Music in psychology essays

Music in psychology essays The D12 song Good Die Young has a lot of psychological behavior involved in it. The whole basis for the song is a tribute to people who die young, mainly Karnail Pitts aka Robert Beck aka Bugz. Bugz was a rapper in the group D12. D12 was a rap group founded by Proof. The first members of D12 were Proof, Eminem, and Kon Artist. They were later joined by a MC named Eye Kyu. Then Bizarre joined the group. Bugz was the sixth member. When Bugz was killed Eminem placed Swifty Mc Veigh in the group because it was Bugz wish. Bugz was born in May of 1978 and was loved and appreciated by all the D12 members for his rapping skills. His life ended tragically on May the 21st 1999, he was only 21 years old. Bugz was literally killed over a water gun. Bugz cousins friend was sprayed with a water gun and she took offense. She started an argument with the person and it escalated to a fist fight. Bugz intervened on the behalf of his cousin. Then a friend of the guy with the water gun went back to their expedition and retrieved a rifle. He fired three shots into Bugz while he was looking away, at close range, two in the chest and one in the neck. Next the two men jumped in the expedition and ran over Bugz. An ambulance was called, but the traffic was so bad on the bridge to Belle Isle that the ambulance could not get onto the island for about thirty minutes. When Bugz finally reached the hospital his injuries were so bad that he could not be saved. Each member of D12 gets their own verse to make a tribute to Bugz. Kon Artist begins rapping about all the things people have to do just to prove themselves and how people think that as long as they repent god will forgive them. Kon Artist writes about his little brother selling dope and how much he still has to prove but he wishes he didnt have to lose Bugz to the struggle. Bizarre begins by writing about how bad it is in Detroit and how he keeps his gun in ...

