Hemingway’s Writing Style Essay

From almost the beginning of his writing career, Hemingway’s distinctive style occasioned a great deal of comment and controversy. Basically, his style is simple, direct, and unadorned, probably as a result of his early newspaper training. He avoids the adjective whenever possible, but because he is a master at transmitting emotion without the flowery prose of his Victorian novelist predecessors, the effect is far more telling. In Observations on the Style of Ernest Hemingway, from â€Å"Contexts of Criticism† by Harry Levin (Harvard University Press, 1957), the critic says: â€Å"Hemingway puts his emphasis on nouns because, among other parts of speech, they come closest to things. Stringing them along by means of conjunctions, he approximates the actual flow of experience. † Hemingway has often been described as a master of dialog, and most readers agree, upon being first introduced to his writing, that â€Å"this is the way these characters would really talk. † It is interesting to note, however, that Hemingway’s one attempt at playwriting was a failure. Actually, a close examination of his dialog will reveal that this is rarely the way people really speak. The effect is accomplished, rather, by the calculated emphasis and repetition which makes us remember what has been said. Since the critics cannot entirely agree on Hemingway’s style, perhaps the best way is to put it into the author’s own words. Shortly before his tragic death, Hemingway gave to the Wisdom Foundation in California a collection of his observations on life and art, love and death. They were published in the January 1963, issue of Playboy magazine, and in them Hemingway said of his writing: I do most of my work in my head. I never begin to write until my ideas are in order. Frequently I recite passages of dialogue as it is being written; the ear is a good censor. I never set down a sentence on paper until I have it so expressed that it will be clear to anyone. Yet, I sometimes think that my style is suggestive rather than direct. The reader must often use his imagination or lose the most subtle part of my thoughts. I take great pains with my work, pruning and revising with a tireless hand. I have the welfare of my creations very much at heart. I cut them with infinite care, and burnish them until they become brilliants. What many another writer would be content to leave in massive proportions, I polish into a tiny gem. Hemingway goes on at some length, but the essence of what he says may be in this paragraph: A writer’s style should be direct and personal, his imagery rich and earthy, and his words simple and vigorous. The greatest writers have the gift of brilliant brevity, are hard workers, diligent scholars and competent stylists. To explain Hemingway’s style adequately in a few paragraphs is impossible. Scores of articles, and even some books, have been written on the subject, and it is to these that the serious student should go for additional, more detailed information.

Competency Statement Essay

To advance physical and intellectual competence†¦ It is essential to the growth and development of every child to advance their physical and intellectual needs. Preschool age children have a short attention span. They learn by example, and learn by activities that are interesting to them. I keep their minds fresh by including fun games in the weekly lesson plan that improves their physical, cognitive and creative development. I do this on a daily basis. I sing songs, read books and talk about shapes, colors, numbers and letters. I encourage all children to be active, especially, during outside play. I provide the children with opportunities to develop their upper body strength by rolling balls, swinging, and throwing bean bags. I also focus on running, jumping, and balancing to help strengthen their lower bodies. At the center, we come up with all sorts of active games to build up both gross and fine motor skills. I included a game called â€Å"Sleeping Giants† into my weekly plan that is a combination of pretend play and physical activity. The â€Å"Sleeping Giants† game stimulates imagination and multi-directional movement while strengthening their heart, lungs, muscles, and agility. During the game, children will use their large motor skills to run or jump while listening for me to say â€Å"Sleeping Giants†. When I call out, the children will try their hardest to stay quiet to represent a sleeping giant. Then when I call out â€Å"Walking Giants† the game continues and allows the children to be active and freely express themselves.

Global Investments- Portfolio Building Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global Investments- Portfolio Building - Essay Example Modern Portfolio Theory developed by Nobel Prize winner Professor Harry Markowitz demonstrates how the risk-adjusted returns of a portfolio can be improved by diversification of investments across assets with varied correlations. This paper takes this theory philosophy, and it will be the foundation in which portfolios will be constructed (Riley, 21-38). Considering that investment management involves much of art as science, qualitative considerations will play a critical role in this portfolio development (Reilly, 47). Precise distinctions among asset classes is subjective, therefore no clear distinctions exists. Returns and correlations are difficult to forecast, though historical data may provide a guide, which will be modified to incorporate structural changes and compensate for anomalous periods. Taking into account the prevailing market conditions, this paper makes the below judgment on market returns and their associated risks. Mixing the above assets will produce a real return of 11.5%, with an expected growth of 6.3% annually, and a standard deviation (risk) of 10.2%. Available resources for current operations will utter the purchase power of assets, and this pushes this impacts investment policy. The above mix of assets is defined by their differences expected in their response to economic conditions, among them price inflation, interests rates and economic growth. Over the past few decades, most of the University’s endowment funds invested highly on US marketable securities, and were there core factors in their investments. Taking into account the prevailing economic times, this paper finds that it will be wiser to commit some of it assets to developed markets outside the United State with a percentage of 6.5% and a standard deviation of 14.3%. These markets are given preference taking into account the globalization of trade, where these markets operate

Journal 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

Journal 5 - Essay Example In my opinion, the most important topics are the reality of Jesus, creations of God and how our actions translate into outcomes. As far as thinking about what God has done in my life during this semester is concerned, I would like to express my thanks to the God, who has opened doors to the information that is related to him. I have come to realize that God has a greater plan for me and He wants me to realize his might, despite the fact that my mind is full of questions regarding his existence. E.g. I know that speaking the truth is ordained in Bible; this is a matter of simple ethics and everybody knows this by instinct that truth should be spoken. On the other hand, when I am expected to believe in something that my logic fails to comprehend, I start looking for logical answers and this is the area where I find it difficult to assimilate the information presented to me in the form of a sacred text. For example, how is God 1 and 3 at the same time? How is he a human and God simultan eously? I only pray for the well-being of my parents, friends and family and although I’d appreciate if my professor prays for that also, I’m certain that God is as close to me as he is to my professor. So, I think I should pray to God myself for things that are desired in my

How the UK universities' tuition fees has effect on foreign students Literature review

How the UK universities' tuition fees has effect on foreign students - Literature review Example This research is an exploratory because it seeks to address the problems, which have not received serious attention. The society knows little concerning the effects of charging high tuition fees on the international students, which the research seeks to obtain an explanatory relationship. Its reliance on the qualitative methods shows that it is an exploratory research. The researcher will take a qualitative approach to collect relevant data that will help analyse the questions. It will mainly use official documents such as statistics, and the researcher will treat them with care in order to obtain credible information. Online discussion forums and blogs will be useful in the process because they contain first-hand information, which will enable the researcher to understand the views of the public concerning the UK universities’ tuition fees. The researcher will also use newspaper articles and interviews contained in the newspapers that will help to analyse the research topic. The literature review will also contribute crucial information to analyse the research topic. Sample size influences research findings that can affect conclusion derived from a research. It is important to use a representative sample in order to prevent bias that may arise, thus affecting research quality (Kotrlik & Higgins, 2001, p. 43). The researcher will use a sample size of twelve, which will comprise mainly of online discussion forums, blogs, and newspapers articles. It is important to obtain permission before carrying out research on a given topic. The researcher will also seek permission from the university before embarking on the activity. The research process will observe all the required ethical standards in order to enhance credibility of the study. The researcher will analyse data based on the credibility of the sources. The sources that contain bias will not be used

As I visualize in five years Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

As I visualize in five years - Essay Example Life as we know it today will be totally different by the time the year 2017 rolls around. To begin with, computer technology and usage will continue to become an even more important and time consuming part of our daily lives. With our internet connected appliances, we will rely on the computer to keep tabs on our daily needs by gently reminding us of whatever life sustaining needs we may be falling short of already. Our refrigerators will be able to instantly compile our grocery list and place that order for delivery or pick up from our local grocery store. Cellular phones will be totally merged with the tablet PC by then and no longer exist as the small hand held devices that we are currently familiar with. Social networking via social media websites will take over our social lives by the year 2017. This means that man will sadly, no longer have the ability, or have a totally diminished physical and mental ability to interact with one another on a personal basis. Man will be mental ly affected by the advent of social media networking as a way to meet and interact with people because he will have a total distrust of the people that he has the opportunity to meet face to face and have physical contact with. So most of the social and business interaction of that time will already be done via virtual office meetings using Skype and similar technology. As much as possible, people will not want others to know how they truly look because the avatars that they create to represent themselves will look better than the actual person. Thus nobody will know what the other people in their environment will look like anymore, nor will they care about what they can actually see, touch, and feel. Medical technology will be totally automated by that time as well. I envision the field of patient care to have machines and robots doing most of the jobs that human beings are currently undertaking in the hospital setting. This means that no human being will ever be seen on the floor. Instead, the human operators will be hidden in the back office of hospitals where their physical participation can be limited and the possibility of malpractice suits can be brought down to a minimum. The human touch, that has slowly been diminishing from the actual world at the moment due to overworked and underpaid health care workers at the moment will be a thing of the past for they shall no longer exist in the shape and form that we currently know them to have. Money in terms of physical dollars and cents will also cease to exist as we know it. With people opting for a cashless society that uses the scanning technology of their tablet PC to access virtual cash that can be used to pay for goods and services. People shall no longer working from real offices. Rather, telecommuting will be the way of the future and people shall all work from home where, future scientific studies about workman effectiveness will show, people can function much better in a professional setting due to the lack of stress and personal comfort that being able to work from anywhere provides for the worker. Religion in itself will probably be a dying institution by that time as science continues to uncover the facts that disprove the religious beliefs and traditions that are written in the bible and advocated by evangelists and preachers. As people turn more and more towards science to explain the life cycle of man, religion shall become irrelevant in the daily lives of

