Reflective Portfolio

Abstract This is a reflective essay looking at the author’s career expectations and working background. Models of reflection are used to examine the author’s experience and self learning in terms of career aspirations. Past working history, and the situation with jobs in the airline industry, are discussed. A model of ideal characteristics for the author’s desired job is presented, and the areas in which the author is lacking are set out. The tools and approaches which can be used to improve these characteristics and hence become more like the ideal candidate are set out. 1. Introduction In the following paper, I am going to look at my career aspirations in the context of available careers in my chosen industry: the airline industry. I want to work in a customer services / management capacity at British Airways, building upon my existing skill-set and experience. I will discuss this subject in terms of approaches and insights I have gathered from studying international tourism management and travel tourism management, as well as what I have learnt in this particular module on career development. I will be looking critically at my experience and self-learning in order to identify the characteristics which I have that I feel equip me for this role. I will also be identifying areas which need to be further worked on. I will be combining intuitive writing about my experiences and capacities with academic research, textbooks and theories. In reflecting on my experience, I have been influenced by a number of models of learning through reflection, including Gibbs’ an d Kolb’s. Both these models show a way to structure learning. In Kolb the learner is encouraged to look at an experience and make observations then form concepts and general theories, which are then tested against more new experience. Gibbs suggests a similar process of describing, analysing feelings, evaluating, analysis and conceptualisation (Moon 2013). I have used models like these to first describe to myself or others my experience, then build conceptual models, abstract key ideas and theorise about what happened in order to do things differently in the future. Overall, I will be demonstrating how and why I feel I fit the role of Customer Service Manager within the airline industry, and how I might fill the current gaps in my knowledge and experience. 2. The Airline Sector and Available Careers In this section, I will look at the airline industry globally and in the UK, outline the areas of work, discuss the different possible job roles, and suggest the one which is right for me. I will also look at the career possibilities associated with this role, and look at the relationship between the ideal candidate for this role and my capabilities. My aim is to work in management within the airline industry. Although I have had a variety of jobs in my career so far, I have always wanted to work for British Airways. I was drawn to the opportunities for travel, as I see it as a way of learning and personal development. The old saying that travel broadens the mind seems true to me, although it also seems that travel and tourism research has so far concentrated more on why tourists select the destinations they do, rather than the impact on travellers psychology and perceptions (Chon et al 2012). Initially, I felt I should wait until the right job came along, but I was advised by a friend that I should take any job within the organisation and then work my way into the position I wanted. Many jobs are advertised internally first in many employers, not just B.A. (Williams 2010). The airline industry as a whole is large, and is likely to expand particularly if the trend for cheap air travel continues. Globally, there are approximately 2000 airlines with 23,000 aircraft serving over 3500 airports. By 2006, air travel growth was approximately 5% year on year, and capacity was thought likely to double by 2021 (Hencke 2006). Within the UK, aviation is a significant contributor to the economy, with UK airports handling 230 million passengers a year. UK manufacturing, technology and service providers in the industry are considered world leaders. Nearly 150,000 people are employed in the UK directly within the industry, and the sector contributes nearly ?10 billion to GDP (The Air League [online] 2014). The strength and likelihood of growth of the sector, while not directly motivating me to want to join the industry, certainly give me confidence that I will be able to have a life-long career within the industry. In terms of different organisations, the industry is d ominated by a few large organisations, although low-cost players have changed the situation somewhat. British Airways is the largest operator, followed by Virgin Atlantic Airways. British Midland and Easy Jet are also well known. UK companies face competition from overseas providers as well (Belobaba et al 2009). I was especially drawn to working for British Airways as they are the largest provider in the UK, and as such I feel I will have more opportunities for career development. But because many other companies operate globally, I feel I am in a good position to move to different organisations in the future, not least because I speak a number of languages. Given the large number of jobs in the sector, it is unsurprising that there are a wide range of occupations and roles. The type of jobs available can be divided into three main sections: ground handling services (e.g. baggage handling), airport operations (e.g. terminal manager, customer support) and airline operations (e.g. ground handling, cabin crew etc) (National Careers Service 2014). Of the choices, I have decided to focus on roles which directly progress out of the role I am now occupying. In particular, I have mapped out a possible career development path. First, I will go for a Future Talent Customer Service Manager (FTCSM) position, which I can move to after 12 months in this role. After this I can progress to a Customer Service Manager (after 2 years), and, beyond this, to an In-Flight Business Manager (IBM). I have chosen this particular development path having considered and rejected another. In the other path I would take a less customer-facing role, becoming a Duty Off ice Manager (DOM) or Turn Around Manager (TRM). The first looks at the management of crew, while the second deals with the mechanics of putting aircraft back in the air quickly and efficiently. My decision to go for the first career route was guided by my skills in dealing with people. I feel I have demonstrated empathy with different types of people, and am practiced at dealing with people’s problems. I care about people, want them to enjoy their experiences and want to continue to be very hands-on, if not with the public then with other employees. I also feel that there’s a more defined and visible career path in the first set of roles, as I can move from FTCCSM to CSM and to IBM, and beyond. In terms of my chosen career progression, there are a number of skills and abilities the ideal candidate will have. These are not specific to B.A. or the aviation industry, but are needed across all customer service and people facing roles. A CSM/FTCSM should have: Good leadership skills Planning ability Understanding and acting on feedback Communication ability Networking ability Flexibility The ability to manage stress and pressure as well as cope with job challenges Be able to deal with conflict (Evanson 2011) In terms of this ideal checklist, I believe I already possess several of these requirements. That is, I feel I am able to deal with conflict in a low-key, non-confrontational manner (a skill honed during my time as a bouncer), I can manage stress and pressure, I am fairly good at planning, understanding feedback and communication. This is not to say I cannot improve in these areas, but I feel that the areas in which my personal profile is most mismatched with the ideal job candidate profile are: Leadership Networking Flexibility I will explore in more detail my personal circumstances and their match to the ideal profile in the next section. 3. Current Career & Circumstances This section looks at my background in terms of career history, strengths and weaknesses. I then assess my competencies in terms of the ideal candidate profile I outlined in the last section. Finally, I identify areas for improvement in relation to this profile. Currently, I am working as a member of cabin crew. I have 6 months experience. I felt this position will help me advance in the industry as a whole. My previous career history has given me some very useful experience. I have had a variety of jobs from modelling to being a bouncer. While many of these positions might be considered ‘low level’ I feel they have taught me to deal with many different types of people, particularly people who are aggressive or who attempt to manipulate. Having dealt with so many tricky people, I feel I have a strong intuition about what people’s real motives are, as opposed to what they say they are motivated by, and also an ability to communicate with all sorts of people without making situations worse. Before I started my current job, I knew I wanted to work within the airline industry. I was also attracted to B.A. as I had heard they were a good employer (indeed.com [online] 2014). I treated the application process as a way of learning how to improve my interview skills. I applied to some organisations not because I especially wanted the advertised job, but in order to brush up on these skills, and become familiar with a range of the interview styles which exist in different companies. Some organisations, for example, use stress techniques to see how you cope under pressure (Parkinson 2002), others put you in either a very structured or an unstructured situation, both of which elicit different types of responses and require different approaches (Lehman and DuFrene 2010). During my 6 months in this job, I have come up against a number of new challenges which have made me more aware of my strengths and weaknesses in terms of the job I am ideally looking for. I have found that people tend to assume that working as a member of the cabin crew is easy particularly for men. Indeed, there’s a strong ‘trolley dolly’ stereotype (Bolton & Boyd 2003), which I have found frustrating at times. In fact, cabin crew work is a difficult job demanding good time management, concentration, the ability to think ‘on your feet’ and solve problems quickly, and an ability to get on with many different sorts of people. In addition, you need to pass a number of tests. For example for the BA mixed fleet crew the tests include health, criminal record and different aircraft licenses. I have found out in this job that I am good at listening to others. I feel I have a natural empathy with others and want to listen to what they are saying, rather than try and organise them into my way of doing things. However, and perhaps this is connected with this strength, I am not naturally forceful and good at leading others. In fact, if I am faced with a domineering or overpowering customer, I tend to give in and do what they want. This creates problems for me, for example if what they want is against the company rules. I think if I had more leadership ability, I would be better able to convince such people that the way I want them to behave is the right one for them as well. I also feel I do not currently demonstrate leadership skills. When in group meetings I tend to hang back and do not put my point of view across. I also feel I do not make the best use of situations. For example, I was asked to train up a new member of my team, but I felt I did not do this well, I felt und er-confident of what I was doing and I think I confused the person I was training. In addition to the areas of improvement I need to work on, which I will discuss more in the next section, I need to look at ways in which I can achieve my goal of a management position. I believe that my experience so far has helped a great deal. I have already had 6 months experience working as a member of cabin crew, so I understand the mechanics of this industry, but also of this particular job. After all, many people have to spend several months, if not years, volunteering to get similar experience of their desired industry, and I have had the luck to be paid for getting to this stage. Another benefit of being in the industry is that I have had a chance to build contacts already. Networking is an extremely powerful tool for getting the job you want (Souza 2010) and continues to be useful once in the job. After all, networking can be defined simply as creating opportunities, improving relationships with other people and making useful contacts. In a job, these benefits deepen over time, as you develop a more permanent network (Fisher 2011). As such, it is useful to career progression. Another skill I need to learn is flexibility. After all, as Pryor and Bright (2011) point out, the 21st Century workplace is characterised by change. Being able to adapt to change, not to expect the workplace to stay the same for years (or even months) and having a portfolio approach to a career are becoming increasingly important. I recognise that I am somewhat inflexible, and that change scares me. I naturally prefer the security of some sort of routine. However, there are things I can do to become more flexible. To some extent, working as cabin crew has helped improve my adaptability and increased the extent to which I can have a positive response to change, as I am never 100% sure where I’ll be going over the next months, and I have become aware that people can be very different in their demands and expectations. As I deal so much with members of the public, I have learnt to adapt to circumstances as they come up in a consistent way. I think there is more I can do in this area though. To summarise, there are some key areas which I need to work on: developing my management skills (including communication) and improving my networking, as well as being more flexible and open to change. I have covered networking and flexibility in this section, and will look at leadership in the next section. 4. The Development of Key Skills: Leadership This section evaluates the personal development tools I have used to improve my leadership skills, as it has been identified above as one of the areas I need to work on. I have had extensive working experience in a variety of positions, but have not really worked in a position where I have had to lead others. This initially made me wonder if I had what it takes to be a leader, but a number of things we covered in the module have convinced me that I can lead others. Other gaps include networking skills and flexibility. Theoretical learning about leadership has helped expand my horizons in terms of career development. Before I started the module, I believed that leaders are born, not made, and that one either is or is not the sort of person who can lead others. However, we learnt about different theories about leadership, and also about ways leadership can be developed. The idea that leaders are born is also known as the ‘great man’ theory of leadership (Daft 2007). A similar theory is the ‘trait’ model (Komives et al 2009). Although these are old models, they were still influential in my thinking. My experience on the course opened my eyes about different leadership theories. Many hold that leadership can be learned, for example behaviour-based theories, contingency theories and transformational theory (Komives et al 2009; Bragg 2008). Of the three, I have been most influenced by transformational theories. Behavioural and contingency theories seem to lack soul for me. It seems to me, based on my working experience, that people need to relate to and be inspired by leaders. Transformational theory, introduced by Burns (1978), suggests that transformational leadership is related to â€Å"morality, charisma, vision and values† that is, the leader must inspire people. Leaders also need to work with the people they lead, sharing information (Lucas 2005, p.20). One problem I found was that while there is a lot written about transformational leadership, there is not so much about how it can actually be put into practice. I did find a model based on Burns (1985) ideas. Manktelo et al (2005) suggest a 4 step process involving Creating a picture of the future to inspire people Getting people to ‘buy in’ to the picture Manage the way the vision is made to occur Improve relationships between people involved in delivering the vision They also suggest ways in which each stage can be achieved. In order to attain my desired career goals I will certainly be using this model to help me. I also found some textbooks recommended for the module useful. Chapman and O’Neill (1999) broke leadership down into 6 practical steps. I found this useful as I find it hard sometimes to translate theory into practice. I also found Covey (1999) useful. This approach teaches one how to base leadership around principles. I have always felt that management should be to do with treating people fairly and involving them in decisions, no matter what level of the company they are working at. Gardner and Laskin (1996) have given me ideas about how to watch what other leaders do and incorporate their behaviours into my own approach. One writer I found less helpful was Watkins (2013). He suggests getting to understand the â€Å"pivotal† people in the organisation quickly, through understanding their motivations and the pressures t hey are working under as well as the way they see their choices. The strategy is then to apply tools of influence to sway them. I have two issues with this approach. First, I believe every worker in an organisation is equally important. I would rather get all people agreeable to a course of action than concentrate on those he sees as ‘pivotal’. By concentrating on a few, resentment might arise. I would also suggest that it might not be possible to get to know people as quickly as he thinks. Watkins (2013) assumes that people will be honest and open about their motivation in a short conversation, and from my experience this often is not the case. Overall, I believe that learning more about leadership and finding practical approaches to being a better leader, including coaching skills, is the key way to address the gap I have talked about in earlier sections between my current skill set and the skill set required for my ideal position. 5. Conclusion In conclusion, I have examined my career in the context of my past working experience, where I am at the moment, and where I want to be. A number of tools I have learned during this module, as well as through self-learning, have helped me work out the ideal profile for my desired job role. I have also identified how I might turn my current skill set into the desired one. In particular, I need to work on leadership abilities. I have found a number of practical tools to help me do this, and have explored them above. My networking skills and flexibility can also be improved. 6. References The Air League (2014) ‘UK Aviation’ [online] (cited 8th February 2014). Available from http://www.airleague.co.uk/about/position-papers/uk-aviation/ Belobaba, P, Odoni, A and Barnhart, C (2009) The Global Airline Industry, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ Bolton, S C and Boyd, C (2003) ;Trolley Dolly or Skilled Emotion ManagerMoving on from Hochschild’s Managed Heart’, Work, Employment and Society, 17:2, 289-308. Bragg, D J (2008) The Application of Transformational Leadership, Proquest, USA. Chapman, E N and O’Neill, L S (1999) Leadership: Essential steps every manager needs to know (3rd edn.), Prentice Hall, USA Chon, K S, Pizam, A and Mansfeld, Y (2012) Consumer Behaviour in Travel and Tourism, Routledge, UK Covey, S R (1999) Principle-centered Leadership, Simon & Schuster, London Daft, R (2007) The Leadership Experience (4th edn.), Cengage Learning, Mason OH. Day, D V, Zaccaro, S J and Halpin, S M (2004) Leader Development for Transforming Organizations: Growing Leaders for Tomorrow, Psychology Press, Bristol D’Souza (2010) Brilliant Networking: What the Best Networkers Know, Say and Do, Pearson, UK Evenson, R (2011) Customer Service Management Training 101: Quick and Easy Techniques That Get Great Results, AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, USA Fisher, D (2011) Professional Networking For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ Gardner, H and Laskin, E (1996). Leading Minds: An anatomy of leadership, Basic Books, NY. Gladwell, M (2001) Tipping Point: How little things can make a big difference Abacus, London Hencke, E (2006) ‘Airline Industry Overview’, [online] (cited 8th February 2014) available from http://www.columbia.edu/cu/consultingclub/Resources/Airlines_Eric_Henckels.pdf Indeed.com (2014) ‘British Airways’ [online] (cited 8th February 2014) available from http://www.indeed.com/cmp/British-Airways/reviews Komives, S R, Lucas, N and McMahon, T R (2009) Exploring Leadership: For College Students Who Want to Make a Difference (2nd edn.), John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ. Lehman, C and DuFrene, D (2010) Business Communication (16th edn.), Cengage Learning, Mason, OH Lucas, D B (2005) A Study of the Relationship Between Transformational Leadership and Constructive Organizational Culture in Small Manufacturing Companies, Proquest, USA Manketelow, J, Brodbeck, F and Anand, N (2005) How to Lead: Discover the Leader Within You, Mind Tools, Swindon. Moon, J A (2013) Reflection in Learning and Professional Development: Theory and Practice, Routledge, Oxon National Careers Service (2014) ‘Finding out about aviation’ [online] (cited 9th February 2014) available from ttps://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/LMI/Pages/aviation.aspx Parkinson, M (2002) Your Job Search Made Easy, Kogan Page Publishers, London Pryor, R and Bright, J (2011) Chaos Theory of Careers: A new perspective on working in the twenty-first century, Routledge, Oxon. Watkins, M D (2013) First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels, Harvard Business Press, USA Williams, C (2010) Management (6th edn), Cengage Learning, Mason, OH

