Monday, September 30, 2019

Handling Groups: Booking, Check in, Checkout

HANDLING GROUPS Groups can bring in huge revenue for a hotel but they make a lot of work. This statement is very much true as groups take up a number of rooms in a hotel all at once bringing in a huge amount of income at one particular point in time. In order for this to go smoothly,all hotel departments need to be given details of group arrivals well in advance so each department can make their own necessary arrangements to be able to handle groups.Various departments would have to work closely together, front office would need to send out copies of group arrival list to all departments atleast one week in advance so that other departments can make appropriate adjustments to number of staff that would be required during those times. The flow pattern for a succession of individual guests is quite different from the flow of group arrivals so housekeeping has to pay close attention ensuring rooms are ready for group arrivals.Head porters also have to arrange necessary number of staff t o be ready to move a large quantity of luggage as quickly as possible so as to not have the group transport around for long periods while unloading. All departments need to have good communication during these times, listen, ask and prepare. When best would hotels accept groups and why? Groups to a hotel can include conference delegates, unexpected group of passengers forced to stay overnight because of bad weather or maybe technical problems.Hotels sometimes are not given the opportunity to plan/prepare further ahead so they must always have a set procedure and guideline in place for un-for-seen times. Hotels would best accept groups during their slack periods, this will help to fill up the rooms and also by charging the highest possible rates for the rooms. This would also bring about the use of yield management where the hotel would be able to fill up all the empty rooms at that point, instead of having so many vacant roomsFive factors to consider when booking groups: 1. Negotiat ion- particular attention when negotiating with group leader over price, as the leader will be in a more powerful bargaining position than individual guests as they are providing the hotel with large amount of business at once so group leaders tend to bargain extremely for low rates and discounted use of facilities etc. 2.Group reservation request form- hotels needs to ensure group leader fills in and submit this form which is usually listed on hotels websites or calling direct to the hotel giving the information and also through group reservation specialist collecting all necessary information about the number in group, number of rooms, type of rooms, special requests, arrival and departure dates and times etc. 3.Payment arrangement- the arranged package prices are transfer to the group leader ledger account, it is safe for the hotel to open a separate extras account for group members individually for them to get drinks, laundry, room service on credit if this credit was not extend ed and this should be clearly noted and understood by both the group and hotel departments so as to prevent any uncomfortable situations. . Additional administrative arrangements- document a summerization of details and outline the arranged dividing of hotels responsibilities to group members and that of the group leader to it’s members, this document would include if a separate check in area is provided for the group check in which would help in avoiding long queues at reception and also to foster the feeling of group collision. 5.Couriers arrangement- when groups travel they usually have a courier/tour organiser and sometimes a driver which are free/at a reduced rate, these things should be made note of especially if the courier took care of administrative tasks as well, which would have then had to be done by the hotel own staff. Five factors to consider when checking in groups: 1. Pre registration- hotel can print off individual registration forms along with a prepared we lcome package, prepare two keys for double occupancy rooms and arrange special envelopes with group keys in ascending order. . Special code reference for each group- on check in enter group code and guest automatically transfers the agreed accommodation and meal charges to a master bill, and all extras are charged on a individual account for group members if so desired. 3. Pre arrival registration form- hotel gets the individual registration forms to groups for them to fill out on their way to the hotel, so this part is dealt with even before guests arrive at the hotel, so information is only rechecked at point of contact with reception. 4.Rooming list- hotel should obtain a copy of rooming list from the group leader in order to update individual guest profiles proving names, addresses and passport numbers into the pms system. 5. In house report/groups- immediately after check in hotel should update the system to enable all guest names, room number, special request etc, and print a copy of group in house room reports and circulate to all departments such as front desk, housekeeping, concierge, room service. Five factors to consider when checking out groups: . Ensure all group billing are prepared and billed carefully, as in some instances some group members may stay on longer after the rest of the group have left the hotel, so to ensure those individual guest are billed separately for the group rates and their individual rates. 2. Extras- making sure all other charges incurred by all individual group members are billed separately and not added to the agreed contract between hotel and group leader of accommodation and specific meal option. 3.Collecting of all key passes to rooms from individual group members, where provision was made to provide two keys for a number of single/double rooms. 4. To enquire about actual check out times of individual group members to have various departments on standby eg. Housekeeping to start cleaning and preparing rooms again for new expected guests/walk-ins, and for porters to help remove belongings from individual guest rooms in a timely manner. 5. Hotel should at check out of groups try selling single packages to individual group members, or even family and other group packages as well.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Australian Aborigines

Australian Aborigines The Australia Aborigine’s culture has always had my attention. From the places they lived to they way they where treated always amazed me. After reading about their rituals, social organization and settlement patterns for the textbook, they are a society of people who are all one. The type of kinship they practice is all is one. For example, if an outsider came to their tribe someone in the tribe would classify that outsider as their mother, and a name that is given to that tribe members real mother will be given to the outsider. According to Scheper-Hughes, N. n the 1993 article: Cephu's choice: Is natural for human beings to want personal liberty? or is it a peculiarly western concern? some conclusions drawn from the indigenous cultures around the world.â€Å"Among Australian aborigines of the Western Desert, each new person comes into the world circumscribed by ancestral origin myths about ‘Dreamtime' which structure the world and rigidly define the place of all aboriginal people within it. The myths determine each person's position and the marriage strategies, kinship ties and friendship alliances that each must pursue in adherence to the sacred geography and its accompanying moral economy. The Dreaming', wrote William Stanner, ‘determines not only what life is, but also what it can be. Life, so to speak, is a one – possibility thing'. In this aboriginal society there is no sense of personal ‘agency' fundamental to western notions of liberty and democracy. Nor is there any idea of an individual search for personal salvation which Christian missionaries have tried, but normally failed, to communicate. † The way Australia Aborigines use kinship affects the way they live, act and think. Since there system is â€Å"all is one† they live with the common understanding that they are all under one belief system.This can be compared to when someone in your family marries; the person they marry is no w your family. This understanding creates a strong bond between people who are not technical blood related. The thought of people with such a bond helps in battles and growth within a society. In my own society the type of kinship seen in the aborigines can be seen with close family and friends. Our society tends to compare when we know the person or someone we trust knows the outside person. However, unlike the aborigines, our society has shown a way of turning away what is unfamiliar or unlike them.This brings a crack or weakness in our society because our bonds or circles are not as big because of it. I believe we can learn several things from foragers like the Australia Aborigines to make ourselves stronger. Reference: Scheper-Hughes, N. (1993, Cephu's choice: Is natural for human beings to want personal liberty? or is it a peculiarly western concern? some conclusions drawn from the indigenous cultures around the world. New Internationalist, , 11-13. Retrieved from http://search . proquest. com/docview/200094581? accountid=32521 Australian Aborigines Australian Aborigines The Australia Aborigine’s culture has always had my attention. From the places they lived to they way they where treated always amazed me. After reading about their rituals, social organization and settlement patterns for the textbook, they are a society of people who are all one. The type of kinship they practice is all is one. For example, if an outsider came to their tribe someone in the tribe would classify that outsider as their mother, and a name that is given to that tribe members real mother will be given to the outsider. According to Scheper-Hughes, N. n the 1993 article: Cephu's choice: Is natural for human beings to want personal liberty? or is it a peculiarly western concern? some conclusions drawn from the indigenous cultures around the world.â€Å"Among Australian aborigines of the Western Desert, each new person comes into the world circumscribed by ancestral origin myths about ‘Dreamtime' which structure the world and rigidly define the place of all aboriginal people within it. The myths determine each person's position and the marriage strategies, kinship ties and friendship alliances that each must pursue in adherence to the sacred geography and its accompanying moral economy. The Dreaming', wrote William Stanner, ‘determines not only what life is, but also what it can be. Life, so to speak, is a one – possibility thing'. In this aboriginal society there is no sense of personal ‘agency' fundamental to western notions of liberty and democracy. Nor is there any idea of an individual search for personal salvation which Christian missionaries have tried, but normally failed, to communicate. † The way Australia Aborigines use kinship affects the way they live, act and think. Since there system is â€Å"all is one† they live with the common understanding that they are all under one belief system.This can be compared to when someone in your family marries; the person they marry is no w your family. This understanding creates a strong bond between people who are not technical blood related. The thought of people with such a bond helps in battles and growth within a society. In my own society the type of kinship seen in the aborigines can be seen with close family and friends. Our society tends to compare when we know the person or someone we trust knows the outside person. However, unlike the aborigines, our society has shown a way of turning away what is unfamiliar or unlike them.This brings a crack or weakness in our society because our bonds or circles are not as big because of it. I believe we can learn several things from foragers like the Australia Aborigines to make ourselves stronger. Reference: Scheper-Hughes, N. (1993, Cephu's choice: Is natural for human beings to want personal liberty? or is it a peculiarly western concern? some conclusions drawn from the indigenous cultures around the world. New Internationalist, , 11-13. Retrieved from http://search . proquest. com/docview/200094581? accountid=32521

