The study of physics has had Essay Example for Free

The study of physics has had Essay Introduction The study of physics has had a large impact on the development of road safety. The study of Newtons Laws, impulse and momentum help to reduce initial momentum or decrease impulse (rate of change of momentum) to protect passengers. Technological advances and studies of vehicle crashes increase the automobile industrys understanding of the forces involved and ways of reducing effects of collisions. Within vehicles, many car safety devices are installed, such as seat belts, air bags, crumple zones and head rests. Modern road design reduces the initial or rate of change of momentum and consequently the impact of collision through crash barriers, speed zones and speed humps. Car safety devices Seatbelts Seatbelts are designed so that passengers are restrained instead of continuing to move forward at the cars speed when the brakes of a moving vehicle are applied. In this situation, there is a tendency for a body to resist changes to its motion, called inertia. (Newtons first law) The stopping force is applied to the more durable parts of the body such as hips, chest and shoulder. This is instead of the human head crashing into windshield if no seat belt is worn. Inertia reel seatbelts Inertia reel seatbelts have a cylinder that stores extra belt material on a spool. The spool turns freely normally for movement. In the event of a sudden change in velocity, a pendulum in the reel plunges forward to lock and restrain the occupant. It is named inertia reel due to the inertia of the pendulum to cause belt locking. Different types of seatbelt The lap seatbelt is tightened over the pelvis and absorbs force over a sizeable area. However they do not prevent the head and upper body from lurching forward in response to deceleration and are inadequate especially for front passengers, who risk hitting the windscreen. The lap sash seatbelt combines a lap seatbelt over the pelvis as well as over one shoulder across the chest. This greatly limits movement of the upper body and head as well as spreading the stopping force over a larger area. Shoulder harnesses restrain upper torso movement even further. Two are belts fall over the shoulders and an optional strap lies over the sternum. It is effective in the way force is spread over both shoulders compared to one shoulder in lap sash. Shoulder harnesses are usually used in child restraint systems and racing cars. The nylon webbing material in seatbelts is slightly flexible so that the stop is not as abrupt. Airbags Airbags provide an extra degree of protection in a collision by cushioning passengers in a collision, greatly limiting fatalities and serious injury. They are designed to increase the time interval during which the drivers momentum decreases in a collision to decrease the net force of the driver. They inflate when crash sensors detect large deceleration. Sensors then ignite the sodium azide, producing sodium compounds and nitrogen gas for a reactive explosion. The airbags inflate rapidly to cushion the impact of the passenger against the steering wheel, dashboard or windshield. Airbags are to be used with seatbelts, not as a replacement. A disadvantage of airbags is they provide no protection against side-on hits, only frontal collisions. More expensive cars are developing side airbags to combat this. Head rests Padded headrests provide protection in rear end collisions. When a car is rear-ended, a large net force pushes the car and it accelerates forward. The inertia, based on Newtons first law, pushes the passenger into the seat. Without a head rest for support, the head remains at rest until the spine pulls it forward. This sudden, sharp acceleration for the head causes it to fling back and results in hyperextension and whiplash injuries. Crumple Zones Many cars are designed to crumple at the front and rear. Crumple zones increase the time interval during which the momentum of the car changes during a collision, thus lessening the forces. Newtons second law (f=ma) can be applied, as increased ? time will result in a decreasing rate of deceleration a and consequently reduce force. Crumple zones are built using the integration of steel and fiberglass in the front and rear end assemblies of the automobile. Rigid structures between crumple zones protect the passenger compartment. In a collision, the crumple zones deform to slow the actual impact. The car doesnt regain all its original kinetic energy, as some of this is converted to heat and sound energy to reduce damage to passenger area through smaller forces. As crumple zones are placed in strategic locations, the collapse is controlled and energy from impact is directed away from passenger area. Road design Speed humps and low speed zones. Local councils introduced Speed Humps to reduce the overall speed of cars. Evidence shows that slower moving cars cause less damage to occupants if a crash results. It has been estimated that risk of death or serious brain damage doubles with every 16km/h over 80km/h. Speed humps restrict drivers from speeding as hitting the hump too fast can cause car damage. Low speed zones also reduce the speed of cars. A reduction of speed will reduce the chance of an accident as drivers have more time to react as well as decreasing the change in momentum and associated inertial forces in collisions. The police enforces speed signs and limit zones and speeding is monitored by speed cameras. In NSW, the general urban limit is 60 km/h for roads in built up areas where there are pedestrians. Crash Barriers Crash barriers are road design features that absorb the impact of collisions. They are constructed out of steel, concrete or wire. Some types of rigid crash barriers cannot absorb much of the kinetic energy of the vehicle, but keep the vehicle on the road and prevent crashing into more dangerous roadside hazards or cars from opposite direction. Crash barriers should be relatively weak with energy absorbing structures so that they can deform easily and transfer large amounts of kinetic energy to them in collisions. For barriers shielding against hazards such as trees, they need to be a fair distance away, as space is needed for it to deform. When a vehicle collides, the barriers deform and stop the vehicle through a plowing action, keeping the reaction forces relatively low. The impulse (change in momentum) is reduced, as the vehicle takes longer to slow down. The disadvantage of crash barriers is they may cause vehicle damage (crumpling) and rigid ones may deflect a car into the opposite lane. The advance of road safety The development of vehicles with greater size, power and momentum has resulted in the need for improvements in car safety devices and modern road design. The study of physics has allowed safety features in both the interior and exterior of cars to prevent large forces acting on passengers in collisions. This is why researchers and engineers are continually turning to laws of physics for advice. Road design features reduce initial velocity to reduce the risk of accidents as well as its impact on the passenger. Automotive safety companies are continuing to develop devices to improve vehicle safety, including inflatable seatbelts, 4-point seatbelts and knee airbags to name a few. With the large percentage of the population driving forces, momentum, impulse and energy are all factors that must be controlled as our lives depend on it.

