable today. Mohandas was the last-born son of karamchand, from his fourth wife. Mohandas got into marriage at an early age, marrying his age mate. Theirs was an arranged marriage reflecting the Indian culture instilled in Gandhi. In his childhood, there was nothing peculiar, Gandhi lived to respect his parents and was an ordinary student in school (Jegen and Deats, 2005). In 1888, Gandhi left India for London, to further his studies. He spent three of his years studying law in London. Gandhi spent the first three months of his life trying to accustom himself to fit in the English culture but gave after he realized that he could handle a simple life better. He gave up on the English sophistication. He settled down to concentrate on his studies and obtained his degree in law. Gandhi travelled back to India after his studies to rejoin his wife and kids. Gandhi returned to India only to face disappointment because he could not get a job. Fortunately, an opportunity opened up in South Africa. He set out to South Africa, and his stay there transformed the soft-spoken Gandhi to a more assertive individual. In his first formal trip, he faced discrimination for being Indian. South Africa was under the British rule and the colonialists discriminated all other races. Gandhi chose to fight for the rights of Indians in South Africa. Therefore, he extended his stay in South Africa. The oppressing system did not allow Indians to vote and Gandhi wrote petitions concerning this issue. However, Gandhi was a man of his own kind in philosophy and he decided to fight

The Role of Women in Igbo Society Essay Example for Free

The Role of Women in Igbo Society Essay Women’s role in Things fall apart. Igbo women reveals itself to be prematurely simplistic as well as limiting, once the reader uncovers the diverse roles of the Ibo women throughout the novel. An excellent example of powerful women in the Ibo village is found in the role they play in the Ibo religion. The women routinely perform the role of priestess. The narrator recalls that during Okonkwos boyhood, the priestess in those days was woman called Chika. She was full of the power of her god, and she was greatly feared (17). The present priestess is Chielo, the priestess of Agbala, the Oracle of the hill and the Caves (49). There is an episode during which Chielo has come for Okonkwo and Ekwefis daughter Ezinma. We are told, Okonkwo pleaded with her to come back in the morning because Ezinma was now asleep. But Chielo ignored what he was trying to say and went on shouting that Agbala wanted to see his daughter . . . The priestess screamed. Beware, Okonkwo! she warned (101). There is no other point in the novel in which we see Okonkwo plead with anyone, male or female, for any reason. We witness a woman not only ordering Okonkwo to give her his daughter, but threatening him as well. The fact that Okonkwo allows this is evidence of the priestesss power. The ability of a woman to occupy the role of a priestess, a spiritual leader, reveals a clear degree of reverence for women being present in Igbo society. Another example of such reverence for women is unveiled in the representation of the earth goddess, Ani. Ani is described a playing a greater part in the life of the people than any other deity. She was the ultimate judge of morality and conduct. in Chapter fourteen, when Okonkwo returns to his mothers clan after being exiled from the Ibo village. Uchendu, reproaching Okonkwo for his sorrow about having to come to live with his mothers clan, explains: Its true that a child belong to its father. But when a father beats his child Upon delving beneath this deceiving surface, one can see that the women of the clan hold some very powerful positions: spiritually as the priestess, symbolically as the earth goddess, and literally as the nurturers of the Ibo people, the caretakers of the yam crops and the mothers and educators of the Ibo children.

Eth125 R8 Diversity Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Eth125 R8 Diversity Worksheet Essay Answer each question in 50 to 150 words. Provide citations for all the sources you use. 1. What is diversity? Why is diversity valued? Diversity means different. This can be a difference in cultures, goals, values, lifestyles, and ideas. There is not two people that will think or live alike. We need to learn to accept that others will do things and think different then we do. It is important to value our diversity in order to be able to work together. 2. What is ethnocentrism? In what ways can ethnocentrism be detrimental to a society? Ethnocentrism is where people believe that they are better than others in an ethnic group, but it can also develop from racial or religious differences. This can cause problem by leading to false opinions about different cultures, maybe causing communication problems. 3. Define emigration and immigration. Emigration is where people are exported from a country whether it is voluntary or not. Immigration is where people are coming into a new country to live as a permanent resident. Reasons that people might leave a country for one to another is that there may not be jobs there and even war can make people want to leave. 4. What are some of the ways groups of people are identified? There are four ways that groups are identified and they are race, religion, gender, and ethnicity. Racial group refers to minorities that are socially set apart because of obvious physical differences. Some examples would be the color of skin, the color of hair and maybe even the amount hair on the body. Religion groups vary worldwide. People should not be judged on the religion that they believe in. With gender it is said that males are the social majority and the women are the social minority. Ethnic groups are different because of the way cultural differences such as the food that they eat, the way that they raise their children, the language that they speak ,and even the way that they look at being married to somebody. 5. Why do people label and group other people? I would think that the reasons why people put others down would be that they want to make themselves look better and feel better about themselves. This can have a positive or negative effect on the person and the one that it is directed at. If it is positive it can help lead to the person or the group getting more confidence. If it is negative then it can lead to the group or individual becoming withdrawn from shame or bullying. 6. Define culture. Is culture limited to racial and ethnic backgrounds? Explain. The definition of culture is the characteristics of a certain group of people defined by everything such as the language they speak, the types of music that they listen to, the type of food that they eat, and the religion that they practice and believe in. I do not believe that it is limited to racial and ethnic backgrounds because every group is different in the way that they live and there is not right way or wrong way to live. Racial and Ethnic Groups (13th ed.) (Schaefer) chapter 1.