The Tempest Summary for Students

The Tempest Summary for Students The Tempest, written in 1611, was the final play that Shakespeare wrote on his own. (He coauthored his last two plays- Henry VIII and The Two Noble Kinsman- with John Fletcher).  It is also one of only two Shakespeare plays that are entirely original. Because of those two facts, many assume that Prospero, one of the major characters in the play, is an amalgamation of Shakespeare himself. Many readers and theater aficionados believe that when Prospero gives his final farewell in the play, it is actually Shakespeare saying goodbye to his audience.  Whatever the case, The Tempest is one of Shakespeares more fantastical plays when it comes to the use of magic.  Ã‚   Plot Summary: A Magical Storm The Tempest begins on a boat, tossed about in a storm. Aboard are Alonso the King of Naples, Ferdinand (his son), Sebastian (his brother), Antonio the usurping Duke of Milan, Gonzalo, Adrian, Francisco, Trinculo, ​and Stefano. Miranda, who has been watching the ship at sea, is distraught at the thought of lost lives. The storm was created by her father, the magical Prospero, who reassures Miranda that all will be well. Prospero explains how they came to live on this island: They were once part of Milan’s nobility- he was a Duke- and Miranda lived a life of luxury. However, Prospero’s brother exiled them. They were placed on a boat, never to be seen again. Prospero summons Ariel, his servant spirit. Ariel explains that he has carried out Prospero’s orders: He destroyed the ship and dispersed its passengers across the island. Prospero instructs Ariel to be invisible and spy on them. Ariel asks when he will be freed, and Prospero tells him off for being ungrateful, promising to free him soon. Caliban: Man or Monster? Prospero decides to visit his other servant, Caliban, but Miranda is reluctant, describing him as a monster. Prospero agrees that Caliban can be rude and unpleasant but says he is invaluable to them because he collects their firewood. When Prospero and Miranda meet Caliban, readers and play-goers learn that he is native to the island, but Prospero turned him into a slave, raising issues of morality and fairness in the play. Prospero reminds Caliban that he tried to violate his daughter. Love at First Sight Ferdinand stumbles across Miranda and, much to Prospero’s annoyance, they fall in love and decide to marry. Prospero warns Miranda off and decides to test Ferdinand’s loyalty. The rest of the shipwrecked crew are celebrating their survival and grieving for lost loved ones. Alonso believes that he has lost his beloved son, Ferdinand. Caliban’s New Master Stefano, Alonso’s drunken butler, discovers Caliban in a glade. Caliban decides to worship the drunken Stefano and make him his new master in order to escape Prospero’s power. Caliban describes Prospero’s cruelty and persuades Stefano to murder him by promising that Stefano can marry Miranda and rule the island. The other shipwreck survivors have been trekking across the island and stop to rest. Ariel casts a spell on Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio and derides them for their treatment of Prospero. Gonzalo and the others think that the spellbound men are suffering from the guilt of their past actions and promise to ensure their safety. Prospero finally concedes and agrees to the marriage of Miranda and Ferdinand and goes off to foil Caliban’s murderous plot. He orders Ariel to hang out beautiful clothes to distract the three fools. When Caliban and Stefano discover the clothes, they decide to steal them- Prospero arranges for goblins to â€Å"grind their joints. Prospero’s Forgiveness At the end of the play, Prospero has forgiven his countrymen, pardoned Caliban, and has promised to set Ariel free after he helps the ship leave the island. Prospero also breaks his magical staff and buries it, and  tosses his book of magic into the sea.  All of these things redeem his earlier behaviors and hearken back to the belief that hes not truly evil.  The last thing Prospero does in the play is to ask the audience to set him free from the island with their applause, thus leaving his future  up to the fates. Major Characters Prospero: While Prospero can be viewed as an evil character, he may simply be angry, bitter, and controlling.  The tempest that he whips up to shipwreck his countrymen is often said to be a physical manifestation of Prosperos anger.  Because he doesnt kill any of his countrymen throughout the play, and eventually forgives them,  many scholars argue that he is not evil. Miranda: Miranda represents purity, innocence, and the islands naturalness through her virginity. Prospero is obsessed with keeping her virginity intact, and ensuring that when shes finally handed over to Ferdinand, her new husband will honor and treasure her.  Miranda is often seen as a very innocent character and the antithesis of the witch Sycorax, the mother of Caliban. Caliban: Caliban is the demon son of the witch Sycorax and the devil.  Many people argue about whether he was human or monster.  Some scholars believe that Caliban is an evil character because he has tried to rape Miranda in the past, because he is the son of the  devil, and because he plots with Stefano to kill Prospero.  Others say that Caliban is merely a product of his birth and that it is not his fault who his parents were.  Many also view Prosperos mistreatment of Caliban (by making him a slave) as evil and that Caliban cannot be anything other than what he is. Ariel: Ariel, who inhabited the island long before anyone else, is a sexually ambiguous character, neither male nor female.  Sycorax imprisoned Ariel  in a tree when s/he refused to do Sycoraxs bidding because Ariel viewed her desires as evil. Prospero freed Arial, and Ariel remained faithful to Prospero the entire time the protagonist inhabited the island.  Ariel is at the core a very kind, empathetic creature, sometimes viewed as being angelic.  Ariel cares for humans and helps Prospero see the light and forgive his kinsman (even Caliban).  Without Ariel, Prospero would likely have remained a bitter, angry little man on his island forever. Major Themes The tripartite soul: One of the major themes from this play is the belief in the soul as three parts and that Prospero, Caliban, and Ariel are all a part of one person (Prospero).  Plato called this the tripartite of the soul, and it was a very commonly held belief in the Renaissance. The three factions of the soul were vegetative (Caliban), sensitive (Ariel), and rational (Ariel and Prospero).  Sigmund Freud later adopted this concept into his id, ego, and superego theory.  By this theory, Caliban represents the id (the child), Prospero the ego (the adult), and Ariel the superego (the parent).   Many plays after the 1950s have the same actor playing all three roles, and it is only when all three characters can come to the same conclusion (forgiveness) that the three factions are brought together into one person. When this happens to Prospero- when the three parts of his soul unite- he can finally move on. Master/servant relationships: In The Tempest, Shakespeare draws on master/servant relationships to demonstrate how power- and its misuse- works. In particular, control is a dominant theme: Characters battle for control over each other and the island, perhaps an echo of England’s colonial expansion in Shakespeare’s time. With the island in colonial dispute, the audience ​is asked to question who the rightful owner of the island is: Prospero, Caliban or Sycorax, the original colonizer from Algiers who performed evil deeds. Both good and evil characters use and misuse power in the play. Historical Context: Importance of Colonialism The Tempest Complutense, a Madrid-based learning website, notes that The Tempest takes place in 17th century England- a time that was contemporary with Shakespeares writing of the play- when colonialism was a dominant and accepted practice, particularly among European nations. The plot shows the deep influence of colonialism, especially in terms of Prospero’s actions: He arrives at Sycorax’s island, subdues it, and imposes his own culture on its inhabitants. Sycorax’s island can be seen as a representation of colonial America, which suffered the same subservient role as the island. The website notes: As Europeans did with the Americans, Prospero takes the power away from Caliban and treats him as an evil, ugly and deformed being, a despicable entity, who, in his eyes, is not even a human. The belief of superiority was the normal state of mind in the European nations. During Shakespeare’s times and the writing of The Tempest, colonization of America and Africa and the slave trade occurred. Around this time, the English were trying to establish their dominance in different regions of America, which were slowly coming under the rule of the British Empire. Shakespeare also seems also to have drawn on Michel de  Montaigne’s essay  Of the Cannibals, which was translated into English in 1603. The name of Prospero’s servant, Caliban, may have come from the word â€Å"Cannibal.† When picturing the storm in  The Tempest, Shakespeare may have been influenced by 1610 document, â€Å"A True Declaration of the Estate of the Colonie in Virginia,† which described the adventures of some sailors who had returned from the Americas. Key Quotes As with all of his plays, Shakespeares The Tempest contains plenty of pithy, striking, and moving quotes. A pox o your throat, you bawling, blasphemous, incharitable dog!Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground, long heath, broom, furze, anything. The wills above be done, but I would fain die a dry deathCanst thou remember / A time before we came unto this cell?In my false brother / awakened an evil nature, and my trust,like a good parent, did beget! of him / A falsehood in its contrary as great As my trust was, which had, indeed, no limit, / A confidence sans bound...Good wombs have borne bad sons.Hell is empty / And all the devils are here