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Cultural compatibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cultural compatibility - Essay Example Hofstede’s five-dimensional model of analyzing culture is crucial in evaluating the compatibility of Tesco with Tata. Tesco PLC is a multinational entity that deals with grocery and other types of Merchandise. The company has its beginning and headquarters in the UK, Europe. Jack Cohen, in 1919, established a chain of stalls that he later consolidated to form the first Tesco Company. Jack Cohen was so aggressive that he established 100 Tesco stores in the UK 20 years after the formation of the first stall. In turn, there seems to be a culture that Cohen instilled in his company. It is crucial to view the company as a Western cultural artifact because Europe is the embodiment of a typical Western culture. This culture has been shaped by key factors such as capitalism, industrialization, globalization, and wars. On the other hand, Maharashtra is a wealthy India’s state that entails a modernized economy. In spite of its major developments, the majority of the state’ s population are Hindus. Karnataka is relatively less wealthy but it entails a large percentage of Hindus. It is crucial to highlight that India’s culture heavily intertwines with the most dominant religion, Hinduism. This spectacle repeats in most Eastern cultures. Unlike the Eastern culture, the Western culture had long emerged from the Victorian principles that articulated distinct ways of lives. Instead, over time, individuals have embraced personal definitions of cultures that do not necessarily build from religious views.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Business and Society Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Business and Society - Research Paper Example ement on products and services being made by Apple Inc has made them to segment the market, position themselves in the market, and attract the customer loyalty (Mohr,  Sengupta, & Slater, 2010). Therefore, the target market is always eager to purchase the company’s products. The structure of Apple Inc products differ depending on the interests of the market. For instance, the company produces iphones, Macs, and other products of different sizes in order to meet the varying needs of the market. This has made it possible for the company to penetrate the global market and remain competitive in the market. Apple Inc designs, manufactures, and markets mobile and media devices, personal computers, and portable digital music players. It also sells different software, services, peripherals, and different networking solutions. Some of the products include iPad, Mac, iPod, and Apple TV. Others include applications such as iOS, OS X, etc. (Groucutt, 2005). One of the key factors in the external environment that can affect the success of Apple Inc is competition. Over the past few years Apple Company has made tremendous effort to segment the global market. However, there is stiff competition from Samsung, Sony, and Google Inc. These companies have invested in electronic sector. In addition, they have diversified their operations in order to reduce the risks and uncertainties associated with focusing on a single product, service, and market. Therefore, they have accumulated huge amounts of money. They use their financial base as a barrier of entry to any interested investors. Furthermore, they have been introducing new products that target the young generation which forms the largest market segment. This has been hindering the success of the Apple Company in the global market. Therefore, if the company does not change its competitive strategies, it revenues might shrink over the years. For instance, Apple Inc has been trying to penetrat e the Chinese market. However, local

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Evaluating Finances of A Non Profit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evaluating Finances of A Non Profit - Essay Example Casey Foundation). Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, the Annie E. Casey Foundation has been working to promote the well-being of our nation’s most vulnerable children for 60 years. Established in 1948 by UPS co-founder Jim Casey and his siblings in honor of their mother, the Foundation’s first grants supported a camp for disadvantaged children near the Casey family home in Seattle (The Annie E. Casey Foundation). The Company’s funding happens through certain programs like Casey Family Programs, an independent operating foundation headquartered in Seattle, which provides long-term foster care and other child and family serving programs and Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiatives etc. The Annie E. Casey Foundation makes grants that help states, cities, and neighborhoods create more innovative, cost-effective responses to these needs. Grant making is limited to initiatives in the United States that have significant potential to demonstrate innovative policy, service delivery, and community supports—especially investments that encourage long-term strategies and partnerships to strengthen families and communities. As of December 31, 2006, the Foundation has approved grant funds for payments to various organizations and projects of up to approximately $173 million, contingent upon the organizations performance of obligations specified in the grant agreements. The Casey Foundation’s approach to grant making focuses on making multiyear, multi-site commitments that enables them to invest in long-term strategies and partnerships that strengthen families and communities. The organization uses its resources to partner with and forge collaborations among institutions, agencies, decision makers, and community leaders so they can work together to transform tough places to raise families.   The organization also funds research, technical assistance, and multi-site demonstrations that help service and support

Contested globalisation and governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contested globalisation and governance - Essay Example The main person responsible for coining the term globalization is considered to be Theodore Levitt. With the passage of time, the phenomenon has grown at a steady rate whereby the setting under which it is held is one that focuses on the global patterns related with the sociological findings. Globalization, for that matter, is also remarked as Internationalization since the nature of the two terms is on a worldwide scale more than anything else. However, on the part of the two terms, the one thing common however is the fact that these have identified themselves well with the changing (and growing) trends, where most of these are credited on the shoulders of the World War II, after which there has been a resurgent rat race nonetheless. The movement of commodities, people, information, money, technological developments, organizational infrastructures, legal frameworks and so on and so forth have only proved to all and sundry that globalization is a phenomenon and it is one that is here to stay for long. The world has become a global village due to globalization and it is a good omen if seen in the proper perspectives. Globalization entails within it the changing technological innovations, the improvement in structures and different infrastructures, the advancements in basic thinking mindset of man, his ability to break loose from the ordinary and reach out towards the unknown and in all essence do something which can bring about an ultimate change, for the better. (Kantor, 2001) Having said that, we need to understand that globalization is not just a phenomenon, it is the science of human evolution and since man has for long held fast to this belief, there can be no reason as to why he should not comprehend the basis of the phenomenon of globalization. It is a paradigm shift or a movement as we might call it, one that brings more stability within the ranks (where it is applied) and unison in the efforts and activities of all concerned. More

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Fashion, Retail and Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Fashion, Retail and Advertising - Essay Example The paper "Fashion, Retail and Advertising" will study the intersect between these social and cultural trends, and the world of fashion retail and advertising from the year 2000 to date. Social trends matter in retail trade. As such, it is important to look into some of the trends in terms of social media, communication and culture that stood out the most in the last decade. It is worth noting that in recent times, the advertising industry is more incorporative of the trends, though this is not by choice. The modern day consumer has to be wooed into purchasing certain products by certain companies. This section examines what has been deemed trendy and fashionable in the 2000s. The 2000 has been perhaps the fastest evolving decade in terms of what was popular in this period. The years in this decade as pertains to clothing fashion, saw to the emergence of attributes such as markets flooded with numerous brand names. For example, brands such as Nike are no longer the only ones that are recognized in the retail industry, as there has been widespread infiltration of other brands into the market over the past decade. A good example of such is the emergence of names such as Forever 21. This has left consumers spoilt for choice, with the knowledge that quality is guaranteed, even though one opts to not stick to traditional brand names while acquiring different clothing. In addition to this, the fashion industry has witnessed the evolution of clothing, from conservative wear to clothing.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Case Brief Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Brief - Case Study Example While the plaintiff does not have her palimony agreement in writing, because she filed her claim before the enactment of the new legislature, the judge ruled the amendment does not apply to her case. In doing such, the judge further ruled to deny the defendant’s motion to dismiss the complaint and the defendant’s counterclaims. Barbara A. Botis is the girlfriend of the late Gary A. Kudrick. Botis claims herself and Kudrick were in a â€Å"marriage-type relationship† for the greater part of 32 years after Kudrick divorced his wife. Botis further claims that Kudrick promised to take care of her after his death even though he did not put her in his will. Therefore, Botis seeks palimony- or compensation made by one member of an unmarried couples to another member after separation. Estate of Gary A. Kudrick denies that Botis and Kudrick were ever in a â€Å"marriage-type relationship† and, therefore, the plaintiff is not entitled to any compensation. Furthermore, the Estate seeks its own compensation from the plaintiff for unauthorized withdrawals from a home equity line on one of the deceased’s residences, removing belongings from one of the residences, and refusing to return stolen financial documents. In addition, the defendant later requested to expand the later counterclaim to include fraud, perjury, attorney fees, and punitive damages. Plaintiff stands that her and the late Gary Kudrick met in high school in approximately 1954. Although they initially married other people, after both of their respective marriages ended, they began a committed relationship. In 1976, Kudrick moved into Botis’s residence while still maintaining his own separate residence. They then lived together for approximately eight years before selling her residence and moving into his expanded residence in 1984 of which she claims she invested $17,000. Then, in 1995, they supposedly purchase another home

Sunday, September 22, 2019

The Application of Cognitive Learning Theory in Learning How to Read Essay

The Application of Cognitive Learning Theory in Learning How to Read and Use Maps - Essay Example The objective of the essay is to examine the potentials of one of the learning theories aforementioned, the cognitive learning theory, in identifying and explaining the components and mechanisms of learning a particular task. For this essay, learning how to read and use a map will be explored by applying the cognitivist approach. Primarily, the essay will provide a brief overview of the task of learning how to read and use a map and its importance in the discipline of geography. Afterward, the types of knowledge required to acquire or learn the particular skill will be discussed, and then the cognitive learning theory, as it applies to the learning task of reading and using a map, will be examined. Specifically, Piaget’s and the neo-Vygotskian’s theories will be employed in explaining the chosen learning task. And lastly, the essay will conclude the discussion by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the cognitive learning theory, relative to other learning theori es, in explaining the task of learning how to read and use a map. The discipline of geography explores the relationship between human beings and the earth and particularly takes into account the environment, location, and space. In studying locations and geographical subjects, geographers illustrate and identify the mechanisms and structures they observe in their physical environment. Hence study of spatial structures and the acquisition of locational knowledge shape distinguishing and core components of the field, with various kinds of maps being an essential tool in this practice (Palmer & Birch, 2004).