Paris Is Burning Case Study Essay Example for Free

Paris Is Burning Case Study Essay 1.I would argue that the group of poor gay minorities, like the people in the ball, is a subculture in itself. This group is a subculture of the gay culture. The distinguishing aspects of the group are that they are poor, gay, and minorities. Another distinguishing aspect is that members of this subculture are typically outcasts. They have been rejected by family members, friends, and American society as a whole. â€Å"It’s hard to imagine a more outcast group in American society than black and Hispanic homosexuals,† (Levy). I identified this group of poor, gay, minority men who participate in balls as a microculture. This microculture’s distinguishing aspects are that these men all seem to live for balls, with dreams of fame and fortune, â€Å"The balls are our fantasies of being superstars,† (Pepper Labeija). This group also has an extreme love for, and competitive drive to be successful at vogeuing. Another trait this group shares is a love for fashion. They use fashion and style in order to appear â€Å"real.† This subculture wants to appear to be authentically white, straight, and female (Levy). This is depicted throughout the film Paris is Burning. Another microculture that I identified in the film is the transvestite microculture. This microculture defines itself by dressing up like the opposite sex, in this case men dressing as women, but who do not wish to become women. They could be considered androgynous, (Solomon, 186). While they do not identify with females, they wish to look female. The third microculture I identified in the film is the transvestite microculture. This group’s ideal self (Solomon, 177) is female. They identify with females and wish to eventually become female. 2.The goal of this subculture is to become a â€Å"real† female, if not to transform completely, to at least look like a real female. They are motivated by the celebrities they see in magazines and on TV. Straight, white, females are this group’s comparative influence, (Solomon, 409). There are a few gay masculine men in this film; their goal would be to look authentically masculine and straight. The whole point of the balls is for members of this group to act out their fantasies. Nearly everyone in the film was pretending to be someone that they were not. Competing in the balls was â€Å"achieving in fantasy what the world had denied in [their] reality,† (Green). Acting out this fantasy allows the people in this film to compensate for dissatisfaction with their actual selves, (Solomon, 172). They desire to look like the beautiful celebrities in the magazines, (Venus Xtravaganza), so this group is doing whatever it can to make themselves more like these women. Sadly, usually the most they can do is pretend, by dressing and acting like these women. This subculture does not â€Å"wish to replace dominant culture, they long to be members of the society they imitate,† (Levy). Part of achieving their goal is purchasing clothing, make-up, shoes, even hormones and female body parts to look the part of a â€Å"real woman†. Without the possibility of consumption, it would not be possible for this group of people to achieve their goals and dreams. They wake up in the mornings as men, and leave their house in the afternoons as women because of the products they consume. They look at their reference group, (Solomon, 404) of straight females, and strive to look like them by purchasing the same products that these women use. To achieve their desired social identity they are acting out the symbolic self-completion theory, (Solomon, 176) by acquiring the clothes, hair, softer features, etc. that they see on women who are their ideals of beauty (Solomon, 196). In my opinion this is very similar to the actions of mainstream culture. â€Å"The movie is a successful attempt by outsiders to dramatize how success and status in the world often depend on props you can buy, or steal, almost anywhere – assuming you have the style to know how to use them,† (Ebert). I have observed that the common belief in mainstream culture seems to be that a person has to look a certain way to be successful. The more fashionable and beautiful a person looks, the more successful and therefore desirable they are perceived to be. Mainstream culture consumers spend millions every year attempting to make themselves look more successful and beautiful than everyone else around them. This is similar to the drag queen subculture portrayed in the movie in many ways. Both groups are trying to appear one way by purchasing clothing, plastic surgery, make-up, nice homes, etc. Both groups are desperate to be accepted by mainstream culture and both groups use style and purchasing power to try to achieve this dream they have of popularity and acceptance. There is a huge difference though. Main stream culture is constantly consuming goods and services in an attempt to fit in with each other. Drag queen subcultures are consuming these same goods to try to fit in with main stream culture. They dream of the fame and fortune that comes with being a beautiful, straight, stylish woman. â€Å"Livingston blames the advertisements they see in the media for fostering their unrealistic yearnings,† (Levy). They are competing with a completely different group of people. Not only is their competition different, it is nearly impossible to compete with. â€Å"The models compete to see who could pass in worlds that are almost completely closed to gays and blacks especially, gay blacks,† (Ebert). The balls are this group’s opportunity to flaunt their consumptions, and practice for the â€Å"real world.† The winners are those who exhibit the most style, and often those who can afford to spend the most on their costumes, (Dorian Corey). Sadly, this group is competing with â€Å"members of a society that will never accept them,† (Levy). 