Hollywood Melodrama Textual Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hollywood Melodrama Textual Analysis - Essay Example Brick’s character is enigmatic and every movement, gesture or line that comes from him may give a clue as to what is making him â€Å"passive-aggressive†. He holds the audience desperate to understand him. Brick is a former athlete who tried to relive his glory days one time, when at three o’ clock in the morning, he tried to jump hurdles imagining a wild crowd cheering him on. Being drunk, he lost his balance and injured his ankle rendering him disabled. â€Å"The image of masculinity is a dominant one in sports, and it is one that privileges men who do not show feelings of vulnerability and where the only emotion valued is one of toughness and competitiveness† (Trujillo, 1991). Stereotypically, from his â€Å"masculine† athletic background, this injury is assumed to affect Brick’s masculinity. Going against stereotype, quadriplegic men in wheelchairs participate in a sport called â€Å"Quad Rugby† or â€Å"Murderball†, borrowing rules from able-bodied rugby, basketball and hockey. Its players also proudly display their masculinity as well, claiming that they play rough and tumble, and ready to take a spill for a loose ball (Buchanan, 2002; Gitonio, 2002).  That is a far cry from the attitude presented by Brick. Brick’s injury, â€Å"a wound in his otherwise intact masculinity, is also a figure for his castration, the unmanning implied in homosexual desire.† (http://www.sparknotes.com/drama/cat) The term ‘impaired masculinity’ describes Brick at the outset with his good ol’ reliable crutch by his side. The crutch, it itself represents disability. It limits Brick’s movements and capacity to do the things he used to before his accident. Being cold and indifferent to the advances of his wife is a defence mechanism that covers up his utter shame of his physical limits. That includes his physical marital obligations. The audience is led to think that turning away from his wife at her

PESTLE and Marketing Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

PESTLE and Marketing Strategies - Essay Example They note that the external environment impacts the following: customers, industry, competitors, government, and regulating bodies. Choosing the best marketing mix requires aligning external realities and the internal resources and capabilities of the organisation (Needham and Dransfield 2000, p.305). Dickinson and Ramaseshan (2008) agree with Needham and Dransfield (2000), but the former also emphasise that other factors also impact marketing strategy, such as the company's cooperative arrangements. This report believes that a company cannot generate effective marketing strategies, if it is only focused on its internal environment in planning these strategies. It must consider the external business environment, so that it can respond to the threats and challenges that are embedded in the outside world. Nevertheless, it does not postulate that only the external environment can assure the success of a firm's marketing strategy. Other factors will also impact the outcome of marketing s trategies. One important framework for analysing the external environment is through the PESTLE analysis. This report will use PESTLE analysis on Abu Dhabi, where its main goal is to help Nestle generate a marketing mix that will introduce a new line of food product for toddlers. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS AND MARKETING MIX The PESTLE analysis is one of the most prominent external scanning tools. It analyses the political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors that can impact a company's marketing strategy by affecting consumer behaviour and choices, as well as their income levels. PESTLE analysis also reveals opportunities and threats that can shape future marketing strategies (Needham and Dransfield 2000, p.305). PESTLE analysis is also not a one-time event. It has to be done regularly, because the environment constantly changes and it will be critical to respond to these changes that can impact the business. This section analyses these factors in Abu Dhabi a nd relates it to the marketing strategy of Nestle. PESTLE Analysis Political factors. The government of Abu Dhabi promotes economic sustainability through diversifying its industries that will ultimately reduce its dependence on oil revenues. This economic diversification scheme can have a positive effect on Nestle’s brand extension scheme, because it can improve the reception for its new product line. In addition, after the Arab spring (Anderson 2011), the U.A.E. government aims to enhance the conditions of liberal human rights, so that its citizens will not think of being involved in political and economic sabotage and other economically-ruinous activities. The political environment can affect the marketing strategy of the company, because it will provide the political and economic stability needed to expand in this market. The political environment also regulates companies and competition. The political condition of the U.A.E. is considered as stable, in general, so it wil l not be risky for Nestle to expand business in the region. The U.A.E., in addition, pursues Emiratisation to enhance the employment of its citizens. This will impact Nestle's employment of expatriates in the long run. It would have to prepare nationals to handle critical management and marketing positions. Economic factors. Abu Dhabi is implementing its long-term economic development plan, which follows this formula:

The Subjective Theory Of Truth Religion Essay

The Subjective Theory Of Truth Religion Essay According to the correspondence theory, if a statement corresponds to reality then it is considered to be truth (Hardy 32). Because there are three other truth theories, many have the wrong idea regarding what truth is and how one can know it. The three other truth theories are pragmatic, coherence, and subjective, and through the use of reason, one can determine which one is the most logical. To start, the subjective theory of truth discerns that the individual decides what is true and false based merely on his own personal desires. In other words, there is no such thing as absolute truth and what is true for you might not be true for me (Hardy 38). Absolute truth is simply the concept that there is a universal truth or a set of truths that exist and concern everyone (Hardy 40). In 2001, a study was done to determine how many Americans actually believe in absolute truth, and the result was only 38% (B.A. Robinson). Therefore 62% of Americans believe relativism in regards to reality, ethics, and even pluralism. However, behind every subjective truth, there is at least one absolute truth that can be discerned (Hardy 40). In any given situation, opinions can form, but there has to be at least one essential truth in order for those opinions to appear. For example, if there is a car accident and witnesses must tell their versions of what occurred, each person might retell the events that caused the accident a little bit differently. However, the one underlying absolute truth is that the accident did occur. In regards to moral relativism, in order for someone to say that something is good or evil, or, right or wrong, then he or she has to make an absolute truth claim. Under what standard is something immoral? If truth is relative, then one can follow their own standards and desires in regards to morality and there is no reason to argue at all. The moral implications of relativism also allude to placing the individual above God and rejecting His sovereignty. Furthermore, one can not say that someone is wrong unless that person knows what right is (Hardy, 40-41). According to Stand Your Ground by Dean Hardy, the irony of relativism is that it is completely self-defeating. Relativism cannot even pass its own test for truth (Hardy 40). In regards to the material reality, there are many ways to logically prove the subjective theory false. For example if someone declares that truth is relative, all one has to do in reply is question whether or not that is an absolute truth (Hardy 41). Therefore, it is evident that all truth claims are not inclusive. Truth must be exclusive, absolute and narrow, for an attempt to include everyone will never work (Hardy 40-41). Truth is also trans-cultural, and it is discovered not invented. Also, just because someone believes in something with all of his heart and deepest convictions, that doesnt make his belief true. This leads us into the discussion of pluralism and how all religions can not be true (Hardy 41). Pluralists argue in the analogy of the six blind men and the elephant that all six major religions have a piece of the truth but are unable to see the big picture. According to this way of thinking, if all six religions have a piece of the truth then they are all true. However, in making this claim, the pluralist has to know the whole truth. Underneath all of the subjective truths, there is still one elephant that represents absolute truth: that there is one true religion. Therefore, in using this analogy, pluralists claim the opposite of what they teach: that there has to be only one spiritual and religious path. If one is to discern whether or not pluralism is true based on a logical standpoint, then one can show that all six major religions teach opposites. In Christianity, for example, salvation is achieved by faith alone in Christ alone. However in Hinduism, one achieves salvation by overcoming reincarnation with good works. The two cant both be true (Hardy 39). Should we be skeptical about everything? Lord Byron once said In short, I deny nothing, but doubt everything. The question of whether or not reality is an illusion certainly harps at the hearts of many. The ideologies of skepticism, idealism and realism present ways to answer the question of metaphysics and how one knows what is truly real. We should most definitely not be skeptical about everything, for it is evident that there is both a material and spiritual reality. There is most definitely a difference between the physical existence of a chair in the outside world and the immaterial existence of a chair inside ones mind. The two both share the same essence, for they both have legs, a back and a seat for one to sit on. However, the two differ with existence, for one is physically real and the other is not (Hardy 17). In this situation, an idealist would believe that the only real chair would be the chair fabricated in his mind. Therefore, the idea of the chair is more real than the chair itself. A skeptic, however, would simply doubt the ability to prove that a chair existed at all. According to the skeptic, ones senses are faulty (Hardy 18). Because I am a realist, I firmly believe that the computer I used to type this paper is real and so are the ideas that I have formulated in my mind. Even though one can not prove everything with 100% certainty, it is still probable that anything can still exist as real. For example, one cant prove with 100% certainty that Christianity is real (Hardy 3). Although there are logical conclusions and arguments to prove Christianity to be true, there is always room for faith. One can not go back in time and physically prove that Jesus existed, and this is why there is room for faith (Hardy 3). However, one can know anything with 100% certainty. In regards to mathematics, one can know that the equation 2+2 will always equal 4. This is real and one can know it for certain (Hardy 15-16). Dean Hardy states in Stand Your Ground that if we could not be sure if our statements and ideas correspond to a real thing, then there could be no such thing as truth or knowledge (Hardy 19). So even though i t is in our human nature to doubt things, such as Lord Byron did in the statement above, that doesnt mean that no knowledge is absolute or that, nothing is real. I dont think that there is a God, is there any proof that He exists? There are three main arguments that are used to prove Gods existence. They are the cosmological, teleological and moral arguments. Each argument starts with certain presuppositions and then leads one into understanding that there must be an infinite God who exists outside of the universe. My favorite is the teleological argument because it proves that there must be a God based on the knowledge that the universe is intelligently designed. The logical syllogism is as follows: Everything that has design has a designer. The universe has design; therefore the universe must have a Designer (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology 20). In using the rules of logic and argumentation found in Stand Your Ground, this is a categorical syllogism where the conclusion of the argument is both true and valid (Hardy 57-60). To start, there are many ways to prove that the universe has design. One of the most famous illustrations of this utilizes the concept of a watch and a watchmaker. In reality, a watch is comprised of natural elements from the universe. However, a watch has never just randomly formed out in nature. Even if one were to line up all of the essential parts of the watch together outside, one would know that the only way a watch could function is if someone intelligently constructed its parts together, and nature cant do that! Therefore it is safe to say that nature randomizes and intelligence organizes (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology 20). In addition, many use the study of the anthropic principle to further conclude that the universe must have a designer. The anthropic principle mandates that our universe is designed so that even subtle changes in its atmosphere, oxygen or carbon dioxide levels would cause drastic results. One such example is that the oxygen level must comprise approximately 21% our atmosphere. If it was only 15% all life would suffocate and if it was 25% all life would burn (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology 20). Also, never before has a scientist been able to construct a living cell, for it contains nearly 1,000 volumes of encyclopedic information (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology 20)! Furthermore, the concept of specified complexity serves to prove that chance can not order the universe. In Apologetics class, the example of a group of monkeys typing a work of Shakespeare proves this point, for although they were given long periods of time to sit in front of a computer screen with a work of Shakespeare beside them, none of them were able to type a complete work. This proves that time added to chance will not equal order or even design. The point of this serves to prove that the chance of the universe creating itself is not only illogical but completely unsound (Hardy 90-91). In order to prove that the Designer from th e teleological argument is the God of Christianity, the other three arguments need to be used to correspond with the Bibles teachings (Hardy 100). Is the Bible merely mythical stories? Many unbelievers feel that the Bible is a book of mythical stories and that its teachings are ultimately false and insubstantial. However, even though I agree to some extent that the Bible includes both literal and figurative stories, I would still argue that the Bible is inspired or God-breathed (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology 3). As 2 Timothy 3:16-17 states, All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. First and foremost, the Bible is a historical book, which can be verified by past secular historical events. For example, the New Testament book Acts and the Old Testament books of Joshua, Ruth, Chronicles and 1st and 2nd Kings (just to name a few) are all deemed historical books and pertain to actual events that occurred in the past. Therefore, the whole Bible can not be deemed mythological (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology 4). In addition, there are many non-Christian sources that can be used to verify the teachings of the Bible as accurate in correlation to events in history (Hardy 114). According to Stand Your Ground by Dean Hardy, there are more non-Christian sources that promote Christs existence than there are sources that discuss the existence of Emperor Tiberius Caesar Augustus during the 1st century (Hardy 117). Notable men including Roman historians Tacitus and Suetonis, the Roman governor Pliny the Younger and Jewish historian Josephus have all written accounts about the existence of not only Christ but also the truth to a lot of historical claims in the Bible (Hardy 116-118). Also, one of my favorite books of the Old Testament, Psalms, contains poetry. Even though one might argue that this book is mythological, I would refer back to how many of the verses in Psalms predict prophecy. For example, Psalm 22 predicts the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, how He was mocked on the cross and how many tempted Him to show that He was the one and only true God (Henson, Judaism 16). Above, I mentioned how many of the secular accounts confirming Christs existence give mention to His death under Pontius Pilate and His resurrection (Hardy 116-118).The statement above proves that the Bible is internally consistent, something that could not just be a compilation of random mythological stories. Lastly, to those who argue that the flood was a foolish myth, and that God did not start the first woman with a rib, Jesus Christ confirmed the validity of these events in the verses of Matthew 24:38 and Matthew 19:4-5 (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology, 3). In addition, it is very bold for one to claim that all 66 books of the Bible, written by 40 different authors, on 3 different continents in 3 different languages over a period of 1500 years, is completely mythical (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology, 4). Therefore, I believe that the book of the Bible is not a compilation of mythical stories. 5. Why must God be an infinite being? Why cant there be multiple Gods, and why cant God be limited? The common definition of the word infinite is having no limits (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology 7). However, a more appropriate definition when describing Gods characteristics of omnipotence, omnibenevolence, omniscience, omnipresence, eternalness and immutableness is unlimited perfection (Hardy 75). God must be an infinite being because He is uncaused and outside of the universe. Because God is uncaused, nothing is causing Him to be and therefore He simply is who He is, or, He is pure actuality (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology 7). If nothing is limiting God then God must be infinite and unable to lack (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology 7). However, the concepts of deism, maltheism, and finite Godism support the notion that God is a finite being, or a being that is limited in perfection (Hardy 75) If God is a finite being, then something had to cause Him to be, and if God had a cause, then He cant be God. Therefore it is safe to say that one would have to regress back in time to find an infinite being, which would then be called God (Hardy 96-97). Deists claim that God created the world and everything in it, but then decided to let the world just run on its own. This implies that God is not omnipotent, for He lacks the ability to perform miracles, and that God is not omnibenevolent, for He lacks the ability to love and care for His creation (Hardy 78). In addition, Maltheists claim that God is evil, but if He is omnibenevolent, He doesnt have the potential to be evil. For God does not have the potential to be anything other than who He is, and that is an all-loving, good being (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology 7). Lastly, finite Godists project the notion that God lacks and through the reason Ive given above, it is impossible for God to lack or else Hed be finite. In addition to Gods inability to lack, Polytheists argue that there are many finite Gods that rule the universe. However, it is true that something is distinguished by what it lacks rather than what it has. In order to distinguish these lesser gods apart, one would have to lack something the other god didnt have, and vice versa (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology 7). If something lacks, then that something had a cause and therefore can not be the infinite God of the universe (Hardy 80). How do you know that the infinite being you believe in is the God of the Bible? According to Psalm 145:3, Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom. There are many verses in the Bible that prove the infinite being who created the universe must be the God of Christianity. As mentioned before, God is omnipotent, omnibenevolent, omniscient, omnipresent, and immutable. He is also holy, relational, just, and righteous (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology 8-9). To start, verse Matthew 19:26 states, Jesus looked at them and said, With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.' This verse shows how God is an all powerful being, something that man could never be. Also, one can see Gods love for man in Romans 5:8, which states But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. The Lord sent down His only son so that our sins could be forgiven and that we could have eternal life if we choose to come to know Him. Next, Psalm 139: 1-2 states, O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. This shows how God is all knowing. In addition, Gods omnipresence can be shown thorough verse Jeremiah 23:24 where the Lord questions, Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see himdo not I fill heaven and earth? Lastly, the God of Christianity is immutable, which means that He is unable to change (Henson, Introduc tion to Christian Theology 8). In Malachi 3:6, the Lord states, I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. These are just a few examples that describe how the God of the universe must be the God of Christianity. 7. If there is a God and He is omnipotent, omni benevolent, and omniscient, why is there evil? I mean, if He created everything, then didnt create evil? In order to understand this question, one should reference the beginning of Genesis when the Lord created both Adam and Eve. Genesis 2:16-17 states And the Lord God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.' Here, the Lord gave Adam an ultimatum. He gave him the choice to obey or disobey and He later gave the same choice to Eve. Adam and Eve were created without original sin and therefore were perfect in the eyes of God. However, the Lord gave man the free will to commit sin by choosing evil. In the story of Genesis, the serpent was the tempter. He told Eve in Genesis 3:5 that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦God knows that when you eat of it you eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. So now after reading this verse, the question becomes whether or not God created evil and if He did, why He created it. God did not create evil. However, God created a perfect world where only good existed, but because He gave man free will, evil came into the world (Hardy 106). When people think of evil, many think of tragedies, times of adversity, even murder, however, they do forget that evil is the lack of something, or as Thomas Aquinas called it, the privation of a thing (Hardy 106). Evil is the lack of anything good. In Stand Your Ground by Dean Hardy, the example of a bucket with a hole in it is considered to be evil for its opening causes it to lack (Hardy 106). When God created the world, He essentially had two choices: one was to create a world where everyone was forced to be obedient to Him and the other was to give all of man kind the option to worship Him or not (Hardy 107-108). To further explain, the fall of man, which was the result of Adam and Eves first sin, enabled us to distinguish good from evil by the standard which God created. One can use empiricism to deduce that the world we live in is full of suffering, disease, pain, wrath, and heartache (just to name a few.) However, in order to understand why an omnibenevolent, omnipotent, omniscient God would allow these things to enter the once perfect world, one has to understand the importance of Satan and Satans desires. In Mr. Hensons Christian Theology class I learned that Satan uses humans to accomplish his purposes, but God uses demons to accomplish His purposes (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology, 14). In all honesty, if there wasnt suffering and evil in the world, would we ever choose to pursue an all-loving God? Wouldnt you rather want to have the choice to pursue good or evil in this life, and learn from you experiences in times of suffering? Furthermore, dont we need to know what evil i s in order to comprehend that an all-loving, just God even exists? I firmly believe that God hurts when He sees His creation suffering but dont those times of suffering bring us closer to Him? God allowed evil to enter the world so that His creation can come to know Him and pursue Him in a world full of darkness. The only possible explanation of our existence is natural selection. In response to this statement, natural selection is only one idea or concept regarding our existence in the universe. Another idea happens to be the concept of intelligent design as it pertains to the universes complexity. Debaters are in constant disagreement over the two and the argument is still extremely prevalent in todays society. However, in studying the concept of irreducible complexity, one can prove that evolutionism is false. The most famous evolutionist, Charles Darwin, even stated something along the lines of if irreducible complexity were to be proven true then evolution cant be (Hardy, Chapter 7 Notes). The concept of irreducible complexity, which was formulated by Michael Behe, goes hand in hand with the teleological argument to prove Gods existence. The human cell is a complex structure made up of interdependent parts (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology 20). If even one of these parts were to be removed, the cell would cease to function. This disproves the concept of macro-evolution or the idea that minor changes over time have enabled drastic changes to occur in a given species (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology 21). In Apologetics class I learned about another example regarding irreducible complexity: the human eye. In order for the human eye to function, all of its interacting parts must exist together. One can not claim to have 25% of an eye, because that absolutely makes no sense! Gradual changes over time could not have occurred because all of that organs parts would have had to have formed at the same time. In addition, another one of Darwins theories is gr adualism or the notion that new traits form in the DNA code. However, scientist Gregor Mendel confirmed that our genetic make-up is hereditary or produced by the pre-existing traits of our parents (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology 20). Lastly, the concept of microevolution can even be used to support the existence of God. According to Mr. Henson, a wise Creator would create flexibility within the gene pool to enable survival under any given environment, and to show His artistic creativity. This shows preplanning and purpose, which implies design (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology 21). What makes Jesus so different? What did He say that was so unique? Verse John 1:35 states John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Here one can fully understand the importance of Christs sacrifice for humankind and how He was more than just a man. Jesus Christ is the epitome of the new covenant God established with His people in the New Testament. Because Christ died for us, our sins can be forgiven. He essentially is the propitiation for our sins, meaning took our punishment for sin (Henson, Christian Theology 3). In the New Testament, Jesus performed miracles, He was worshipped, He forgave sins, He answered prayers, and although He was a man, He was without sin. Here one can see Jesus divine nature when He lived (Henson, Christian Theology 15). An example of Christ performing miracles is seen in Mark 1:25-26, which reveals: Be quiet! said Jesus sternly. Come out of him! The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. An example of Christ exclaiming how He is the Son of God is seen in John 14:6 where Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. An example of Christ forgiving ones sins can be seen in Luke 7:48 which remarks, Then Jesus said to her, Your sins are forgiven.' In reference to prayer Jesus tells His disciples in Matthew 6:6, But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret will reward you.' These all show h ow Jesus was a Divine Teacher who brought people to pursue the unseen God. In response to those who believe that Jesus did not claim to be God but only His son, in verse John 10:30 Jesus remarks I and the Father are one. Throughout His life on earth, it is recorded that Christ spoke many things and was more than just a good man. Why do Christians believe that there are three Gods in one? Isnt this Polytheism? The concept of the Trinity holds that there are three persons in one God. The reason why Christians believe that there are three persons in one God is because God is a relational being. In using the moral argument, one can deduce that the Moral Law Giver (the God of Christianity) has to be moral and relational because not only is He the standard for right and wrong but the concept of morality without relationships does not make sense (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology 18). For example, one can not lie to a rock or some non-living creature. If one were to slap his desk or slap his little sister, which one would you consider morally wrong? Relationships are necessary in order for morals to exist. With that being said, If God is eternal, then He must be in an eternal relationship, which shows how God is not dependent on His temporal creation, for that would put limits on Him (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology 18). Furthermore, if God is in an eternal relationship then He must be multi-personal, for He is the only true, infinite God. The reason why relationships are so valuable for human beings is because we were created in the image of God (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology 18). To further explain the concept of the Trinity, within God there is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. All three are of the same substance' and are not separate from each other. John 1:1-2 states In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. The emphasis of Word in the above verse serves to emphasize how the Christ is God and was always God from the beginning of time. The reason why the concept of the Trinity is not polytheism is because even though the three persons within God are equal, they are economically distinct, which means that they serve different functions. The Father created the Earth, He is in charge over everything, while the Son is the mediator between God and man and lastly, the Holy Spirit convicts man of sin and immorality through guilt and shame (Henson, Introduction to Christian Theology 21). What does a person have to do to become a Christian? Why is it necessary? Couldnt you just be good and get into heaven? The infamous statement found in Ephesians 2:8-9 entails For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. Here it is evident that Jesus Christ is the mediator between God and man and through His sacrifice, humankind can come to salvation if they choose to worship Him. In order to become a Christian, one has to fully accept Christ as Gods Son and by worshipping Him, one can reap eternal life. In addition, in order for one to truly know God and believe in Christ as the Savior of humankind, one has to live a life devoted to God. This means, that one can not just sin on Monday and repent on Sunday in Church and claim himself a Christian. Christians need to put forth an initiative to shy away from sin and learn to live a life here on Earth devoted to God. Even though Ephesians 2:8-9 states that it is not by works, I believe that if one truly knows God then those works will evidence in his life through the power of the Holy Spirit. In my opinion, the above question as to whether or not good people can get into heaven without believing in Christ is a conundrum. For can anyone truly be good if the Holy Spirit is not working miracles inside of them? Can anyone truly be good if they do not know God, or if they do not claim Christ as their Savior? It is evident that because God is omnibenevolent, His creation can not even try to be good without having God working somehow miraculously in their lives. Believing in Christ is an essential for salvation, but because I am a Catholic, I believe that good works are a direct byproduct of faith in Christ and that for one to be good, God has to be inside of them. Where are you at in your spiritual journey? When I was 12 years old, I lost my aunt to breast cancer and due to a family disagreement, I also lost my favorite cousins. I had just graduated from 5th grade and I just couldnt understand why JoAnne and Gerard were no longer a part of my life. As I type this, I can remember all of the times we shared: spontaneous sleepovers, watching the fireworks show that they put on every Fourth of July, every single Christmas Eve that I can remember, all of the tickle wars that I never seemed to win, and the times when we would swim all day in their backyard pool. I never knew what it was like to lose someone you truly loved and cared for with all of your heart or what it would be like to never see them or hear from them again. I lost my two role-models, the people that I looked up to and could never wait to visit. However, even through this painful experience, Ive never shut God out of my life completely. Through the hard years, I always prayed to God to not only help me understand why this wa s happening but also for my cousins that I no longer knew. This experience never brought me really close to God, it kind of kept me at bay even though I never completely shut Him out of my life. However while I tried to block this experience from my mind and move on, adversity entered my life in a completely, different unexpected way. The first day of my sophomore year of high school, my mother had a stroke, and from this experience I learned how important my family was in my life. From this point on, I feel as though my faith has grown tremendously, not only because Ive grown in a Christian environment but because God used these experiences to help me come to know Him. Even though I cant really explain how, I know that God works in mysterious ways, especially in my life and He has so many things planned for me. The experience with my mom shocked our family and made us realize that we were ignoring God for earthly desires. When all of this was happening, I completely detested ever going to Charlotte Christian, but i know that God made everything happen the way it did because it has made me a stronger woman in my faith and personal journey with the Lord. Even now, these past few months, Ive been trying to have a new relationship with my cousins but because all of this time has passed, I dont even know where to start. I pray to God every night about how I can know them again, even though I know it wont ever be the same. Right now a lot of change is going to happen for me and even though it has been hard I honestly have put all of my faith in knowing that God knows whats best for me. Im reading book called God Always has a Plan B, and it has just been helping me get through college rejections and acceptances. I have no idea where I am going to end up, but I know that God has definitely made it clear where He does not want me to go. I have completely accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and I try every day to live according to Gods plan. I know that Im not perfect and I have many faults, but I know that God sees my strengths and talents for Im created in His image. After having the opportunity to take classes such as Christian Theology and Apologetics, I feel as though my faith has been challenged and Im glad that I am able to question and not be afraid. I have had doubts enter my mind of course, but they have just served to make my faith stronger. I dont know where I would be today if I didnt have God actively working my life. I dont understand how some people can live everyday and not feel like theres something out there thats greater than we could ever be. As one chapter in my life comes to an end, I know that my spiritual journey will continue to become a larger part of me. Even though I have had painful experiences, God has blessed me with the ability to ch