Donner party film research Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Donner party film research - Movie Review Example PatrickBreen left for US to live the life of his chosen religion which was catholic. Lansford Hastings saw US as a still undeveloped country which could be made very useful and profitable. Conversely, amajority of the people went to the US as an obvious destiny which was referred to as manifest destiny(The Donner Party). This destiny was a belief that American pilgrims were destined to develop the whole continent thus saw it as their justifiable land. This plus the idea of riches that awaited them with the discovery of gold them fuelled the desire to travel to California. George Donner and Jacob Donner were brothers who were already successful before they left for California. In fact the Donners are the mastermind of this journey and their opulence is portrayed in the type of wagons they hires for the family. They have three wagons each for their families.George Donner was motivated to travel by the gold discovery and free land in California. 2.Who was Alexis De Tocqueville? What was his reason for coming to America? Was De Tocqueville’s opening commentary in the film about the American people accurate at that time? Explain in some detail. Is De Tocqueville’s critique still relevant in American society today? Alexis De Tocqueville was a sociologist and political theorist of French origins. His reason for coming to America was to study the prisons of America. The study which led him to write his most acclaimed work ‘democracy in America’. Alexis opening commentary in the film was ‘American’s chase prosperity with great intensity until death eventually halts them in their tracks’(The Tragic Story of the Donner Party). Alexis opening commentary in the film was very accurate at the time this is because the Donner party scrambled to get to California in order to get more free lands, riches and other wealth they had heard of before. Some people even were already successful like the Donner family but their greed led them to travel and most of

In defense of international sweatshops Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

In defense of international sweatshops - Essay Example b.â€Å"Living wage† standard – According to De George, the living wage allows the worker to live in dignity as a human being. This standard is â€Å"nice† to hear but may be very difficult to determine as it involves the abstract concept of dignity which would be debatable and may be variable among individuals.c.Donaldson’s test – This standard proposes a moral minimum that complies with the test, â€Å"The practice is permissible if and only if the members of the home country would, under conditions of economic development relevantly similar to those of the host country, regard the practice as permissible.† Again, interpretation of the moral minimum would vary from individual to individual according to the subjective perceptions of each. This therefore will make this standard difficult to use if not altogether useless.d.Classical liberal standard – This standard proposes that a wage or labor standard is ethically acceptable if it is freely chosen by informed workers. The standard is by far the most practical and logical among the four. It allows market and labor forces to dictate the appropriate wage and labor standards in a particular location. Maitland’s criticism of Donaldson’s test is persuasive and easy to agree to. As previously stated, the moral minimum proposed by Donaldson and complying with his test would vary from individual to individual and as Maitland said will confuse implementing managers in the international sweatshops.... usly stated, the moral minimum proposed by Donaldson and complying with his test would vary from individual to individual and as Maitland said will confuse implementing managers in the international sweatshops. Donaldson and De George believe the classical liberal standard is inapplicable to poor, developing countries because in these countries, some sort of market failure or the background conditions are lacking for market forces to work effectively. Such background conditions include the very high average level of unemployment of 40% in developing countries, and background institutions like enforceable minimum wage. These prevent the effective application of neoclassical economic principles wherein the classical liberal standard is based. I disagree with Donaldson and De George's arguments because I consider the very same background conditions that they say prevent market forces to work, as part of the market forces. 2. By American standards, wages in international sweatshops are very low and working conditions appear terrible. Does the fact that foreign workers are eager to take these jobs establish that those wages and conditions are morally acceptable In my opinion, the fact that foreign workers are eager to take sweatshop wages and conditions despite their disparities with American standards make this morally acceptable. Moral acceptability as defined by Kant (1998) connotes universalizability. The concept of universalizaibility states that the only morally acceptable maxims of actions are those that could rationally be willed to be universal law. I would extend the interpretation to apply to the eagerness of the foreign workers. Since all the foreign workers are agreeable to the wages and conditions, then they are morally acceptable. 3. Maitland appears to

Culture and Social Structure Essay Example for Free

Culture and Social Structure Essay Culture is a difficult thing to strictly define. Such a large variety of societal aspects fall under its realm, that its sometimes complicated to draw a line between what is part of a culture and what is not. To put it in extremely vague terms, culture is a way of life. All the traits that make up a particular society, from religious beliefs to modes of dress to art to methods of farming, build up a culture. Culture includes the good and the bad, the old and the new, the strong and the weak essentially it includes everything. Many varieties of cultures exist. There are the obvious ethnic cultures African-American culture, Latino culture, Greek culture, etc., each with their own foods, art, religion, familial roles, and values. American culture, for example, is generally considered to be relaxed apple pie, blue jeans, baseball and the like. Family roles are not set in stone, there is freedom to choose a religion based on ones own comfort (or choose no religion at all), and while a certain level of morality is maintained, values are generally loose. Compare this to the culture of the remote parts of India. There, a woman is required to serve her husband and his family, even after his death. They are very devout, and there is only one religion to choose from. They are held to a strict moral code, and anyone who violates this code is considered an outcast. There are many other ways to consider culture. There is the culture of a particular age group. A septuagenarian has a way of life very different than that of a teenager. His music, dress, beliefs, and goals are generally dissimilar to those of his younger counterpart. Or there is the culture of a particular time period. Pre-historic culture is, through modern inventions and human development, very different than the culture of today. A very important part of any culture is the social structure within. The social structure is essentially the roles or positions that particular individuals or groups in a culture fall into. For example, in the American culture, the President takes on a leadership role, those in the armed forces take on a protective role, and everyday citizens take on the responsibility of keeping the economy alive. On a much smaller scale, the social structure exists within a family as well. In your typical family, the mother takes on a nurturing position, while the father takes on the responsibility of earning money and providing for the others. Similarly, on a sports team, the coach is the leader, charged with guiding and motivating his players. The players themselves are responsible for putting forth their best effort and taking the team as far as it can go. While culture can be hard to define using words, one need only look around to experience everything that culture contains. Ones everyday life is culture, from the worldwide culture that everyone lives in, down to the personal culture of ones own house. Each person has a role in many different social structures, and each role is genuinely important. It is these roles, in these social structures that make up every part of every culture.

Dtmf Based Water Controller Essay Example for Free

Dtmf Based Water Controller Essay Along with these problems there is no facility for protection from unauthorized user access to the system switching. Why use Intelligent Water Pump? 1)Manual switching is not beneficial in if user is far away from switching station. 2)Timer based switching circuits are beneficial if duration of load operation is fixed. But most of the cases it is not fixed. 3)General remote switching facility provides the efficient solution for these problem. But it is also affected with the parameter range of operation. Intelligent Water Pump provides the exact solution for these problems. It uses the intelligence of microcontroller along with the powerful peripherals. It uses GSM network which is now a days available in most of the places. It also provides password protection facility to protect the system from unauthorized use. It not on provides the remote switching of the system but also provides the status of system electricity to the user. The system provides instant access along with uncommon voice interaction facility. Operation: . GSM network:- GSM stands for ‘Global System for Mobile Communication’ It provides the network service for communication to both user controller side mobile phone. 2. User side mobile phone:- User sends the accessing commands to the Pump control unit using his mobile phone. User’s mobile phone also plays the received voice feedback messages from Pump control system. 3. Controller side mobile phone:- Controller use this mobile phone to detect p resence of call users commands( in the form of DTMF code) from headset output. Also voice feedback messages are put on the Mic i/p of this mobile. 4. Ring detector:- When user make the call , at that time the presence of ring on receiver mobile phone is detected by this circuit to inform the controller that user wants to access the system. 5. DTMF decoder:- When user enters the choice,the decoder IC8870 decodes the choice equivalent binary no. are available on it’s o/p(Q1 to Q4). Whenever new code comes ,the DTMF decoder will pulse low (STB pin) informing microcontroller that codes are available please take them. 5. Speech circuit:- All the voice messages required to inform the user about controlling action are stored in the voice rom(IC APR 9600). As per the trigger and control i/p from microcontroller, speech circuit put respective voice message on the mic i/p of controller side mobile phone. 6.  µController:- Microcontroller(89S52) keeps co-ordination among all peripherals. Whenever call is detected it takes controlling action according to user’s choice and plays respective voice messages for user’s acknowledgment. It also provides controlling signal for switching circuit as per electricity status user choice. . Switching Circuit :- It is basically a driver circuit which provides the making and breaking of ac mains to the water pump as per signal from controller. It consist of electromechanical relay and relay driver(IC2803) to drive it. 8. Water Pump:- Water Pump is a load which is to be controlled by intelligence of microcontroller based system. 9. AC mains detector:- This block detects the presence of AC mains. Controller check the status of this block before providing ON switching signal to the Water pump. Also availability of electricity can be judged from this block. 10. Power Supply:- It provides necessary power to system components as per requirement for their operation. It provides the regulated power supply along with Battery Backup facility. Block diagram of Intelligent Water Pump [pic] User Side Mobile GSM Network Controller Side Mobile Mobile Ring Detector DTMF Decoder Speech Circuit Power Supply To All Blocks  µ C O N T R O L L E R Water Pump AC mains Detector Switching Circuit Mic i/p Headset

