Autobiography: Dance and Middle School Essay

Autobiography My name is Rickeya Ward. I was born December 26, 1997 and yes fortunately the day after Christmas. I am 15 years old and I have one brother and sister I’m the middle child. I was born in Galloway, NJ where I lived for a little. I have a very different name; I was named after my dad. My dad’s name means powerful ruler so my name must have the same meaning since it’s just about alike. I have a well-rounded personality. I never had problems making new friends I always got along with everyone. I am very outgoing. When I was in middle school I would play and try out for every sport I could get into. When I meet new people sometimes I happen to be very shy and quiet. Sometimes I like being very aware of my surroundings when I meet new people. People find me to be funny and interesting when they meet me. It feels good to have good vibes with people. When I was younger I had dreams of being a big time fashion model and traveling the world as a fashion icon. I wished I could be on Americas Next Top Model for a short period of time. Ever since I was little I was one of those people who enjoyed life. I enjoy traveling I been traveling since I was about 4 years old. Read more:Â  The person I admire essay I have been to Atlanta, Ohio, North Carolina, California, Virginia and a few other places. One of my favorite places was actually California, Los Angles to be exact. The feel that it brings you was magical and a Hollywood lifestyle feeling. I enjoy making new friends and being around my family. My family means something so special to me. My family and I have a bond that we share. We share different laughs, and bond with each other in different ways. The genes run very strong in my family we have a lot of similarities with each other. I have an exact look alike which is my little sister we could be twins. My sister is my joy. That’s my partner in crime with anything we are always doing something together. My two cousins are the two people I favor also. We all have personalities that are alike and we get along very well. We are very close in age but I am the oldest. My extended family lives near me and some of them live far away. I always communicate and talk to them so it’s not that far of a distance because we stay in touch often. They are like my support team whatever I try to accomplish they are there to back my idea up. I know a lot of people and have a lot of different friends that I hang around. I am grateful for my life and the people that came in it. Another place that I enjoy being is school. I know that’s a weird thing hearing a teenager say but I enjoy school. I like learning new things that enriches me. I always did well when I was in school. When I was in elementary and middle school I was on the Honor Roll and Merit Roll. I always strive for the highest grades at school. I received a lot of awards. I am a very hard person on myself. I can be considered as a perfectionist because I have very high expectations for myself. Another thing I like about school is meeting new people and having different challenges come against me each year. School is very interesting to me with the different subjects every year and the different things I learn. When I learn about each subject it informs me about something that maybe come up in the future to help me. I tried so many different sports in my life. I played soccer, field hockey, track, swimming and cheerleading. When I was in middle school I thought I could do it all. The sports that I actually take pleasure in is track, cheerleading and I would love to try this year is crew. When I was in the 5th grade I studied and played the Clarinet. It was an amusing instrument to play but playing an instrument just wasn’t my thing. Something I have a true passion for is dancing. Dance is basically life for me besides my other dreams. When I dance it frees my mind from everything I’m thinking about. The dancing I study is Ballet and Hip hop. I did tap dancing for about two years but I decided to take a break. A program that I do is Champions of youth which makes sure you are on the right track and doing what you’re supposed to. On my free time I like reading books and shopping. The type of books I am delighted in are the realistic books that can relate to real life stories. Just like other teens I cannot live without my cell phone or my electronics that is a huge part of my life. While I am in high school I would like to stay focused and on task. I want to graduate a good number in the class and go to a good college. I want to go to college to become a lawyer. My dream since I was young was to become a lawyer. While I been in school I had previous people tell me I would become a lawyer because the way I disputed my points. I didn’t decide what type of lawyer I wanted to become yet. A big goal I am trying to achieve is going to a great college and becoming a big time lawyer. One of the icons I always looked at as a great lawyer was Johnnie Cochran. He’s been an inspiring lawyer for me. I have big dreams of living in a nice house and eventually getting married. In 10 years I will be graduating law school hopefully going to good law firm. I want to have no worries in the world at all. My dream is just becoming successful and knowing that I did from hard work. I have high and big goals for myself that I am going to achieve. I have a dedicated mind for what I want to become. After I pursued my career of being a lawyer I want to become a dancer as a side job or open a dance school for other youth that loves dancing. I plan on traveling to a lot of different places I’ve never been. At first I was debating if I wanted to become a lawyer or a doctor. But, as I got older I realized that being a lawyer was definitely the career I wanted to pick. The person I admire the most is my mom and my grandfather. They are two people that motivate me the most.

Brief Essay

In an upscale neighborhood, then perhaps it could argue that Its failure to provide security patrols Is reasonable. If the business Is located In a crime-ridden area, When briefing a case, your goal is to reduce the information from the case Into a format that will provide you with a helpful reference in class and for review. Most Importantly, by â€Å"briefing† a case, you will grasp the problem the court faced (the issuel the relevant law the court used to olve it (the rule)† how the court applied the rule to the facts (the application or â€Å"analysis†b and the outcome (the conclusion). You will then be ready to not only discuss the case, but to compare and contrast it to other cases involving a similar issue. Before attempting to â€Å"brief’ a case, read the case at least once, Follow the â€Å"IRAC† method in briefing cases: Facts* Write a brief summary of the facts as the court found them to be. Eliminate facts that are not relevant to the court’s analysis. For example, a business’s street address is probably not relevant to the court’s decision ot the issue ot whether the business that old a detective product Is â€Å"able for the resulting Injuries to the plaintiff. However, suppose a customer who was assaulted as she left Its store Is suing the business. The customer claims that her Injuries were the reasonably foreseeable result of the business’s failure to provide security patrols. If the business Is then perhaps the customer Is right. Instead of Including the street address In the case brief, you may want to simply describe the type of neighborhood in which it Is located. Note: the time of day would be another relevant factor in this case, among others). Procedural History* What court authored the opinion: The united States Supreme Court? The California Court of Appeal? The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals? (Hint: Check under the title of the case: The Court and year of the decision will be given). If a trial c ourt issued the decision, is it based on a trial, or motion for summary judgment, etc.? If an appellate court issued the decision, how did the lower courts decide the case? Issue What is the question presented to the court? Usually, only one issue will be discussed, but sometimes there will be more. What are the parties fighting about, nd what are they asking the court to decide? For example, in the case of the assaulted customer, the issue for a trial court to decide might be whether the business had a duty to the customer to provide security patrols. The answer to the question will help to ultimately determine * This applies to case briefs only, and not exams. use the IRAC method In answering exams: Issue,’Rule/Andlysls/Concluslon. hether the business Is liable for negligently failing to provide security patrols: whether the defendant owed plaintiff a duty of care, and what that duty of care Is, re key Issues in negligence claims. Rule(s): Determine what the relevant rules of law are that the court uses to make its decision. These rules will be identified and discussed by the court. For example, in the case of the assaulted customer, the relevant rule of law is that a property owner’s du ty to prevent harm to invitees is determined by balancing the foreseeability of the harm against the burden of preventive measures. There may be more than one relevant rule of law to a case: for example, in a negligence case in which the defendant argues hat the plaintiff assumed the risk of harm, the relevant rules of law could be the elements of negligence, and the definition of â€Å"assumption of risk† as a defense. Don’t just simply list the cause of action, such as â€Å"negligence† as a rule of law: What rule must the court apply to the facts to determine the outcome? Application/Analysis: This may be the most important portion of the brief. The court will have examined the facts in light of the rule, and probably considered all â€Å"sides† and arguments presented to it. How courts apply the rule to the facts and analyze the case must be nderstood in order to properly predict outcomes in future cases involving the same issue. What does the court consider to be a relevant fact given the rule of law? How does the court interpret the rule: for example, does the court consider monetary costs of providing security patrols in weighing the burden of preventive measures? Does the court imply that if a business is in a dangerous area, then it should be willing to bear a higher cost for security? Resist the temptation to merely repeat what the court said in analyzing the facts: what does it mean to you? Summarize the ourt’s rationale in your own words. If you encounter a word that you do not know, use a dictionary to find its meaning. Conclusion What was the final outcome of the case? In one or two sentences, state the court’s ultimate finding. For example, the business did not owe the assaulted customer a duty to provide security patrols. Note: â€Å"Case briefing† is a skill that you will develop throughout the semester. Practice will help you develop this skill. Periodically, case briefs will be collected for purposes of feedback. At any time, you may submit your case brief(s) for feedback.