Career Integration Research Assignment: Athletic Training Essay

The field of athletic training is one of the fastest expanding careers today. This could be due to the much greater demand for health care providers. Athletic trainers specialize in preventing, diagnosing, and treating muscle and bone injuries. They work with a diverse group of patients, from young children to professional athletes. Athletic trainers are usually part of a sport medicine team, which tend to include a physician, physical therapist, and even a sport psychologist. Many athletic trainers work in educational facilities, such as high schools and colleges. However, much of their time is spent on the sport fields. The profession requires the trainers to apply their wide range of medical knowledge and, in order to do so, athletic trainers must have strong interpersonal and communication skills to converse with the athletes, coaches, physicians, and parents (Occupational outlook handbook, 2012). Athletic trainers are mainly responsible for injury recovery and prevention. However, these responsibilities are physical concerns, but what about the mental concerns? There is a movement within the athletic training field to approach sport injuries with a more holistic perspective. Many athletic trainers have had inadequate education in sport psychology to institute any sort of psychological methods in their rehabilitation programs. This paper will discuss some of the prospective ideas and various methods of rehabilitation tactics that could be used in the field, as well as how to properly train athletic trainers to administer both these mental and physical treatments. These mental treatments will be related back to sport and exercise psychology concepts; examples of this include strategies for setting realistic goals, methods fo... ...es to increase rehabilitation adherence. Athletic Therapy Today, 13(3), 18-19. Naylor, A. (2009). The role of mental training in injury prevention. Athletic Therapy Today, 14(2), 27-29. Occupational outlook handbook. (2012, March 29). Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Healthcare/Athletic-trainers.htm Podlog, L., & Eklund, R. (2009). High-level athletes' perceptions of success in returning to sport following injury. Psychology of Sport & Exercise, 10(5), 535-544. doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2009.02.003 Stiller-Ostrowski, J., & Ostrowski, J. (2009). Recently certified athletic trainers' undergraduate educational preparation in psychosocial intervention and referral. Journal Of Athletic Training, 44(1), 67-75. Wiese, D., Weiss, M., & Yukelson, D. (1991). Sport psychology in the training room: A survey of athletic trainers. Sport Psychologist, 5(1), 15-24.

Career Roles in Health Information Technology

At present, great demand in health services are of the fastest growing career opportunities (â€Å"Prepare for a Career in Today's Fastest Growing Field†). Professionals with the expertise in the design, operation and maintenance of the different developments in health technologies are indeed highly needed.It is then expected that ten out of twenty jobs likely to grow quickly in the next several years are focused in the medical field. Maintaining patients’ records to examining vital information are careers in health and medical information technology which permits work in active domain that’s rich with chances and radical development.Health Applications Developer As a health applications developer, it is his duty to help others do their work more efficiently as they supervise their patients. Thrilling tests in the field will be very much enjoyable as he designs, builds, and integrates higher technological tools for the healthcare vocation. Technological expertise as well as problem-solving skills, works hand in hand together with analytical capabilities in explaining the different patient data, and its further reformation (â€Å"Prepare for a Career in Today's Fastest Growing Field†).Health Information Technicians or Medical Records Managers Whenever a patients submits himself for general check-up in any hospital, or when a patient obtains any medical intervention, a record of all the remarks, therapy, surgeries, medical history and the like are taken for further use. The records also include all the basic information needed so that anyone that gets the information could immediately understand the patient’s condition. This is the duty of a health information technician, to organize and to systemize this data so everything would be put to order.Technicians collect patients’ health data, being certain that the patients’ primary medical information and charts are well accomplished, that every form are properly recog nized and true, and that all needed data is in the computer (â€Å"Medical Records and Health Information Technicians†). They habitually are in contact with doctors and other health care specialists to refine diagnoses or get further information. Technicians also tabulate programs regularly and investigate data to expand patient concern, betterment of the cost, and supply documentation for utilization in lawful actions, or use in investigation studies.The responsibilities of medical records and health information technicians’ also differ with the volume of the amenities present in their work place. Technicians could concentrate in a specific field of health data or could manage health information clerks and transcriptionists in medium to large-scale services whereas a medical records and health information manager supervises the division. On the other hand, a certified medical records and health information technician could have the chance to supervise the division in small facilities.Some of them concentrate in coding patients’ medical data for insurance reasons. These technicians are also known as health information coders, medical record coders, coder/abstractors, or coding specialists (â€Å"Medical Records and Health Information Technicians†). The said technicians allocate a system to every diagnosis and method, on the basis of their familiarity and skill in disease progression. Hence, they utilize classification schemes software to allot the patient to some individuals out of a hundred â€Å"diagnosis-related groups,† or DRGs.They decide the quantity for what the hospital will be repaid if the patient is shouldered by Medicare or other insurance plans under the DRG scheme. Furthermore, coders utilize other coding schemes, like those needed for ambulatory situations, physician function, or long-term therapy. Another specialization of this field is on cancer registry. Cancer registrars preserve all types of information of their cancer patients. Registrars evaluate patient data and files and pathology statements, and allocate codes for the judgment and management of distinguishing cancers and chosen benign tumors.Registrars carry out yearly follow-ups on every patient in the registry to trace their therapy, endurance, and revitalization. Certain health organizations like public health and physicians then utilize this data to compute survivor degree and success percentage of a variety of sort of therapy, situate geographic portions with increased instances of particular cancers, and recognize possible partakers for clinical drug experiments. Public health officers also utilize cancer registry information to aim areas for the provision of resources to offer intercession and selection.The technicians have a pleasant and comfortable workplace. This is just one in the small number of health-related professions where there is small or no absolute connection with their patients. Since precision is vital in their work, technicians should be attentive to every feature. They who work in front of computer monitors for long spans of time should watch incidents of eyestrain and muscle soreness. Medical records and health information technicians generally labor a 40-hour week and several overtime could be necessary.Health information divisions frequently are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Technicians could work day, evening, and night time shifts in hospitals. Health Information Managers Health Information Manager plans and coordinates all services offered by the Health Information Department that includes the Medical Records division (â€Å"Health Information Manager Job Description†). A health information manager has several duties, some of which are the following: †¢ Organizes, guides and assesses everyday routines of every file room procedure at the facility.†¢ Evaluates purposes and methods of medical records. †¢ Does service area and departmental excellent as surance duties needed for conformity, recognizing agencies and regulatory matters. †¢ Offer on-going guidance to specialized, clinical and clerical personnel concerning the medical record details, coding, discretion, and safety. †¢ Directs the study of medical documentation records for regular accomplishment and certification. †¢ Organizes methods for discharge of medical data and correlation demands according to regional policies, nation and federal decrees and laws.†¢ Makes new strategies and updates on hand policies in association to gist and context of the medical details. †¢ Expands and monitors departmental finances. †¢ Manages clinical data and records completion scheme to remain method and workflow constant with specialized standards and official necessities. †¢ Systemizes the storage, recovery, archiving and obliteration of medical files according to state laws. †¢ Serves as connection between medical, secretarial, and executive force in issues concerning coding, information acquisition and investigation.†¢ Presents instructions, discussion and execution of recent agenda associated to medical records. Health Services Managers In the healthcare industry, efficient management is necessary to guarantee excellent services are offered to those needy. Health services managers are people who oversee, guides and organized healthcare (â€Å"Medical and Health Services Management Careers, Jobs and Training Information†). Health services managers should battle with complex rigid schemes, due to the fast-changing budget and arrangement of healthcare.Greater focus on preventive care, reconstruction of work, delivery schemes, and technological developments are implemented as well. These managers have a vital role in the medical field. Working together with certain organizations, the health service managers try to find alternatives in making interrelated services, like outpatient follow-up care and inpatient care, more effective. The clinical manager is accountable for organizing different activities consisting of diverse managers, assess, work and staff, rising budgets and reports, as well as making and performing methods, rules, and purposes for their department.Clinical management titles practice or trains in particular clinical fields. Say a manager over medical records and health files usually has a bachelor’s degree in whichever in medical record administration or health information while a director of physical therapy must have wide understanding as a physical therapist. Managed care amenities are being worked on by the health services and medical manager. Their duties are not far from each other which corresponds a specific manager for group practices.However, they manage bigger group of workers and does work in preventive care and society outreach. They also are responsible in supervising numerous health system services that provide various inpatient and outpatient services. H ospitals and nursing care facilities present a twenty-four hour round the clock care, thus make the majority of health services and medical managers work in long hours and could be on-call at no specific time. Travel may also be needed to investigate satellite spots or to be there on meetings.They also should be able to provide efficient decisions, analyze information, and comprehend information schemes and budget, because health services and medical managers are accountable for a great number of employees and very exclusive equipment and amenities. Tough headship expertise is required to encourage and implement their decisions. Communication competence mediation, litheness, and judgment are grave because of their consistent communication with people. Getting a career as a health services or medical manager may evolve by progressing to a bigger competence or by achieving a title as a subordinate or partner administrator.These titles not only pay much, but obligate greater accountabi lity. Biomedical Engineering Technologists Bioengineering and biomedical engineering technologists lastly, concentrates on biomedical apparatus (â€Å"Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering Technology†). They could labor on draft or appliances, or could be accountable for setting up, preparation, procedure or preservation for the biomedical equipment. Bioengineering technologists may also labor on the improvement or execution of biomedical schemes.They usually labor in hospitals or self-governing medical assistance organizations, and may examine, standardize, or handle equipment established in the provision they work in. Conclusion The employment rate under the medical field is expected to grow more than the normal profession through 2012, because of an increasing health services industry. Elevating chances will originate in out-patient care foundation, health practitioners and doctor’s working places, and in residence healthcare services. Workers with fine administ ration and business expertise and understanding in the healthcare industry will have the utmost opportunities.However, job availability in hospitals are predicted to elevate at a slower speed than in other specialization areas because of the hospitals’ focus on substitute care areas and to more guarded budgets. But, hospitals will still utilize the uppermost number of health services. The finest job opportunities in hospitals will go to them with great competence experience. Employment is increasing fastest in residence healthcare agencies and in practitioners’ workplace, due to a number of hospital benefits that are moving offsite because of developing technologies.Skilled experience in a line of work will give managers with more opportunities. Employees working in these fields will be obtainable with an elevated concentration on preventive care, financial responsibility, forces of cost suppression, and will concentrate on civilizing the public health. Healthcare comp anies offer hospitals and organizations, and particular sector (physician employing, emergency, handled care deal talks, and data management schemes) with a variety of management services.Health and medical career opportunities then will have employment chances with these institutions. Works Cited: â€Å"Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering Technology†. 2008. Sloan Career Cornerstone Center. April 16, 2008. . â€Å"Health Information Manager Job Description†. 2008. Migrant Clilnicians Network. April 16, 2008. . â€Å"Medical and Health Services Management Careers, Jobs and Training Information†.2008. Career Overview – Career Information and Job Search Guide. April 16, 2008. . â€Å"Medical Records and Health Information Technicians†. 2008. US Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics. April 16, 2008. . â€Å"Prepare for a Career in Today's Fastest Growing Field†. 2008. DeVry University – We major in careers. April 16, 2008. .

