Service Profit Chain Valuation Argument about whether employee Essay

Service Profit Chain Valuation Argument about whether employee satisfaction can lead to Customer satisfaction in hence leads to customer loyalty - Essay Example Customer loyalty means that the resort will have repeat business from the same customers and, therefore, remain doing business (Kamakura et al. 2002, p.311). Furthermore, customer loyalty increases the repurchase levels which translate to profitability and a large consumer base. In the service industry, consumer satisfaction is the driving force behind marketing thought and practice (Chakrapani 1998, p.47). In practice, consumer satisfaction is the consumer’s comparison between their purchase and use with the rewards and costs of the service. Other than consumer satisfaction, employee satisfaction is also another factor that determines the profitability of resorts and spas. The employees provide the various services to the customers. Their service delivery is what determines the customer satisfaction and loyalty in the long run. For this reason, employees are the essential part in the service industry. Management in this industry has to manage employees in such a way that they are satisfied. This is the biggest challenge in the hospitality industry as it determines the overall success of the resort or spa. In addition, employee satisfaction increases guest satisfaction and ultimately guest loyalty. This essay analyzes the two concepts, consumer satisfaction, and employee satisfaction, using the service profit chain theory to fully understand their significance to the service industry. Advertising and marketing in this industry relies heavily on consumer behavior; it is the success scale of this industry. The challenge in this industry is trying to attract customers for longer visits and repeat business (Smith & Puczko 2009, p.13). In comparison to other hospitality segments, the resort and spa industry is the fastest growing segment in this industry. Their number has grown steadily over the last few years due to their unique and novel services they provide. Smith and Puczko (2009) attribute the growth of this industry to the recent global trend of alternative

Roles and Role Dynamics within the Daimler-Chrysler Corporation after Essay

Roles and Role Dynamics within the Daimler-Chrysler Corporation after Their Merger - Essay Example The paper tells that merger is one more important element of globalization. The phenomenon of a merger has been observed by the specialists of various sciences. One of the interesting aspects of the phenomenon is its influence on the corporate relations and the role dynamics after the process of merger. The case with Daimler-Chrysler Corporation is interesting to be examined as the example within the research as the case of the merger that appeared to be a takeover, with all its effects, influencing the relations within the corporation with its financial success. "In fact, up to 80 percent of corporate mergers and acquisitions fail to garner the expected financial gains, mainly because the deal-makers fail to anticipate the psychological and philosophical clashes that can undermine the alliance, industrial/organizational (I/O)". Before describing the circumstances of the merger it is important to describe the major events that happened just before the merger. The Chrysler company was a successful enterprise when it was headed by Lee Iacocca, its President. By the end of the 70s, he provided his company with $1.5 billion dollars as federal loan guarantees. These loan guarantees made Chrysler a profitable company until 1988 when innovations became necessary. The President of the company decided to risk and produced four kinds of new products - pickup trucks, sedans, minivan, and jeep. But at the beginning of the 90s Lee retired and it led the company to failure. After the merger, Chrysler began to lose money very quickly... The factors that led to such regress need careful consideration and the specialists are ambivalent as to determine the reason for the situation occurred. The company seemed to run well when the problems fell. When the problems revealed, the successor of Lee Iaccocoa, Robert Eaton, was fired and some other executives were fired with him. His place was occupied by Dieter Zetche, who found that the present market situation demands reorganization in the company structure. He created a team of specialists that replaced the executives that were fired with Robert Eaton. His innovations comprised changes in the improvement of the quality and as well as producing new products - a new model of pickup and jeep. This policy turned out to be successful and Chrysler received 788 million euros in 2002. In the merger of 1998, Daimler Benz and Chrysler Corporation created a new corporation of companies approximately of the same size but quite different in organizational culture and corporate relations. Chrysler was a company created in the USA, with the business strategy of the company dictated by the necessity of the flexible approaches and innovations. Daimler Benz was inspired by the features of the German culture - it is characterized by the strict hierarchical structure with high diversifications in corporate relations. The merger looked like it was the union of two partners with equal rights, and this was the information that had b een presented to the USA public by Daimler. But the fact was that the Chrysler Corporation had been sold. This led to numerous problems that occurred in the company itself, and these problems may partially influence the failure the company faced in 1998 - 2000.

Wireless Technologies Paper Essay Example for Free

Wireless Technologies Paper Essay Party Plates Company has come to the conclusion that there is a need for a new proposal for wireless technology. Our goal is to meet goals in technology advancement and to be up to date with our consumers and business associates. Our proposal will focus on wireless technology that will benefit the party plate business. Our team will also provide the pros and cons to our idea and justify our choices to incorporate them into Party Plates Company. In the proposal we will also include a spreadsheet presenting the equipment needed for using the technologies and the costs involved with the equipment. The wireless technologies that our team recommends for Party Plates Company are WIFI and Laptops. WIFI is wireless technology that allows electronic devices to exchange data using radio waves. These radio waves are transmitted using an antenna called a wireless access point. (Rainer Jr Cegieiski, 2011) WIFI has the potential to save Party Plates Company the cost of having wires installed throughout the company. Laptop technology consists of a small computer that is portable, you can access customer files from anywhere in the building that and also check inventory from the comfort of your home if needed. You will no longer be confined to your office or to any electrical cords. It also involves less wire tangling around your desk which could be a safety hazard. A laptop will allow a manager or supervisor communicate with staff, clients, and employees. WIFI and Laptops are reliable wireless technologies; however, they also possess their own disadvantages. WIFI signals can be slow depending upon how far you are from the router. This can delay the network speed, just like when too many people are using the service at the same time. The demands of a large number of users attempting to access a Wi-Fi network at once can tax the bandwidth capacity of the network, causing outages. † (Blank, 1999-2012) There is also the problem of security when using WIFI. Using this wireless technology makes it harder to control the content viewed, especially when personal computers can access the network. Laptops can typically be a more expensive technology than your normal desktop system. They can also pose a security drawback. Laptops now have cameras making it easy to copy or transfer confidential information. Regardless of the drawbacks associated with these two devices, the ease of use, the availability, and the functions outweighs its flaws. We feel that both of these wireless technologies would work well for Party Plates Company. WIFI is easy to use, efficient, and flexible. Although there may be difficulties with security and network overload, if the WIFI is password protected and monitored these possibilities could be diminished. Laptops can be secure, efficient, and portable. The increased price for system upkeep and possible collisions are only small problems to accurately control inventory and regulate sales.