Business proposal for Papadeaux

Pudenda is a successful upscale casual restaurant concept with a loyal following. But no restaurant is immune to the highly competitive climate of the industry. Recent studies have shown the upscale casual segment losing market share to both fast and traditional casual restaurants. They also show that consumers find value in upscale casual dining by weighing the food quality and the overall experience against the relatively higher price (Techno, Inc. 2013). We analyzed customer reviews to discern what Pederasty's guests are responding to In terms of value. Based on this analysis, customers respond overwhelmingly positively to food quality, and food quality Is the most critical factor In their value calculation. Price Is still an issue, even those delighted by food quality comment on high prices. Customer comments also suggest that portion sizes may be overly large, and that the investment in large portions is out of step with its importance to the guests.Pudenda may benefit from feat uring new menu items with reduced portion and price. Such offerings at other restaurants have led to increased traffic, revenue, and per person average (APP) (Jennings 2008). . Industry background Casual dining has grown over the last thirty years along with tremendous growth in American's restaurant spending. Half of every food dollar In this country is spent in restaurants, which Is double the spending level In the ass's (Pocket Fastback, 2013). The recession has made a competitive Industry even more competitive.A recent Techno survey on casual dining revealed a three tiered system divided Into fast casual, traditional casual, and upscale casual, with consumers trading up and down between these levels based on their needs and perceptions of value. 5% of those surveyed reported visiting a fast casual restaurant in the past month, 80% had visited a traditional casual restaurant, and 40% reported eating at an upscale casual restaurant. 41% of those surveyed reported finding value in upscale casual when weighing food quality and overall experience against the relatively higher price (Techno, Inc. 2013). The issue for operators in upscale casual is getting consumers to trade up, and to trade up more frequently. 3. Pudenda Seafood Kitchen Pappas Restaurants began In 1 966, when brothers Chris and Harris Pappas opened Dot's Coffee Shop In Houston. Today they operate over eighty restaurants across an array of concepts Including BBC, Tex-Meg, and fine dining. All Pappas restaurants are guided by the Standards of Excellence: Providing superior quality food, providing Kitchen, founded in 1986, is an upscale casual dining restaurant featuring gulf coast seafood and Cajun dishes.It has become the company's largest concept, and is set to absorb Pappas Seafood House, the company's first upscale casual seafood concept, growing its size in the Houston area by five stores. 4. Review Analysis 4. 1 . Methodology One of the most influential ways information is transmitted is wor d-of-mouth (Manikin & Goods, 2002). Word-of-month has an effect on not only potential customers, but also the satisfaction level of current guests. One of the most powerful methods to generate word-of-mouth is online customer review (Dollars, 2003). A total of 441 postings from Yelp. Mom made between September 2012 and September 2013 for all Pudenda locations, were reviewed for this analysis. Chin et al. (2004) found that recommendations have a positive relationship with sales, while consumer ratings were shown to be unrelated. Therefore our analysis focused on content rather than ratings. Content was divided into four main categories: food, service, value and environment/atmosphere. Each of these was further divided into subcategories, which were then coded positive or negative based on comment content. 4. 2. Food Food was the most commented on of the major categories.As displayed in Figure 2, the response to food quality was overwhelmingly positive. Comments such as, â€Å"the co cktail shrimp is well seasoned and super fresh,† â€Å"Just about everything on the menu is delicious,† and â€Å"the crayfish fondue is amazing as well as everything on the menu,† indicate that the customers are not only satisfied but also highly delighted. There were more positive comments on food than comments in any of the other categories. 4. 3. Service Restaurants always receive both positive and negative comments and Pudenda is not an exception.A calculation of the number of positive and negative comments on service, however, shows customers are mostly satisfied by the service. Over 75 percent of comments are positive (see Figure 3). Based on the graph and actual comments, we concluded that the gap between expectation and service delivery is mall in Pudenda case. 4. 4. Environment When commenting on environment and atmosphere, guests tended to be less specific when they were positive. Negative comments focused on noise level, crowding complaints, and wait time.The number of these complaints is relatively high compared with the number of positive comments (see Figure 4). This suggests that the atmosphere of Pudenda is more crowded and noisy than guests expect. 4. 5. Value determined by factors such as price and food quality. As seen in Figure 5, roughly half of all comments in this category stated that Pudenda is expensive. Only 37% recent of comments relate that the price is worth the overall experience, however, the percentage of comments stating that the experience is â€Å"not worth it† is much lower.While the latter two categories are mutually exclusive, significant overlap exists between both and the former category. This suggests that while guests' subjective view of value is affected by the service delivery, their objective view of price is left unaltered. 5. SOOT Analysis 5. 1 . Strengths Pederasty's greatest strength is consistently providing high quality food and service. Doing so is a stated goal of the company, and guest reviews confirm that Pudenda succeeds in following through on that goal. This achievement has garnered the concept a strong reputation.Many reviewers mentioned being repeat customers, or called the experience, â€Å"excellent as always. † This again speaks for the consistency many strive for in this industry, but few are able to attain. 5. 2. Weaknesses Pederasty's main competitive weakness is it's comparatively high prices. Providing high quality food requires an investment in quality products and labor. Seafood is often associated with high costs, because freshness is key to its quality. Additionally, he review analysis found complaints about the atmosphere.Its prices are more similar to lower end fine dining restaurants than its casual dining peers. Pudenda' more family friendly atmosphere may be at odds with what some expect from the environment when they look at the menu prices. 5. 3. Opportunities Despite high prices, Pudenda receives higher average ratings than its competitors. Its greatest opportunity lies in leveraging its high quality against competitors. Strategies that focus on attracting new customers to trade up from lower priced competitors so that they can experience the difference in quality may rove successful.Based on the high rating and positive comments from the Albuquerque and Phoenix locations, further expansion in the Southwest may be worthwhile. 5. 4. Threats Pederasty's faces threats from lower priced competitors. High price is a major component leading consumers to dine at upscale casual restaurants less frequently. Large competitors in this group, like Red Lobster, use nationwide promotions offering greater value to increase traffic at their stores. More similarly priced restaurants tend to have a different market focus, and provide a more elegant and less family oriented atmosphere. Guest Perception of Value Figure 6 GAP Analysis A GAP analysis revealed that there was little mismatch between guest expectations and per ceptions. The only area for concern was the atmosphere. As stated, complaints in this category were relatively high in proportion to positive comments, suggested the atmosphere is louder and more crowded than many guests expect. Relation to value based comments than any type of complaint about atmosphere. Further, price is important factor driving consumers to trade down in the casual dining spectrum. As recommendations are related to sales, comments about price would be taken seriously.While reviews indicate that guests are satisfied, these may not be enough. Oh (2000) found that customers' perceived value has a greater effect on their intention to return, and, more importantly has a greater effect on their long term patronage. In order to further analyze guests' perception of value, we returned to online customer reviews. This time, we focused our research on the Houston area locations. Houston was selected because it has more locations than any other area, and, as the place of it s founding, the area has the greatest familiarity with both Pudenda and the Pappas brand.We analyzed reviews from both Yelp. Com and Trip Advisor from the same time period, September 2012 through September 2013, a total of 490. Two methods were employed. First, the same coding method as before was used to compare against the early data in order to check for differences. Second, quotes relating to value were pulled from the reviews in order to better understand the range of guest attitudes and determine possible trends. The data from the content analysis was similar to what we saw previously. Roughly half of all value related comments referenced high prices.No new issues turned up in any of the other disagrees, so we proceeded to review quotes pulled from the article. 6. 1 . General Perceptions Guests tended to have a favorable impression of value while also acknowledging the high price, for example, â€Å"Pudenda is a little pricey but very good,† â€Å"The price is not low but it is worth the price for good food and service,† and â€Å"The prices are high but the food is excellent. † These responses are in line with the results from the Techno survey (2013) discussed earlier.It is important to note that over 70% of these quotes specifically mentioned food quality and linked it with a positive impression of value. 6. 2. Price and Negative Behavioral Intention Guests with a negative impression of value tended to express their view in terms of price. Quotes such as, â€Å"Overpriced but okay I guess†¦ â€Å", â€Å"†¦ Over priced mediocre food†, and â€Å"†¦ A little overpriced for what you get,† were typical of this group. In addition, negative comments about price were frequently linked with a negative behavioral intention to return.Most interesting was a subgroup of almost 30%, who specifically expressed that while satisfied, they would return less frequently due to price. Typical quotes in this range includ ed, â€Å"I'll be back but Rajah Cajun is definitely more affordable and so will be a more frequent stop for me! † and â€Å"The prices have increased steadily and I don't go as often†¦ â€Å". These quotes are representative of consumers who find value in the quality of the experience, and do trade up to upscale casual, but do so less frequently based solely on price. . 3. Food Quality as the Most Critical Factor Whether guests express a positive or negative perception of value they most frequently link value with their perception of food quality. 70% of positive value impression quotes mentioned food quality, as did 44% of the negative value laity (â€Å"WITH happened to good quality food†¦ â€Å") to those underwhelming with the quality based on price (â€Å"Decent seafood but overpriced†, â€Å"Food was fine, but the prices are nuts†), the latter being the most common.Guest comments also suggest that food quality may trump other aspects of the experience in terms of value: â€Å"Great service! Food was okay†¦ Wasn't worth the $30†, and â€Å"The waiter was nice though†¦ But that still doesn't make up for the lack in quality. † Combined with the results from the content analysis, it appears that food quality is the most critical factor for these viewers, and by extension Pederasty's guests. 6. 4. Identifying an Aspect for Improvement As mentioned previously, recommendations matter more than ratings, and recommendations are based on perceptions of value.Positive recommendations tend to be based on positive perception of food quality, however, these recommendations also tend to mention high prices. High prices are why many consumers report visiting upscale casual restaurants less frequently (Techno, Inc. , 2013), and our observations from online reviews confirm price can impact guests' stated behavioral intention. Based on this, it seems reasonable to assume that lowering prices while maintaining food quality, should lead to improved behavioral intentions and more positive recommendations.But before we explore the validity of that idea, we need to determine if there is any factor that can be changed to allow such a strategy to be entertained. Once again, we turned to the customer reviews, this time examining portion size. 6. 5. Portion Size Pappas Restaurants are known for large portions. Like food quality, it is factor into which money is invested in order to â€Å"wow† the guest. As we saw in the customer views, being â€Å"wowed† is often the line between finding value in the experience and feeling that it is overpriced.Portion size logically contributes to price; therefore we pulled quotes and analyzed them as we did with value-based quotes above. We aimed to determine if the investment in portion size was having the desired effect on guests. Not surprisingly, the reviewers found the portion size to be large: â€Å"the portions were generous†¦ â€Å", â €Å"Huge portions†, and â€Å"†¦ The baked potato is HUGE†¦ â€Å". 30% of the quotes expressed delight. These referred to portions as â€Å"ample† and â€Å"filling†, or mentioned aging a to-go box home (â€Å"l was very happy to have leftovers from this meal! ). 22% were factual statements such as, â€Å"The portion sizes are big like most restaurants in the states†¦ â€Å", or â€Å"l forgot how big the portions are†¦ â€Å". 48%, while not explicitly negative, did express that portion sizes may be overly large. Quotes like, â€Å"†¦ It was Just too big for me to finish! † suggest that portions are too large for guests to finish. One guest felt that they had â€Å"made the mistake of ordering a side salad†, because he was too full to finish his entree.In addition, guests may be lining like they are wasting food they wished to enjoy, a feeling that may be exacerbated by price (â€Å"l felt bad leaving half my lobs ter on my plate because I was full and it was a bit pricey'). Most of the quotes that fell in this category, and 39% of the overall portion size quotes, dealt with guest behaviors based on large portion have developed ordering behaviors to limit portion size, for example, â€Å"The portions are large, so I always split†, â€Å"l usually have to order a lunch size†, and â€Å"My son and I split a salad and catfish/shrimp plate. Perhaps the most important quote in this roof comes from a review posted on Yelp. Com on January fifteenth, 2013. The guest begins the review by giving background on their relationship with Pudenda: â€Å"As a Native Historian, I've enjoyed one of my family's great traditions of dining at Pudenda to celebrate most any occasion – birthdays, graduations, or Just- because-it's-the-weekends. Over the years, we've gathered at various locations throughout the greater Houston area, but as of lately, this is my frequent location of this chain. T hey go on to give a glowing paragraph long endorsement of food quality, which concludes with this quote: FYI Just about every dish here has monstrous portions so you wouldn't be the first to share a plate with someone. † The person writing this article is a champion for the Pudenda brand. She feels a connection to the concept and actively recommends visiting the restaurant. This is meaningful, because in online reviews, recommendations relate to sales, and her recommendation is to share.Guests did not link portion size to value as strongly as they did with food quality. Additionally, explicit complaints portion size was rare, including comments about portion size being too small. This suggests guests view portion size as an enhancement rather than a critical factor when calculating value. While it may be possible that large portion size contributes more greatly to guest delight and it is obscured by reviewers' choice of language, the fact that almost half of the quotes point t o portions being oversized, suggests that they are, in actuality, oversized. . Conclusion 7. 1 . Recommendation Based on our analysis of customer reviews, the investment placed into providing large portions exceeds its relative importance to guests. Guests also report that while they have a largely favorable perception of value, they still find prices to be gig. Food quality was identified by guests as the most critical factor effecting impressions of value. Figure 7 shows their relative positions in terms of investment from the company versus relative importance to guests.By decreasing portion size and lowering prices proportionally, both can be set at new, more appropriate levels without changing food quality. Figure 7 Performance vs.. Importance to Customers Similar strategies have been shown to increase traffic, revenue, and APP. In 2007, they termed â€Å"right portion, right price. † Within a year, these new items were contributing up to 15% of sales per month. They als o saw an increase in APP, as more customers were ordering appetizer and deserts.Their success led to the adoption of similar strategies by others, such as Cheesecake Factory and Minim's Cafe © Innings, 2008). Research from outside the industry suggests that Pudenda may benefit more greatly than others by the implementation of such a strategy. Studies have shown that it grocery stores, high quality food brands gain the most running a promotion with lower prices (Sparkman, 1997). Pudenda has a reputation for high food quality, and it is possible that consumers would view lower prices as a reason to read up, similarly to how they have been shown to behave in grocery stores. . 2. Implementation As large portions are a part of the Pappas brand, and some guests continue to express delight, we suggest maintaining the current menu. New menu items featuring reduced portion and price should be developed and offered separately as has been done by other companies. Tests should be conducted at select locations, and sales can determine their success. In addition, tickets with the new items should be analyzed to determine if they are contributing to an increase APP. Customer dieback should also be utilized, and can be used to refine the new menu.

