Family law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Family law - Essay Example The major thrust of new legislation introduced through the Children and Adoption Bill 2005 which is derived from the Family Act of 19963 is to promote parental cooperation in ensuring that the child has contact with both parents. However, allowing primary custodial care to one parent – traditionally the mother – has been viewed as a failure of the legal system to ensure the rights of fathers; â€Å"an exercise in absolute futility† for fathers, as stated by Justice Mamby in the case of D4. In many instances, the underlying hostility the parents feel for each other affects the contact arrangements for the children and creates conditions that are not beneficial for them.6 This is the reason why shared residence appears to offer a viable option whereby a child is able to maintain contact with both parents without their mutual animosity affecting the child’s emotional and psychosocial makeup. Moreover, the separated parents may be living with other partners and the facility of shared residence allows each parent to participate in the care of the child while also being able to carry on with their lives and putting the animosity of the former relationship behind them. As a result, shared residence may be viewed as a means to protect the children from the worst effects of separation and the welfare of children is of primary importance, especially as identified in the Children Act of 1989. The concept of shared residence could therefore offer a solution. A child of divorced parents has two homes, one with each parent, such that both parents are able to offer emotional and financial support. Family Courts have traditionally been guided in their decisions by the provisions of the Children Act of 1989, which states that in any provision or decision made by the Courts, â€Å"the child’s welfare shall be the Court’s paramount consideration.†7 Section 11(4) of the Children Act of 1989

Contemporary to Social Work Essay Example for Free

Contemporary to Social Work Essay Taking into consideration all the material received regarding the Benjamin family, I have chosen to make use of the think child, think parent and think family approach in analysing the material. This method identifies what changes are required to improve service planning, delivery and practice and this will assist to improve the wellbeing and life chances of families affected by parental health. This essay will examine all the material provided focusing particularly on Daniel and Emma Watson. However, an examination of the Benjamin’s family will be performed in view of developing a modality on how to provide support to them. This essay is aimed at making preparation for assessment, taking into account individual needs, culture, diversity, and available resources that will enable me to provide support for everyone especially Daniel. Firstly, the essay will look at the Law that governs adoption processes, Daniels wishes and what needs to transpire to improve his quality of life. Secondly, I will also look at the Benjamin family and their proposal to adopt Daniel. In addition to this, I will examine Emma Watson and try to find out how I can facilitate her need to get her son back and what can be done to overcome barriers she may encounter, and finally I will offer a summary of the essay. In order for me to begin to think about the assessment process, my main duty would be to find out what the law declares. As put forward by Brammer (2003), Adoption Order may not be made unless the parent’s consents to the Adoption Order under Children Act 1989 S.20, or their consent should be dispensed and the child has been placed for adoption by an adoption agency with the prospective adopters in whose favour the order is proposed to be made. A parent is the mother or married father or father with parental responsibility, and not the unmarried father without parental responsibility. Steps are made to contact the unmarried father of a child and counsel him and seek hi s views on adoption even though he does not have to give his consent. The court or adoption agency must have regard to the following matters (the list is not intended to be exhaustive nor in any order of priority) Children Act 1989 S. 1(4) a) The child’s ascertainable wishes and feelings regarding the decision (considered in the light of the child’s age and understanding). The guidance to this Act reinforces this aspect of the checklist stating; â€Å"it is essential that an adoption agency, in so far as reasonably practicable , involves and consults the child at all stages of the adoption process, ascertaining and taking into account his views in a way which is sensitive to, and consistent with his age and understanding† (para.13). b) The child’s particular needs; This factor includes the child’s physical, emotional and educational need as expressed in the checklist and is likely to extend to other needs including social psychological and health. c) The likely effect on the child (throughout his life) of having cease d to be a member of the original family and to become an adopted person, in addition to this statement The United Nation Convention on the Rights if the Child states that it is the fundamental right of every child to belong to a family and Article. 8 of the ECHR the right to respect family life. As with the welfare principle, the court must consider the effects on the child throughout his life. d) The child’s age, sex, background and any of the Child’s characteristics which the court or agency considers relevant. e) Any harm (within the means of Children Act 1989) that the child has suffered or is at risk of suffering. This refers to any harm and not just significant harm The relationship which the child has with relative and with any other person in relation to whom the court or agency considers the relationship to be relevant, including (i) the likelihood of any such relationship continuing and the value to the child of doing so, (ii) the ability and willingness of any of the child’s relatives, or of any such person to provide the child with a secure environment in which the child can develop, and otherwise to meet the child’s needs, (iii) the wishes and feelings of any of the child’s relatives, or of any such person regarding the child. This factor is one of the provisions in the Act that calls on the courts to consider contact. (S.1 (8) (a) allows the views of other important people in the child’s life to be taken into account such as foster and it also includes the child’s birth parents. Moreover, the delay principle is drawn from the Children Act. Section 1 (3) the court or adoption agency must at all times bear in mind that, in general, any delay in coming to the decision is likely to prejudice the child’s welfare. The court draws up a timetable for the avoidance of delay. The Public Outline also has an impact on the overall timescale for a child between care proceedings and final placement. In addition to this Section 1(5) states that in placing the child for adoption the agency must give due consideration to the child’s religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural and linguistic background. The guidance in a circular â€Å"Adoption – Achieving the right balance† re cognised the importance of a child’s ethnic origin, culture and religion as significant factors to be accounted for; noting that placement with a family of similar ethnic origin is most likely to meet the child’s needs as fully as possible†. Adoptions takes a while to process and this allows the Multi-disciplinary agencies time to prepare the family and especially give Emma the support she requires if she is still interested in having Daniel back or not. Studies indicate that when the child is placed for adoption birth parents face bereavement as they face losing their child for good even if it is the child’s best interest. On-going contact help alleviate some of their anguish and bringing them benefits such as reassurance that the child is alright, making the loss of their child easier to accept, helping them to feel more positively about the adoptive parents and seeing a positive role for themselves in their child’s future. Coulshed and Orme (2006) define assessment as â€Å"an on-going process in which the service user participates, the purpose of which is to understand people in relation to their environment; it is the basis for planning what needs to be done to maintain, improve and bring about change †. The five stages of assessment process involve Preparation, data collection, examining the data, data analysis and acting on outcomes of the data analysis. Bell et al (2007) and White (2009) state that a good assessment ensures that the child remains at the heart of the assessment, contains full, brief, significant and precise data, makes good use of information from a range of sources, includes a family and social history and includes a clear analysis. Here I am now examining the data. In the correspondence, it appears that the Benjamin family want to adopt Daniel, whilst both Mr and Mrs Benjamin may be a little old to adopt Daniel; they might be an exception as Daniel is already in their care and he appears to fit in well with the family. One of the Benjamin’s roles in Daniels life is to help him maintain attachment with his mother. They must also help the child to develop healthy and strong new attachments with themselves and then transfer those attachments to the permanent caretakers of Daniel who may be either Emma or adoptive parents. Barbara has good support network in the family, which includes Naseem who has worked as a Social Work assistant and has had good background of meeting the needs of ethnic minority children. Barbara is already an expert in caring for Daniel in the documentation I received it appears she responds to his behaviour and deals with his need on a daily basis. However, I have to carry out an assessment on attachment to determine whether it is advisable that they have such strong bonds as suggested by document A1 received 09.01.12. When assessing attachment between Daniel and the Benjamin family, I would look at Daniel and his environment. I would observe his developmental functions and take note of the behaviour he displays in the home and how he responds to the family. As I observe, I need to look at the interactions with the adults and observe whether Daniel appears relaxed or not. Observing the Benjamin family includes how they react to the Daniels advances; the interactions that they ini tiate with him, disciplinary techniques used in the home and the family’s awareness of Daniel as a separate individual who has needs of his own and not relating all of his behaviour to their needs. Furthermore, I would observe whether Daniel engages in age appropriate activities and is able to express frustration or not. I would be interested in knowing whether Daniel responds appropriately to being apart from Barbra and how he responds upon her return. In addition to this, I would need to know if the environment provides adequate stimulation and safety measures appropriate to Daniel’s age and stage of development. If the case is that Daniel is not receiving support he will become disconcerted, insecure and without self-esteem. Fahlberg (1988), suggested that toddlers aged two should be able to use words like â€Å"me† and â€Å"mine†, point consistently to body parts, combine two to three words, name pictures of common object and follow simple direction. However, Daniel suffers from cytomegalovirus and because of this, his developing is slow and he will need extra care and time for caregivers to meet his needs. It is important that Emma is educated on what it is and what kind of responsibilities is attached to caring for Daniel for a lifetime. According to The National Health Service UK, Cytomegalovirus also known as CMV is part of the herpes virus. CMV is part of the human to human transmissible through close bodily contact. Coughs and sneezes are also possible routes of transmission. There is no current cure for CMV infection however medication can help people with weak immune system; in Daniels case, he was born with what could be medically termed as congenital CMV, children born with it show no signs or symptoms although some eventually develop hearing loss like Daniel. Some of the symptoms these children have are treatable but the children may develop hearing loss and one or more disabilities during the course of their lives. These symptoms may include seizures, problems with physical co-ordination, deafness cognitive difficulties and many more. Fahlberg (1988) propose that Caregivers who understand developmental issues are less likely to be as upset by normal behaviour and more likely to support the child as he struggles with the basic tasks at each stage. They are more readily able to perceive what a child needs to help him grow. Emma Watson made a phone call to Social Services recently. In the conversation, she stated that she wanted her son Daniel, back. Daniel has been in a foster placement with the Benjamin Family. The Benjamin’s would like to adopt him and it appears that Daniel has settled well with the family. According to Rutter, (1989) and Black, (2000), research shows that children end up doing badly when an attachment bonds are disturbed. They suggested that children are to be moved when it is inevitable, in situations such as, when parents die or when they are being placed away from an abusive home they continue and state that it is unjustifiable to move a child from a safe foster home. Bowbly (1951) advised that a child should receive the continuous care of a single most important attachment figure for approximately the first two years of his life. He claimed that mothering is almost useless if delayed until after two and a half to three years and if the attachment figure is broken, during the critical two year period the child will suffer irreversible long term consequences of this loss of the care giver as well as failure to develop an attachment. For Daniel this means that if his bond with the Benjamin’s is disrupted, he will almost fail to thrive in his new environment as he had already formed his attachment with the family. In relation to the phone call made by Emma, I would like to explore further and find out whether Emma has any knowledge on parenting and what she thinks a family entails, I would like to know what Emma knows about Daniels disability and needs. I would investigate on what she knows about Cytomegalovirus and if it results that she is unaware, I would help her expand her learning – build and share library resources, encourage her to be involved with parents groups to access support and community resources and if she wishes, I would look at finding her additional support such as an advocate. An advocate will help to increase resilience and self-efficacy. In addition to this, I would investigate on why she has come to the decision of wanting him back. I would be interested in knowing whether there is any communication between Emma and Daniels father, including people in Emma’s life. I would find out whether they are aware of Daniel and that, he is of the Asian race and I would explore on whether the people in Emma’s life would be able to appreciate Daniels uniqueness, and discretely examine on whether they are aware of his learning disability. I will also be interested in Emma’s living condition, environment, financial situation and lifestyle up to date, if these are not up to standard, attempt to help her have a secure base. Turney et al., (2007), states that an assessment needs careful consideration of the inter-relationship concerning the good and the bad influences in a child’s life i.e. the risk factors that are possible to impact on the child’s health and growth as well as the protective factors. Both Macdonald and Williamson (2002) and Preston-Shoot (2003), suggest that the Assessment Framework for Children in Need and their families demands that each child needs are assessed as well as the aptitude of the parents and the impac t of family and environmental influences on each child’s growth and on the parents capacity to meet the child’s needs. Bell et al., (2007) and Mitchell and Sloper, (2008) advises that assessments of disabled children may involve tailoring of the recording templates to reveal their individual strength, capability and needs and to capture their involvement to the assessment process through their preferred method of communication, this implies that a person is an expert in their own experience. Holland (2010) and Thomas and Holland (2010) put forward that the knowledge of child development is important for good assessment outcomes. Selwyn et al, (2006) and Ward et al., (2010) identified problems while carrying out an assessment on attachment, they claimed that clingy behaviour was misinterpreted as evidence of strong attachment moreover some assessments were based on observation of a few circumstances to be consistent. Jones (2009) and Reder et al., (2003) state that assessment of parents includes capacity to meet the child’s needs and the importance of understanding the basic requirements of par enting and taking into consideration the parent’s ability to change. Moreover Farmer et al., (2008) and Harwin et al., (2003), recommend that psychological assessments are valuable when assessing parenting capacity. It was also their suggestion that one way of testing parental capacity to change parenting behaviour and to give them managed opportunities to change. This is achieved by giving the parents clear objectives of what needs to change and informing them on how this will be assessed, monitored and the time scale required completing the task. Forrester and Harwin, (2008) and Harwin (2009), also propose that motivational interviewing techniques are useful in addressing readiness to change in situations of alcohol or drug misuse. This shifts the decision to change to Emma allowing her to discover her own strength and hidden motivation. According to Farmer et al., (2008) and Harwin and Forrester (2002) the role of fathers and men in the household needs to be examined and Social Workers need to ensure that information about fathers is available whenever possible, as fathers may exert a considerable influence even when they are to living with the child. In addition to this, Social Workers need to take account of the impact of factors related to family functioning and family history. Assessing family functioning provides a basis for a strength-based approach that’s accepts that all adults and children possess the power that can be comprehensive to improve the quality of their lives. Mental Capacity Act S. 1(3) states that, an adult does not lack capacity to make any specific decision unless all practicable steps have been taken to aid him or her to make the decision. Laird, (2010) advises that a vulnerable adult may require advocacy support or communication communicated in other form to be able to participate in decision-making. This relates to the GSCC Code 3.1 â€Å"promoting the independence of service-users and assisting them to understand and exercise their rights. Therefore, Assessment of parental capacity depends on communication. Improving the assessment requires different approach when collecting information; these approaches may include observation, assessing changes in parenting practises, use of validated tools and consideration of previous reports regarding the child and family. Assessment involves gathering of all sort of documented information and records from a range of sources this include medical history, social and developmental history. Consent is sort and confidentiality adhered too. To conduct my assessment successfully, as well as working with Daniel, Emma Watson and the Benjamin family I will be looking at liaising with a multi-disciplinary team, which would involve Social Services, general Doctor and the one who is trained in cytomegalovirus, Occupational therapist, Speech therapist and a mental health worker. These people will assist me to add data to my assessment and contribute to making informed decisions about Daniels future needs. In summary, I would give Emma a chance to prove that she can be a good parent. I will offer her support, information and guidance to what needs to take place, and set targets. I believe that she might not realise the impact of uprooting her son until she is made fully aware of Daniel’s disability needs. In my assessment, I have to prioritise Daniel’s best interest and now, it appears this lies with the Benjamin family who give the impression that they are a dedicated family. Prior to this, Daniel has thrived in t heir care. References 1. Brammer, A., (2010) Social Work Law, 3rd Ed, Harlow: Pearson Education. 2. Bell, M., Shaw. I., Sinclair. I., Sloper. P., and Rafferty, J., (2007) An Evaluation of the Practice, Process and Consequences of the ICS in Councils with Social Services Responsibilities. Report to Department for Education and Skills Welsh Assembly Government. 3. Coulshed, V Orme, J., (2006) – Social Work Practice, 4th edition, Hampshire, Palgrave Macmillan 4. Department for Health (2005) The Mental Capacity Act. London HMSO 5. Farmer, E., Sturgess, W. and O’Neill, T., (2008) The reunification of Looked After Children With Their Parents: Patterns interventions and outcomes. Report to the Department for Children, Schools and Policy Studies, University of Bristol 6. Fahlberg, V., (1988) Fitting the pieces together. London: British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering. 7. Forrester, D. and Harwin, J., (2008) Parental substance misuse and child welfare: outcomes for children two years after refer ral. British Journal of Social Work, 38: 1518-1535 8. General Social Care Council (2002) Code of practice for social care workers and code of practice for employers. London: General Social Care Council 9. Harwin, J., Owen, M., Locke, R. and Forrester, D., (2003) Making Care Orders Work: A Study of Care Plans and their implementation. London: The Stationery Office. 10. Holland, S., (2010) Child and Family Assessment in Social Work Practice, 2nd Ed. London: Sage Publications. 11. http://www.legislation.gov.uk (assessed on 17.04.2012) 12. http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cytomegalovirus (assessed on 02.05.2012) 13. http://www.simplypsychology.org/bowlby.html (assessed on 17.04.2012) 14. Jones, DPH., (2009) Assessment of parenting. In Jan Horwath (ed.), The Child’s World: The comprehensive guide to assessing children in need. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. 2nd Edition. 15. Llaird, S.D., (2010) Practical Social Work Law: Analysing Court Cases and Inquiries, Harlow: Pearson Education 16. Macdonald, G. and Williamson, E., (2002) Against the Odds: An Evaluation of Child and Family Support Services. London: National Children’s Bureau/ Joseph Rowntree Foundation. 17. Mitchell, W and Sloper, P., (2008) The Integrated Children’s System and disabled children. Child and Family Social Worker, 13 (3): 274-285 18. Preston- Shoot, M. (2003) A matter of re cords? Practice, 15(3): 31-50 19. Reder, P., Duncan, S. and Lucey, C., (2003) Studies in the Assessment of Parenting. London: Routledge. 20. Selwyn. J., Quinton, D., Sturgess, W and Baxter, C., (2006) Costs and Outcomes of Non- infant Adoptions. London: BAAF.