Echelon: Considerations with International Communications Monitoring :: Technology

Echelon: Considerations with International Communications Monitoring Introduction Since the invention of radio, intelligence-gathering organizations have been developing and using eavesdropping techniques to intercept and review wireless communications. Initially, these capabilities were solely used to spy on hostile nations, and particularly for military purposes. Human operators had to manually review each transmission, and cryptanalysts pored over military ciphers in an attempt to decode important messages. As wireless communication has become an integral part of commercial and individual existence, and potential threats to security are increasingly found in peacetime and on home ground, the scope of this intelligence gathering has likewise broadened. One of the most controversial eavesdropping systems in existence is a classified project known as ‘Echelon.’ Its use of computer hardware and software to filter communications from all over the world brings up many ethical issues related to the impact of computers on privacy. Overview of Echelon Most of the evidence for Echelon is circumstantial, though a few facts have been established. The participating organizations (notably the US Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency) have neither confirmed nor denied its existence. In lieu of a discussion of the ethical issues, a brief summary of the current knowledge follows. How it Works Echelon is the product of Cold War efforts to monitor wireless communications in the USSR. It traces its roots back to the clandestine UKUSA alliance, a communications intelligence agreement that dates back from around 1947. Member nations include the US, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It is now known that the system has been in existence for at least 20 years.[1] In the past, high frequency radio listening posts were also used to listen to radio communications. Currently, the system is composed of a series of eavesdropping satellites, ground listening stations, and supercomputers that intercept and sift through telecommunications satellite broadcasts. These broadcasts include faxes, phone calls, and web traffic- especially those dispatched over long distances.[2] The term Echelon has never actually been mentioned by officials, but is believed to represent the computer system that manages the data gathered by the network.[3] The computers are used to store and ana lyze text data for key words, and to review telephone conversations for unique ‘voiceprints’ or the phone numbers of persons under surveillance.[4] This makes it possible to filter an enormous amount of traffic, since human analysts review only relevant messages. The US National Security Agency (NSA) is widely considered to be both the originator and head of the project, and likely owns and operates the major computer facilities for Echelon. Echelon: Considerations with International Communications Monitoring :: Technology Echelon: Considerations with International Communications Monitoring Introduction Since the invention of radio, intelligence-gathering organizations have been developing and using eavesdropping techniques to intercept and review wireless communications. Initially, these capabilities were solely used to spy on hostile nations, and particularly for military purposes. Human operators had to manually review each transmission, and cryptanalysts pored over military ciphers in an attempt to decode important messages. As wireless communication has become an integral part of commercial and individual existence, and potential threats to security are increasingly found in peacetime and on home ground, the scope of this intelligence gathering has likewise broadened. One of the most controversial eavesdropping systems in existence is a classified project known as ‘Echelon.’ Its use of computer hardware and software to filter communications from all over the world brings up many ethical issues related to the impact of computers on privacy. Overview of Echelon Most of the evidence for Echelon is circumstantial, though a few facts have been established. The participating organizations (notably the US Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency) have neither confirmed nor denied its existence. In lieu of a discussion of the ethical issues, a brief summary of the current knowledge follows. How it Works Echelon is the product of Cold War efforts to monitor wireless communications in the USSR. It traces its roots back to the clandestine UKUSA alliance, a communications intelligence agreement that dates back from around 1947. Member nations include the US, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It is now known that the system has been in existence for at least 20 years.[1] In the past, high frequency radio listening posts were also used to listen to radio communications. Currently, the system is composed of a series of eavesdropping satellites, ground listening stations, and supercomputers that intercept and sift through telecommunications satellite broadcasts. These broadcasts include faxes, phone calls, and web traffic- especially those dispatched over long distances.[2] The term Echelon has never actually been mentioned by officials, but is believed to represent the computer system that manages the data gathered by the network.[3] The computers are used to store and ana lyze text data for key words, and to review telephone conversations for unique ‘voiceprints’ or the phone numbers of persons under surveillance.[4] This makes it possible to filter an enormous amount of traffic, since human analysts review only relevant messages. The US National Security Agency (NSA) is widely considered to be both the originator and head of the project, and likely owns and operates the major computer facilities for Echelon.

