Johann Sebastian Bach Essays (1386 words) - German Lutherans

Johann Sebastian Bach James Dorney December 18, 1999 Music History 1 Mr. Kimball Johann Sebastian Bach A Great Contributor Of Music Throughout the history of music, many great composers, theorists, and instrumentalists have left indelible marks and influences that people today look back on to admire and aspire to. No exception to this idiom is Johann Sebastian Bach, whose impact on music was unforgettable to say the least. People today look back to his writings and works to both learn and admire. He truly can be considered a music history great. Bach, who came from a family of over 53 musicians, was nothing short of a virtuosic instrumentalist as well as a masterful composer. Born in Eisenach, Germany, on March 21, 1685, he was the son of a masterful violinist, Johann Ambrosius Bach, who taught his son the basic skills for string playing. Along with this string playing, Bach began to play the organ which is the instrument he would later on be noted for in history. His instruction on the organ came from the player at Eisenach's most important church. He instructed the young boy rather rigorously until his skills surpassed anyones expectations for someone of such a young age. Bach suffered early trauma when his parents died in 1695. He went to go live with his older brother, Johann Christoph, who also was a professional organist at Ohrdruf. He continued his younger brother's education on that instrument, as well as introducing him to the harpsichord. The rigorous training on these instruments combined with Bachs masterful skill paid off for him at an early age. After several years of studying with his older brother, he received a scholarship to study in Luneberg, Germany, which is located on the northern tip of the country. As a result, he left his brothers tutelage and went to go and study there. The teenage years brought Bach to several parts of Germany where he mainly worked as an organist in churches, since that was the skill he had perfected the best from his young training. However, a master of several instruments while still in his teens, Johann Sebastian first found employment at the age of 18 as a violinist in a court orchestra in Weimar. Although he did not remain there terribly long, he was able to make good money playing for the king. He soon after accepted a position as a church organist in Arnstadt. It was here that Bach would soon realize his high standards and regards that he had for music. In Arnstadt as well as in many other places that Bach worked he was notorious for getting into fights over the quality of music that was being produced. A perfect example of this can be seen in Arnstadt. Previous accounts of history claim that Bach was upset with the performance of the church choir for which he played for. He claimed that the voices could never make the musi c soar to the sky as it should (loosely translated). Here Bach realized the high level of music and perfectionism that he wanted. In 1707, at the age of 22, Bach moved on from Arnstadt to another organist job, this time at the St. Blasius Church in Muhlhausen. Once again he did not remain there too long, only a little over a year, when he moved again to Weimar where he accepted the position of head concertmaster and organist in the Ducal Chapel. It was here that Bach settled himself and began to compose the first collection of his finest early works which, included organ pieces and cantatas. By this time Bach had been married for several years. He actually became married to his cousin Maria Barbara. They, for the most part, had a happy marriage. He was happy. By this stage of his life he had composed for himself a wonderful reputation of being a brilliant musical talent. Along with that his proficiency on the organ was unequaled in Europe by this time. In fact, he toured regularly as a solo virtuoso, and his growing mastery of compositional forms, like the fugue and the canon, were already attracting interest from the musical establishment, which, in his day, was the Lutheran church. The church began to look at Bachs writings

The Trumpet - A Delight for the Primal Senses essays

The Trumpet - A Delight for the Primal Senses essays The trumpet invokes the primal sense stimuli of sound, sight, and touch through its evocative use of melody, tone, and rhythm. The trumpet, of all the brass instruments, is the one that sounds the most like a human voice. It usually provides the melody of a jazz work because of the clear, bell-like sound of its notes. Its tone is one of clarity that can cut through the noise of a crowd or audience at an orchestra. Its noise rises above the dull thump of the lower-toned base instruments like the tuba, the drone of the woodwinds, and the buzz of the string instruments. Even an untrained ear can identify the sound of a trumpet, almost as if its sound was hard-wired into the brain from birth. When there is no singer, the trumpet is the voice of the orchestra. Like children respond to their mothers voices, so we respond to the voice of the trumpet out of this primal memory, this love of speech and articulation. The trumpets quick notes of brightness, unlike the more mellow and difficult tones of different sections of the orchestra need no training to understand because they speak to the heart of the listener. Because of its communicative power, a trumpet has been used when fighting wars and training troops. Once upon a time, no fighting unit was complete without a trumpet. A trumpet can speak to sleeping solders when it acts as a bugle to rally people awake, or to send the soldiers asleep during taps. Even many childrens camps have buglers to rally the young campers awake and to send them to sleep at night. A trumpet can also sound a call of triumph, one reason that angels are often depicted playing trumpets. Trumpets caused the walls of Jericho to come tumbling down with their clear tenor voices, enabling justice to triumph, and announced the birth of prophets. In many Christmas carols, the sound of the trumpet is one of the featured instruments, like Hark the Herald Angels Sing. ...