Why Do I Want to Become a Teacher

All of my experience for the past 10 years since I have been in USA led me to realizing that I am passionate about teaching and working with children. I migrated to this country from Slovak Republic right after graduating from Comenius University with the major in Biochemistry. Being only 22 years old I wanted to experience some adventure before getting the regular 9-5 job at some Research Laboratory. I signed up for a Summer Program with YMCA and came to Poland, Maine as a summer camp counselor. The environment was just beautiful. These little wooden cabins located on a beautiful Lake Sebago. That's where my passion for working with children began. I was spending that summer with kids who were coming from broken and low income families from outside of Boston. I was responsible for a group of young girls, 7-10 years old. I and the girls bonded really quickly. Every day was different. Different fun, different drama, different atmosphere. And I loved every minute of it. I loved being creative with all kinds of activities, I loved being a leader who the girls looked up to and we had tremendous fun. I felt like I was making a difference in those children's lives. At least for those few summer months those girls felt safe, nurtured and cared for. And I felt fulfilled and useful. After few years working in customer service I returned back to working with children. This time I took on a nanny job. I again experienced creating a strong bond with the boys I was taking care of. Their parents were divorced and the boys were switching between the two households each week. I felt that I brought a sense of calm and peacefulness to their lives. I lead them through their homework, different projects, we did all kinds of activities but most importantly we were having good and memorable time. Once they got older and got busier with their school and afterschool activities I had more time on my hands so I took it a step further and started tutoring chemistry and science. That`s where I felt the strongest fulfillment. To see my students succeed was the biggest satisfaction and I immediately knew that I wanted to become a teacher. I think teaching is adventurous, challenging, exciting job and personally very rewarding career. Working with students, every day is different; there is no room for routine or boredom. I am passionate about science and I want to share my knowledge with students. I have to say that I came a long way. It took me little longer than it takes other people to figure out â€Å"what do I want to be† but I feel positive and happy about my decision and cannot wait to step into a real classroom as a new teacher one day.