Major studies of conformity

Major studies of conformity This essay will describe and evaluate several major studies of conformity. Conformity has been defined in number of ways. Crutchfield (1955), defined conformity as yielding to group pressure. Mann 1969 agrees with Crutchfield, however Mann (1969), argues that it may take different forms and be based on motives other than group pressure. (Gross p 479) Conformity is a change in belief or behaviour in response to real or imagined group pressure where there is no direct request to comply with the rest of the group norm Zimbardo and Leippe (1991). A lot of research has been done to try and understand the situations individuals need to be in to conform and the factors affecting conformity. However there are various cultural and methodological considerations that affect the understanding of conformity research. The first study would be Jenness in 1932. Jenness was the first person to study conformity. Jenness asked students to estimate the number of beans in a bottle. Taking individuals estimates first then placed the individuals into groups and asked them to discuss their estimates. Once the findings had been calculated he found that the students in particular groups would conform to a group average. According to Jenness in a situation where the answer was unknown they listened to their peers and would in his view conform. His research was criticised by Sherif (1935) because the experiment was not taken out in ecologically valid circumstances. The students were not in surroundings that were familiar to them thus behaving differently. Critics have argued that the students may have conformed in order to make the results easier for the psychologist. This demonstrates informational social influence and is explained in a classic study by Sheriff. Methodologically the first major problem encountered when testing conformity was the ambiguity of the situations the participants were placed in. This was highlighted by Mustafer Sherif (1935) when he used the auto-kinetic effect to test conformity. The Auto-kinetic effect is a perceptual illusion where participants perceive light moving when in fact it is stationary. Participants were placed in a darkened room in which they could see a light that was stationary. They were asked to record how far the light moved and on their own they settled on individual estimates however when the participants were put in a room together with other participants they were encouraged to shout out their estimates. Sherif found that they started with different answers but then all came to agree on the same answer. Then after they split up the group into individuals again Sherif found that they gave the answer they had settled on with the group. In Sherifs research into conformity (1935), the aim was to see if people conform to a group norm. The results of the test showed that individual responses differed to those from the group response. The post-experimental interviews said that the participants denied being influenced, they struggled to get the correct answers, and they never actually felt part of the group. The conclusions drawn from this said that the participants conformed towards the group norm because they were uncertain about their own individual responses. Sherif then argued that his results showed conformity however there was a problem with the methodology. This conformity research was criticised to be artificial and lacking ecological validity. Also, because the task was thought to be ambiguous and that there were no real answers, the participants were more likely to conform. As the answer was very ambiguous and there wasnt an obvious answer it was argued that participants are more likely to conform as they are never completely certain of their answer. This methodology therefore affects Sherifs interpretation of conformity as it is not very reliable Solomon Asch (1951) was the psychologist that challenged Sherifs methodological and in 1951 he created The Asch Paradigm where he tested conformity rates to very unambiguous situations. In his experiment there was one participant and seven to nine other confederates who knew about the experiment. The group was asked to identify lengths of vertical lines and match up a given vertical line to one of three in another display. Each confederate gave their answer and the participant sat in the next-to-last seat. On some questions all the confederates would give the wrong answer and Asch observed the conformity rate of the participant agreeing with the wrong answer even though the answer was very obvious. Asch found that 32% of the trials, the naive subject conformed to answer given by the rest of the group, and 72% of naive subjects conformed at least once. 13 out of 50 naive participants never conformed. When he interviewed the naive participants afterward, he found that conformity existe d on three levels: distortion of judgement, distortion of perception and distortion of action. Those who experienced distortion of judgement conformed because they trusted the groups judgement over their own. Those that experienced distortion of action knew that they were right, but changed conformed to avoid ridicule from the rest of the group. Finally, those who experienced distortion of perception actually believed that they saw the groups choice as matching the line on the card. The aim of the experiment was still to see if people would conform towards the group norm. The results showed that the individuals conformed to the group norm, even if the answers were wrong. The naive participant explained their reasons for conforming to be because they didnt want to spoil the experiment, look stupid, their eyes must have been deceiving them, and because they felt that the group was probably right. This experiment also told us that the influence from three or more stooges gave more of a reason to conform than if there was one stooge. The conclusions for this study were that the people conformed for public compliance rather than public acceptance. Also it seemed like people with low self esteem were more likely to conform. The methodology in this experiment was a lot more accurate then Sherifs experiment as the answers are very unambiguous and if the participants were on their own or first then they would almost certainly have given the right answer. The results from this experiment are therefore can be a better explanation of conformity than Sherif; however there are other methodological problems which make this experiment fairly inaccurate in the interpretation of conformity. However there are also ethical issues about the experiment. The main criticisms for this experiment was that it was artificial, time-consuming, time-dependant and unethical. The experiment lacks ecological validity due to a lack of both experimental and mundane realism. It lacks experimental realism as some participants worked out what the experiment was or at least thought the experimenter wanted them to answer the same as the others and therefore the conformity rates could be unreliable. It also lacks mundane realism as the situation does not reflect a real life situation and therefore people may act differently in real life and maybe the conformity rate would be lower. Crutchfield (1954) criticized Asch that the type of experiment undertaken by Asch is very time consuming, as only one person can be tested at a time. Richard Crutchfield decided to change the experimental method so that several people, usually five, could be tested simultaneously. The same kind of problem as Asch used, was used. Each participant sat in a booth with an array of lights and switches in front of them. They were told to give their answers and each were told that they were last to guess and the others guesses were indicated by the lights on the panel. However each participant was actually given the same display, which on about half the trials was actually incorrect. Crutchfield aimed to find out whether people conformed to unambiguous tasks when the pressure from others was more imagined than real. Crutchfield found that 37% conformed all of the time but 46% some of the time. The results found were really similar to Aschs but had a lower conformity rate. This concluded tha t there is conformity to imagined pressure. The experiment was criticised to have specific people used that were perhaps more conforming. Also it lacked external validity. The time the experiment was done in (1950s) was generally a more conforming time, so that could have been one of the reasons why the people conformed more. This experiment was also thought to be unethical as the participant were lied to and could have been embarrassed. Stanley Milgram (1963) conducted an experiment on obedience that highlighted the persuasive power of authority in social psychology for the first time. His experiment exceeded all expectation and led to greater awareness of authority and how much power it credited the perpetrator of it. Participants were made to give increasing electric shocks to someone (who was an actor pretending to be receiving the shocks through wires) when the person gave the wrong answer to a question. Many of the participants continued to the highest voltage (450V). There were many reasons why participants obeyed, such as the fact that the experiment was in a professional setting (Yale University). The experimenter was an authority figure and so was trusted; and the subjects were told that anything that went wrong would not be their responsibility. It was also because the participants could not see the victim which made it seem less real to them or it could have been because the participant had taken on a rol e so they felt that they were someone else. Milgrams work has been criticised both on ethical and methodological grounds. Baumrind (1964) believed that Milgram showed insufficient respect for his participants, there were insufficient steps taken to protect them, and his procedures could have long term effects on the participants. Orne and Holland (1968) argued that the participants did not believe they were giving electric shocks and they were just playing along with their role in the study. A famous example showing conformity was the experiment Zimbardo et al., (1973) carried out the prison simulation experiment at Stanford University. The aim of the experiment was to see the psychological effects of making an average person into a prisoner or guard. After less than 36 hours one of the prisoners had to be released from the experiment due to severe depression. Others who were acting as prisoners also showed signs of anxiety and depression. According to Zimbardo, these results showed how easily people could adapt to a new role in a new situation and behave out of character to fit that role. He quoted Note that anyone ever doubted the horrors of prison, but rather it had been assumed that it was the predispositions of the guards (sadistic) and the prisoners (sociapathic) that made prisons evil places. Our study holds constant and positive the dispositional alternative and reveals the power of social, institutionalised forces to make good men engage in evil deeds. (Gross p 500) There have been many criticisms levelled at his study, (Savin 1973) argues that the prisoners did not give fully informed consent; they didnt really know what was going to happen to them. They were humiliated and dehumanised by the procedure when reaching the prison (strip searched and deloused). Savin also argued the point the ends did not justify the means. The study had become too real and should never have been carried out. Perrin and Spencer (1980) tried to repeat Aschs study in England in the late 1970s. They found very little evidence of conformity, leading them to conclude that Aschs effect was a child of its time. However the low levels of conformity found in Perrin and Spencers study may have occurred because they used engineering students who had been given training in the importance of accurate measurement and therefore had more confidence in their own opinions. Bond and Smith (1996) also considered changes into conformity over time based on studies carried out in the United States. They conclude as follows; Level of conformity in general had steadily declined since Aschs studies in the early 1950 (Bond Smith p 124). The conformity rate has been found to alter across time within a culture, though overall trends are far from clear. There is also variation between cultures. These differences are related to social norms. As a conclusion, it is fair to say that people conform for many reasons, all that have is one main aim and that is to fit in with the group. Mainly, people want to be accepted in their society and because they have the need for certainty. People who are within any society or culture and its beliefs, with regards of what is expected and acceptable can be forced in certain situations to behave in anti-social ways. As their behaviour becomes adaptive to meet the needs of normative social influence without doing so could lead them to receiving social and/or cultural rejection. The researches briefly tells us how conformity works, however do psychologists tend to bother what happens after the research has been carried out on the naive participant? Some of the naive participant reported feeling quite stressed on the critical trials, which had a psychological harm on them. Do psychologists use deception to have their researches carried out? or should I say, Are they justified?! Above all, the researches have further broadened my knowledge on how individuals react in certain situation and has taking me one-step closer in understanding the world. REFERENCES Asch, S. E. (1955). Opinions and social pressure. Scientific American, pp. 31-35. Banyard, P, Grayson, A. (2000) Introducing Psychological Research; Seventy Studies that Shape Psychology, 2nd Edition. London: Macmillan. Bond, R, Smith, P. (1996) Culture and conformity: A meta-analysis of studies using Aschs (1952b, 1956) line judgment task. Psychological Bulletin, 119, 111-137. GROSS, R. (1996) The Science Of Mind And Behaviour, 3rd Edition. London: Hodder and Stoughton. GROSS, R. (1999) Key Studies in Psychology, 3rd Edition. London: Hodder and Stoughton. Milgram, S. (1983) Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View. New York: Harper/Collins. Moscovici, S, Faucheux, C. (1972) Social influence, conformity bias and the study of active minorities. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental psychology, (pp. 149 202). New York: Academic Press. Myers, G. (2005) Social Psychology, 8th Edition. London: McGraw-Hill. Savin, H.B (1973) Professors and Psychological Researchers: Conflicting Values In Conflicting Rolls. Sherif, M. (1936) The Psychology of Social Norms. New York: Harper Collins.