3.Not surprisingly, this subculture faces many conflicts in their daily lives. These conflicts include dealing primarily with prejudices, money shortages, and abandonment. Conflicts are handled in many different ways. Prejudice is a problem all over the world and will probably never cease to be a problem. It is not depicted much in the film how this group of people handles this problem except to ignore it for the most part since there is really nothing that can be done about it. â€Å"I am white so I have the ability to write those grants and push my little body through whatever door I need to get it through. If [drag queens] wanted to make a film about themselves they would not be able, I wish that weren’t so, but that’s the way society is structured,† (Green). This subculture has very little, if any, power with anyone but themselves because of prejudices. This problem causes the other main conflicts they are faced with, money shortages and abandonment. Many of the people in this subculture have no other way to make money but to become â€Å"hussies†. They will use their physical tools to get what they want and need. â€Å"Hes taking me out for dinner later this evening, or for cocktails after midnight. I know hell give me some money just for me to maybe buy some shoes and a nice dress, so that the next time he sees me, hell see me looking more and more beautiful, the way he wants to see me. But I dont have to go to bed with him, or anything like that. At times they do expect sexual favors, but that is between myself and them, so I dont want to talk about that any further,† (Venus Xtravaganza). It is later discovered that Venus was found dead in a motel. She always did what she wanted to get what she wanted, such as getting into cars with men. Sadly, that is the life of a transsexual living in New York City, (Angie Xtravaganza). Money shortages give this group a risky shift, (Solomon, 267), distinguishing aspect of resorting to dangerous alternatives to make money, such as becoming prostitutes. This group also steals to get food as well as acquire props and clothing for their ball competitions. â€Å"Faggots,† or gay young men, are the best at â€Å"playing pranks† or stealing, (Freddie Pendavis). Many of the drag queens featured in this film have been abandoned by their families because they are homosexuals. To resolve this, this subgroup has formed its own families, or â€Å"houses,† as they are referenced to in the movie. Each house has a mother and a father. While these are not literal houses, it is a small community that offers support to its members. Family members assist each other with ball competitions, stealing, and encouraging each other when times are tough. 4.This subculture is very similar to mainstream culture. Both groups of people have a longing to be accepted. Both groups put a huge emphasis on how stylish a person is. The big difference is that the drag queen subculture is daring to be different to be who they want to be and fit in with whom they want to fit in. They could easily live in New York as straight men. They could live everyday pretending to be someone they were not and living a life they were not happy with to avoid the hardships that come along with being drag queens. â€Å"Beatings, violence and rejection are daily realities for men who want to pass as women, and so there is a certain courage exhibited by their choice,† (Ebert). Mainstream culture, however, is not so brave. Many people who are considered â€Å"mainstream† most likely have interests and tastes that are not considered the norms, (Solomon, 429). Some examples are a boy who enjoys dancing rather than football, or a female teacher who enjoys listening to metal rather than mainstream music. Both examples go against the stereotypes. While I personally believe many Americans, if they let their true selves show, would have personality traits that go against the stereotype that is associated with them, they will not let these traits show. They are not brave enough to go against mainstream culture and be the people they truly want to be. This drag queen subculture has dared to step out of the norm and try to become the people they really want to be. In most cases, this dream they have will be impossible to achieve. Mainstream culture influences this drag queen group completely. The drag queen subculture is striving to actually become part of the mainstream culture. Members of this group want to be like mainstream culture in every way. This is why they are pretending to be this mainstream group of people who will never accept them, (Ebert). Mainstream culture affects how this subculture looks, dresses and lives; nearly every aspect of their lives is determined by what mainstream culture does. However, the drag queen subculture has very little impact on mainstream culture. The only part mainstream culture has plucked from the drag queen subculture is â€Å"voguing.† Popular celebrities like Madonna got voguing into mainstream culture. Ironically, while mainstream culture was learning how to â€Å"vogue† it â€Å"began to copy a subculture that was copying it,† (Green). This is a very small influence that the drag queen subculture had on the mainstream culture, however, compared to the impact mainstream culture has on their lives. 5.Mainstream culture is the trends, attitudes, living styles, etc. that are made popular by the media. I do not think it is a collection of subcultures. I think that the media can pick certain aspects from subcultures and make them become mainstream culture, but I truly believe it is the media that affects what we call mainstream culture. The media controls trends by having celebrities endorse certain products. I think that we look at celebrities, see their beauty and/or success and assume they must know what the best product is. We want to be lovely and successful like them, so we try to imitate them. This catches on because everyone in mainstream culture wants to be accepted, and since what is considered acceptable and desirable is what the celebrities are endorsing, which is what we all do and buy. We also have the need to be accepted by our mainstream peers. If our peers believe what the celebrities are endorsing is what is most desirable, we will come to think it is desirable, in order to be accepted and desired.

