Person of Influence free essay sample

I’m four. And I’ve spent the first three summers of my life on the boat. Watching my dad ski like a professional, I yearn to ski. The slalom effortlessly cuts through the glass-like water—my dad makes it look easy. Then, he climbs into the boat: â€Å"Tor, what did you think?† I flash a grin and give him two thumbs up. â€Å"Now it’s your turn.† Within an hour, I’m skiing. My family cheers, but I focus in on my dad. His voice shouts, â€Å"Way to go, champ!† I’m eight-years-old. I’m waiting behind the blocks before my first, 200 individual medley. I’m scared. This is the longest race I’ve swam. I’m going to disqualify. My dad and I look at each other—he knows my nerves. He comes to calm me down: â€Å"You’re going to be fine, bud.† Tears start to well. â€Å"I know you can do this, and you do too. We will write a custom essay sample on Person of Influence or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Go out there and show ‘em what you got.† The race starts and, before I know it, it’s over. My dad waits, arms wide for a victory-hug. I’m thirteen- years-old. â€Å"We have to go where the work is, Tori,† my dad says, trying to console me. He’s leaving for Cleveland for the first time. But more trips will follow. Five days a week for the next year, the person who I go to for everything will be 500 miles away. It will be a year of Sunday night hugs goodbye before his 4 a.m. flight. It will be a year of dad traveling. But my dad made that choice for me, knowing I don’t want move away from the place I call home. I’m seventeen-years-old. A familiar time has returned. This time, the work is in New Jersey. But I’m more mature and realize what he does is best for our family. The nights I spend at the pool or stuck in a pile homework make his absence less noticeable—but it doesn’t make them less painful. It†™s a Wednesday night and the first swim meet of my senior season. Dad is in New Jersey and mom is in the stands. My mom comes over to say good luck, and a familiar face stands behind her. I can’t hide my excitement—I give him a hug, not caring I’m in a wet swimming suit. I swim my first race at a season’s best time. â€Å"That was great, bud! You smoked them. You made it look easy,† he says smiling and giving me two thumbs up as I walk back to the team area. My dad makes being away, working hard and sacrifice look easy. But I know it’s not. Some weeks, it’s five days and four cities, and then he’s right back at it the next week. But no matter where he is, he’s still able to find time for my mom, my sister and me—and this is only a small reason why he’s the most amazing dad and best friend.

How Diversity Makes Us Smarter Professor Ramos Blog

How Diversity Makes Us Smarter Kourtnie Terry Melody Palma Karen Arenas English 010 5:00 p.m. How Diversity Makes Us Smarter For many years, research by Scientists, Psychologists, Sociologists and Economists has shown that socially diverse groups (race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation) are more creative and advanced than average unvaried groups. Science has also shown that typically, diverse groups are far more proficient than homogenous groups, by adding in their own opinions on things like from solving problems or the production of artistic work they obtain a more efficient comprehension of subjects. This is because people with different backgrounds can offer distinct and unique perspectives to other people which can also help them gain knowledge from individuals with various backgrounds. There are many advantages and benefits with social interaction from different or disparate individuals. There are a lot of advantages that come with meeting certain individuals, although research has shown that social diversity in groups can also cause discomfort, a lack of trust, conflicts, lower communication s, and other issues, it can also allow an enhancement in creativity and bring out knowledge within one another. When divergent individuals come together to brainstorm or solve problems, they bring out different information and offer different perspectives on particular topics because the social distinction within people can help you gain awareness and assimilation of one’s culture, their perspective and past experiences. Diversity provokes thoughts and emotions in people allowing them to perform more efficiently. Research has shown that diversity appears to lead to higher-quality scientific research. Scientists have also found that papers that have been written by more diverse groups have shown more citations and have a higher impact on people. Homogeneous groups are sometimes convinced that since they share the same beliefs and understand one another’s perspectives, they will accomplish more and be able to perform or problem solve in a more efficient or productive way . In most cases, people tend to work harder both socially and intellectual when emerged in diverse environments. By considering other alternatives, you are promoting hard work and creativity. Research shows that homogenous groups are less likely to be successful in certain activities, on the other hand diverse groups tend to accomplish more at a sufficient rate. When a group of diverse individuals come together it has been shown that they have a greater understanding on a wide variety of topics because they are getting different opinions and perspectives. When more people with different backgrounds and experiences gather, their work has a higher impact on their ethic skills. By having individuals from different backgrounds come together it can encourage others to achieve a greater goal and be more successful. By forming a diverse group you can learn more about others and their upbringing and that can help open your mind to other opportunities. I feel diverse groups can help you learn more and expand your knowledge of things. Do you think that diverse groups help you become successful and have a better understanding of things? Reference: Katherine W. Phillips, October 1, 2014, Scientific America, Policy Ethics, â€Å"Being around people who are different from us makes us more creative, more diligent and harder-working† https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-diversity-makes-us-smarter/