Alzheimers Disease Essay -- Alzheimers Disease Essays

Alzheimer's Disease is a condition that affects 50% of the population over the age of eighty five, which equals four million Americans each year. It is becoming an important and high-profile issue in today's society for everyone. There are rapid advancements being made in the fight against this disease now more than ever, and the purpose of this essay is to educate the public on the background as well as the new discoveries. There are many new drugs that are being tested and studied every day which slow down, and may even halt the progress of the disease. In explaining this debilitating disease, it seems there are certain major areas that need to be addressed such as the history of the disease, the symptoms and diagnosis, as well as the emotional and physical cost to the patient and to the family. The definition of the illness seems to be unclear for many because the disease is so unpredictable. Until recently a precise definition of the disease was unavailable due to the difficulty in diagnosis. It is fairly complex, and despite many new breakthroughs it still remains impossible to diagnose a patient with certainty. A great deal of this is because the only exact diagnosis made is after a post-mortem brain examination. Alzheimer's Disease is the most overdiagnosed and misdiagnosed mental disorder in older adults because it is often decided only by ruling out all other possibilities such as dementias caused by medications, strokes, depression and other neurological disorders. However with new research in detection and prevention, a clear explication is now attainable for the public. Alzheimer's Disease is defined as "A dementing disorder marked by certain brain changes, regardless of the age of onset, that leads to the loss... ...eases-and-Disorders/Nervous-System-Diseases/ Central-Nervous-System-Diseases/Brain-Diseases/Alzheimer's Disease.html 11. http://moe.csa.com/alzintro.html    Sources:    Text    Advances In Alzheimer's Research Spring 2004, Vol.1, Number 1 Hager, Mary and Peyser, Marc, "Battling Alzheimer's", Newsweek, March 24, 2004, p.66 Websites    1. http://www.kcc.com.msu.edu/CAI/Pathology/Degen_F/Degen_2a.html Date visited: March 28, 2009 2. gopher://gopher.nimh.hih.gov/00/documents/nimh/other/alzh Date visited: March 25, 2009 3. http://www.cais.com/adear/nianews11.html Date visited: March 28, 2009 4. tornado.einet.net:8000/galaxy/medicine/Diseases-and- Disorders/Nervous-System-Diseases/Central-Nervous-System-Diseases/Brain-Diseases/Alzheimer's Disease.html Date visited: March 28. 2009 5. http://moe.csa.com/alzintro.html Date visited: April 30, 2009