QA Systems in Upscale Hotels

QA Systems in Upscale Hotels Quality assurance systems are an important element of any business strategy. As Porter (1985 and 2004) suggests, quality is now seen as a major force for gaining competitive advantage, particularly with the consumer. There is no commercial activity where this is more important than in the hotel sector. As Yavas et al (1995) state, the question is no longer whether to have quality assurance programmes, but rather how to make these programmes work,  within this sector of hospitality. It can be argued that in terms of quality assurance systems delivery the hotel sector is in a distinctive position, particularly when it is related to service satisfaction (Parasuraman 1997, Schiffman and Kanuk 2000). Unlike most other industries, where customer contact and engagement during a visit might be fleeting, as happens in retail shop environment, a hotels interaction with customers can last from a few hours to several days. Furthermore, as Kandampully et al (2001, p.28) the quality of the hotel product also has to take into account the customer-to-customer interactions. Following a brief literature review, the intention of this essay is to examine quality assurance systems and evaluate the effect that these systems have upon service quality and customer satisfaction within the upscale Hotel market. Quality assurance and management within the hotel environment is focused upon satisfying the customer. Therefore, this review concentrates on the existing literature relating to customer satisfaction and the various methods and frameworks of service quality related to this focus. Academic literature relating to customer satisfaction falls within two main categories, these being the psychological perceptions of the customer and the practical ways in which customer satisfaction can be implemented to help a business achieve its objectives. In the hotel sector, this objective is to try and engender a high level of customer satisfaction in order to positively influence our customers repurchasing and communicative behaviour   (Hennig-Thurau and Hassen (2000, p.62). However, to achieve this aim the business has to understand what drives customer satisfaction. Christopher (1984), Holbrook (1999), Schiffmand and Kanuk 2000 and Brennen (2003) all agree that satisfaction is related to the consumers perception or judgement of a product experience and value when set against their expectations and the payment made. Zeithamls (1998, p.14) describes it as follows, being that   Perceived value is the consumers overall assessment of the utility of a product based on perceptions of what is received and what is given †¦ value represents a trade-off of the salient give and get components  , in other words the cost paid is measured against the value expected . Therefore, it can be suggested that the greater the service quality the higher the satisfaction (Kandampully et al. 2001, p.8) and, conversely, the higher the price the greater the perception of value. Bostepe (2007) further identifies that, within a service environment such as a hotel, consumer satisfaction does not simply rely upon the quality of service satisfaction received from business employees, although this is an essential element. The physical environment, for example the dà ©cor, bedrooms and other facilities offered, are also elements of the consumers perceived value and service satisfaction. If any of these are deemed as sub-standard, particularly when related to the price paid, this will reduce the customers enjoyment and levels of satisfaction. It follows therefore that only by concentration upon providing quality within all of these areas of the product will the business be able to assure satisfaction and encourage customer loyalty (Holbrook 1999, p.121), which Porter (1998), Parasuraman (1997) Agrawal (2000) and Harrison (2003) all agree is essential to competitive advantage. There are numerous quality assurance measurement systems and standards available for use within the business environment. Customer feedback is one such measurement. Client feedback can be achieved by two methods. The first way is to provide questionnaires that hotel guests are asked to complete before the end of their stay. The second is to rely upon externally conducted questionnaires, interviews and polls, which can be conducted on a continuous basis. However, whilst comments and responses provided by customers may act as a good testimonial for the business (Porter 1998, p.1478), these systems have their drawbacks. In addition to the fact that not all customers might respond, the design of the process itself is often flawed (Kandampully et al 2001) and can therefore be misinterpreted. For example, a simple complaints procedure would not necessarily identify areas of quality success. Secondly, these feedback processes tend to lack definition. Their use may therefore be inhibited by the fact that they do not provide management with sufficient detail to be able to locate and resolve the specific areas of the business where deficiency of service quality is occurring. Furthermore, a system of continuous surveys adds to the business administration costs and, in addition, raises the inherent issue of sampling (Visit Britain 2008 b). Evidence of these limitations can be seen in a recent survey conducted by Visit Britain (2008 a) (see figu re 1). Figure 1 Customer hotel choice determinants   Source: Visit Britain (2008 a, p.11)  Whilst it is clearly apparent from these results that customer satisfaction in related to encouraging loyalty and retention, as well as being inherently useful in turning existing customers into promotional tools for the hotel, this does not provide management with a detailed analysis of the areas where satisfaction has been achieved or denote what areas were not satisfying.  