Effects of the Media on Young Girls Essay -- Eating Disorders Anorexia

Effects of the Media on Young Girls I can remember her standing in front of the mirror looking at herself. How she thought she was beautiful, I don’t know. Because the image I saw was of a person who looked like a living corpse. She had to have weighed only 100 pounds, her hair so thin, the black bags under her eyes, and her overall grayish complexion made her look as if she were a dead. As she saw me staring at her in the corner of her eye, she slammed the door in my face. That was the big sister that I knew now. She was no longer the big sister that I could go to and get advice from or have a good laugh with. No, she was too busy with her own schedule and not to mention her terrible mood swings. My older sister Jessica was one of the many teenage girls who suffered from an eating disorder known as Anorexia Nervosa. Eating disorders have increased severely in the past 20 years among young girls and has now become a major problem in the United States. Many experts have tried to find the cau se of eating disorders, and one of the many solutions is the effects that the media has over young girls. By using super thin models and actresses, the media illustrates the message that happiness and success comes with a thin body. The messages portray that to be thin as teen idols and models requires people to achieve a weight that is not healthy. To these young girls, the media’s message of thinness contributes to their low self-esteem on body image which leads to dangerous eating disorders. The media is an important aspect of today’s culture. Almost every household in the Untied States owns a television set and the average American watches 3 to 5 hours of television a day. Television is not the only... ... pattern of binge-eating followed by self-induced purging or abuse of laxatives. People with disease often restrict themselves and then self indulge on food feeling sick shortly after. The affects of this disease are damage to teeth due from acid in the stomach, dehydration, weakness, electrolyte imbalance, bleeding and infection of the throat, digestive and intestinal problems, muscle spasms, and headaches. The question you have to ask yourself is, â€Å"Is being thin worth getting sick or even dying for?† Many young girls do not see the dark side of being thin. All they see is the beauty and glamour due to all of the messages they receive from the media. Since young girls find it important to mimic these thin images they spend hours and dollars trying reduce their waists and legs by dieting and exercising, all to obtain society’s â€Å"perfect body image.†

“Island Man” and “The Fringe Of The Sea” Essay

I recently read two poems entitled â€Å"Island Man† and â€Å"The Fringe Of The Sea†. They are both similar in theme, but they also have many differences. Both poems are based on the emotions of people who live near the sea and their feelings towards it. This theme relates to both of the authors, and connects them; the author of â€Å"The Fringe Of The Sea†, A.L. Hendricks, was born in Jamaica and later in life moved to Britain. Grace Nichols, author of â€Å"Island Man†, was born in Ghana and then also immigrated to the UK. Grace Nichols’ poem â€Å"Island Man† is about a Caribbean man who lives in London, but still longs for his home and the sea. The poem follows the man as he wakes in the morning to the memories of his home in the Caribbean and the sound of the sea in his head. I believe that the main theme of the poem is that home is important and it will always be with you no matter what. There is also a strong theme of reluctance coming from â€Å"Island Man† to move on with his life and leave his past behind. His unwillingness to get up in the morning can also be viewed as a strong metaphor of his reluctance to leave his past behind. An interesting concept played on in the poem is that it takes place when â€Å"Island Man† wakes up – leaving him in the state of being half asleep and half awake. This gives the author the ability to let you guess which parts of the poem are the reality, dreams and memories of his life – using this the author can entangle them together. A good example of this is the line â€Å"his crumpled pillow waves† – it shows the reality (his crumpled pillow) and as he is half awake and half asleep his dreams and memories view the crumples in the pillow as â€Å"waves†. The theme of identity is also strong in the poem. â€Å"Island Man† is never given a name so that he can also be seen as a symbol of the people who have moved from their home countries and felt like they have lost part of themselves; their identity. Therefore â€Å"Island Man† can be seen as a representative of  these people, and so I believe that they will relate with the character – this also fits in to the background of the author, Grace Nichols, so it is possible she did this so that she relates to the character. The Island in â€Å"Island Man† could also be a way of showing his emotions, e.g. he is an isolated or lonely man trapped on an emotional island. The poem is also written in free verse, with no sentence structure or full stops. This suggests the idea of no restrictions and freedom, just like the Caribbean is for Island Man, compared to his London life. Just before the poem starts there is information in parenthesis, this helps set the scene by giving a little information telling you what the poem is about. As soon as you begin reading the poem it is obvious that the poem is written in a first person narrative rather than a third person narrative. I believe the reason for this would be because with a third person narrative it is distanced from the character, whilst with a first person one you can sympathize with the character and you could also identify with them. The first line â€Å"Morning† has more than just the surface meaning here, it also seems to be a pun on the word â€Å"Mourning† to suggest sadness in Island Man. More evidence for this is that the word is on its own in the line, this could be meaning loneliness, which is generally related to sadness. The word could also be viewed as a way of showing a new start, as mornings are a new start for every day, it could also be a metaphor for a new beginning in Island Man’s life. This new start would be Island Man leaving home and starting his new life in London. The next line â€Å"and Island Man wakes up† shows that the character of Island Man has no name as he is referred to without a using a name. This suggests that he may feel like he has no identity after leaving a large part of his life behind in the Caribbean. Line three and four are a change from the previous two as we begin to see a strong rhythm forming. The line is as follows – â€Å"to the sound of blue surf / in his head in is head† although these are two separate lines (separated  here with a slash) they are related poetically. These lines use enjambment for the effect of the lines flowing into each other to make it seems like the sea. The first half flows smoothly, as does the second half, except for the final word. The letter â€Å"S† is used in both halves to bring them together – to remind the readers of Islands Man closeness to the sea. The letter â€Å"H† (â€Å"head†) is a break from the â€Å"S’s† and therefore the