Brenda C. Seggerman Essay

hemoperitoneum was noted, and approximately 500 mL of blood was rapidly evacuated from the pelvic cavity, as were large clots. Following this, the bowel was packed away from the pelvic area with packing laps. A retaining retractor was introduced. The left fallopian tube was noted. A large tubal ectopic pregnancy was noted, affecting approximately the distal half of the fallopian tube. Following this, a Heaney clamp was placed in the mesosalpinx and another curved Heaney clamp was placed in the proximal aspect of the left fallopian tube beyond the area of the ectopic pregnancy. A partial salpingectomy was then performed, removing the portion of the left fallopian tube containing the ectopic pregnancy. Heaney clamps were then replaced with sutures of No. 1 Vicryl. Hemostasis was checked again, and no bleeding was detected. Further evacuation of blood and blood clots was then performed. The right fallopian tube was noted to be covered with adhesions, both tubo-ovarian and tubo-uterine adhesions. The adhesions were then sharply lysed, freeing the right fallopian tube. Hemostasis was checked again. No bleeding was detected. Mild serosal abrasion was noted from the area where the ectopic pregnancy was apparently attached to the bowel. This was not bleeding and was very superficial. Hemostasis was checked, and no bleeding was detected. The peritoneum was then closed continuously with 0 chromic suture. The fascia was approximated with interrupted figure-of-8 stitches of 0 Vicryl, and the skin was approximated with the staple gun. OPERATIVE REPORT Patient Name: Brenda C. Seggerman Patient ID: 903321 Date of Surgery: 03/27/—- Page 3 The patient tolerated the procedure well and left the operating room in satisfactory condition. All counts were correct. Blood loss was estimated at 1000 mL, which was replaced with 2 units of whole blood while in recovery. ________________________ Rosemary Bumbak, MD Obstetrics & Gynecology RB:xx(your initials in lower case) D:03/27/—- T:03/27/—-

Intro to Religiion

Jake Walton There are many different definitions of religion, but two we are studying about is Paul Tillich’s definition and Melford E. Spiro’s definition. Paul Tillich is a Christian theologian and philosopher who defined religion â€Å"the state of being grasped by an ultimate concern, a concern which qualifies all other concerns as preliminary and which itself contains the answer to the meaning of life.Melford Spiro, a contemporary anthropologist defined religion â€Å"an institution consisting of culturally patterened interaction with culturally postulated superhuman beings. † I prefer Tillich’s definition. I prefer Paul Tillich’s definition because I am a Christian and I can relate to what he is saying with his definition. As a Christian, God is your ultimate concern, just like Tillich said. God comes before everything. He is your only way to heaven. So you have to make him your ultimate concern by living for him every day.Tillich’s def inition went on to say â€Å"a concern that qualifies all other concerns as a preliminary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , this means that God comes before anything else in life. Nothing should ever come before God. Everything else should just be a preliminary, or second to God. The last part of Tillich’s definition says a concern which contains the answer to the question of the meaning of life. This means that God is the meaning of life. I prefer Tillich’s definition because this is what I believe.I believe that God is the answer to what is the meaning of life, he has a purpose for everyone and everyone’s life. God should be your ultimate concern if you want to go to heaven, He is the only way in. You have to live your life through him, and to do that he has to be your greatest concern. If other things get in the way you have to put them off and make them second to God. Never let anything get in the way of you and God. I feel Tillich’s definition of religion is a great d efinition of religion.

Free sample - The Importance of MBA Degree. translation missing

The Importance of MBA Degree. The Importance of MBA DegreeThe field of business management and administration comprises specific areas such as marketing, accounting, operations management etc. It’s my firm belief that successful business can’t do without employees possessing high level of proficiency and experience. Thus, I am convinced that it is MBA degree that provides great opportunities for aspired students with profound knowledge and potentials. MBA programs have significantly proved to lay the robust foundations of comprehensive business awareness necessary for ambitious, dependable, result-aimed leaders. Owing to the fact that the sphere of my knowledge application was and is still tightly connected with business management, I deeply realize that MBA is what I’m striving to obtain in order to further accumulate, cultivate and advance the attainments I’ve already got. Right after college I got down to work in the financial services industries namely at Citigroup, Investment Banking. By nature I am hard-working and willing to learn, so in this tough time I had to collect all my efforts not to let my team down. Because there were company staff cuts only two executives became to be responsible for the work done – my manager and me. My accountability, courage and rigor appeared to be the features which helped me successfully cope with the overwork and deadlines. The senior management decisions depended on my analyses and reports which needed to be accurate and faultless. Thus, efficiently and effectively performing my duties I managed to earn respect and become trustw orthy in the eyes of my colleagues. My further plans were conditioned by the desire to broaden the horizons of my activity in business. Moreover, my sense of responsibility was enhanced considering that I was a bread-winner in the family and the fact of my legal stay in the US only through the work visa was to some extent a challenge but I was persistent in reaching my aims. In June 2009 I became the member of Blueprint by Ronke (BbR) Event Management and thus was involved in event planning and management business. Such field of business presupposes active, initiative, creative and reliable people able both to organize and control team work, at the same time develop cohesion, unity and integrity among the members. My first project was concerned with showcasing diverse talents of different genres and I wanted to emphasize the many-faceted surrounding community and promote young artists. In addition, this event served financial contribution to the organization Link a Child focused on help for African children in need. I pursued high-standard show which could attract versatile individuals both the performers and professionals from music and media industry. It was a considerable step for me on the way of my career growth and development of supervising qualities along with previous experience as an executive. I was able to apply my managing skills to display contrast and individuality of people with varied flairs.

Utopian Society Essay

Utopian Society Essay Utopian Society Essay Utopian Society Every economy throughout the world has a combination of a command or market economy. However as shown in our history to create a utopia you cannot use purely a market or a command society. In order to make a Utopian Society, a community and its government must have a perfect combination of command and market economies. In the perfect society, there are certain economic factors such as freedom, growth, stability, equality, and efficiency that are needed to create a utopia. In a utopian society the freedom and growth would come from the market system because it to shows that it is more of a constant and has proven to work far better for all market economies than command economies. Hong Kong the most free city in the world has only a 3.4% unemployment rate and their GDP per capita is $52,300. Also, in Uzbekistan one of the least free countries in the world had an estimated 5% unemployment rate in 2011, that’s 1.4% higher than Hong Kong's unemployment rate. Uzbekistan’s GDP per capita is also $3,600, that’s $48,700 less than Hong Kong’s $52,300. Thus people who work for their own benefit rather than their countries have a higher incentive to work harder and have a higher economic growth rate, therefore a utopian society should take both freedom and growth from a market economy. In a utopian society the equality, stability, and efficiency would come from the command economy because the government is in control and decides how the businesses are going to work and who will work. In these types of economies the government decides what is fair, therefore there is no time consuming debates like there usually are in a market economy when dealing with business owners and consumers about prices of product or pay. India has a budget of $169.4 billion, $328.7 billion less than Australia’s $498.1 billion which causes the government to push idea of equity better and more efficiently. Also, India’s GDP real growth rate is 6.5% which is 2.9% higher than Australia's 3.6%, confirming that command economies are more efficient and effective than market economies. In the past the country of Germany under the command of Adolf Hitler had once reached a 0% unemployment rate. Command economies are also very efficient because they chose to handle their resources to th e best of their abilities. Central planners decide where and what the resources are used, creating the least amount of wasted resources possible. For example, in World War 2 Russia’s command economy was able to build their army and weapons quickly with

How to Write and Format a Business Case Study

How to Write and Format a Business Case Study Business case studies are teaching tools that are used by many business schools, colleges, universities, and corporate training programs. This method of teaching is known as the case method. Most business case studies are written by educators, executives or heavily educated business consultants. However, there are times when students are asked to conduct and write their own business case studies. For example, students may be asked to create a case study as a final assignment or group project. Student-created case studies may even be used as a teaching tool or a basis for class discussion. Writing a Business Case Study When you write a case study, you must write with the reader in mind. The case study should be set up so that the reader is forced to analyze situations, draw conclusions, and make recommendations based on their predictions. If you arent overly familiar with case studies, you may be wondering how to best organize your writing. To help you get started, lets take a look at the most common ways to structure and format a business case study.   Case Study Structure and Format Although every business case study is a little different, there are a few elements that every case study has in common. Every case study has an original title. Titles vary but usually include the name of the company as well as a little info about the case scenario in ten words or less. Examples of real case study titles include Design Thinking and Innovation at Apple and Starbucks: Delivering Customer Service. All cases are written with a learning objective in mind. The objective might be designed to impart knowledge, build a skill, challenge the learner, or develop an ability. After reading and analyzing the case, the student should know about something or be able to do something. An example objective might look like this: After analyzing the case study, the student will be able to demonstrate knowledge of approaches to marketing segmentation, differentiate between potential core customer bases and recommend a brand positioning strategy for XYZs newest product. Most case studies assume a story-like format. They often have a protagonist with an important goal or decision to make. The narrative is usually weaved throughout the study, which also includes sufficient background information about the company, situation, and essential people or elements. There should be enough detail to allow the reader to form an educated assumption and make an informed decision about the questions (usually two to five questions) presented in the case. The Case Study Protagonist Case studies should have a protagonist that needs to make a decision. This forces the case reader to assume the role of the protagonist and make choices from a particular perspective. An example of a case study protagonist is a branding manager who has two months to decide on a positioning strategy for a new product that could financially make or break the company. When writing the case, it is important to ensure that your protagonist is  developed and compelling enough to engage the reader.   The Case Study Narrative/Situation The narrative of a case study starts with an introduction to the protagonist, her role and responsibilities, and the situation/scenario that she is facing. Information is provided on the decisions the protagonist needs to make. Details include challenges and constraints related to the decision (such as a deadline) as well as any biases the protagonist might have. The next section offers up background information on the company and its business model, industry and competitors. The case study then covers challenges and issues faced by the protagonist as well as the consequences associated with the decision that the protagonist needs to make. Exhibits and extra documents, like financial statements, might be included in the case study to help students reach a decision about the best course of action.   The Deciding Point The conclusion of a case study returns to the main question or problem that must be analyzed and solved by the protagonist. Case study readers are expected to step into the role of the protagonist and answer the question or questions presented in the case studies. In most cases, there are multiple ways to answer the case question, which allows for classroom discussion and debate.