To provide detailed quality service observations therefore, a more robust quality assurance system is required and most of these are based upon variations of the Total Quality Management (TQM) system (Dotchin and Oakland 1994 and Ziethaml et al 2000). These methods are designed to assess and monitor the level of quality being maintained throughout all areas of the business process and its supply chain, from an internal as well as external viewpoint. One such variation, particularly applicable to the hotel industry, is the SERVQUAL method, which originated from the works of Parasuraman et al (1991). Kandampully et al (2001, p.68) observe that many academics and practical studies have used SERVQUAL as a true measure of customer service and that it has been extensively applied (Shahin 2005, p.4) in service based organisations. Amongst these service industries will be included the hospitality and hotel sector of the tourism industry. Despite the fact that recent researches have sought to extend the elements of quality measurement with the SERVQUAL model, fundamentally it is still based upon the level of quality assurance to be measured and gained within five key sectors of the business processes, which are: Tangibles Physical facilities, equipment and appearance of personnel. Reliability Ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. Responsiveness Willingness to help customers and provide prompt service. Assurance (including competence, courtesy, credibility and security). Knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to inspire trust and confidence. Empathy (including access, communication, understanding the customer). Caring and individualized attention that the firm provides to its customers. Source: Sahney et al 2004 The SERVQUAL measurement can be used internally, through measurement against preset quality assurance standards such as the ISO 9001 Quality certification process (BSI 2008) and the Star Rating system operated by Visit Britain (2008) in conjunction with the Automobile Association. In this case the hotel services and processes are measured against pre-determined sets of quality criterion and monitored at least annually by those who regulate these standards. The internal quality assurance programme is also complemented by external consumer questionnaires and interview surveys. The SERVQUAL quality assurance method has been in existence for some years and is tried and tested  (Shahin 2005, p.5), making it a firm favourite within the hotel service industry, where managers are comfortable and confident with the outcomes of these measurements. An element of SERVQUAL that is considered particularly important in this respect is the fact that the system and its measurements are monitored and updated on a regular basis (Holbrook (1999), Sahney et al (2004) and Boztepe (2007)), for example annually (Shahin 2005, p.6). Both ISO 9001 and the Star Rating systems conform to these determinants. As will be seen from the following analysis, the quality assurance systems applied to the hotel in terms of both the internal industry Star Rating and external SERVQUAL systems are virtually synonymous in terms of the standards and factors they rely upon for measurement. To maintain their perception as upscale or 5 star hotels, in each of these cases the hotel will have to achieve much higher levels of standards. 4.1 Star Rating system  Although the Star Rating system is formatted in a slightly different way to SERVQUAL, the quality elements of this process are still graded in a similar manner. The main difference is the fact that there are minimum quality requirements before the hotel will even be considered for a rating. However, even these equate to the tangible element of the SERVQUAL system (figure 2).  Figure 2 Minimum entry requirements   Source (Visit Britain 2005, p.8)  Once the minimum entry requirements have been met, to assess which star level is applicable to the establishment independent inspectors will monitor five quality bands and award a quality percentage to each. These percentages determine what rating the establishment has achieved (figure 3). Figure 3 Quality bands for star rating Star rating Bands One star 30-46% Two stars 47-54% Three stars 55-69% Four Stars 70-84% Five Stars 85-100% Source: Visit Britain (2005, p.6) Furthermore, this standard of quality has to be achieved across a range of five product elements, which include cleanliness, service, food quality, bedrooms and bathrooms. Simply complying in one of the areas is not sufficient to earn the highest star. Therefore, if the hotel fails to achieve the required 85-100% standards during an annual monitoring it risks its rating being downgraded to four stars or a lower standard. For instance, in the example shown below (figure 4), despite the fact that the hotel being monitored has achieved the five star requirements in three of the five bands, its failures in the other two would demote it to a four star hotel. Figure 4 Quality bank achievement Level Standard 1 2 3 4 5 Cleanliness X Service X Food quality X Bedrooms X Bathrooms X Source: adapted from Visit Britain (2005, p.7) 4.2 SERVQUAL system  When using the SERVQUAL system, which is largely based largely upon the results of customer satisfaction surveys, although all hotels would be looking to achieve the maximum service quality satisfaction level of 100% in terms of the overall scoring, there is a significant difference in the way this would be achieved when related to the different standard of establishments. To provide an example of how this equates in practice, the following is a comparison between the SERVQUAL requirements of a 5 star hotel against lower rated hotel, such as the budget Travelodge hotel chain (figure 5). Figure 5 SERVQUAL comparisons SERVQUAL criterion 5-star hotel Travelodge Tangibility 20% 20% Reliability 20% 30% Responsiveness 20% 15% Assurance 20% 25% Empathy 20% 10% Total 100% 100% It is apparent from the above comparison that the 5-star establishment requires their quality of service to be more balanced, in other words no one area of their product should be delivering a lower quality of service than any other. However, with the budget chain, which operates on a low cost strategy that eliminates much of the human resources and food elements, these specific areas are shown to have less importance to the business, but need to be compensated by increased levels of satisfaction in other areas of quality if the business is to remain successful. What is immediately apparent from the analysis of the two quality assurance systems identified above as being used within the hotel sector is their compatibility. This not only applies to the systems per se, but also to the measurement of the results. In both cases an upscale hotel would need to achieve a balanced score with high ratings in all of the quality determinants if it is to maintain its market position and be perceived by the potential customer as a quality (5 star) hotel. Conversely, the lower quality hotels pay less attention to those areas of the standards that are more directly related to the quality of service provided by their human resources, relying instead upon other elements to satisfy customer quality perception, such as low cost (Porter 2004). Whilst it could therefore be stated in simple terms that quality assurance is related to the price being paid for the product, what research such as that conducted by Shahin (2006), Ziethaml et al (1990) and Holbrook (1999), and the fact that all hotels, irrespective of their standards, operate quality assurance systems, shows is that price is simply one element required to fulfil customer satisfaction needs. Whatever price is being charged for the hotel