Character Manipulation in The Rise of Silas Lapham Essay -- Rise Silas

Character Manipulation in Howells' The Rise of Silas Lapham  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Of all the characters who undergo change in The Rise of Silas Lapham, Lapham's change is the only one looked upon in a positive light by the narrator. William Dean Howells uses the corruption of other characters to promote Lapham's newfound morality and reinforce his ultimate triumph. Before Lapham's financial ruin, he is the only character with fault. Yet as his world crumbles, so does the credibility and innocence of his wife, two daughters, and former partner, Mr. Rogers. At the same time, the very catalyst of Lapham's ruin exonerates him. This allows Howells to reinforce Lapham's ultimate rise in the novel, despite his financial and social failures.    While Silas Lapham's character shines of perfect success in the book's opening interview, we soon learn of the fault that will lead to his ruin. In a time when his company needed help, Lapham used Mr. Rogers for his capital, then pushed him out of the company once back on his feet. Mrs. Lapham holds the strongest position towards Silas' treatment of Mr. Rogers: "No; you had better face the truth, Silas. It was no chance at all. You crowded him out. A man that had saved you! No, you had got greedy, Silas. You had made your paint your god, and you couldn't bear to let anybody else share in its blessings."(45) She believes that his treatment of Rogers is the only fault in his character, and is satisfied when he finally makes good on it by lending money to Rogers when asked. Despite his efforts to resolve the matter, Lapham refuses to admit his guilt. But the narrator tells us he is guilty*, and Silas admits feeling relieved after working it out: "'Well, I don't know when it's done me so much ... ...ng Lapham's upward motion cannot be accidental. Lapham needed his wife to nag at him about Rogers, and needed Rogers to be a "rascal" to start the events which lead to his rise. Lapham needed his daughters' distraction to ensure his lack of support and need for complete self-sufficiency during his hardships, as well as its incorporation of the Corey family to justify his involvement and failure with "society." Howells creates a plot in which Lapham figuratively steps on the other characters in order to rise.    Works Cited and Consulted Carter, Everett. Howells and the Age of Realism. Hamden, Conn.: Arcton Books, 1966 Howells, William Dean. The Rise of Silas Lapham. 1885. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1988 Van Wyck, Brooks. Howells His Life and World. Dutton, 1959. Wagenknecht, Edward. W.D. Howells The Friendly Eye. New York: Oxford University Press, 1969

Internet and Technology :: essays research papers

Opportunities and Challenges of the Internet In a world of light-speed data transmission, any individual with little training and expertise can make a fortune from the Internet. Many companies, like E-bay or Amazon.com, thrive from business done only through Internet transactions. As computer technology progresses, data transmission becomes faster, and as high level encryption becomes available for public use, the amount of Internet consumers also grows. Technology advances also allow employees to work from home faster and safer. A manager's first challenge is to create a presence on the web. With a phone line, computer, and HyperText Markup Language (HTML) authoring tools, a business can advertise or do business over the Internet. HTML authoring tools can be freeware, like Sausage Software's Hot Dog, or advanced and expensive utilities like Microsoft Front Page. Any computer user familiar with a word processor can effectively use these applications with minimal training. Putting the HTML and graphic files on an Internet service provider's (ISP) servers is sufficient for relatively low traffic sites. Some online businesses, like Amazon.com, handle hundreds of thousands of people, or hits, everyday. They require specialized hardware and cabling to control the vast amount of traffic on there site per day. A manager's second challenge is to make the business's web site visible on the Internet. The first step in this process would be registering a domain name. Every computer connected to the Internet has a unique number attached to it called an IP address. To simplify finding specific computers on the 'Net, the numbers where substituted with alias called domain names. The names come in two levels, before and after the dot. Fees are generally a $70 startup cost then $35 per year to hold the license of the name. Network Solutions Inc. is the official registrar of domain names. Individuals in the past have registered company names, like Coca-Cola, to themselves and th en sold the domain license to the company for thousands of dollars. There are currently more than four million domain names registered with Network Solutions. Domain name registration is not required but makes your site much easier to find. Another way to make your site visible is to register certain keywords with the most popular search engines like Yahoo! and Alta Vista. Keywords are a small number of words that describe your site and business. These are the words web surfers will most likely type in to find your page.