A View On China English Variety English Language Essay

A View On China English Variety English Language Essay There are several researches of varieties of world English, one of the famous scholars is Krachu worth mentioning. He put forward the notion of World Englishes in 1970s. And in 1985 he proposed the three concentric circles to view the varieties of English in which the inner circle refers to the conventional culture and linguistic bases of English. It includes the USA, Canada UK, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand with population about 320- 380 million. The outer or extended circle stands for the institutionalized non-native varieties. It involves the earlier periods of the expansion of English in non-native environments, where English plays a significant `Second Language function in a multilingual environment and it has become part of a nations institutions as well. The countries are, India, Singapore, Bangladesh, Malawi, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Zambia with population about 100-350 million. The expanding circle includes the regions where the performance varieties of the language are used essentially in EFL contexts, as in China, Japan, Korea, Iran, Greece, etc. with about over 750 million (Kachru 1985, 1992). There are about seventy-five countries and territories in which English has remained or kept on remaining a particular position, as a part of either the outer or inner circles (Crystal, 2001: 53). A historical view of China English The development of English in China is a process of linguistic and cultural regeneration of English in Chinese culture. Smith (1983) points out that language and culture are closely related to each other, but no language in the world is doomed to integrate itself with only one culture. The nativization of English in China is the process of integration of the English language and Chinese culture. According to the lecture note, the Europeans have contacted with the Chinese since the 13th century, then British people and Chinese people have experienced nearly four hundred years since the first Englishman, Captain John Weddell, arrived in Macao in 1637. In early 18th the British set up regular trade in Canton, after that in early 19th, trade exchange between India and China was established by the worlds biggest company at that time the English East India Corporation. English teaching and learning has also grown up since the English founded their trade. A lot of Christian mission schools as well as Christian universities and colleges were set up in Hong Kong, Canton, Shanghai and other port cities during that time. So, the history of English in China is approximately as long as that of American English. Chinese English or China English is not an entirely new phenomenon, and Pidgin had its own origin. Pidgin English and China English A Pidgin is a lingua franca that comes up in order to make communication easy among different language speakers in some circumstances such as plantation or trade situations where they suffer in dealings with each other (William, 1992: 224). Actually, Pidgin English in China originated from Pidgin Portuguese when the earliest Westerners who came to China were the Portuguese in the 16th century. Pidgin Portuguese did not disappear until 19th century when the English colonists came to South China to extend trade. With the increase of trade volume of Britain in China, a new Pidgin, Canton English, emerged as the times demanded. Many English words gradually replaced those Portuguese words. Pidgin Portuguese had a great effect on late Canton English, now known technically as Chinese Pidgin English. The formation of China English The identifiable characteristics of a nativized English exist in any combination of phonological, lexical, semantic, syntactic or discourse features. The nativization of English in China appears to be most obvious at the phonological level, however, the various accents and dialects of Chinese makes it difficult for us to have a detailed generalization to support. So, here are some features of China English: 1. Lexical level At the lexical level, Kachru (1982) has pointed out that a part of the lexicon is nativized in two ways. On one hand, native items are used in localized registers and styles in order to contextualize the language. On the other hand, English lexical items may acquire extended or restricted semantic markers. During the process of the nativization of English in China, the former is called cultural words, the latter, semantic shift. There is a great difference between Chinese and English culture, many a time we cant find equivalent English expressions to convey peculiar things in Chinese culture. Under this situation, people will employ different translation strategies, such as domesticating and foreignizing translations, literal and free translations, to interpret Chinese words of material and spiritual cultures into English. Domesticating translation mentions to the approach of translation in which a smooth, obvious form is accepted that lessen the oddity of a certain language text for its target language readers. Meanwhile, foreignizing translation indicates the translation method in which a target text intentionally cracks target traditional styles by keeping something foreign to the original. Words and phrases in China English are the main manifestations of the nativization of English in China. They get into English through the following ways. 1.1 Transliteration Many Pinyin words have directly entered English because of linguistic relativity and intranslatability of the applied language. Transliterated expressions in Pinyin can be considered a most conspicuous feature of China English with the technique of literal translation and the strategies of foreignizing translation. Chinese personal and geographical names and even some other China-unique facts can be romanized in Chinese Pinyin either in completeness (e.g. Wen Jiabao; Shanghai) or in part (e.g. Maotai Liquor). Actually, transliterated words from Chinese into English originated in the early 19th century. At that time, lots of Chinese personal names and geographical names were translated into English, according to Wade-giles