Please answer the four questions about marketing Research Paper

Please answer the four questions about marketing - Research Paper Example Thirdly, each of the exchanging parties has to exude confidence in the value of the items exchanged. For instance, when purchasing a vehicle, the customer has to have confidence that the vehicle would perform beyond their expectations and offer the required utility. Lastly, r both parties have to meet the high expectations as a way to build trust in the transaction, in addition to making the marketing activity successful. A recent marketing exchange that I participated recently was purchasing a mobile phone recently. In the transaction, I had to visit a local distributor dealing in some of the leading phone brands, which actualized the first requirement of a marketing exchange; two parties have to be involved in the exchange. Secondly, I was attracted to the mobile phone due to its enhanced functionality, which promised to be of much value. In this case, I was confident that the phone could satisfy my needs while the distributor would be satisfied by having a piece of his stocks sold at a profit. Thirdly, I was very confident that after reviewing the phone and listening to earlier users, the phone could deliver more value to exceed my satisfaction as I had been disappointed by some earlier models. Lastly, I had to bargain to get the best possible price for the best product, while we finally settled on the last price with each of us meeting and exceeding the expectations. As a result, we established a strong buyer-seller relationship that would be considered for another transaction in the future. Q.2 In strategic planning, an organization sets its mission, goals and a corporate strategy that guides in all its operations until establishment of a sound marketing plan to seal transactions. As such, Pride & Ferrell (2012) detailed the important components to be considered in strategic planning. The first step involves identification of the organization’s strengths,

'How has the study of literature changed over the last 100 years' Essay

'How has the study of literature changed over the last 100 years' - Essay Example Literature had and always will define the life style of people in any nation at all. It used to be written by people who felt for the society, who wanted to improve the society or define the society’s good points and bad points. They were also the ones understood the need of the society. The people of the societies, usually American, and English in general were the ones who used to like parties, and social dinners. They usually were people who lived in the countryside, were ruled by the kings and queens, fought wars on the horses, were pirates, sailed in ships for long journeys lasting for days, liked romance, long walks on the grass in the evening, horse-riding, playing the piano, writing and reading poetry, and dancing. They were also the people who ballet danced. Quite a handful was able to go to educational institutions – colleges and universities. War was prevalent in most of the countries and continents over the capture of land power and wealth. These wars were fo ught on horse- backs, with swords and spears, and took days and days on end to end. The people who went to war had little or no hope of returning. And the people who stayed back awaited their return without hope. There was no contact or correspondence during that time-frame. People had to wait days for a letter to arrive. And to feel connected many wrote and read literature which described to them, battles and sea, and different places, just so they would feel connected and belonging. All these events gave rise to the fashion of writing and reading literature and poetry, ads the society was taken over by pain, loss, hurt, wait, anticipation , romance, tranquility, so almost of the accounts were written down so people would entertain themselves in time of loneliness and pain. These account of literature and poetry defined it all to them. The lonely housewives and the growing up teenage girls used to read romance novels and it used to help them fantasize about a prince charming that w ould come one day and lift them off their feet and sweep them away with him. The sailors used to study literature on their time away from home so that they didn’t feel the absence of home and their wives. All this was provided to them via literature. With the passage of time the people who went to the universities and colleges discovered new ways of communication. The telephone was discovered and was becoming common-place. People now did not have to wait for days o talk to loved ones. Literature was now only left to describe places and romance and battles. Soon the telephone turned into hand held cell-phones, and alongside, the computer technology came into being. People relied less and less on literature to tell them about battles. The computer became abundant and the people found it easy to what videos from all around the world, instead of reading them from a book. Social parties were growing lesser as the class of rich people started to fall in number and blended into the middle class. People did not go for long wars, too far off places. Wars were also not fought on horse backs and certainly not with any swords and knives, but instead with nuclear numbs. These were, very literally, machines of death. So much so that people did not like to write or read about it. Literature was now only limited to romance. By the turn of the century, electronic media became the soul of the people. Whatever was required was found either on a computer, or on a high-speed internet cable, or in a smart-phone. People who liked to