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Technology in Classrooms Essay Example for Free

Technology in Classrooms Essay Technology improves everyday, and it is becoming more common in the newer generations. There are many studies, I’ve read many articles about how important technology became in the classrooms and how important its role became as well. Its role became an improvement for students and in classrooms. In the classrooms, technology has become a leadership for both teachers and students. They have also improved. Students are able to visualize their studies better. Not only are they can take it home and visualize their work for their studies. They have access to their work even from home to view their work. Technology is also a benefit for teachers because now teachers are able to breakdown their teaching time to educate their students more. Teachers don’t have much time to teach their students in a year, so many of them it’s a great advantage to be able to teach through a power point or as Touro uses a blackboard system. They are able to teach more, and while having more time to teach, they can review more. Students who miss school, it wont be such an issue or trouble for them because they have a great access right at home or even on their smartphones. This is one of many ways technology can be a benefit for students and classrooms. Another advantage of technology in classrooms is that it benefits students who enter college are advanced in the technology skills. I, being a student in high school took computer classes, which helped me in the college world. I was able to even educate teachers in the field. Students including I, feel empowered when we enter the college world. We feel like us, students can educate the teachers and teach them something that they don’t know. Studies are shown that many students are both with digital native. We see even in the newer generations that children, teenagers are very advanced in using phones, computers, the† iWorld† as some people call it. Being advanced in technology for students is a benefit towards their work as well, in research and writing papers. It can also help their work field since many fields have  the use of technology in it. Many studies disagree with technology playing a huge role in classrooms. Technology can be difficult in the classroom environments. It can be very distracting to the students and they cannot do well in their studies and work. It can be distracting to students because they can take advantage of technology being used by bringing in their laptops, and pretending to be doing school work while doing their own twits and Facebook updates, or use of cellphones in class which takes them away from listening and being educated. Even though, these disagreements are litigable, does not mean technology is not beneficial for students. Technology are the new notebooks and pens of the classrooms, a new test taking way, it takes you into many careers. Some say, that teachers respect can be fallen by the use of technology, even though this is a great point there is still a brighter side. Students are able to visualize their studies and work more than just an audio voice of the teacher. Also, the students and their improvements in the classroom.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Computer Technology In The Movie Industry Film Studies Essay

Computer Technology In The Movie Industry Film Studies Essay Filmmaking is a process of producing a film based on a storyline. Although many people say, a movie is good if it has a successful plot, however, a movie needs also good production in order to be classified as a good movie. The history of filmmaking can be traced back to as early as the 17th century, where magic lanterns were used. Back then, films were all made in shades of black and white only. Also, many of the times, special effects are done manually by workers. For example, an explosion, many workers will be needed to install those explosives and to clear up the scene. As time progressed, technology improved the quality of films largely, thus producing colored films. However, such improvements do not halt there. Movie makers and producers worked endlessly to create films that leave people in awe. Therefore, the creations of computer-generated imagery, animation and 3D have been invented and improved. Such creations have moved the movie industry one step forward. Using the same explosion example, compared to last time, with advance computer technologies, such a scene will not require a whole lot of work from the workers. Instead, it can be easily done in the editing room, where editors can easily ad d special effects into the movie, making it look realistic, but without much hard work. The main objective of this paper is to educate people about the movie making industry. Many people may be awed when they see sophisticated scenes in movies. However, they only know that those scenes are mostly done with the help of computers. But in reality, there are so many computer technology that the people do not know about. In the discussion in this paper, research will explain the computer technologies used in the movie industry. Computer-generated imagery, animation and 3D will be explained as brief introduction to technologies in the development of movie making. Also, the making of the movie sensation, Avatar will also be revealed. As videos are getting more attention amongst people nowadays, many people now search ways to create their own videos. Therefore, to make this paper more users friendly, an introduction of animation software, Pencil and moviemaking software, Windows Movie Maker will also be done. COMPUTER-GENERATED IMAGERY (CGI) Computer-generated imagery means computer graphics being applied into movie industry to create special effects. Compared to other physical means, CGI is a cheaper alternative because it uses computer software to create images instead of constructing real and physical settings. The first ever movie that used computer-generated imagery was Westworld in year 1973. It was a science fiction that incorporate both robots and humans. Also, famous movies like Star Wars and Star Trek II were also able to produce effects like laser guns and robot motion. In the Terminator, computer-generated imagery created digital scenes in the robot. CGI, especially in two dimensions was greatly used in traditional animated films as it replaced the role of manually illustrated cells. Since then, it became a significant technology used to create special effects in the movie industry. This then promoted and encouraged the great usage of animation and three dimensions (3D). Usually, CGI for films are about 1.4 to 6 megapixels, where one frame is generally around 2 to 3 hours long which can multiple to ten times for more complex scenes. Computer-generated imagery was also used in created the film Star Wars. ANIMATION Animation is a series of images in the form of two dimensional or three dimensional art work that are display rapidly to produce an illusion of movement. The earliest animation said to be found is the Paleolithic cave paintings. In these paintings, objects are drawn in superimposed positions that clearly try to convey the idea of motion. However, in year 1906, J. Stuart Blackton, a newspaper cartoonist, released the first ever fully animated film, Humorous Phases of Funny Faces. The Paleolithic cave painting shows movement in an animation way. There are many types of animations that can be used in making a movie. The traditional animation, which is also known as cell animation or hand drawn animation, was broadly used in the 20th century. This involves many individual frames first drawn on papers that differ a little from the previous. These frames are then photocopied onto transparent sheets called cells, which can be photographed by a rostrum camera to produce motion. Classic Disney animated films like Snow White and Aladdin are produced using this technique. Traditional animation is manual and is drawn in multiple frames. As computer generated imagery (CGI) is used increasingly, animation can be done by using computers. The first entirely computer-generated animated film is Toy Story, in year 1995. Computer animation simply means creating moving objects by using programs or software designed for computers. Consequently, this has caused the invention of two dimensional (2D) animations. Figures are created and edited using two dimensional bitmap graphics or two dimensional vector graphics. However, trained professionals are required to produce animations like this as it involves techniques and skills. Toy Story, the first fully computer-generated animated film. THREE DIMENSIONAL (3D) Three dimension computer graphics are graphics which use three dimensional representation data geometrically. These graphics will then be stored to calculate and render two dimensional images. These graphics often use many algorithms to generate images. A typical two dimensional image would only show height and width. However, a three dimensional image could show height, width and even depth. This gives the idea of realistic instead of virtual. Animation can also be done in three dimension. An animator can use the digital skeletal structure to control the mesh. Besides that, mathematical functions can also be used to created three dimensional animation. 3D, or stereoscopic 3D uses the illusion of the depth perception to create realistic images. It can be produced using few methods. In an anaglyph, two images are located at a superimposed position with a light filtering two colors, red and cyan. By wearing the 3D glasses, the two images are cancelled out to produce only one image. That is the earlier 3D images used in movie making. An anaglyph image. A pair of anaglyph 3D glasses. In the polarization systems, similarly, two images are located at a superimposed position through different polarizing filters. By wearing a pair of glasses that contain polarizing filters, each filter can only pass through similar polarized light but blocks different polarized lights, causing each eyes to see different images. A polarized 3D image. Polarized 3D glasses. HOW WAS AVATAR MADE? The Avatar has successfully created a sensation amongst movie lovers with its breathtaking three dimension technology. James Cameron, the director of the movie incorporated the technology as well as real human footages into the movie. Computer-generated imagery was used extensively in the movie. He used a technique called the image-based facial performance capture, which required actors and actresses to put on special headgears called skull caps that were equipped with cameras. As the recording went on, facial expressions and movies were transmitted from the camera to the virtual characters. The movements caught on tape would be six times bigger, which created authenticity in the characters. By using such technology, the facial expressions of the characters can be made to change according to how the dialog was told. The motion capture technique that animated the expressions of the actor and actresses. To do that, a new software called the facial action coding system was created. This software can trace the visualization of facial and muscle movements of the actors and actresses, which can then be animated to created computer-generated images. The incorporation of computer-generated images into live action footages. 3D was also made easier by motion capture because it allowed film-makers to add special effects as well as direct the angle of camera in . The formats used were Real D 3D, Dolby 3D, Xpan 3D and IMAX 3D. With the help of a pair of polarized 3D glasses, the movie created another sensation to be viewers. Weta Digital was the visual effects company that worked for the movie. They used Linux-based software to created graphics that made the settings in the movie looked to realistic. The company used one of the worlds largest Linux clusters as the operating system, which produced computer-generated images using 64-bit for 3D modelling. The filming camera that gives the 3D effects. WINDOWS MOVIE MAKER Windows Movie Maker is a software that allows user to create and edit videos, thus creating homemade videos. The first ever version of Windows Movie Maker was available for Windows Me back in year 2000, which then followed by Windows XP in year 2001. Its development was then improved. Its so called replacement was then named Windows Live Movie Maker, which is included with the Windows Live Essentials. The new movie maker does not share the same features with the older version. However, the 2.6 version is compatible for both Windows Vista as well as Windows 7. Furthermore, this version is strongly recommended by many video editors as it is user friendly and easy to use but at the same time, produces high quality movies and videos. Windows Movie Maker has features like effects, titles or credits, timeline narration and auto movie. New effects can also be modified using the existing ones by using XML code, thus allowing users to create one of its kind videos. Besides that, an audio track editing is also available. Basic effects like fading in or fading out can be added. And then, the tracks can be saved in a sound file instead of a video file. In the window, there is a storyboard that previews the timeline for video and audio. Video or images can be imported into the timeline. When doing so, user can choose either to capture video directly from webcam or import from collections of existing videos. Videos and audios that are in .WMV/.ASF,  .MPG (MPEG-1),  .AVI (DV-AVI),  .WMA,  .WAV, and  .MP3 formats are accepted. However, other formats like MP4/3GP, FLV and MOV, MIDI, AIFF, AAC and SWF are not accepted. A window showing the first page of the program. A window showing the storyboard. Video clips or images can be dragged into these boxes to create a continuous movie. Editing videos and movies in Windows Movie Maker is a very rewarding process as it allows user to create and design the videos and movies in any way they want. The auto movie feature in the program contains premade editing styles which help users to create movies in a very quick period. However, if users choose to edit themselves, a total of 60 transitions, 37 effects, 34 titles and 9 credit animations are available in the 2.x version. The effects and transitions that users can choose to use in order to increase the attractiveness of the movies. There are also other features like adding titles or credits into the movie. All these features can be found easily on the menu pane on the left of the window. Audio and sound effects can also be added into the movie easily through options on the menu pane. At the end, when the movie is all done editing, it is supposed to be saved. Then, it can be viewed from the computer. Besides that, the movie can also be uploaded into pocket pc like smart phones or PDA phones. It can also be uploaded back into a camera and DV recorder if the format is supported. The movie can also be sent to a website for the view of the public. PENCIL Pencil is a software for animation and drawing, which is supported by Mac, Windows and Linux operating system. It utilizes one of the most common animation method, the traditional animation which is done by drawing or sketching with a pencil. This program is great for amateur users because it is easy to use and user friendly. A screenshot of Pencil. This free drawing program is not equipped with many advance tools, but with simple toolbox that contain pencil, brush, eraser, and coloring tool. Although it seems to be simple, sophisticated 2D animation can be produced by just using these few tools. The toolbox that contains the tools for drawing. There is a timeline feature, where users are able to add layers. By saying layer, it simply means vector layer, audio layer as well as video layer. Besides that, it also allow users to use onion skinning, which enables users to check the previous and next frames to trace the animation. The default frame per second is set at 12, but this setting can be changed up to 50 FPS. The timeline feature that enables users to create different layers altogether. Besides drawing the animation in the program, sketches can be drawn on real paper and then imported into the program. To do so, the sketches can first be saved in the computer, and then imported onto the canvas, which then can be edited directly in the program itself. The camera layer enables users to create different frames through the usage of a camera. Audio can also be added into the animation, making it more interesting. As sounds and voices are essentials to animation, it can easily added into the animation by exporting music files from the computer. To do so, a sound layer is first created. The music files can be imported. The format that is supported is only WAV format on Windows OS. However, Mac users can import any formats that is readable by Quicktime. When the music file is imported, a triangular key appears, indicating where the music starts to play. A sound layer will not play if it is deactivated, which can be easily controlled by pressing the sound button in the timeline control. The feature that allows adding of sound layer. CONCLUSION It is undeniable that computer technology plays an important role in producing a good movie. We can see that as time progresses, computer technology also improves greatly. However, this does not mean that continuous research on this subject matter should stop here. In fact, such an achievement in this field simply means that producers and movie makers in the market should continue in creating breakthroughs in the industry. This is especially true because people will not be contented with what is in the market now if there is nothing new that appeals to them. The demand for more and better is always increasing. Therefore, it is pivotal to continue achieving for more. As for home users and non-professional users, there is actually much other software that allows them to create their own home videos. The market now realizes that the public can also be very good in creating home videos. Therefore, there is an increasing amount of movie making and animation software for the use of the public. Much of this software actually varies in difficulty as well as quality of products. However, it is confirmed that it allows users to create according to their creativity and that is what makes the videos one of its own. If users are having problem, they can easily obtain help from tutorials and forums that are available from the omnipotent Internet. Based on the research done on this paper, hopefully doubts and questions of many can be clarified. It is very crucial to educate people about the subject matter as it has blended into our lives and has become a part so close to us. There are some movies I can watch over and over, never get sick of. Ill put one of those on and be puttering around the house. Then a certain scene will come on and Ill just have to go over and watch. David Fincher