Psychology for law enforcement Essay

Starting a Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) in local law enforcement would benefit the community in many areas. Criminology and psychology working together can help in understanding crime that is happening in our society as well as in our own communities giving better means of attending to victims, law enforcement as well as the criminals. The study of behavior began in the late 1800’s but it was through the work of B. F. Skinner. Behavior theory is the basis for behavior modification and one approached used in institutionalized and non institutionalized settings for changing behavior. The primary thesis is that all behavior is learned and can be unlearned. The approach is concerned with observable behavior in contrast to the traditional psychoanalytic emphasis on deep, underlying personality problem that must be uncovered and treated. Behavior theory is based on the belief that it is not the unconscious that is important but, rather, the behavior, which can be observed and manipulated. It is assumed that neurotic symptoms and some deviant behavior are acquired through an unfortunate quirk of learning and are rewarding to the patient. The undesirable behavior can be eliminated, modified, or replaced by taking away the reward value or by rewarding a more appropriate behavior that is incompatible with the deviant one. It is argued that behavior is controlled by its consequences. In dealing directly with behaviors that are undesirable, behavioral therapy attempts to change the person’s long-established patterns of response to himself or herself and to others (Schwartz, 1989). The starting of the BSU would only help to strengthen this theory. The unit should be staffed with individuals that have an educational background that had strength in the area of social psychology for the unit to give greatest benefit. Social psychology is the scientific study of how the thoughts, feelings and behaviors of one individual are influenced by the real, imagined, or inferred behavior or characteristics of other people. The focus of social psychology is on social cognition, attitudes, social influence and social action (Miller, 1984). Certified psychologists in counseling should be incorporated in requirements for employment. Depending on the budget for the program at least 2 psychologists on call for smaller departments to having a full time psychologist with a staff working for larger departments. This type of unit should be considered a focus on prevention of crime in and around the community. Peacemaking criminology would be the efforts of this unit. With this it focuses on the prevention rather than the repression of crime. Although crime prevention often means different things to different people, practitioners in the public health community have delineated three general approaches that I would like to use for this discussion: primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention (Moore, 1995). Primary prevention attempts to keep criminal behavior from arising in the first place; it is directed at the entire community and not just at individuals who are seeking or who need treatment. Secondary prevention concentrates on early identification and treatment of vulnerable or at risk youths, and tertiary prevention entails interventions that protect society from offenders and that reduce the likelihood of recidivist behavior. The most effective prevention strategy is one that combines all three modalities. Efforts to address the social disorganization often found in inner-city areas will also be required. We need to put an end to racially segregated and densely populated housing projects that concentrate poor minorities, socially isolating them from the middle class and depriving them of the resources necessary for stable communities: strong families and positive role models that reinforce conventional values and provide networks of informal social control. Well funded investments like a Behavioral Science Unit can better refer the part of society most in need to the social programs best suited for the individual or individuals (Barkan, 1997). Community based corrections, facilities and programs from those that may be located in the community but are not, strictly speaking, community based such as BSU will help the society as a whole. The degree to which a corrections stem is community based can be measured by the frequency, quality and duration of community relationships as well as by the number of commitments to large state institutions, the extent to which other community services are used, and the degree of involvement by local groups and individuals. Some community correctional centers comprise a wide variety of programs including residential and nonresidential facilities (Miller, 1984). The BSU can help to bridge the gap law enforcement has with these larger community correctional centers. Social scientists continue to work toward understanding the causes of crime. Some look for a general theory to explain all crime; some of those approaches that look at the social structure or social structure theory. What we do know about crime is that men commit the most, but that some crimes have been increasing among women. We know that most crimes are committed by persons who are mobile residentially and who live in a large city. . We know that among juveniles, those who are bonded closely to their families and schools are less likely to commit delinquent acts or crimes than those who are not bonded. We know that those who are unemployed and hovering at the bottom of society’s social class structure are more likely to be involved in property crimes than those who are at the top of the social structure. But that knowledge of the serious property crimes as defined by the FBI must be considered along with data about white collar crime. This is where the Behavioral Science Unit would be very helpful to local law enforcement the most. Helping the officers to better understand just who they are trained to deal with, criminals (Messner & Rosenfeld, 2001). Biologists and chemists were not the only professionals to link behavior to physical characteristics. Some early psychologists attempted to explain criminal behavior by means of the inherited trait we call intelligence. But the social psychologist look at environment, social interaction as well as biological to look for answers to behaviors and possible ways of deterrence. A society that permits deviation can expect negative deviation or crime. Laws emerge because societies understand the need to institute a more formal system of social control. Behavioral theory helps to make the formal system flow more easily and work more efficiently. Laws emerge out of this consensus. Laws are enacted by the group in power as a means of controlling those not in powers. Criminals do not differ necessarily from non criminals, but the difference may be in the way society reacts to their behavior. That is why a Behavior Science Unit incorporated into law enforcement offices will only increase the efficiency of the ability of that department to effectively enforce the laws our society has created and to connect the community to these offices in an effort to improve crime in and around the surrounding communities.

Moderate Sedation by K2N Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Moderate Sedation by K2N - Assignment Example As K2N points out, everyone will be brought up to the same level of education in Capnography readings and waveforms, and this will include a full listing of the training modules, including PowerPoints, which will be made available, presumably, on the center’s Intranet. K2N, however, does not present a specific initial method of disseminating the information, such as in a roundtable, for the initial overview. Center Leadership should always be included in the first output of dissemination of the information regarding the program, including the Financial Officer, who must make a financial determination of the cost in using this tool more often, and what it will cost to maintain it accordingly. Accordingly, if current staff members, who are already knowledgeable in how to use the apparatus, will be required to conduct the training, then a schedule may need to be designed to allow for such training, so no one person is teaching more than another one (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 201 1).As K2N points out, everyone will be brought up to the same level of education in Capnography readings and waveforms, and this will include a full listing of the training modules, including PowerPoints, which will be made available, presumably, on the center’s Intranet. K2N, however, does not present a specific initial method of disseminating the information, such as in a roundtable, for the initial overview. Center Leadership should always be included in the first output of dissemination of the information regarding the program, including the Financial Officer, who must make a financial determination of the cost in using this tool more often, and what it will cost to maintain it accordingly. Accordingly, if current staff members, who are already knowledgeable in how to use the apparatus, will be required to conduct the training, then a schedule may need to be designed to allow for such training, so no one person is teaching more than another one (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2011). This plan looks to be a very promising addition to the function of the emergency department, albeit that there are some wrinkles that will need to be smoothed out before implementation. The plan, in dissemination of the information, is a bit vague, but implementation will be an important addition to the emergency department. There should also be a review after a certain number of weeks, maybe two, to determine how the program is working, relative to the success in the emergency department, and how finances are affected by the changes.  

Motivation and motvited Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Motivation and motvited - Essay Example In addition, most of the behaviors that we possess like sleeping and eating are possessed by biology. This is because of the biological need of eating and sleeping that human beings possess. Motivation requires an activity that has to be mental which include actions like planning, organizing, and physical activity that involves persistence and effort. When mentoring other people, I believe it is important for mentors to motivate and encourage individuals (Arrington, 23). For example, I ask individuals to have mini goals within their goals. In addition, short-term goals help people achieve what they want at a short time and may require minimum resources while long-term goals are achievable over a longer period. This helps individuals develop and succeed. In my opinion, as much as people are motivated to do something, there are certain blocks that make people not achieve what they want in life. There is the feeling of fear that people have, for example the fear to fail or fear of success. Fear prevents people from achieving or expressing their full potential. Most successful people take risks and do not fear to start up their goals. They get out of their comfort zones and go for what they want. I normally ask individuals to get out of their comfort zones by trying something new and not fearing that it will fail or succeed. It is vi tal for people to get encouragement and support as they advance to a higher level. Additionally, learned pessimism is another block to expressing motivation. These are habits of thought acquired by people in their childhood. If an individual believes that something bad will happen or something good will happens then it solemnly happens. Individuals should learn to have positive thoughts, to keep on encouraging themselves, and to avoid people who discourage them. I also believe that it is important to accept both positive and negative feedback from people. Positive criticism is also good since people learn from their

User generated content Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

User generated content - Dissertation Example After going through the different phases of research that we have been doing during the course of our research work assessing the impact of user generated content can have upon the development and prosperity of the hospitality industry and tourism sector of Dominican Republic, we have entered the conclusive phases of our discussion in which we will subsequently be dealing and highlighting ways through the application of which the tourism as well as the affiliated and symbiotically related hospitality segment and sector of the country can also undergo progress.We will primarily be dealing with the recommendations through the help, application and implementation of which these objectives can be achieved. In addition to this we will also incorporate the conclusive phase of our discussion in this very segment of our research. However before we move towards the proposed recommendations that we can possibly make regarding the tourism sector of Dominican Republic it is also very important a nd essential for us to once again have a thorough look to the different dynamics of this sector and at the same time also realize the necessity and need which is important for the development of this sector for this particular country. In this context it is first and foremost important to understand the multitude effects that the sector of tourism has played in maintaining the smoothness and consistency of the economic engine of the country. For the fulfillment of this purpose it is also important to understand such facts with the help of graphical representation which will concurrently provide us with an overview of the contemporary state of tourism in Dominican Republic and the ways in which it can progress in years to come. Graph 1 can be seen at the end of this document The graph that has been provided above shows the change in trends that have taken over more than a decade in different Caribbean countries. Even though different countries with their specific estimates have not b een mentioned in the graph itself, however it is worth mentioning here that the revenue generated by the tourism sector of Dominican Republic constitutes over 20% of the total GDP of the country. With this percentage Dominican Republic occupies fourth position in the entire Caribbean region among other countries that have a large chunk of their GDP attributed and obtained by means of the tourism services that they are able to provide to visitors coming to these places. With the help of the graph and the overview that has been provided it is comprehensibly demonstrated that the tourism sector of Dominican Republic has pivotal importance as far as the conduction of development and progress projects in the country are concerned as it is one of the key sources through the help of which foreign direct investment can easily influx the country. However despite of the fact that the tourism sector can play an effective role in the economic development of the country the country still lags be hind in terms of the revenue that it generates as compared to other countries such as Barbados, Bahamas and Dominica. (Harvey, 2006) It is important that the factors that contribute in the halting of the progress of this industry are also carefully assessed. In addition to this it is also important to mention that the tourism industry of Dominican Republic has a cumulative assortment of over $4 billion annually and along with this the sector has also proved to be the safest and most secure employment ground for the people of the country who are either directly or indirectly related to the industry. Some of the most fundamental problems that the country encounters in the progress of its tourism sector are the lack of proper infrastructure that it needs to integrate to actually provide quality and lavish lifestyle to people who come to this place. (Pariser, 1994) Even though with the passage of time many new hotels and resorts have been built keeping in mind