Dog Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Dog - Essay Example Another fundamental difference that would be exhibited from the perspective of the dog would be the way in which emotions, speech, and communication is understood. Naturally, due to the limited vocabulary that most dogs understand, the level to which they can make sense out of the hundreds, even thousands of sounds that humans make is also limited. Such a drawback actually compounds the level of confusion that they animals face within the current world. However, one cannot simply focus upon the drawbacks that living within a dog’s body would portend; there are also a great many strengths and abilities that one would gain by having all of the abilities that canines have. For instance, the first of these would be the speed and agility which many breads exhibit as a function of the way they run, jump, and play. Naturally, having four legs would greatly improve the speed, agility, and stability that one would experience as a simple human. Similarly, when one considers the extraordinarily strong sense of hearing and smell that dogs exhibit, one can only begin to imagine the level of advantage that this would give with reference to being able to experience what a highly attuned and accentuated senses would feel like. Sadly, all of the senses that one would experience within the body of a dog would not be accentuated as the fact of the matter is that many scientists have proven that the visual capabilities of dogs are severely limited as compared to that which humans can ultimately boast. Of course thus far this analysis has simply focused upon the key areas of difference and divergence that humans and dogs would have. However, the more important factor is if one were trapped in the body of a dog they would necessarily be highly interested in the way in which humans viewed them as living and worthy of life. Whereas

The Key Procurement Issues For The Client Construction Essay

The Key Procurement Issues For The Client Construction Essay The purpose of this report is to analyse the key procurement issues for the Client Cinnamon Grand and to further evaluate the Clients objectives. Analysis of Clients objectives will be evaluated to provide a better understanding on the project issues and main concerns, which includes an analysis of the various procurement routes such as the Traditional Route, the Design Build Route and the Management Route to weigh the most suitable route to suit the Clients objectives. The report will allow the Client to make a better choice in selecting the best procurement route based on the recommendations discussed. This includes the advantages, disadvantages and risks involved for the 3 main procurement routes based on Clients objectives. It will identify issues on the project requirements on quality, time and costs ensuring the Clients objectives are met. INTRODUCTION The Client owns a large chain of hotels called Cinnamon Grand. The hotels provide guests with comfortable accommodation throughout the UK. Their main business includes adopting neglected historical landmarks and refurbishes the building to their former magnificent look. Although the Client is experienced at renovation of historical buildings, the Client does not have much experience in re-constructing damaged buildings or alteration works to the structures of the building. The project objective is to re-construct 3 Hotels, damaged by a period of bad weather and severe storms to an existing hotel quality or better. These Hotels are located in prime locations in town settings which means time is of the essence. For phase 1, time is the main priority due to the prime locations of the hotels. The opportunity cost will be incurred if there are any delays in phase 1. For phase 2, issues raised are the quality of the facilities and to ensure there is none or minimal disruption to the business. As the Consultant to the Client, we will discuss the 3 main procurement routes which are the Traditional Route, the Design Build Route and the Management Route and analyse the best route based on the Clients objective. CLIENTS OBJECTIVES Client is concern about the duration of the project and its quality. Internal facilities must be upgraded and reconstruction of building must preserve the historical outlook of the existing building. Although the Client has experience in renovation works, the current project development includes the demolition of structures and re-construction of hotels both external and internally. Projects done by Client previously is different in nature, one being renovation works, minor construction works and current is a complex re-construction and refurbishment of the damaged hotels. The project consists of 2 (two) phases:- Phase 1 is to re-construct the hotels outlook and structures and completing key areas for operation which are the Roofs, Guest Rooms, Restaurant and Swimming Pools. Expected date of possession of site by contractor is 1st Mar 2014 and expected construction completion date is 28th February 2015, a 1 year construction. Planned re-opening on 1st April 2015. Phase 2 is to enhance the hotels with new facilities such as Dance Studios, Health Fitness Centre, Conference and Meeting Rooms without any disruption to hotel operations. The Client is very concern about the duration of the project due to the location, a prime town setting which means, if the hotels completes early, the losses incur from no business days or opportunity cost will be lesser. The second concern is the quality of the building. Outlook must be the same as before being damaged, structurally must be improved to increase building total life cycle. While time and quality is of the main concern, the cost of the project must not exceed the budget of $120 million pounds for total of 3 hotels. The cost certainty must be known earliest possible. PROCUREMENT ISSUES The procurement issues are listed below:- No in-house executive by the client, means the Client have to engage consultants to oversee the project. Highly concerned about possible project delays and overrun of costs. Financial loan of $120 million pounds acquired for project. This means there is a tight budget, so cost certainty is required before the construction begins. Works in phase 2 must be done quickly to minimise the discomfort to guests. Quality of building should be high and sensitive to ensure the dignity of the building and services provided are not compromise. Every procurement route have its main priorities, no procurement can accommodate to the three main factors which are Time, Cost and Quality. PROCUREMENT ROUTES Traditional route: in this route the Client appoints a team of consultants to design and prepare tender documents. The process is in sequence as shown in Fig 1. The selection of a main contractor is done later through tendering. Fig 1 Advantages are the competitive tendering, low preparation cost for tendering, procedures are known widely and variations are easily arranged. Disadvantages are mainly the long timeline, no concurrent work at site, incomplete design results in less certainty, poor build-ability due to contractor not involved during design stage, risk by Client for the design. Risks on cost are low due to lump sum contract and there is a fixed contract date with exception that contractor claims extensions. Since the design is designed by the consultants, there is low design and quality risk. Although the Traditional route is sequential, there are 2 other variations. They are the traditional accelerated and traditional with re-measurement. For the Traditional accelerated, the contractor is appointed earlier based on partial design and brief through negotiation or competitive tendering. Traditional routes focus on the cost and the quality of the project. In this case, for the current project, time is of the essence. Traditional route is not suitable for the project. Design and Build route: in this route a main contractor is appointed to design and construct the project. This route integrates design and construction which means, the construction works are concurrent even before final design is completed as shown in Fig 2. This quickens the timeline of the project. Fig 2 Advantages of this route are the client liaises with a single point of communication and responsibility. The price certainty is known before the construction starts. The total project duration is shorter than in the traditional route as works are done concurrently with design. Disadvantages are there is no design overview because it is designed by the contractor. The design brief by client must be adequate and the bid through tender is difficult to compare. Changes made by client can be expensive. Risk on cost and time are low as it will be on a lump sum basis and works are done to a fix time. There is a high risk in design and quality as the contractor controls the design and some contractors do not have the capacity to carry out the proper design. Although the design is mostly done by contractor, variants such as Develop construct can be considered to improve design. In develop construct route the employer appoints a consultant at the initial stage to develop a detailed design to have more control on the design. Assuming the Client have the detailed design drawing for the existing building, this option is the most suitable for the project. Management route: this route consists of 2 variant, The Management Contracting and The Construction Management route. In this route, the Client appoints the Management Contractor at an early stage where they help to design and contribute management expertise. The appointments of sub-contractors/specialist contractor are decided by both the Client and Management Contractor before work commencement in packages, as shown in Fig 3. Fig 3 Advantages are the work packages of specialist contractors are competitive, due to the concurrent works, timeline will be quickened. Late changes can easily be accommodated and the relationship between the Client and the Management Contractor is much closer than in traditional. Disadvantages are the cost prediction, the need for a good project team and a quality brief. The design must be managed properly to ensure work packages is kept on programme. Risks are low for design and quality due to close link between client and contractor but medium risk for cost and time as the amount is known after the last package is let. This route is longer compared to design and build and require a good history between client and contractor. RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the Clients objectives, the Design Build variant (Develop Construct) is the most suitable for the project. This procurement route does not need an in-house executive as a consultant will be in-charge of developing the design of the project. Assuming Client has the design of the existing 3 hotels, the design for the structure is acquired and project can commence as early as a contractor is appointed, shorter timeline. The cost of the project will be known before the work commences and the quality of building will not be compromise due to existing design by Client and additional inputs by the design team for the phase 2 of the project. The quality of phase 2 will be based on design worked by the Client specifications and the design team, ensuring good quality facilities.