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Soldiers Personal Narratives of the Vietnam War and The Vietnam War and the Tragedy of Containment :: Vietnam War Essays

Soldier's Personal Narratives of the Vietnam War and The Vietnam War and the Tragedy of Containment After reading the Soldier's Personal Narratives of the Vietnam War and The Vietnam War and the Tragedy of Containment, both information did not contradict each other. What both information actually do is that they compliment each other. When reading The Vietnam War and the Tragedy of Containment, we are reading a historical analysis from a historian's point of view. But not all of the analysis can really give the readers a sense of what the war is really like. So by reading the Soldier's Personal Narratives of the Vietnam War, we are reading what the soldiers of the Vietnam War actually goes through and what the soldiers are thinking. For instance, from The Vietnam War and the Tragedy of Containment, it describes: "The Army wanted proof of enemy casualties--high "kill ratios"--to present to Washington. Philip Caputo recalled: "If it's dead and its Vietnamese, it's Viet Cong, was the rule of thumb" in compiling casualty statistics." Similarly from The Vietnam War and the Tragedy o f Containment, it writes: "In March of 1968 an American unit was patrolling the village of My Lai in Central Vietnam. They had suffered recent losses, were frustrated by their inability to find the enemy and anxious for revenge. They rounded up unarmed women, children, and elderly civilians, raped the women, then opened fire. The killed over 300 Vietnamese civilians, mostly women and children." By reading these passages, it makes readers feel disgusted about the war and how the leaders approached their frustrations of who their enemies were. But reading these passages does not give a personal detail of how the soldiers felt or were thinking as these tragedies were occuring. For instance, from the Soldier's Personal Narratives of the Vietnam War's "The Commo Man," it describes a very powerful narrative of how a Vietnamese civilian was shot by a U.S. soldier: "I knew what the Sarge was going to do, but I didn't say anything. I just watched, as if in a dream, unconnected from the world around me, paralyzed, impotent. I could have stopped it. The Bummer and I were close. All I had to do was say "Bummer, don't do it." Just four little words, and the spell would have been broken. Instead, I said nothing, and watched as Sarge put his rifle to his shoulder, took aim and fired.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

A Different Look at Flannery O’Connor Essay -- Flannery O’Connor

A Different Look at Flannery O’Connor A murdering messiah. A Bible-selling prosthesis thief. A corpse in full Confederate regalia waiting in line a Coca-Cola machine. One of the most haunting qualities about Flannery O'Connor's fiction is the often shocking but always memorable images adding intensity to her stories. Her violent comedy is a fusion of opposite realities--an explosive meeting between contradictory forces. She creates characters from the southern grandmothers, mothers, preachers, neighbors, and assorted "good country people" populating her world, using their traits, words and behaviors to give her fictional world life. And we are as familiar with them as she is. We know them; they could be people from our region, our town, our family. Just regular folks. But she pushes them beyond normal boundaries, beyond any reality we or they could imagine by introducing them to their opposite. The person on the other end of reality. For example, the grandmother in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" appears to b e the stereotypical grandmother busily involved in her fami...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

The Myths Created by Stories :: Personal Narrative Papers

The Myths Created by Stories Life as it now exists on Earth, including the simplest bacteria, was obviously derived from a single origin (Mayr, 40). ¡Ã‚ ± This idea of a  ¡Ã‚ °single origin ¡Ã‚ ± has been the instigating factor for the split and ongoing battle between the creationists and the evolutionists, between those who believe God created mankind, and those who believe in the pure science of evolution. It is as if believing in a single source will validate either one of the schools of thought; superiority will come when one side finally convinces the other side of their argument. I was raised Catholic. I do not remember being told any sort of evolution story. Whether this was a purposeful exclusion or a matter of forgetfulness is to be determined. I learned that in seven days God created the earth and made man. That was the story presented, and it seemed reasonable. As I grew up, it seemed more like the story of Santa Clause or the tooth fairy, something that was told to me, something I took to heart, and was years later informed of its falsity, all as a matter of forcing me into a sense of maturity. Third graders could not believe in Santa Clause. I held onto the myth because it felt good, and I received presents, and no one can argue with the positive of receiving presents. Eventually, maturity replaces the myth, and we move forward. Forgetting the stories of our childhood, or at least revising them, leads us to a forward motion, to a more adult way of being. I suppose this is what happened with my religious beliefs. I am revising them to adapt to my newfound adult way of being. To believe without fully understanding is not to completely believe, and trying to understand evolution as it is presented is difficult with the implication that it may be just another myth I will later have to come to terms with and revise. The idea of understanding is an on-going process, as the story of evolution is also an on-going process. Stories are meant to be revised. They are also meant to have a beginning, middle, and an end. The story of evolution conflicts with the concept of storytelling, of writing stories, yet it is still a story that has survived and will continue to survive. It appeals because it does not have an end.