Miderm worksheet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Miderm worksheet - Essay Example n to the visual craft in this feature, the sum of the ensembles and surroundings were vibrant and delightful, and there wasnt anything that I would not like to take a gander at in light of the fact that it was all so exquisite and rich. I needed to recollect everything about the feature on account of the extent to which it invigorated my psyche. After sketching this out I learned that the content that stuck in my head was the part of her dancing for the man while he smokes his cigar. I learned that much of this video is about sexuality, the female nude, the male gaze and how woman can use their sexiness to gain the attention of a man. I also learned that I am a terrible drawer. 7. List descriptive details in the work that you find significant (angles, colors, focal points, characters, motion, sound, attire, shapes, mood, lighting, etc.) that help you understand the work. You need to understand and describe specific details of the work in order to derive meaning from it and interpret it. Otherwise, an interpretation likely has little grounding. The garments was unquestionably extremely noteworthy to help me comprehend this work, this music feature was honestly alluring and much of it is simply Beyoncà © moving in constrained dress for her spouse Jay-Z. I think having him in the music feature was additionally a tremendous a piece of this and seeing as this was her first collection discharged since conceiving an offspring I think having her spouse in the feature spoke to how she could in any case be an attractive lady considerably in the wake of having a child. The lighting in one of the parts is made to show simply her shape as she moves exposed on a seat, the bends in her body and point from her heel make her extremely engaging the eye. I could see why Jay-Z might need to gaze at her throughout the night Sexy, seductive, womanly, stimulating, empowering, risky, revealing, showy, burlesque, at the same time this video was also very degrading to women, needy for

Do cultural differences influence HRM practices Essay

Do cultural differences influence HRM practices - Essay Example The same extends to the human resource management practices as they were presumed free from external factors and constraints. Earlier research had revolved around one geographical area leaving many gaps in case an organisation went globally. This brought the need for extensive research, which indeed proved that cultural difference influenced human resource practices (Moran, Harris and Moran, 2011). Adapting an organisation’s customary ways of operation is crucial when setting up new institutions in different environments, as it enables the transfer of efficiency and rules into another geographical position. It is also vital to observe the cultural practices carried out in the new place of establishment. With the world increasingly moving towards being a global village, expansion of businesses across borders has been prioritised to ensure maximum profits. They have also realised that the human resource management practices have to be adapted in the cultural settings suitable to the relevant socio-cultural environments rather than imposing their own (Muratbekova-Touron, 2008). What are these cultural practices and how do they influence human resource management practices? Cultural practices are notions, values and premises in a society, established through conditioning throughout people’s lives and help to mark them out from others in a different society (Milikic, 2009). These notions and beliefs play a key role in an individual’s life; therefore, an organisation should be keen on ensuring that they are not overstepped. With the introduction of new members in a group, a culture may undergo some alterations, but some invisible and unconscious components that lie within may not change. Cultural practices differ from one society to another as human resource management practices differ from one organisation to the other (Muratbekova-Touron, 2008). Human resource management practices are described as the activities and decisions, which relate to t he act of managing employees at all tiers in the business enterprise. They are also concerned with the elaborate execution of strategies and schemes aimed towards achieving and maintaining a competitive advantage (Stone and Romero, 2008). As a result, it is essential for organisations to formulate a culture that promotes of appropriate work practices. A few of the human resource management practices include, remuneration systems, recruitment exercises, staff-appraisal systems, and work flexibility arrangements among others (Milikic, 2009). Employees perceive human resource management practices differently due to the separate cultural values and identities. Some employees react differently towards certain practices and the degree to which they commit to their jobs and the organisation relies on the familiarity with the ongoing activities. The training and recruitment of people with diverse cultural interests, backgrounds and nationalities, would be a difficult task especially when lo oking into their cultural differences. However, studies have led to discovery of theories that enable easier analysis (Stone and Romero, 2008). Managers are likely to encounter cultural differences that might hinder effective management frequently, especially in this multicultural worldwide business environment. Studies indicate that successful comparisons between different cultures can be made by testing Hofstede’

Strategic Manement - Budget Airline Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Strategic Manement - Budget Airline - Assignment Example stomers than other competing airlines as it has effectively blended the low fares combination with an extremely friendly customer service, no exasperating fees, excellent working culture and highly efficient operational system. The key facts of Southwest Airlines are represented in the following table: Southwest Airlines has ensured that it develops a highly effective and well-integrated business model that will allow it to provide superior quality services to the customers at low fares. The crucial elements of the business model related to the excellence in customer service are providing safe journey, offering reliable services, shorter travelling period, excellent service quality, short haul point to point travel and lowest fare. The company is enhancing the customer’s travelling experience by providing them online booking services so that they can make their travel packages quickly and effectively. It has been clearly mentioned in the mission statement of Southwest Airlines that it wants to provide the customers with superb travelling experience at low fare prices. In order to support this mission of the company, the positioning statement of Southwest Airlines can be stated as â€Å"To be the number one service provider for aviation needs by offering the customers a unique and sensational solution with superior quality and low cost.† The company acquired AirTran in 2011 with the aim of extending its fleet base so that it can widen its range of destinations (Morre, 2011). The existing business model of the company is well-integrated and properly developed that permits it to gain a competitive edge in the airline industry. The crucial element for the airline companies is the operational mechanics that range from the booking of air tickets to the maintenance of aircrafts. As one of the Key Success Factors of Southwest Airlines is the low-cost operational efficiency, it has ensured that it upgrades the operations by implementing a well-designed value chain

Foods Market Essay Example for Free

Foods Market Essay For months, Whole Foods Market and its legal team have waged a very public battle against the Federal Trade Commission’s charges that the high-end grocer’s 2007 merger with Wild Oats Markets violated antitrust laws. The court fight started in June 2007 when FTC lawyers first tried to prevent the merger by filing suit in the U. S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Then, last October, Whole Foods raised the stakes by unleashing lobbying and media campaigns against the FTC. After all of that, this morning’s announcement that Whole Foods has agreed to settle with the FTC raises an obvious question: Why? Decherd partner Paul Denis, who has represented Whole Foods since 2007 in defending the merger, says it came down to money, and Whole Foods also just wanted to move on. â€Å"This is a very expensive process,† he says, adding that Whole Foods â€Å"thought if made sense to try to eliminate that cash burden. † In December, Whole Foods said it had spent $16 million on attorney and expert fees since 2007. Asked whether allocating additional resources to the public fight against the FTC was worth it for his client, Denis says, â€Å"You do what you have to defend yourself. †¦You can never ask yourself is it worth it. †

Learning Team Assignment Analyzing and Interpreting Essay Example for Free

Learning Team Assignment Analyzing and Interpreting Essay Ask your instructor for specific information regarding the analysis you are required to perform for your data set. Combine your Week Two Learning Team assignment and Week Three findings with Week Five findings and make a recommendation to the research problem. Use the statistical tables given in the appendices of the textbook and a statistical analysis application: a Microsoft Deadline: ( ), Business General Business Its important to get familiar with the teachers you have when you start your classes. Be sure you know where they have their offices and understand how to get in touch with them easily. You need a good relationship with your professors for many reasons.