product the customer will still weigh the experience received against the value they expect from the product enjoyed at that price (Zeithaml 1988 and Parasuraman et at 1994). A customer who decides to spend a greater amount of his or her disposable income on arranging to stay in a 5-star hotel will have a much greater value expectation than one who chooses a budget hotel stay. The former will expect the service quality to exist in all aspects of the hotel product. This includes the dà ©cor and the ambiance of the environment, the facilities that are being offered, including meals and room service, and the performance of the hotels human resources. If these quality expectations are not met that customer will perceive that they have not received value for money and therefore will view the experience as less than satisfactory. Therefore, they will be unlikely to promote the hotel in a positive manner to others or re-use it. It is apparent that in the case of an upscale or5-star hotel the combination of the industry Star Rating and SERVQUAL quality assurance systems will have a significant impact upon their service quality and the level of customer satisfaction achieved from using the product. In terms of the Star Rating system, the higher the star rating the greater the expectation of the customer in terms of their perception of the quality that will be found in this establishment. Therefore, the five star establishments are likely to attract customers who wish to avail themselves of the higher quality experience.   With regard to the external SERVQUAL system of measurement, because these are results from customer experiences, the greater the levels of quality achieved in the areas measured, the more likely it is that customers will be retained and act as recommenders to other potential customers. In both cases therefore, it can be concluded that the quality assurance system is designed to achieve competitive advantage by attracting additional market share, thus improving the hotels revenue and profitability levels. Agrawal (2000). Managing service industries in the new millennium: Evidence is everything. Paper presented at the AIMS Convention on Service Management  Berry L L and Parasuraman, A (1991). Marketing Services: Competing Through Quality,  Free Press. New York, US  Boztepe, Suzan (2007). User Value: Competing theories and models.  International Journal of Design,  Vol. 1, Issue. 2, pp.55-63.  Brennan, Ross (2003). Value in Marketing: Confusion or Illumination? Available from: http://mubs.mdx.ac.uk/Research/Discussion_Papers/  Marketing/dpap%20marketing%20no25.pdf (Accessed 22 December 2008)  BSI (2008). ISO 9001Quality. Available from: http://www.bsi-global.com/en/Assessment-and-certification-services  /management-systems/Standards-and-Schemes/ISO-9001/ (Accessed 22 December 2008)  Chetwynd, Catherine and Knight, Jenny (2007). Time to capitalise on falling hotel occupancy.  The Times. London, UK.  Christopher, M. (1996). From brand values to customer value.  J ournal of Marketing Practice: Applied Marketing Science,  Vol. 2, Issue.2, pp.55-66.  Dotchin, J.A and Oakland, J.S (1994). Total Quality Management in Services: Part 3: Distinguishing perceptions of Service Quality.  International Journal of Quality reliability Management, Vol. 11, Issue. 4, pp.6-28  Gale, B. T. (1994). Managing customer value. Free Press. New York, US.  Harrison, Jeffrey S (2003). Strategic Management: Of Resources and Relationship.  John Wiley Sons Inc.  New York, US.  Hennig-Thurau, Thorsten and Hansen, Ursula (eds) (2000). Relationship Marketing: Gaining Competitive Advantage Through Customer Satisfaction and Customer Retention.  Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidleberg. New York, US.  Holbrook, M. B. (Ed.). (1999). Consumer value: A framework for analysis and research.  Routledge. New York, US.  Kandampully, Jay., Mox, Connie and Sparks, Beverley (2001). Service Quality Management in Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure.  Haworth Press. New Yo rk, US.  Kotler P (1999). Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, Implementation, and Control (Millennium ed.) Englewood Cliffs, N J;  Prentice-Hall, 279-317.  Parasuraman, A. (1997). Reflections on gaining competitive advantage through customer value. Academy of Marketing Science, 25(2), 154-161.  Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V.A. and Berry, L.L. (1991), Refinement and reassessment of the SERVQUAL scale.  Journal of Retailing, Vol. 67, pp. 420-450.  Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V.A. and Berry, L.L. (1993), Research note: more on improving service quality measurement,  Journal of Retailing, Vol. 69, No. 1, pp. 140-147.  Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V.A. and Berry, L.L. (1994), Reassessment of expectations as a comparison standard in measuring service quality: implications for future research,  Journal of Marketing, Vol. 58, pp. 111-124.  Porter, M. E. (1998). Competitive advantage: Creating and sustaining superior performance.  Free Press. New York, US  Porter, M .E (2004). Competitive Advantage. Techniques for Analysing Industries and Competitors.  Free Press.  New York, US  Sahney, S., Banwet, D.K., and Karunes, S. (2004), A SERVQUAL and QFD approach to total quality education: A student perspective,  International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol.53, No.2, pp. 143-166.  Schiffman, L g and L L Kanuk (2000). Consumer Behaviour.  FT Prentice Hall, New Jersey, US.  Shahin, Dr. Arash (2005). SERVQUAL and Models of Service Quality Gaps: A Framework for Determining and Prioritizing Critical Factors in Delivering Quality Systems. Available:  Visit Britain (2008 a). UK Market Profile 2007. Available from: http://www.tourismtrade.org.uk/  Images/UK_DMarketing_tcm12-22850.pdf (Accessed 21 December 2008)  Visit Britain (2008 b). Britain Inbound: Overall Market Profile. Available from: http://www.tourismtrade.org.uk/Images/Inbound  FINAL_2008_%20BritInbound3F_tcm12-40935.pdf (Accessed 21 December 2008)  V isit London (2005). Hotel Accommodation; Quality Standards. Available from: http://www.qualityintourism.com/content/pdfs/Standards/  Hotel%20Standard%20INT.pdf (Accessed 21 December 2008)  Yavas, U., Yasin, M and Wafa, m (1995). Front and back-stage strategies in service delivery in the hospitality industry: a conceptual framework.  Market Intelligence Planning.  Vol. 13, Issue, 11, pp.22-26  Zeithaml, V. A. (1988). Consumer perceptions of price, quality, and value: A means-end model and synthesis of evidence. Journal of Marketin,, Vol. 52, Issue. 3, pp.2-22  Zeithaml, V.A., Parasuraman, A. and Berry, L.L. (1990),  Delivering quality service; Balancing customer perceptions and expectations.  The Free Press, New York, NY.