Venus’ Mirror: An Image of Baroque Art

The Baroque period was one of the most colorful periods in European history. It consisted of many changes in the continent such as the development of Martin Luther’s reformation, which was the birth of Protestantism. It was also a time when Feudalism was diminishing, leading the way to a government based on a single authority. In Spain, the best Baroque artist was Diego Velasquez.He was born in June 6, 1599 in Seville and died in August 6, 1660 because of fever. He was an apprentice of Francisco Pacheco, who was a famous disciple of Flemish and Italian realism which greatly influenced his works.In 1623, he went to Madrid, where he painted a portrait of King Philip IV. Afterwards, he was appointed as the official painter of the royal family for six years. Aside from religious paintings, he also painted works with mythological themes. Velasquez was a true baroque artist. This period of art was used by the Roman Catholic Church as a way to counteract the spreading Protestantism. In Velasquez’s works, he served that purpose with his ‘bodegones’ which focused on subjects that are found in everyday life and combined with religious scenes.He often used the people of Seville as models for his bodegones. The painting â€Å"Venus at her Mirror† is one of the most famous paintings done by Diego Velasquez. Although baroque style originated from the Roman Catholic Church, it also gained attention from the secular side of the society hence, the mythological theme. â€Å"Venus at her Mirror† portrays qualities that are found in baroque paintings depicting power, massiveness, and dramatic intensity. It is an image with high contrasts of light and dark colors.The painting shows Cupid without his bow and arrows and holds a mirror in front of Venus. What is interesting about this painting is that it does not clearly follow principles of optics as Venus’ reflection in the mirror seems blurring. This irregularity is one of the main ch aracteristics of baroque art, where the very word itself means â€Å"irregular†. It is the very same mirror which catches my attention because it does not reflect the exact details of Venus’ face. What the artist is expressing in this painting is that what is seen is not Venus’ face but her image.Its baroque influence tells us that Venus is the goddess of beauty, and the beauty is unsurpassable that Cupid himself surrendered to it, laying down his bow and arrows. It is an exaggeration of beauty portraying dramatic intensity. This painting shows the beautiful body of Venus. However, Velasquez painted it in such as way that the observer’s eyes are led towards the mirror and not on the body. Thus, the painting is a reflection of realism. What we see in the mirror is only an image of a beautiful woman, but not Venus herself.In the human context, we observe that what man sees first is the image of a person and not the person himself. This reminds me of the fir st day of school of every school year, where students start to introduce themselves to one another. As the days pass, students would group themselves according to their image, creating a status quo. This ‘labeling’ of people according to their general image prevents us from expressing our true selves and our values. Let us take note that in the painting, the mirror shows only an image of a beautiful woman.Will never know how beautiful Venus really was in the painting. The fact that her beauty is incomparable perhaps makes us look at it in another way. It may also be an indication that perhaps the real beauty is the one behind the image. References â€Å"Diego Velazquez Biography†, (n. d. ). Retrieved May 6, 2010 from http://www. spanish- fiestas. com/art/spanish-artists-velazquez. htm. Fitzpatrick, A. , (1978). The Baroque Period, Minnesota: Creative Education, p. 7-12. â€Å"Velazquez Venus at Her Mirror†, (2009). Retrieved May 6, 2010 from http://www. pa intingall. com/articles/velazquez-venus-a