Property law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Property law - Case Study Example The individuals share equal ownership and have the same and undivided right to dispose or keep the property. It also creates the Right of Survivorship that provides that if one tenant passes away, the rest of the property goes to those who survive them (Hinkel, 2012). According to joint tenancy, Andy and Barney owned the same interest in the whole property with an equal share and the estate was vested for the period of their lifetime. In addition, both Andy and Barney enjoyed similar rights until one passed away. Under the right of survivorship, when Andy died, the remainder of the entire property was automatically transferred to Barney. However, there could be a catch since it is not clear whether Barney had recorded an affidavit as to the death of Andy. It is true that, upon the death of Andy, Barney had the right of survivorship that ensured Barney got the title to the entire property. The procedure is that, in Andy’s death, the title was to be transferred to Barney after t he recording of this affidavit, which describes the dead tenant and property, as well as an attached death certificate (Hinkel, 2012). I do agree with the advice, as long as the Barney had recorded the affidavit of death of Andy, who was the joint tenant. Adverse Possession In this case, I concur with the advice given. In adverse possession, a person can gain legal title through open, actual, continuous, and hostile possession of land to the owner’s exclusion (Jourdan & Radley-Gardney, 2010). In the case, such as this, where the possession is open and notorious, Ernst possessed the property openly in the middle of the property where the neighbors could see and act as all true owners of the land would. While occupying Barney’s land, Ernst did not do so secretly such as to have denied him any legal rights to the land. Ernst has actually improved the land by building a cabin and fencing it, which was demonstrative of open and notorious possession. Essentially, building hi s cabin there without any resistance is the most notorious and open possession. While it is true that Barney did not have knowledge of Ernst’s adverse use of his land, Ernst’s possession is so notorious and open that it is impossible the neighbors around the property have no idea of his living there (Jourdan & Radley-Gardney, 2010). It is not also possible to expect Ernst to give the land back even after he had been put on notice that the land will be reclaimed as shown by his behavior when Barney tried to access the property, which indicates that Ernst intends to keep possession. I agree that they should overlook the law of adverse possession. Bailment and Conversion I agree that Barney cannot be found liable for any charges requested for by the seller at the classic car show. Bailment involves the temporary placing by a bailor of control of personal property to the hands of a bailee for a particular purpose on which the two have agreed (Ashcroft & Ashcroft, 2011). In this case, Barney was the bailer while the valet was the bailee. Bailment is a contractual relationship because the two, either impliedly or expressly bind to act to specific terms. In this case, the valet only received control of the car while Barney retains an ownership interest. While the valet’s interest in the car, during the bailment period, was superior to that of Barney, he violated the agreement by exchanging Barney’s car and breaking their agreement. Once Barney was done with

Comparative Public Sector Administration Assignment

Comparative Public Sector Administration - Assignment Example Based on Northouse's (2007) definition, of leadership — Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal – we gather that a leader’s style of functioning can have significant implications for the employees as well as the goals. In examining the case of Albert Dunlap, we can identify how this seems to occur. Albert Dunlap served as the Chief Executive officer at Sunbeam Corporation using a managerial style that was both ruthless and rigorous. The emphasis seems to have been on profit-making; to the extent that ethical behavior was deeply compromised to that end. There is supposed evidence of tampering with the revenue books; which if true, would be evidence of a selfish motivation to the ruthless attempt at making profits. Such behavior shows a marked lack of consideration for the staff’s needs or their due. According to Blake and Mouton’s (1957) model, these are signs of low concern for people and a high concern for tasks. Such a pattern of leadership is described as the ‘Authoritarian Leadership. The Authoritarian leader is focused on the task to exclusion of the people involved in completing the task. In the case of Albert Dunlap, this ‘task’ was creating as much profit as possible, and siphoning much of it into personal desires. This kind of leader views people as means to an end, and communicates only what s/he believes is essential to the task.

Business Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Business Markets - Essay Example A distinction made between incomes i.e. the amount of money that a man earns, and real income which means the quantity of goods and the services which he can buy with that amount of money. In times of technical progress, there is a large output of cheap goods. The purchasing power of money increases or it may be said, real income increase. Less money will be needed to purchase the same quantity of goods and the saving of money will be utilized for the purchase of the other good. The demand schedule will have to be recast. Some goods may be eliminated from consumption and instead entirely new goods purchase; demand for some goods will decrease and that for others increase. Where there is inflation the additional money will add to the purchasing power of the commodity, and the prices will rise but this rise in price is not uniform in case of all goods. People will have to readjust their expenditure: demand for certain things will be reduced and for other stimulated. Through the instrument of public finance for example by taxing the rich and spending the funds so obtained on the poor, wealth is redistributed. There is a transfer of spending power. This bound to affect demand. Demand for those goods will increases which are purchased by a class whose spending power has increased, and vice versa. The larger if the average household income, greater is the demand for the commodities they consume. Change in saving. Demand for goods is affected by a change in the household's propensity to save. Large saving means less money to purchase the goods. The demand will there for decrease. Change in asset preferences. It is quit obvious that if a consumer develops the marked liquidity preferences his demand for goods will decrease, because he prefers to keep with him ready cash instead of buying things. Change in Expectations or Anticipations. Expectation also brings a change in demand. If prices are expected to rise in future the demand for goods will increases now in the present. Similarly expectation of rising incomes will restrain current purchase and postpone purchases to a future favorable situation. Change in Conditions of trade. Demand for every thing is greater in boom even though the prices are rising. On the other hand in time s of depression there is a general slacking of demand. Change in Price of related goods. Substitutes In case of substitutes for example tea and coffee an increase in the consumption of one will lead to a decrease in the consumption of the other. When a decline in the price of one good results in the decline in the demand for another good they are substitutes. Or two goods are substitutes if the demand for one is directly related to the price if other. Complements In case of complements for example horse and carriage increases demand for one will

Social science methods - entertainment location Essay

Social science methods - entertainment location - Essay Example These matches were actually scheduled to take place in India itself, but because of the ongoing election process in India it has been relocated to South Africa. All the teams participating in these matches are from India though all the teams must have a compulsory 4 overseas players apart from the Indian players. So South Africans were fortunate enough to watch all world cricket superstars in action at South Africa along with their players also. The South African people's behaviour towards these matches was indifferent at times. I have seen in one of the matches in which the South African fast bowler, probably one of the fastest in the world today Dale Steyn, who is playing for Royal Challengers, Bangalore, hit for a six by former Australian player Mathew Hayden who is playing for Chennai Super Kings. Most of the South African spectators cheered for Hayden rather than Steyn on that occasion. On another occasion when Steyn uprooted the stumps of Hayden, they stood up and clapped for a long period in appreciation of his performances. We can call it as a sporting gesture from the spectators, but really wondered me is that the same thing did not happened when earlier this year the Australians toured South Africa for some test matches. I think the 20-20 cricket match has changed the people's attitude drastically.

Role of Higher Education Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Role of Higher Education - Annotated Bibliography Example All levels of education enhance sustainable development according to the agendas they give the first priority. These agendas should give sustainable development the first priority. This ideas and efforts should be initiated from the lowest education levels going all the way to the highest level of education, the university, for effectiveness and success. There are three issues involved in promoting sustainable development through higher education: observation of all the aspects of our routines in regards to sustainability, encouraging understanding of the difficulties of sustainability and lastly finding out the proper and latest ways and procedures to promote sustainable development. The higher education institutions have to play a very important role to foster the process of sustainable development. There are major problems faced in this area of development. They include dangerous infectious diseases, hunger, pollution, energy, climate changes among others. The higher education institutions can come up with research ideas and tools to help solve all those problems, to help promote sustainability. This article is very important and useful for my research because it helps understand the role of higher education in sustainable development. The article explains clearly what the higher education institutions can do to help promote sustainable development. The Impact of Higher Education on Economic Development is an article by Larry Gigerich. This article analyzes the role of higher education on economic development. He argues that higher education institutions like colleges and universities have a very important and practical role concerning national economic development. According to this article, national economic development and higher education are linked together. In the past years, colleges and universities have just been teaching

Social science methods - entertainment location Essay

Social science methods - entertainment location - Essay Example These matches were actually scheduled to take place in India itself, but because of the ongoing election process in India it has been relocated to South Africa. All the teams participating in these matches are from India though all the teams must have a compulsory 4 overseas players apart from the Indian players. So South Africans were fortunate enough to watch all world cricket superstars in action at South Africa along with their players also. The South African people's behaviour towards these matches was indifferent at times. I have seen in one of the matches in which the South African fast bowler, probably one of the fastest in the world today Dale Steyn, who is playing for Royal Challengers, Bangalore, hit for a six by former Australian player Mathew Hayden who is playing for Chennai Super Kings. Most of the South African spectators cheered for Hayden rather than Steyn on that occasion. On another occasion when Steyn uprooted the stumps of Hayden, they stood up and clapped for a long period in appreciation of his performances. We can call it as a sporting gesture from the spectators, but really wondered me is that the same thing did not happened when earlier this year the Australians toured South Africa for some test matches. I think the 20-20 cricket match has changed the people's attitude drastically.

Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Response - Essay Example ation from the news article proves to be true, the reporters responsible can be said to have snooped around the company and gathered that information from people in that company before the company’s CEO officially released the information to the media. If the information was from press release, then all the news articles and even the company’s website should have the same reporting date. The reporting could not be fairer because the reporters of this information did not follow the correct, reliable and verifiable route of gathering information and it could have been misreported because the sources of the information were not credible. It is also not fair that the reporter of this news article get to snoop around and get this information earlier than other reporters. This is more so because it casts doubt to the credibility of other news articles on this website and on the internet in general. The credibility of the company is also put to test and this is not fair. If the source was to be an academic study, then issues of scientific review should have been considered. This means that credibility of the article should be able to be verified by other sources and that every part of that article should be matching with the original source of the news and with other sources and news articles as well. An academic study news report should also be reliable. This means that there should not be any doubt of the information when its source is scrutinized by other academicians who are mostly scientifically granted the authority to render the information reliable. If reliability and validity of the information casts a shadow of doubt as to it being scientific and peer reviewed, then it can qualify to be academic study information. The article does not explain on detail the reasons why the companies which were to merge decided to pull out of the deal in the last minute despite the deal having been formulated and agreed upon over several months before the news. The article

Human Behavior in an Organization Essay Example for Free

Human Behavior in an Organization Essay In an organization there are lots of factors to be considered for the company to achieve its goals and objective and succeed. These factors include communication, motivation, leadership skills, personal characteristics of employees, interaction between and among employees and teamwork. Communication is significant in transferring information because the information to be transferred must be precise and accurate to avoid miscommunication. Failure to communicate proper information might cause a negative long-term effect on the company. Furthermore, miscommunication may result to personal conflicts between members of an organization. Persons or employees in the organization must feel motivated to achieve the goals and objectives that should be met. This motivation may come from personal factors, such as for family and self-competence, or external factors, such as salaries or benefits are tied to performance of doing a job. Highly motivated members are the ones who mostly done their job efficiently. Management must motivate employees for them to do their jobs efficiently and effectively so as to lessen any probable negative impacts to the organization. There is always a person or a group of persons that will initiate any activities done by an organization and we usually call these people as leaders. A leader must be sensitive to feelings of others but not to the extent that it would prejudice any undertakings made by the group. We see different kinds of leaders, there are those who are autocratic or who don’t listen to what others has to say but there are also those that listens, hears and considers the point of view of others. Conflicts may arise in an organization primarily because of the personal characteristics of each employee that are not acceptable to others. This should not be done because everyone is different in his or her own way. Conflicts between employees would result to negative effects that would cause to fail to meet the objectives. These problems between members must be resolve to build a better relationship between them and to be able to prevent this problems to arise again in the future. In any activity that an organization should do, teamwork must always be present. This is very important to achieve the organization’s goals and objectives efficiently. In a team, each one must do their part to help achieve the goal and not help prejudice the activity. In a team, together everyone achieves more, which means that if members would just work together, all of the objectives, even the least important objective will be met. There are weaknesses and strengths inside a group and this must be taken into considerations, to eliminate these weaknesses and improve those strengths. Team building activities may be done by the organization to improve the relationship between and among members so as to have a team that works together for a common goal. Hence, goal congruence arises, which is very important factor that must exist inside the organization. Thus, proper communication, motivation, leadership skills, relationships between members and teamwork must exist within an organization. In this way, any goals and objectives of the organization will be met. As long as each one of the members do their parts well, nothing could go wrong and the organization will be successful in any activities they will undertake.