Factors That Determine The Demand And Supply Economics Essay

Factors That Determine The Demand And Supply Economics Essay Nowadays, mobile phone having a plenty of innovative functions and applications that will bring out a lot of convenience to human being compare to the past. In this assessment we will more emphasize into the development of Samsung mobile phone from early of the year until todays. Basically, the company was been found by Lee Byung Chul which is from South Korea at 1983. Samsung electronics had launched their first mobile phone in 1988 at South Korea market. However, during that time the demand for this market was very poor and unstable. In 2007, Samsung electronics become second largest mobile phone maker in the world and they had successfully overtaking Motorola for the very first time. Samsung was the worlds largest manufacturer of OLEDs. Due to the advanced and innovative digital world, Samsung had produce the first smart phone which is known as Samsung Galaxy S and its launch in the March 2010 and become the top selling smart phone in India market. This smart phone has build with the OLEDs screen and have android software which significantly compete against another well-known smart phone which is call Iphone by Apple. After the few years, Samsung had come out new model which named as Galaxy S2 and this model get best android device at the year of 2011. On the other hand, Samsung had launched another latest model which is Galaxy 3 in 2012 due to the innovative and advance technology they have. Samsung had received over 9 million preorders for this model in between two weeks after the unveiling and it sold over 10 million devices in less than 3 month. Based on the above sales figure, this prove that the demand and supply for this model is much more above than others model. Factors that Determine the Demand and Supply There are some factors that can influence the demand and supply of Samsung mobile phone. The first one to influence the demand of the mobile phone is the price. For different person they have different view of the price. For most of people, mobile phone is just a thing can contact with others, so that they dont need new updated mobile phone. At this point, the decrease of the price will cause an increase of quantity demand, the demand is elastic. The second factor is the income of buyers themselves, is either their salaries can be afford to the mobile phone. For example, the price of Samsung Note 2 is RM2200, but the average income of those buyers is only RM3000 per month, so that they wont give 73% of their salary to buy this phone. Another reason of the shift in demand is the number of the buyers is there many people interested with the model. Samsung mobile has a big competitor which is Iphone, its like the first time Samsung S3 come out people may be interested with this model, b ut after Apple Iphone 5 launched, they find themselves are more interested with the new Iphone 5, so that the demand of Samsung S3 will decrease. This may also compete with own brand mobile phone, like S3 compete with Note 2. The factors that can determine the supply of Samsung mobile phone also have some points. For the view of sellers the input price is a factor determines the supply, the price when the price is higher, they can earn more. As we know, when a new model of mobile phone first comes out, the price will be the highest period, at that time Samsung Company can get more benefits. By the decrease of the price, the benefits will become less and less, so that the supply will also going down. The supply also can be influenced by the new model of Samsung mobile phone or the term of the model itself. Like Samsung Splus, after a long term selling this model, the company itself will reduce the supply of this model. By the decrease of the price, company wont get profit of this model, so that they will stop producing this model after a model come out. Now Samsung mobile have S3 and Note 1/2, its hard to find Splus in the market. Figure 1. Changes in trend of price of the mobile phone The change in trend of price of mobile phone is always being decreased by the pass of time. As we can see from Figure 1, here are two changes in trend of price of Samsung mobile phone, one is S3 and the other one is Samsung Note2. These two models of mobile phone are the most popular models of Samsung. We can find the time when the mobile phone first came out, the price was at the highest point. Samsung S3, when the time it launched, the original price is RM2199. The price will stay for one to two months, and then it will decrease, and till March 2013, people can get this phone as low as RM1659. Same as Samsung Note2, but the different is, during February 2013, this model is out of stock, the demand is higher than the supply, so that the price has been increased. The demand of the mobile phone will influence the price and quantity. When there have more buyers, the price might not decrease as fast as it will be, but might also increase a bit, the quantity supply will also be increased. Its like the price increase of Note2, the demand increase, so that the quantity supply increase, and after that period the price come back to the normal trend. How the determinants of supply affect the price and quantity, when the supply increases, the quantity supply also increase, so that the price will become lower. When the price is getting lower, people will be more willing to buy it, so that the quantity demand will increase. Government Intervenes In these days, government of Malaysia also had intervenes into mobile phone market. First of all, in Malaysia, the economy system is a mixed economic system. Mixed economy system can be defined as the combination of the benefit of the free enterprise and central command system. In Malaysia, some company is controlled by the government however some are private. Furthermore, Malaysia governments are helping those business people according to the legist ration and regulation, and they are not just about seller, they also included buyer and also the consumer as well. For instance, the government will assure the consumer are satisfied or agree the prices of goods and services provided by the seller. There are a lots of economy issues that need to be solve by government , shortage and the surplus are one of the most common issues that occurs in Malaysia. But In mobile phone industry surplus issue seem to be the most popular issues in Malaysia. Surplus is meaning the supply of the goods and services are more than the demand of the consumer. Therefore, when they are surplus, the supplier will try to reduce the price in order to create higher demand of the consumer. In others words, surplus is mean that when the supply of goods and services is higher, consequently its makes the consumer not willing to spend so much money to get the goods or services. In this current year , the Samsung company was launch a different kind of brand new smart phone and these brand new smart phone was been mass production by the company therefore the price of the phones will be more expensive than normal phone . After the Samsung company had launched the smart phones in the period of time, the supply are not met the demand of the consumer because of the higher price and consumer unwilling to spend that much of money to purchase a mobile phone. Thus based on the situation above, Malaysia government has the responsibility to help the supplier to meet the demand of the consumer. In order to overcome this surplus problem, Malaysia governments have to use different ways to defeat this problem. For instance , Government has recently helping those students and working adult that have salary below RM2000 by subsidiary RM200 rebate for those who purchase the smart phone . Besides that, changes to taxation are also one of the good ways for government to defeat the surplus issues. For example, the government will conduct a research to check on the tax payment that is paid by the supplier so that the government can make an adjustment to the taxation for suppliers in the certain period of time. With this change of taxation, the suppliers are able to reduce the price and meet the demand of the consumer. In conclusion, Malaysia government should intervene the economy and using the suitable solution to defeat the economy issues by managing financial well and rational. Government also need to have a rational and clear before they make decision making on economy , because this will eventually impact the to the public.

Protein Thermal Stability Essay example -- Research Analysis, Isolatio

Isolation techniques for protein take the least refined forms of the protein and develop a highly concentrated product. A concentrated protein product allows utilization of functional properties of proteins without fat, moisture, or carbohydrate contributing to or inhibiting the system. For example, through the use of isolation techniques, the starting concentration of soy flour or grit, 40-50% protein, can increase to more than 90% (Petruccelli 1995). When other substituents such as starches and fats are present in a system, water absorption generally occurs within the carbohydrate instead of the protein (Wolf 1970). As a result, isolation plays a two-fold role in concentrating the selected protein as well as eliminating unneeded or undesirable constituents in a food product. Soy protein holds desirable, functional properties. Such properties of isolated soy protein include the formation of gels and emulsions. The protein’s hydrophilic properties make it an ideal component in confectionary and baked goods because of its water retaining properties and ability to maintain freshness. Additional uses in food stuffs include aeration, an adhesive in meat products, color control, and inhibition or promotion of fat absorption (Wolf 1970). These functional properties have allowed soy protein to become an emerging protein and usable food constituent. Whey, an important by-product of milk, contains almost all of the milk carbohydrate and about one-fifth of milk’s protein (Smithers 1996). Isolated whey’s value, however, derives from its protein content. Its unique functional properties provide opportunities for a variety of applications. For example, whey proteins, because of their stability to acidic conditions, are an integral part of ... ...ments DJ. 1997. Physical properties of whey protein stabilized emulsions as related to pH and NaCl. J Food Sci 62(2):342-347. De Witt JN. 1990. Thermal stability and functionality of whey proteins. J Dairy Science 73(12):3602-3612. Petruccelli S, AÃ ±on MC. 1995. Soy protein components and their interactions. J Agric Food Chem 43(7):1762-1767. Smithers GW, Ballard GW, Copeland AD, De Silva KJ, Dionysius DA, Francis GL, Goddard C, Grieve PA, Mcintosh GH, Mitchell IR, Pearce H, Regester GO. 1996. New opportunities from the isolation and utilization of whey proteins. J Dairy Sci 79(8):1454-1459. Thompson, L.D., Dinh T. 2009. FDSC 4303/5305 food chemistry lab manual. Lubbock, Tx.: Texas Tech University, Department of Animal and Food Science. Wolf, WJ. 1970. Soybean proteins : their functional, chemical, and physical properties. J Agric Food Chem 18(6):969-976.

An Analysis of Frank Kafkas The Metamorphosis :: Kafka Metamorphosis Essays

An Analysis of Frank Kafka's The Metamorphosis In the metamorphosis by Frank Kafka, there are significant actions and transformations which make the story sad, and strange with a happy ending. Explanations that are dramatic events that intensify the excitement of all these actions. Reality and refection play and important role in this story because the events that happened could be applied and assimilated with modern society. the story is very sad and realistic, some of the things tha are related in Kafka's story can be found in modern families today. Gregor was a man who sacrifies himself working to pay his father's debts, instead off on his own where he could prospered. Gregor never was recognized by his family of all the efforts that he did, he was taken for granted and he was expected to support the family but never considering what his needs and wants might be. When Gregor became a bug, that was the moment when they started to see how important Gregor was financially. As a result his mother, father and sister had to work together, in order support themselves. This could be applied in the real world when people do not really recognize anyone's values or good actions. Sometimes when it is too late is that people start to appreciate, but in Kafka's story Gregor never was aprreciate by anyone. In his transformations, Gregor was rejected by his family like a sick or invalid relative instead of working that much harder to make him well or accepted. They began to ignore him and hide him out of shame. this is exactly what happens in reality when sick people becomes really ill. At the beggining some people starts to feel sorry and they take care of these ill people. Later on, these people become a burden on them. this make the whole Gregor family be against him. Gregor's mother and sister used to clean the room at the beggining. but no at the end. They felt that cleaning out Gregor's room would make him feel happy, or might help him. But they really hurt him. It is painful for someone you loved if you took everything from them. It would make them feel isolated , unwanted and unloved. Gregor had a crappy, thankless job, and even though it was difficult, he was despised and scrutinized by his coworkers, making the job that much more unpleasnat. gregor was such a isolated and poor person that he cut the picture of the lady with the fur or a magazine to hang on the wall, to remind him of better things.