Education Reform Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Education Reform - Term Paper Example â€Å"The dropout rate is also higher in both rural and inner-city areas, where young people lack cultural and financial resources.† (Macionis,2006). The reports have dealt with the growing problems of providing quality education amongst the quantifiable mass. The High School reforms reports speaks about the increasing dropout rates from high schools where students are opting for jobs rather than colleges for higher education. The report gives an insight into the fact that as students prepare in high schools for entry into colleges, does the same preparedness apply when they want to opt for a job. One third of a nation report speaks about the alarming dropout rates of the students which have been measured to be a one third of the entire student population and hence one third of a nation. The closing of the Education Frontier report also highlights the quantifiable figures who are opting out of high schools and colleges which have made the people to remove their blindfold that educational reforms are taking place. Statistics have shown the people the real face of the state of education which is definitely a cause of concern. The fourth report of the twin challenges of mediocrity and inequality gives a comparative overview of the state of literacy over 20 countries of equal or high income where the US is ranked 9th in terms of literacy levels. There are serious questions asked whether the education reform is actually bringing in reform just as the policies are being formed in the legislature. The fifth report of hard facts in education reform addresses the fact that tests cannot be benchmarks of deciding whether there have been educational reforms or not, there has to be a proper planning and implementation strategies which will govern reforms and whether it is actually achieved or not. Part two: analyze all reports individually. is it working? The High School Reforms: Facing Labor Market Realities This report gives a lot of impetus on the fact that since students are already opting for jobs rather than colleges after their high schools, then are they having the necessary academic background and knowledge that they can draw higher incomes as compared to those who are getting their bachelor’s degree. The employers need to give their inputs of what knowledge level they expect from the high school graduates and there is a need for serious analysis into it which has not been addressed. Labor Market realities are not working currently but there is a need for the practical job industry to give their inputs to shape up the work executives of tomorrow. â€Å"This report summarizes studies of what employers say they are looking for when they hire for jobs that do not require college degrees.† (Barton,2006). One-Third of a Nation: Rising Dropout Rates and Declining Opportunities This report gives out the statistics that the school dropout rates have been rising alarmingly across the United States. â€Å"The High School Completio n Rate has been Falling. Nationally, after peaking at 77.1 percent in 1969, the rate dropped to 69.9 percent in 2000.† (Barton,2005). â€Å"In high school completion rates, the United States has slipped to 10th place in the world.†(Barton,2005). There have been models like talent development, Maryland’s Tomorrow, Communities in Schools and Quantum opportunity programs which has assisted in retaining the students. Though these models have

The Sociological Perspective of Suicide Research Paper

The Sociological Perspective of Suicide - Research Paper Example An individual who has decided for his own self to commit suicide will find no alternative to delay his decision (Novak 1997). He finds the best possible methodology and the tools to make sure that suicide is the order of the day as far as his life is concerned. However having said all this, suicide is no escape from this world because as the sociological theory suggests, suicide is indeed the end of everything but not exactly a logical conclusion to a life that can bring about solutions if proper consideration and hard work are devoted. It is a given that suicide can always be avoided but the ones who believe in it are usually in support of this form of death. The Sociological Perspective of Suicide Under the sociological perspective, positivism suggests that social processes need to be analyzed and studied in terms of the cause and effect using a scientific model which depicts that the suicide process is indeed a study between life and death for the ones who believe in this dictum i n essence. ... s well, which include – the differential association theory, the labeling theory, the rational choice theory, the social disorganization theory, the social learning theory, the strain theory and lastly the sub-cultural theory. The Humanistic Perspective If seen from a humanistic perspective, suicide is a bane in the time and age of today as well as in the past. It does not offer any form of solace because it takes a life away from the worldly affairs and makes other feel bad about the whole suicide situation. The individuals who are near and dear to the ones who commit suicide feel that they have been hard done by. They encounter societal imbalance because people feel that these individuals are the reason why suicide took place on the part of the deceased person. It is a well-known fact the world over that suicide does not solve the problem, in fact it is the start of a problem which has long-lasting and consequential affects on the family of the deceased as th ey have to go through a tough time at the hands of the police authorities and the society at large which continuously questions the legitimacy of the suicide. The cause is found out because this is pertinent to the overall study of suicide in the first place (Bayatrizi 2010). The Negativity within the Phenomenon of Suicide The sociological perspective pays a great deal of significance on how suicide is taken as something of a very negative tenet within its folds. The suicide activity is the result of a lot of breakdown on the part of the deceased since he has got to the decision of giving up his life due to internal and external pressures which have come to his realization. There are a number of reasons why suicide is the end result.

Mechanical testing of metals and polymers Assignment - 2

Mechanical testing of metals and polymers - Assignment Example L/Lo where Lo is the initial gage length and ?L is the change in the gage length (L-Lo). Procedure: Hydraulic testing machine, steel, mm/min, force and strain. Results Nr Rm N 0.2% ?break (%) E N/mm3 G Nmm2 1 8303.90 0.1 1903 64.77 24.91 2 13853.22 0.4 1903 141.15 54.29 3 17948.63 0.8 1903 208.40 80.15 4 11098.39 1.15 901 410.65 157.94 Procedure: Hydraulic testing machine, carbon steel, mm/min, stress and strain. Nr Rm 0.2% ?break (%) E N/mm3 G( N/mm2) dL (mm) 1 153 0.1 1.37 100 38.46 2 2 170 0.2 -2.41 -50 -19.23 -4 3 217 0.4 1.91 50 19.23 4 4 251 0.85 1.57 50 19.23 4 Procedure: electromechanical machine, acetal, mm/min, stress and strain. Nr Rm (kJ/m2) 0.2% ?break (%) E G (N/mm2) 1 14.43 0.2 9.39 10.71 4.28 2 11.96 0.2 7.65 13.16 5.20 3 10.63 0.2 6.93 14.42 5.77 4 10.11 0.2 6.67 15.00 6.00 5 12.60 0.2 8.27 12.10 4.84 6 15.94 0.2 10.40 9.62 3.85 Procedure: electromechanical machine, HDPE, mm/min, stress and strain. Nr Rm (kJ/m2) 0.2% ?break (%) E G (N/mm2) 1 53.16 0.2 33.79 2.90 1.16 2 55.55 0.2 36.72 2.73 1.09 3 43.34 0.2 28.49 3.50 1.40 4 45.05 0.2 29.29 3.41 1.36 5 51.60 0.2 32.86 3.05 1.22 6 25.93 0.2 16.64 6.00 2.4 Procedure: electromechanical machine, NYLON 66, mm/min, stress and strain. ... .14 1.26 3 46.49 0.2 32.55 3.07 1.23 4 49.52 0.2 29.69 3.36 1.34 5 46.88 0.2 30.40 3.29 1.32 6 50.60 0.2 32.96 3.04 1.22 Procedure: electromechanical machine, PVC, mm/min, stress and strain. Nr Rm (kJ/m2) 0.2% ?break (%) E G (N/mm2) 1 6.29 0.2 3.96 25.00 10.00 2 7.14 0.2 4.41 22.73 9.09 3 10.09 0.2 6.54 15.31 6.12 4 6.78 0.2 4.30 23.44 9.38 5 32.98 0.2 20.62 4.84 1.94 6 9.86 0.2 6.03 16.67 6.67 Discussion................................... B2. Vickers hardness measurement of various engineering alloys Procedure: ZHV 30 micro and macro machine, Acetal. Nr Load S.A VHN 1 7.5 48.81 0.15 2 7.5 47.95 0.16 3 7.5 48.87 0.15 4 7.5 49.49 0.15 5 7.5 49.22 0.15 6 7.5 48.94 0.15 Procedure: ZHV30 micro and macro machine, 4ET002 Tehrmoplastics, Nr Load S.A VHN 1 3.32 30.5 0.11 2 3.14 31 0.10 3 1.16 29.88 0.04 4 1.83 30.25 0.06 5 1.94 29.62 0.65 6 1.79 29.38 0.06 7 2.21 30.19 0.07 8 4.33 32.66 0.13 9 4.71 32.93 0.14 10 4.37 31.67 0.14 11 6.69 29.65 0.23 12 7.10 30.3 0.23 13 9.52 32.98 0.30 14 151.6 9 32.22 4.71 15 113.90 32.29 3.53 16 85.14 31.91 2.67 17 - 31.91 - 18 4.43 41.25 0.11 19 7.90 41.75 0.19 Procedure: ZHV 30 micro and macro machine, HDPE. Nr Load S.A VHN 1 7.5 47.67 0.16 2 7.5 49.57 0.15 3 7.5 49.3 0.15 4 7.5 48.76 0.15 5 7.5 47.76 0.16 6 7.5 48.13 0.16 Procedure: ZHV 30 micro and macro machine, NYLON 66. Nr Load S.A VHN 1 7.5 48.97 0.15 2 7.5 51.36 0.15 3 7.5 51.68 0.15 4 7.5 51.52 0.15 5 7.5 50.88 0.15 6 7.5 51.14 0.15 The key objective in this study was to relate the mechanical properties with the microstructure that was given out by a specific treatment of heat. In measuring the mechanical properties, two methods were used. These were nanoindentation and compression tests. Compression test is a fast and simple method of identifying the elastic limit and material