The link between psychology and resistance to change Essay

The link between psychology and resistance to change - Essay Example Resistance to organizational change mainly comes from the people within the organization. This has been described as â€Å"psychological and organizational response† that comes from the attitude of people irrespective of the nature of change (Bovey & Hede, 2001). There are various reasons that have been identified which contribute to resistance to change on the part of employees. The most common factors that have been identified as contributing factors fuelling resistance are inadequate involvement of employees in the change management, ineffective process of communication and inadequate knowledge about change. The biggest manifestation of resistance to change occurs through expression of grievances, lower efficiency, aggressive attitude towards higher management and reduction of output of the organization. In order to understand the concept of resistance to change it is important to understand organizational change. Organizational change can be defined as an adaptation to the changing environment with an objective of improving the performance. There are two broad types of organizational change which can occur the first one can be defined as first order change and the second one is strategic or revolutionary change. In the former one the basic framework of the organization remains unaltered but in the second one the basic framework changes. The earliest mention of resistance was noticed in the article published by Lewin (1947cited in Gravenhorst, 2003) and the subsequent works published in the concept of group dynamics. The works of Coch and French (1948cited in Gravenhorst, 2003) had introduced the idea of resistance to organizational change but instead of properly shedding light on the concept they had rather introduced it as a motivational problem. The works of Watson (1969) had ide ntified that there are multiple stages in which the employees express their resistance to change. The first stage is characterized by