Monday, September 16, 2019

The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Nineteen

Nobody was going to lie to Elena Gilbert and get away with it. Elena marched along the path to the library, indignation keeping her head high and her steps sharp. So James thought he could pretend he didn't remember anything about those V-shaped pins? The way his eyes had skipped away from hers, the faint flush of pink in his plump cheeks, everything about him had shouted that there was something there, some secret about him and her parents that he didn't want to tel her. If he wasn't going to tel her, she would find out for herself. The library seemed like a logical place to start. â€Å"Elena,† a voice cal ed, and she stopped. She had been so focused on her mission that she had almost walked right by Damon, leaning against a tree outside the library. He smiled up at her with an innocently inquiring expression, his long legs stretched in front of him. â€Å"What are you doing here?† she said abruptly. It was so weird, just seeing him here in the daylight on campus, like he was part of one picture superimposed upon another. He didn't belong in this part of her life, not unless she brought him in herself. â€Å"Enjoying the sunshine,† Damon said dryly. â€Å"And the scenery.† The wave of his hand encompassed the trees and buildings of the campus as Wellas a flock of pretty girls giggling on the other side of the path. â€Å"What are you doing here?† â€Å"I go to this school,† Elena said. â€Å"So it's not weird for me to be hanging around the library. See my point?† Damon laughed. â€Å"You've discovered my secret, Elena,† he said, getting to his feet. â€Å"I was here hoping to see you. Or one of your little friends. I get so lonely, you know, even your Mutt would be a welcome distraction.† â€Å"Real y?† she asked. He shot her a look, his dark eyes amused. â€Å"Of course I always want to see you, princess. But I'm here for another reason. I'm supposed to be looking into the disappearances, remember? So I have to spend some time on the campus.† â€Å"Oh. Okay.† Elena considered her options. Official y, she shouldn't be hanging around Damon at al . The terms of her breakup – or just break, she corrected herself – with Stefan were that she wasn't going to see either of the Salvatore brothers, not until they worked out their own issues and this thing between the three of them had time to cool off. But she'd already violated that by letting Damon sleep on the floor of her room, a much bigger deal than going to the library together. â€Å"And what are you up to?† Damon asked her. â€Å"Anything I can assist with?† Real y, a trip to the library ought to be innocent enough. Elena made up her mind. She and Damon were supposed to be friends, after al . â€Å"I'm trying to find out some information about my parents,† she said. â€Å"Want to help?† â€Å"Certainly, my lovely,† Damon said, and took her hand. Elena felt a slight frisson of unease. But his fingers were reassuringly firm in hers, and she pushed her hesitation away. The ancient tennis-shoed librarian in charge of the archive room explained how to search the database of school records and got Elena and Damon set up in the corner on a computer. â€Å"Ugh,† Damon said, poking disdainful y at a key. â€Å"I don't mind computers, but books and pictures ought to be real, not on a machine.† â€Å"But this way everyone can see them,† Elena said patiently. She'd had this kind of conversation with Stefan before. The Salvatore brothers might look col ege-aged, but there were some things about the modern world they just couldn't seem to get their heads around. Elena clicked on the photo section of the database and typed in her mother's name, Elizabeth Morrow. â€Å"Look, there are a bunch of pictures.† She scanned through them, looking for the one that she had seen hanging in the hal . She saw a lot of cast and crew pictures from various theatrical productions. James had told her that her mother was a star on the design side, but it looked like she was in some productions, too. In one, Elena's mother was dancing, her head flung back, her hair going everywhere. â€Å"She looks like you.† Damon was contemplating the picture, his head tilted to one side, dark eyes intent. â€Å"Softer here, though, around the mouth† – one long finger gestured – â€Å"and her face is more innocent than yours.† His mouth twisted teasingly, and he shot a sidelong glance at Elena. â€Å"A nicer girl than you, I'd guess.† â€Å"I'm nice,† Elena said, hurt, and quickly clicked on to find the picture she was looking for. â€Å"You're too clever to be nice, Elena,† Damon said, but Elena was barely listening. â€Å"Here we are,† she said. The photograph was just as she remembered it: James and her parents under a tree, eager and impossibly young. Elena zoomed in on the image, focusing on the pin on her father's shirt. Definitely a V. It was blue, a deep dark blue, she could see that now, the same shade as the lapis lazuli rings Damon and Stefan wore to protect themselves from sunlight. â€Å"I've seen one of those pins before,† Damon said abruptly. He frowned. â€Å"I don't remember where, though. Sorry.† â€Å"You've seen it recently?† Elena asked, but Damon just shrugged. â€Å"James said my mother made the pins for al of them,† she said, zooming closer so that al she could see on the screen was the grainy image of the V. â€Å"I don't believe him, though. She didn't make jewelry, that wasn't her kind of thing. And it doesn't look handmade, not unless it was made by someone with an actual jewelry studio. That's some kind of enameling on the V, I think.† She typed V in the search engine, but it came back with nothing. â€Å"I wish I knew what it stood for.† With another graceful one-shouldered shrug, Damon reached for the mouse and zoomed in and out on different parts of the picture. Behind them, the librarian thunked a book down, and Elena glanced back at her to find the woman's eyes fixed on them with disconcerting intensity. Her mouth tightened as her eyes met Elena's, and she looked away, walking a little farther along the aisle. But Elena was left with the creepy feeling that the librarian was stil watching and listening to them. She turned to whisper something to Damon about it but was caught again by the sheer unexpectedness of him, of him here. He just didn't fit in the drab and ordinary library computer station – it was like finding a wild animal curled up on your desk. Like a dark angel fixing oatmeal in your kitchen. Had she ever seen him under fluorescent lights before? Something about the lighting brought out the clean paleness of his skin, cast long shadows along his cheekbones, and fel without reflection into the black velvet of his hair and eyes. A couple of buttons on the col ar of his shirt were undone, and Elena found herself almost mesmerized by the subtle shifts of the long muscles in his neck and shoulders. â€Å"What would a Vital Society be?† he asked suddenly, breaking her out of her reverie. â€Å"What?† she asked, confused. â€Å"What are you talking about?† Damon clicked the mouse and shifted the zoom, focusing this time on the notebook in her mother's lap. Her mother's hands – pretty hands, Elena noticed, prettier than her own, which had slightly crooked pinkies – were splayed over the open book, but between the fingers, Elena could read: Vit l Soci y â€Å"I assume that's what it says,† Damon said, shrugging. â€Å"Since you're looking for something that starts with V. It could say something else of course. Vital Social y, maybe? Was your mother a social queen bee like you?† Elena ignored the question. â€Å"The Vitale Society,† she said slowly. â€Å"I always thought it was a myth.† â€Å"Leave the Vitale Society alone.† The hiss came from behind them, and Elena whipped around. The librarian seemed curiously impressive framed against the bookshelves despite her tennis shoes and pastel sweater set. Her hawklike face was tense and focused on Elena, her body tal and, Elena felt instinctively, threatening. â€Å"What do you mean?† Elena asked. â€Å"Do you know something about them?† Confronted by a direct question, the woman seemed to shrink from the almost menacing figure she had been a second before to an ordinary, slightly dithering old lady. â€Å"I don't know anything,† she muttered, frowning. â€Å"Al I can say is that it's not safe to mess with the Vitales. Things happen around them. Even if you're careful.† She started to wheel her book cart away. â€Å"Wait!† Elena said, half rising. â€Å"What kind of things?† What had her parents been involved in? They wouldn't have done anything wrong, would they? Not Elena's parents. But the librarian only walked faster, the wheels of her cart squeaking as she rounded the corner into another aisle. Damon gave a low laugh. â€Å"She won't tel you anything,† he said, and Elena glared at him. â€Å"She doesn't know anything, or she's too scared to say what she does know.† â€Å"That's not helpful, Damon,† Elena said tightly. She pressed her fingers against her temples. â€Å"What do we do now?† â€Å"We look into the Vitale Society, of course,† Damon said. Elena opened her mouth to object, and Damon shushed her, drawing one cool finger over her mouth. His touch was soft on her lips, and she half raised a hand toward them. â€Å"Don't worry about what a foolish old woman has to say,† he told her. â€Å"But if we real y want to find out the secrets of this society of yours, we probably need to look somewhere other than the library.† He got to his feet and held out his hand. â€Å"Shal we?† he asked. Elena nodded and took his hand in hers. When it came to finding out secrets, to digging up what people wanted to keep concealed, she knew she could put her faith in Damon. â€Å"Pick up, Zander,† Bonnie muttered into the phone. The ringing stopped, and a precise mechanical voice informed her that she was welcome to leave a message in the voice mailbox. Bonnie hung up. She had already left a couple of voicemails, and she didn't want Zander thinking she was any crazier or more clueless than he inevitably would when he saw his missed-cal list. Bonnie was pretty sure she was going through the Five Stages of Being Ditched. She was almost done with Denial, where she was convinced something had happened to him, and was moving quickly into Anger. Later, she knew, she would slide into Bargaining, Depression, and eventual y (she hoped) Acceptance. Apparently her psych class was already coming in handy. It had been days since he had abruptly run off, leaving her al alone in front of the music building. When she found out that a girl disappeared that same night, at first Bonnie was angry and scared for herself. Zander had left her alone. What if Bonnie had been the one to vanish? Then she began to worry about Zander, to be afraid that he was in trouble. He seemed so sweet, and so into her, that it was almost impossible for her to believe Zander would just be avoiding her al of a sudden. Wouldn't his friends have sounded the alarm if Zander was missing, though? And when she thought that, Bonnie realized that she didn't know how to contact any of those guys; she hadn't seen any of them around campus since that night. Bonnie stared at her phone as fresh tendrils of worry grew and twisted inside her. Real y, she was having a very tough time moving on to Anger when she was stil not quite sure that Zander was safe. The phone rang. Zander. It was Zander. Bonnie snatched up her phone. â€Å"Where have you been?† she demanded, her voice shaking. There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Bonnie was almost ready to hang up when Zander final y spoke. â€Å"I'm so sorry,† he said. â€Å"I didn't mean to freak you out. Some family stuff came up, and I've had to be out of touch. I'm back now.† Bonnie knew that Elena or Meredith would have said something pithy and cutting here, something to let Zander know exactly how little they appreciated being forgotten about, but she couldn't bring herself to. Zander sounded rough and tired, and there was a break in his voice when he said he was sorry that made her want to forgive him. â€Å"You left me outside alone,† she said softly. â€Å"A girl disappeared that night.† Zander sighed, a long sad sound. â€Å"I'm sorry,† he said again. â€Å"It was an awful thing to do. But I knew you would be okay. You have to believe that. I wouldn't have left you in danger.† â€Å"How?† Bonnie asked. â€Å"How could you know?† â€Å"Just trust me, Bonnie,† Zander said. â€Å"I can't explain it now, but you weren't in danger that night. I'l tel you about it when I can, okay?† Bonnie shut her eyes and bit her lip. Elena and Meredith would never have settled for this kind of half explanation, she knew. Not even half an explanation, just an apology and an evasion. But she wasn't like them, and Zander sounded sincere, so desperate for her to believe him. It was her choice, she knew: trust him, or let him go. â€Å"Okay,† she said. â€Å"Okay, I believe you.† Zander let out another sigh, but it sounded like one of relief this time. â€Å"Let me make it up to you,† he said. â€Å"Please? How about I take you out this weekend, anywhere you want to go?† Bonnie hesitated, but she was starting to smile despite herself. â€Å"There's a party at Samantha's dorm on Saturday,† she said. â€Å"Want to meet there at nine?† â€Å"There's something peculiar going on at the library,† Damon said, and Stefan twitched in surprise at his sudden appearance. â€Å"I didn't see you there,† he said mildly, looking out onto his dark balcony, where Damon leaned against the railing. â€Å"I just landed,† Damon said, and smiled. â€Å"Literal y. I've been flying around campus, checking things out. It's a wonderful feeling, riding the breezes as the sun sets. You should try it.† Stefan nodded, keeping his face neutral. They both knew that one of the few things Stefan envied about Damon was his ability to change into a bird. It wasn't worth it, though – he would have to drink human blood regularly to have Power as strong as Damon's. Elena's face rose up in his mind's eye, and he pushed her image away. She was his salvation, the one who connected him to the world of humans, who kept him from sinking into the darkness. Believing that their separation was only temporary was what was keeping him going. â€Å"Don't you miss Elena?† Stefan asked, and Damon's face immediately closed off, becoming hard and blank. Stefan sighed inwardly. Of course Damon didn't miss Elena, because he was undoubtedly seeing her al the time. He'd known Damon wouldn't abide by the rules. â€Å"What's the matter?† Damon asked him. His voice was almost concerned, and Stefan wondered what his own face looked like to get that kind of reaction from Damon. Damon who had probably just seen Elena. â€Å"Sometimes I'm a fool,† Stefan told him dryly. â€Å"What do you want, Damon?† Damon smiled. â€Å"I want you to come do some detective work with me, little brother. Real y, anything's better than seeing this sulking, forehead-wrinkling brooding expression on your face.† Stefan shrugged. â€Å"Why not?† Stefan leaped down from the balcony with perfect grace, and Damon fol owed swiftly behind. As Damon led the way to their destination, he fil ed Stefan in on the details. Or rather, the vague scenario Stefan could gather from Damon's explanation. Damon never was one for ful disclosure. Al Stefan knew was that some research at the library had prompted a sketchy warning from an old librarian. Stefan inwardly chuckled at the thought of a frail old woman squaring against Damon over library fines. â€Å"What were you looking at?† Stefan asked, trying to get any more substantial information. â€Å"What did she want you to stay away from?† He shifted on the rough branch of the oak tree they were both sitting on, trying to get comfortable. Damon had a habit of sitting in trees, Stefan realized. It must be a side effect of spending so much time as a bird. They were on a stakeout outside the librarian's home, but what exactly they were looking for, Stefan wasn't sure. â€Å"Just some old photographs from the school's history,† Damon said. â€Å"It doesn't matter. I just want to make sure she's human.† He peered through the window nearest their tree, where an elderly woman was sipping tea and watching television. Stefan noted with irritation that Damon seemed a lot more at ease in the tree than Stefan did. He was leaning forward, resting graceful y on one knee, and Stefan could sense his sending questing strands of Power at the woman, trying to find out whether there was anything unusual about her. His balance seemed awful y precarious, and he was completely focused on the old woman. Stefan inched toward Damon on the branch, stretched out a hand, and suddenly shoved him. It was extremely satisfying. Damon, his composure shaken for once, let out a muffled yelp and fel out of the tree. In midair, he turned into a crow and flew back up, perching on a branch above Stefan and eyeing him with a baleful glare. Damon cawed his annoyance at Stefan loudly. Stefan glanced through the window again. The woman didn't seem to have heard Damon's shout or the crow's caw – she was just flipping channels. When he looked back at Damon, his brother had regained his usual form. â€Å"I would think playing a trick like that would go against your precious moral code,† Damon said, fastidiously smoothing his hair. â€Å"Not real y,† Stefan said, grinning. â€Å"I couldn't help myself.† Damon shrugged, seeming to accept Stefan's playfulness as good-natured, and looked through the librarian's window again. She had gotten up to make herself another cup of tea. â€Å"Did you sense anything from her?† Stefan asked. Damon shook his head. â€Å"Either she's bril iantly hiding her true nature from us or she's just a peculiar librarian.† He pushed himself off the branch and leaped, landing lightly on the grass far below. Either way, I've had enough, he added silently. Stefan fol owed him, landing beside Damon at the bottom of the tree. â€Å"You didn't need me for any of that, Damon,† he said. â€Å"Why did you ask me to come with you?† Damon's smile was bril iant in the darkness. â€Å"I just thought you could use some cheering up,† he said simply. Clearly, it wasn't the librarian Stefan should be worried about acting peculiarly.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Enron Collapse

What are the main reasons that Enron collapsed? I think the reasons for the collapse are three fold. Firstly Enron’s accounting practices(mark to market accounting- companies estimate how much revenue a deal is going to bring in and state that number in their earnings the moment the contract is signed) Its managements goal was to maintain the appearance of value by always having rising stock prices rather than focus on creating real value for the company.Secondly its reliance on Special Purpose Entities to constantly raise capital without increasing its indebtedness. It allowed losses to be kept off the books while assets to be stated. Enron had its own executives manage these partnerships and would make the deals work by guaranteeing that if whatever they had to sell off declined in value, enron would make up the difference in its own stock. So basically it was selling part of itself to itself.It was these financial bolications to the SPE’s that ended up triggering the collapse. Thirdly its lack of a truly independent auditor to stand up to Enron ultimately caused its downfall. 2. Do you think Enron could have survived? I think if the company had acted internally when Sharon Watkins reported suspicious accounting, and dealt with it internally , Im sure the share prices would have dropped upon reporting of the actual financials but maybe the company could have avoided bankruptcy. 3.Crisis Management Consultant of Arthur Anderson, what would your advice be to the CEO? I think I would have admitted the absurdity of performing both auditing and consulting functions I maybe would have focused on the hiring of of Arthur anderson employees as enron employees, who then managed the affairs of their old colleagues. Ethical lines got blurred. Then use this platform to lead the industry to reforms and act oversear of how to avoid their mistakes and breakdowns of communication within their corporation.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Human Resource Management Project Essay