The Two Personalities of Raskolnikov in Dostoevskys Crime and Punishm

The Two Personalities of Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment Raskolnikov, the main character of the novel Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoevsky, actually possesses two completely contradicting personalities. One part of him is intellectual: cold, unfeeling, inhumane, and exhibiting tremendous self-will. It is this side of him that enables him to commit the most terrible crime imaginable - taking another human life. The other part of his personality is warm and compassionate. This side of him   does charitable acts and fights against the evil in his society.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The confusion in Raskolnikov’s soul is best seen when he tries to help a girl in the street who has been raped and left to the whims of whoever may find her. Raskolnikov tries to protect her from the evil of the street, but then stops himself when he is repulsed by the wickedness of his society. Why did I take it upon myself to interfere? Was it for me to try to help? Let them eat one another alive - what is it to me? ***IF THIS IS A QUOTE, IT SHOULD BE PLACED IN QUOTATION MARKS*** At one time, Ra...

Creating Letterheads with Microsoft Word :: Businesses Sales Letterheads Essays

Creating Letterheads with Microsoft Word What you will write under this heading is the equivalent of the feasibility study which looks at the existing business practice and the problems associated with it. You should describe in general terms what the new system should achieve and consider whether the existing system can be modified. Estimate the time scale for completing the project. Who is the "real" user? Graham Richardson owns a garage and is opening two more branches his letter headed paper is out of date so he needs to create a new letterhead with Microsoft word What is the current problem? You are about to open 2 more braches. The owners need new headed letters showing the details of all branches. The letters are also rather out of date so this is a perfect opportunity to update their image. I must include company name, logo, new addresses, telephone/fax umbers(s) and E-mail address. Why has this problem arisen? The problem has arisen because he has two more new branches opening and they are using old letter heads and thier images are old were they don't use computers much. What is the objective or user requirement for this project? They will need new letter heads and maybe some business cards. What are the different ways this problem could be solved? Send it to a printer or use desktop publishing What is the best way to solve the problem and why? The best way to solve the problem is by using Microsoft Word. Microsoft Word is the best word processor to use for letter heads. The disadvantage is the use of the paper. so to save money print one off and photocopy the rest. The advantages is you can save you work and edit the work without starting again and money so that you don't have to send it to the printer. What is your estimated time scale for implementation? 4 weeks ======= Objectives? =========== Ø Save 70% of storage space by saving documents on a hard-drive and not having to photocopy everything and file it away. =================================================================== Ø Start sacking people because you won't need them anymore. =========================================================== Ø To start using E-mail because it is quicker and you can add documents and pictures and it's a lot more reliable. This will save money as well. Ø ANALYSE ========= The purpose of this stage is to break the problem down into small parts and to plan each part in detail so you have all the information you need ready to move on to the design stage. What information do I need to gather and where will it come from? I will need to gather contact details, to design a logo and make an