Leopold Sedar

Leopold Sedar Senghor (9 October 1906 – 20 December 2001) Leopold Sedar Senghor was born in Joal,  Afrique Occidentale Francaise  (French West Africa now Republic of Senegal), to a Serer (third largest ethnic group in Senegal) Father and Roman Catholic mother. In 1928 Senghor traveled to Paris to continue his studies on a partial scholarship. He became the first black African to become an  agrege, the top qualification for a teacher in the French education system, and became a professor of African languages and civilization at the  Ecole Nationale de la France d'Outre-Mer.When Senegal achieved independence in 1960, Senghor was elected its first president. He retired from the presidency on 31 December 1960. Senghor retired to France, became the first black African member of the French Academy in 1984, and published his memoir,  (‘That Which I Believe: Negritude, Frenchness, and Universal Civilization') in 1988. He died at Verson, France, on 20 December 2001. Phi losophy: Leopold Sedar Senghor believes that every African shares certain distinctive and innate characteristics, values and aesthetics.Negritude is the active rooting of an Black identity in this inescapable and natural African essence. (The major premise of Negritude is therefore that one’s biological make-up (race) defines one’s outer (skin color) as well as inner (spirit/essence) traits. It is a concept which holds that there is a ‘shared culture and subjectivity and spiritual essence’ among members of the same racial group. Instead of rejecting the (colonialist) theory that race defines one’s being; Negritude rejects the assumption that the African is inherently inferior to the â€Å"white man†.To Senghor, this makes Negritude a weapon against colonialism and an ‘instrument of liberation’. To Senghor, the African essence is externalized in a distinctive culture and philosophy. This claim is supported by Senghor’s asse rtion that Negritude – the rooting of identity in one’s natural essence – is ‘diametrically opposed to the traditional philosophy of Europe’ (the colonizer). To Senghor, European philosophy is ‘essentially static, objective†¦ It is founded on separation and opposition: on analysis and conflict’.In contrast, African philosophy is based on ‘unity’, balance, negotiation and an appreciation of ‘movement and rhythm’. Senghor’s idea of â€Å"Negritude† posits an essence for blacks who are intuitive, sensual, and creative. In other words, he argues that blacks have a unique essence, with out which the â€Å"civilization of the Universal† would be incomplete. (This is reminiscent of Du Bois’ belief that Blacks have a particular value to add to world history). This essence, according to Senghor, is opposite from the white essence, which is based in reason and objectivity.

Free Essays on Music Of The Catholic Church

Roman Catholicism is one of the largest religions in the world, with over a billion adherents distributed all over the world. Catholicism's history began when followers of Judaism accepted Jesus Christ as not just a prophet, but as the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Roman Catholicism was reputedly started with the commissioning of the Apostle Peter. Catholicism, which means universal, received the adjective "Roman" due to the Church's geographical location in the Roman Empire. There are two central ideas to Roman Catholicism: the Church as a teaching authority, and the Church as a sacramental agent. The Church as a teaching authority means that the Church is the interpreting agent of the Bible. The Church as a sacramental agent means that the church institutes sacraments for its followers so that they can live more spiritually. Roman Catholics recognize the New Testament and the Old Testament. In addition to the holy days celebrated by most other Christians, Catholics observe a number of other holy days and saints days. Special masses, fasts, or feasts might observe these. The Church believes that the seven sacraments are needed to help Catholics live the kind of life Jesus would have wanted and these sacraments spiritually connect the great moments and needs of human life. These sacraments are baptism, penance, Holy Communion, confirmation, marriage, holy orders, and last rites. Coming to America in 1493, 12 priests accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage of exploration to spread the catholic religion. The missionaries who preached to the natives of the southeastern and southwestern portions of what is now the United States were mainly Spanish Franciscans, Dominicans, and Jesuits. Mass is a ritual that is worshiped by the Catholics. It is performed at least once a week and even daily. A good way to describe the Mass is to say that it is Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday made present tod... Free Essays on Music Of The Catholic Church Free Essays on Music Of The Catholic Church Roman Catholicism is one of the largest religions in the world, with over a billion adherents distributed all over the world. Catholicism's history began when followers of Judaism accepted Jesus Christ as not just a prophet, but as the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Roman Catholicism was reputedly started with the commissioning of the Apostle Peter. Catholicism, which means universal, received the adjective "Roman" due to the Church's geographical location in the Roman Empire. There are two central ideas to Roman Catholicism: the Church as a teaching authority, and the Church as a sacramental agent. The Church as a teaching authority means that the Church is the interpreting agent of the Bible. The Church as a sacramental agent means that the church institutes sacraments for its followers so that they can live more spiritually. Roman Catholics recognize the New Testament and the Old Testament. In addition to the holy days celebrated by most other Christians, Catholics observe a number of other holy days and saints days. Special masses, fasts, or feasts might observe these. The Church believes that the seven sacraments are needed to help Catholics live the kind of life Jesus would have wanted and these sacraments spiritually connect the great moments and needs of human life. These sacraments are baptism, penance, Holy Communion, confirmation, marriage, holy orders, and last rites. Coming to America in 1493, 12 priests accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage of exploration to spread the catholic religion. The missionaries who preached to the natives of the southeastern and southwestern portions of what is now the United States were mainly Spanish Franciscans, Dominicans, and Jesuits. Mass is a ritual that is worshiped by the Catholics. It is performed at least once a week and even daily. A good way to describe the Mass is to say that it is Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday made present tod...

Biography of Artist Romare Bearden

Biography of Artist Romare Bearden   Overview Visual artists Romare Bearden portrayed African-American life and culture in various artistic mediums. Bearden’s work as a cartoonist, painter, and collage artist spanned the Great Depression and post-Civil Rights Movement. Following his death in 1988, The New York Times wrote in its obituary of Bearden that he was â€Å"one of America’s most pre-eminent artists† and â€Å"the nation’s foremost collagist.† Achievements Established the 306 Group, an organization for African-American artists in Harlem.Co-wrote the jazz classic, â€Å"Sea Breeze,† which was later recorded by Billy Eckstine and Dizzy Gillespie.Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1966.Elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1972.Elected to the National Academy of Design as an associate member in 1978.Awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1987.Established the Bearden Foundation to provide support to young visual artists.Listed as one of Molefi Kete Asante’s 100 Greatest African Americans. Early Life and Education Romare Bearden was born on September 9, 1912 in Charlotte, N.C.   At an early age, Bearden’s family moved to Harlem. His mother, Bessye Bearden was the New York editor for the Chicago Defender. Her work as a social activist allowed Bearden to be exposed to artists of the Harlem Renaissance at an early age. Bearden studied art at New York University and as a student, he drew cartoons for the humor magazine, Medley. During this time, Bearden also freelanced with newspapers such as Baltimore Afro-American, Collier’s, and the Saturday Evening Post, publishing political cartoons and drawings. Bearden graduated from New York University in 1935. Life as an Artist Throuhgout Bearden’s career as an artist, he was heavily influenced by African-American life and culture as well as jazz music. Following his graduation from New York University, Bearden was attending the Art Students League and working with expressionist George Grosz. It was during this time that Bearden became an abstract collage artist and painter. Bearden’s early paintings often depicted African-American life in the South. His artistic style was influenced heavily by muralists such as Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco. By the 1960s, Bearden was innovative art works that incorporated acrylics, oils, tiles, and photographs. Bearden was heavily influenced by 20th century artistic movements such as cubism, social realism and abstraction. By the 1970s, Bearden continued to depict African-American life through the use of ceramic tilings, paintings and collage. For instance, in 1988, Bearden’s collage â€Å"Family,† inspired a larger artwork that was installed at the Joseph P. Addabbo Federal Building in New York City. Bearden was also heavily influenced by the Caribbean in his work. The lithograph â€Å"Pepper Jelly Lady,† portrays a woman selling pepper jelly in front of a wealthy estate. Documenting African-American Artistry In addition to his work as an artist, Bearden wrote several books on African-American visual artists. In 1972, Bearden coauthored â€Å"Six Black Masters of American Art† and â€Å"A History of African-American Artists: From 1792 to Present† with Harry Henderson. In 1981, he wrote â€Å"The Painter’s Mind† with Carl Holty. Personal Life and Death Bearden died on March 12, 1988 from complications from bone marrow. He was survived by his wife, Nanete Rohan. Legacy In 1990, Bearden’s widow established The Romare Bearden Foundation. The purpose was to preserve and perpetuate the legacy of this preeminent American artist.   In Bearden’s hometown, Charlotte, there is a street named in his honor along with a collage of glass tiles called â€Å"Before Dawn† at the local library and the Romare Bearden Park.