rhythm is lost. The third line (â€Å"to the sound of blue surf†) has alliteration of the letter â€Å"S†. The sound of this letter is very much like that of the waves to remind the reader of the sea. To insure that this comes across to the readers there is emphasis on these letters. There is also an emphasis on the word â€Å"head† here to make the readers realize that it is only in Island Man’s head, as he also realizes the truth. The fourth line uses two verbs, which have internal rhyme to make the line flow  easier (breaking and wombing). The first verb â€Å"breaking† suggests the repetitive and steady breaking of the waves on the Caribbean sands. More evidence of this meaning the waves is the fact that the line says â€Å"the steady breaking and wombing† which clearly illustrates the waves motion. The second verb â€Å"wombing† is derived from the word â€Å"womb†; therefore this connotes warmth, maternal love and family. Island Man would connect all of these with his home, and he would connect the first one in an emotional and physical sense. In this line the adverb â€Å"steady† is used to describe the verbs. Whilst other words could have been used to this effect I believe â€Å"steady† was chosen because the first letter is an â€Å"S†, which continues the alliteration from the previous lines – and reinforces the rhythm The first line of the next stanza â€Å"wild seabirds† may not seem to hold much information but it seems to be comparing London and the Caribbean by using the adjective â€Å"wild† which is a contrast to the Pigeons usually found in London. The second line of the second stanza is as follows – â€Å"and fishermen pushing out to sea†. Here we have alliteration of the letters â€Å"SH† in â€Å"fishermen†Ã‚  and â€Å"pushing† it is also mildly repeated in the word â€Å"sea† at the end of the sentence by using the letter â€Å"S†. Again, this suggests the sound of the sea There is a continuing of the alliteration of the letter â€Å"S† through onto the last line of this stanza with the words â€Å"sun surfacing†. The adverb used to illustrate the sun is an interesting one (â€Å"the sun surfacing defiantly†), it seems to suggest that Island Man does not want the sun to rise over his island home, as it is defying him. This is another way of showing Island Man’s reluctance to leave his past life behind, as he doesn’t want life to go on without him. This could also mean that the sun surfaces in London when he doesn’t want it to, as it awakes him from his dreams of his past life. There is also a rhyme at the end of this line with the end of the previous line – it is â€Å"sea† and â€Å"defiantly†. Rhyme creates harmony and a relaxed atmosphere; this reflects Island Man’s thoughts about the island. The next stanza has a situation where his memories, dreams and reality becomes entwined. There are a number of different possibilities for this stanza, and I believe the author did not make any of these possibilities singularly correct, but rather wanted the reader to guess. On its own the stanza reads as â€Å"from the east / of his small emerald island / he always comes back†. The obvious meaning of this is that in London (â€Å"the east†) he awakes from the dreams (â€Å"he always comes back†). This possibility is based on the reality, whilst if you pair it up with the last line of the previous stanza (â€Å"the sun surfacing defiantly†) it gives it a new meaning based more on his memories and dreams and then back to reality – â€Å"the sun surfacing defiantly / from the east / of his small emerald island / he always comes back†. This possibility tells of the sun surfacing to the east of the island, which are his memories and/or his dreams. The island is cleverly described as a small emerald in the second line of this stanza, this not only relates to its colour, a lush tropical green, but also its value. An emerald, although small is very valuable and precious, as the island is to Island Man. Before the writing continues there is a large gap, which I beielve illustrates the reluctance of Island Man in leaving his past behind, it also  shows that change will take time as the lines read as â€Å"he always comes back / groggily groggily†. The word â€Å"groggily† connotes a slow, sleepy movement, this is Island Man getting out of bed, which is a metaphor for his reluctance to leave his past behind. So as it takes time to get out of bed it takes time get on with his London life. Next the poem goes on to what Island Man comes back to – â€Å"Comes back to sands / of a grey metallic soar†. The first line is about Island Man coming back to a place of a â€Å"grey metallic soar† which is obviously London. Although there are only three words in the line they all connote a strong image of London. They seem to suggest a soaring of traffic (â€Å"soar†), a bleak landscape of buildings and a concrete jungle (â€Å"grey†) and more cars (â€Å"metallic†). It may seem that these are a strong contrast to the Caribbean, but they all have their similarities and connections, which Island Man can see, which maybe explains why he refers to it as â€Å"sands†. These similarities are sea birds rather than traffic (â€Å"soar†), jungles and trees rather than buildings (â€Å"grey†/green) and wood boats and houses rather than cars (â€Å"metallic†/wooden). The next line has the same gap that exists before the repetition of â€Å"groggily† earlier on in the poem. However this gap is more to do with acceptance rather than reluctance as Island Man realises he must face the reality. This makes sense as the line is † to the surge of wheels†. The word surge here is used as a contrast between the surge of wheels and the surge of the tropical waves, the shape of a wheel is also similar to that of a curling wave, and the repeating of the waves is similar to the turning of wheels. The line following this is â€Å"to a dull North Circular roar†. The North Circular is a road in London in the shape of circle, this is a contrast to the Island home of Island Man and the roar is a contrast of the traffic and the sea. Dull is also used to compare; as the Island Man views the Caribbean as being anything but dull, whilst he views London life as being dreary. The words â€Å"roar† and â€Å"soar† rhyme but in a different way to the previous rhyme, which seemed very smooth and seemed to flow easily, whilst this rhyme is  much more coarse. This is again a metaphor for how Island Man viewed the contrast between his Caribbean life and his London life. The final stanza of the poem begins with the repetition of the word â€Å"muffling†. This suggests that Island Man is covering his head with his pillows to drown out the sound of the traffic, as he wants to keep the sound of the waves in his head. Island Man tries to hide the fact that he is no longer at home from himself in order to feel some comfort. There is more evidence for this on the next line as he seeks comfort by pretending the crumples on his pillow are the waves of the sea. This is followed by the line â€Å"and island man heaves himself†. This is Island Man finally getting out of his bed to face the realities of his London life, and the verb â€Å"heaved† seems to refer back to the fishermen earlier. It is also a word, which connotes intense effort and energy, which again refers back to the reluctance of Island Man. The poem is