Organisation of the body Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organisation of the body - Essay Example The major functions entail the intensification of DNA in order to facilitate the process of mitosis; it equally assists in the smaller casing of DNA so as to fit in the cell; it also controls replication of DNA and gene expression; it also inhibits the damage of DNA. They are normally reffered to as the cell’s powerhouse due to its ability to perform the role of the cell’s digestive system in which it uptakes nutrients, and synthesizes them into energy through cellular respiration. They function by breaking down cellular debris and waste materials through the action by acids known as hydrolase enzymes. In this regard, the lysosomes digest worn out or excess organelles, bacteria or engulfed viruses and food matter. The red blood cells have a flattened disc like shape or a biconcave shape which increases the surface area over volume ratio.In this regard, the diffusion of carbon dioxide and oxygen across the plasma of the red blood cells occurs at a faster rate.Moreover, the red blood cells are elastic and flexible thus they are able to fit the small capillaries. In addition, the red blood cells have a thin wall cell to assist in the effortless oxygen diffusion. The red blood cells equally lack cell structures such as ribosomes, mitochondria and nucleus. In this regard, they are able to pack large amounts of hemoglobin due to the increase in space within the cells. The hemogloblin performs the role of taking in oxygen from the lungs and consequently releasing it to the rest of the body. The ciliate epithelial cells have an overlapping and flat structure which facilitates the minimal use of space in the cell. It equally assists in providing a barrier to the exterior. Furthermore, it assists in offering a lightweight skin structure. In addition, it facilitates the shedding of individual cells. The sperm cell is specialized to carry out its function in a variety

US Adaptations Of Japanese Horror Films Case Study

US Adaptations Of Japanese Horror Films - Case Study Example Ringu was shown in Japan in 1998, directed by Hideo Nakata, and was considered one of the most popular J-Horror (Japanese Horror) in the country (Internet Movie Database 2011). It was a film adaptation of the novel series, Ring, created by Koji Suzuki. The Ring was released in The US and international theaters in 2001 and was largely a box-office all throughout countries with its release. The Ring was directed by Gore Verbinski and has received a mostly positive response from the audience while critical reception from known critics (IMDb 2011). Although the two films are tracking one storyline, Ringu was regarded more as a supernatural-biological film while The Ring was more of psychological-horror. Specified genre already claimed differences between these two films (Wee 2011). Summary, In order to give justifiable judgment and comparative execution of the two films, common summary, is necessary for better understanding. The story opened with two girls watching TV, and talked about a deadly videotape. It was explained deadly because the videotape was cursed. The curse was that whoever watched the videotape, the viewer will die after 7 days. One of the two girls admitted that she had watched a certain tape with a group of friends but was hesitant about the effect of the curse. She revealed that that night was her 7th day upon watching the film with her friends. After some irregular incidents happened in her house, she was killed by some negative force that came from the TV and was witnessed by her friend. The friend-witnessed was sent to a mental hospital as revealed in the course of the film. The girl who died happened to be the niece of the protagonist of the story named Reiko in Ringu and Rachel in The Ring.

Human Resource Management & Information Management (MBA) pro 4 Essay

Human Resource Management & Information Management (MBA) pro 4 - Essay Example The company has to align its business to n effective IS response giving it significant ground in the market. The IS that Brady Corporation was currently operating on did not support its business model since it made use of antique systems that were unable to communicate. As such, the IS response taken for the greater good of the business was to undertake a complete overhaul of the entire business processes of the company on a global scale, as well as, enabling them digitally. The results were phenomenal, with an annual revenue growth of 15%, a 2% reduction in operating expense, and an increase in internet orders by 50%. The roll out was successful because both the managers and employees had prior knowledge over its importance. Furthermore, the best people got the privilege of spearheading the change process, whereby all the processes mapped with their experts and owners. As such, this spectacular achievement answered the authors question on whether Brady Corporation could redesign its systems for success. The change from old processes to new processes enabled the corporation to revamp its profitability, as well as, re-establish its position in the

Globalisation and corporate responsibility Case Study

Globalisation and corporate responsibility - Case Study Example ation has changed the economic aspect of the country through exposing the economy to competitive companies which plays a very minimal role in payment of taxes and improvement of the living standards of the people. Ecologically, globalization has led to a reduction in biodiversity and widening of the gap between the rich and poor in the society (Mullerat 2010). In Tanzanian case, the collapse of the textile industry due to the influx of secondhand clothes has increased the level of unemployment in the country, an aspect that has increased the poverty levels among the local population. Culturally, globalization has led to the exchange of cultural aspects among the global citizens. This has played a significant role in changing the consumption behavior of the local population. The integration of economies has had a major impact on economies of developing countries. Initially, these countries had tariffs which protected the interests of the local businesses. This is through limiting the amount and the quality of the products that were entering their economies. However, integration of economies has exposed these countries to intensive competition from developed countries. These are countries that have invested heavily in the modern technologies in order to reduce the costs of production. As a result, they are able to produce high quality products at very low costs. In the Tanzania case study, the integration of economies has made it hard for the government to control the influx of cheap clothes from developed countries. Initially, laws limited these clothes to only charity groups. However, with the increasing levels of globalization, the government is losing revenue which is directed towards developed countries. This is created unbalanced trade in the world . With the increasing levels of liberalization of markets, the local companies are unable to compete with multinational companies. These global firms have diversified their operations to different parts of the

Adas Muteness and Voice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Adas Muteness and Voice - Essay Example This is the kind of social situation that is described in opening pages of The Piano as the main character Ada describes her preparations to leave her home and cross the sea to New Zealand where she will meet the husband that her father has just married her to without having consulted her at all. This introduction makes an instant connection between her muteness in voice and her muteness in her society and even in her own life. Throughout the story, Ada is trapped in a man’s world, even when she goes as far away as New Zealand and its untamed frontier which is where most of the story takes place. However, in the character of Ada, Jane Campion shows how a woman without a voice made herself heard even to those who wouldn’t listen, demonstrating how a voice could be used as a tool of power in an otherwise powerless world. It is helpful to gain a bit of historical understanding regarding the female voice in order to fully appreciate the significance of Ada’s silence and returning voice by the end of the story. Anne Carson provides a strong analysis of how concepts regarding the woman’s voice evolved out of ancient history. According to Carson, women expressed the moments of extreme joy, grief, fear and hope within the regular and climactic moments of life through the sound of the ololyga: â€Å"a high-pitched piercing cry uttered at certain climactic moments in ritual practice †¦ or at climactic moments in real life †¦ and also a common feature of women’s festivals† (Carson, 1995: 125). Because the noise could be irritating to those not actively engaged in the celebration, these rituals were usually held outside of the range of hearing of the men and the city. Over time, this had the tendency to reinforce ideas of women as savage mysterious outsiders. Their religio us rites were often female only, they made strange sounds while practicing and they practiced outside of the city limits, making them seem like wild animals in the wilderness.   Meanwhile, the proper role of the man was to disconnect from his emotions enough to control the escape of unintended, uncontrolled sounds.  

Music in Education Essay Example for Free

Music in Education Essay Music can affect the body in many health-promoting ways, which is the basis for a growing field known as music therapy. However, you can use music in your daily life and achieve many stress relief benefits on your own. One of the great benefits of music as a stress reliever is that it can be used while you conduct your regular activities so that it really doesn’t take time away from your busy schedule. Music provides a wonderful backdrop for your life so that you can find increased enjoyment from what you’re doing and also reduce stress from your day. Music still tells a story, we know just have many genres to satisfy the cultural and social tastes of our modern society. Hip Hop is a genre of music that has significantly grown the last couple of decades. Its increased popularity has brought it to the forefront of globalization. Technological advances have made it easy for Hip Hop to spread out globally. This occurrence of globalization is a key example that as our cultural borders are broken down by technology, our own cultural and social practices become fluid. Although there are many positive and negative comments about the globalization of Hip Hop, it is a reflection of the growing phenomenon occurring all over the world. Hip hop originated in the South Bronx of New York City in the 1970s. The term rap is often used synonymously with hip hop, but hip hop can also be described as an entire subculture (â€Å"Hip Hop†, 2004). The term Hip Hop is said to have come from a joke between Keith Cowboy, rapper with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and their friends (â€Å"Hip Hop†, 2004). Although Hip Hop was created on American soil, its influences are global. It can be said that Hip Hop might be a result of ethnic globalization. Hip Hop has roots in African, Caribbean, and Latino culture (â€Å"Hip Hop Globalization and Youth Culture†, 2005). Spoken word, which is still popular today is also an influence in Hip Hop music and culture. Spoken word is a style of poetry spoken in a rhythmic fashion. Hip Hop ranges from rap music, to B-boy dance. It was a platform to empower ethnic youth without violence. Hip Hop in the beginning was essentially still an underground subculture. It was popular with many ethnic communities but it was not popular in the mainstream music industry. This all changed with the band Blondie and their song â€Å"Rapture†. â€Å"Rapture† is one of the first rap songs to reach the top of the charts in mainstream pop music. Although Blondie is a punk/rock band, they were the proper catalyst to give Hip Hop the mainstream attention it deserved. Hip Hop has changed since its birth in the 1970s. Hip Hop is now apart of the mainstream music scene. It is not uncommon to see artist from different genres collaborating with Hip Hop artists. It is also not uncommon to see Hip Hop music and culture in movies, television shows, and commercials. In the past you would only see people from ethnic communities wearing Hip Hop clothing, now all races including Asian, Caucasian, etc have accepted the Hip Hop style. The subject matter has also changed. In the past Hip Hop lyrics focused on political and societal frustrations, now Hip Hop lyrics steer more toward provocative content. Hip Hop subject matter consists mostly of the aspirations of wealth, sex, drug use, and criminal activity. During the beginning years the age of the Hip Hop listener was wide spread. It ranged from teens to even adults in their 50s. Although Hip Hop still has an adult audience, it is now more geared toward younger audiences. Younger listeners are more likely to purchase Hip Hop music and paraphernalia, than the older audience. Music has always been a great healer. In the Bible, we learn about how David played the harp to help ease his severe depression of King Saul. Music is a significant mood-changer and reliever of stress, working on many levels at once. Many experts suggest that it is the rhythm of the music or the beat that has the calming effect on us although we may not be very conscious about it. They point out that when we were a baby in our mothers womb, we probably were influenced by the heartbeat of our mother. We respond to the soothing music at later stages in life, perhaps associating it with the safe, relaxing, protective environment provided by our mother. They say that math is the universal language, and while that may be true, music has traits to it that even the casual listener should but may not always recognize as universal, literally and figuratively. Moreover, music is beneficial to the musicians and the listeners health and well-being. Music is everywhere, and it can be made and enjoyed by anyone, any animal, and any living thing, in its own way. The universe itself has a sense of rhythm, melody and music. Everyday speech has a lilt that can be called some kind of music. In nature, without the white noise of civilization in the background, the sounds of the trees, the water, and the air can all be called music. And animals, birds in particular, have their own sense of melody in the sounds that they make and use to communicate with each other. Music comes in so many various forms that it reflects, in a way, the diversity of the languages spoken and written on the planet. Whether it be classical music, pop, gospel music, country music or whatever pleases the ear, there will always be a kind of music for everyone, and it can come in any language. They say that learning and listening to music makes one smarter. As studies show, music makes the musician use his mind in a way that develops and maintains good mental health. Music is an art and a science; anyone who learns any bit of musical theory will know that music has a particular structure, while still allowing for creative freedom. Reading music and playing an instrument causes the musician to use both sides of his brain at once – the mathematical side, and the artistic side. Learning to understand a staff of music and the symbols written on it is akin to learning a scientific or mathematical formula. Applying the formula to the instrument at hand takes plenty of practise to do well, but once it is learned, it does not easily fade away. Developing and maintaining musicality, on the other hand, is partly talent and partly practise, much like other art forms like drawing, dancing and singing. Music is a great well for emotions. The same art form that puts babies to sleep can release anger and sadness, encourage joy, and sooth stress. To the Romantics, music was the purest of art forms because it connects directly with emotions (The New Penguin Book of Romantic Poetry, 47), during a time period that produced composers that are still well known today. David wrote many psalms while he watched sheep. And even though he was not always a favourite of King Saul, David’s playing would comfort the king (1 Samuel 16). Music brings people together. It is understood that before modern technology, live music was a natural form of entertainment, and people were considered accomplished when they learned to play instruments. Music can create a good atmosphere and encourage a good mood that relaxes people whether they are actively listening to it or not. That is part of the reason why it is ideal for parties, weddings, funerals, and other such gatherings. Music is universal. It is calming, gentling, entertaining, inspiring and healthy. It helps maintain good mental health and a balanced emotional state. It is a gift from God that anyone can learn, appreciate and enjoy. Hip Hop proves to be the voice of the people that may not be able to speak for themselves in conventional ways. Globalization has allowed many people who would not have the means to speak up, to be able to take center stage. Many believe that globalization will be the end of individuality and creativity.