Innovative Approaches in Mandarin Language Essay

Innovative Approaches in Mandarin Language - Essay Example In oral examinations, teachers ask verbal questions to the students which they need to answer orally. Ellis-Christensen (n.d.) states, â€Å"The oral exam is a long held tradition in many schools and disciplines, which poses questions to students in spoken form†. The advantages of oral examinations for teachers include assessment of students’ level of confidence, quick assessment of students’ learning, and assessment of verbal communication skills.2.3 Task-Based ApproachTeachers can also use task-based approach (TBLT) as a creative way to teach Mandarin to students. In this approach, various tasks are given to the students in order to use the target language being taught to them. â€Å"Assessment and evaluation is not just based on accuracy and correctness of language forms† (Downing & Locke 2002). The assessment of students’ learning is based on the outcomes of those tasks that are given to students for the purpose of judgment. â€Å"TBLT starts f rom the notion that the learners learn by engaging in tasks† (Branden, Gorp & Verhelst 2007). This approach takes into account the requirement for an authentic communication. Based on the results of the outcomes, the teachers become able to analyze and improve their teaching approach if needed. Giving project assignments is another way to judge the language learning skills of students as students need to complete those projects in the new language. Teachers can give assignments to students that they need to solve without getting any sort of assistance from the teachers.

Buiness Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Buiness Marketing Plan - Essay Example Game fit will work on a plan to extend its supplier base and a backward integration after gaining a strong foothold in the market. Fewer supplier choices and heavy dependence on suppliers will drive the cost of the product. The product does not have a self-manufacturing plant, which is a serious threat, and this raises the hand of the supplier (Porter 2004) 3.2.1.2 The Bargaining Power of Buyers: The product has a large segment that includes Video gamers, people in search if fitness and health (obese children and adults) and regular gym goers. This huge target segment will prove to favor the product. The large buyer base will put the company on the upper hand. The initial monopoly and buyer base will prove profitable enabling a speedy break even. The bargaining power of buyers is determined by the cost of switching from one product to another in this case the additional cost a consumer will have to bear to buy this interface and the value he will see for this cost. (Porter 2004) 3.2.1.3 The Threat of Substitutes: A factor which needs attention Game fit is only an interface for two existing products. It will not take long for fitness machine manufacturers to substitute this by providing wholesome solution i.e. a fitness bike that is compatible with any video game that could do away with the interface.

The Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of Sentiments Essay

The Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of Sentiments - Essay Example This paper illustrates that as is revealed by most publications and literature, the declaration was mostly drafted towards the expense of the more appropriate duties for women. This is because it came at a time when the temperance and property rights of women were the major reasons. In this relation, the government is expected to ensure the safety and happiness of all the people that it governs. Because of this, major changes are expected in relation to the running of the government from both in case such rights are not being upheld and provided by the government. Nonetheless, both Declarations agree that since human beings are destined to suffer evil, they are not expected to change government owing to light and transient issues. They thus both abhor extreme form of abuse and usurpations that extend for a long period. It is in this respect that they both advocate the demolishment of such governments and creation of new ones that guard their future security in a new way. However, the y differed in relation to the mention with regard to gender. While the Declaration of Independence only mentions all human beings under the general term of man, the Declaration of sentiments clearly brings out the difference between the two genders by specifically mentioning each of them where required. In addition, the latter also focuses on the suffering and treatment of mankind in general as opposed to the contribution of the government towards the suffering. This is shown in â€Å"The history of the present king of Great Britain† and the History of mankind† to illustrate and elaborate the forms of injuries and usurpations. With this, while the former highlights that the suffering of mankind has been as a result of the tyranny of Great Britain over the States through the direct establishment of certain objects, the latter reveals that the injustices have been as a result of the tyranny, which man possesses over the woman.  The emphatic aim of the declaration on sen timents to secure equal rights for all through the ending of women suffrage, therefore, became the main focus. According to the founding fathers, if the governing body was bringing about suffering to a particular group and denying them some of their rights, they were expected to do away with it and put a new one into place. With this, they would ensure that it laid its foundations on their right to happiness and safety. In contrast, Stanton finds this challenging and suggests that those who suffer under a particular government should refuse to pay allegiance to them. However, without abolishing it they should insist upon the formation of a new government that lays its foundations and principles on their â€Å"safety and happiness†.