How Many Times Can You Take the ACT

How Many Times Can You Take the ACT SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you keep improving every time you take the ACT, should you take it as many times as you canto get the highest score?Even though you can take the ACT up to 12 times, that doesn't necessarily mean that you should. Let's look at when you should retake the test, and when it's time to pack up and call it a day. How Many Times Can You Take the ACT? You are allowed to take the ACT up to 12 times. Of course you're limited by time and test dates, so actually taking the ACT 12 times would involve multiple retests every year. The ACT is administered seven times a yearin September, October, December, February, April, June, and July. Most of you reading this are probably wondering, "Why on earth would I take the ACT 12 times?!" I agree that this would be a bit excessive, but there are definitely good reasons to take the ACT at least more than once. Why You Should Take the ACT More Than Once The fact of the matter is, students almost always improve when they retake the ACT.But why? For one, sitting for the real test is valuable experience. Doing this helps you gauge your level and identify your areas of weakness so you'll know exactly what you need to study in order to do well. The real test also gives you experience with handling test-day pressures, fromwhat you need to bringto managingyour time on each ACT section. If you get stressed out about the test, you can use your experience to figure out ways to calm your nerves and stay focused. If you end up scoringmuch lower than expected on the ACT, you might have had a fluke test day. Maybe you were tired or ill that day, or got unlucky with the reading passages or essay question. If this happens, you should register to take the test again on the next available test date. Since the ACT lets you choose which score reports you send to colleges, you generally don't have to worry about your colleges seeing fluke test scores or how many times you sat for the test. You can just send the scores from your best sitting. Some colleges superscore the ACT if you send score reports from multiple sittings, meaning they'll take your highest scores by section and recombine them to make a new, highest composite score. Schools that do this include Tufts, MIT, Boston College, and Amherst College. If your schools have a superscoring policy, you might want to build up your score by focusing on one or two sections at a time. You could really focus in on Math and Science on one test date, and then do most of your prep in English and Reading for the next date. That said,you shouldn't completely dismiss the other sections,as large score fluctuations could raise red flags. Another reason to be wary of neglecting a section is that some schools, even those that superscore, request to see all your scores. Only a small number of schools want you to send all your scores from every time you took the ACT and trust that you'll abide by this expectation. These schools include the following: Yale Boston University Pomona Stanford Columbia Brown Cornell Washington University Hamilton College Research your school's standardized testing policy to find out exactly what they want to see. If they want you to send all your ACT scores, you might think twice about taking the ACT more than six or so times, as this might send the message that you're not taking the test seriously or are really struggling to improve your scores. Besides how it might look to schools with "send all scores" policies, what are some other reasons to be cautiouswhen you answer the question, "How many times can I take the ACT?" How to Avoid Taking the ACT Too Many Times For most students, I would say that taking the ACT more than six times might be taking it too many times. If you find yourself registering to test again and again, pause to reflect on your approach. Are you dissatisfied with your scores? Are you not taking itseriously? Instead of taking the ACT again and again, here are some tips for what you can do instead. #1: Focus On Effective Test-Prep Methods If you continue to be unhappy with your ACT scores after repeated attempts, reevaluate your approach to test prep. While taking the ACT is a valuable experience, it is not going to take you far if you don't couple with it with purposeful, efficient studying. Start bycustomizing your studying so that you're identifying your weaknesses and filling in any gaps in knowledge. Rather than studying everything at once, zero in on the concepts and practices that are most significant to you and most relevant for improving your scores. Are you weak in geometry? Doyou have trouble writingtimed essays? Do you often run out of time in Reading because the passages take too long to get through? The key here is to identify your areas of growth and the concepts or strategies you must learn in order to get better. #2: Follow an ACT Study Plan As you use effective test-prep methods, you'll also want to have a long-term ACT study plan to help you stay on track. Building a study plan has many benefits and allows you to do the following: Familiarize yourself with all aspects of the ACT,from itsquestion types to its structure Spread out your practice tests so that you're not taking them too often or not enough Spend time prepping for each section, with a slightly bigger focus on your weaknesses Pace yourself in your prep so that you're not wearing yourself out too quickly Essentially, by using a well-thought-out plan, you can rest assured that you are studying everything you need to know for the ACT, and are studying it as effectively as possible.In turn, this will likely reduce the number of times you take the test. #3: Treat Every ACT Sitting Seriously Besides taking control of your test prep, make sure you're taking every opportunity to test seriously. In other words, don't treat any ACT sitting as a "throwaway" test! Every test is an opportunity to achieve strongscores for your college applications,and if you are applying to a "send all scores" college, admissions officers might not look highly on the fact that it took you six or more tries to hit your target scores. If you're really afraid of a school seeing one of your poorer score reports, you might want to considercanceling those scores. On a similar note, multiple sittings and large score fluctuations could raise red flags for ACT scorers, and your scores could even be withheld if ACT, Inc.,suspects possible cheating. To avoid this worst case scenario, approach every test with the intention of doing your best in all sections. #4: Devote Energy to Other Admission Factors, Too Along with taking the test seriously,make sure you're devoting energy to your other pursuits, all of whichmake up your college application in important ways. While test scores are an important part of your applications, so are your grades, your activities (such as clubs, sports, and community service projects),and your relationships with your teachers and counselor who might eventually write you letters of recommendation. All in all, don't drop everything in pursuit of the bestACT score. You don't want to stress yourself out too much by throwing things out of balance. #5: Take a Deep Breath Takingthe ACT is a nerve-wracking experience for most, if not all, students. Taking the ACT several times can be a great opportunity to learn how to calm your anxiety, clear your head, and focus on the test. However, you probably don't want to put yourself through the experience too many times! Thus, by prepping effectively and taking every test seriously, you'll conserve mental and emotional energy, not to mention bothtime and money! #6: Be Strategic About Your Score Reports Unlike the SAT, the ACT doesn't send a summary report of all your scores to your colleges. Instead, you have to send individual score reports from each test sitting (that you choose to send). It costs $13 per test date per report. If you took the ACT upwards of 10 times, thiscould add up to well over $100 to send all your test scores to a single school! Given all these considerations, you want to approach the ACT with a plan,both in terms of your test prep and your testing schedule. Read on for my recommendations for how to schedule your time and design a study and testing plan for the ACT. Quick Guide to Your ACT Testing Timeline This timeline works well for a lot of students. It gives you multiple test dates to retake the ACT but avoids excessive test-taking and lets you spread out your studying over the course of a year. This guide answers the question of how many times can you take the ACT while still leaving time and energy for all your other interests and responsibilities. Prep for the ACT the summer before junior year. You can draw on a variety of resources, including online courses, ACT Questions of the Day, official practice tests, prep websites, and ACT prep books. Register and take the ACT in the fall of junior year (September or October). September might be preferable, as your summer studying will be fresh in your mind and you won't be too busy with schoolwork yet. Depending on your scores, you can register to take the test again in the spring. Prep in the winter of junior year, and take the ACT again in the spring. The spring of junior year is the most popular time for students to take the ACT. If you aren't satisfied with these scores either, you can prep throughout the summer before senior year and take the ACT a third time in September or October, depending on your college application deadlines. If you still feel you've fallen short of your target scores or were unlucky and had a fluke test, you might be able to takeone more crack at itin December. Before registering and taking this test, though, check with the admissions officers at your colleges to make sure they will accept these test scores. Assuming you put in the effort to prep before the previous test administrations, hopefully you'll be able to focus on completing and submitting the other parts of your college applications in December of your senior year and won't find yourself retaking the ACT during this busy time. With this plan in place, you should be able to achieve your target scores within four tests. If you're ambitious and feel you have the skills to achieve your target scores earlier, you could move this schedule up a year and take the ACT as a sophomore. This way you'll be all set with your test scores and can focus on everything else going on in your life and with your college applications. Taking the ACT is valuable trainingexperience that can help you build up your scores, so try to leave yourself enough test dates to retake it if you wish. Just make sure you find balance between taking the ACT, crafting your college application, and making the most of your high school experience! What's Next? Has your test date snuck up on you, and you need to get in some last-minute studying? Check out our guide forraising your ACT score by 7 points with just 10 days of prep. Are you taking the ACT as a freshman? What about as a sophomore? Learnabout good ACT scores for 9th and 10th graders, and how these scores can predict your final scores. What's a good score on the ACT? A bad score? This article will help you figure out exactly what scores you should be aiming for in each section, and what you need to do to achieve them. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by ACT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

Nutrition Statistics Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Nutrition - Statistics Project Example Cycle 1 students indicated fruit juice as their favorite drink as compared to Cycle 2 students who indicated Fizzy drinks/Carbonated drinks with high sugar content as their favorite drink. More Cycle 1 students buy snacks/drinks from the cafeteria everyday as compared to Cycle 2 students. Over the last 30 years, the UAE has experienced rapid socio-cultural changes that have been brought about by the growing economy of the Arabian Gulf Region due to the discovery of oil (Bin Zaal, Musaiger and D’Souza 2009). UAE citizens have undergone significant lifestyle changes including a massive transition from deficiency diseases and under nutrition towards degenerative diseases that are associated with over-nutrition. There have been significant changes in food choices leading to a â€Å"nutritional transition† (Al-Haddad, Al-Nuaimi, Little and Thabit, 2000). According to the World Health Organization (2000), nutrition plays a crucial role in affecting the weight of a populace because the changes in economic and social environments have highly significant influences on calorific intake. Physical activity and recreational patterns of people in a given place also play a part in the influences that emanate from effects of nutritional intake. Improper nutrition often leads to a variety of health conditions such as obesity, nutrition deficiency diseases such as goiter, kwashiorkor among others. In the context of the UAE, nutritional challenges have heralded obesity which has resulted into several health concerns. Obesity is described as a medical condition in which body fat accumulates to the extent of causing risks to the health of the victim. It is measured as the Body Mass Index (BMI)- calculated by dividing the weight (Kg) of a person to the person’s square of height (M) (Seidell and Flegal, 1997). One is considered overweight when the BMI is between 25 and obese when the BMI is higher than 30 (Seidell and Flegal, 1997). Students in

Change Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Change Managment - Essay Example As the discussion declares  managers today face constant change and they are often exposed to various challenges. Against this background, this paper has been designed to critically analyse the extent to which the concepts of management and leadership impact on the change process in a given organization.  This paper highlights that  change is either unplanned or planned alteration in the mode of carrying out activities or the status quo. Change is about making things differently and in case of planned change, it can be seen that the change activities are goal oriented and they are intentional. Both internal and external factors can necessitate change in a particular organization. The internal factors that can influence change in an organization include human resources issues while external factors include economic, social, political as well as technological issues.   It is important for organizations to conceptualise change as the gap that exists between the current status qu o and the desired objective. In order to achieve this feat, change has to be properly planned and there are many issues that are involved in carrying out this initiative. Drawing from the case given in patch1 attached, it can be observed that managing change is a process that requires concerted efforts especially by the leaders responsible for the change process.  There are quite a number of activities that are involved in change management such as initiating change, planning, action plan as well as stabilising the change results.