Law in Business

On 15th October 2010 East Midlands Airways (EMA) advertise a second-hand Airbus 321 for sale in an aviation industry trade journal for ? 12. 5m. Later that same day, Colvin, the Chief Executive Officer of Houston Aviation Ltd, phones EMA’s Managing Director Patricia. Colvin says that his firm would very much like to view the Airbus 321 but that he is off on a 5 day business trip to Dallas, Texas and will not be able to view the aircraft until he returns.Patricia says that if another buyer comes forward she will have to sell the Airbus 321 to that buyer. Colvin then says he will pay ? 100,000 if EMA promises not to sell the Airbus 321 to another buyer for the next 5 days. Patricia agrees to this. Analyse whether any contract has been made between the parties and if so, what are its terms? Refer to the facts briefly and discuss the relevant case law that supports the conclusions you arrive at in your answer. Also advise on any practical implications for the parties.In legal term s a contract is defined as ‘Any legally binding agreement voluntarily entered into by two or more parties that places an obligation on each party to do or not do something for one or more of the other parties and that gives each party the right to demand the performance of whatever is promised to them by the other parties. ’[1] In this essay I am going to look at whether a contract has been made by the two parties, I will then look at the elements of this contract, what this contract means, whether it has been breached and the results of this. I will use relevant case law to support my findings.The first thing to consider is that the advert placed in the industry based journal is an invitation to treat. They have advertised a price in the journal of ? 12. 5m however this is not an offer so they are not obliged to sell at this price. An invitation to treat is an invitation to negotiate, or an invitation to make a deal. [2] We can be sure that this is an invitation to tre at and not an offer if we look at the case of Partridge v Crittenden (1968). In this case the defendant was advertising in a magazine for sale of a bramblefinch for 25 shillings. Under the Protection of Birds Act 1954 it was illegal to offer for sale a bramblefinch.A customer then posted a cheque asking for the bramblefinch. The defendant was held not guilty as the advertisement was an invitation to treat not an offer. After the invitation to treat Colvin contacted Patricia and made an offer to her that he would give East Midlands Airways ? 100,000 if they agreed not to sell the Airbus 321 in the next five days. Patricia agreed to the terms of this offer and therefore a contract was made They both agreed to the terms of the contract voluntarily. There are two types of contract unilateral and bilateral. Almost all contracts are bilateral because both sides make a contractual promise to the other. 3] In this situation the contract is bilateral this is because Colvin has made an offer of ? 100,000 and Patricia has accepted it, therefore there are two parties involved. A contract will only come into existence if the offer which is accepted contains all of the terms of the contract. A court must be able to obtain with certainty exactly what was agreed. [4] They take an objective view asking whether the reasonable person would have thought that the agreement was sufficiently certain. In Sudbrook Trading Estate Ltd v Eggleton (1983) a lease gave a tenant an option to buy land at a price above ? 12,000 as agreed by two valuers.The tenant wanted to buy the land however the landlord refused to appoint a valuer as it said he must in the contract. This was held as the contract was certain and the landlord should have appointed a valuer. In this situation Colvin offered to give EMA ? 100,000 in return for them not selling the plane for five days. The five days is a set period of time, however there is no set period of time for the paying of the ? 100,000. This could be con sidered evidence for lack of certainty of the product. For an offer and acceptance to become a contract, the parties must have had an intention to make the agreement legally binding.The view the courts take is that they don’t look into whether the parties actually intended to create a legal agreement but whether they appeared to the reasonable person to have that intention. [5] In Parker v Clark Lord Devlin said ‘ the question (whether or not there is a binding contract) must, of course, depend upon the intention of the parties, to be inferred from the language they use and from the circumstances in which they use it’ In this situation Patricia isn’t legally bound to sell the plane to Colvin however she is legally bound not to sell the plane for five days, as Colvin is to pay EMA.An agreement can also not amount to a contract unless each party gives some ‘consideration’ to the other. In bilateral contracts the consideration of both parties tak es the form of a promise to do something in the future. [6] In Currie vs Misa the definition of consideration was made ‘ A valuable consideration, in the sense of the law, may consist either in some right, interest, profit or benefit accruing to on party, or some forbearance, detriment, loss or responsibility, given, suffered or undertaken by the other. ’ Colvin is offering to give ? 00,000 in the future and Patricia is offering to not sell the plane for five days. This also fits Sir Frederick Pollocks definition of consideration as being ‘the price of promise. ’[7] Consideration must be sufficient but need not be adequate, it must have some economic value and consideration must move from the purpose. [8] When looking at whether consideration is sufficient we are looking at whether that which has been provided relates to the value of that which is being contracted for. When looking at this situation ? 100,000 does not seem a lot compared to ? 12. m for the plane, however Colvin isn’t buying the plane just the right that it not be sold for five days, so the amount does appear to be sufficient. In Thomas v Thomas (1842) the executors of a will promised the deceased’s widow that she could live in the matrimonial home if she paid ? 1 rent and continued to maintain the property. The court held that the widow had provided something of value in exchange for the executor’s promise despite the fact it was in no way adequate in relation to the price of the property. However, it was legally sufficient. When looking at this case it is clear the Colvin’s ? 00,000 is sufficient. Colvin’s consideration obviously holds economic value. Patricia’s consideration of not selling the plane for five days may hold economic value for Colvin as he will make money out of the plane if he gets the chance to purchase it. The consideration in this situation is executory as Colvin has promised to give Patricia ? 100,000 in t he future. Another example of executory consideration is in Nicolene Ltd v Simmonds the consideration of both parties is executory as the defendant promised he would deliver the 3000 tons of steel bars, and the claimants promised that they would pay for them.Colvin’s consideration will become executed when he pays the ? 100,000. We must then consider whether both parties had the capacity to make any contract they please. In this situation from the information we are given there is no reason to suggest that both Colvin and Patricia didn’t have the capacity. A contract is made up of express terms and implied terms. Express terms of the contract are contained in the offer [9]. Sometimes it can be very difficult to tell what are the express terms in a contract, assurances and promises are often made over a period of time.However in this offer it is clear that the express terms are that Colvin gives EMA ? 100,000 and in return Patricia will not sell the plane for five days. Both parties are in the Aviation Industry with Colvin the Chief Executive Officer of Houston Aviation Ltd, and Patricia is the Managing Director of East Midlands Airways. This means that both parties will have a similar level of knowledge on the subject of the contract, the plane, so we do not need to consider that one party has more knowledge that the other.This happened in Oscar Chess Lt v Williams (1957) when the defendant sold a car to a car dealer saying it was a 1948 model, it turned out to be a 1939 model. The defendant was not found liable as the dealer had considerably more knowledge about cars, and what the defendant said was a representation rather than a term. If Patricia breaches the contract by selling the plane within 5 days then Colvin is within his right to refuse to pay the ? 100,000. If Colvin breaches the contract then EMA can take action for that amount of money.In conclusion, I think that there has been a verbal contract made between East Midlands Airways and Houston Aviation. This resulted from the invitation to sell by EMA which led to Houston Aviation making an offer of ? 100,000, not for the plane, but for EMA not to sell the plane for five days. This was accepted by EMA. The agreement would have been considered sufficiently certain by the reasonable man. Then it was established that both parties did intend to enter the agreement, and both showed consideration making promises for the future. References Macintyre, E (2010). Business Law. 5th ed.Harlow: Pearson Education. 77,79,88,103,108,134 Murray, R (2008). Contract Law The Fundamentals. London: Thomson Reuters. 48,49 http://law. yourdictionary. com/contract Partridge v Crittenden (1968) 1 WLR 1204, 2 All ER 421, (1968) 112 SJ 582 Sudbrook Trading Estate Ltd v Eggleton (1983) AC 444, (1982) 3 WLR 215, (1982) 3 all ER 1, HL Parker v Clark (1960) 1 WLR 286, (1960) 1 All ER 93, (1960) 104 SJ 251 Currie vs Misa (1875) LR 10 Exch 153, 44 LJ Ex 94, 23 WR 450, Ex Ch Thomas v Thomas (1842) 2 QB 851 Nicolene Ltd v Simmonds (1953) 1 QB 543, (1953) 2 WLR 717, (1953) 1 All ER 822, CAOscar Chess Lt v Williams (1957) 1 WLR 370, (1957) 1 All ER 325, (1957) 101 SJ 186, CA Bibliography Macintyre, E (2010). Business Law. 5th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Murray, R (2008). Contract Law The Fundamentals. London: Thomson Reuters. http://law. yourdictionary. com Denoncourt, J (2009) Business Law. Oxon: Routledge Cavendish ———————– 1. http://law. yourdictionary. com/contract [1] Macintyre, 2010, p77 [2] Macintyre, 2010, p79 [3] Macintyre, 2010, p88 [4] Macintyre, 2010, p103 [5] Macintyre, 2010, p108 [6] Murray, 2008. p48 [7] Murray, 2008, p49 [8] Macintyre, 2010,p134