Substitution and Income Effect

Substitution and Income Effect Tendekai Mudariki The price of any given product will always change the customer’s choice of purchasing this can be in terms of quantity, quality or choosing the opportunity cost. In my essay I will be looking at how an increase in prices affect the substitution effect and the income effect and how customers react if the good has many close substitutions when there is an increase in price. Under the Substitution effect it suggest that the rise of the price in a good or decrease in income will leave the customers having to choose the alternative goods for example when the price of Coca-Cola drink raises this will lead to the rise of demand in Pepsi because Pepsi is the next best thing to a Coca-Cola. The substitution effect can also be used in reference in how workers can have a pick between leisure and wages, the more money on wages the less leisure time since wages will be more profitable than leisure. This effect tends to limit the customers buying demand behaviour that is limiting the choice of the consumer since they will not be able to purchase their choice of good.as shown below (in figure 1.1) The impact that a change in the price of a good has on the quantity demanded of a certain good, this will always lead to change in relative prices the rise of the price will make the quantity demanded to be less forcing some of the customers away to the next best thing tha t they can have. The income effect is the response of the quantity that is demanded to a change of real income or the price that is the rise of price in goods, (refer to figure 1.1) in the graph below shows the demand curve as it links up the relationship between the price of a certain item and the quantity that is demanded that is over a certain time. When the price falls there are two reasons why there will be more demand and this includes the substitution effect and income effect .the impact that a change in the price of a good has that effect on the quantity demanded of the good which then leads to the change of price of the good (substitution).the impact of a change in the quantity demanded of the good due to the change of their real income not being able to meet the quantity of goods that will satisfy them but still buy the good anyway but only have to make it lesser. The demand curve enlightens up the relationship between the price of the goods and the quantity demanded that is after a period of time. Considering both sides the substitution effect as shown on the diagram above from both sides of a price change that is going up and down. If we consider the both sides the higher the price an increase in price causes a decrease in the relative prices of substitute goods. Buyers tend to buy more of the other substitute goods and less of the good. The result is a decrease in thequantity demanded, and the lower the price then it leads to a decrease in price causing an increase in the relative prices of substitute goods. Buyers are inclined to buy less of the other substitute goods and more of this good. The result is an increase in the quantity demanded. As price falls, a person’s opportunity cost of purchasing the product falls as shown in the diagram above. A good with many close substitutes is likely to have an elastic demand .This is due to the price rise, buyers can actually choose to buy one of the close substitutes if there is a price increase of a good by shifting to one of the cheaper substitutes. However fewer substitutes’ choices will limit the options to shift. It is Important to distinguish between the income effect and the substitution effect of a price increase and the separation of the two is shown in figure 2 and it’s called the indifference theory. The price change can affect the way the buyers decisions in terms of buying staff this is called the income effect. Increases in price, while they dont affect the amount of your available budget, make you feel poorer than you were before, and by so you buy less of the product. Decrease in the price make you feel more superior and confident in terms of buying, and can the lead you of buying more of that good. When price increases, the demand for x changes because (1) good x is now more expensive relative to good y, and (2) the consumer’s purchasing power has gone down. Substitution Effect—the change in demand resulting from a change in the price ratio, leaving utility unchanged. Income Effect this is the change in demand resulting from the change in purchasing power (movement from the initial indifference curve to the final indifference curve), leaving the price ratio unchanged. The total effect = substitution effect + income effect. The substitution effect is always negative, due to diminishing MRS. The income effect is negative for normal goods(the substitution effect), and positive for inferior goods. A giffen good is an inferior good with the unique characteristic that an increase in price actually increases the quantity of the good that is demanded. This provides the unusual result of an upward sloping demand curve. This happens because of the interactions of the income and substitution effects. Depending on whether the good is inferior or normal, the income effect can be positive or negative as the price of a good increases. An inferior good means an increase in income causes a fall in demand.an inferior good has a negative PED. An example, of an inferior good is Tesco value bread. When your income rises you buy less Tesco value bread and more high quality, organic bread. Normal Good This means an increase in income causes an increase in demand. It has a positive PED. Note a normal good can be income elastic or income inelastic. The graph below shows the income effect and the substitution effect of a price increase for a normal good and inferior goods after a rise in price of a certain good. The Income Effect is the effect due to the change in real income. When the price goes up that means the consumer is not able to buy as many bundles that she could purchase before. In real terms this means that the customer now feels poorer. On the diagram 1.3 it shows the quantity of goods consumed for a normal good and it shows the figures A=14, B=4 and C=7 .from C to A it shows the substitution effect after subtrac ting 14 from 7 and from C to B after subtracting 7 from 4 it shows the income effect and the total effect is the total between the substitution and income effect as shown in the diagram (-7-3=-10). The same workings also applies to the inferior goods too. As shown in the diagrams when the price of the good goes up the quantity goes down Summing up my essay if a good is inferior, a drop in income (represented by a price increase) increases the quantity of the good that is demanded. The substitution effect is negative for any good that experiences a price increase. A giffen good faces an upward sloping demand curve because the income effect dominates the substitution effect, meaning that quantity demanded increases as price rises.