system, the phonetic system called Wade System, a system of Romanization of Chinese (http://dictionary.reference.com) widely used in representing Chinese words and names in English, particularly before being adopted as Pinyin. It is also called Wade-Giles with some characteristics of English spelling, but it didnt stick to the principles of English spelling fully. And in the early times there were some transliterations from Guangdong dialects and Southern Fujian dialects, such as tea (cha); chowmei (chao mian ); won ton (huntun) cheongsam (qipao) and so on. A system using the Latin alphabet, called Pinyin, has been developed in China since 1950s, and it is now in common use. Now lets compare the following different transliterated words according to Jiang Yajun (1995: 15): In the Wade Giles system In the Pinyin system Mao Tse Tung Mao Zedong Peking Beijing Taipei Taibei With the fast increasing of publicity and exchange with the outside world, China has been greatly affecting the world in many different fields, like politics, economy, culture, education, science and daily life. In this case, more and more Chinese words expressing peculiar things in Chinese culture have been translated into English through transliteration and have become loanwords of English. They greatly enrich English vocabulary. Lets look at some vocabularies in China English from the lecture notes that are transliterated under specific historical and cultural background: Confucius (Kong fu zi); Lao-tzu (Lao zi); Yin (Yin) and Yang (Yang); qipao (qipao); doufu (doufu); litchi (lizhi); wushu (wushu); quyi (quyi );kongfu (kong fu), etc. 1.2 Loan translations When there are no transliterated borrowings, or hybridization, loan translations will be adopted. Many Chinese words and expressions have been translated into English by borrowing English words and phrases directly. There are three forms of loan translations. They are compound words, clipped words, and phrases (Zhou Feng, 1987: 111-125). The essence of their ideas can be summarized as follows: Loan translations are the form of compound words, like Canton ginger (Canton is a transliteration, and ginger is a native word); teacup (from Chinese word chabei); teahouse (from Chinese word chaguan), etc. Other examples of this kind of loan translation are the English calque, like beancurd (from Chinese compound word doufu; dou=bean or soy, fu-curd); red bean (from Chinese compound word chidou; chi-red, dou=bean), etc. Another form of loan translations refers to English phrases translated from Chinese phrases literally. All these English phrases possess the peculiar characteristics of Chinese culture that cant be found in English culture. For example, things originating from the culture of Buddhism, philosophy and Chinese ancient literature: Taoism (Dao jiao); Buddhism (Rusijiao); The Analects (Lunyu); The book of Changes (Yijing) and so on. Loan translations in specific historical and cultural developing periods of China: red guard (Hongweibing); one big pot (daguofan); ideological remoulding (sixianggaizao); paper tiger (zhilaohu); four modernizations (sigexiangdaihua); spiritual civilization (jingshenwenming);material civilization (wuzhiwenming)Three Represents (Sangedaibiao); rule by virtue ( yidezhiguo); etc. 2. Syntactic level Words are the smallest units of the language. While, sentences are the grammatical units of the highest grade in the language, and they are the basic linguistic units for people to exchange ideas and communicate with each other. At the syntactic level, China English is affected by the way of uses and using Chinese structures (Jia Delin, 1990: 93-7). Let look at some following features: 1. The most significant information is often placed at the beginning of a sentence, then modifiers one after one by English native speakers, therefore a linear series with a small part of head and a big part of trunk is created. Chinese people do it conversely, e.g. other extra information is first introduced, then the main information, for example: I will follow you wherever you go. Wherever you go, I will follow you. (CE) 2. The illustration of the cause and result about a thing in Chinese is in the reverse direction to that in English. In general, the result in English is firstly given and then the cause, which is opposite to Chinese word order. The following sentences can better exemplify this case. The isolation of the rural world is compounded because of the paucity of information media. Because there are not enough information media, the isolation of the rural world is compounded. (CE) 3. In English, there are many English sentences with pronoun it as empty subjects, but this kind of pronoun does not exist in Chinese. Lets compare several pairs of sentences below in order to identify the characteristics of China English more closely: It is Monday today. Today is Monday. (CE) Who is it? Who are you? (CE) 4. There are some differences existing in the positions of interrogatives, in responding to negative interrogatives. I dont think you are right doing like that. I think you are not right doing like that. (CE) 5. Different cultural background knowledge in Chinese and English also leads to different understanding in translation. For example: Good luck! Go to work happily, and come back safely! (CE) From the above examples, we find the main difference between English and Chinese is that English is a language of hypotaxis while Chinese is a language of parataxis. Hypotaxis refers to that the sentences are organized by the grammatical relations. But parataxis means the sentences are structured by the logic relations. Therefore, English sentences are well knitted, and Chinese sentences are terse and lucid. Conclusion There is a growing awareness that English has become an international communication tool and a neutral information medium across the world. China English, as an English variety developed in Chinese culture, is sure to carry Chinese norms and behavior. So its variations are reasonable during the practical applications, and there should be no distinction of right and wrong or good and bad. For communication is the purpose of the language. And this will be the trend of China English development.