Customers Expectations Versus Management Perceptions

Customers Expectations Versus Management Perceptions Eating is observably a daily action and necessity for all human beings. Depending on individuals reason for eating at restaurants, individual intentionally or instinctively assess a multifarious set of attributes ahead of choosing a restaurant. The significance involved to these restaurant attributes is ultimately evaluated in the customers mind, leading to a decision of purchasing (Johnson and Champaner, 2004). Thus, this study is to investigate how much service quality can have an impact on customer satisfaction and retention especially in our Mauritian context at KFC. As there is a casual inter-relationship between customer satisfaction and service quality, this study aims to find out the effectiveness of the service dimensions of service quality which leads to customer satisfaction and finally to retention at KFC. All the main aspects will be analyzed and recommendations will be drawn out for better improvement. Company Background History Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) was founded by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1952 and its primary focus is fried chicken. KFC also offers grilled and roasted chicken products, wraps, salads, sandwiches and desserts as well beef based products outside the USA. Although the death of Sanders in 1980, he remains a vital part of the firms branding and advertisements, and Colonel Sanders or The Colonel is a metonym for the company itself. In 1991, the abbreviated form of its name KFC was adopted by the company. The Present KFC operates more than 5,200 restaurants in the United States and more than 15,000 units around the world. In 109 countries and territories around the world, KFC everyday serves more than 12 million customers. KFC is world famous for its Original Recipe fried chicken, made with the same secret blend of 11 herbs and spices Colonel Harland Sanders perfected more than a half century ago. Based on the Fortune 500 List, KFC is ranked on 239 positions with revenues in excess of $11 billion in 2008. Introduction of KFC in Mauritius With time, consumers were more demanding for large variety of food and then, the first KFC outlet was launched in Mauritius-1983. Pick N Eat is the company which operates the KFC franchise in Mauritius. KFC has carved a solid reputation as a quick service restaurant which provides quality products and service. Across our island, 18 outlets are spread out and 10,000 customers daily are enjoying their finger-linking favorites in the consumer-friendly environment. Background of the program In the fierce competition, the market trend has changed noticeably from agricultural to service market. The service sector especially fast food industry is in a rapid growth and gain a position in the market due to lack of time to prepare food and dual income families. All of the fast food businesses are trying their best to improve their service quality in order to make customer satisfied and return back to them again. They are concentrating more on service quality in order to meet the needs and expectations of the customer. The more satisfied the customers are, the more likely they are to return to the restaurant. The restaurant industry has undoubtedly not been free from either augmented competition or from increasing customer expectations regarding quality. According to the Kaplan and Norton (2001) the importance of the perceived quality in order to get the retention effect in restaurant industry is always considered as a main element to retain in the customers and the business. The main reason behind that in this industry entry barrier are usually low and any one can easily enter due to investment required that is not on the higher side. So the point is that when ever consumer is satisfy from the arrangement by the management, the quality of the food provided by the staff members with the positive attitude than this result in increasing the loyalty towards the particular restaurant and increases the retention intensions of the customers. Problem Statement Service quality is a vital strategy for any restaurants, success and repeat business and it has long been defined by adopting a rather more customer-oriented view and not by the restaurateur-oriented (Saleh and Ryan, 1991). Customer is the key role in any business, without any customer it is difficult to do business. It is necessary to work closely with your customer. As customers can also create your business, thus, customer is the major part of business and also in the market. Business runs through customer, without the customer there is no business. Due to the increasing competition with other restaurants and quality-conscious customers, it is vital to carry out this research. There is a need for further improvement in order to face the competitors and meet the increasing customers expectation concerning quality. Based on the actual service quality performance of KFC, it is important to identify if customers are satisfied with the current situation and are likely to retain at KFC or switch to other competitors. Also, to find out the factors of service quality that leads to customer satisfaction and retention. From the above reasons, it is important that the service performance meets or exceeds customers and their expectation, the customer will be satisfied. Service quality is an antecedent of customer satisfaction. Research Objectives -To assess customers expectation and perception level towards service quality. -To analyze the discrepancy gap between customers expectation and perception level towards service quality. -To identify the discrepancy gap between customer expectations and employees perceptions at KFC. -To explore the service aspects of the dimensions which have an influence on customer satisfaction and retention? Research Questions -What is the level of customers expectation and perception towards service quality? -What is the discrepancy gap between customers expectation and perception towards service quality? -What is the discrepancy gap between customer expectations and employees perceptions at KFC? -What are the service aspects of the dimensions which have an influence on customer satisfaction and retention? Aims of the study This study is to find out whether the service dimensions have an impact on customer satisfaction and retention at KFC by using the SERVQUAL Model by Parasuraman, Zenithaml, and Berry (1988). It will also explore the service aspects that affect and influence customer satisfaction and retention. Significance of the study This study will act as a practical guideline for KFC, especially the management and the front line employees which may increased a higher level of customer satisfaction in the near future. The results of this quantitative assessment of service quality may provide some insights into how customers rate the service and assessed customer satisfaction at KFC. The outcomes will utilize as a basis to improve their existing service quality or to develop a new one in order to meet with the customers needs and satisfy them. Furthermore it will help KFC managers to know if they are providing services according to the norms established by customers. The management will be able to come up with a strategy for upgrading their service quality which will definitely lead to customer satisfaction and retention. All these views of customers will help KFC to remedy problems if there are and maintain their service quality. Phases of the discussion Introduction In the first chapter, the problem area is discussed with a deeper understanding regarding the research. The problem discussion ends with a research objectives and questions. In the end of this chapter, the contributions of this research are also presented. Literature Review In the second chapter, the literature review of service qualitys impact on customer satisfaction and retention is discussed with the following purposes of assessing customers expectation, customers and employees perception, identifying their gaps and the influencing service quality aspects. Research Methodology ************************************* Analysis ************************************************* Conclusion and Recommendation ******************************************************** Conclusion The first chapter provided us a background to the outline of the dissertation. It contained the research context, which is, identify the problems, and establish its aims and its objectives, set out the research questions and finally present the outline of the study. Chapter 2- LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction This chapter will give an overview of literature and models that presented by writers and journalists. It will support the research objective presented in the previous chapter. The chapter will elaborate the concepts of service, service quality, customer satisfaction, customer retention, service quality dimensions, the gaps and others. 2.2 Service There are many definitions concerning the concept of service by researchers. (Parasuraman et al. 1985). Gronroos (1983) defined service as: An activity or series of activities of more or less intangibles nature that normally, but not necessarily, take place in interactions between the customer and service employees and/or physical resources or goods and / or systems of service provider, which are provided as solutions to customer problems. Service is: Any primary or complementary activity that does not directly. Produce a physical product that is, the non-goods part of the transaction between customer and provider (Payne, 1993). Whereas Kotler et. al. (1999) defined service as any activity or benefit that one party offers to another which is essentially intangible and does not result in the ownership of anything, and it may or may not be tied to a physical product. In today market, products heavily rely on its service to acquire competitive advantage and to satisfy customers needs. 2.3 Service Quality In the service industry, service quality has become a crucial tool. Practitioners are interested in the concept of service quality, which has an advantageous effect on outcome performance for the company. Service quality is a critical element of customer perceptions as well as in determining customer satisfaction. Various experts have defined service quality differently. Parasuraman et al. (1985) proposed a formal definition of service quality as the degree and direction of discrepancy between customers service perception and expectation. If expectations are greater than performance, then perceived quality is less than satisfactory and hence customer dissatisfaction occurs. Asubonteng et al. (1996) defines service quality as the extent to which a service meets customers, need and expectation. Hooley, Saunders and Piercy (2004) A prime factor in differentiating the product or service from that of competitors is quality. Quality concerns the fitness for purpose of a product or service. For manufactured products that can include the durability, appearance or grade of the product while in services it often comes down to the tangible elements of the services, the reliability and responsiveness of the service provider, the assurance provided of the value of service and empathy, or caring attention, received. 2.4 SERVQUAL Approach The SERVQUAL framework has come up for the purpose to improve service quality in services and retailing organizations as it has suggest that customer satisfaction is based on multiple factors rather than one. The SERVQUAL method developed by Parasuraman et al. in 1988 is a technique used to perform a gap analysis of an organizations service quality performance against customer service quality needs. Parasuraman et al. (1988) came up with five dimensions (grouped with 22 attributes) to measure service quality are tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. The SERVQUAL instrument is regarded as a reliable method of measuring service quality (explore customers expectation and perceptions), which in turn leads to a measurement of customer satisfaction. 2.4.1 SERVQUAL Dimensions In 1985, Parasuraman et al. has identified ten determinants for measuring service quality: reliability, responsiveness, competence, access, courtesy, communication, credibility, security, understanding or knowing the customer and tangibles. Later, in 1998, Parasuraman et al. refined the model to the useful acronym RATER:- Reliability It is defined as the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately or delivering on its promises (Zeithaml et al., 2006, p. 117). It is one of the most important service components for customers as it implies doing it right the first time. The service organizations need to keep its promise and maintain an error free record. The reliability factor: the staff performs tasks that have been promised to guests and resolve problems encountered by guests. For the food beverage industry, reliability can be interpreted to mean fresh food delivered at the correct temperature and accurately the first time (Andaleeb Conway, 2006). Assurance It is defined as the ability of staff to inspire confidence and trust. Assurance is defined as the employees knowledge and courtesy and the service providers ability to inspire trust and confidence (Zeithaml et al., 2006, p. 119). The staff can handle effectively complaints and problems from the guests. Customers are more likely to use tangible evidence to assess the assurance dimension such as awards or special certificates which give a new customer confidence. Tangibles Tangible is defined as the physical facilities, equipment, staff appearance and others. It translates to the restaurants interiors, the appearance and condition of the cutlery, tableware, and uniform of the staff, the appearance and design of the menu, restaurant signage and advertisements (Zeithamal et al., 2006). Tangibles are used by firms to convey image and signal quality (Zeithaml et al., 2006). Customers use this dimension to evaluate the quality. Empathy Empathy is the extent to which caring individualized service is given to a customer. The customer is treated as a king. Many small companies use this ability to provide customized services as a competitive advantage over the larger firms (Zeithaml et al., 2006). Empathy may be important to ensure customer loyalty as the server knows how the customer likes his or her food prepared. In return, the customer is easily approach and spell out their needs to the service provider. If a company looks its customer as an individual, as result, the company will come as a winner. Responsiveness Responsiveness is defined as the willingness to help customers and provide prompt service (Zeithaml et al., 2006, p. 117). The service provider has the ability to deal customer requests, questions, problems and complaints with attentiveness and promptness in a timely manner and it is crucial for the customers. In order to be responsive, a service provider has to determine how long it would take to get answer or to solve a problem. To be successful, companies need to look at responsiveness from the view point of the customer rather than the companys perspective (Zeithaml et al., 2006). This dimension captures the notion of flexibility and ability to customize the service according to the customer needs. 