Cola Wars Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cola Wars - Essay Example Coca-Cola intensified its marketing effort from 74 million dollars to 1818 million dollars in a span of 4 years (1980-1984). Pepsi, on the other hand, also intensified its advertising from 66 million dollars to 125 million dollars during the same period. Another change in management style is the introduction of new products. Coca-Cola introduced eleven new products and Pepsi introduced thirteen new products. The two also increased their types of packaging sizes and they offered more than ten major brands. Another change in management of the two bodies is seen in the two venturing into new business areas, for instance, Coca-Cola has expanded to North America, Europe, and Asia. The Pepsi challenge in Dallas saw Pepsi eroding coke’s market, this in turn had Coca-Cola obtaining flexibility by having the franchising bottle contract approved and this boosted it past Pepsi maintaining the lead (Yoffie, 2004). There have been changes in the carbonated soft drink environment. For insta nce, the growth rate of the market size was predicted to decelerate. This is due to the cropping up of other non-alcoholic sectors: coffee, tea, energy drinks, bottled water, and sports drinks. This has caused market prices stagnation. Growth rate is decelerating due to the saturation of the market. This has made the soft drink companies look for alternative markets like bottled water, sports drinks, snacks and confections. Looking at the financial statements of the two bodies, it is clear the industry competition is high but the growth is stunted. Expanding of product lines have although kept their quick ratios inside a reasonable range. The sales and income trend is seen to be stagnant. Varying societal alarms, attitudes,... There have been changes in the carbonated soft drink environment. The growth rate of the market size was predicted to decelerate. This is due to the cropping up of other non-alcoholic sectors: coffee, tea, energy drinks, bottled water, and sports drinks. This has caused market prices stagnation. The growth rate is decelerating due to the saturation of the market. This has made the soft drink companies look for alternative markets like bottled water, sports drinks, snacks, and confections. Looking at the financial statements of the two bodies, it is clear the industry competition is high but the growth is stunted. Expanding of product lines have although kept their quick ratios inside a reasonable range. The sales and income trend is seen to be stagnant. Varying societal alarms, attitudes, and lifestyles are significant trends that are affecting the industry. Individuals are becoming more cognizant of their health - rise in obesity, not active lifestyles are a potential threat to the industry. Much of the success of these two companies can be attributed to them having an attitude that is progressive to the current competitive environment. In addition, their ability to adapt new technologies in production, packaging, and distribution gives them the opportunity to cater to the needs of the consumers more precisely and immediately than before. They do this in a way that they can still keep up with the market that is changing and the changing trends and maintain the capability to fine-tune with the changing market.

Political development Essay Example for Free

Political development Essay There are many more important factors to human activity than leadership. Effective leadership helps our nation through times of danger and risky situations. In today’s competitive world, leadership skills are crucial for both personal and professional development. Leadership is an important function of management which helps an individual or a business to maximize efficiency and to achieve goals. It makes a business and/or nonprofit organization successful. Leadership is a very important trait of management which helps an individual or a corporate business to maximize efficiency and achieve their goals. Leadership has different meanings to various people. Most commonly, leadership is also defines as influence, that is the art influencing others so that will strive willingly towards reaching goals. Political leadership is a more complex process by which the persons in power influence their followers, society, and the public to accomplish their set goals for the community. Political leaders are necessary for continuing and starting the process of change and development in any society. It can be social or economic change and constitutional or political change. These leaders carry out the process of change by applying their skills and attributes like politically relevant beliefs, socially adored values, and approved character. Political development is an interactive, public-decision-making and learning process that alters the achievable set of options open to solving political problems within and between government and civil society, based on power creation and dispersion. This process leads to increasing individual and group autonomy from below from above. The study of Political Development can also be understood as the structures of the state in correspondence with the changes occurring in the economy and social dimensions of group life. The concept of political development should be based on an open acknowledgement of the value of institutional autonomy and its relationship to democratic values. Without any leadership and developing of societies, groups of human beings quickly turn into arguments and conflict, because we see things in different ways and lean towards different solutions.

Comparing Welfare Provision in Germany and England Essay -- Compare Co

Comparing Welfare Provision in Germany and England "Our state reduces more and more its responsibility to provide welfare among the people". This is a statement that you can hear very often saying Germans about their welfare state in comparison with other welfare systems, as for instance the English system. This essay examines the similarities and differences between the German and the English welfare provision focusing on the extent to which this provision is provided. To understand the appropriacy and to discuss the extent of the provision it is helpful, firstly, to start with a brief definition of how these countries define a welfare state, and proceed with the different models that we encounter in Germany and in the UK. We continue with comparing and contrasting the extent of welfare provision in both countries. Since this is a wide area to discuss we concentrate on special provisions for instance the unemployment benefits and health care, since they are considered most relevant to the societies. Related to this analysis, we then highlight the appropriacy of the provision in the twenty first century. Finally, we come to the conclusion that the extent of the provision in both countries is similarly extensive but differs in the amount to which benefits and services are delivered. Furthermore, the argumentation will show that the appropriacy of welfare provision is needed, more than ever with regard to globalization and poverty. In general a welfare state is concerned with the welfare that the citizens are provided by their governments. Countries implement social and welfare policies to provide more social security and oppo... ... http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/bitesize/higher/modern/uksociety/income_wealth1_rev.shtml * Claudia Braczko. (20/09/2004). Arbeitsmarktreformen in England und Deutschland. Retrieved December 28, 2004, from http://idw-online.de/pages/de/news85895 * IWB online. (23/09/1996). Kohl government axes German welfare state. Retrieved December 26, 2004, from http://www.wsws.org/public_html/prioriss/iwb9-23/kohl.htm * Pieter van Houten. (10/11/ 2004). The welfare state in crisis?. Retrieved December 27, 2004, from http://www.chu.cam.ac.uk/~pjv24/pol4-handout-I9.htm * The Robert Gordon University. An introduction to social policy. Retrieved December 27, 2004, from http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/ 1 21/11/04 (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/) 2 21/11/04 (http://www.destatis.de/indicators/d/arb210ad.htm)