Whirlpool Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Whirlpool The world is experiencing a third wave in the economy and many changes are taking place. One of these changes is the growing corporation that decides to go global. Most U.S. companies, both large and small, are rapidly acknowledging the necessity of global marketing. The demand for foreign products in the fast-growing economies of Europe, South America, Asia, and Pacific Rim nations offer one example of the benefits of global thinking. One company that has adapted to this new economy by globalizing has been Whirlpool. In 1989, Whirlpool Corporation embarked on an ambitious global expansion with the objective of becoming the world market leader in home appliances. However, by the mid-1990s, serious problems had emerged in the company’s international operations. Whirlpool’s European profit fell by 50%, lost $70 million in Asia, appliance sales in Brazil plummeted by 25% although the company invested hundreds of millions of dollars to modernize operations. In response to these problems, Whirlpool began to question the problems and called for the global restructuring effort (Johansson, 2000). What went wrong with Whirlpool’s global strategy? Did Whirlpool have enough understanding of how to create a global strategy? Was the appliance industry more suited for regional than global? What are some key success factors in appliance industry that Whirlpool did not have? Was it possible for Whirlpool to identify the problems and reacted earlier? In this case study, I intend to answer all of these questions that are mentioned above regarding to the appliance industry and Whirlpool Global strategies. There are four separate sections in this paper- the first two questions are related to the appliance industry i... ... now reaches markets in more than 140 countries, leading the markets in both North America and Latin America. Whirlpool is now number three in Europe and the largest Western Appliance Company in Asia. References Babyak, Richard J, â€Å"Strategic Imperative,† Appliance Manufacturer, Feb. 1995. C. Quintanilla and J. Carlton, â€Å"Whirlpool Announces Global Restructuring Effort,† Wall Street Journal, 19, Sept. 1997:A3, A6 Janesurak, Joe, â€Å"South American Sales Co.: Linking the Americas, Europe,† Appliance Manufacturer, Feb. 1995 Johansson, Johny, â€Å"Globalization Headaches at Whirlpool† Global Marketing, 2000, p85 Vlasic, Bill and Zachary Schiller. â€Å"Did Whirlpool gone Too Far Too Fast?† Business Week, 24 June 1996. Weiss, David D. and C. Gross, â€Å"Industry Corner: Major Household Appliances in Western Europe,† Business Economics, Vol. 30, Issue 3, July 1995: 67.