Customer Relations and Interpersonal Skills :: essays research papers

Customer Relations and Interpersonal Skills In the food and Hospitality industry, Working with Colleagues and Customers is an important part of the job. Customer relations and interpersonal skills are the two most important skills that a person working in that industry will need to know about. Customer relations techniques include a number of skills, such as effective verbal and non-verbal communication, ability to ask relative questions, to be attentive, knowledge of different people and cultures, knowledge of where services and products are available from, problem-solving and decision making skills. Customer relations involve understanding the local and international visitors' needs, providing appropriate service, and handling complaints and feedback. Understanding the local and international visitors' needs involves catering for people from different cultures, backgrounds and upbringing's. For example, they might be from Japan where they are formal and punctual, or they might be from a Muslim upbringing where they fast between sunrise and sunset for the month of Ramadan. Through effective observing, listening and questioning, staff are able to accurately identify the customers needs and expectations. Staff should then ensure that these needs are met and exceed so the customer has an enjoyable time. Providing appropriate service to the customer is needed because the customer might be allergic to some foods such as MSG, wheat, food colourings or dairy products. Good service personal have these attributes effective verbal and non-verbal communication, sensitivity to special needs and anticipation of unexpressed needs, offering courteous service, advice and information, promoting establishment and its products, and promoting the local area and its attractions, Complaints are a good form of feedback. They're a few steps to follow in handling difficult situations. The first is to Focus and listen to the customer. The next is to be courteous and discreet, if possible take the customer away from others. Then suggest way(s) to fix the problem, if nothing can be done thank the customer for bring the problem to your attention. If you can't fix the problem go to somebody who can but stay there to make sure the problem is resolved. Then find the solution and implement it, then check the customer is happy and re-thank them for bring the problem to your attention. Last off all record the situation in your establishments logbooks. Interpersonal Skills involve immaculate personal presentation, outstanding communication skills, initiative in social interactions and good teamwork skills. These skills can be honed through team and individual sports, public speaking, acting and debating. Customer Relations and Interpersonal Skills :: essays research papers Customer Relations and Interpersonal Skills In the food and Hospitality industry, Working with Colleagues and Customers is an important part of the job. Customer relations and interpersonal skills are the two most important skills that a person working in that industry will need to know about. Customer relations techniques include a number of skills, such as effective verbal and non-verbal communication, ability to ask relative questions, to be attentive, knowledge of different people and cultures, knowledge of where services and products are available from, problem-solving and decision making skills. Customer relations involve understanding the local and international visitors' needs, providing appropriate service, and handling complaints and feedback. Understanding the local and international visitors' needs involves catering for people from different cultures, backgrounds and upbringing's. For example, they might be from Japan where they are formal and punctual, or they might be from a Muslim upbringing where they fast between sunrise and sunset for the month of Ramadan. Through effective observing, listening and questioning, staff are able to accurately identify the customers needs and expectations. Staff should then ensure that these needs are met and exceed so the customer has an enjoyable time. Providing appropriate service to the customer is needed because the customer might be allergic to some foods such as MSG, wheat, food colourings or dairy products. Good service personal have these attributes effective verbal and non-verbal communication, sensitivity to special needs and anticipation of unexpressed needs, offering courteous service, advice and information, promoting establishment and its products, and promoting the local area and its attractions, Complaints are a good form of feedback. They're a few steps to follow in handling difficult situations. The first is to Focus and listen to the customer. The next is to be courteous and discreet, if possible take the customer away from others. Then suggest way(s) to fix the problem, if nothing can be done thank the customer for bring the problem to your attention. If you can't fix the problem go to somebody who can but stay there to make sure the problem is resolved. Then find the solution and implement it, then check the customer is happy and re-thank them for bring the problem to your attention. Last off all record the situation in your establishments logbooks. Interpersonal Skills involve immaculate personal presentation, outstanding communication skills, initiative in social interactions and good teamwork skills. These skills can be honed through team and individual sports, public speaking, acting and debating.