Dating Your Best Friend Essay

I ask myself sometimes why now and not then, I think this was how it was meant to be the whole time. We met in first grade and became real good friends right from the start. I remember playing a lot together with our friends. We also lived just across the street from each other so imagine, seeing each other at school and after school play even more outside after our homework was done, it was a great way of spending time together. Unfortunately after first grade, we somehow had to go to different schools, but we still got together after school and played together. It wasn’t until after 4th grade that I moved to a new neighborhood and didn’t see him again until 8th grade. We saw each other and recognized one another and again we became inseparable. We had a few classes together and we were always partners whenever we were assigned to grab a partner. Also that same school year, all the rumors started; that we liked each other, we were going to end up going out, we were always together and so on. I did think about it but we were just fourteen year olds who had no age and no intention of dating. We were the best of friends in middle school and kept going strong. Our high school years came real quick as we kept on growing up together and watching each other blossom into young adults. We were still the best friends ever, and the same rumors still kept going around. We somehow managed to have classes together which were very good for the both of us because we never wanted to be apart. We still had no intention of going out, because we didn’t want to break that wonderful friendship we had made and kept for so long. It wasn’t until Valentine’s Day of freshman year when I started feeling a little something for him. He sent me a valentine with the following message â€Å"Happy Valentine’s Day! Thanks for being an awesome friend! † I thought at that moment â€Å"Oh, friend† but I let it slide because I felt it was not a big deal. Sophomore year rolled around, we were still the best friends ever, and the rumors and gossip continued. We had classes together again, nothing special happened until the very end of that school year. We were saying goodbye to each other and we hugged, but we hugged each other for a while. I honestly felt that â€Å"spark† between us. I thought he felt the same (he told me later on that he did). We parted ways and kept in touch a bit in the summer, and didn’t see each other again until next year, junior year. That year I couldn’t hide what I felt for him, I was actually becoming more and more in love with him. I can tell he was also falling for me as well. It’s one of those things a girl can tell without being told anything. We were still the best of friends, and the rumors were still going (I was very surprised, yet a bit amused). This year was different because we’re now sixteen/ seventeen and had grown up more. Yes we were inseparable, but those feelings were becoming more noticeable to everyone except to one another. Yet nothing happened and we were still the best of friends. Senior year was a big year for us; it was the last year that we might be together. My feelings for him were now stronger than ever, I wanted to be more that friends, but for some reason he always seemed to avoid me and not talk at all. I don’t know why, I was hoping for him to say something to me, since I had heard from many that he actually did love me. But nothing happened, so I gave up on him in that aspect of us. I had revealed to one of my good friends that I did love Isaac and wanted more. He revealed to that same person that he loved me too. I found out from her and I went to talk to him, he immediately got upset and denied everything. With that being said I also denied everything because I thought to myself that was his chance and he blew it. We got really mad at each other and said â€Å"we are friends and that is it†. We didn’t stay mad for that long; we got back to talking again. I decided to date a guy that year; it was going well until I saw Isaac. He saw us holding hands, I saw his face turn red with anger, and just walked away upset. I knew it upset him but I had no idea why, we had settled on being best friends. We still enjoyed all the senior activities like prom, boat trip, and finally graduation. We both graduated and saw each other for what could be the last time. He was going off to college and I was staying home. After those four years in high school we proved everyone wrong about going out with each other, or at least that’s what we thought. Time passed and I had broken up with my high school boyfriend and I started dating another guy here at ECC for a few months. I never heard from Isaac once during that time, I was a bit upset but I didn’t pay attention to it. It wasn’t until February 12 that I was on Facebook and I got talking with Isaac again via chat that night. We were talking and asked about my boyfriend, I told him I didn’t have one and that I had given up on guys for the moment. We kept talking and talking and then I asked him â€Å"For April Fool’s we should put as our status that we’re going out†. It took him a few minutes to say â€Å"Why not actually make it a reality? † I was shocked! I swear at that moment I had an instant flashback of our childhood all the way through high school. I had waited for so long for that moment that I said yes, it also took me a while to respond back. At that moment he confessed that he had loved me since the end of sophomore year when we said goodbye to each other. I was so happy that everything went the way it did. Unfortunately he was away at school and I wouldn’t see him until our one month anniversary when he came home. I didn’t mind, I did not wait all that time in high school for us to finally be together as a couple and not have the relationship work. We changed our Facebook status that we were officially a couple. It was an explosion of â€Å"It’s about time! †, â€Å"I knew it! †, and â€Å"I told you it would happen eventually! † We didn’t care though because we were just happy that our dream had finally come true. A month passed and it was our one month anniversary. We went out to dinner and had an amazing time together. That same night he took me to his home and I met his entire family. Since then me and his family have gotten along very well and we are practically like family. We definitely enjoyed that week together but he had to go back and I wouldn’t see him until May. My birthday came along and it happened to fall on a Saturday, which was nice because I planned to have a party. Isaac drove all the way home just for my birthday and surprised me. He called me before and said that he had sent a present. Then at around five in the afternoon he called and said that my gift has arrived and I had to open the door, sure enough it was him with a bouquet of flowers. I cried of joy, no one had ever done something like that for me. It was an awesome way to celebrate my birthday. The relationship has been going very well, and I’m positive that it will continue to stay like that. It just comes to show that that myth about how dating your best friend is bad isn’t always true. It can happen to anyone, and yes it doesn’t work out for some people, but in my case it worked out for the better. As I said before, I don’t think we were meant to be best friends, just something more.