Avoiding plagiarism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Avoiding plagiarism - Assignment Example Another great and common form of academic dishonesty is plagiarism, which affects students in all universities around the world. Plagiarism occurs in different forms and students need to know if their actions constitute plagiarism or cheating as per set rules in the student code at the college. Copying information directly from a source such as a book or website, without giving credits amounts to plagiarism and is punishable because it means the student is dishonesty in matters academic. Another form of plagiarism can occur if students submits an already submitted piece of work by another student or for a different course without giving due credit or even paraphrasing the work. Lastly, fabrication is another form of academic dishonesty and includes a student using fake data or citations when given an assignment to complete. Fabrication will mean that the paper cannot be relied on for future references hence amounting to academic dishonesty. The use of MLA (Modern Language Association) citation style, academic dishonesty by students at Bellevue College can be a thing of the past. MLA, a citation used by English students and mainly those who study humanities in colleges, helps in avoiding plagiarism through proper citation of the source of a given piece of work. According to the MLA style, there are different approaches students can use to avoid plagiarism completely, and be honest in their assignments before submission. The style advocates for proper paraphrasing of work and parenthetical citation to ensure all your borrowed ideas are indicated as borrowed. There are three ways in which students can use MLA citation to avoid plagiarism when delivering their assignments. The first one is to ensure that they cite all quotations and borrowed ideas according to the guidelines of MLA style, such as using the author name or the author name

Rewrite Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Rewrite - Essay Example Once this is done potatoes are ready for automatic peeling and are washed with cold water. 4. Slicing process involves passing potatoes through a revolving impaler/presser which cuts them into proper thin slices in accordance with the required thickness. Chips are cut in regular or ridged according to the blades used. 7. At this stage, slices pass through the air jets to get their excess water removed. During this process, slices are flown into 40-75 ft. oil filled troughs at the temperature of 350-375Â °F. Paddling process push the slices along and salt is sprinkled at the rate of 1.75 lb of salt to each 100 lb of chips. As potatoes arrive daily at manufacturing plants, they are checked for quality and are stored at a constant temperature and are processed into chips. To improve the color of the final product, potatoes are also being treated chemically by some manufacturers. However, to prepare the chips, potatoes are fried into oil and are sprinkled with flake salt instead of crystal salt. 10. After cooling and sorting chips are forwarded to the packaging machine where they are measured for their weight as well as a metal detector to check any metal piece that may have been included in the potatoes or being picked up during frying process. 11. A central processing unit code on the bags, which flow down from a roll, tells the machine how much chips should be released into the bag. A bag is formed, machines throws out the proper amount of chips into the bag and bags are sealed than. 12. During this process, it is ensured that excess air is not filled into the bags due to gaps and is nitrogen is used by some manufactures in this regard. Sealed bags are collated and hand-packed into cartons. Tasting samples are made from each batch at the rate of once per hour. The overall tasting process involves checking the chips for salt, seasoning, moisture, color which is also compared to the charts to confirm acceptable chip colors and flavor. Though potato chips

Different Forms of Corruption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Different Forms of Corruption - Essay Example Why do these cases seem to appear to be more frequent in modern day sport than previously? An obvious answer is that there is so much more media coverage. It is perhaps as much a matter of perception than of fact. A hundred years ago a person either attended a sports event in person or else read about it in the newspaper after the event. Then came radio and film reports. In the 1930 outside broadcasts began from sporting events such as the Oxford /Cambridge boat race and football matches. Wimbledon was the first broadcast in 1937 and the Football Association Cup final the following year according to ‘The BBC Story’ (undated). Now in the 21st century, we have instant replays, coverage around the globe, and much more in the way of electronic and medical checks. Starting blocks in athletic races, for instance, can tell a split second when a runner leaves the blocks. An instant replay will show cheating that a referee and linesmen may have missed. There are also many more checks such as blood and urine tests which show up various prohibited substances – on occasions those taken inadvertently in such things as flu remedies. It is also possible to spot unusual betting patterns electronically. FIFA, for instance, has an Early Warning System GmbH ( 2011) which looks at betting patterns. None of these checks were present earlier so, if there was any corruption, it would have been much less obvious and harder to prove. Football – according to Sepp Blatter, FIFA president, in a report of May 2010, referees are a weak link when it comes to fighting corruption. So much so that before the 2006 World Cup referees had security guards posted at their hotels and were not allowed to take or make outside calls. Their fees have been increased as an incentive – so it almost looks like do wrong and be rewarded.  

Legal Method Skills & Reasoning Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Legal Method Skills & Reasoning - Coursework Example Consequently, her application for review of CICA’s decision by the First Tier Tribunal - Social Entitlement Chamber, and the decision held by the Upper Tribunal -Administrative Appeals Chamber is refused on the grounds that, CICA’s decision was in conformity with the requirements of s.20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 18612. There are, therefore, three principal issues before the Court of Appeal. The first issue is an interpretation of s.20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 18613. The second issue is the determination of whether psychiatric illness may constitute bodily harm within the meaning of the section 20 and section 474. The third issue is for the court to decide whether, with the provisions of The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2001, psychiatric illness is deemed a mental injury and whether Petal’s injury fall under the qualifications of mental for which award of compensation was warranted5. In giving its judgment, CICA stated  "Petal’s application for compensation is declined because that her injury was not attributable to a ‘crime of violence’ and, in any event, her injury was not a mental injury for which compensation could be paid.† Facts The facts of Petal’s case are well set out in the reported judgment of CICA; therefore, I would only offer a brief and short description of the facts. Orlando Fiction and Petal Agatha Scissor, a 20 year old student at UEA, met through an online dating service. They started dating and soon were involved in a sexual encounter, had unprotected sex-without a condom-, on their very first date. At the time, Petal nothing about her partner, only that he had working in South Africa and had just returned to England. Orlando Fiction and Petal Agatha Scissor had multiple, frequent unprotected. Orlando, months later, died in a road accident. Through Orlando’s mother-who she met at Orlando’s funeral-Petal learned that Orlando had been HIV positive and was not under antiretroviral drugs. After six months of medical tests, it was conclusively determined that Petal was not HIV infected. This experience resulted in Petal suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, which became severe and eventually she ended up in a psychiatric hospital. On a solicitor’s advice, she applied for compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority on the basis of the provisions under the Compensation Scheme 20016. Her application was refused on the basis that her injury were not as a result of a crime of violence7 and that her psychiatric illness did not constitute a mental injury for which compensation is warranted8. She later appealed against this decision to the First Tier Tribunal arguing that Orlando had committed an offence under s.20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861; this appeal was, however, dismissed, with the tribunal upholding CICA’s decision asserting that, Petal’

Different Forms of Corruption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Different Forms of Corruption - Essay Example Why do these cases seem to appear to be more frequent in modern day sport than previously? An obvious answer is that there is so much more media coverage. It is perhaps as much a matter of perception than of fact. A hundred years ago a person either attended a sports event in person or else read about it in the newspaper after the event. Then came radio and film reports. In the 1930 outside broadcasts began from sporting events such as the Oxford /Cambridge boat race and football matches. Wimbledon was the first broadcast in 1937 and the Football Association Cup final the following year according to ‘The BBC Story’ (undated). Now in the 21st century, we have instant replays, coverage around the globe, and much more in the way of electronic and medical checks. Starting blocks in athletic races, for instance, can tell a split second when a runner leaves the blocks. An instant replay will show cheating that a referee and linesmen may have missed. There are also many more checks such as blood and urine tests which show up various prohibited substances – on occasions those taken inadvertently in such things as flu remedies. It is also possible to spot unusual betting patterns electronically. FIFA, for instance, has an Early Warning System GmbH ( 2011) which looks at betting patterns. None of these checks were present earlier so, if there was any corruption, it would have been much less obvious and harder to prove. Football – according to Sepp Blatter, FIFA president, in a report of May 2010, referees are a weak link when it comes to fighting corruption. So much so that before the 2006 World Cup referees had security guards posted at their hotels and were not allowed to take or make outside calls. Their fees have been increased as an incentive – so it almost looks like do wrong and be rewarded.  