Black plague

The Black Death During the fourteenth century there were some major disasters that plagued Europe and would result in everlasting changes. War caused by peasant revolts, French and English battle for throne, religious conflicts, famine caused from flooding by heavy rains and devastating arctic weather, were some of the massive dilemmas that Europe faced. â€Å"But the cruelest blow of all was the Black Death. This was the name given In Europe to a pandemic (universal) outbreak of a deadly disease, the bubonic plague. † (Lewis, 247).This disease was nothing new for Europe, during the sixth century Europe, the plague had already caused massive damage. But this time around it effected more people's lives than ever before. (Lewis, 246-247). Human resistance to disease was lowered from the famine and malnutrition. The spike in Rupee's population during the agricultural boom finally came to an end. â€Å"By about 1347, the plague reached the Black Sea region; from there, merchants from the city of Genoa brought it to Italy; and In about four years, It spread across Europe. (Lewis, 247). All people from the bottom of the social latter such as the peasants' right up to he top with the nobility such as lords and princes, had to deal with the drastic changes. No man, woman, nor child were safe from this tragic outbreak. The social effects that the Black Death that changed the most were that of the serfs and peasants who worked the fields to keep the agriculture flowing–significantly decreased. The members of the Church thinned along with the royal members of European kingdoms had also reduced their numbers.The clergy now needed to find new members but because of the decrease In population this left an opening to get more corrupt Individuals Involved. Many people Interpreted the plague as a punishment from God that called for severe personal penitence; some thought the end of the world was at hand. (Lewis, 247). The psychological effects alone were enough t o change Europe forever. The change in the economy eventually led to a new form of an economic system, capitalism.The need to make more money off the goods that needed to be sold or traded, caused more lengthy travel. These travels led to the contact with many new people more specifically, International merchants. â€Å"Independent craftspeople, in trouble because of trade stoppages, might become employees of wealthy merchants who were better able to survive until times improved; kings fighting expensive wars, and popes moving money to Rome, both needed services of bankers. † (Lewis, 253).The rise of bankers and a new method of transferring currency by the usage of paper money also started in the aftermath of the depopulation of Europe. The success of these International bankers, contributed to them augmenting both political and social Influence. Technology progressed due to the rise of capitalism, and because of the contact between Arabs, Chinese, and the Europeans, all new innovations were forming a new lifestyle for any people. â€Å"Sea transport, warfare, book production, the measurement of time–all were revolutionized by the Europe of the late Middle Ages. Lewis, 256). The invention of gunpowder by the Chinese and the improvement with it by the Europeans would and technical change enabled rulers to gain more control of their governments and armed forces than before. † (Lewis, 258). The central government treasury no longer paid the officials, causing more taxes to be collected from the public. This did open the gates for more corruption and fraud in the European societies. With all of the inheritance from the dead that the living received, most likely fueled some of the changes.The peasants also wanted higher wages for the work they had to do, which can cause all new problems. This plague also left many towns and villages abandoned and never to be rebuilt again. In a sense the Black Plague contributed to the end of feudal rule and no w rulers had a little more direct control over their lands. With all things considered, the Black Plague was not the only reason for all the changes that occurred in Europe, but it was one of the larger contributors. The league killed perhaps a quarter of all the inhabitants of Europe during the fourteenth century (25 million out of a population of 100 million). (Lewis, 247). The political, religious, economic, and social changes of European society after the Black Plague have had everlasting effects, with the reformation of Europe, in which some of the changes are still seen in present day. The humanism movement and Renaissance era in Europe were also about to surface. It's very interesting to think about, that everybody alive today have had the lucky ancestors that survived the horrors of the fourteenth century. Black Plague DBQ-Black Plague During mid-fourteen century, a terrible plague hit Europe and wiped out a third of the population, 25,000,000 people of Western Europe. This plague was named the Black Plague since when people got the disease they got bumps that oozed black liquid and different body parts would turn black. The plague was spread by infected fleas on rats that bit humans. Since the Europeans lacked medical knowledge, the Plague caused hysteria and hopelessness to spread across Europe. Therefore the Europeans turned to the one stable unit in their lives, the Church. The Europeans lack of medical knowledge really hurt them.They had all types of perceived causes and treatments that they thought would work. People just kept dying and they couldn’t find a cure for something that they didn’t know the cause. According to Heinrich Truchess von Diessenhoven, Jewish people were one perceived cause that the Europeans believed. They spread a rumor that the Jews poisoned the wells and rivers for people had â€Å"confessed† to the crime. The Report of the Paris Medical Faculty states another perceived cause to be the configurations of the heavens and the major conjunction of three plants in Aquarius to be blamed.Another excerpt states that an earthquake that occurred on St. Paul’s day in 1347 corrupted and infected the air above the earth and killed people in various parts of the world. In the excerpt from an anonymous poem, the vices rule is indicted as a cause. The Europeans tried many treatments in which most of them failed. However, Lisavetta Centenni wrote that her husband, Ottavio, had a fatal fever. She believed he would die but Sister Angelica sent her a little piece of bread that had touched the body of St. Domencia. Her husband was a lucky one and his fever broke.Other methods didn’t work so well and patients died anyway. For example, H. de Rochas, a French physician states that patients would hang toads around their neck either dea d or alive, in which they believed the venom would draw out the poison of the disease. Furthermore William Zouche, an Archibishop of York, wrote to his official that he believes the plague was surely caused by the sins of men so in order to stop the plague they should pray to the Almighty God and ask him to drive away the infection. In addition Dom Theophilus of Milan, a priest, suggests a few things to do if a person is struck by the plague.First let him gather as much as he can of bitter hatred towards the sins he committed, and the same quantity of true sorrow of heart, and mix the two into an ointment with tears. That is just one example of his unrealistic treatments. As you can see now this is why the plague had spread and killed so many people. The lack of medical knowledge led to hysteria in Europe as well. The first example is a letter from a schoolmaster saying the plague had taken twenty of the boys and this kept people from coming to them at all.The plague affected the ed ucation of the people as well. The hysteria only got worse. Heinrich von Laden stated that people were dying in their own houses of starvation for they were so afraid to leave and get food, and if a person had died within their home they were buried there. Imagine being as afraid as to leave your home, children must’ve been terrified. Then people started turning to more murderous options. According to the ‘Motto of Giovan Filippo, Sicilian physician of Palermo,’ gold, fire, and the gallows were being used.The gold was used for income for the pest houses to quarantine the sick, the gallows to punish those who violated the health regulations and bonfires to eliminate the infected. People were just turning to anything to try and get rid of this horrid plague. In an English Puritan’s diary, the father Nehemiah Wallington writes, â€Å"Who would I be willing to give up to the disease? Then would I say the maid. Who next? My son John. Who next? My daughter Eliz abeth. Who next? Myself. People were going mad in their homes, and willing to give up anyone but themselves.I don’t even know if I’d be able to keep my head either. The document from Heinrich Truchess von Diessenhoven comes up again for the hysteria was causing people to spread rumors that really hurt the Jew’s reputation and caused a huge decline in their population. Even some people confessed to it because they were starting to actually believe the untrue rumors. Some Christians confessed that the Jews had induced them to carry out the deeds. Even though an excerpt from an anonymous poem argues that everyone should rejoice with each other.People were obviously not listening to that poem if they were pointing out certain people who â€Å"caused† the plague. I already spoke about Dom Theophilus’ ridiculous methods of getting rid of the plague but I just wanted to bring it up again to show how hysterical people were getting by making up absurd remed ies like that. Therefore, Europeans suffered greatly from this plague and lost a third of their population which is 25 million people. I would’ve liked to see a death chart rate over the years in Europe. With all of this death and exposure education and centralization was very hard to recover.Even through all of this havoc the people always turned to the church in their time of need. An example is Lisavetta Centenni, an Italian housewife, whose husband survived from the blessed piece of bread from St. Domencia. It was probably out of luck, or good immune system that helped him survive, but people looked at this in a very serious and reliable manner. Furthermore, Father Dragoni states he has accompanied danger with compassion and charity and paid guards and gravediggers with alms the lordships sent him.They depended a lot on alms and holy charities would help. The Church not only had a religious role but a secular one as well. Peasants were taught how to farm and how to use to ols. Noble’s daughters were taught to farm as well. As I mentioned before, William Zouche said that people believed that if they prayed to the Almighty One, he would stop the spread of the plague and go to church every Wednesday and Friday. Once again, the document with Dom Theophilus of Milan appears for he believed if you used these remedies you could save yourself.Overall, you could see how important the Church was to the people. The lack of medical knowledge really didn’t help the Europeans against the plague. It led to hysteria and all kinds of disasters. The people turned to the Church in a time of need, but even the Church was little help in this catastrophe. The Bubonic Plague still exists in countries today but with our advanced medical knowledge, people can get the right medical attention and medication they need. Doctors never want to have a repeat in history like the Black Plague in Europe and lose millions of people again.