marketing research :: essays research papers

In an article written by Laura Schneider, titled â€Å"Customer Relationships Are Key to Your Marketing Strategy† July 2003, she states that she could show a business how to increase sales by 50% without increasing a marketing budget. Her research indicates businesses have inactive customers that the owners believe will stay with the company, without maintaining or trying to grow in the relationship. Business owners often wonder why haven't they heard from a customer or if they left, why did they leave? There are many reasons a customer or client may leave, but the ones heard most often are:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They felt prices were too high or unfair.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They had an unresolved complaint.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They took a competitors offer.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They left because they felt the business didn't care. The last two options make up the majority of why a client or customer will no longer use a service or a product. Laura believes this makes sense because customers often purchase a service or product because they have developed a relationship with the company, or they owned another product, or a friend or associate referred them to you. When given with the aforementioned information she ponders the reasons why businesses spend 80% of their marketing dollars going after new customers and clients rather than nurturing, retaining, and maintaining the customer relationships they already have? She suggests before spending time and money going after new customers and clients that a business does not have a relationship to consider the following statistics:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Repeat customers spend 33% more than new customers.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Referrals among repeat customers are 107% greater than non-customers.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It costs six times more to sell something to a prospect than to sell that same thing to a customer. Laura believes the marketing dollar will go further if it is used to build, nurture, and develop current customer relationships. Building these relationships means treating customers and clients as if they are strategic partners and showing them that they are appreciated. It's important to try to satisfy them with the right products and services, supported by the right promotion and making it available at the right time and location. Customers can easily detect indifference and insincerity and they simply will not tolerate it. Long-term client and customer loyalty is a long-term challenge that you must strive for every day and with every transaction no matter how big or small. While a growing business needs to constantly capture new customers, the focus and priority should be on pleasing the existing customer base.

Business Law Essay

Under the law governing offer and acceptance, a valid offer has been made through an advertisement. In order for an offer to be accepted, the party must entirely accept the offer. The rules governing acceptance has to be positive not passive. Silence does not forms acceptance. The general rule of acceptance is that the acceptance must be received by the offeror, otherwise it has no effect. An offer made to a particular person can be rightfully accepted by him alone and in order to avoid complications, acceptance is to be in writing received by the offeror or if it is orally, it must be heard by the offereor. In applying the law to the facts of the case before us, Wayne has made a valid offer to sell his house for $2 million dollars. In this case, Wayne is the offeror and Scott, Kyle and Magdelene are the offeree. Scott offers to buy the house for $1. 8 million dollars and Wayne said nothing. In this case, Scott has now become the offeror and Wayne is the offeree as a counter offer has been made. Looking at the principles of acceptance, an acceptance made must be positive not passive. Wayne said nothing about the offer therefore there was no communication between them of any sort of acceptance. This would highlight that the fact that silence does not form acceptance as per case of Felthouse v Bindly (1862) The offeror cannot impose acceptance just because the offeree does not reject the offer. Therefore, Scott wanting to take legal action towards Wayne is not valid as there was no form of acceptance in either form of writing or orally. When Kyle came to view the property, he agrees to Wayne’s offer of $2 million dollars but â€Å"subject to contract†. Wayne agreed. The definition of subject to contract is that both parties are agreeable to the terms of the offer but propose that they negotiate a formal contract on the basis of the offer. Referring to the case of Yap Eng Thong v Faber Union, the court found the agreement to sell a house â€Å"subject to contract† was not binding. Hence, Kyle wanting to take legal action towards Wayne will not be valid as â€Å"subject to contract† does not bind anyone to the contract before signature. In this case, Wayne revoked his offer to Scott and Kyle by selling the house to Magdalene. An offer can be dismissed at any point of time before acceptance s made. In the case of Routledge v Grant (1828), there was offer made to buy the house and acceptance must be made by the offeree in 6 weeks time. In less than 6 weeks, offeror chooses to withdrew his offer, in which he had a right to do so. Furthermore, the revocation is valid as it is communicated to Scott and Kyle since they have heard of it. The notice of revocation does not necessarily come from Wayne himself. In conclusion to the case study, both Scott and Kyle cannot bring Wayne to legal action as the offer was revoked before their acceptance was made. Revocation was made being communicated and need not come from the offeror himself. Which links to the next point of acceptance must be positive and not passive. Silence does not make up acceptance. Hence, Scott wanting to take legal action against Wayne is not valid. As for Kyle, Wayne has the right to sell his property to anyone as long as a formal contract is not signed by any party. Kyle cannot take legal action against Wayne as â€Å"subject to contract† does not guarantee acceptance and either party can withdraw before signing .