Service Quality In Restaurants

Service Quality In Restaurants By conducting a literature review, the reader gets a better understanding of the question in hand. According to LeCompte et al(2003,p.124), conducting a literature review is a means of demonstrating an authors knowledge about a particular field of study, including vocabulary, theories, key variables and phenomena, and its methods and history. The research question which is addressed is service quality in restaurants, to which the literature review would focus to wherever necessary, with wide areas of service quality in general being looked into. Service Quality is not only an object of wide interest among organizations, but also is a topic that is widely discussed by researchers. Since it doesnt possess characteristics such as products do, service quality has never been easy to define. Researches have proposed different characteristics in terms of its dimensions, but few have been used. One of the most widely used model is based on the comparison between the expectations and perceptions of the customer about an organizations service. Parasuraman et al.(1985) created a model to measure service quality called the Gap Model. This was later used as a basis for creating the SERVQUAL model which is a 22-item scale used to measure service quality. It had a great impact on later works and evolved as one of the predominant tools t o be used across organizations. Restaurant is a field where SERVQUAL is used extensively for measuring their service quality. In the following section, the service quality literature is explained in detailed and later on, its linkage to the restaurant industry is looked into. 1. SERVICE QUALITY The service management literature argues that customer satisfaction is the result of a customers perception of the value received, where value equals perceived service quality relative to price (Hallowell, 1996, p. 29). 1.1 DEFINITION OF SERVICE In order to understand what Service Quality is, it is essential that the term Service is defined. Grà ¶nroos(2001) claims that services are processes and not physical entities or goods, and that service firms have processes that interact rather than products. According to Stromgren(2007, p.12) , a service is an activity or series of activities of a more or less intangible nature than normal, but not necessarily , take place in the interaction between the customer and service employees and/or physical resources or goods and/or systems of the service provider, which are provided as solutions to the customer problems. 1.2 DEFINITION OF QUALITY There are plenty of definitions of quality that are prescribed by different authors. According to Juran(1988), quality can be defined as the fitting to the intended use of the entity and thereby meeting the expected standards. In the case of an entity not fitting its intended use and expectations, the customers can bill it as of poor quality. Crosby(1979) prescribed quality as `conformance to requirements`; Garvin(1988) found internal and external failures of the entity and measured quality by the count of the failures. However, Parasuraman et al(1985) claims that quality cannot be defined using a product-based approach when dealing with service sectors and hence came forward with the term Service Quality. Considering that my research topic and questions is based on service quality, the explanation provided by Parasuraman et al(1985) is used. 1.3 DEFINITION OF SERVICE QUALITY The concept of service quality and its theories and practicality has been considered very important by the academics and practitioners over the past few decades because it acts as a chief contributor to customer satisfaction and profitability (Parasuraman et al,1985). Thus service quality has become as important factor for all organizations that need to survive in a competitive market. The definition of service quality as conceptualized in various literatures on service, centres on the quality perceived, and is defined as the judgement made by the customer about an entitys overall excellence or superiority (Parasuraman et al., 1988). In accordance with the finding of Ghobadian et al(1994),service generally has four characteristics which are different from manufacturing goods. The four characteristics are described below: Inseparability of production and consumption: This characteristic of services refers to the fact that production and consumption of service is inseparable as they are in contact with each other (Parasuraman et al.,1985). The service provider in turn becomes an important component of the service and is assessed by the consumers (Zeithaml et al., 2003). In the process, the consumers become co-producers of the service (Edvardsson,2005). In the service industry, the producers create the services which simultaneously involve its consumption. There is no room for complacency and quality shortfalls cannot be covered at this point. To illustrate, the service is being constructed at the same time that the customer is receiving it. Intangibility: Services are fundamentally intangible which means that it is impossible for the customers to physically see, smell or touch the product before the purchase is made. Services can easily be copied as a result of intangibility, because most of the services are not patented (Zeithaml et al.,2003). Intangibility results not only in difficulty to manage services, but it becomes hard for the consumers to evaluate(Lovelock et al.,2004). Hence, the customer turns to other alternatives such as obvious signs of quality such as reputation, physical tangibles, and word of mouth from previous users. In services, word of mouth and reputation have the most importance, and thus drives the service provider to deliver services right and flawless, the first time. Perishability : Service cannot be inventoried for later use which means that it impossible to have a final check like manufactured goods. According to Zeithaml et al.(2003), careful planning has to be made to manage services, as they cannot be resold or re-inventoried. Hill(1977,p.318), in his article, mentions that services can be seen as a change in the condition of a person, or of a good belonging to some economic unit, which is brought about as the result of the activity of some other economic. Another dimension to this was added by Lovelock et al.(2004) that stated that goods could be more complex to manage as the costs are incurred for its storage. So, service operations must get the right service first time. Heterogeneity: It involves service consistency and accuracy. Due to the fact that delivery of service usually involves a contact between provider and consumer, thus the behaviour of service provider can influence the perception of the customer. Moreover the accuracy of the information and the ability to interpret customers expectation correctly has a great influence on customers perception of service quality. However, expectations may change during delivery process. For this reason, service providers have to rely heavily on the ability of their staff to understand customers demand and respond in a suitable way. Service can be divided into two dimensions, the functional quality and the technical quality (Gronroos,1984). The technical quality essentially deals with what or what service is provided and functional quality deals with how or how the service is delivered. Another conceptual model which was brought forward by Lehtinen et al. (1991) comprises of physical, interactive and corporate qualities of an organization. Interactive quality deals with the overall interaction of the customers with the elements of the firm. Corporate quality deals with the image customers have about the firm. Physical quality deals with the physical good which is consumed during a service process, food at a restaurant for example and also the physical elements which make up the facilities of the restaurant. Going further deep into the service quality literature, Parasuraman et al. (1985) used 10 dimensions to explain service quality which were tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, courtesy, credibility, compet ence, access, communication, security and understanding. This model was later reduced to a scale of 5 dimensions after a process of reliability and validity testing (Parasuraman et al. , 1988). 2. CUSTOMER LOYALTY The satisfaction of the customers is one of the main aims in any business, the restaurant business in this case. Businesses recognize that maintaining current customers is much easier than winning over new ones to replace the loss (McColl-Kennedy Schneider, 2000). It is mandatory for restaurants to strategize their services to suit the ever-changing dining needs and lifestyles of customers, if they have to increase loyalty from customers. (Min et al,2002). Individuals dining expectations have evolved over the years due to changing social environment, better education, the development of culinary culture, healthy dieting awareness and cultural influences(Markovic, S .et al ,2010 p.182). According to Wishna (2000), customers, in future, would expand their dining horizons to a new level. They would need new experiences to satisfy their ever-changing requirements. Probably the most extensively debated topic about service quality field is the constructs of service quality and the related customer satisfaction (Johnston,1995). Many researches have come to a conclusion that they are two different entities but the relation between the two entities is still questioned(Cronin et al.1992). Parasuraman et al(1988,p16), suggested that perceived service quality is a global judgement, or attitude, relating to the superiority of the service, whereas satisfaction is related to a specific transaction. Parasuraman et al(1995) identified from their research that satisfaction is clearly linked to each specific transaction. They also mention that customers may be satisfied with the particular transaction but might not identify the firm as a high quality one. On one hand, there are other researches which support the argument that customer satisfaction is an antecedent of service quality(Bitner,1990). Bolton et al.(1991) suggest that satisfaction is derived from disconfirmation and becomes an important factor which influences customers opinion of the service quality. However, recent researches claim that service quality is the antecedent of satisfaction, in opposition to the arguments from the earlier works. According to Zeithaml et al(2003) states that while customer satisfaction is a broader concept, service quality is a component that comprises of customer satisfaction along with other components which includes price, product quality, personal factors and situational factors. 3. SERVICE QUALITY MODELS The use of technology can provide an organization with the needed thrust to enhance its service quality. There are several conceptual models of service quality available, which helps the management in identifying quality issues. By making sure these issues do not re-surface, it increases the possibility of improving the organizations profitability, efficiency and overall performance ( Parasuraman et al,1988). 3.1 THE GAP MODEL Service quality, unlike goods quality, cannot be measured in terms of the number of defects. It is an elusive component which is difficult to measure ( Parasuraman et al,1988). In their earlier research in 1985, Parasuraman et al. identified that service quality rises from the comparison of the expected quality and the perceived quality of service performed. They explored the concept of service quality by taking focus group interviews. The conceptual model which was identified as a result of the research consisted of five gaps in the desired service.The first four gaps is part of the perceptions and tasks in providing services, by the management. The last gap is the overall expectations from the customers. They formed a new service quality model which was based on the gaps between the expected and perceived quality. This is known as the GAP Model. Fig 1. Illustrates the model. The five Gaps that were identified are ( Parasuraman et al., 1985) : Knowledge GAP, Standards GAP, Delivery GAP, Communications GAP. GAP 1 : The Knowledge GAP is the difference in the level of expectation of the customer and the organizations perceptions of the customers expectations. In some cases, the management fails in understanding what the customers want. The dimensions identified by the management as important and which constitutes good service might not be the things that the customers look for. GAP 2 : The Standards GAP is the difference in organizations perceptions of the customers expectations and the service quality standards. The management find it difficult to deliver services according to the customers expectations due to lack of resources or other conditions which are not favourable. But they understand what the customers want. GAP 3 : The Delivery GAP is the difference between the organizations service delivery and its related communication with the customer. Staff performance towards delivery of the service plays a huge part in the customers perception of the service quality. But it can be inconsistent, even though the standards are specified. The quality of service delivery can be affected due to variability among providers. GAP 4 : The Communications GAP is the difference between the organizations service delivery and the communicated information about the service to the customers. This gap occurs when a firm fails to deliver the promised services. The consequences of overpromising in that the expectations of the customers are high and when the actual service is received, their perceptions of service quality sink. GAP 5: Overall experience of the service is the main point of focus here. The first four gaps form the perception of service that the customers receive whereas the fifth gap stands for the customers expectations compared to their perceptions, ie their view on the service quality. The diagram is illustrated in Fig 1. Fig.1 The GAP Model The GAP model is the most widely used and is one of the most important contributions to service quality literature (Brown et al. 1995). Gaps 1 to 4 shows how the service is delivered, while Gap 5 depicts the overall difference between the expected and perceived service with respect to the customer. Gap 5 is the most influential in the SERVQUAL model (Parasuraman et al, 1985). 3.2 SERVQUAL Measuring the quality of services in a restaurant is a daunting task as both the service outcome and service delivery is to be assessed. According to Wu et al. (2009), service encounters in restaurants comprise of three components: environmental elements (e.g. design, music,lighting), employees (e.g. professional skills, reliability) and customers (e.g. interaction with other customers). Environmental elements consist of the design of the restaurant interiors, the music being played and the lighting which is used. Employees form the core part of the service which helps to perform the service. To understand all characteristics of the restaurant service quality an appropriate measurement instrument should be developed. SERVQUAL is an instrument that is used to assess the customers perception of the service quality of a service. It is a multi-scale instrument, which took its shape from the GAP model originally, and later was developed further in the 1980s. The instrument contains two sections. One section consists of 22 items that measure consumers expectations. The other section includes 22 corresponding items that measure consumers perceptions of the service they received. The 22 statements represent the five service dimensions that consumers use to evaluate service quality: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy (Markovic, S., 2010, p.183). According to Parasuraman et al. (1988), Tangibles: Comprises of physical settings, the equipment used and the appearance of the employees Reliability: the ability of the employees to deliver the promised level of service Responsiveness: the ability of the employees to be willing to help out the customers and serve customers without any delay Assurance: is the level of knowledge the employees possess and their courtesy towards the customers, together with their ability to build trust and express their confidence Empathy: is the providing of individualized attention to the customers and be caring towards them. In SERVQUAL, the service quality measurement is based on the comparison of customers expectations and their perceptions of delivered service. The difference between expectations and perceptions scores is called the SERVQUAL gap. A negative gap indicates that received service did not met customers expectations. On the contrary, a positive gap indicates that customers perceived that service delivery exceeded their expectations. SERVQUAL is used as an instrument to diagnose an organizations weaknesses and strength in terms of service quality and uncover them. It creates a systematic, multi-stage process that is based on the dimensions identified and entities which correspond to that organization (Zeithaml et al., 1988). It can be used in businesses of any kind and provides a basis structure owing to its expectations-perceptions model, comprising statements for all the five different dimensions. 3.3 LIMITATIONS OF SERVQUAL Many organizations have used SERVQUAL for measuring their service quality with considerable amount of success, although there have been certain problems which have been identified. These problems are : Dimensions of the model Parasuraman et al.(1991) claimed that the five dimensions is SERVQUAL used to assess service quality can be used in all service contexts. However there were differences in opinion among other researchers. Buttle(1996) argued that the dimensions change with respect to numbers and the factors as SERVQUAL is used in different service contexts. According a research conducted in a retail setting by Finn et al.(1991), SERVQUAL dimensions are not generic. Babakus et al.(1992) noted that the dimensions can be simple or complex depending on the type of industries it is used in. A major argument to Parasuraman et al. was by Carman(1990), where he did not agree with the combining of the 10 original dimensions to five as he thinks the collapsed dimensions could have been important in certain areas and hence should be looked into as a separate dimension. Expectation of the service Expectation in a service context essentially means the desired level of service that a customer would like to receive ( Parasuraman et al., 1988). It is the minimum level of service quality that the provider should provide. But due to the ambiguous nature, it can be interpreted in different ways. While some may rate expectations according to their expected ideal or optimal performance, others may rate it as a minimum tolerable performance (Teas,1993). Issues with GAP scores The high rating of expectations by customers in the SERVQUAL setup leads to negative scores which immediately start questioning the analytical utility and interpretation of the concept (Smith, 1995). Process Focus According to Buttle(1996), SERVQUAL deals with only the process or the method by which services are delivered but not the quality of the final output that is provided. When service quality is assessed, both process and output should be used in SERVQUAL as both together can give the prediction of the choice that the customer would make rather than one without the other(Richard et al.,1993). Pricing Price plays an important role in determining the customers expectations and perceived quality(Smith,1995). He states that according to some customers, excellent food service comes with high price while lower prices are associated with restaurants which are targeting a lesser market. Hence, according to Smith(1995), price should be considered when measuring service quality. SERVQUAL is only one of those instruments which is used in measuring service quality. And going by the words of Asubonteng et al.(1996), until a model which is capable of better measurement evolves, SERVQUAL will be dominant. I am using SERVQUAL as the tool to measure service quality in the restaurants I am focussing on. 4. SERVICE QUALITY IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY Expectations are defined as what the customer beliefs of the service that would be provided and is the main standard against which the actual performance is measured (Zeithaml, V. and Bitner, M., J. 2003). There are five types of expectations of the customers- (i) minimum tolerable expectations (ii) acceptable expectations (iii) experience-based norms (iv) normative should expectations (v) ideal expectations(Zeithaml, V. and Bitner, M., J. 2003) According to Garvin(1987), the common attributes of service quality are Performance, features, conformance, aesthetics, reliability, durability, serviceability and perceived quality. Parasuraman et al. (1990) developed a five-dimensional framework of service quality which consisted of tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy to analyse service quality. However, GroÈnroos (1990) came up with a framework of his own which consisted of six elements in measuring the perceived value of services. These are explained in Table 1. There are many factors that may influence customers assessments of restaurant quality. Previous researches suggested that food quality, physical environment and service are the major components of overall restaurant service quality (Dulen 1999; Susskind Chan 2000). Among these attributes, food quality is the most important dimension of the restaurant experience (Sulek Hensley 2004). What is more, it is an essential requirement to satisfy the needs and expectations of restaurant customers (Peri 2006). Although there is no consensus on the individual attributes that constitute food quality, the researchers focus on presentation, healthy options, taste, freshness and temperature (Namkung Jang 2008). Several studies have cited the importance of service quality for customer satisfaction with a service encounter (Stevens et al. 1995; Qu 1997). Additionally, in restaurants settings, service quality is an important determinant of customer satisfaction (Kim et al.2009) and return intention (Kivela et al. 2000). Stevens et al. (1995) developed an instrument called DINESERV which was based on the SERVQUAL. It was created to measure the perceptions of the customers about the restaurants service quality. It was used by many as a very reliable and simple tool for finding out the customers view on service quality. It consisted of 29 items, which fell into the five service quality dimensions. It is used in assessing different types of restaurants. Through the findings, it is known that the customers give the highest priority to reliability. Further researchers like Heung et al.(2000) have identified that the customers expectations vary depending on the restaurants. They used DINESERV to compare and contrast certain restaurants at an airport and found out that the expectations vary with different restaurants. However none of the tools have included food quality as a possible dimension. According to Andaleeb et al.(2006), SERVQUAL should include food quality as a service quality dimension as food quality covers the entire section of food service attributes. This was supported by Namkung et al.(2007) who valued the importance of food quality in measuring service quality as they identified in their research that it was the main factor which influenced customer satisfaction. They claim food quality constitute of presentation, variety, healthy options, taste, freshness and temperature(Namkung et al., 2007). Against this backdrop, the main aim of the research, the use of technology in improving service quality in restaurants is looked into. 5. USE OF EXISTING TECHNOLOGY IN RESTAURANTS TO AID SERVICE QUALITY The use of technology is increasing in all aspects of the restaurant industrys operations and management. Technology is traditionally viewed as the key component in industries. In recent years, technological developments have acted as the key catalyst in improving service operations and providing the customers with enhanced experiences at restaurants. According to Berry(1995), technology should be used as a servant rather than acting as the master. It should be used to add value to the service offered to the customers, not to completely replace the role of service. Technology offers a better method of performing the service, which eventually benefits the firm, the customers and the employees. It provides a better image to the firm, better dining experiences to the customers and varied and easy way of performing service, to the employees. To cite an example, McDonalds, the chain of restaurants maintain their business by deploying simple technologies to aid services. Devices like food timers and vegetable cutting machines are used to maintain the consistency of various products. When the management considers the type of technology to be adopted, they should also take into account, the reaction of the customers to it, apart from the expenses and benefits that the restaurant might face. It is worthwhile to note that, a new technology will not be of significance if it does not satisfy the customer. By using technology, it benefits both the customers and the restaurant management. 5.1 Benefits to customers Improved convenience The term service convenience deals with the desired time and effort the customers are ready to invest in dining out. An increase in service convenience is directly related to an increase in customer satisfaction (Holdern et al., 2008). Technology can be used to improve access convenience which deals with the relative ease with which an order can be placed, transaction convenience which deals with speeding up the payments and benefit convenience which deals with controlling the pace of their time at the restaurant (Dixon et al.,2009). Increased control Control is defined as the need to demonstrate ones competence, superiority, and mastery over the environment( Hui et al., 2002). From past researches, it has been proved that customers feel more satisfied when they feel they have substantial control over their service encounter( Ariely et al., 2000). Hence, when implementing new technologies, it is important to choose such that the majority of the control the service encounters remains with the customer. 5.2 Benefits to the restaurant management Service speed Increased speed of service can lead to more satisfaction and higher revenues, as more customers can be served. This is where use of technology steps up. The time taken for taking orders, communicating the orders to the kitchen, managing the tables, transaction times can all be reduced by the use of technology. Hand-held electronic devices like ipad and HP touchpad are widely used in restaurants. Orders taken through these devices can be directly sent to the electronic display board in the kitchen, so that there is no delay between taking the order and food preparation, which speeds up the service, and eventually better customer satisfaction. The tables in the restaurant can be managed by using advanced table managing softwares that are prevalent these days. This can help in effectively controlling queuing. Transactions and payments can be made faster by using handheld credit card machines at the table to ensure there are no delays. While faster service always leads to better satisfaction, it should be managed properly so that the customers must not feel the notion that they are being rushed through the service. Reduction in labour cost- Usage of technology helps in reducing cost incurred due to large number of staff. Usage of self-service kiosk and online and off-line reservations help reduce labor charges. Also, kitchen equipments like automatic dishwasher, plate warmer helps reduce costs incurred for staffs. A steady increase in volume and revenue A new trend in the modern restaurant industry is to create attractive websites and create their own accounts in various social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter. Customers can access information from these pages and can also subscribe to updates from these restaurants about the latest offerings, menu and special events if any. Online reservations provide the restaurants with a separate channel which makes the restaurant feel more accessible and also through which customers can be attracted. Previous researchers have found out 59% of the restaurants which uses online reservations encounter a steady increase in sales(Lang,2006). Other research identified that customers even make online reservations even during hours outside the working hours of the restaurant, which means the restaurants are capturing business during periods which they normally did not expect to( Layton, 2006; Ross, 2006). Improved service and product Technology if used appropriately, can aid restaurants to provide improved and consistent service to customers. Past researches have shown that an increase in the perceived product quality and service quality have led to an increase in the restaurants profit and better customer satisfaction ( Rust et al.,1995). The areas in a restaurant where technology are used can be divided into five section, namely(Dixon et al.(2009)): Queue management Menu Internet-based content Kiosk Transactions The usage is depicted in a tabular form in the next page. Category Technology used Relevance Queue Management 1.Table management software 2.Pagers given to the customers 3.Hand-held order-taking devices while waiting in the queue Pagers alert the customers seated in the waiting area when their table is ready Hand-held devices help to take the orders from the waiting customers and transfer it directly to the kitchen so as to minimize the delay of food preparation Menu Virtual menus available online which contains details of the nutritional values Virtual menus available at the table Customers can decide on the menu when ordering online based on the nutritional value Customers seated at a table gets to know the content of the food and its nutritional values before ordering Internet-based content Online table and food reservation system Websites to connect to the customers about new offers, special discounts and new items on the menu Accounts on social networks to create a sense of belonging to the customers Online ordering helps in reducing the waiting time for food at the restaurant Customers get to know the latest happenings at the restaurant and understand the new things on offer Urges customers to become part of the restaurants online family Kiosk Ordering food through kiosk Making payments through kiosk Ordering through kiosk helps the customers to order through a touch screen device, without other staff contact Making payments using kiosks add the personal touch to each customer Transcations Payment using hand-held credit card machines,SMS and NFC(Near-field communication) Makes payment much faster than the traditional cash or taking-card-to-counter method Table 1 : Usage of existing technology(Dixon et al.200