Unemployment Causes And Solutions In Nigeria

The chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Employment Programme (Sure-P), Dr. Christopher Kolade, has bemoaned the rising rate of unemployment in the country, saying that no fewer than 40 million Nigerians are without jobs. Even before Dr. Kolade spoke, Nigerians were already aware of the dire situation as unemployment rate in the country has been increasing over the years. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria’s unemployment rate averaged 14. 60 per cent from 2006 until 2011, reaching an all time high of 23.90 per cent in December 2011.The NBS measures unemployment rate by the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force. In its Economic Report on Nigeria released in May this year, the World Bank noted that â€Å"Nigeria’s annual growth rates that average over seven per cent in official data during the last decade place the nation among the fastest growing economies in the world noting that the growth has been con centrated particularly on trade and agriculture, which would suggest substantial welfare benefits for many Nigerians.Nevertheless, poverty reduction and job creation have not kept pace with population growth, implying social distress for an increasing number of Nigerians. Progress towards the fulfilment of many of the Millennium Development Goals has been slow, and the country ranked 153 out of 186 countries in the 2013 United Nations Human Development Index. † According to the World Bank, â€Å"job creation in Nigeria has been inadequate to keep pace with the expanding working age population.The official unemployment rate had steadily increased from 12 per cent of the working age population in 2006 to 24 per cent in 2011. Preliminary indications are that this upward trend continued in 2012. † In a similar observation in June, the Honorary International Investors Council (HIIC) pointed to what it called â€Å"the growing unemployment rate and the rising number of poor skilled workforce† in the country. The Council, headed by Baroness Lynda Chalker, was inaugurated in 2004 as a presidential advisory body to attract global financial players into the Nigerian economy.Although not much positive impact could be attributed to HIIC’s efforts in Nigeria, the Council urges the government â€Å"to improve on its synergy with the other tiers of government and the industry in order to build basic education geared towards enhancing capacity of the workforce for industrialisation of the economy. † It goes without saying that the nation’s unemployment rate has become a source of concern to government. Only recently the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, admitted that the spate of unemployment was giving her sleepless nights.Quoting the National Bureau of Statistics, the minister declared that â€Å"each year, about 1. 8m young Nigerians enter into our labour market and we need to e nsure that the economy provides jobs for them. † Okonjo-Iweala blamed the ineffectiveness of government developmental programmes on the fact that Nigeria lacked the institutional capacity to harness the gains of the programmes. In her words, â€Å"When you look at Nigeria, for over 50 to 60 years, we’ve been working without the key institutions that some other people have. We keep making stopgap solutions.For 50 years, we didn’t have a Bureau for Public Procurement; for 50 years, we didn’t have a Debt Management Office. So many of the institutions that we have now are new and if you stand back, you’ll see there are still many gaps. It is now our job to try to fill those gaps. † The faster government moves in that direction the better as we have seen the concomitant effect of youth unemployment manifests itself in various forms across the country. Kidnapping, armed robbery and even militancy in the Niger Delta and to some extent the Boko Haram menace could be identified as some of the negative outcome of unemployment.