Introduction Human Resource Management is defined as the policies, practices and systems that influence an employee’s behaviour, attitude, and performance in the attainment of organizational goals, and it is also a way of management that links people-related activities to the strategy of a business or organization. Now days, the human resource has an important function in the companies or organizations. The human resource provides significant support and advice to line management because many companies consider their human capital as their most important asset. The purpose of this report is to compare and contrast the human resource management between India and Canada. This report will describe the human rights, recruitment, selection, training and development, and health and safety of Indian companies, and research the role of human resource in the recruitment and selection processes of Indian companies, and finally compare and contrast them to Canadian human resources practices. Moreover, this report will also analyze the cultural differences between Canada and India. The report aims to find difference human resource management between Canada and India, and improve the human resource management system of Canada. Role of Human Resources in the Recruiting and Selection Human resource plays an instrumental role in helping their organization achieve its goals of becoming a socially and environmentally responsible firm. In India, there is large-scale unemployment with shortage of skilled labour, hence, the role of HR in recruiting will provide the necessary tools to maintain a positive competitive labour market. Clearly defined role of Human Resources in Recruitment process is very important for measuring the success of the whole Recruitment Process. The overall setting of the HR Role in Recruitment is directly linked to Recruitment Strategy and HR Strategy. [1] Human resource and hiring managers play a highly significant role for setting the correct measures and defining the potential gaps in the whole recruitment process. The role of Human Resources in India is increasing, from making the process working to the real management of HR Processes and the Recruitment Process was the first to manage. The Recruitment Strategy changed – the efficiency and costs to the company were more important.[2] The role of HR in recruiting and selection process in India has following factors: 1) Decides about the design of the recruitment processes and to decide about the split of roles and responsibilities between Human Resources and Hiring Manager 2) Decides about the right profile of the candidate 3) Decides about the sources of candidates 4) Decides about the measures to be monitored to measure the success of the process The role of HR in Recruitment is very important to work on the development of the recruitment and selection process and to make the process very competitive on the market. Good recruitment and selection can make sure the organization has enough advantaged and appropriate employee and managers; in addition to that, it can lead to company work more efficiency. * Recruiting process has following steps: 1. Identify vacancy 2. Prepare job description and person specification 3. Advertising the vacancy 4. Managing the response 5. Short-listing 6. Arrange interviews 7. Conducting interview and decision making * Selection involves the following components: Reception, screening interview, application blank, selection test, selection interview, medical test, reference checks, and hiring decision. Chap: 3 Human Resource practice in India India is being widely recognised as one of the most exciting emerging economics in the world. Besides becoming a global hub of outsourcing, Indian firms are spreading their wings globally through mergers and acquisitions. During the first four months of 1997, Indian companies have bought 34 foreign companies for about U.S. $11 billion dollars. This impressive development has been due to a growth in inputs (capital and labour) as well as factor productivity. By the year 2020, India is expected to add about 250 million to its labour pool at the rate of about 18 million a year, which is more than the entire labour force of Germany. This so called ‘demographic dividend’ has drawn a new interest in the Human Resource concepts and practices in India.[6] In a general, if we look at the history of Human resource practice in recent years, we can see effect on the managerial history of India was to be provided by the British system of corporate organisation for 200 years. Clearly, the socio cultural roots of Indian heritage are diverse and have been drawn from multiple sources including ideas brought from other parts of the old world. In India, the Human resource management practice is in transition face it is learning new ideas from other parts of the world and also with growing population and growing multinational companies coming to India the work culture is continuously improving. One of the noteworthy features of the Indian workplace is demographic uniqueness. It is estimated that both China and India will have a population of 1.45 billion people by 2030; however, India will have a larger workforce than China. Indeed, it is likely India will have 986 million people of working age in 2030, which will probably be about 300 million more than in 2007. And by 2050, it is expected India will have 230 million more workers than China and about 500 million more than the United States of America (U.S.). It may be noted that half of India’s current population of 1.1 billion people are under of 25 years of age.[7] While this fact is a demographic dividend for the economy, it is also a danger sign for the country’s ability to create new jobs at an unprecedented rate. As he has been pointed out by Meredith. [8] Here are some key factors responsible for shift in HRM practice in India [9] Above figure presents the key drivers for contemporary Indian HRM trends. In Figure, there are four external spheres of intervention for HRM professionals and these spheres are integrated in a complex array within organisational settings. The intellectual sphere, which emphasises the mindset transaction in work organisations, has been significantly impacted by the forces of globalisation. The other three spheres, of figure, namely the emotional, the socio cultural and the managerial domains are undergoing, similar profound changes. Key HRM Practices in Indian Organisations: The above figure describes the general HRM practise in Public sector Organization. In private sector the HRM sector is not organized. In Private sector THE HRM practice depends on individual company basis. Company Profile: Infosys technology is a leading software company based in India which was established in 1981 and is listed in NASDAQ as a global consulting and IT services company with more than 122,000 employees. From a capital of US$ 250 they have grown to become a US$ 5.38 billion company with a market capitalization of approximately US$ 38 billion. In their journey of over 29 years they have catalyzed some of the major changes that have led to India’s emergence as the global destination for software services talent. [10] Recruitment Process: The Company uses different sources like Campus Interviews, advertisements in newspapers and applications received through the company website. Firstly, they do not have any distinction between any branch of Engineering, applicant from any branch can apply for the selection process but the only criteria is to meet the requirement of grades, the applicant should be very well qualified and should have high grades and the time gap which means if any of the applicant was rejected in the selection process then they can only apply after 9 months. The qualified candidates are shortlisted and are called for a written test. [11] Selection Process of choosing individuals with qualifications needed to fill jobs in an organization. The duration of the selection process in Infosys is 2.5 hours which includes filling in an application form, an Aptitude Test ( Analytical Thinking and Arithmetic Reasoning) and a test of Communicative English Language. The duration of the tests is 90 minutes and the Aptitude Test consists of puzzles type and the number of questions varies between 9 to 15. [12] Training and Development Infosys training, continuing education and career development programs are designed to ensure that the technology professional enhances their skill-sets in alignment to their respective goals. The following are the types of training provided by Infosys to their new recruits and employees. Technical Training by Education and Research Department Most of the new candidates that are hired complete 14 weeks of integrated on-the-job-training prior to being assigned to their business units. All these training are done in a total area of 1.44 million square feet in The Infosys Global Education Center in Mysore- India, which can train approximately 14,000 employees at a time. As of March 31, 2010 they employed 610 full-time employees as faculty which included 208 employees with doctorate or masters degrees. The faculty also conducts integrated training for the new employees. They also make employees to undergo certification programs each year to develop the skills relevant that are for their roles. [13] Personal Effectiveness and Managerial Programs The above program is to enhance the managerial capabilities and leadership abilities in order to have better customer satisfaction, achieve their organizational vision and to create high performing multicultural teams. [14] Performance Management Creating an equitable and inclusive work environment In 2008-09 Infosys were recognized for their efforts to promote a more inclusive work environment. They won the Corporate Award for Excellence in Gender Inclusivity instituted by the National Association for Software Companies (NASSCOM), India, for the second consecutive year. They also received the Helen Keller award which was instituted by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People, for the third consecutive year and they also won the ASTD Excellence in Practice Award for diversity training. [15] The Head -HRD, is the custodian of equal employment opportunity. The Diversity Office and the HR department are responsible for coordinating efforts in implementing and disseminating information regarding the company’s diversity agenda. Being an IT services company they do not have any business identified as having risk for incidents of forced or compulsory or child labour, therefore they foresee risk of child labour in their supply chain in India, and therefore controls it through the vendor selection process. Compensation and Benefits Infosys compensates its human assets in three ways by adding learning value through training and development and appraisal practices. Infosys also adds emotional value through initiatives directed towards supporting employees with their work and personal needs and they also adds financial value through monetary compensation which is neither above nor below the market level. Infosys was one of the first Indian companies to offer stock option plans to their employees. Benefits Infosys work-life policies reflect local requirements and regulations. The employees in India are eligible for paid maternity leave and paternity leave under the law which is referred as the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 under which pregnant women can take paid leave up to 14 weeks, first seven weeks before delivery and other seven weeks after delivery and the maximum payment is $441.6 per week before tax. They also have satellite offices for new mothers, telecommuting for employees on need basis, adoption leave, flexible work hours, part-time work policy, one-year childcare sabbatical policy and near-site day care facilities. Employees can apply for scholarships for their children who have excelled in academics, arts and culture. Infoscions can also apply for extended family healthcare coverage. [16] In addition to that they are also provide benefits such as statutory benefits as pension, medical insurance under Employee State Insurance Scheme which is an integrated measure of Social Insurance embodied in the Employees’ State Insurance Act and is designed to accomplish the task of protecting ‘employees’ against the hazards of sickness, maternity, disablement and death due to employment injury and to provide medical care to insured persons and their families. An employee covered under the scheme has to contribute 1.75% of the wages whereas, an employer contributes 4.75% of the wages payable to an employee. The total contribution in respect of an employee comes out to 6.50% of the wages payable. They are also offered loan program which was found attractive to the employees. Loans were taken for pursuing a degree program such as MBA, or to meet personal needs such as purchasing a car or a house. [17] Health and Safety The Health Assessment and Lifestyle Enrichment (HALE) program supports their healthcare policies at a global level. In Australia they have a unique practice of having a specialist available on call for ergonomics assessment in the work area. They also provide annual health checkups for all employees at their India-based locations. [18] Chap-4 Comparison and Contrast between HR practice of India and china In comparison between India and Canada India’s ranks higher in Uncertainty Avoidance Index than Canada which means Indian wants clear cut responsibilities and job description. India’s Power Distance rank is also higher than Canada which means that in India there is unequal distribution of wealth and power in the society. India and Canada are at the opposite ends in terms of Individualism, with Canada displaying much greater Individualism than the collectivist society of India. Canadians are more autonomous and self-control in the ability to make decisions and wants to work without direct supervisions, than Indian employees. Indian employees like to work more in tandem with their managers when setting personal goals than did Canadian employees. Indians are more forward thinking when planning actions and goals which found significant correlations between these differences in perceptions and differences in cultural characteristics which include power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and paternalism. Canadians scored lower on these traits than Indians. [19] Chap – 5 About Cultural differences and Implications to Professional Practice India is a country in conversion. History, society, economic and cultural factors strongly influence Indian Human Resource Management (HRM) and mindset. The dynamic changes taking place in India, and their consequent influence and reflection in Indian HRM, the following factors provide essential background and context about key aspects of the Indian: language, geography and generational differences. Following the strong influence of the society cultural context in India does not always allow the applicability of Western management and organization theories. [3] Pawan S. Budhawar, the Indian management scholar, he emphasizes that â€Å"to a great extent, this is a core issue for Western firms operating in the Indian context and sends a clear message to researchers in the field. The intention of both HR practitioners and researchers should be to continuously develop, test and re-test constructs suitable for conducting research and develop relevant practice in the Indian context.† [4] With the challenge of mixing Western management practices with Eastern management traditions, we have to understand the Indian HRM context and its related influence on mindset is a necessity for both Indian and Western organizations. In a typical leadership development project, here is an assumption about: First, there are more qualified candidates than available leadership positions (could be internally or externally. Second, turnover of employees identified as ‘key talent† will not increase. Third, employees who are not identified as â€Å"k ey talent† will accept that the assessment process is fair. Indian human resource management will continue to evolve, and it will continue to be important characteristic of growth and sustainability. Chap – 6 Other relevant topics Generally speaking, In the process of recruiting, training management, the performance of India and Canada is similar. They use similar strategies for select right employees, like internal and external recruitment. Using skills tests and talent questions helping employers find a best person for the job. On the other hand, there are some obvious differences. Firstly, in Canada, there are a lots of policies (Provincial and territorial human rights legislation, Canada Human Rights Act) implemented by federal or national governments to protect the rights of employees, like policies about minimum wage employer must pay to workers, sexual orientation, marital status, and maximum work time. Besides that, when the rights of employees was ruined, employees can complain with some constitution including The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Citizenship Commission. On the other hand, the policies protecting employees are scary. Employees look for job by individual, and the salary and benefits paid to employees is determined by employers. Because India in a labour intensive country. The price is cheaper than Canada obviously. In addition, India do not have policies about minimum wage. The codes protecting the rights of women and young are in little quantities. Which is more, compared with Canada. It is harder for employees in India sue the company which exploits them. For instance Even though India is a labour intensive country, because of high growth of developing, it is not a big problem to find a job in their own country. A lot of jobs are created because of the increasing of market demands. Since Canada is multicultural country. You can find people from Australia, Asia and Europe. They are seeking jobs in Canada. Apart from this Canada is a secular Country. So Canada has a lot of policies about avoiding discrimination like religion, race and color. Conclusion: By analyzing and studying various reports and research paper we can say that there is vast difference between the HR practice between India and Canada. The rules and regulation regarding Human resource management are quite similar in both countries. The government of both Countries has made clear rules and regulations, but in India there is lack of implementation of the rules. Various research paper also indicates that the HRM is in transition phase, due to globalization the global practice becoming more and more familiar to Indian corporate groups. The study also suggests that there is socio-cultural influence on HRM practice in India. India has to go far to reach global HRM practice, but it is also showing good positive changes in terms of positive HRM policy guideline and support from government. Bibliography: 1. http://hrguide.applezoom.com/2007/09/hr-role-in-recruitment 2. (http://hrguide.applezoom.com/2007/09/hr-role-in-recruitment 3. http://www.shrm.org/Research/Articles/Articles/Documents/ 4. Budhwar, P. S. (2009). Challenges Facing Indian HRM And the Way Forward. In P. S. Budhwar & J. Bhatnagar (Eds.), the Changing Faces of People Management in India (pp. 289-300). New York: Routledge. 5. Adapted from Towers Perrin. (2008). 2007-2008 Towers Perrin global workforce study. Retrieved August 26, 2009, www.towersperrin.com 6. http://rphrm.curtin.edu.au/2007/issue2/india.html 7. Chatterjee, S.R. (2006). Human resource management in India. In A. Nankervis, Chatterjee, S.R. & J. Coffey (Eds.), Perspectives of human resource management in the Asia Pacific (41-62). Pearson Prentice Hall: Malaysia. 8. Meredith, R. (2007). The elephant and the dragon: The rise of India and China and what it means for all of us. New York: W.W.Norton & Co. 9. http://rphrm.curtin.edu.au/2007/issue2/india.html 10. http://www.infosys.com/about/who-we-are/Pages/history.aspx 11. http://www.ittestpapers.com/articles/-infosys-selection-procedure.html 12. http://www.infosys.com/investors/reports-filings/annual-report/annual/Documents/Infosys-AR-08.pdf 13.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Choose a federal law Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Choose a federal law - Research Paper Example This policy paper will identify the history of the Act; trace its implementation, its impact on business and society as well as its strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, the paper will provide some recommendations for future policy makers. The legislation which came to force in 2002, has 11 major elements. The key provisions that this paper will analyze their implementation include Sarbanes-Oxley Sections 302, 303, 401, 404, 802, 906 and 1106. Sarbanes- Oxley was named after its sponsors Paul Sarbanes and Michael Oxley who were US Senators and Representative respectively. With the implementation of SOX, it became mandatory for top managements to personally certify the accuracy of the information that is provided by their organizations. Between 2000 and 2002, large corporate frauds occurred in various firms due to variety of complex factors. In addition to Worldcom, and Enron as noted earlier, other frauds included Adelphia, Tyco International, and Peregrine Systems. Apart from the conflict of interest that emanated from the frauds, they also resulted into problems during the incentive compensations practices. Through the analysis of the infamous frauds, the pioneers attained the ground for the introduction of the bill leading to the passage of SOX in 2002. According to Senator Paul Sarbanes, the market had problems that resulted to loss of hundreds and trillions of billions in dollars. Some of the notable issues that led to the mega frauds included lack of independence for the auditors, inadequate accountant’s oversight, conflict of interest on the part of stock analysts, weak corporate government procedures, ineffective disclosure procedures and providing low funds to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Before the introduction of SOX, auditing firms which are noted as watchdogs for the investors did not perform auditing or any consulting