William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream Essay -- Shakespeare M

William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream A Midsummer Night’s Dream could have easily been a light-hearted, whimsical comedy. Complete with a magic forest and a kingdom of fairies, it is an iconic setting for amorous escapades and scenes of lovers. But Shakespeare’s writing is never so shallow; through this romantic comedy, Shakespeare postulates an extremely cynical view of love. A Midsummer Night’s Dream becomes a commentary on the mystery of love, and lovers in general emerge shamed. Especially in the episodes among the four young Athenians, the lover is painted as a fickle creature, always changing his or her mind, and love as a passing phenomenon. Love is not an unfathomable, kind emotion, but it is ironically cruel, and by the end of the play, the concept of true love is tinged with doubt. The lover is unreliable in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This is first seen in Demetrius’s treatment of Helena. As the play opens, Demetrius is already in love with Hermia, but Helena tells us that she has once been his love: For ere Demetrius look’d on Hermia’s eyne, He hail’d down oaths that he was only mine; And when this hail some heat from Hermia felt, So he dissolv’d, and show’rs of oaths did melt (1.1.242- 245). Demetrius’s oaths lose their meaning, and Helena is left with a demeaning love. However, Demetrius is not alone in his mutability; Lysander, too, quickly replaces one love with another. Though Lysander is somewhat redeemed through the use of the love potion, the fact remains that his love changes. Early in the play he says to Hermia, â€Å"[M]y heart to yours is knit, / so that but one heart we can make of it† (2.2.47-48), but later he reviles his supp... ...e deeper and more resounding than the conflicts that are resolved. Is it possible for Demetrius and Helena to live happily ever after though the love binding them is synthetic? Can Lysander and Hermia ever have a trusting relationship, knowing the fickleness of love? A Midsummer Night’s Dream has potential to be a cheerful play, but it has too many sharp edges and hard scenes to be so. The concept of love is quite convincingly questioned. Here, love is not faithful, kind, or true; it can be lost and manufactured, and is alarmingly harsh. The play ends happily, with the young people in their respective couples, but the bitter undercurrents are too strong to ignore. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream. Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Jerome Beaty et. al. 8th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2002. 1614-1670.

Sophies World Outline

Chapter 4: The Natural Philosophers Charles Williams Madison Smith Anisha Jagannthan introduction: The idea that nothing can come from nothing is introduced. Sophie questions whether all things come from a basic element. She learned that things in nature are in a constant state of transformation. Is there a beginning of everything? What do you believe it to be? introduction: The idea that nothing can come from nothing is introduced. Sophie questions whether all things come from a basic element. She learned that things in nature are in a constant state of transformation. Is there a beginning of everything? What do you believe it to be? Yanotan Zelink I. event one A. Sophie receives a letter containing three new questions. Which she contemplates an entire day before getting another packet with a letter explaining to her that the philosophy course will be going from ancient Greek philosophy up to present day philosophy. B. She learns that the ancient Greeks believed the world was eternal. The earliest Greek Philosophers are sometimes called natural philosophers because they were mainly concerned with the natural world and its processes† (30). So, they never asked about where it came from. Instead they were interested in the question of change. C. The Tao of Physics II. event two A. The debate â€Å"what are we made of? † is raised. Early philosophers shared a belief that there had to be a certain basic substance at the root of all change. B. While some natural phi losophers believed that everything was made of water, others believed they were made of air. Earth, air, and fire were all necessary the creation of life† (33). C. Human-Aesthetic Perfection Song & Lyrics III. event three A. All Things Flow- â€Å"Everything is in constant flux and movement, nothing is abiding. Therefore we ‘cannot step twice into the river. ’†(34)- Heraclitus B. Heraclitus states the world is made of opposites- we would not appreciate one thing if we did not experience the other. C. A Healthy Transformation by Dr. Jeffery McCombs IV. conclusion A. As Sophie thinks about all of this, she concludes that one cannot learn philosophy. They can only learn how to think like a philosopher. V. journal questions A. If you were to come up with your own philosophy about life and what we’re made of, what would it be? Explain your philosophy. B. Other than physical aspects of a human, such as bones or basic elements, what would you say humans are made of emotionally or philosophically? Why? C. If there was only good in the world and no bad, how would it be and how would the outcome affect the world?