2.4.2 Service Quality Gaps Model In 1990, Zeithaml, Parasuraman and Berry have developed a survey instrument to measure the gap between customers expectation for excellence and their perception of actual service delivered. The SERVQUAL model uses the terms that describe one or more determinants of a quality service encounter. SERVQUAL as the most often used approach for measuring service quality has been to compare customers expectation before service encounter and their perception of the actual service delivered (Gronroos, 1982, Lewis and Booms, 1983; Parasuraman et al., 1985). There are seven major gaps in the service quality concept, out of which Gap 1, Gap 5 and Gap 6 are more associated with the external customers as they have a direct relationship with customers. Figure 1: SERVQUAL or Gaps Model (Zeithaml Parasuaman Berry 1988) Gap 1: Customers expectations versus management perceptions It is the knowledge gap which portrays the difference between the management beliefs about customers, expectations and what customers actually need and expect. This gap happens when there is insufficient flow of communication upwards, lack of marketing research orientation and too many level of management. Gap 2: Management perceptions versus service specifications It is a policy gap where a difference occurs between management perceptions regarding customers expectations and service specifications are set for service delivery. The reasons for this gap are unfeasibility, inadequate commitment to service quality and task standardization as well as an absence of goal setting. Gap 3: Service specifications versus service delivery It is the difference between the service specifications and the service delivery teams actual performance on these specifications. The gap is a result of poor employee-job fit, lack of perceived control and lack of teamwork. Gap 4: Service delivery versus external communication The communication gap is the difference between what the company communicates and what is actually delivers to the customer. It is due to inadequate horizontal communications and propensity to over- promise. Gap 5: The discrepancy between customer expectations and their perceptions of the service delivered It is the difference between what has actually delivered and what customers feel they have received. Customer expectations are influenced by the extent of personal needs, past service experiences and word of mouth recommendation. The difference occurs when customers are influenced and service provider has shortfalls. Gap 6: The discrepancy between customer expectations and employees perceptions The service quality gap is what the customers expect to receive and their perception of the service that is actually delivered. There is a difference in the understanding of customer expectations by front-line service provider. Gap 7: The discrepancy between employees perceptions and management perceptions This gap is mainly an internal difference in the organization such as differences in understanding of customer expectations between management and employees. 2.3 Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction is the heart of marketing. Customer satisfaction is the customers evaluation of the service or product against if their needs and expectations are meant. Richard L. Oliver (1997, P.13) define customer satisfaction as Satisfaction is the consumers fulfillment response. It is a judgment that a product or service feature, or the product or service itself, provides a pleasurable level of consumption-related fulfillment. Satisfaction is influenced by customers emotional responses, their attributions and their perceptions of equity. As Kotler (2000, p.36) defined that satisfaction is a persons feelings of pleasure or disappointment resulting from comparing a products perceived performance (or outcome) in relation to his or her expectation. Johnston and Clark (2005) defined Service as the combination of outcomes and experience delivered to and receives by a customer. Customers therefore judge the quality of the service on the experience as well as the outcome. 2.5 Customer Retention Lovelock (2004) illustrates importance of customer retention The hardest part of a business is customer retention. If a company does not retain its customers, inevitably it will fail. Marketing essentially means keeping customer loyalty. When an organization is able to retain a customer in a good way, the customers will be loyal with the firm for lifetime. Laura Lake (2010) defined Customer retention is not only a cost effective and profitable strategy, but in todays business world its necessary. This is especially true when you remember that 80% of your sales come from 20% of your customer and clients.. Hill and Alexander (2006) defined It is becoming accepted that there is a strong link between customer satisfaction, customer retention and profitability. After providing all service to customer, means that the organization understands customer expectation well, according to the customer expectation, organization provide all service and customer is loyal to the organization. It makes profit for the organization and organization has to retain by providing continues good services, more better customer satisfaction and that will be profitability for the organization. So, organization has to make strong relation with customers. 2.6 Customers expectations and perceptions 2.6.1 Customers expectations Consumers expect to be delivered quality products and services; therefore expectations play an important role in the customer satisfaction formation. The term expectations really matters to companies because they want to know what customers expectations are. According to Oliver (1981) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ expectations are consumer-defined probabilities of the occurrence of positive and negative events if the consumer engages in some behavior. Customers form their expectations from their past experience, friends advice, and marketers and competitors information and promises. Organizations in order to keep expectations from rising, they have to perform services properly from the first time (Parasuraman et al. 1988). Thus, customer expectations for the service are likely to rise when the service is not performed as promised. Expectations serve as reference points in customers assessment of performance (Cronin Taylor, 1992). The purpose of trying to understand customers expectations is to try to ensure that service can be designed and delivered in order to meet those expectations. If the operation meets the expectations, or indeed exceeds them, then customers are satisfied with the service. If they are satisfied they are more likely to become valuable customers who not only use the service again, but are positively disposed towards it and may even recommend it to other Johnston and Clark (2005). Therefore, the perceived service quality is viewed as the difference between consumers perceptions and expectations for the service provided. 2.6.2 Customers perceptions Mc Kenna (2000) is of opinion that perception is a vital process in a persons life where he or she has to manage and interpret a situation or an event to define a particular respond. Service firms must understand the concept of service quality from the point of view of the customer, not from the view point of the service firm or service provider. Besides, customer perceives services in the response to quality pertaining to the service and the extent to which they are satisfied with the overall service with their experiences (Zeithaml and Bitner 2003). The customer satisfaction is determined by the customers perceptions and expectations of the service quality. Customer perceives services in terms of the quality of the service and how satisfied they are overall with their experience. The customers perception varies from customer to customer and each one has different beliefs towards the services that play a crucial role in determining customer satisfaction. Therefore, customer percepti on and customer satisfaction are very closely linked together, because if the perceived service is close to customers expectations it leads to satisfaction. Satisfied customers provide recommendations; maintain loyalty towards the company and customers in turn are more likely to pay price premiums (Reichheld, 1996). As such, perceived service quality is a key component of customer satisfaction. 2.7 Relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction A great emphasis need to be heightened on service quality and customer satisfaction. Sureshchandar et al, (2003) identified that strong relationships exist between service quality and customer satisfaction while emphasizing that these two are conceptually distinct constructs from the customers point of view. Spreng and Mackoy (1996) also showed that service quality leads to customer satisfaction while working on the model developed by Oliver (1997). Customer satisfaction and the quality of food have long been acknowledged as a essential function for success and endurance in competitive marketplace that have been connected to consumer behavioral intentions as purchase and loyalty intention, their willingness to widen positive word of mouth, recommendation, and complaint intention (Olsen, 2002). Customers perceived service quality has a positive effect on customer satisfaction. 2.8 Relationship between service quality and customer retention Service Quality is viewed as a vital means for customer retention. Service quality is regarded as one of key factors for service differentiation and competitive advantage for a business. It has been argued that service excellence enhances customers inclination to buy again, to buy more, to buy other services, to become less price sensitive, and to tell others about their positive experiences (Anderson and Fornell, 1994; Anderson et al., 1994; Rust et al., 1995; Zeithaml et al., 1996; Bolton et al., 2000). A study by Zeithaml et al. (1996), determines that service quality influences different intentions, such as giving recommendations, doing more business, and willingness to pay more. When customers perceive that they are receiving better quality service for their money, they believe they are receiving good value, which increases their loyalty to the service provider (Bolton et al., 2000). 3.0 Comparison between authors Many researchers and writers have their own opinion regarding service quality, customer satisfaction and customer retention. These opinions will definitely shed light and need to determine which is more applicable in this research work. Service quality has many definitions but the most common is the match of customers expectation and their experience. Asubonteng et als definition is more relevant to this study as it describe as the extent to which a service meets customers, need and expectation. The SERVQUAL model is valued as an all purpose measurement and Parasuraman et als definition has used in this study. Some authors define the service quality gaps model similarly as a mean to measure customers expectation and customers perception. The SERVQUAL dimensions in this study have mostly used the definition of Zeithaml et al which are Reliability- to perform dependably and accurately, Assurance- knowledge, courtesy, trust and confidence, Tangibility- the physical evidence of the servi ce, Empathy- caring individualized service to customer, Responsiveness- the willingness to help. Oliver, Kotler, Johnston and Clark illustrate customer satisfaction as a positive response of the consumers expectation. Customer retention becomes a necessity for the success of a business. Oliver, Johnston and Clark agreed with the fact that customers expectation should be understand in order to design better service and meet their expectation. Then, the customer will be satisfied and Parasuraman et al. explained that in order to increase the level of expectation, the task must be done properly at the first time itself. Regarding customers perception, Mc Kenna, Zeithaml and Bitner share the same opinion that it the way of customer to interpret their experience and if they are satisfied. 4.0 Application of the theory at KFC Internationally, a service quality assurance team conducts regular surveys in every KFC restaurant in every country. The evaluation is mainly attributed by the aspects of CHAMPS including cleanliness, hospitality, accuracy, maintenance, product quality standard and speed of service. This is to evaluate the customers experience whether they are satisfied or not with the products and services. In Mauritius, KFC has already executed the theory of service quality and conduct survey regarding the services locally. A Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) program is implemented in order to identify, evaluate and control any physical and environmental hazards in the work place. KFC restaurants in Mauritius are constantly checked through internal audits and checks by the parent company with the aspects of CHAMPS. KFC has its own training center recognized by the franchisor for their staffs and also have achieved National Quality Award. The most significant policy of KFC is evaluating the customers experience with KFC restaurants, whether they are satisfied or not with the products and services, and they can also put their comments and suggestions for further improvements of the products and services of KFC. Today for Mauritians, KFC restaurants has become the preferred eating spots, living and amusement spots for the families and young people especially. 5.0 Conclusion The literature review shows some general agreement by writers that the concept of service quality is an antecedent of customer satisfaction and retention. High service quality will obviously lead to high levels of customer satisfaction and result in customer retention. Finally, the SERVQUAL Model was established as a widely used and reliable method of measuring service quality.