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Mobile email devices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Mobile email devices - Essay Example In this paper, the proponent includes critical evaluation of electronic mail as a communication tool in organisations. In particular, there is a need to particularly know how does the use of mobile email devices impact on current understanding of email use. Mobile email devices In the midst of technological advancement particularly in the innovation of information technology, emails have been so important in day to day flow of business transactions, communication system and in connecting people around the world. Everyone seems cannot bear to loss communication due to the fact that to communicate at a fast pace has become a basic necessity and not a mere luxury. It is in this reason that technology has been improved prior to integrating a system that can be readily used for a fast-paced communication activity. Smart phones From their first existence in the market, smart phones have been viewed as vibrant figures of luxury due to the creation and more enhancements on their features. Th e manufacturing companies for smart phones are indeed successful in stimulating market needs for their line of offerings because of their acceptance not just on their features but for their entire value that cannot be exclusively defined. Laptops Laptops are other tools used in communication today. Due to their portability compared to personal computers, they are widely appreciated especially when a user travels a lot and is carrying important information that needs to be electronically stored. With their convenient package and features, laptops are sold everywhere because of their convenience and practicality depending on their specific and significant use. Combined smartphones and laptops This is the newest innovation of today’s modern times. The features of smartphones and laptops are combined together to come up with one significant products incorporating the capacity of both smartphones and laptops. This can be viewed as innovative products of leading mobile phone manufa cturers in the world. One simple illustration how the features of smartphones and laptops are combined is the creation of iPods from Apple Incorporated, Blackberries and other related products carrying other brand names. Email use and the impact of mobile email devices With the advent of modern mobile devices, emails can be accessed and created everywhere especially in the presence of high speed broadband connection and wi-fi connection. However, there are different types of emails and they can be significantly identified according to their purpose. Types of emails There are different types of emails and they usually consist of spam, business and personal items. These emails are very common today and they are what make email provider companies profitable in this type of business. These emails can be accessed right away from any available mobile devices especially those that can readily surf the internet anytime, anywhere. Emails that can cause emotional reaction are those that parti cularly involve the issue about satisfaction and motivation which specifically cause a reaction. These emails are widely involved in the corporate setting and even outside of the business world. It depends on the main thought that is included in the email that involves it on the emotional considerations. There are also emails that express emotion and these are types that come from friends and generally from the corporate world. They can also trigger issues about satisfaction and motivation. Emails from interactive social network for instance are also capable enough to express emotions. This entertains almost everyone and entices them to go access and surf the internet.