Twilight 20. IMPATIENCE

20. IMPATIENCE When I woke up I was confused. My thoughts were hazy, still twisted up in dreams and nightmares; it took me longer than it should have to realize where I was. This room was too bland to belong anywhere but in a hotel. The bedside lamps, bolted to the tables, were a dead giveaway, as were the long drapes made from the same fabric as the bedspread, and the generic watercolor prints on the walls. I tried to remember how I got here, but nothing came at first. I did remember the sleek black car, the glass in the windows darker than that on a limousine. The engine was almost silent, though we'd raced across the black freeways at more than twice the legal speed. And I remembered Alice sitting with me on the dark leather backseat. Somehow, during the long night, my head had ended up against her granite neck. My closeness didn't seem to bother her at all, and her cool, hard skin was oddly comforting to me. The front of her thin cotton shirt was cold, damp with the tears that streamed from my eyes until, red and sore, they ran dry. Sleep had evaded me; my aching eyes strained open even though the night finally ended and dawn broke over a low peak somewhere in California. The gray light, streaking across the cloudless sky, stung my eyes. But I couldn't close them; when I did, the images that flashed all too vividly, like still slides behind my lids, were unbearable. Charlie's broken expression – Edward's brutal snarl, teeth bared – Rosalie's resentful glare – the keen-eyed scrutiny of the tracker – the dead look in Edward's eyes after he kissed me the last time†¦ I couldn't stand to see them. So I fought against my weariness and the sun rose higher. I was still awake when we came through a shallow mountain pass and the sun, behind us now, reflected off the tiled rooftops of the Valley of the Sun. I didn't have enough emotion left to be surprised that we'd made a three-day journey in one. I stared blankly at the wide, flat expanse laid out in front of me. Phoenix – the palm trees, the scrubby creosote, the haphazard lines of the intersecting freeways, the green swaths of golf courses and turquoise splotches of swimming pools, all submerged in a thin smog and embraced by the short, rocky ridges that weren't really big enough to be called mountains. The shadows of the palm trees slanted across the freeway – defined, sharper than I remembered, paler than they should be. Nothing could hide in these shadows. The bright, open freeway seemed benign enough. But I felt no relief, no sense of homecoming. â€Å"Which way to the airport, Bella?† Jasper had asked, and I flinched, though his voice was quite soft and un-alarming. It was the first sound, besides the purr of the car, to break the long night's silence. â€Å"Stay on the I-ten,† I'd answered automatically. â€Å"We'll pass right by it.† My brain had worked slowly through the fog of sleep deprivation. â€Å"Are we flying somewhere?† I'd asked Alice. â€Å"No, but it's better to be close, just in case.† I remembered beginning the loop around Sky Harbor International†¦ but not ending it. I suppose that must have been when I'd fallen asleep. Though, now that I'd chased the memories down, I did have a vague impression of leaving the car – the sun was just falling behind the horizon – my arm draped over Alice's shoulder and her arm firm around my waist, dragging me along as I stumbled through the warm, dry shadows. I had no memory of this room. I looked at the digital clock on the nightstand. The red numbers claimed it was three o'clock, but they gave no indication if it was night or day. No edge of light escaped the thick curtains, but the room was bright with the light from the lamps. I rose stiffly and staggered to the window, pulling back the drapes. It was dark outside. Three in the morning, then. My room looked out on a deserted section of the freeway and the new long-term parking garage for the airport. It was slightly comforting to be able to pinpoint time and place. I looked down at myself. I was still wearing Esme's clothes, and they didn't fit very well at all. I looked around the room, glad when I discovered my duffel bag on top of the low dresser. I was on my way to find new clothes when a light tap on the door made me jump. â€Å"Can I come in?† Alice asked. I took a deep breath. â€Å"Sure.† She walked in, and looked me over cautiously. â€Å"You look like you could sleep longer,† she said. I just shook my head. She drifted silently to the curtains and closed them securely before turning back to me. â€Å"We'll need to stay inside,† she told me. â€Å"Okay.† My voice was hoarse; it cracked. â€Å"Thirsty?† she asked. I shrugged. â€Å"I'm okay. How about you?† â€Å"Nothing unmanageable.† She smiled. â€Å"I ordered some food for you, it's in the front room. Edward reminded me that you have to eat a lot more frequently than we do.† I was instantly more alert. â€Å"He called?† â€Å"No,† she said, and watched as my face fell. â€Å"It was before we left.† She took my hand carefully and led me through the door into the living room of the hotel suite. I could hear a low buzz of voices coming from the TV. Jasper sat motionlessly at the desk in the corner, his eyes watching the news with no glimmer of interest. I sat on the floor next to the coffee table, where a tray of food waited, and began picking at it without noticing what I was eating. Alice perched on the arm of the sofa and stared blankly at the TV like Jasper. I ate slowly, watching her, turning now and then to glance quickly at Jasper. It began to dawn on me that they were too still. They never looked away from the screen, though commercials were playing now. I pushed the tray away, my stomach abruptly uneasy. Alice looked down at me. â€Å"What's wrong, Alice?† I asked. â€Å"Nothing's wrong.† Her eyes were wide, honest†¦ and I didn't trust them. â€Å"What do we do now?† â€Å"We wait for Carlisle to call.† â€Å"And should he have called by now?† I could see that I was near the mark. Alice's eyes flitted from mine to the phone on top of her leather bag and back. â€Å"What does that mean?† My voice quavered, and I fought to control it. â€Å"That he hasn't called yet?† â€Å"It just means that they don't have anything to tell us.† But her voice was too even, and the air was harder to breathe. Jasper was suddenly beside Alice, closer to me than usual. â€Å"Bella,† he said in a suspiciously soothing voice. â€Å"You have nothing to worry about. You are completely safe here.† â€Å"I know that.† â€Å"Then why are you frightened?† he asked, confused. He might feel the tenor of my emotions, but he couldn't read the reasons behind them. â€Å"You heard what Laurent said.† My voice was just a whisper, but I was sure they could hear me. â€Å"He said James was lethal. What if something goes wrong, and they get separated? If something happens to any of them, Carlisle, Emmett†¦ Edward†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I gulped. â€Å"If that wild female hurts Esme†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My voice had grown higher, a note of hysteria beginning to rise in it. â€Å"How could I live with myself when it's my fault? None of you should be risking yourselves for me -â€Å" â€Å"Bella, Bella, stop,† he interrupted me, his words pouring out so quickly they were hard to understand. â€Å"You're worrying about all the wrong things, Bella. Trust me on this – none of us are in jeopardy. You are under too much strain as it is; don't add to it with wholly unnecessary worries. Listen to me!† he ordered, for I had looked away. â€Å"Our family is strong. Our only fear is losing you.† â€Å"But why should you -â€Å" Alice interrupted this time, touching my cheek with her cold fingers. â€Å"It's been almost a century that Edward's been alone. Now he's found you. You can't see the changes that we see, we who have been with him for so long. Do you think any of us want to look into his eyes for the next hundred years if he loses you?† My guilt slowly subsided as I looked into her dark eyes. But, even as the calm spread over me, I knew I couldn't trust my feelings with Jasper there. It was a very long day. We stayed in the room. Alice called down to the front desk and asked them to ignore our maid service for now. The windows stayed shut, the TV on, though no one watched it. At regular intervals, food was delivered for me. The silver phone resting on Alice's bag seemed to grow bigger as the hours passed. My babysitters handled the suspense better than I did. As I fidgeted and paced, they simply grew more still, two statues whose eyes followed me imperceptibly as I moved. I occupied myself with memorizing the room; the striped pattern of the couches, tan, peach, cream, dull gold, and tan again. Sometimes I stared at the abstract prints, randomly finding pictures in the shapes, like I'd found pictures in the clouds as a child. I traced a blue hand, a woman combing her hair, a cat stretching. But when the pale red circle became a staring eye, I looked away. As the afternoon wore on, I went back to bed, simply for something to do. I hoped that by myself in the dark, I could give in to the terrible fears that hovered on the edge of my consciousness, unable to break through under Jasper's careful supervision. But Alice followed me casually, as if by some coincidence she had grown tired of the front room at the same time. I was beginning to wonder exactly what sort of instructions Edward had given her. I lay across the bed, and she sat, legs folded, next to me. I ignored her at first, suddenly tired enough to sleep. But after a few minutes, the panic that had held off in Jasper's presence began to make itself known. I gave up on the idea of sleep quickly then, curling up into a small ball, wrapping my arms around my legs. â€Å"Alice?† I asked. â€Å"Yes?† I kept my voice very calm. â€Å"What do you think they're doing?† â€Å"Carlisle wanted to lead the tracker as far north as possible, wait for him to get close, and then turn and ambush him. Esme and Rosalie were supposed to head west as long as they could keep the female behind them. If she turned around, they were to head back to Forks and keep an eye on your dad. So I imagine things are going well if they can't call. It means the tracker is close enough that they don't want him to overhear.† â€Å"And Esme?† â€Å"I think she must be back in Forks. She won't call if there's any chance the female will overhear. I expect they're all just being very careful.† â€Å"Do you think they're safe, really?† â€Å"Bella, how many times do we have to tell you that there's no danger to us?† â€Å"Would you tell me the truth, though?† â€Å"Yes. I will always tell you the truth.† Her voice was earnest. I deliberated for a moment, and decided she meant it. â€Å"Tell me then†¦ how do you become a vampire?† My question caught her off guard. She was quiet. I rolled over to look at her, and her expression seemed ambivalent. â€Å"Edward doesn't want me to tell you that,† she said firmly, but I sensed she didn't agree. â€Å"That's not fair. I think I have a right to know.† â€Å"I know.† I looked at her, waiting. She sighed. â€Å"He'll be extremely angry.† â€Å"It's none of his business. This is between you and me. Alice, as a friend, I'm begging you.† And we were friends now, somehow – as she must have known we would be all along. She looked at me with her splendid, wise eyes†¦ choosing. â€Å"I'll tell you the mechanics of it,† she said finally, â€Å"but I don't remember it myself, and I've never done it or seen it done, so keep in mind that I can only tell you the theory.† I waited. â€Å"As predators, we have a glut of weapons in our physical arsenal – much, much more than really necessary. The strength, the speed, the acute senses, not to mention those of us like Edward, Jasper, and I, who have extra senses as well. And then, like a carnivorous flower, we are physically attractive to our prey.