Address Customer Needs Essay

Task 1: The first customer contact transaction discussed in the Task 1 is when the customer drops in the shop to buy a particular commodity & fetches help from the sales personnel. This is an incident which happened in one of the leading clothing store i.e. Marks & Spencer’s. The customer contact was in person. The duration of the entire transaction was 15 minutes. The customer was unable to fetch a product which suits her requirement. Her need was to buy a pair of navy blue jeans with size 28 inches (Ramsey & Sohi, 1997). She was unable to locate the counter where in the jeans were placed. The person who was doing the customer contact was responsible to handle sales within the store. The line of work or industry they cater to is the merchandise sector. Marks & Spencer’s deals in providing its customer with high end clothes ranging from fashionable tops to formal shirts, sporty t-shirts, jeggings, leggings, skirts, knee length dresses, party wear clothes & lingerie. Yes, there is evidence that, the sales person was prepared for such type of transaction. It is seen that, the sales person deals with such type of transactions every day. Therefore, he has ways to sort out the things & satisfy the needs of the customer. The evidence which was seen in this particular situation was that, he accompanied the customer till the rack where in 28 waist size jeans were kept. He was there with the customer all through her buying process. The listening skills of the sales person were up to the mark. He did his bit to sort out the things at his part. The sales personnel was both listening as well as questioning the customer in order to know the needs of the customer in a well defined manner. The sales person asked the customer the right kind of questions such as the waist size, preferable color, pattern of the pair of jeans, etc. See more: Analysis of Starbucks coffee company employees essay This shows that, the sales person was able to stimulate the thoughts of the customer & provide solutions for the same. In case of this situation, the non verbal communications which were looked upon from the sales person were appropriate to the current problem. In case of this situation some of the nonverbal communications which were used by the sales person were use of his arms, facial expressions, maintaining eye contact with the customers to show case high levels of interest, body movements & postures, etc  (Ramsey & Sohi, 1997). The sort of language which was used by the sales person was apt according to the problems faced by the customer. The customer believed it to be suitable as the sales person was able to resolve the problems in the best possible manner. The customers did not ask for any type of clarification as the language by the sales personal was quite simple to understand & comprehend. There was no different way of talking to the other customers within the store. The sales person used a simple way of knowing the needs of the customers. The sales person communicated with the customer & tried to take feedback from them which helped him to know the needs of the customer in a better manner. No, there was no conflict between the salesperson & the customer. Yes, the salesperson was able to understand the needs of the customer. The tools & techniques used to express empathy with the needs of the customer were done by maintaining fair eye contact, practice empathetic listening, etc. In the end, the need of the customer was satisfied. The customer was happy while moving out of the store. The need of the customer was to buy a 28 waist size navy blue pair of jeans. Initially she was unable to locate the rack which consisted of 28 waist sized jeans. This lead to a problem & the salesperson identified the same to satisfy the needs of the customer (Martin, 2006). The second customer contact transaction discussed in Task 1 refers to a sales call done in a call centre. The customer contact was done over the phone. The duration of the customer contact over the phone was for approximately 7-10mins. The duration of the customer transaction totally depends upon the product or service rendered to the customer. The expert providing the information over the phone would be referred to as the sales & support team who will push the levels of sales. The line of work or industry they are in is the banking industry that provides the financial services to its clients. Yes, there is evidence that the salesperson had prepared for the transaction. The way with which the sales person has been talking to the client portrays the way he has been handling such situations in the past (Ramsey & Sohi, 1997). The listening skills of the sales person were quite empathetic. The sales person cross questioned the client & tried to judge the requirements of the client. The sales personnel used the possible information to tell about the services being offered by him & its usefulness to the client in the near future. Since, it was a sales call carried over phone non verbal  communication techniques could not be observed. The language used by the sales person was a bit complex. The client asked for reconfirmations & clarifications in terms of the meaning of the words, etc. The sales person used the RATER Model to identify the needs of the customer (Martin, 2006). The needs of the customer were divided amongst various categories such as reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy & responsiveness. There was an agreement amongst the salesperson & the customer. The sales person handled the argument in a very tactful manner. The sales person understood the needs of the customer but was unable to convince the client on certain points. The sales person acted as a patient listener which portrays that he was empathetic towards the needs of the customer. The customer was not fully satisfied with the service provided by the sales person. The type of information which was provided by the sales person to the client was the fair view of all the financial services offered by the same. The information provided was appropriate which helped to identify the own needs of the client. In order to satisfy the needs of the customer either the sales personnel should have forwarded the call to the senior sales person or an in depth analysis of the financial services should have been provided to the client (Jane, 2013). Task2: Collect three different instruments or tools used to collect feedback from customers. Attach