finished with a single line on it’s own, this line is â€Å"Another London day† which tells the reader that Island Man now must accept his reality in London, although unwillingly. I personally enjoyed reading Island Man as it is very well written and the author has been very clever in disguising her message in a subtle way but still delivering the message is a powerful one. The poem also suggests the characters emotions in a realistic way using a large array of poetic devices, for instance I have never felt homesick, but thanks to the author I could sympathize for Island Man. Island Man is also a poem with many different layers to it – the poem can be viewed from many different angles to give a slightly differing meaning to it each time it is read – I personally enjoy poems like this as they tend to get better the more you read them as you reveal their different layers of meaning. A similar poem to â€Å"Island Man† is â€Å"The Fringe of The Sea†. This poem has many similarities, but also many differences to the previous poem. This poem is about a community of Island people and their feelings rather than about a  single man as in Island Man. Although Island Man himself was a representative of these people The Fringe Of The Sea is less personal than Island Man making it hard to connect with and feel for the characters. The main reason for this is that whilst Island Man deals with one person, The Fringe Of The Sea is written in first person plural (â€Å"We† and â€Å"Us† rather than â€Å"I†). This obviously distances you from the people, as you cannot get singular thoughts of a person. However it shows that these people all have the same/similar opinions, which shows that these people co-work, co-operate and live together in harmony. The main theme of this poem is co-working – it shows that all people who live upon small islands live in harmony with each other and nature and grow a mutual respect for both of them. Unlike the previous poem there are not many themes and many different ways to look at the poem, it has instead one strong view of the poem, which is enforced throughout. This poem is written in free verse, although mostly in stanzas of three or four lines – most lines are of a similar length, although a few aren’t. This is very different to the form and structure of Island Man, which has variable stanza and line lengths and with some lines with a large space before them and protruding out to the side of the poem. Similarly to Island Man however there is a shortage of capital letters – in both poems they are only used for pronouns or nouns (â€Å"North Circular† and â€Å"We†). The first stanza of the poem begins with the pronoun â€Å"We† showing that it is in first person plural narrative, which differs from Island Man’s third person narrative. There is also a repetition of â€Å"We† to emphasize the point and to emphasize its meaning. In the first stanza, there are a few similarities to the poem Island Man, here is the first stanza – â€Å"We do not like to awaken / far from the fringe of the sea / we who live upon small islands†. It is apparent immediately that once again the poem is about people who live upon a small island, although there is no information about its location – as there was in Island Man (in a parenthesis at the start of the poem). Another similarity is that the word â€Å"awaken† is used in this poem, and waking up is used as a strong metaphor and theme of Island Man,  these people obviously feel the same way as Island Man does about the sea – neither want to â€Å"awaken far from the fringe of the sea†. The second line of this stanza uses alliteration of the letter â€Å"F† (â€Å"far from the fringe of the sea†). This creates a soothing sound similar to the sea waves, as it is a soft sounding letter to pronounce. Enjambment is also used to recreate the flowing of the sea waves with the lines continuing into each other. Rhythm is used here to create a sense of harmony and peace – it is used in Island Man to the same effect. Both of these poetic forms were also used to a similar effect in Island Man – alliteration was used with the repetition of the letter â€Å"S† or sometimes â€Å"SH† to reproduce the sound of the sea. Enjambment is also used in the same way in Island Man. The metaphor â€Å"the fringe of the sea† is very effective as it gives you the image of the white surf on the waves, which is similar in shape to a fringe. In the final line of this stanza (â€Å"we who live upon small islands†) the geographical difference is noted by using the adjective â€Å"small† – this compares it with larger islands such as Britain, and therefo re London, so this is similarity to Island Man as well. The second stanza refers back to the idea of waking up with the lines â€Å"We like to rise up early /quick in the agile mornings† – this shows the opposite of Island Man’s attitude in the first poem; whilst Island Man was reluctant and unwilling these lines connote eagerness and energy. However this is almost certainly how Island Man must have felt on his island, as he has different feelings away from it, so they do resemble each other in that sense – showing both sides of waking up at home and away. Using the adjective â€Å"quick† to describe them rising in the mornings is another way of showing energy, which is a contrast to the lack of energy in Island Man. The adjective â€Å"agile† is used to the same effect to describe the morning upon the island. The next lines of the stanza reinforce the idea of being close to nature and the sea († and walk out only small distances / to look down on the water†). One apparent difference here is that in â€Å"Island Man† every line had a meaning and held lots of information, but in â€Å"The Fringe Of The Sea†, most lines are supportive of the previous and next lines. The present participle of â€Å"swaying† is used in the next stanza to show  ongoing activity and motion, these were also used in Island Man when he remembering his home (â€Å"fishermen pushing†). Next there is a list of what the sea offers to the people – â€Å"with songs, and tides, and endless boatways, and undulate patterns and moods†. This is not totally different from Island Man; there is a short list of what Island Man remembers from his island in the second stanza of the poem (â€Å"wild seabirds / and fishermen pushing out to sea / the sun surfacing defiantly†). The term â€Å"endless boatways† is an effective one, which connotes that the islanders use the sea in the same way we use roads. This is a contrast to modern/western life – which occur frequently in Island Man. Using the modifier â€Å"undulate† to describe the patterns of the waves portrays a strong image of their smooth continuous motion. There is no use of personification in the poem Island Man, but there is some use of it in The Fringe Of The Sea – the sea’s â€Å"moods† are referred to. Personifying the sea here connotes that they actually see the sea as a person, a part of the community, co-working with the islanders (providing food). The fourth stanza is as follows – â€Å"We want to be able to saunter beside it / slowpaced in burning sunlight / barearmed, barefoot, bareheaded,†). It begins once again by saying what they want to be able to do by the sea, which is to â€Å"saunter† – this is very different to the cars on the North Circular