† I was very still, remembering how pointedly Edward had demonstrated the same concept for me in the meadow. She smiled a wide, ominous smile. â€Å"We have another fairly superfluous weapon. We're also venomous,† she said, her teeth glistening. â€Å"The venom doesn't kill – it's merely incapacitating. It works slowly, spreading through the bloodstream, so that, once bitten, our prey is in too much physical pain to escape us. Mostly superfluous, as I said. If we're that close, the prey doesn't escape. Of course, there are always exceptions. Carlisle, for example.† â€Å"So†¦ if the venom is left to spread†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I murmured. â€Å"It takes a few days for the transformation to be complete, depending on how much venom is in the bloodstream, how close the venom enters to the heart. As long as the heart keeps beating, the poison spreads, healing, changing the body as it moves through it. Eventually the heart stops, and the conversion is finished. But all that time, every minute of it, a victim would be wishing for death.† I shivered. â€Å"It's not pleasant, you see.† â€Å"Edward said that it was very hard to do†¦ I don't quite understand,† I said. â€Å"We're also like sharks in a way. Once we taste the blood, or even smell it for that matter, it becomes very hard to keep from feeding. Sometimes impossible. So you see, to actually bite someone, to taste the blood, it would begin the frenzy. It's difficult on both sides – the blood-lust on the one hand, the awful pain on the other.† â€Å"Why do you think you don't remember?† â€Å"I don't know. For everyone else, the pain of transformation is the sharpest memory they have of their human life. I remember nothing of being human.† Her voice was wistful. We lay silently, wrapped in our individual meditations. The seconds ticked by, and I had almost forgotten her presence, I was so enveloped in my thoughts. Then, without any warning, Alice leaped from the bed, landing lightly on her feet. My head jerked up as I stared at her, startled. â€Å"Something's changed.† Her voice was urgent, and she wasn't talking to me anymore. She reached the door at the same time Jasper did. He had obviously heard our conversation and her sudden exclamation. He put his hands on her shoulders and guided her back to the bed, sitting her on the edge. â€Å"What do you see?† he asked intently, staring into her eyes. Her eyes were focused on something very far away. I sat close to her, leaning in to catch her low, quick voice. â€Å"I see a room. It's long, and there are mirrors everywhere. The floor is wooden. He's in the room, and he's waiting. There's gold†¦ a gold stripe across the mirrors.† â€Å"Where is the room?† â€Å"I don't know. Something is missing – another decision hasn't been made yet.† â€Å"How much time?† â€Å"It's soon. He'll be in the mirror room today, or maybe tomorrow. It all depends. He's waiting for something. And he's in the dark now.† Jasper's voice was calm, methodical, as he questioned her in a practiced way. â€Å"What is he doing?† â€Å"He's watching TV†¦ no, he's running a VCR, in the dark, in another place.† â€Å"Can you see where he is?† â€Å"No, it's too dark.† â€Å"And the mirror room, what else is there?† â€Å"Just the mirrors, and the gold. It's a band, around the room. And there's a black table with a big stereo, and a TV. He's touching the VCR there, but he doesn't watch the way he does in the dark room. This is the room where he waits.† Her eyes drifted, then focused on Jasper's face. â€Å"There's nothing else?† She shook her head. They looked at each other, motionless. â€Å"What does it mean?† I asked. Neither of them answered for a moment, then Jasper looked at me. â€Å"It means the tracker's plans have changed. He's made a decision that will lead him to the mirror room, and the dark room.† â€Å"But we don't know where those rooms are?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"But we do know that he won't be in the mountains north of Washington, being hunted. He'll elude them.† Alice's voice was bleak. â€Å"Should we call?† I asked. They traded a serious look, undecided. And the phone rang. Alice was across the room before I could lift my head to look at it. She pushed a button and held the phone to her ear, but she didn't speak first. â€Å"Carlisle,† she breathed. She didn't seem surprised or relieved, the way I felt. â€Å"Yes,† she said, glancing at me. She listened for a long moment. â€Å"I just saw him.† She described again the vision she'd seen. â€Å"Whatever made him get on that plane†¦ it was leading him to those rooms.† She paused. â€Å"Yes,† Alice said into the phone, and then she spoke to me. â€Å"Bella?† She held the phone out toward me. I ran to it. â€Å"Hello?† I breathed. â€Å"Bella,† Edward said. â€Å"Oh, Edward! I was so worried.† â€Å"Bella,† he sighed in frustration, â€Å"I told you not to worry about anything but yourself.† It was so unbelievably good to hear his voice. I felt the hovering cloud of despair lighten and drift back as he spoke. â€Å"Where are you?† â€Å"We're outside of Vancouver. Bella, I'm sorry – we lost him. He seems suspicious of us – he's careful to stay just far enough away that I can't hear what he's thinking. But he's gone now – it looks like he got on a plane. We think he's heading back to Forks to start over.† I could hear Alice filling in Jasper behind me, her quick words blurring together into a humming noise. â€Å"I know. Alice saw that he got away.† â€Å"You don't have to worry, though. He won't find anything to lead him to you. You just have to stay there and wait till we find him again.† â€Å"I'll be fine. Is Esme with Charlie?† â€Å"Yes – the female has been in town. She went to the house, but while Charlie was at work. She hasn't gone near him, so don't be afraid. He's safe with Esme and Rosalie watching.† â€Å"What is she doing?† â€Å"Probably trying to pick up the trail. She's been all through the town during the night. Rosalie traced her through the airport, all the roads around town, the school†¦ she's digging, Bella, but there's nothing to find.† â€Å"And you're sure Charlie's safe?† â€Å"Yes, Esme won't let him out of her sight. And we'll be there soon. If the tracker gets anywhere near Forks, we'll have him.† â€Å"I miss you,† I whispered. â€Å"I know, Bella. Believe me, I know. It's like you've taken half my self away with you.† â€Å"Come and get it, then,† I challenged. â€Å"Soon, as soon as I possibly can. I will make you safe first.† His voice was hard. â€Å"I love you,† I reminded him. â€Å"Could you believe that, despite everything I've put you through, I love you, too?† â€Å"Yes, I can, actually.† â€Å"I'll come for you soon.† â€Å"I'll be waiting.† As soon as the phone went dead, the cloud of depression began to creep over me again. I turned to give the phone back to Alice and found her and Jasper bent over the table, where Alice was sketching on a piece of hotel stationery. I leaned on the back of the couch, looking over her shoulder. She drew a room: long, rectangular, with a thinner, square section at the back. The wooden planks that made up the floor stretched lengthwise across the room. Down the walls were lines denoting the breaks in the mirrors. And then, wrapping around the walls, waist high, a long band. The band Alice said was gold. â€Å"It's a ballet studio,† I said, suddenly recognizing the familiar shapes. They looked at me, surprised. â€Å"Do you know this room?† Jasper's voice sounded calm, but there was an undercurrent of something I couldn't identify. Alice bent her head to her work, her hand flying across the page now, the shape of an emergency exit taking shape against the back wall, the stereo and TV on a low table by the front right corner. â€Å"It looks like a place I used to go for dance lessons – when I was eight or nine. It was shaped just the same.† I touched the page where the square section jutted out, narrowing the back part of the room. â€Å"That's where the bathrooms were – the doors were through the other dance floor. But the stereo was here† – I pointed to the left corner – â€Å"it was older, and there wasn't a TV. There was a window in the waiting room – you would see the room from this perspective if you looked through it.† Alice and Jasper were staring at me. â€Å"Are you sure it's the same room?† Jasper asked, still calm. â€Å"No, not at all – I suppose most dance studios would look the same – the mirrors, the bar.† I traced my finger along the ballet bar set against the mirrors. â€Å"It's just the shape that looked familiar.† I touched the door, set in exactly the same place as the one I remembered. â€Å"Would you have any reason to go there now?† Alice asked, breaking my reverie. â€Å"No, I haven't been there in almost ten years. I was a terrible dancer – they always put me in the back for recitals,† I admitted. â€Å"So there's no way it could be connected with you?† Alice asked intently. â€Å"No, I don't even think the same person owns it. I'm sure it's just another dance studio, somewhere.† â€Å"Where was the studio you went to?† Jasper asked in a casual voice. â€Å"It was just around the corner from my mom's house. I used to walk there after school†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I said, my voice trailing off. I didn't miss the look they exchanged. â€Å"Here in Phoenix, then?† His voice was still casual. â€Å"Yes,† I whispered. â€Å"Fifty-eighth Street and Cactus.† We all sat in silence, staring at the drawing. â€Å"Alice, is that phone safe?† â€Å"Yes,† she reassured me. â€Å"The number would just trace back to Washington.† â€Å"Then I can use it to call my mom.† â€Å"I thought she was in Florida.† â€Å"She is – but she's coming home soon, and she can't come back to that house while†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My voice trembled. I was thinking about something Edward had said, about the red-haired female at Charlie's house, at the school, where my records would be. â€Å"How will you reach her?† â€Å"They don't have a permanent number except at the house – she's supposed to check her messages regularly.† â€Å"Jasper?† Alice asked. He thought about it. â€Å"I don't think there's any way it could hurt – be sure you don't say where you are, of course.† I reached eagerly for the phone and dialed the familiar number. It rang four times, and then I heard my mom's breezy voice telling me to leave a message. â€Å"Mom,† I said after the beep, â€Å"it's me. Listen, I need you to do something. It's important. As soon as you get this message, call me at this number.† Alice was already at my side, writing the number for me on the bottom of her picture. I read it carefully, twice. â€Å"Please don't go anywhere until you talk to me. Don't worry, I'm okay, but I have to talk to you right away, no matter how late you get this call, all right? I love you, Mom. Bye.† I closed my eyes and prayed with all my might that no unforeseen change of plans would bring her home before she got my message. I settled into the sofa, nibbling on a plate of leftover fruit, anticipating a long evening. I thought about calling Charlie, but I wasn't sure if I should be home by now or not. I concentrated on the news, watching out for stories about Florida, or about spring training – strikes or hurricanes or terrorist attacks – anything that might send them home early. Immortality must grant endless patience. Neither Jasper nor Alice seemed to feel the need to do anything at all. For a while, Alice sketched the vague outline of the dark room from her vision, as much as she could see in the light from the TV. But when she was done, she simply sat, looking at the blank walls with her timeless eyes. Jasper, too, seemed to have no urge to pace, or peek through the curtains, or run screaming out the door, the way I did. I must have fallen asleep on the couch, waiting for the phone to ring again. The touch of Alice's cold hands woke me briefly as she carried me to the bed, but I was unconscious again before my head hit the pillow.