buy custom Customer Service Delivery in Starbucks Corporation essay

buy custom Customer Service Delivery in Starbucks Corporation essay Evaluation of Customer Service Delivery in Starbucks Corporation Starbucks Corporation is a leader in providing quality coffee to customers. Although it operates hundreds of product lines, the largest percentage of its profit comes from beverages. The corporation has an overwhelming presence and offers convenience. Moreover, its distribution strategy is unsophisticated and the corporation puts great efforts in making customers access to its products with ease and as well its locations avails more convenience to the customers (Evans and Hansen 4). The company has huge numbers of customers since most of its outlets are located in high- visibility, high-traffic and non-company retail channels. Nevertheless, Starbucks faces stiff competition from other similar corporations such as the McDonalds and Minneapolis-based Caribou Coffee. Despite this competition, Starbucks has always provides its customers with high-quality coffee (Roby 2). This paper therefore evaluates customer service delivery in the corporation. The success of this multinational corporation can be attributed to its focus on customer service delivery and customer satisfaction. To ensure that its customers derive utility from the consumption of its products, the corporation has through time been making good use of human resources in creating this customer-oriented value. The corporation has actually ensured that it has put in place a conducive atmosphere where any visiting customer will be in a position to relax, enjoy (to fullest) his/her social interactions as w ell as have ample time with others (Evans and Hansen 7). In so doing, the company has actually transformed the original norm of buying coffee just as a drink to a more attractive new-fashioned norm of having an experience of enjoying the drink. Owing to this fact therefore, any visiting customer would wish to stay for a longer period in the store since the environment is inviting. Another element that the cororation has looked into in ensuring that its customers get utility is the provision of quality coffee. Since all its stores are company-owned, the company is in a position to control the quality of services and products for the customers. Besides, Starbucks has engaged in controlling its supply chain by working hand in hand with coffee growers and has implemented the enforcement of coffee standards (Roby 8). This move makes customers to esteem Starbucks products. Starbucks has greatly invested in employee training and development for both old and new employees. Its workforce has continuously been trained of hard as well as soft skills with an objective of making the service delivery experience to customers pleasant. Through the soft skills, the workforce is better equipped to smoothly connect with customers. This equally enhances a friendly environment between the workforce and the visiting customers (Roby 11). Besides, the company has always ensured that the workforce is satisfied since this satisfaction among the employees leads to a higher level of customer satisfaction. The workforce is well remunerated and empowered and as thus feels that it is important part of the company. Through this, they feel appreciated and would also want to own the company; which as a result makes them offer excellent service to the customers. The corporation has also been involved in product innovation; making an expansion in its beverage menu as well as includ ing food items. This has seen tremendous changes in the companys customer demographics (Evans and Hansen 16). Markedly, however, the value preposition for Starbucks still remains the compelling factor. This is simply because the company places the customer and the service offered to the customer at the fore front. This value preposition- as earlier mentioned is not about coffee, but pertains to the experience of drinking coffee in Starbucks stores and at the same time integrating the product with the related emotional benefits. On the contrary, there havve been indications that the level of customer satisfaction has been of late declining. Nevertheless, this does not suggest that the quality of the services offered has declined. This might have been as a result of changes in the customers expectation, issues in marketing or even other forces from the external environment (Evans and Hansen 20). The corporations customer base in the recent past has been growing and statistics has shown that most of those less satisfied customers are the new ones or who it is their very first time to visit the stores. Owing to this fact therefore, it can be concluded that service delivery has not at its least been compromised; but that these new customers might be having relatively higher expectations since the established customers have a better opinion of the corporation (Roby 24). However, a possible reason of the declining customer service delivery could be the companys product innovation and retail expansion strategy. Initially, this business giant had set standards for its customers at a high level via its value preposition; of which it used to meet. However, following the companys strategy of product innovation and retail expansion - which ran hand in hand with the customization of drinks - negative effects were experienced in the atmosphere, service delivery and coffee quality. All these led to the decline in customer satisfaction, besides changing the image of the brand (Roby 30). With reference to the above discussion and more especially the reason behind declining customer service delivery and customer satisfaction, Starbucks ought to make a redefinition of its marketing strategies in which it will research and keenly evaluate the needs, wants and perceptions of its changing customer base. Moreover, the company is obliged to evaluate innovative sales in order for it to determine the impact of labor costs that will help tell whether or not sales prop the costs. Managing the increased customer base requires only fine-tuning of operations. Buy custom Customer Service Delivery in Starbucks Corporation essay