Marketing Principles Essay

1.1 Explain the various elements of the marketing process. Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offers that have value for customer, clients, partners and society at large. (Williams, 2013) Marketing Process: Situation analysis focuses more on the possible opportunities that will satisfy a customer’s need. This depends on how the product can influence the a specific environment and how the product can control you a specific group you want to target. It is being familiar with the SWOT forces. Marketing strategies is a process that specifies the information of the market to obtain its effectiveness.   Segmentation involves dividing the market into groups, where individuals have similar needs and wants for services and products. It could also be a segmentation of people on the basis of behavior, culture and economic status. (Rajeev, 2012) Targeting also known as the target market is the potential consumers of a product/service. Targeting helps tap the subset of the customer population most likely to purchase and use the product to effectively achieve maximum sales and profits. (Johnson, 2012) Positioning is how you want to be perceived in the minds of prospects versus your competition. It is also creating a positive image in the minds of the target market. Value Proposition pertains on how you want your consumers distinguish you from your competitors and make it obvious you are the best available choice. This marketing strategy summarizes what makes your product/service unique as it relates to addressing specific customer decision making criteria. It must be all about what’s important to them – your prospects. (Core Marketing Strategies, 2013) Market mix decision is a general phrase used to describe the different kinds of choices organizations have to make in the whole process of bringing a product or service to market. The 4 Ps is the best known way of defining marketing mix: (P.1) Product refers to any services or conveniences that are part of the offering. (P.2) Pricing should take into account profit margins and the probable pricing response of competitors. (P-3) Place is associated with channels of distribution that serve as the means for getting the product to the target consumers. (P-4) Promotions are those related to communicating and selling to the potential consumers. This includes advertising, public relations, media types, etc. (Internet Center for Management and Business Administration, Inc., 1999-2010) 1.2 Evaluate the benefits and costs of marketing orientation for a selected organization. Jollibee is our chosen food organization. It is the largest fast food chain in the Philippines, operating a nationwide network of over 750 stores. It is a dominant market leader in the Philippines. It is a family oriented work environment, the brand’s values also reflect on their advertising and marketing. Jollibee knows their target audience very well: the traditional family and all communication materials focus on the importance of family values. Jollibee is so well-loved every time a new store opens, especially overseas. It is a stronghold of heritage and monument of Filipino pride. (Jollibee Foods Corporation, 2013) The primary target market of Jollibee are Filipino kids ages 3-10y/o, teens ranging 11-21y/o can either be male or female; Filipino families even the senior citizen. Social classes C, D and E; and those looking for budget-friendly quick meals. In comparison from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, eating in a fast-food chain w/o asking for money makes an individual happy, falls under self-actualization needs. Eating in Jollibee with family and friends makes people feel loved and accepted. That is a social need or feeling the sense of belongingness and love. Lastly, the need to satisfy ones hunger and in order to survive, it is the physiological need on an individual. The target market prefers Jollibee because the food are unique and has an appealing taste, foods can be easily served, foods are affordable, there a lots of variants the people can choose from, the mileau is very homey, the customer service is very family-oriented, and families, friends and colleagues can enjoy this together. Being the pioneer in fast-food industry, Jollibee had the majority in the marketing opportunity. Jollibee was able to capture 65% of the market share in hamburger market in the Philippines. The JFC reported 82 billion pesos by the end of 2011. Based on the annual report of JFC, Jollibee earned 50 billion pesos revenue on 2011. (Esberto, 2012) The product offered by Jollibee appeals to the Filipinos taste for spicy burgers. By concentrating its resources on satisfying the Filipino palate, Jollibee has been able to serve localized dishes that are unlikely found in other fast-food chains in the Philippines. In addition to that, offering the usual French fries that accompany the meals found in McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King and so forth. Jollibee also serves rice or spaghetti, Filipino style Even the burgers are cooked exactly as Filipinos want them done- sweeter and with more seasonings, often likened to what a Filipino mother would cook at home. It even incorporated recipes from employees to truly capture local tastes. The company’s phenomenal growth owes much to its strict and committed adherence to high standards as symbolized by â€Å"F.S.C†: Food (F) served to the public must meet the company’s excellence standards or it will not be served at all; the Service (S) must be fast and courteous; and Cleanliness  ©, from kitchen to utensils, must always be maintained. As for pricing, it is closely related to customer satisfaction. Thus, JFC provides its high quality fast-food products at a relatively cheaper price. According to its commitment to serve each and every Filipino, Jollibee keeps things affordable at all. The â€Å"DLSU SSURVEY† shows that, 94% of Jollibee’s customers think it’s affordable or cheaper. Figure [ 1 ]: Benefit Positioning vs. Brand Matrix The location of outlet is of key importance to the marketing strategy of Jollibee. It has established a large number of outlets to state that they care about the accessibility of fast-food outlet and 72% is satisfied that Jollibee maintained it very well. Overseas, the outlet in Hong Kong is located at Central where a large number of Filipinos gather. It is an example of Jollibee’s good placing strategy. Recently, to capture more share from their customer’s wallet, Jollibee introduced home service. Loyal customers, for some reason who can’t get out of home but want to have a bite of Jollibee, can now avail their products via phone call. They also provide drive-thru’s for their customers who are in a rush and can’t get out of their car and line-up. Jollibee management carefully selects their franchisors to make sure they can meet its standard. To be a franchisee of Jollibee, one has to invest 15-30 million pesos. Brands in local market are strong contenders and not to be underestimated. Jollibee often have the advantage of intimate knowledge of consumer tastes and consumer preference through local pride. Jollibee used the wave of nationalist pride to promote a Filipino brand of hamburger. This strategy met with great success. Investing in socio-civic programs designed to serve its host communities further secured Jollibee’s position as a Filipino company for the Filipinos. Advocacy campaigns such as the early Christmas drive â€Å"ma-Aga ang pasko sa Jollibee†, again endorsed by Aga Muhlach, the poverty housing project with habitat. For humanity, the â€Å"Kaya Mo Yan Kid Campaign†, it encourages kids to show their potentials that will contribute to the company’s overall success, not only with its customers but with all its stakeholders. Family is a key component for Jollibee’s promotion. They just simply don’t want to cater food and service but they wanted to be a part of every Filipino family. Its quality customer service of being family-oriented is one key to their success. While McDonald’s promotion focuses on the empowerment of young adults to enjoy life by means of eating their products. Jollibee’s rapid growth is due to its superior menu line-up, creative marketing programs, and efficient manufacturing and logistics facilities. It is made possible by well-trained teams that work in a culture of integrity and humility, fun and family-like environment. As a corporate citizen, Jollibee is also committed to give back to its host communities through meaningful and lasting socio-civic projects. (Sakib, 2011) Jollibee was able to attain a competitive advantage in the Philippines over McDonald’s by doing following things: Jollibee was the first to enter the market. It was able to retain tight control over operations management, which allowed it to price below its competitor. And, it had the flexibility to cater to the tastes of its local consumers. From the very beginning Jollibee Foods Corporation had focused on delivering quality food and service at an affordable cost to the customers. This had been possible only due to excellent operational control. Jollibee enjoyed a dominant position in the fast food market in Philippines until McDonalds entered the market. They focused on their main asset, their knowledge of taste and preferences of the local population. [ (Andrew, 2011) ] 2.1 Show macro and micro environmental factors which influence marketing decisions. The marketing environment consists of all the actors and forces outside marketing that affect the marketing management’s ability to develop and maintain successful relationships with its target customers. Though these factors and forces may vary depending on the specific company and industrial group, they can generally be divided into broad micro environmental and macro environmental components. Micro environmental components are: Company-top management is responsible for setting the company’s mission, objectives, broad strategies, and policies. Marketing managers must make decisions within the parameters established by top management. Marketing managers must also work closely with other company departments. Areas such as finance, R & D, purchasing, manufacturing, and accounting all produce better results when aligned by common objectives and goals. All departments must â€Å"think consumer† if the firm is to be successful. The goal is to provide superior customer value and satisfaction. Suppliers-are firms and individuals that provide the resources needed by the company and its competitors to produce goods and services. They are an important link in the company’s overall customer â€Å"value delivery system.† Marketing channel firms (intermediaries)-firms that help the company to promote, sell, and distribute its goods to final buyer. Customer markets-consumer markets, individuals and households that buy goods and services for personal consumption. Business markets, those who buy goods and services for further processing or for use in their production process. Reseller markets, those who buy goods and services in order to resell them at a profit. Government markets, agencies that buy goods and services in order to produce public services or transfer them to those that need them. International markets, buyers of all types in foreign countries Competitors-A company must secure a strategic advantage over competitors by positioning their offerings to be successful in the marketplace. No single competitive strategy is best for all company. Publics – Any group that has an actual or potential interest in or impact on an organization’s ability to achieve its objectives. A company should prepare a marketing plan for all of their major publics as well as their customer markets. Macro environmental components are thought to be: Demographic-the study of human populations in terms of size, density, location, age, sex, race occupation, and other statistics. It is of major interest to marketers because it involves people and people make up markets. Demographic trends are constantly changing Economic-those factors that affect consumer purchasing power and spending patterns. Natural-natural resources that are needed as inputs by marketers or that are affected by marketing activities Technological-forces that create new technologies, creating new product and market opportunities Political-laws, government agencies, and pressure groups that influence and limit various organizations and individuals in a given society. Various forms of legislation regulate business Cultural forces-institutions and other forces that affect society’s basic values, perceptions, preferences, and behaviors. Certain cultural characteristics can affect marketing decision-making The wise marketing manager knows that he or she cannot always affect environmental forces. However, smart managers can take a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to the marketing environment. (Kotler, 2012) 2.2 Propose segmentation criteria to be used for products in different markets. To ensure that the market segments that have been constructed by the firm, they must meet the basic requirements and guidelines, which will make them usable segments and potential target markets. (Market Segmentation Study Guide, 2012) An ideal market segment meets all of the following criteria: (1) It is possible to measure, (2) it must be large enough to earn profit, (3) it must be stable enough that it does not vanish after some time, (4) it is possible to reach potential customers via the organization’s promotion and distribution channel, (5) it is internally homogeneous (potential customers in the same segment prefer the same product qualities, (6) it is externally heterogeneous, that is, potential customers from different segments have different quality preferences, (7) it responds consistently to a given market stimulus, (8) it can be reached by market intervention in a cost-effective manner and (9) it is useful in deciding on the marketing mix. (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2013) 2.3 Choose a targeting strategy for a selected product or service. Kitchner had the goal of making Jollibee one of the world’s top ten fast food brands by the year 2000. In his plan to increase international expansion, he implemented two strategies, â€Å"targeting expats† and â€Å"planting the flag†. His plan of â€Å"targeting expats† allows the company transition into an unfamiliar market much easier because expatriate Filipinos working in other countries could relate to Jollibee’s. Though there is a huge risk of targeting a narrow segment, Jollibee’s local success allows for momentum to generate the expansion and growth of the company. However, Kitchner quickly found out that this market was limited and that not all the overseas Filipinos were potential customers. (Paul, 2011) On the other hand, Kitchner’s decision to â€Å"plant the flag† is to leverage Jollibee’s competitive advantage by entering new geographic market, his rapid expansion strategy was unfocused and poorly executed. He also neglected to consider the large transaction costs associated with establishing markets in new countries. Kitchner’s desire to be first-mover in a number of small, undeveloped markets would not have brought the prestige needed to win the firm better partners. â€Å"Planting the flag† only showed that Jollibee knew how to repeat its success. In order to compete on the level with multinationals, Jollibee would have to take its performance to the next step and prove that it could continue to build its competitive advantage. (Tran, 2005) 2.4 Demonstrate how buyer behavior affects marketing activities in different buying situations. Buying behavior is made up of the internal and external factors that explain why consumers buy and use certain products or services. This type of behavior can affect the marketing strategy that a business employs to promote its products, and when this behavior is analyzed, it can guide a business toward better marketing strategies and methods that it might not have originally used. Supply and Demand is one of the basic economic theories that drive marketing of which consists of a ratio between the amounts of supply versus the amount of demand for that supply. Two supply and demand situations can majorly affect the type of marketing you employ for your goods. These situations include when a product or service is in abundant supply and demand is scarce or when a product or service is scarce and there is increased demand for it. Routine buying behavior is the programmed response that consumers may have to certain types of products. Usually these products are not expensive, such as cars or computers, and can include anything that is commonly bought on a week-to-week basis. Complex Decision-Making is another type of buyer behavior which is usually associated with high-end, expensive or scarce products such as diamonds, fine wine or automobiles. This behavior often comes with high involvement on the consumer’s part in that he will generally want to thoroughly research the product and differences between brands before he makes a decision on which one to buy. Internal Factors that marketers need to be aware of can also affect a consumer’s buying process. These elements — personal, psychological and social — guide buying behaviors and consumption patterns and can be a valuable tool to creating better marketing strategies on the seller’s side. For example, a consumer may opt for a specific brand of cola because of provocative advertising that may make that consumer feel â€Å"sexy† for drinking it, versus buying another brand of cola that uses nonsexual advertising. Delivering the feeling you want experienced when a consumer uses your product is imperative to a good marketing mix of strategies. (Vogt, 1999-2013) 2.5 Positioning selected product/service. Ensuring high traffic needs an emphasis on store location and positioning Jollibee in the minds of the consumers as a place where they can enjoy eating fast food. This entails proper branding and positioning of the services/products offered. Jollibee Foods Corporation brought to everyone’s lips the promise of LANGHAP SARAP (smells so good so it must taste good) Jollibee also projected itself as a world-class brand by expanding its market overseas. Its nationalist view is a key fact. Personnel at Jollibee communicate with customers in local language rather than English unlike to its competitor such as McDonald’s. It provides more homely environment than competitors with tailored food menu to meet the local people’s needs. Jollibee is a super place for children that has ever been. Children can come with their parents and play here while being served with special items made for them. Also, Jollibee facilitates party arrangements for its consumers. Thus, the value proposition of Jollibee that distinguished it from its competitors is, â€Å"Jollibee provide special Philippines’ meal at a cheaper price in a very much homely environment and is a place where people come for joy†. (Sakib, 2011) Bibliography Andrew, 2011. Jollibee – Case Study Analysis | Research Paper. [Online] Available at: http://www.allfreepapers.com/print/Jollibee–Case-Study-Analysis/1794.html [Accessed 6 February 2013]. Anon., 2013. Wikipedia. [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jollibee_Foods_Corporation [Accessed 2 February 2013]. Anon., 2013. Imperial College London. [Online] Available at: http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/capitalprojects/projectprocedures/processes/pm/1.40 [Accessed 2 February 2013]. Core Marketing Strategies, 2013. Business Marketing Plan. [Online] Available at: http://www.coremarketingstrategies.com/business-marketing-plan.html [Accessed January 2013]. Esberto, E. F., 2012. 10 Steps Marketing Plan of Jollibee Foods Corportation. [Online] Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/ElainroseEsberto/10-steps-marketing-plan-jollibee [Accessed 6 February 2013]. Internet Center for Management and Business Administration, Inc., 1999-2010. The Marketing Mix. [Online] Available at: http://www.quickmba.com/marketing/mix/ [Accessed January 2013]. Johnson, P., 2012. Buzzle. [Online] Available at: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/target-marketing-strategy.html [Accessed January 2013]. Jollibee Foods Corporation, 2013. About Us | Jollibee. [Online] Available at: http://www.jollibee.com.ph/about-us [Accessed 2 February 2013]. Jollibee Foods Corporation, 2013. About us | Jollibee Foods Corporation. [Online] Available at: http://www.jollibee.com.ph/about-us [Accessed 1 February 2013]. Kotler, P., 2012. Marketing Micro and Micro Environment. [Online] Available at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/22543929/Marketing-Micro-and-Macro-Environment [Accessed 6 February 2013]. Market Segmentation Study Guide, 2012. Criteria for Effective Segmentation. [Online] Available at: http://www.segmentationstudyguide.com/understanding-market-segmentation/crite ria-for-effective-market-segmentation/ [Accessed 6 February 2013]. Paul, 2011. Case Study: Jollibee Foods Corporation (A): International Expansion. [Online] Available at: http://allbestessays.com/Business/Case-Study-Jollibee-Foods-Corporation/11945.html [Accessed 6 February 2013]. Rajeev, L., 2012. Buzzle. [Online] Available at: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/market-segmentation-strategy.html [Accessed January 2013]. Sakib, N., 2011. Jollibee Foods Corporation. [Online] Available at: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/88862150/Jollibee-Foods-Corporation [Accessed 6 February 2013]. Sakib, N., 2011. Jollibee Foods Corporation. [Online] Available at: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/88862150/Jollibee-Foods-Corporation [Accessed 6 February 2013]. Tran, M. A., 2005. proJollibee. [Online] Available at: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:dJ58omTFofYJ:www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~matran/Files/proJollibee.doc+&hl=en&gl=ph&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShpGDHLcTB5xTtp6Jn_o7VQ9T3biGQO2otrRWvxB4rP8lNMSAh6IeiwzPsfhq83y3bV931_rOjRLigmb014tYUI-A8YGpkNcAMKFQMPbbNd9cbzqt3h6T [Accessed 6 February 2013]. Vogt, C., 1999-2013. How the Buyer’s Behavior Affects Marketing Activities. [Online] Available at: http://www.ehow.com/info_8749189_buyers-behavior-affects-marketing-activities.html [Accessed 7 February 2013]. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2013. Market Segmentation – Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_segmentation [Accessed 6 February 2013]. Williams, D. K. C., 2013. COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION. [Online] Available at: http://www.csustan.edu/market/williams/3410intr.htm [Accessed