The Life and Career of Amy Tan Essays -- Biography, Chinese-American A

Amy Tan, an accomplished Chinese-American author, is well-known for her incorporation of her Chinese heritage into her works of literature. Amy Ruth Tan was born to John and Daisy Tan on February 19, 2952 (â€Å"Amy Tan Biography†). Although Amy Tan’s parents were both born in China, she was American born. Daisy Tan was born to a wealthy family in Shanghai, China. John Tan, on the other hand, was an electrical engineer and Baptist minister. Amy Tan’s parents met in a dangerous decade of the 1940’s in China while battles were being fought on all fronts. John Tan was working for the United States Information Service during WWII, which made it fairly easy for him to escape China for the U.S. when the war ended. Daisy Tan, however, was not as fortunate; she had been imprisoned. She escaped in 1949 right before the Communist takeover; she left on the last boat to deport from Shanghai to the U.S. Shortly after Daisy arrived in the U.S., her and John Tan arranged to be married. Amy Tan’s parents had two other children besides her; they were John Jr. and Peter Tan. The Tan clan moved around many times while Amy Tan was growing up, finally settling in Santa Clara, California (Chatfield-Taylor 190). Growing up in California, Tan continued to embrace the typical values of Americans. She had taken on American values as her own identity, completely ignoring most of her Chinese heritage. In fact, young Amy Tan would answer her mother’s Chinese questions in English (Miller 1162). Teenage Amy Tan lost both her father and sixteen-year-old brother to brain tumors. Soon after that, she learned that she had two half-sisters in China from her mother’s first marriage (â€Å"Amy Tan Biography†). In 1987, Tan made a trip to China to meet those very same ... ...Despite the difficulties Winnie went through while she was younger, she appears to be a strong woman in America. The novel suggests that perhaps this is because she has learned from her past and had to recreate her ideas about women in America (â€Å"SparkNotes† Par 6). Yet another theme in The Kitchen God’s Wife is the tension between fate and self-determination. The ideas of luck, fate, and destiny are constantly being tried against the ideas of self-determination, free choice, and will. Winnie’s life is full of choices, and these very choices are what causes her to be become such a strong woman (â€Å"SparkNotes† Par 7). Winnie recreates her life in America, which sheds another shard of light on the idea of self-determination over the idea of fate. She chose to recreate herself, and she had to make it happen; fate played no hand in her becoming (â€Å"SparkNotes† Par 8).

The Beginnings of a National Literary Tradition Essay -- Canadian Hist

The Beginnings of a National Literary Tradition   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Canadians throughout their history have been concerned over the status of their national literature. One of the major problems facing early Canadian writers was that the language and poetic conventions that they had inherited from the Old World were inadequate for the new scenery and conditions in which they now found themselves. Writers such as Susanna Moodie, Samuel Hearne, and Oliver Goldsmith were what I would consider "Immigrant" authors. Even though they were writing in Canada about Canada their style and their audiences were primarily England and Europe. These authors wrote from an Old World perspective and therefore were not truly Canadian authors. It took a group of homespun young writers in the later part of the 19thCentury to begin to build a genuine "discipline" of Canadian literary thought. This group, affectionately known as ‘ The Confederation Poets', consisted of four main authors: Charles G.D. Roberts, Bliss Carman, Duncan Campbell Scott, and Archibald Lampman. The Poets ofConfederation "established what can legitimately be called the first distinct "school" of Canadian poetry"(17, Keith). The term ‘The Poets of Confederation' is a misnomer since not one of these poets/authors was more than ten years old when the Dominion of Canada was formed in 1867. However, all of these writers were aware of the lack of a distinctive Canadian literary tradition and they made efforts to create one for their successors. While each of these men had their own distinctive writing style they all sought to contribute and create a ‘ national' literature. According to R.E.Rashley in Poetry in Canada: The First Three Steps " there is no Canadian poetry before [The Confederation Poets] time"(98). These men were the first in a long line of authors and artists to conceive of the need for a discernible national literature. The Confederation Poets function was to "explore the new knowledge that they had acquired of themselves that had been created by the interaction of environment and people and the concept of evolutionary growth"(Rashley 98). Archibald Lampman was a key note in the beginnings of a national literary movement. Before Lampman and the other Confederation poets there seemed to be a mere repetition of European ideas in literature in Canada. Even though Lampman was influence... ...oet of Nature. Montreal: Louis Carrier and Co., 1929. Crawford, A.W. "Archibald Lampman". Critical Views on Canadian Writers:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Archibald Lampman. Ed. Michael Gnarowski. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1970. Early, L.R. "Archibald Lampman (1861-1899)". Canadian Writers and their Works   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Vol.II. Eds. Lecker, David, & Quigley. Ontario: ECW Press, 1983. Guthrie, Norman Gregor. The Poetry Of Archibald Lampman. Toronto: The Musson Book Co., 1927. Keith, W.J. "Archibald Lampman". Profiles in Canadian Literature Vol.I. Ed. Jeffrey M. Heath. Toronto: Dundurn Press Ltd., 1980. Lampman, Archibald. The Poems of Archibald Lampman. Toronto: University of Toronto, 1974. Marshall, John. "Archibald Lampman". Critical Views on Canadian Writers:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Archibald Lampman. Ed. Michael Gnarowski. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1970. Rashley, R.E. Poetry in Canada: The First Three Steps. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1958. Stouck, David. Major Canadian Authors: A Critical Introduction. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1984. Stringer, Arthur. "A Glance at Lampman". Critical Views on Canadian Writers:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Archibald Lampman. Ed. Michael Gnarowski. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1970.