Stereotypes Associated With Tattoos Cultural Studies Essay

Stereotypes Associated With Tattoos Cultural Studies Essay Tattooing is the act of making a mark on the skin by inserting ink to the skin using needles and dyes. The name Tattoo came from the Tahitian word Tatu which means, to mark something. Therefore, tattoo, in this case, would mean to leave a mark on our skin. As its name suggests, tattoos have become a way to identity and represent people in both the negative and positive way. From the past to present, tattoos have undergone a transition from religious practices, branding of slaves and identity of gang members to a widely accepted practice by everyone as a way to represent themselves. Yet, the stigma of tattoos can still be felt today. People tend to have an impression of tattooed people as evil and being part of a triad gang. There are several reasons for this phenomenon, it could be due to firstly, the way tattoo was used in the past, the fact that gang members do use tattoos as an identity and lastly, the image created by the mass media, we will discuss them in detail later in the pa per. To prove that these are indeed stereotypes, we will unveil what tattoos truly represent. The earliest Tattoos seemed to appear in Polynesia where archaeologists discover tattoos around the islands dating to at least the second millennium B.C. However, the exact location and year is unclear until today. Therefore, our project will be more interested in how tattoos were spread throughout the world. There was no definite answer to which country began to spread the use of tattoos. Margo DeMello wrote in his book that North America was the country that caused the wide spread of Tattoos when Captain James Cook visited Tahiti and discovered the art of tattooing there in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He brought the idea of tattooing back to American and was since then spread to Asian countries. The picture below, Figure 1, is an image of an ancient North American with tattoos. In the picture, the person has a full body tattoo which stretches from the face to his ankle. In another source, A Brief History Of Tattoos stated that Egypt was the one that spread tattoos to other countries. Historical evidences of tattoos in Egypt can be found to be dated as early as before the Pyramids were made. Figure 2 is an image of ancient Egyptians with tattoos. It is visible that the ancient Egyptians had tattoos on their arms and legs. The trend of people getting tattooed today is an increasing one. In March of 2005, The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found out that 24% of the general U.S. Population had at least one tattoo; 17% of those people have thought about having a tattoo removed and 5% of them have had a tattoo covered up with a different design. The National Geographic News stated in April 2000 that 15% of Americans were tattooed or about 40 million people. The art of tattooing is so popular that the government of America had to set up a tattoo association called the National Tattoo Association to regulate the activities carried out by tattoo enthusiasts and to limit tattooing time and sales of tattoo equipments. There are two main reasons for the increased popularity of tattoos. Firstly, the process of tattooing is less painful and less time consuming today. The most common method of tattooing in modern times is the electric tattoo machine, which inserts ink into the skin via a group of ne edles that are soldered onto a bar, which is attached to an oscillating unit. This method is much more comfortable as compared to the agonizing traditional method which was to use a tool made of carved bone or wood, and tipped with a cluster of tiny needles, the artist punches into the skin with a succession of painful jabs. Figure 3 is a picture of ancient tattoo tools found in Egypt. Figure 3 Secondly, the media, although also portrayed people with tattoos in the bad light as we will discuss in the later part of our paper, it has also played a major role in transforming tattoos into something so popular. Advertisements for common commodities ranging from cellular phones to alcoholic beverages have in the past ten years deliberately included tattooed skin. The advertisement for Chuck Taylor sneaker has created an ad in which a man with facial tattoos is photographed with a pair of shoes adorning his neck. Therefore, with these factors, it is inevitable for tattoo to become so popular around the world. Tattoos are not worn upon the body but rather inscribed into the body. It is often regarded as a commodity which resists consumer throw-away. Tattooing is a product that involves the consumer to become the witness, participant, and life-long bearer of a unique production process; a process in which the producer and consumer unite in complicated exchange that is simultaneously ritualistic and individualistic. However, before getting tattooed, one will see tattooing as a process which they pass through various barriers. Like Lawrence, we think that tattooing requires one to pass through the barrier of entering the studio, decide the design of tattoos, the location of the tattoos and the pain of tattooing. The process of tattooing involves a needle vibrating in and out at an incredible speed dipped in ink creating an indelible mark on the skin that will withstand all the elements and remain there for a lifetime. As tattoos are permanent, there will often be a second thought whether they should get tattoos. For one to get tattooed, he or she must be determined to get tattooed in order to pass through these barriers. Stereotypes of people with tattoos as ex-convicts and delinquents were due to impression from the past. In the past, many countries used tattoos to mark criminals, to separate them from the majority and to deter people from committing crimes. In China, for example, authorities would tattoo the faces of prisoners who committed severe crimes before they were banished to another land. This is a severe punishment as prisoners who returned to the mainland after their sentence would still be identified as ex-convicts by people and it would be natural for people to shun them. Thus, it is not surprising that the impression of tattoos related to criminals last until today. People in the past also used tattoos in another way, which was to brand slaves. Slaves were tattooed by their masters to claim ownership of their slaves. In ancient Persian, tattoos were used on slaves to indicate both ownership and status. If a slave were to escape from their owner, they can easily be identified by others that they were slaves and who were their masters. Slave tattoos gave the people a status of slave in the past, slaves would be beaten up and abused by just any other people on the road. . In the Greek and roman civilizations, around 2200BC, tattooing was also used in a manner similar to that used with slaves-in other words, a man would tattoo a woman to ensure that she was recognized as his property and as a reminder to her to keep her sexual desires under control. Thus, people today may associate people with tattoos with useless people. People today look at people with tattoos as abnormal people; they would think that people with tattoos are not like any ordinary person, something must be different about them. One of the reason could be due to how dime museums and circuses in the past exhibited tattoos. In the nineteenth centuries, Freak shows better known today as circuses emerged. In these performances, tattooed people were considered made freaks, which means that they were not b orn with tattoos but looked like monsters. In dime museums, tattoos were exhibited alongside people with disabilities and natural wonders like wild animals and native people. Thus, this made tattoos seem bizarre at that era. Tattooed people as gang members? Secondly, tattooed people are often stereotyped to be gang members. This is true to a certain extent because tattoos have become a popular method adopted by gang members to mark their group identity and their alienation from the mainstream norm and social networks. Gang members in particular take pride in branding themselves as outside of the boundaries of conventional society. Tattoos have long been a means of identifying oneself with a group or culture and triad gangs were one of the first groups to use tattoos as a means of denoting identity and affinity. Tattoos are a way of both asserting membership in the gang and flaunting their lack of membership in straight society. For this reason, street gang members will often get tattoos on their hands and faces so as to permanently bar them from being a part of normal society. Tattoos can tell other details about the bearer, including rank in the gang and number of hits or other services performed on the gangs behalf, for example, the y akuza boss has full body suit tattoos. Tattoos were also used to express gang members often fatalist philosophy of life. One popular tattoo among Hispanic gangsters is a depiction of the smiling and crying comedy and tragedy masks, meaning, play now and pay later, or my happy life, my sad life. Clock faces are also found within the intricate artwork that can make up a gangsters tattoos. If the clock has no hands, it symbolizes doing time in prison. In addition, tattoos served as a way for them to disrespect the authority, a desire for revenge, obscene words and obscene images. Take for example, the Yakuza have full-body suit tattoos on them as a symbol of being part of the gang. Tattoos are painful and permanent, this permanence marks their undying loyalty to their gang leader and that they will never leave the gang while the pain derived from tattooing was a symbol of their masculinity and that they were fearless individuals. Tattoos were not just popular in the western triads, Asi an gang triads, like those in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan too have tattoos on them. Some Hong Kong triad members have dragons and phoenixes on their arms as a symbol of part of the gang. This may be because in Chinese traditions, phoenixes and dragons are auspicious and powerful animals. These symbols will bless them and allow them to be a successful triad. From our research, we see that that gang triads worldwide seems to have a liking for tattoos and the practice of tattooing, thus we can conclude that tattoos as a representation of gang triads is actually a worldwide phenomenon. Thus, it is no surprise that when people encounter a tattooed person, they will associate him or her with gang triads. Figure 4: A common tattoo among Hispanic gang members, usually tattooed on the hand between the thumb and index finger. Figure 5: This symbol that stands for mi vida loca, my crazy life. Southeast Asian gangsters have adopted the same tattoo of the three dots, defining its meaning as To O Can Gica, or I care for nothing. In this paper, we will examine the role mass media plays in creating and shaping the stereotypes of people having tattoos. Mass media which includes the newspaper, movies and television has always been a great power of influence of people, affecting our viewpoints, decisions, perceptions, beliefs and even our habits in life. This is because, advancement in technology has made access to mass media content easier to everyone, so much so that it has become a tool for people to obtain knowledge of the world. In addition, as the society we lived in is commercial- and media-driven, television shows, advertisements, movies, cartoons and even music will affect the way we perceive the world around us. It is important to note that our knowledge of the world or what is happening around is frequently derived from the mass media. Many times, it is difficult for us to experience or see it evidently to know of it. Hence, we assumed what portrayed in the mass media to be truth and evidence of what i s happening. Studies have shown that mass media tend to present a limited and recurring range of images and ideas which differs from realities hence the mass media is not a reliable source of information for the people. However, the mass media is not entirely unreliable as its credibility will depends almost entirely on the integrity of its author. This is often subjective among authors of TV series, newspaper and movies. Thus, we think that careful thinking should be taken when we are viewing the mass media and the usage of its content. We should not assume that all is true or wrong in the mass media but make our decisions and