Ratatouille Sound Film Analysis Essay

In all types of film, especially with animation, the images that are created on screen visually engage the audience to the world of the film, yet in order to fully experience all that the film has to offer, the visual aspects are only half of the importance. Sound design makes up that other half of the cinematic experience, and engages senses other than the visual in order to immerse the audience into the film. In Brad Bird’s animated film Ratatouille (2007), sound designer Randy Thom creates a rich sonic world for a film that’s plot is based around a rat who experiences the same senses that humans do. Since a rat usually seems to have no similarities to humans, Thom makes sure to use sound to emphasize Remy and how in his perspective, he is able to relate to the humans, but in the human’s perspective, Remy is still just a rat. Thom’s use of sound in animated film is unique and allows the spectator through the correct use of sound, the ability to perceive the Remy’s exceptional senses of smell and taste, which is are the two most key aspects of cooking in real life and in the film. The sound design combined with the incredible animation of Ratatouille (2007) allows the audience to sensually experience the film as if they were right there in the chaotic kitchen, and feel the authenticity of the location in the culinary capital of the world, Paris. In animated film, especially with Disney and Pixar films, characters that’s are animals are often given human-like features and abilities. In Ratatouille (2007), Remy the rat has the incredible senses of smell and taste, which allow him to fulfill his dream of becoming a chef. This is an idea that is quite contradictory to real life, so director Brad Bird and sound designer Randy Thom do an amazing job of balancing it out by making Remy seem more human like in his perspective, and more like a rat in the human’s perspective. For example, when introduced to Remy, he is the narrator, and we hear is voice as a non-diegetic sound, which allows us to think we are in the mind of Remy. His voice is a man’s voice, and we can assume that he has the full capacity of understanding everything just as a human would. While speaking amongst other rats, the sounds he makes are very similar to that of a human, and he even stands on two feet like one. Yet when we are seeing Remy in the kitchen, and see him  just as one of the people on the kitchen would, the sounds change. The â€Å"pitter-patter† sound of his tiny rat feet is heightened in volume, and each footstep is clearer than before. This emphasis on his footsteps reminds the viewer that while in Remy’s mind he sounds and thinks like a human would, through the perspective of a human in the film, he is still just a scurrying rat. Another example is when Alfredo Linguini is ordered to dispose of the rat, we see Remy and Linguini’s first interaction alone and without any other humans to judge Remy’s ability to understand humans. Through Linguini’s perspective, Remy can hear and understand what he is saying, but he cannot respond with words, only with nods, squeaks, quivering whiskers, and quiet sniffles. These diegetic sounds can be heard clearly even though they are soft and dainty, just like the footsteps. The sniffles are especially important because they represent Remy’s heightened senses, which become an entirely different aspect of the film that is given meaning through sound. In the world of cuisine and cooking, the two senses most frequently used and appreciated are smell a nd taste. The combination of the two can create amazing culinary experiences, and make a meal more than just eating, but a complete sensual experience. One of Thom’s main goals throughout the film was to manipulate pitch, volume, and timbre in order to give the characters their own senses that can reflect from the screen to the audience where they can feel as if they are experiencing the same scents and tastes that Remy is. Just as discussed before, when oberserving Remy in his element of cooking and creating delicious food combinations, the sounds he makes are not only louder and more amplified, but clearer. For example, in the opening scenes of the film, Remy is trying to find food that is good enough quality for his senses unlike the rest of his rat companions who will seem to eat anything that is not covered in poison. He stumbles upon a piece of cheese, and his attention is immediately focused on the smell. His nose become such an iconic symbol in the film, and the sniffing of foods is so well-defined that the audience is able to imagine exactly what that piece of cheese smells like. Since smell has sounds that can be or iented with the nose and sniffling, its is less complicated than trying to portray taste, which has little sound affect since it is completely individual and unique to each person. In order to get the audience to be able to feel the experience of what Remy tastes, director Brad Bird hired artist Michael  Gagne as the Taste Visualization Designer to create a series of animated vignettes that would accompany sound as Remy tastes certain foods. The visuals he created displayed colorful animated graphics for the taste of cheese and strawberry, and then a mixture of the two tastes. The visuals work very well with the two foods, but can only do so much when it comes to stimulating the audience’s senses. The rest of the work comes to Randy Thom and the rest of his sound design team to create sounds that will perfectly accompany the graphics to create a complete sense of taste. Thom uses different segments of music that seems to work perfectly with each food. When Remy takes the bite of cheese, smooth, creamy-like music plays, yet with the strawberry a louder more vivacious tune is heard. Then as Remy takes a bite of each at the same time, a firework of sounds occurs to compare to Remy’s taste bud explosion. This blend of graphics and music creates a sensual experience that leave the audience imagining exactly what Remy tastes. When thinking of Paris, France, common words to come to most minds are fancy, sophisticated, and romantic. Since these words are such a huge part of the vibe of the city, Randy Thom wanted to make sure that the sounds of the film really gave the audience the authenticity of the setting, and reflect the character of Paris. Aside from authentic French accents in many of the main character’s voices, especially the chef’s, Thom incorporates orchestrated music that would be heard in the city, and even background mumbling of actual French speaking people. In the background of most parts of the restaurant, Thom had murmurings of people actually speaking French and having real conversation to make the background noise more authentic to the setting. Along with the setting of the film, most fancy five-star restaurants the vibe most guests want to feel is calm and sophisticated. This is the opposite of what is usually going on behind the scenes in the restaurant’s kitchen. The kitchen is where the magic happens, and where the culinary art form comes to life. The tools that create the food are just as important as the ingredients, and the act of cooking requires many tools and utensils. In the film, Thom really emphasizes the sounds of these utensils, which makes the cooking easy to accept as real since the sounds are so accurate to a real life kitchen. The clinking of pots and pans is especially noticeable in the kitchen, and the pitch is a lot higher than other noises in the kitchen. The pots, pans, and utensils  are such an impo rtant part of the kitchen, and allow the spectator to relate to the sounds by noticing how many different meals are cooked at once in the kitchen. In an interview with Randy Thom, he explains that almost all of the sounds from the kitchen were composed from scratch by his design team and were individually created by recording the real life actions in the kitchen and putting them into the animation. Another aspect of the kitchen that seems to be especially emphasized through sound is the blending of foods, especially liquids. Thom differentiates between the sound effects of a pot of just plain water and a pot of creamy soup. The pot of water, when Remy falls into it, the sound is at first a loud splash, and then a very clear and fluid underwater noise. Yet when Remy is cooking his own special soup, he puts together multiple ingredients, dropping them into the boiling pot of broth. The sound of dense objects hitting the soup is so accurate and sounds more like a â€Å"plop† rather than a splash. While the sound of mixed ingredients may seem insignificant to the films overall affect, these sounds allow the audience to under stand the consistency of the food and imagine the texture that goes with it. Once again, the senses are being put to use without even noticing it, which Thom really put effort into doing with this film since the whole plot is based around food. In an interview with Randy Thom, he explained that while most people assume that image is created and then sound is later added to spruce it up, he finds that to be a myth worth busting. He feels that sound is just as important of a component as image, and if anything adds more life to the film than image does. Sound allows the audience to relate to the sounds they hear in the film to the sounds they hear in real life. These connections make it easier for the spectator to understand the emotions and themes being laid out and therefore they can better understand the film as a whole. With a film such as Ratatouille (2007), it seems difficult for the audience to relate to a rat who can cook, so Brad Bird and Randy Thom worked together to create a masterpiece that can continue to display the incredible animation yet through sound allow the audience to relate to not just the emotions, but the senses from the film. Through creative construction and extremely close attention to detail, the sound design of Ratatouille (2007) will leave viewers in a rich experience that will literally leave their mouths watering. Annotated Bibliography Barsam, Richard, and Dave Monahan. Looking at Movies; an Introduction to Film. Third Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2010. 368-407. Print. Barsam and Monahan cover all aspects of the world of sound design from the purpose of sound in film to how it is created, and to how it affects the audience. When spectators are experiencing a film, if engaged properly, they use both senses of hearing and vision to perceive what is happening on the screen. Without one or the other, the film lacks proper perception from the audience, which is the whole point of the film. Barsam and Monahan spend a great amount of effort explaining the basic concept of sound in film, and analyze the different characteristics that audio has. Sound is an especially complex field because it decorates the images on screen, and heightens the experience visually through audio. The process of sound design consists of carefully choosing and recording sounds, editing those sounds, and then masterfully mixing them so that they can perfectly synchronize with what is visually seen on the screen. The main types of sound that the audience will experience during a film are vocal sounds and dialogue, sounds from the environment and world of the film (also known as diegetic sounds), music, and silence, which is actually the lack of sound yet still adds so much meaning and emotion to an on screen image. Sound in film intensifies the image and in most cases allows the audience to relate to the world of the film and be aware of both space and time within the means of the world of the film. Simple alterations in sounds from the pitch, amplitude, or volume of the noise can completely change or alter the audience’s perception of what is happening in the film. By the end of Barsam and Monahan’s chapter about sound design, the reader can understand most all aspects of sound in film, and how each characteristic is taken into account when being put into a film in order to fully allow the spectator to experience the film both on a visual and audible level. Sider, Larry. â€Å"If you wish to see, listen; The role of sound design.† Journal of Media Practice 4.1 (2003): 5-15. Through in depth analysis and argument, Sider creates an article that  explains the great importance of sound in film, and how when combined with visual elements, allows the spectator to fully engage and understand the film on a deeper level than just watching a screen. Sider explains how the industry, technology, and use of sound in film had changed from when the â€Å"sound designer† was created in the 1960’s by Walter Murch. Back then, sound was simply an added affect to film, whereas now sound completely creates another dimension to cinema. Sound and music make the image on screen multi-faceted and add not only emotion, but completely changes the picture just by adding an audio. On the other side of sound design, Sider shows the difficulties with creating sound in film. The sound designer not only has to know and understand the sounds in which we all hear, but they must completely understand the sounds from the world of the film they are working on. Knowing every diegetic and non-diegetic sound of the film’s story is complex yet engages the spectator more than they will ever realize. The job of the sound designer is not just to control and input dialogue into a film, but control and create every sound effect and somehow integrate it into the life of the film, not the other way around. Sider effectively explains how complex the job of a sound designer has become, and how their work engages the viewer on a new level, and gives the image life. Thom, Randy. Interviewed by Jake Riehle. â€Å"Ratatouille-Exclusive Interview with Sound Designer Randy Thom†. Designing Sound; Art and Technique of Sound Design. 26 June 2007. Web. 2011. Sound editor and mixer Jake Reihle interviews the well known sound designer Randy Thom to learn about his recent work on the animated film, Ratatouille (2007). Thom specializes in sound design within animated films, and in recent years won the Academy Award for best sound editing in the Pixar animated film The Incredibles(2004). Riehle asks Thom what aspects of sound design in animated film differ from live-action films, and the heightened amount of detail to sound is what Thom described as a main difference. In Ratatouille (2007) specifically, there are so many details within the sounds that all together create a different affect than expected. For example, when the wind is blowing through the underground sewer pipes, each wind sound is different, but together the sounds created a musical essence that worked extremely well with the mood of Ratatouille himself, and gave life to the rigid and cold  nature of the underground world that the rats live in. Another major difference between animated sound and live on-screen sound is the pace and rate at which Thom does his work. In the early stages of work, he notices that animated films tend to lack music and sound effects and focus more upon dialogue to set up the story, but Thom likes to make space to add music in a useful way in which the effects and music add to the dialogue, not take away from the dialogue. Reihle also goes into the stages in which Thom likes to mix and edit his sound effects, and how the budgeting of animated films differs from live action films. An interesting fact, Thom began his career at Skywalker Sound by writing a personal essay to Walker Murch, the man who is said to have invented the â€Å"sound designer†. Reihle’s interview with the sound designer Randy Thom gives very useful information on comparing and analyzing the differences of sound design within animated films and live-action films. Thom, Randy. â€Å"Designing A Movie For Sound†. Learning Space Dedicated to the Art and Analyses of Film Sound Design. 1999. Web. 2011 Academy Award winning sound designer Randy Thom provides readers with an article about the subject he knows best, sound in film. He defines exactly what sound design is, describes what it really is that he does, and crushes myths and ideas that many people have about film sound designers. Thom argues that what most people think passes as â€Å"great sound† in film is loud, boisterous noises, which is definitely not always, and rarely true through the opinion of a sound designer. Thom believes that truly great sounds in film are well orchestrated and are integrated into the film as a whole, rather than just into specific scenes and moments during the film. This creates a better sense of continuity and fluidity within the sounds of the film. Thom feels that rather than create a film and then hire a talented team to fabricate certain sounds, the film should be designed and created with the sounds in mind. The story, images and sound should be created and built simultaneously so that the sound contributions can affect the other aspects of the film and add even more continuity. Every aspect of film, even the cinematography, affects how sound works, and its purpose. From extreme close-ups to dutch angles and moving cameras, sound has a different role in every shot, whether it is music, dialogue, background noise, or even  silence. The author also describes in detail each step of how sound designers, composers, and sound editors go about creating their work within each stage of the production process including pre-production and post-production. Randy Thom is an extremely well-known film sound designer, and his personal insight into the world of sound design is eye opening and fresh. He explains the ideas of sound in film on both a basic and deep level while questioning many ideas and myths that are believed about the sound design world today.