Rhetorical Analysis of the Confessions of Nat Turner Essay

In The Confessions of Nat Turner, Thomas R. Gray attempted to provide the public with a better understanding of â€Å"the origin and progress of this dreadful conspiracy, and the motives which influences its diabolical actors† (Gray, 3). Gray hoped to replace â€Å"a thousand idle, exaggerated and mischievous reports† with a single, authoritative account of the event. To do so, he had to establish that the confession was voluntary, that the transcript was accurate, and that Turner was telling the truth. As for the sincerity and truthfulness of the prisoner, Gray said he cross-examined Turner and found his statement corroborated by the confessions of other prisoners and other circumstances. While he claims that these confessions were recorded â€Å"with little or no variation†, Gray’s verbose introduction addressed to the public was intended to frame Turner and as a psychotic villain that was rightfully punished for his unlawful acts against society. In an effort to make Turner appear more sinister, Gray described Turner as being â€Å"a gloomy fanatic revolving in the recesses of his own dark, bewildered, and overwrought mind, schemes of indiscriminate massacre to the whites† (Gray, 3). Though he may not have been as vicious as Gray portrayed him to be, the description was meant to â€Å"to bring its object into a field of vision, to make that object ‘speak’ for itself convincingly and to give it form, character, and tone† (Browne, 319). This horrific image of Turner was intended to shape the minds of the public in such a way that their minds would be made up before even reaching turners actual confessions. Browne points out that â€Å"by assuring the reader of the text’s veracity†¦ and by designating the monstrous motives that drove him to such deeds, Gray prefigures not only the narrative to follow but establishes the readers’ preferred stance toward it†, which given the events is a negative one (Browne, 319). The authenticity of this document is something to be contested. As a lawyer working on Turner’s case and a supporter of slavery, Gray probably did not feel compelled to present Turner’s motives and description of the insurrection. Gray appears to portray Turner in a way intended both to ease the insurrection’s impact and to aid in the conviction of turner for his actions. He argues that the revolt was an isolated event solely fueled by Turner’s religious extremism and not retaliation against the institution of slavery. Even though Turners situation was a unique one, slave owners at the time had to recognize the potentiality for violence iven â€Å"the peculiar mix of social, psychological, and racial tensions shaping life on the antebellum plantation thus required a certain logic with which threats to that way of life might be explained† (Browne, 316). In an effort to make the pamphlet even more persuasive, Gray makes another very interesting move. He claims that, â€Å"without being questioned at all, Turner commenced his narrative in the following words† (Gray, 5). By stating this, it is implied that Turner gave his accounts of that night freely and honestly and that Gray transcribed Turner’s story word for word. The text of the â€Å"confession† also suggests that neither of these statements is actually accurate. While nothing about the narrative suggests that Gray forced Turner into telling his story, Gray structures the narrative put an emphasis on Turner’s religious convictions and the revolt’s malicious violence, which portrayed Turner as being violently vengeful. Another interesting thing about the â€Å"confessions† is the speaking style Gray claims Turner’s confessed the events of the insurgence in. Though Turner was an educated slave, the voice portrayed in the text is of someone with a more superior education. The wording and overall structure used to describe the events may very well have been those of Gray, who held a law degree. The first line, supposedly spoken by Turner reads, â€Å"Sir you have asked me to give a history of the motives which induced me to undertake the late insurrection, as you call it† (Gray, 5). The obvious inconsistency between the voice supposedly speaking and the actual language used in this document lessens its authenticity. Even though the accounts in this confession may not be completely accurate, Gray’s transcriptions represent Turner as being firmly religious. Rather than simply describing the events of the insurrection as they happened, the narrative delved deeper into Turner’s character. The confessions begin with a description of events from Turner’s childhood that, according to Gray, led him to believe that he destined to fulfill a prophecy. Turner described himself as â€Å"uncommonly intelligent for a child† (Gray, 6). He claims to have learned to read with no assistance, and he says that religion â€Å"principally occupied my thoughts† (Gray, 5). He also says that he had a natural talent for planning and leadership, so that, even when he was a child, the other black children expected him to plan their â€Å"roguery† because of his â€Å"superior judgment† (Gray, 5). A series of divine occurrences in Turner’s childhood confirmed his belief that he was â€Å"intended for some great purpose† and that he would â€Å"surely be a prophet† (Gray, 5). He was influenced by those closest to him, including his father and mother â€Å"strengthened him† in the belief of his divine gift, along with his grandmother, â€Å"who was very religious† (Gray, 5). Turner was instructed to await the appearance of a sign in the heavens before communicating his â€Å"great work† to any others. According to Gray, an â€Å"eclipse of the sun in February† inspired Turner to confide in four fellow slaves: Henry, Hark, Nelson, and Sam. â€Å"It was intended by us to have begun the work of death on the 4th July last† (Gray, 7). Gray, who claimed to have had little influence on Turner’s narration, asked him at one point if he did not find himself â€Å"mistaken† now that the prophecy which he had been called upon to fulfill ended in tragedy. Turner reportedly answered, â€Å"Was not Christ crucified? † These â€Å"confessions† were intended to create a powerful, yet vicious, image of Turner and his reasons for initiating such a devastating. Gray’s description of his own apprehensions while transcribing Turners confession was intended to demonstrate the insurrection’s effect on slave owners at the time. Gray vividly describes Turner’s unrelenting nature as, â€Å"The calm, deliberate composure with which he spoke of his late deeds and intentions, the expression of his fiend-like face when excited by enthusiasm, still bearing the stains of the blood of helpless innocence about him; clothed with rags and covered with chains; yet daring to raise his manacled hands to heaven, with a spirit soaring above the attributes of man; I looked on him and my blood curdled in my veins† (Gray, 11). Gray’s chilling reaction to Turner’s confession suggests the type of panic this document created amongst white’s slaveholders throughout various parts of the United States. Given the evidence, Gray’s representation of Turner is far from accurate. Gray used Turner’s voice to serve his own agenda, which was to ease the impact if the insurrections and to reaffirm slave owners as to why slavery is justifiable.