opinions on what is shown in it. Television dramas and movies like LOST, CSI and Prison Break(See Fig.8) have portray tattoos in the bad light, using tattoos as way to identify criminals, villains and gang members. Take for example, local sitcom Police and Thief, Mark Lee who acted as the gang member had a tattoo on his arm. The constant portrayal of stereoty ping of people with tattoos will cause people to internalize the image that tattoos are related to villains and criminals. The effects of internalization can be drawn to case study of mass media and thin ideals. Research shows that continual exposure to the image that thin is beautiful has result in people thinking that thin is beautiful. The way the mass media causes people to internalize the images of thin ideals is similar to the way it causes people to internalize the image that tattooed people are villains, criminals and gang members. Hence, it results people to view those with tattoos as people who are criminals, villains and immoral. Research has shown a consistent relationship between the amount of television viewed and beliefs about the social world. As our world modernizes, tattooing on criminals was abolished and became a trend for many others. The idea of tattoos being associated with crime and gang members also changed. This is partly due to the mass media and the change in gangs practice. Mass media created the stereotype that tattoos are associated to criminals and gangsters but on the other hand, it also showed celebrities wearing tattoos. With the proliferation of the entertainment media worldwide, it increased peoples exposure to celebrities which resulted in an elevation of the power of influence of celebrities. Hence, celebrities play a role in influencing how we see tattoos. Actors, models, musicians, and idolized athletes proudly herald the mainstreaming of a previously marginalized and historically underground practice. This causes tattooing to be gentrified and repackaged as desirable and fashionable. For example, David Beckham has a no. 9 tattooed on him to represent himself; the number he wore for Manchester Unit ed.Next, there is a decrease in the practice of tattooing in gang members, the reasons why they do not want tattoos will be discussed further in our project. To unveil the realities of tattoos, we will look into why gang members no longer want tattoos, and also show that tattoos actually have many other different definitions other than the usual image people have. As mentioned earlier in our paper, tattooed people are stereotyped to be criminals and gang members. Tattoos were a way to represent gang identity, it also became a way for the police to spot gang members and catch them. This causes tattoos to become a disadvantage for gang members and gangs. This is because their illegal activities could be easily discovered if police see a group of tattooed people around. Hence, some gang members and gangs actually discourage tattooing in order to allow their illegal activities to go unspotted. Take for example, in Japan, modern Yakuza bosses discourages tattooing in order to avoid the attention of the police. Another example is seen in the Yamagumi boss Takenaka Masahisa who has no tattoos. In addition, ex-gang members also try to avoid being identified as gang members for fear of being attacked by other gang members. For example, see in Figure 10, a man by the name Hugo removed his tattoos as he was attacked on the streets. From here, we can infe r that tattoos are no longer the proud symbol gang members wore to show their identity or ex-gang members wore to show that they were part of them before. With the dangers attached with tattoos wore on them, there is a decrease in this practice in some gangs. Thus it is a stereotype that tattoos actually represent gang triads as gang members can look like the normal average person without tattoos on them. Tattoos may be a symbol to represent the individualistic character of one through self-expression and creating an identity. Tattoos allow the wearer to be differentiated from the mainstream and contribute to the image of them as being unique. In Ervin Goffmans exposition, he suggested that the physical cues offered to others through scripted body performance are pivoted in shaping interpretations of the self. This statement was further supported by Mark B. Stephens , he said that tattoos are an important way to self-express and create an identity for many, especially the younger generation. Among the general adolescent populations, between 10% and 30% of adolescents or young adults currently have tattoos. Adolescents and their parents are often at odds over the acquisition of bodily decorations. For the adolescent, piercings or tattoos may be seen as personal and beautifying statements, while parents may construe them as oppositional and enraging affronts to their authority In using such decorations, and by marking out their bodily territories, adolescents can support their efforts at autonomy, privacy, and insulation. Seeking individuation, tattooed adolescents can become unambiguously demarcated from others and singled out as unique. Therefore, by having tattoos, it is a way for teenager to convey a message to their parents that they should be in control of their own body and life. In addition, tattoos were frequently used to create group identities, other than gangsters, in the modern world. Tattoos were used as an identity for modern women in Thailand as females were not allowed to have tattoos in the ancient times because the tattoo artists were men and thus, they were not allowed to be touched by other men. Therefore, women with tattoos in Thailand today would signify a new era and the change of conservative women image to a more liberal identity. Tattoos can also be as a symbol of following the crowd and worshipping of their idols. With celebrities wearing tattoos, it causes people who enamored with the particular celebrity to follow in their path. This has resulted in a different understanding of tattoos. Those who were followers of the celebrities would definitely see tattoos from a different viewpoint. They will not see tattoos as gang members but cool and fashionable. To the fanatics, their celebrities have the ideal look, thus they will try to look and act like film and television stars by adopting their clothing styles and mannerisms. Hence, we see that if celebrities have tattoos it could most likely cause their fans to have the tattoos too. Take for example, Angelina Jolie have lots of tattoos. Her fans tend to follow the trend and start to have tattoos on their bodies. Following with the group in case of peer groups will often affect youths. Youth, aged 12 to 17 undergoes a period of uncertainty of their identity as this is period which they are neither children nor adults. Adults treat them as children while they want to be treated as adults, but yet, they are still immature to make some of their decisions. Thus, it causes them to seek the peers for support as they are the ones who can best identify with and understand them. Youth become subjected to peer pressure as they would want to be part of the group. When their peer group wants to have a tattoo, they too would want a tattoo in order to be part of the group as the tattoo would be a group identity. Although there maybe some dissent about where and what tattoos should be place on them, but Youth would usually go ahead with the majority. In this case, tattoos may not be a symbol of being gang members or criminals but intent to signify ones unique identity among peers by being trend followers, w hich is to have tattoos. Tattoos as art Tattoos also became a way for people to decorate themselves, in a way, to enhance their beauty. Researchers have shown that celebrities are icons of fashion trends. With celebrities wearing tattoos there is no doubt that many people look up to tattoos as a decoration on oneself, thus they treat tattoos as a form of art. This results in an erasure of early images and meanings of tattoo by recreating tattoo as a form of art. People treat their skin as canvas and would tattoo as much as they like on it. People are so convinced that tattoo is a form of art that it led to the increase in number of tattoo art galleries for the appreciation of tattoo designs. These galleries display all kinds of tattoo designs, both ancient and modern, which help to understand the meaning behind this body art that is inked into skin. Tattoos are not only become part of the art gallery, it also became more recognized internationally. Many international tattoos shows were held as a way to showcase tattoos as an art. Take for example, Singapore Tattoo show 2009, International London Tattoo Convention were held to showcase tattoos as a form of art. These events received overwhelming response, with an astounding 20000 participants for the London Tattoo Convention. We see an increase in support of tattoos exhibition and that tattoos are slowly recognized as a form of art worldwide. Tattoos and Religions In addition, tattooing is a tradition for some religions as it represents their beliefs for their religion and can act as a form of blessings to them. Take for example Euro-Asiatic Catholics living on the Malabar Coast tattooed birds on their forearms as a symbol of the Holy Ghost, while Christian Serbs tattooed their arms with a cross. Catholic girls used to gather in the cloisters of churches to get small religious tattoos that they believed had magic powers in Bosnia and Herzegovina In terms of peoples belief and religions, wearing a particular tattoo would enable them, on dying, to pass from this earth to the land of the spirits. Moreover, tattooing has become a spiritual act as its process is often viewed as ritualistic. For some devotees getting tattoos after a long and painful process, they would usually feel a connection with the spiritual world and thus, tattoos became an important part of peoples spiritual identities. It was believed that human bodies are sacred, thus tatto os were treated as signs of recognition in the world of the spirits amongst the Naga, in Assam. This is because the husbands would choose a motif to tattoo on the shoulder of their faithful wives so as to recognize them in the afterlife. Similarly, Bengal Hindus believed that a person dying without tattoos wouldnt be recognized by his relatives in the world of the spirits. The pictures below are religious tattoo designs wore by devotees. Figure 11: Celtic tattoo Figure 12:Holy spirit tattoo How stereotypes affect their life? Stereotype will affect the life of tattooed people in terms of employability, finding a life partner and cause inconvenience to their daily life. According to a survey, 85% of survey respondents agreed that tattoos impede ones chances of getting a job. Regardless of who the real person may be, stereotypes associated with tattoos can and do affect others. In general, individuals with tattoos are often viewed as rougher or less educated.' Despite such prejudice, only 16% of employers have an official company policy on tattoos and piercings. Vault found that over half of employees with tattoos have to cover them up when they were at work. Forty-two percent of those surveyed admitted to having tattoos. Of that group, 40% had one or more tattoo. Therefore, this survey clearly showed that people with tattoos are prejudiced against and this caused inconvenience to them at work. Secondly, the stereotypes of tattoos caused tattooed people to have difficulties looking for a life-partner. Studies have shown that different attitudes towards people with tattoos. This is supported by a research done in United Kingdom, the results showed that tattooed women were rated as less physically attractive, more sexually promiscuous and heavier drinkers than non-tattooed women by men, with more negative ratings with increasing number of tattoos. This showed that men tend to find women with tattoos less attractive and hence, this made tattooed women less possible to find a partner. Lastly, people with tattoos experience some inconvenience in life. This is because of its association with gang members and criminals. Take for example, in Japan, public places like gyms, public baths and hot spring resorts forbid entry of tattooed people. This is because tattoos are greatly associated with the yakuza, the Japanese mob. Owners of these places are afraid that these tattooed people would cause trouble for other customers which will then affect their business and reputation.