Club Med: Making a Comeback

Club Mediterranee (Club Med) is a corporation in the all-inclusive resort market that manages over 140 resort villages in Mediterranean, snow, inland and tropical locales in over 40 countries. It was founded by a group of travelers, headed by Gerald blitz, in 1950However over the years they realized that all-inclusive system does not work anymore. People are not willing to spend large amounts of money for vacations. Its competitors have been able to customize travel packages for each customer.Even though it seems easy for Club Med to do the same but because it has so many resorts all over the world the currency devaluation and political boycotts are causing Club Med problems with these decisions. These external factors are reducing the company’s ability to increase sales and gain new customers. The Club Med style can be best described by the sense of closeness found among the managers. Because they are all former village chiefs they know the company’s everyday operation s. The difference between Club med and other hotels is that, it is much simpler.Even the room decorations are simple and spares. Also its distinguished feature is that it is a place where one can â€Å"escape†. However in 2004 they introduced a new strategy that gave consumers a differentiated product that was more chic and luxurious, especially in the Americas. Until 1986 Club Med had a very strong position in the all-inclusive resort market. If one wanted to go to a resort but use another company it had to pay 50-100% more. Internet accounts more than 20% of its sales.Finding a labor was never a problem for this resort either. In 1986 competition began because other companies adopted its style. The only difference was that Club Med’s service included drinks. In 2004 it reverted to and all-inclusive deal. In 2005 it declared the Alps area that attracted thousands of tourists. Jack Tar Village is one of the competitors of Club Med. It operates mostly in Caribbean. Its resorts are positioned as more glamorous and modern. Another competitor is SuperClubs Organization, which operates 4 resorts on Jamaica.Those resorts have the reputation for being uninhibited and sexually oriented. The activities that Club Med and their competitors offer is similar but the way it is offered may be different. The original mission statement includes the idea that the company’s goal is to take a group of strangers away from their everyday lives and bring them together in a relaxing and fun atmosphere in different parts of the world. They create brand loyalty by asking the consumers to join the Club Med Club, they send them newsletters, discounts, thus making people feel special.Each resort is accommodated with all the necessary facilities like, sailing, volleyball, tennis and basketball fields and so on. There are no phones, TVs radios; this is done in order to separate individuals form civilization so that they could relax. Club Med organizes everything to enco urage social interaction between guests. Everything is included in the price except bar drink and items purchased in the small shops. There are different activities every day. After 1996 Club Med does not have as large of a sales increase as it had anticipated.It is due to economic and ecological disasters in countries where Club Med has resorts. It has a signed contract with the government of the country it enters stating that the firm will increase the tourism in the area. And the government instead will provide the financial aid to help maintain the new resort facilities. However the joint ventures have not proven to be profitable. After September 11, 2001 Club Med had to close down 15 of its villages. It only reopened 6 and opened 4 new ones.Tsunami in south East Asia devoured most of its coastline and Club Med properties in Malaysia, Phuket and so on. Happenings in one area where it is based often indirectly affect other resorts as well. Club Med fell on hard financial times th rough much of 1990s. In 1998 Philippe Bourguignon was brought in a new chairman to stem the decline. He instigated $500 million three year rescue program. Unprofitable villages were closed. Thanks to the new chairman Club Med is making a comeback. Attendance is rising and company made a modest profit last year.Even though they still have problem their revenue rises and it seems to be on track to success. In 2005 it reported a net revenue of $3 million Euros, compared to its $4 million loss year before. In 2202 a new chairman was appointed. Henri Giscard d’Estaing knows the brand recognition the company has and uses hat for the benefit. Club Med plans to enter China, U. S, France and so on. U. S. is Club Meds Number 1 target. It plans to open 3 new resorts around U. S it spends large amount of money on advertising, renewing facilities and adding new ones.