in Island Man. The word â€Å"slowpaced† also works to the same effect. Using alliteration of the letter â€Å"B† creates a relaxed atmosphere, to mimic the atmosphere of island life. Alliteration is used in Island Man to create the same effect. The first line of the next stanza reinforces the theme of being at one with nature – â€Å"and to stoop down to the shallows†. The rest of the stanza – â€Å"sifting the random water / between assaying fingers / like farmers do with soil,† uses a simile to compare island life with western life. It contrasts farmers with the island fishermen (fishermen are also noted in Island Man). This suggests that the island people view the sea as being their crop fields and soil as they depend on it just as much as farmers depend on their land for food. Both peoples (farmers and islanders), although they mostly live in different cultures, harvest in the same way – a strong similarity by use of a simile is not used in Island Man. Rather than powerful similes it gives  its message through many subtle metaphors. Respect it also suggested by this simile as they co-work together, which is a strong theme in the second poem. There is good use of the verb â€Å"assay ing† which contrasts farmers testing the land and the islanders testing the water to asses the quality. Here is the next stanza – â€Å"and to think of turquoise mackerel / turning with consummate grace, / sleek and decorous / and elegant in high chambers†. The readers are told that the though of the sea and it’s harvest is enough to make them happy – this relates back to Island Man as it was only his thoughts that kept him happy. Describing the fish as â€Å"turquoise mackerel† is another effective use of adjectives as it gives a strong image of perfect, delicious looking fish. Turquoise is also a valuable stone, which connotes that the islanders see the fish as being precious to them. This is also very similar to Island Man calling his home â€Å"his small emerald island† – both use precious stones to show both colour and value of an item (â€Å"emerald island† and â€Å"turquoise fish†). The rest of the stanza is about the similarity between the fish swimming and a sophisticated ballroom dance. The next three lines of the stanza use adjectives to describe the â€Å"turquoise fish† in a similar way that ballroom dancers can be described. These adjectives are â€Å"consummate†, â€Å"sleek†, â€Å"decorous† and â€Å"elegant† – all of which can be related to both fish swimming and sophisticated dancing, this shows that the islanders view the fish as being sophisticated and civilized and maybe as equals as they need them to survive, rather than dismissing them as nothing important as most modern/western people would nowadays. The â€Å"high blue chambers† in the final line of the stanza refers to the sea, which is similar to their dancing chamber. The next stanza is a short one once again reinforcing the fact that these people always want to be at one with the sea – they see it as their streets – â€Å"We want to be able to walk out into it†, their offices and workplaces – â€Å"to work in it† and to recreate in it – â€Å"dive and swim and play in it†. Once again this is a list similar to the one earlier in the poem – there is also a short list in Island Man. The following stanza is also a list of verbs, about the things these people  want to be able to do in the sea. The first two lines are a contrast to Island Man’s London life (â€Å"to row and sail / to pilot over it’s sandless highways†). The lines are about transport – compared to the â€Å"soaring† cars on the North Circular in Island Man. The third line (â€Å"and to hear†) shows that the sound of the sea is enough to make these people happy – this fits in well with Island Man as he hears the sea in his head, this is enough to make him happy. The line is a short one, with a simple meaning on it’s own to emphasize just how important the sound really is to these people and how it alone makes a large difference. This poetic form is also used in the poem Island Man in the first line (â€Å"Morning†) to strongly emphasize a single point. The final line of the stanza – â€Å"it’s call and murmurs wherever we may be† is linked by enjambment with the previous line. This is also similar to Island Man, where there are a number of lines using enjambment for effect. The line itself seems to resemble exactly how Island Man feels, which shows that the emotions of Island Man and these people are very real, as two different authors have given them exactly the same feelings and emotions. Island Man hears the sea’s call in his head and the soothing sounds and murmurs. The rest of line also fit’s in well with Island Man, as it is about the fact that location isn’t important to these people – â€Å"wherever we may be† broadens the horizons the poem as had up until now, it has all been â€Å"Us† and â€Å"We†, but now it has changed. There is no change like this in the poem Island Man because Island Man himself is a symbol of all these people. The final stanza of the poem – (â€Å"All who have lived upon small islands / want to sleep and awaken / close to the fringe of the sea†) begins by broadening its horizons once more. It is now totally inclusive of everybody who has lived upon small islands (â€Å"All who have lived†). The poem now speaks for not only this community, but also every single community like it that exists. Rather than using a subtle metaphor for this (like Island Man does) this poem just come out and says it – and it is believable as the whole community feels the same way, so why shouldn’t every other one? It also eases you into the situation by beginning to broaden its horizons in the previous stanza – nothing like this is used in Island Man. The rest of this stanza is merely a repetiton of the first stanza to bring everything back together and to reinforce the poem’s message. This does occur close to the end of Island Man  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ it says that â€Å"island man heaves himself†, which is referring back to the fishermen previously in the poem. The definitive finalizing of the poem is also used at the end of Island Man for the same purposes as it is used here in The Fringe Of The Sea. The Fringe Of The Sea is a poem I also enjoyed reading as the author uses a number of contrasts between modern/western life and island life which really makes you think and wonder which is truly better. This poem is trying to give a simple message telling us of how content these people are with their simple lives and I believe that this point is delivered well – you can really feel the emotion of these people in the poem without using too many adjectives, or even many words as it is a simple request which is repeated throughout the poem (all that â€Å"we† want is†¦). Out of the two poems I preferred Island Man, mainly for the reason that it stays as a good poem in my mind no matter how much I read it. Whilst The Fringe Of The Sea reveals its full meaning the first time around you need to read Island Man a few times to fully understand all of its meanings – I personally like this as it the mark of a good poet and it shows that lots of thought and effort have gone into the poem. For me it is the difference in depth that make Island Man the better poem of the two.