Health Policy

Value Dimensions of the Affordable Care Act President Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) enacted in March 2010 will increase health insurance coverage to millions of Americans. This is the first significant reform in health care in over 40 years and targets closing the gap of uninsured Americans by mandating insurance. There has been debate over the individual health insurance mandate and whether it is constitutional. Opinions on the individual mandate and the values it impacts are conflicting among all stakeholders.This talk will concentrate on the following stakeholder groups: (1) Insurance companies and (2) uninsured individuals who might otherwise choose not to purchase health insurance or do not have the means to do so (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2012). It is no secret that health care has become increasingly unaffordable; cost of medical treatments and insurance premiums keep rising and society feels a moral obligation to insure that its citizens do not suffer from the una vailability of health care. The individual mandate provision has been and will continue to be one of the most controversial elements embodied in the ACA.This provision requires individuals to maintain minimum essential coverage each month or pay a penalty. This new law allows the American people to choose health insurance plans that work best for them by providing a short, plain language summary of benefits and coverage (SBC) as well as a glossary of commonly used insurance terms to all patients. Coverage includes those who, until now, have continuously been denied because of their existing health conditions Beginning (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island, 2010). January 1, 2014, all U. S. esidents are required to maintain the previously mentioned essential coverage unless the individual falls into certain categories including the following: religious conscience exemption, incarcerated individuals, undocumented aliens, when contribution exceeds 8% of household income and individua ls with a coverage gap of less than 3 months, individuals in a hardship situation as defined by the Secretary of Department of Health & Human Services, individuals with income below the tax filing threshold, and members of Indian tribes (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island, 2010).The Affordable Care’s Act does decrease the number of uninsured compared to if this legislation did not pass. The policy of mandating insurance provides an incentive for individuals to purchase insurance or face paying fines. Tax benefits induce employers to provide coverage to their employees. Employers may even provide more health awareness programs to reduce health costs. Provisions under this legislation also decrease the number of underinsured including the healthy young individuals who might otherwise choose not to purchase health insurance.The ACA will also eliminate barriers for interstate insurance providers and encourage more competition to provide a low-cost advantage for the uninsured. This may also lead to nonprofit agencies being developed to provide a low cost option for the uninsured. The Individual Mandate and the entire ACA will impact the health of all Americans. The ways the individual mandate may impact consumer access to healthcare, healthcare quality and costs and insurance companies is still debatable depending on which stakeholder group you are aligned with.The ACA will expand coverage to nearly 95% of consumers that reside in the U. S legally (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2012). Consumers previously not covered under government programs such as Medicaid will be able to receive healthcare benefits through those programs. In addition, preventive care will be free and seniors will have access to cheaper prescription drugs. The ACA also provides incentives to primary care providers to practice in underserved areas which will also expand consumers’ access to healthcare.On the other hand, cuts in Medicare will take place at a time when millions of bab y-boomers become eligible for Medicare and some Americans could lose access to their current health care plans as a result. The ACA also establishes several new rules and controls for insurance companies including requiring that they cannot deny coverage for pre-existing conditions, must spend a certain percentage of premiums collected on actual patient care costs.These new rules provide protection for consumers and ensure insurance companies are held accountable for the care and services provided to patients that are enrolled in their plans (Friedman & Becker, 2012). Another major issue that has raised considerable debate and even led to law suits being filed is the constitutionality of the ACA. Those who oppose healthcare reform argue that it is unconstitutional for Congress to require that every person purchase health insurance. However, the ACA improves ccess to healthcare which promotes the general welfare of consumers, and thus congress has the power to spend money to promote general welfare. Although the ACA has several short-comings that are currently being debated and others yet unknown, the bill’s potential to improve access to care for the uninsured, reduce healthcare costs and make insurance companies more accountable make it worth the trouble. As with any major change, working out the problems over time will be required to allow the ACA achieve the goal of improving the health status and overall life quality of consumers (Friedman & Becker, 2012).References Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island. (2010). Federal Healthcare Reform. Patient protection And affordable care act individual mandate & subsidy. Retrieved from: https://www. bcbsri. com/BCBSRIWeb/pdf/Individual_Mandate_Fact_Sheet. pdf Friedman, A. & Becker, N. (2012). Understanding the Individual Mandate’s SCOTUS Pivot Points. Justices ponder adverse selection, a potential death spiral and severability. Retrieved from: http://ldihealtheconomist. com/he000023. shtml Kaiser Famil y Foundation (2012). Health reform. Retrieved from: http://healthreform. kff. org/

HR Training Class Essay

Customer demands and the rise in competition have caused many companies to focus on customer service and relations. The ability to provide great customer services has much to do with the success of many individuals and companies. Customer service isn’t about giving the customer exactly what they want. It involves skills such as problem solving, empathy, interpersonal skills, communication, and leadership abilities. Employee performance can be improved in many ways. Training is one way to emphasize employee performance. Each customer interaction is a representation on the company. How the employee handles the interaction is a direct determination of whether the customer will return. Justify the use of a needs assessment of your company’s proposed employee customer service training, stressing five (5) ways in which such an assessment would expose any existing performance deficiencies. When conducting a needs assessment, there are three areas that must be considered: organizational needs, occupational needs, and individual needs. Organizational assessment evaluates the level of organizational performance. An assessment of this type will determine what skills, knowledge, and abilities an agency needs. It determines what is required to alleviate the problems and weaknesses of the agency. Occupational assessment examines the skills, knowledge, and abilities required for affected occupational groups. Occupational assessment identifies how and which occupational discrepancies or gaps exist. Individual assessment analyzes how well an individual employee is doing a job and determines the individual’s capacity to do new or different work. Individual assessment provides information on which employees need training and what kind. A needs assessment is a wise investment for the organization. It saves time, money and effort by working on the right problems. Determining the needs of employees is a significant aspect of human resource management process. Knowing how many employees are in need of training and what particular training is needed are the keys to assessing the company’s need for the customer service training. The major objective of a needs assessment is to answer common questions such as who, what, when, why, and how. Who needs to be trained and who will benefit from the training? What type of training will be needed and what will be the product of the training? When does this training need to take place? Why is this training needed? How will the training be facilitated? Answering these questions will expose any existing performance deficiencies. Conducting needs assessment protects the organization from unnecessary training. A need assessment helps to know whether training is the ideal solution to a performance deficiency. If the training will not increase the employees’ knowledge and skill level, the deficiency problem will not be resolved and the training is irrelevant. Who receives training and who benefits from training? The people who deal with customers most will need to be included in the training program. These people are the face of the company. If they are unable to provide great customer service, the customers may leave the company. The frontline employees are often times the only employees that a customer will encounter. Once training is complete, not only does the company benefit but the customers do as well. What type of training is need and what will be the product of training? Determine what type of training is needed. Do the employees need training on resolving customer issues, showing empathy, communications, acknowledging customer issues, or owning the customer issues and resolutions? What is the expected outcome of the training? When does the training need to be provided? Determine what the earliest and latest date the training should be offered in order to be effective. If the training is not offered in a timely manner, the company may suffer from the lack of customer service. Should the training be provided to new employees before they ever begin to work with customers or should the training be offered only to employees who have been with the company for a while? Why conduct the training? â€Å"To tie the performance deficiency to business need and confirm that the positive outcome of training employees outweighs the problems inherent in performance deficiency† (Tobey, 2005). Why is this training needed now versus in the past? What factors have changed? How will the training be facilitated? Determine whether training needs to be online, in class, or on the job. Employees learn differently. The method of training should be determined based on the employees that will be receiving the training. A combination of methods may be needed for a group of employees that learn differently. Develop a customer service training implementation plan and determine the method of training (i. e. , presentation, discussion, case study, discovery, role play, simulation, modeling, or on-the-job training). There are numerous methods of training employees. These methods include but are not limited to simulations, on- the job training, presentation, discussion, case study, web based training, and mentor programs. For this customer service training, I will use web-based training. Web-based training has several advantages. †¢Convenience. Employees are able to take training at any time. They are not bound to a set schedule and can take the classes during times that production is not busy. †¢Employees are able to work at their own pace. If an area needs to be revisited, the employee can go back without holding up an entire class. Employees are able to reflect in greater depth on responses to questions or activities posed in training before making their answers. †¢Individuals are able to take advantage of lifelong learning without relocating or quitting their jobs. (â€Å"The benefits of,† ) †¢Web-based training is generally less expensive than other forms of training. †¢Web-based trainings often include simulations and case study exercises †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Individual characteristics such as physical disabilities remain anonymous to other participants, thus eliminating judgments and stigmas often associated with particular disabilities. (â€Å"The benefits of,† ) †¢WBT emphasizes a learner-centered approach to training versus simply logging the number of hours spent in training. Employees are required to participate in the learning in order to earn credit for the class, thus actually learning the information. Propose two (2) ways to motivate an employee who has no interest in attending a training class. Many employees are reluctant to attend training classes because they do not understand the purpose of the class or feel there is no need for any changes. The most obvious way to motivate employees to attend training is make the training mandatory. Mandatory trainings are often times coupled with merit increases and bonuses. If employees fail to take mandatory classes, they are not eligible for their merit increase or any bonuses that the company may offer. Though reluctant, employees will take mandatory training classes to ensure they are eligible for these incentives. Though making training mandatory is a likely way to ensure employees attend, it is not very likely they will listen and learn. If all they have to do is attend to get credit for the class, they will show up, but what will be the outcome? Another incentive to motivate employees to attend training is providing additional incentives such as certifications or extended lunch break on the day of training. Also, try to make the training fun and engaging. Grasp the audience’s attention. Provide refreshments. And allow the employee to determine what form of training they are going to attend (web-based, classroom, on-the-job). Reduce the amount of stress that may arise due to work piling up while away from the office. Many employees do not want to attend training because they are concerned with the amount of work they will have waiting when they return to the office. Management should shift work to other areas for those attending training so there is no pile up awaiting their return. This is done much easier in a call center setting where calls can be routed to a different area. Develop a survey to collect feedback from the employees who attend the training Customer satisfaction surveys are used to gather feedback as to whether the business is meeting the needs of the customer and whether the customer would recommend a friend to the company. The same should be done with employees who participate in training. Feedback is necessary in training to determine if the training was useful, if anything new was learned, if what was covered will be used in the daily tasks of the employee, and how the course could be changed to be more beneficial to the company. Survey should be anonymous to ensure the employee there is no retaliation from management if the feedback is negative.