The Language Police

The Language Police The Language Police The Language Police By Maeve Maddox Lovers of language and literature, especially those with children or grandchildren still in Grades K-12, will find The Language Police by education historian Diane Ravitch riveting, revelatory, and extremely disturbing. The Language Police is an exposà © of the practice of systematic self-censoring by textbook manufacturers to avoid offending either the political right or the left. Ravitch, an education historian who has worked in the administrations of both political parties, says she learned only gradually that educational materials are now governed by an intricate set of rules to screen out language and topics that might be considered controversial or offensive. The systematic censorship Ravitch describes stems from â€Å"bias and sensitivity† guidelines provided by state textbook selection committees and other groups. Such guidelines proscribe words, phrases, images, and concepts that someone- anyone- might consider sexist, religious, elitist, ageist, regionalist, or unhealthful. Here are a few of the words and phrases writers are warned to avoid or to exclude outright when writing for the educational market: able-bodied seaman, actress boatman, busboy cabin boy, cameraman, caveman, cult devil, dogma, dwarf Eskimo, fairy, fanatic, fat, fisherman God, gringo, gypsy heathen, hell, heroine, hut jungle, junk bond, juvenile delinquent Middle East, maniac, myth night watchman, nobleman, normal old, old wives’ tale pagan, papoose, past one’s prime, polo Satan, schoolboy, schoolgirl, seamstress, Sioux, slave, snow cone, snowman, soul food, stick ball, swarthy tomboy, tote bag, tribal warfare, tribe, turn a deaf ear to un-American, uncivilized victim, yacht For a detailed description of The Language Police, read the review by science teacher Anne C. Westwater in The Textbook Letter, Vol. 12, No.4 of the Textbook League. Better yet, read the book. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Book Reviews category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:"Because Of" and "Due To" 7 Patterns of Sentence StructureDouble Possessive

Causes and effects of alcoholism Research Paper

Causes and effects of alcoholism - Research Paper Example Research has failed to reach consensus on the causes of alcohol abuse, but one cause due to which individuals become addicted to alcohol is that those who consume alcohol for a very long period of time become mentally dependant on it and if they try to stop consumption of alcohol they experience withdrawal symptoms and this dependence is recognized as one of the causes of alcoholism. There are other causes that may cause alcoholism, but research has failed to reach consensus on these causes. One of these causes is genetic factors that may result in alcoholism. This means that certain individuals might be born with certain characteristics that may increase the risk of these individuals becoming involved in the act of alcohol abuse. Genetic factors may explain alcoholism among certain percentage of population, but it fails to explain the same behavior in various other populations. According to Kearney, genetic factors are one of the reasons due to which individuals abuse alcohol and th e researcher even states that individuals belonging to families in which alcohol abuse was quite prevalent were at a higher risk of around three to four times to abuse alcohol (Kearney, 2011, p.257). Another possible cause of dependence on alcohol is the changes in an individual’s cognitive chemical balances due to continuous consumption of alcohol over a longer period of time. Individuals who try to stop consumption of alcohol may experience decline in the chemical levels of norepinephrine and due to this the individual may experience higher levels of blood pressure as well as increase in heart rate and in order to counter this effect, the individual may resort to drinking higher levels of alcoholic drinks. A research was conducted by Hawley, in which the researchers identified that the levels of cerebrospinal fluid norepinephrine were higher among those who were trying to quit their addiction of alcohol consumption (Hawley, 1981). To a