The Experience of Ethnic Minority Workers Essay Example for Free

The Experience of Ethnic Minority Workers Essay EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report describes the findings of a qualitative research project, The Experience of Ethnic Minority and Migrant Workers in the Hotel and Catering Industry: Routes to Support and Advice on Workplace Problems, funded by the European Social Fund and Acas and carried out by the Working Lives Research Institute at London Metropolitan University. The research provides evidence of the conditions faced by ethnic minority and migrant workers in the hotel and restaurant sector, an industry already known for its harsh working environment. In-depth interviews with 50 ethnic minority and migrant workers in London, the West Midlands and the South West were carried out between May 2005 and May 2006. In addition, interviews were held with key informants to provide contextual information on features and trends within the sector. The key findings of the research are summarised here. Working conditions in hotels and restaurants †¢ Cash-in-hand, undeclared or under-declared, and illegal working was found among the ethnic minority and migrant restaurant workers interviewed, and affected both employment conditions and rates of pay. This was prevalent in small, ethnic minority-owned restaurants, usually employing members of the same ethnic group. The National Minimum Wage (NMW) was the rate commonly paid to basic grade staff, including bar and restaurant staff, hotel porters and housekeeping staff, particularly outside of London. The research also found a high incidence of flat rate payments per shift or per week, regardless of hours worked, below the NMW, often paid cash-in-hand. Long hours working was a further feature. Full-time workers did a minimum 40-hour week, with 50 to 60 hours a week being common, particularly in restaurants. Late night working, or until the last customer left, was often expected without extra pay. Some felt that they had no life outside work due to the long hours demanded by the job. In some instances, individuals had several jobs to earn money to support family or send back home. There was low awareness of holiday and leave entitlements. Very few workers received more than the statutory entitlement to four weeks’ holiday. Some reported getting no paid holidays or receiving less than the legal minimum, and there was generally low awareness of holiday entitlement. In small restaurants there was sometimes an informal policy of two weeks’ leave. It was common for workers to have received no written statements of particulars or contracts. This was found among both informally and legitimately employed workers, and was a source of anxiety for several. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 1 †¢ There were poor perceptions of job security in the sector. Few workers felt secure in their employment, often feeling they could be sacked on the spot, particularly those working informally. Some longer-term workers in regular employment were aware that increasing use of casual and agency staff meant that their jobs were not secure. Training available to migrant workers, particularly in restaurants, was minimal, usually only in basic health and safety, hygiene or fire procedures. In some hotels, however, managers had recognised the neglect of training in the past and were offering staff the chance to pursue National Vocational Qualifications. †¢ Problems at work †¢ There was a high degree of acceptance of the poor working conditions in the sector among interviewees, with issues such as low pay, long hours, unpaid overtime and poor health and safety standards often not perceived as particular â€Å"problems† but rather viewed as the nature of work in the sector. Where problems were identified these related to: pay; long working hours; workload; getting time off; bullying and verbal abuse, including racial harassment; problems getting on with colleagues; English language skills; and theft of property from work. Bullying and verbal abuse was common, particularly in kitchens where chefs were often known as bullies, but this was accepted by some as â€Å"just the mentality of the kitchen†. Sometimes the abuse had a racial element, with â€Å"bloody foreigner† used as a term of abuse. Racist abuse from restaurant customers was also regularly suffered by some waiters. In one hotel, several staff had experienced bullying from a manager, resulting in time off sick with stress. Staff believed there was an ulterior motive of trying to get rid of long-serving employees and replacing them with cheaper casual staff. Opportunities for promotion were felt by several interviewees to be inhibited by discrimination on grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality or age, as well as the limitations imposed by work permit or visa rules. Some long-term workers felt they had been overlooked for promotion, with their age then compounding the problem as employers looked for younger staff to promote and develop. Where employees saw that they had opportunities to progress, this was due to the support of a manager. Opportunities were further limited by employer presumptions about the suitability of staff for â€Å"front-of-house† jobs, such as reception or waiter positions, based on ethnicity, gender and age. Some employers expressed preferences for white staff, or a â€Å"balance† of white and non-white front-of ­ house staff, on the grounds that it was what their customers wanted. The research found that such racial stereotyping was expressed openly in this sector in a way that may not be acceptable in other sectors. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 2 †¢ In the main, interviewees did not raise health and safety concerns when discussing problems at work, reflecting an acceptance of the hazards of this type of work. However many issues did arise during the course of interviews, which included: burns and working in hot kitchens; working in a confined space; back and shoulder pains; and tiredness from long working hours and heavy workload. Often, responsibility for health and safety, such as avoiding burns, was seen as primarily belonging to the employee and not the employer. Most workers believed that little could be done to tackle the problems that they were having at work, or felt that the only solution was to leave the job. A handful of workers had taken action to resolve their problems at work, either by raising concerns with their manager, or seeking outside support or advice. †¢ Support, advice and awareness of rights †¢ Workers felt poorly informed about employment rights in the UK, and had little idea of where to get information if they needed it. Many also were unsure about aspects of their own particular terms and conditions of employment, which was related to a lack of written information. As might be expected, those who had been in the UK for a longer time, and the small number who were members of a trade union, felt better informed about their rights at work. Trade unions had been a valuable source of support for a small number of interviewees, but for most workers, unions simply did not feature in their experience of work. But despite the difficulties of organising in the sector, including high staff turnover, no culture of trade unionism and employers that are hostile to trade unions, union membership was growing in one London hotel and catering branch. This was the result of recruitment campaigns that included information in several languages. Some interviewees either had, or would, seek support from community organisations about problems at work. However, there was a variation in the level of community support available in the three regions, with London and the West Midlands having established organisations representing a variety of ethnic groups, but such structures were much less well developed in the South West. Seeking support and advice through community organisations can also be a double-edged sword for those who work for employers within the same ethnic community, with some fearing that if they sought advice, word would get around and they would have problems getting work in future. Of the small number of workers who had sought support for problems at work, Citizen’s Advice, Acas and a specific project for service workers (no longer in existence) had been used. While a small number were aware of Citizen’s Advice, a couple thought that the service excluded them because of its name, which implied to them that it was for British citizens only. †¢ †¢ †¢ 3 Conclusions and recommendations †¢ While many of the working conditions and problems highlighted in this report are common to workers in the sector, the research found several features that serve to differentiate the experience of ethnic minority and migrant workers: immigration status; working in the informal sector; discrimination in the labour market and employment; and low expectations which increase tolerance of poor working conditions. For ethnic minority and migrant workers the difficulties in raising and resolving problems relate both to their own individual vulnerability and characteristics of work in the sector. Recent migrant workers may have limited English language skills and little or no knowledge of UK employment rights and support structures, factors that compound the difficulties of addressing problems in the sector. These include: the perception that there is a ready supply of labour to replace workers who complain; a lack of union organisation; a culture of poor personnel practice, such as minimal training and provision of information; and the informal nature of much employment obtained by ethnic minority and migrant workers in the sector. There appeared also to be a lack of monitoring or enforcement of employers’ compliance with employment legislation in this sector. To understand the different experiences and motivations for ethnic minority and migrant workers working in hotels and restaurants, the research developed a typology of strategies that highlights at one end how some individuals feel they are acting strategically in relation to their work choices, whereas at the other, economic factors and limitations play a greater role in determining their choices. The strategies move from Career progression through Broadening opportunities and Stepping stone to Pragmatic acceptance and No alternative. The research makes a number of recommendations about how the position of this vulnerable group of workers can be improved through better access to employment rights and information, improvements in working conditions and career opportunities, and improved provision of support and advice. †¢ †¢ †¢ 4 1. INTRODUCTION This project, The Experience of Ethnic Minority Workers in the Hotel and Catering Industry: Routes to Support and Advice on Workplace Problems, was funded by the European Social Fund and Acas and carried out by the Working Lives Research Institute, London Metropolitan University between May 2004 and July 2006. The project used qualitative research methods to explore the experiences and problems at work of ethnic minority and migrant workers in hotels and restaurants, with the aim of both identifying the range of experiences and problems encountered, and gaining a greater understanding of access to and use of support and advice to resolve these problems. The research therefore provides evidence of the conditions faced by ethnic minority and migrant workers, which is an area relatively neglected by research so far. Its objective is to inform policy in order to improve good practice in relation to the employment of ethnic minority and migrant workers, to prevent problems from arising, and to improve the support and advice mechanisms available. The key target groups for these research findings and policy objectives are thus employers, statutory bodies, the voluntary sector, trade unions and community groups. 1. 1 Background to the project At the start of the project a working paper (Wright and Pollert, 2005) was prepared to establish the extent of ethnic minority and migrant working in the hotel and restaurant sector, as well as pinpointing the main issues for workers in the sector identified by the existing literature. The working paper is available on the project website1. The paper showed that ethnic minority and migrant workers make up a significant part of the hotel and restaurant workforce – almost threefifths (59%) of workers in the sector in London described themselves as other than White British in the 2001 census (Wright and Pollert, 2005: 27). Outside of London the picture reflects the differences in the concentration of the ethnic minority population across the UK. In the West Midlands, where 84% of the hotel and restaurant workforce were White British in 2001, the largest other groups were White other (2. 9%), Bangladeshi (2. 3%) and Indian (2. 2%). The sector is a particularly important source of employment for some groups, with 52% of male Bangladeshi workers employed in restaurants, compared to only 1% of white males (Holgate, 2004: 21). In London, migrant workers (those born outside the UK) account for 60% of those employed in the hotel and restaurant sector (GLA, 2005: 68), compared to 31% of all London workers who were born outside the UK. However there have been important changes in the composition of the hotel and restaurant workforce since the 2001 census, with employers filling vacancies in the sector by employing significant numbers of workers from the East European countries that acceded to the EU in 2004 (known as the A8 countries). The government requires nationals of the A8 countries who wish to work in the UK to register with the Worker Registration Scheme (WRS), and Home Office figures show that of the 375,000 workers registered between May 2004 and March 2006, 22% were working in hospitality and catering (80,570 workers) (Home Office, 1 http://www. workinglives. org/HotelCatering. html 5 2006a). There has, however, been a decline in the proportion of WRS applicants in Hospitality and Catering from 31% in the second quarter of 2004, to 18% in the first quarter of 2006, with Administration, Business and Management now employing greater numbers. The highest proportion of all applicants under the scheme were Polish (61%), followed by Lithuanian (12%) and Slovak (10%). The figures also show a movement of registered workers to other parts of the UK than London, with the percentage applying to London falling from 25% in the second quarter of 2004, to 11% in the first quarter of 2006 (Home Office, 2006a). While working conditions in the industry have been well documented as consisting of low pay, low status, exploitation of employees and lack of unionisation (e. g. Gabriel, 1988; Price, 1994; Head and Lucas, 2004; LPC 2005), little has been written in the UK about the actual experiences of ethnic minority and migrant workers, with much of the existing literature focusing on management behaviour and strategy (Wright and Pollert, 2005). Some recent exceptions include a study of low pay in London (Evans et al, 2005), which included the hotel and catering industry. This study of 341 randomly selected low paid workers contained 90% who were migrants. Of their sample of hotel and hospitality workers, the largest group (two-fifths) were non-British whites, mainly from Eastern Europe, followed by Africans (24%). It found the lowest rates of pay to be in the hotel and catering sector, below contract cleaning, home care and the food industry. Other recent research has considered the experience of Central and East European migrants in low paid employment in the UK in the context of the A8 countries joining the EU, and covers hospitality, along with construction, agriculture and au pairs (Anderson et al, 2006). It is some 15 years since the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) undertook a formal investigation into recruitment and selection in hotels (CRE, 1991) in response to concern that the sector was failing to consider equal opportunities in employment practices. It found that ethnic minority staff were disproportionately concentrated in unskilled jobs, and found only one ethnic minority manager out of 117 hotels investigated. It made a number of recommendations about how hotels should improve their practices in relation to recruitment, monitoring, positive action and training taking account of equal opportunities issues. However, we have been unable to find evidence of any monitoring or evaluation of whether these recommendations have been heeded or implemented by hotel employers. While knowledge of employment rights among all workers in the UK is poor, it has been shown that vulnerable groups know even less (Pollert, 2005). A random survey of people’s awareness of employment rights in the West Midlands found that women, ethnic minorities, young people and the low paid were least likely to be aware of their rights (WMLPU, 2001). The research was undertaken in the context of considerable public debate on migration policy, and at a time when the government was intending to phase out low skilled migration schemes, such as the Sectors Based Scheme, which granted work permits to certain numbers of workers in skills shortage sectors such as hospitality, in the light of new labour available from the European Union (Home Office,2005). At the same time there is increasing concern for â€Å"vulnerable† workers, and the government has recently published a policy statement on protecting vulnerable workers, defined as â€Å"someone working in an environment where the risk of being denied employment rights is high and who does not have the capacity or means to protect themselves from that abuse† (DTI, 2006: 25). 