Maya Angelou Essay

In researching poet, Maya Angelou, I was able to explore her personal life, as well as her writing styles and techniques. While she is an extraordinary individual, she portrays a strong independent woman capable of holding her own. A great experience in learning about Angelou, the project itself I found to be rather droll. Having to find criticism about one of the worlds greatest poets, was extremely difficult. The assignment was also time consuming, and I found myself often wondering why everything needed doubles. While the information gathered for this project focused on Maya Angelou was engaging, the task in analyzing the poet rather than the poetry, was prolonged and monotonous. Maya Angelou is one of the universe’s most controversial poet. Her fascinating life experiences and thoughts translate beautifully onto paper, and her literary elegance captivates many. In the assignment given, it was asked that two pieces of literary criticism were found. When researching such a profound writer, it was impossible to find complete critical analyses of Angelou’s work. The only thing that was found were rotten comments on a forum, or a general summary of a poems meaning. Undertaking this assignment was very tedious, for even after finding some sort of â€Å"analysis†, it was asked that one write their own poems. This was very difficult for it was difficult to decipher what was really being asked. The expectations were not clear in the way where one should have been writing like their chosen poet, or to write as themselves. Either way, the poems produced in my own assignment, were just thoughts on paper. While Angelou has no set schemes in her work, the self-fabricated poems made, were also set up the same. While it is believed the more that is researched, the more that is known, how this was conveyed in this project was not straightforward. Everything that was assigned, needed to have two or more examples. Whether one chose to look up two biographies and two literary analyses, or two literary analyses and original poems, the duplication in finding two examples was unnecessary. The message could have been depicted through one example each. Finding the information grew to be mundane, and how all of the details found would be gathered into one essay was perplexing. While I believe finding two biographies would be vital if one were to be writing a biography on the poet, It’s almost pointless when you must narrow down the information into a paragraph. Same for the literary analysis. The original poems written almost had nothing to do with the project, which didn’t make much sense. Learning about Maya Angelou was enlightening, and this project allowed me to view her work in a different light. She is able to shine a strong light on herself that sets her apart from the rest. Unfortunately, this assignment didn’t allow more of an assessment on one poem, for one paragraph is not enough to correctly articulate her notions. The project could have been absolutely successful if it had not repeated so many steps in finding the same information in separate places, or writing irrelevant and original poems. In the future, an essay based solely on one poem by an author, with only a paragraph of biographical information would benefit the student. This would allow oneself to look more into the poets techniques, schemes, and deeper meanings.

Relationship analysis of the Baroque and Romantic Art Movements Essay

Baroque art movement started in the 17th century extending to early 18th century and led to the Rococo, Neoclassical and then to Romanticism art movement. The styles of Baroque period began in Rome, Italy and later spread to most parts of Europe. Romanticism movement began in Europe in the late 18th century and extended to mid-19th century leading to Realism art Period. The name Baroque is believed to have originated from the word â€Å"Baroco† that means irregular pearl though the art Period doesn’t translate to the PEARL, but the irregularity of the Baroque styles deviating from the preceding art periods (â€Å"Baroque,† 2014). The Baroque period was characterized by elaborate and extravagant use of ornaments, color and emotion. Religion was a significant component of this art period, and the methodology was advanced by the Catholic Church in response to counteract the reformation of Protestantism. Various disciplines like music, sculptures, and paintings incorporated religious zeal drawing themes from biblical stories (â€Å"Baroque Art,† 2014). The Baroque â€Å"irregularity† style was also manifested in music by relying on convoluted harmonies and spontaneous improvisation. Many of the music compositions from this period celebrated God and religion (â€Å"Movements in the Humanities: Baroque & Neoclassicism,† 2014). The name â€Å"Romanticism† to describe the art period does not directly translate to its root word â€Å"Romance† in association with â€Å"love† but instead meant the idealization/glorification of complex subjects. The Romanticism art movement augmented ordinary events into extraordinary. Romanticism movement is almost impossible to define concisely since it focused on the glorification of mystical convoluted subject matters like heroism, liberty, survival, despair and feelings that appeal to humanism but yet very subje ctive. This period focused on nature, emotional appeal and imagination versus the scientific systems, creativity and novelty versus classical/conventional rules and self-expression versus traditional religious concepts which ultimately led to Protestantism (â€Å"Movements in the Humanities: Romanticism, Realism, Modernism,† 2014). Music, sculptures and paintings from this century stressed emotion, passion and exotic settings with dramatic actions, focusing mainly on heroic and political matters. Artists used intense colors and loose brush strokes to exhibit mood and majestic expression, all geared  to exude a load of emotion. There were similarities between the Baroque and Romantic art periods that cut across a wide array of disciplines including architecture and painting aesthetics. Both movements used arches in their architecture as seen in the Baroque â€Å"Hall of Mirror† and in the Romantic â€Å"Crystal Palace.† Artists from both movements used variation of light and shade to create emotion as seen in Romantic painting â€Å"Wanderer above the sea of fog† by Casper David Fredrick, 1818 (Friedrich, 1818) and to create volume in Baroque painting â€Å"The night Watch† by Rembrandt Van Rijin, 1642. Though both movements used color contrasts of light and shade as mentioned, the Baroque artists utilized this style more whereas the Romantics utilized intense colors and loose brush strokes more (â€Å"Romanticism,† 2014). There was also a feeling of movement and energy displayed in paintings from the Baroque â€Å"Rape of the Sabine Women† (â€Å"Nicolas Poussin | The Rape of the Sabine Women (1637-1638) | Artsy,† n.d.) and the Romantic â€Å"Raft of the Medusa† (â€Å"Thà ©odore Gà ©ricault | The Raft of the Medusa (1818-1819) | Artsy,† n.d.) Themes of the two paintings mentioned above were dramatic and dream-like, both expressing subjects of desp air drawn from the concept of social aspects that were present in both the Baroque and the Romantic art movements. The Baroque and Romantic art periods were also explicitly different on many levels. The Baroque era reigned during the Catholic Church counter-reformation. Styles and characteristics of this period focused on depicting religion and heavily utilized biblical themes. On the other hand, the Romantic era was in the center of the revolt against Catholicism and classical orthodox elements. Styles and characteristics of this age mainly focused on individual uniqueness and self-expression. The sculpture of David finished in 1624 is an example of the Baroque’s â€Å"all things† religious and â€Å"Liberty leading the people† by Victor Delacroix is symbolic of liberty and heroism, which were significant components of the Romantic era. The use of ovals and circles in the Baroque architecture exhibited some of the other differences between these periods with a perfect example of St Peter’s Basilica completed in 1626, in contrast to sharp lines used in the Romantic Pal ais Garnier Opera House completed in 1875. Another bold difference between the two art movements was the use of extravagant ornaments and variety of materials. The Baroque’s â€Å"Hall of Mirrors† is a good example where mirrors, bronze and crystal chandeliers were used to achieve a sense  of grandeur compared to the Romantic â€Å"Crystal Palace.† This architecture was a simpler design built entirely with glass, a perfect example of originality that was a fundamental characteristic of the era (Comparison of Baroque and Romantic Era Art, 2013). Romanticism had enduring impact on the styles and characteristics of the art movements that followed. Artists today still revere nature as displayed in a 21st century piece, â€Å"potential utopias† by Nils-Udo with characteristics of movement and mystical illusion (Mok, 2009). Another lasting impact of Romanticism is the heroic and iconic characteristics displayed in the sculptures of the era. A good example is the â€Å"The statue of Liberty† dedicated on 1886 with a broken chain on the feet. This mood reflected in the â€Å"US marine Corps Iwo Jima Memorial† sculpture designed by Felix De Weldon in 1945, both perfect examples of an embodiment of Freedom. Art movements following the Romanticism period emulated the component of originality/creativity and individual expression to show skill. Realism like the previous period Romanticism was also a revolt spurred by the unsettling politics and social issues of the era. Both these eras following each other focused on the effects of nature to the society with a focus on injustice to the marginalized class. There were vast, and conspicuous social status differences as a result of the new economic era at the time. The era following the Romantic movement sprung a formidable cynic attitude defined by people who didn’t believe in the abstract style but instead viewed their world through the prism of realism. In conclusion, the Romanticism revolt against the classical conventional notion of the Baroque movement repeated itself as Realism concepts rose against the Romantics idealization characteristics. All the mentioned art movements contributed to the advent of each succeeding period as they transitioned from one art movement to another. Reference list Baroque. (2014, September 4). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Baroque&oldid=624175230 Baroque Art. (2014). Mindedge Inc. Retrieved from http://wgu.mindedgeonline.com/content.php?cid=19779 Comparison of Baroque and Romantic Era Art. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSAW5CHFXQM&feature=youtube_gdata_player Friedrich, C. (1818). Wanderer above the Sea of Fog. Retrieved from http://cdn2-d.mindedgeonline.com/460/468px-Caspar_David_Friedrich_032.jpg Mok, K. (2009, February 18). Top 5 Environmental Artists Shaking Up the Art World. Retrieved September 5, 2014, from http://www.treehugger.com/culture/top-5-environmental-artists-shaking-up-the-art-world.html Movements in the Humanities: Baroque & Neoclassicism. (2014). Mindedge Inc. Retrieved from http://wgu.mindedgeonline.com/content.php?cid=21187 Movements in the Humanities: Romanticism, Realism, Modernism. (2014). Mindedge Inc. Retrieved from http://wgu.mindedgeonline.com/content.php?cid=21220 Nicolas Poussin | The Rape of the Sabine Women (1637-1638) | Artsy. (n.d.). Retrieved September 5, 2014, from https://artsy.net/artwork/nicolas-poussin-the-rape-of-the-sabine-women Romanticism. (2014). Mindedge Inc. Retrieved from http://wgu.mindedgeonline.com/content.php?cid=19780 Thà ©odore Gà ©ricault | The Raft of the Medusa (1818-1819) | Artsy. (n.d.). Retrieved September 5, 2014, from https://artsy.net/artwork/theodore-gericault-the-raft-of-the-medusa