screenshots of these instruments in your answer. In a simple report, answer the following questions about each of the three instruments or tools. The three instruments or tools used to collect feedback from customers have been discussed in this section of the report. * Crowd Sound: 1. What information does the instrument or tool collect about the customer? The information which Crowd Sound collects from the customer is in form of a productive dialogue. The dialogue takes into consideration a brief conversation upon the product or service opted for. It is one of the easiest ways to communicate with the customers in order to know their suggestions regarding the product or service. The portal will constantly benefit the organization with the introduction of new ideas, improvements within the existing products, etc. 2. What information does the  instrument or tool collect about the way the organization/product/service satisfied their needs? The information collected by Crowd Sound with respect to a particular product or service is in the form of suggestions or comments produced by the users. This information would help the service provider to moderate its products or services based upon the needs of the customers. 3. In what ways does the instrument or tool allow the customer to provide feedback about the organization/product/service? Crowd Sound has been referred to as an instrument or a tool to collect feedback from its users. The tool collects information in form of vote, suggestions with the help of a customizable widget. This tool is one of the easiest ways to gather feedback regarding on a company’s website or intranet. 4. Overall, is the instrument or tool an effective method of collecting up-to-date and relevant feedback? If yes, why? If no, then what suggestions would you make for improvements? The instrument i.e. Crowd Sound is an effective method of collecting up to date and relevant feedback. This is because, the users of this site has a convenient way to send in their suggestions, feedback, etc. The suggestions are collected in a systematic manner and are moved from one bucket to another. It is the only instrument which provides features such as suggestions, moderation, feedbacks and iPhone compatibility. * Ideaffect 1. What information does the instrument or tool collect about the customer? Ideaffect will provide the customers a portal to share their views, post suggestions & provides feedback about a given product or service. 2. What information does the instrument or tool collect about the way the organization/product/service satisfied their needs? Ideaffect refers to a feedback community where in the users can log in post their suggestions regarding a particular product or service. Ideaffect integrates the website with a particular website through an embeddable feedback widget tab. 3. In what ways does the instrument or tool allow the customer to provide feedback about the organization/product/service? The ways with which Ideaffect allows the customer to provide feedback about the  organization or product or service can be seen with the help of a feedback widget tab attached along the website, page ratings, and single sign on the public API & domain aliasing. 4. Overall, is the instrument or tool an effective method of collecting up-to-date and relevant feedback? If yes, why? If no, then what suggestions would you make for improvements? The tool i.e. Ideaffect is an effective method of collecting an up to date and relevant feedback. This is because of the various features attached to it. Some of the features attached along this portal are single sign on & public API, a dedicated feedback website, feedback widget for the concerned website and page ratings. With the help of this tool, the customer will be able to customize the design, embed the widgets & moderate the SSL connections. * User Voice 1. What information does the instrument or tool collect about the customer? Ser Voice would be referred to as a feedback tool which would help to gather feedback by the users in a well defined manner. The interested parties then can use the information to get answers, share ideas & learn from its mistakes. Some of the features attached along this tool are ongoing discussions, simple sign up, integration with face book (Ioana, n.d). 2. What information does the instrument or tool collect about the way the organization/product/service satisfied their needs? The information which is being collected by this tool is to provide an actionable idea as to how to improve the product (Gregory, 2010). User Voice provides a structured forum to its users for voting a particular product or service. 3. In what ways does the instrument or tool allow the customer to provide feedback about the organization/product/service? The various ways with which the tool i.e. User voice allows the customer to provide feedback about the product or service is with the help of feedback forums (which allows the users to post blogs, suggestions, etc), providing support systems, etc (Buleen, 2013). User Voice provides a support system which allows the users share stories as well as understands the customer’s blog. All this is done by building a tool which connects the customers with what is important & what does he want. 4. Overall, is the instrument or tool an effective method of collecting  up-to-date and relevant feedback? If yes, why? If no, then what suggestions would you make for improvements? The instrument i.e. User Voice is an effective method of collecting an up to date as well as relevant feedback. It delights its customers with the help of customer support. A help desk was launched in the year 2011 which made it one of the powerful portals to collect the information & provide a solution for the issue. References Buleen, C 2013, Body Language Sales Tips, viewed on 8th January 2013, . Gregory, A 2010, 10 Customer Feedback Tools to Help You Improve Your Client Relationships, viewed on 5th January 2013 . Ioana, B n.d., â€Å"THE USE OF READING NONVERBAL MESSAGES FROM CUSTOMERS†, University of Bacau Faculty of Economic Sciences. Jane, M 2013, Customer Empathy, viewed on 8th January 2013, . Martin, S 2006, Heavy Hitter Selling: How Successful Salespeople Use Language and Intuition to Persuade Customers to Buy, John Wiley & Sons, US. Ramsey, R & Sohi, R 1997, â€Å"Listening to Your Customers: The Impact of Perceived Salesperson Listening Behavior on Relationship Outcomes†, RESEARCH NOTE.