Introduction to Research Methods and Blended Learning

This is the 2nd out of three studies the writer aims to compose approximately blended acquisition. The first paper introduced readers to intermix acquisition. He discussed what blended truly was and the grounds why pedagogues prefer to incorporate blended larning into their instruction. He besides outlined the range, restrictions and targeted user of the research. Two articles were besides analyzed by the writer. The first article was written by Norm Vaughan, of the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education ( AACE ) Chesapeake, VA, for the International Journal on E-Learning on the Positions on Blended Learning in Higher Education. In the article he discussed the benefits and restrictions of blended acquisition in establishments of higher instruction from the position of those who had experience with this method of acquisition. The 2nd article was written by the Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development at Oxford Brookes University for the Higher Education Academy. The purpose of the survey was to reexamine bing research and pattern on blended acquisition, place cardinal surveies and issues, and do recommendations to steer future policies, patterns and research. The writer concluded the paper by bespeaking that he felt blended acquisition is the natural development of e-learning. In this study, the writer aims to carry on a literature reappraisal on blended acquisition. The writer would farther explicate what blended acquisition is. He would sketch the assorted degrees of blended learning.The advantages and disadvantages of blended acquisition would besides be discussed in this paper. The writer would so seek to reply the chief research inquiry, which is, how does Blended Learning aid in current instruction system? The writer besides aims to happen out if blended acquisition is really better than the traditional face to confront signifier of acquisition. The writer would stop by giving his ain positions on blended acquisition.2.0 Blended LearningBlended Learning involves the integrating or blending of larning plans in assorted formats to accomplish a common end. Blended larning plans normally consists of a combination of talk suites and on-line plans. Blended acquisition could besides be defined as the merger of traditional face to face and on-line larning st rategies to maximise the effectivity of preparation plans. In blended acquisition, the preparation plan is broken down into faculties and the most suited bringing methods are selected for each and tailored to single demands. The chief purpose is to take advantage of the best characteristics of each method. An array of media may be used, runing from traditional workshops, classroom-based instruction, books and other support stuffs, computer-based preparation and CD-ROMs.2.1 Brief history of Blended acquisitionAlthough the term blended larning merely gained popularity in the past few old ages, it has been utilized for decennaries by pedagogues and organisations at every degree. In the pure sense of the term, blended larning fundamentally means using more than one larning attack to educate pupils. Recently blended acquisition has been viewed as the mixture of traditional face to confront larning and engineering, utilizing whatever was popular at the clip. This could include everything from reckoners to telecastings sets to personal computing machines and the Internet with both it advantages or disadvantages. During the class of the last 15 old ages blended acquisition has evolved significantly. Both the figure of pedagogues learning blended course of studies and the many different sorts of blends being used are a testament to the feasibleness of these types of plans.2.2 Degrees of Blended LearningBlended acquisition occurs at a assortment of different degrees. All of the signifiers Blended Learning occur at one of the undermentioned four different degrees ; aˆ? Activity degree aˆ? Course degree aˆ? Program degree. aˆ? Institutional degree.Activity Level Blending.Blending at the this degree occurs when a acquisition activity contains both face-to-face ( F2F ) and computing machine mediated ( CM ) elements.Course Level Blending.Course degree blending is one of the most popular ways to intermix. It consists of a combination of the traditional face to face ( F2F ) and computing machine mediated ( CM ) activities used as portion of a class.Program Level Blending.Blending at a plan degree frequently involves a theoretical account in which the participants choose a mix between face to face ( F2F ) classs and on-line classs or one in which the combination between the two is prescribed by the plan.Institutional Level Blending.Some educational establishments and organisations have made a committedness to intermixing face-to-face ( F2F ) and computing machine mediated ( CM ) direction. The University of Phoenix has an institutional theoretical account for intermixing where pupils have F2F categories at the beginning and terminal of the class with on-line activities in between. ( C. Graham and B. Young, 2004 ) .2.3 Advantages of Blended LearningBlended acquisition has several advantages over other signifiers of larning. Past surveies and articles on blended acquisition has revealed that pacing and attending is an advantage of blended acquisition. In most blended acquisition schoolrooms, there is the ability to larn whenever the pupil decides to make so. If a pupil is absent from a lesson, he or she may see some of the lost talk stuffs at the same clip that the remainder of the category does, despite the fact that the pupil ‘s non physically present in the category room. This ensures that pupils who might hold one ground or the other that prevents them from attended talks on a regular basis can still be on the same page as all the other pupils in the category. This larning attack besides ensures that pupils can see learning stuffs at any clip they decide to, in instance they want to revisit what they have been taught or merely travel on to future subjects, for those who learn at a faster gait. ( Alvarez, 2005 ) Another advantage of blended acquisition is the fact that it maximizes the effectivity of larning. Most pupils indicate that the schoolroom can be a dull and deadening topographic point to larn sometimes, the integrating of blended acquisition into the system adds a originative dimension to the uninteresting acquisition environment. Past surveies have besides reveled that this learning attack encourages and improves teacher-learner interaction. Furthermore, online acquisition enables pupils from different geographical locations to acquire choice instruction they usually would non hold entree to. . ( Elearning2day.com ) . it ‘s ability to back up and heighten meaningful educational experiences every bit good as to supply a cost and resource effectual methodological analysis has besides made it peculiarly appealing to a assortment of organisations and educational establishments. ( Garrison and Kanuka, 2004 )2.4 Disadvantages of Blended LearningSurveies at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee ( Garnham & A ; Kaleta, 2002 ) and University of Central Florida ( Dziuban & A ; Moskal, 2001 ) indicated that pupils encountered