Analysis of Alexander Popes An Essay on Man -- Pope An Essay on Man

Analysis of Alexander Pope's An Essay on Man    There are three main issues that Pope talks about in his long poem "An Essay on Man." First, the poet evokes a timeless vision of humanity in which the universe is connected to a great chain that extends from God to the tiniest form of life. Secondly, Pope discusses God's plan in which evil must exist for the sake of the greater good, a paradox not fully understandable by human reason. Thirdly, the poem accuses human beings of being proud and impious. Pope feels that man claims more insight into the nature of existence then he possesses. In "An Essay on Man" Pope is trying to make clear the relationship of humanity to the universe, himself, society and also to happiness. He states "For me health gushes from a thousand springs; seas roll to waft me suns to light- me rise; My footstool earth my canopy the skies" (330). Pope implies that the universe is created for man's pleasures and needs and so therefore we are all connected to the chain of universal order. Through this connection man realizes that all are part of one stupendous whole. He then suggests that this order extends further then we know; any interference with it could destroy the whole. Pope asks in the poem,   "Is the greater chain, that draws all to agree,   upheld by God or thee?" (327). Here he explains that by conforming to the order of the universe we can all agree on and connect to one goal. Through this connection, we would then reach the purest form of humanity. The belief in this poem is that although things do not turn out well for some individuals, everything falls into place in the great chain of the universe. In the long run everything works out for the best, Pope argues. Because humanity is ignor... ...m with these words: "Whatever is, is right" (333). This implies that things are done or happen for a reason. When humanity tries to change things for individual gain rather than the improvement of the whole it weakens the chain, which in turn affects the rest of the universe. I believe we are all individuals who are connected to a higher power, whatever that power may be. The beauty of humanity is exactly that individuality. I agree with Pope in the sense that we are all connected somehow, but I do not agree with total submission in order to achieve total unity. Rather than total submission, I believe our mission is to connect with the universe by using the special gifts given to us by the power that unites us. Works Cited   Pope, Alexander. "Essay on Man." Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces 6th ed. Ed. Maynard Mack et.al. New York: Norton, 1992. 326-333