Rising Health Care Costs Essays

Rising Health Care Costs Essays Rising Health Care Costs Paper Rising Health Care Costs Paper One of the biggest problems small employers face today is the steadily rising costs of health coverage for its employees. This paper covers how health care premiums have risen in double digits for the past five consecutive years, how many small businesses are forced to drop health care coverage for their employees because of the out of control costs, and what small businesses are doing to control the costs and still offer health care coverage to their employees. The good news is that small businesses have been doing better than the overall economy. During the past few years, they have overcome rough times and developed a resiliency that is serving them well. The bad news is that the rising cost of health insurance is one issue that they may not overcome. In 2005, employees health insurance premiums climbed a bit less in than in recent years, but continually rising costs have prompted many small businesses to drop health benefits altogether. In 2005, health care premiums raised an average of 9.2 percent, falling from the 11. 2 percent increase in 2004 and ending four straight years of double-digit escalation. While the earnings of a minimum-wage worker in Minnesota is at $12,792 per year, the average cost of health coverage for family coverage is $10,880, with employees paying $2713. 00 of that. Premiums are 73 percent higher than they were five years ago . Also troubling is the drop in employers who offer health insurance driven almost entirely by small companies that have given up coverage. Today, sixty percent of employers offer health insurance to employees, down from sixty nine percent in 2000. Most of the employers are small businesses that are forced to drop coverage because it is unreasonably affordable. Growth in health insurance costs outpaced inflation and wage growth. Between 2003 and 2004, premiums increased an average an average of 11. 2 percent, significantly faster than other economic indicators: inflation rose 2. 3 percent and wages rose 2. 2 percent. There are many reasons small businesses are finding it difficult to provide coverage to their employees, with cost the most significant one. The small businesses characteristics, including whether a small firm is a component of a larger business, the composition of its workforce, and the industry of which it is a part, are the most important factors in determining an employers ability to acquire affordable health coverage for its employees. Despite the high cost of premiums and the cost of  administering the benefit, small employers state many important business reasons for offering health insurance coverage to its employees. Most say they provide health benefits because it helps with employee recruitment, increases employee loyalty, and decreases turnover. They also note that these benefits positively affect employee attitude, performance, and health. The most important reason for offering health insurance coverage, small employers say, is that it is the right thing to do. The most significant reason for a small business employers decision not to offer health benefits however is the skyrocketing costs. So what can a small business employer do to maintain its health care coverage for its employees? Possibilities are reducing benefits, shifting more of the cost of the premiums to its employees, requiring employees to pay high co-payments when they visit a doctor, switching from a PPO to a HMO, and covering only employees rather than including family members. Higher deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses may be another option to ease the burden on the employer. To offset the cost increases of prescription drug coverage, employees can also ask employees to pay larger co-payments at the pharmacy. Another option may be to implement a health savings account, where the employer contributes a preset amount to an employees health resources (personal account.) The money put into the plan can be used against out-of-pocket medical expenses, and employees can roll over the money in an account from year to year when their costs are less than the amount set aside. Finally, flexible spending accounts allow employees to pay for part of their co-payments and other non-reimbursed medical expenses with pretax dollars. After all is said and done, there remains a very strong incentive for small businesses to provide affordable employee health care insurance. Their ability to hire and retain talented employees, as well as the mental and physical well being of current employees. Roughly 9% of small businesses have stopped providing benefits altogether as a way to manage health care costs. Until a cap is put on the steadily rising health care costs, employees will have to share more of the burden of their health insurance costs. This is not an attractive solution, but one that for now, can act as a temporary fix and allow Americas small businesses to continue to fuel our economy.

Pierre Trudeau essays

Pierre Trudeau essays He will be forever known as the man who dared to pirouette behind Queen Elizabeth II on national television, capturing the hearts of Canadians. With his strong political background, his undying love for his country, and his loyalty to the welfare of the Canadian people, Pierre Trudeau became one of Canadas best leaders. He was the man who established Canada as a well structured, developed, and respectable country. Born Joseph Philippe Ives Elliot Trudeau in Montreal, he grew up speaking both English and French. Always interested in the law and politics, he always worked hard and went to only the best schools. He earned a degree at College Jean de Brebeuf, studied law at Harvard, political science at Ecole des Sciences Politiques in Paris, and economics at the London School of Economics. After completing his studies and touring the world during the 1940s, he returned to Quebec where he became a lawyer. The majority of his cases dealt with civil liberty until 1951, when he was chosen to become the secretariat to the national cabinet. During this time, he was unhappy with the authoritarian leadership in Quebec led by Maurice Duplessis. Hoping to bring about change in the government, Trudeau and some colleagues founded a Liberal Party magazine called Cite Libre (Free City). Since the beginning of his political career, Trudeau fought strongly against the notion that French Canada should become a separate country. He was a federalist and thought the federal government should control the provincial governments, leaving no place for Quebec to become independent. He also thought of Canada as a whole and strongly disagreed with the thought of regionalism. His beliefs, along with Cite Libre, earned him notice from then Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. In 1967, Pearson announced Trudeau to be the Minister of Justice and the Canadian Attorney General. With his new power, Trudeau passed a legislation which crac...