a figure of issues with blended classs. Duty for acquisition was one of the major jobs pupils encountered with blended classs. Freshmen undergraduate, who are still used still used to the traditional face to confront larning attack find it hard to accommodate their perusal and larning wonts to accommodate on-line learning.Although, with clip they become used to the thought of being responsible for their ain acquisition, it is still a job they face in the initial phases. Time committedness was another challenge identified by most module. They claimed that the planning and development of a big registration blended class take much more clip to develop, when compared with clip taken to develop a similar class in the traditional format.Faculty, at the University of Central Florida, indicated that a class with on-line constituents requires a batch more clip in both the development and hebdomadal administrative undertakings than a similar class delivered in the traditional face to confront format. ( Dziuban & A ; Moskal,2001 )3.0 How does Blended Learning aid in current instruction system?Before get downing the research, the writer had a few inquiries which he wanted answered by the terminal of the research. The chief inquiry was how does Blended Learning aid in current instruction system? The writer aimed to calculate out how blended acquisition fitted into today ‘s higher instruction system and understand the positions and perceptual experiences of persons towards the integrating of blended larning into higher instruction. A research was conducted by Curtis J. Bonk, Kyong-Jee Kim from Indiana University, USA and Tingting Zeng from Warwick University, UK.The purpose of their survey was to research the current position and future waies of on-line instruction in higher instruction scenes. The study participants included university teachers who were members of MERLOT, a higher instruction assosciation, dwelling of university professors, instructional applied scientists and decision makers who portion and peer measure their web stuff s and resources. The survey-questionnaire consisted of 42 inquiries chiefly related to the hereafter of blended acquisition in higher instruction. Merely 562 study were completed out of the 12,000 study petitions sent.65 % of the participants in the higher instruction study were talks or professors,28 % were university decision makers or proficient support forces, while the staying participants were educational advisers. Consequences from the study indicated that a majority,93 % to be specific, of the participants indicated that they presently incorporating intermixing into their instruction approach.The writers claimed that the results of the this consequence came as no surprise to them. The consequence besides shows that the respondents expected a rise in their usage of blended acquisition attacks in the coming old ages. 40 % of the participants predicted that 21-40 % of their classs would be blended by the twelvemonth 2006 and another 37 per centum expected this to be higher than 40 per centum. And surprisingly 7 in 10 participants claimed that they will offer more than 40 % of their classs in a blended format, by the twelvemonth 2013 An article titled the Positions on Blended Learning in Higher Education by Norm Vaughan of the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education ( AACE ) Chesapeake, VA, which the writer discussed about in his last paper outlined that most module in establishments of higher instruction suggest that blended classs stimulate teacher-student interaction, increased battle in acquisition and that it added an component of creativeness to the sometimes uninteresting traditional acquisition environment. In the writer ‘s sentiment, blended acquisition has had and is holding a positive impact in today ‘s educational system. The consequences gathered from the study discussed above, indicates that 93 per centum of the persons that responded, are already utilizing blended acquisition in their instruction. This means that most persons and higher establishments have already noticed the effectivity of blended acquisition and see it as the best manner to educate people. The writer feels satisfied with these findings and can reason that blended acquisition has contributed positively to the manner persons are being educated today, he besides feels that similarities in the consequences between the different articles read indicates that blended acquisition is proliferating across establishments of higher instruction and this tendency will go on to increase.4.0 Is blended larning better than face to confront acquisition?Another inquiry which the writer wanted answered before the terminal of his research was if blended acquisition was more effectual than the traditional face to confront manner of acquisition. An article titled â€Å" Blended Learning † More Effective than Face-to-Face was written by Katie Ash for Education Week Digital Directions, she stated that a study was released on June 26, 2009 by the United States of America ‘s Department of Education. She claimed the study examined several studies,46 to be precise, comparing the traditional face to confront signifier of larning with on-line acquisition and concluded that blended acquisition, or larning methods that implement elements of both the traditional face to face and online acquisition, is reasonably more effectual than either attack by itself. The writers besides discovered that blended acquisition was more effectual at increasing pupil accomplishment degree than the traditional face to confront larning attack. The writer steadfastly disagrees with the decision reached by the US section of instruction. He feels that although blended acquisition has many advantages, there is non adequate grounds to reason that blended acquisition is better than the traditional face to confront acquisition. The writer searched and was unable to happen any other article, book or diary that came to the same decision as the US section of instruction. In add-on, the study from the US section of instruction stated that although the types of research designs used by the surveies in the analysis were strong, many of the surveies suffered from assorted failings such as failure to describe keeping rates for pupils in the conditions being contrasted, little sample sizes, and possible unfairness due to the fact that the writers served as both teachers and experimenters.5.0 DecisionIt is apparent that blended larning holds great promise for pedagogues. Quality and effectual preparation will no longer be confined to the w alls of a category room While intermixing can be extremely effectual and efficient manner of preparation, it is of import to retrieve that a successful acquisition experience requires high quality in all facets of the instructional system schoolroom interaction. At the terminal of this study, the writer can reason that although blended acquisition has legion advantages over other signifiers of acquisition, it still is non superior to the traditional face to confront acquisition. Besides, the writer has been able to understand how blended acquisition helps in the current educational system and can reason that blended acquisition has revolutionized the manner people are educated today.