6 1. 2 Research aims The research set out to address the following key questions: 1. What are the working conditions of ethnic minority and migrant workers in hotels and restaurants? 2. How are working conditions seen and what are perceived as ‘problems’, and how does this impact on acceptance of poor working conditions? 3. What type of problems do ethnic minority and migrant workers have working in hotels and restaurants? 4. How do these compare to the problems generally affecting workers in the sector and to what extent are they associated with particular labourmarket niches within the sector to which these workers are confined? If this is so, to what extent is the insecurity of migrant status relevant, or is racial discrimination relevant? 5. How much do ethnic minority and migrant workers in this sector know about their rights at work, and to what extent do ethnic minority and migrant workers in this sector attempt to enforce their legal rights at work, or instead try to find ways to achieve a sufficient income and manageable working conditions, even if this means colluding with illegal employment practices? 6. How much do ethnic minority and migrant workers in this sector know about where to get advice and support for problems at work? And who do they turn to for advice and support? To what extent do ethnic minority and migrant workers in this sector use statutory (i.e. Acas, CRE), voluntary (CABx, local advice agencies), trade union, community (groups or informal contacts through ethnic networks) or informal (friends, family) sources of support and advice? 7. What are the experiences of ethnic minority and migrant workers in this sector of using all these sources of support and advice and what barriers do they face in accessing support and advice for workplace problems? 1. 3 Structure of the report The report describes the research methodology and access routes, together with the characteristics of the interviewees in section 2. The working conditions experienced by interviewees are described in section 3, confirming evidence from much of the existing literature on the sector, but also highlighting where the experience of ethnic minority and migrant workers may be particular. Section 4 describes the problems encountered by interviewees in their jobs in hotels and restaurants, but also considers the attitude of these workers to defining â€Å"problems† at work, as well as their approaches to resolving problems and barriers to resolution. The information, support and advice available to and used by the ethnic minority and migrant workers interviewed is explored in section 5, together with their awareness of employment rights in the UK. 7 In section 6 conclusions are drawn about the specific experiences of ethnic minority and migrant workers in the sector, the problems that they face and their need for support and advice, suggesting that changes need to be made to practice within the sector, as well as in improved provision of support to ethnic minority and migrant workers. 8 2. METHODOLOGY The project employed qualitative research methods to gather in-depth accounts of the experiences of 50 ethnic minority and migrant workers. Interviews were carried out between May 2005 and May 2006. In addition, interviews and face-to ­ face and telephone conversations were held with key informants to provide contextual information on features and trends within the sector affecting ethnic minority and migrant workers. The strengths of using qualitative methods are that they can not only identify tangible issues (the problems themselves, for example), but also more elusive, subjective issues, such as motivation, perceptions of opportunities and of rights, sense of inclusion, integration and fairness – or their opposites – sense of frustration, alienation and barriers to obtaining support and fairness at work. 2. 1 Regional scope The research project was confined to England within the terms of reference set by the European Social Fund. Three English regions were selected in order to provide a comparison of experiences of migrant and ethnic minority workers: London, the West Midlands and the South West. London and the West Midlands have considerably larger non-white and migrant populations than other parts of the country, with significant numbers of Bangladeshis and Pakistanis working in the hotel and restaurant sector in the West Midlands (Wright and Pollert, 2005: 27 ­ 28). In contrast, the South West is the English region with the smallest non-white population, but is experiencing a growth in migrant workers. The problems facing ethnic minority and migrant populations here have been less well documented, but where studies have been done, isolation from ethnic minority communities and support structures emerges as an issue (BMG Research, 2003; Gaine and Lamley, 2003; SWTUC, 2004). Tourism also accounts for 10% of total employment in the South West, with the greatest proportion of these (70%) employed in the hospitality sector – accommodation, restaurants, pubs etc. (Tourism Skills Network South West, 2002). In the South West it was decided to focus the research on two towns with a large tourist population and therefore a high demand for a hotel and restaurant workforce: Bournemouth and Plymouth. The Human Resources manager of a Bournemouth hotel group, interviewed for this research, said that only 32% of their workforce was British, indicating a high reliance on foreign-born workers. 2. 2 Definitions of ethnic minority and migrant workers The research includes both â€Å"ethnic minority† and â€Å"migrant† workers, categories which, in real life, are complex, changing and overlapping. Some ethnic minorities (using the Labour Force Survey definitions) will also be migrants. Migrants (defined here as all those who were born outside the UK, Home Office, 2002) may or may not be defined as ethnic minorities, and may or may not be discriminated against. White Australian or Canadian migrant workers, for example, would not be. But Kosovan people may be regarded as ethnic minorities, and suffer racism and discrimination, and Czech or Polish people may or may not be discriminated against, and while they may not be â€Å"visible† in terms of skin colour, in the way black and Asian people are, they are â€Å"visible† in terms of language, cultural characteristics, and discrimination. As many â€Å"white† Eastern Europeans are now 9 working in the hotel and restaurant sector, particularly since the EU enlargement in May 2004, it was felt to be important to include their experiences in the study. 2. 3 Access to research participants In order to include the experience of a broad range of interviewees from different ethnic groups and backgrounds, including both recent and more settled ethnic minorities, it was decided to use multiple routes to access interviewees. Therefore a range of bodies were contacted, many with a twofold purpose of: a) providing contextual information about the sector and/or the experiences of particular ethnic groups; and b) helping gain access to research participants. Organisations contacted included trade unions, community and worker organisations, sector bodies, employers and statutory and advice agencies (see Appendix 2). In the South West, where there are fewer organised community groups than in the two other regions, we spoke to officers at Bournemouth Borough Council, who gave us informal contacts within the main local ethnic minority communities, as well as putting us in contact with several community interpreters who spoke the main languages of the local ethnic minority groups: Portuguese, Korean, Turkish, Bengali and Spanish. These routes proved very useful in helping to access research participants and in providing interpretation for interviews. However, in the end, Turkish and Bangladeshi workers were reluctant to come forward to be interviewed, which the interpreters said was because they were fearful of speaking out about their employers, despite reassurances of confidentiality. In all three areas we used fieldworkers who were able to use their language skills to carry out interviews in workers’ native languages, namely Bengali, Spanish, Polish, Lithuanian and Mandarin. The fieldworkers were also able to provide access to workers who may not have come forward otherwise, being people who were known and trusted among their own ethnic communities, or who were able to provide sufficient reassurance of confidentiality. Training was provided in using the interview guide to all fieldworkers to ensure a common approach was used in interviews and that fieldworkers understood the aims and objectives of the research. While the approach used provided access to workers in a wide range of establishments,from large hotel groups to small independent restaurants, including several working ‘illegally’ or ‘informally’, we acknowledge that using such routes could not access the most hard-to-reach illegal migrant and ethnic minority workers, who may constitute a considerable proportion of workers in the sector. The research may not fully represent the worst conditions found in the ‘underbelly’ of the sector as suffered by many ‘illegal’ or ‘undocumented’ migrants, as portrayed, for example, in Steven Frear’s 2002 film about a London hotel, Dirty Pretty Things. It was decided not only to seek out interviewees who perceived themselves as having had a â€Å"problem† at work, but a range of people in different jobs in the sector, in order to explore their typical work experiences and their attitudes towards â€Å"problems† and conditions in the sector. 10 2. 4 Key informants In addition to the worker interviews, at least 20 key informants (see Appendix 2) provided further context on the hotel and restaurant sector, including regional knowledge. These included employers and employer representative bodies, trade union officials and branch members, community organisations, representatives of sector bodies and statutory and voluntary organisations. In some cases in-depth interviews were carried out, and in others more informal conversations were held either face-to-face or on the telephone. 2. 5 Worker interviews A total of 50 in-depth qualitative interviews were carried out in the three regions, with a greater number in London due to the huge range of ethnic minority and migrant workers in the sector in the capital. The breakdown was as follows: Table 1: Worker interviews by region Region London South West West Midlands Total % 46% 24% 30% 100% No. of worker interviews 23 12 15 50 during the interviews, which and a half. Participants were of both themselves and their participation with a ? 10 shop A semi-structured interview schedule was used generally lasted between 45 minutes to an hour assured of confidentiality, and of the anonymity employer. They were thanked for their time and voucher. At the start of the interview, participants were asked to complete a two-page questionnaire giving basic demographic and employment details, data from which is provided in the following section. 2. 5. 1 Ethnicity Respondents were asked to describe their ethnicity, according to the classification used in the 2001 Census. The results are grouped together in table 2. Table 2: Ethnicity of the sample Ethnicity White Bangladeshi and Pakistani Chinese and Other Asian Black Mixed % 36% 26% 20% 16% 2% No. of interviewees 18 13 10 8 1 11 2. 5. 2 Country of birth Table 3 shows the range of countries from which interviewees came. It was notable that only one participant was born in the UK, despite attempts to find British-born ethnic minority workers in the sector. Both fieldworkers and interviewees themselves commented that many British-born people do not wish to work in a sector that is known for low pay and long hours, including the children of migrants interviewed, as they seek better alternative employment opportunities (some young British-born workers do work in the sector while they are students, but tend to do so for only a short time). Table 3: Country of birth Country of birth Bangladesh China Colombia France Ghana Holland Indonesia Ivory coast Korea Lithuania Philippines Poland Portugal Slovakia Somalia Spain Sudan Turkey UK Ukraine 2. 5. 3 Gender Women are under-represented in the sample (38% of interviewees) compared to their presence in the sector as a whole, but this reflects the fact that the sample includes a substantial number of Bangladeshi workers, who represent a significant group in the sector in the West Midlands, and most of these workers are male (Wright and Pollert, 2005: 27-28). 2. 5. 4 Age Only one interviewee was under 21 years old. Almost two-fifths (38%) were aged 21 to 30 years old, and the same proportion were between 31 and 40 years old. Six interviewees (12%) were aged 41 to 50, and five (10%) were between 51 to 60. None of the interviewees were aged over 60. 2. 5. 5 Education Overall the sample was fairly highly educated, with 36% having a first stage or higher degree. Another 10% had post-secondary non-tertiary level education, and 36% had received education up to secondary level, while 12% had received. % 24% 10% 6% 2% 4% 2% 2% 2% 6% 8% 2% 4% 4% 6% 6% 2% 2% 4% 2% 2% No. of interviewees 12 5 3 1 2 1 1 1 3 4 1 2 2 3 3 1 1 2 1 1 12 primary level education or less. A further 6% had other qualifications or the details of their education were not known. 2. 5. 6 Employment The majority (62%) of the interviewees worked in restaurants, while 30% worked in hotels. The remaining 8% either worked in both hotels and restaurants, as agency workers, or in catering services. More than half of respondents (54%) said there were 10 or fewer employees where they worked. A further 22% said there were between 11 and 25 people where they worked. Only 6% worked for employers with between 26 to 49 people and 10% said there were 50 or more employees where they worked. However these figures should be treated with caution, and may underestimate the number working for larger employers, as respondents may have interpreted the questions as referring to the workplace or department of the hotel where they worked, rather than the employer as a whole. Almost half the interviewees (48%) worked as waiters or waitresses, either in hotels or restaurants. Another 20% were chefs or cooks, and a further 4% worked in kitchens as general assistants. 12% said they were supervisors or managers and 4% described themselves as cashiers. Another 10% worked in other jobs in hotels as receptionist, general assistant or porter/bar worker. The majority of workers were full-time (70%), while 14% said they worked parttime, and 14% were casual workers. Working hours were long. The largest proportion (40%) worked over 40 hours per week – 10% worked between 41 and 48 hours, while almost a third (30%) said they worked over 48 hours a week. Just over a third (36%) worked between 21 and 40 hours a week. Only 6% did less than 20 hours a week. The majority (82%) had only one job at the time of the interview, with 18% having two or more jobs. However, some of those currently working in only one jo.