Technology Appraisal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Technology Appraisal - Essay Example These steps are of prime importance to the design of foundations. Objectives of soil exploration and testing are to assess sequence and thickness of strata. To determine the position of the Ground water Table and characteristics and their types of subsoil. Then bring these samples to the lab and test them for minor details. Which include the determination of their shear strength, compressibility and chemical characteristics. At the end if there are some problems with the soil and its does not fulfill the requirements for the sustenance of the structure, consequently the geotechnical engineer proposes solutions to the problem depending on the results of the soil testing he has done. There are majorly two types of soil testing in civil engineering; first one is In-situ testing and the other Lab testing. As the name clearly depicts the location of the tests, Insitu is done on site and then the samples acquired from there come to the lab for further analysis. Although there are many soil tests that are performed at both the locations but the most prominent and used among them are the following. The above mentioned tests are the most widely used in the soil testing and geotechnical investigations for the civil engineering projects. In my report I will not be able to discuss all of them and have to select one because each test has a vast area of application, inaddition to this the diverse arrangements for the performance of these tests make it further more difficult. For that purpose I have selected one of the above tests which is the Insitu Test, Standard Penetration Test (SPT). There are majorly three reasons for this selection, the first is that SPT test is among the most widely used tests for soil exploration and sampling of the soil for further tests which are to be performed in the lab, so consequently in every

Managing for Competative Advantage Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managing for Competative Advantage - Assignment Example The review also includes an evaluation of the performance of both the management teams through financial and non-financial parameters, and finally gauges the true competitive position of M&S in the market. . Myners and Rose assumed control of the company's leadership by replacing the team of Vandevelde and Holmes. There seem to be significant distinction in the approaches of both the management teams in restoring the M&S competitive advantage. The main focus of the previous management had been on the enhancement of clothing market share and Roger Holmes (Annual Review 2003, p3) highlighted the three major domains of their efforts as furthering amelioration in the stronger clothing categories (women formal wear), following the growth chances in low share clothing categories (men's wear) and finally revolutionising the weak categories (children wear). However despite all these efforts, the previous management ended up in losing its significant market share in the clothing market, in particular womenswear which used to the core area of the company's business and profits (Annual Review 2003, p6). The entire focus of the new management team, however, seemed more strictly on the price and product innovation and improvement. They approached to regain the company's lost market share and competitive position through price benchmarking and product innovation to provide more value to the customers and consequently to win in the competitive environment (Annual Review 2005, p4). Marketing The previous management utilised marketing and advertisement in the course of various product campaigns (Annual Review 2004, p8). The company's marketing tactics also underwent change under the new management, which emphasised clearly on a unified M&S brand rather than focusing on a vast range of sub-brands. It focused on strengthening and bringing together the various M&S brands and reflected its traditional relationship with core customers in its marketing and advertisement campaigns (Annual Review 2005, p5). Human Resources Human resources and people management has been the core issue concerning both the management teams. The previous management was however less focused in its strategies to develop the M&S people. Furthermore, in the process of store refurbishment and improvement, the previous team (Annual Review 2004, p5) indicated an intention to lay off about 1000 workers in order to control costs. This could have led to a decline in employee morale and performance. The new management focused on a people amelioration approach, it further took care of its human resources in a much-enhanced manner through proper and evident training, rewarding, developing and listening strategies (Annual Review 2006, p17) to improve employee performance and motivation levels. . Operations The former management team posed great emphasis on opening new stores and carrying out renovation in the older ones making them look more contemporary and convenient so as to win more customers in the competitive marketplace (Annual Review 2004, p16). Furthermore, it also identified the need for ameliorating the supply chain management and sourcing of products to win a competitive edge in the market (Annual Review 2004, p9). The new management team came with a sharpened approach to revolutionising store