Eating Disorders: Anorexia

It has been stated that nearly half of all Americans personally know someone with an eating disorder. This paper will show the danger and effects of Anorexia Nervosa. A study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders reported that ten percent of anorexics die within ten years after contracting the disease. Anorexia has four primary symptoms Resistance to maintaining body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height. Intense fear of weight gain or being â€Å"fat,† even though underweight. Disturbance in the experience of body weight or shape, undue influence of weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of low body weight, loss of menstrual periods in girls and women post-puberty. Eighteen to twenty percent of anorexics will be dead after twenty years and only forty percent ever full recover. Treatment of an eating disorder in the US ranges from %500 per day to about $2,00 per day. The average cost for a month of inpatient treatment s about $30,00. It is estimated that individuals with eating disorders need anywhere from three o six months of inpatient care. Health insurance companies for several reasons do not typically cover the cost of treating eating disorders. Do you ever think that right now, one percent of all women are starving themselves, some literally starving and exercising themselves to death? Eating disorders are becoming an epidemic; they are confusing, complex diseases that many people know little about. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that causes people to obsess about their weight and the food they eat. To prevent weight gain or to continue losing weight, people with anorexia nervosa may starve themselves or exercise excessively. Anorexia Nervosa is described as â€Å"one of the least understood and most intractable of all mental illnesses† (Schindehette, Sandler, Nelson and Seaman, 2003, p. 136). Many of the victims of this disease will battle it for the rest of their lives. However, if Anorexia Nervosa is diagnosed early, during the teen years, it is possible to cure it with appropriate treatment (Cooper, 2001). Over time, the weight loss becomes a sign of mastery and control. The drive to become thinner is actually secondary to concerns about control and/or fears relating to one's body. Therefore, women struggling with Anorexia Nervosa need effective treatment, and after four decades of research, there is an increasing number of treatment options ranging from counseling, to nutritional therapy, to medication. Yet, some researchers and victims still advocate that there is a need for further research in this area (Kaplan, 2002; Hendricks, 2003). In order to formally diagnose an individual with Anorexia nervosa, clinicians turn to the fourth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV, 1994). The DMS-IV lists four criteria that an individual must meet in order to be diagnosed as anorexic, generally: A. The individual maintains a body weight that is about 15% below normal for age, height and body type. B. The individual has an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though they are underweight. Paradoxically losing weight can make the fear of gaining even worse. C. The individual has a distorted body image. Some may feel fat all over, others recognize that they are generally thin but see specific body parts as being too fat. Their self worth is based on their body size and shape. They deny that their low body weight is serious cause for concern. D. In women, there is an absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles. A woman also meets these criteria if her period occurs only while she is taking a hormone pill (Orstoff, M & Hall, L. 1999). Recognizing symptoms, such as strict dieting, weight loss, binge eating or fasting, feeling dizzy, weak, and/or depressed, in addition to insomnia; family members should seek out the advice of a health care provider. The health care provider will take a complete medical history as well as do a physical examination (Cooper, 2001). After this process is complete, then the doctor can begin treating the patient with Anorexia Nervosa, which may include referrals to specialists in counseling, nutrition and other medical fields. One traditional forms of treatment is counseling, the goal of psychotherapy is to work with the patient so that through therapy she or he will be able to control eating and maintain body weight. There are two primary types of psychotherapy, and they are individual therapy and family therapy. Individual therapy counsels one on one with the patient. Sometimes there is a team of medical specialists, yet the therapy sessions are between the patient and her doctor(s). This type of therapy has mixed results. According to an article in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (1999), individual therapy is superior when used in treating older adolescents and those who have late-onset Anorexia Nervosa (Robin et al. ), and a 2003 publication in The American Journal of Psychiatry concurs with this finding (Pike, Walsh, Vitousek, Wilson and Bauer). However, both articles’ findings state that individual therapy is not the best treatment for young adolescents or those with early-onset Anorexia Nervosa. While individual therapy does not work well with young adolescents or patients with early-onset Anorexia, family therapy seems to have made significant strides in treating this group of patients. In fact the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry stated, â€Å"without the involvement of the parents and family as therapeutic allies, weight gain is extremely difficult to achieve† (Geist, Heinmaa, Stephens, Davis and Katzman, 2000). Family therapy may not only employ the assistance of parents and other family members, it can also call on schools and friends as part of the treatment strategy. One such strategy is a program called the Maudsley Method. This radically new treatment option was developed in the 1980’s at the Institute of Psychiatry and Maudsley Hospital in London. This method â€Å"coaches parents to help their kids gain weight by whatever means necessary—by preparing their favorite foods, with 24-hour monitoring to prevent purging and hours of cajoling at the dinner table† (Schindehette, Sandler, Nelson and Seaman, 2003, p. 36). Many studies report significantly greater success with family based therapy. People magazine (2003) reports that while the mortality rates for AN still average around 5 to 20 percent, the Maudsley Method is reporting success rates as high as 90 percent five years after treatment was initially sought. Other studies agree that family therapy is one of the b est treatments for young adolescents and those with early-onset AN (Robin et al. , 1999; Geist, Heinmaa, Stephens, Davis and Katzman, 2000). While individual and family therapy two of the more traditional methods of treating Anorexia Nervosa, nutritional therapy, which is called psychoeducational therapy, is also commonly used. The aim of psychoeducation is the process of giving information about the nature of the disease in hopes to cultivate behavioral and attitudinal changes in the patient. Furthermore, a study has reported that family based psychoeducation produces the same results as family therapy while costing less (Geist, Heinmaa, Stephens, Davis and Katzman, 2000). However, these results may not be replicated with a group of older adolescents (Pike, Walsh, Vitousek, Wilson and Bauer, 2003). Medication Medication is another method used to treat AN. Using medication, pharmacological therapy, to treat AN also has some promising results. According to European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, â€Å"recent evidence suggests a role for medication in the relapse prevention stage of the illness† (Kotler and Walsh, 2000). Medication is commonly used along with another form of treatment, as are many of the treatments, too. This is referred to as a multidisciplinary approach. Pharmacological therapy uses medicines that help the patient reduce the fear of becoming fat, depression and anxiety as well as weight gain (Cooper, 2001). While each of these treatments reports success in various groups or when combined with other treatments, there are still individuals who do not feel that the treatments are effective. One such person is Jennifer Hendricks who authored Slim to None, which is a book that chronicles her daily struggle with AN. Many times throughout the text Hendricks stated that she did not feel that the treatments she was receiving were of any benefit. Christopher Athas, President of the American Institute of Anorexia Nervosa, stated in the foreword of Slim to None, â€Å"There is a glaring inadequacy of the mental health system to treat and fully understand this disease† (2003, p. ix). Eventually Jennifer lost her battle and died. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry also states that there is a significant need to find â€Å"effective management that truly impacts on long-term outcome† (Kaplan, 2002, p. 236). Anorexia is not about feeling thin, proud or beautiful; take the time to listen to an anorexic and hear that they are feeling fat, unattractive and inadequate.