Analysis Of Amy Tans The Joy Luck Club - 1369 Words

A Perspective of the American Dream The Joy Luck Club Was written by 1989 by Amy Tan, a first generation American born in 1952 to immigrant parents. Tan was raised by her mother, who had left kids back in China, and a father, who was a Baptist minister. She grew up in California and attended high school in Switzerland. At the age of 15 her brother and father died of a brain tumor. Tan perceives the American dream in the way that an Asian immigrant would, which would be to pass down what we know so our kids won’t repeat the same mistake and will apply it to their lives. Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club tells the story of the hopes and dreams of immigrant mothers and their first generation daughters in America. June is the daughter of Suyuan, who†¦show more content†¦Then Ying-Ying had married a man who was ruthless, who married another woman and hurt her, she took the only thing that she could, their baby, and left him. Lena had been in an unstable relationship with Harold Livotny where he controlled it, but from her mother she learns that she has control and she breaks up with Harold and finds a new man. By the end June goes to China to meet her sisters and tell them of their moms passing and reconnect. The American Dream the perspective of an Asian immigrant is that of wanting their decedents to learn from their mistakes in order to not repeat them. The way that Tan conveys this is through her characters like Rose and her mother An-mei. Through their story Rose is dealing with her divorce and how her husband is getting the better deal, and An-mei recalls about what her mother had done for her. When An-mei does this she remembered that back in â€Å"China†¦ They could not speak up. They could not run away†¦ But not they can do something else† (p241) allowing her to teach Rose that she can do something instead of just letting it happen, something that was not done back then in China but now can happen. The lessons that the mothers teach their daughters help them so much even though they aren’t able to see it at first. Lena had been inShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Amy Tans The Joy Luck Club1250 Words   |  5 PagesThe Joy Luck Club is Amy Tan’s first novel that is a tribute to several generations and different cultural connections. Tan has written: â€Å"To my mother / and the memory of her other / You asked me once / what I would remember. / This, and much more.† The Joy Luck Club is set primarily in modern- day San Francisco’s popular Chinatown, but much of the book occu rs in flashbacks of the mothers’ lives in China. While and after reading this book, you can ask yourself many questions that could spark up anRead More The Complexity of Mother and Daughter Relationships in Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club1316 Words   |  6 PagesThe Complexity of Mother and Daughter Relationships in Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club   Ã‚  Ã‚   Since the beginning of time the mother and daughter relationship has been complex.   The book The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan is a great example of the mother and daughter relationship.   In the book Amy Tan writes about four women who migrate to America from China.   All of the women were in search of a better life since the lives they had in China were not what they wanted for themselves.   Even though all of the womenRead MoreAnalysis Of Two Kinds By Amy Tan1567 Words   |  7 PagesOne of the most complex relationships is that of a mother and daughter. Amy Tan is an author who writes about her life growing up as an Asian-American in Chinatown. Her novel The Joy Luck Club is a series of short stories about Chinese mothers and their assimilated daughters. One of these stories is â€Å"Two Kinds,† which looks into the life of Jing-Mei Woo and her struggle to gain a sense of self. Some key themes in The Joy Luck Club are the generational and intercultural di fferences among Chinese-AmericanRead MoreAnalysis Of The Article Your Mother Is Your Bones About The Joy Luck Club 1125 Words   |  5 PagesCritical Responses to the Novel Orville Schell wrote the article â€Å"Your Mother is in Your Bones† about The Joy Luck Club. Schell starts out by giving some historical background information on China, about those emigrating in order to escape Communism and how Asian immigrants didn’t fit in America as easily as Europeans did. He also talks about Chinatowns and other struggles immigrants faced. He talks about the strange phenomena where Chinese-Americans were bound to China by heritage, but they hadRead More Mother and Daughter Similarities in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club1955 Words   |  8 PagesMother and Daughter Similarities in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club â€Å"Here is how I came to love my mother.   How I saw her my own true nature.   What was beneath my skin.   Inside my bones.† (Tan 40)   Ã‚  Ã‚   The complexitities of any mother-daughter relationship go much deeper then just their physical features that resemble one another.   In Amy Tan’s novel The Joy Luck Club, the stories of eight Chinese women are told.   Together this group of women forms four sets of mother and daughter pairs. TheRead More Power of the Mother and Daughter Relationship Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club1482 Words   |  6 PagesPower of the Mother and Daughter Relationship Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club In the novel, The Joy Luck Club, the author, Amy Tan, intricately weaves together the roles and experiences of Chinese mothers with their American born daughters. During a time of war, the mothers flee from China to America, leaving behind a past filled with secrets that unravel as their daughters mature. While sharing their difficulties, these mothers must be able to teach Chinese beliefs and customs to their daughters inRead MoreThe Eight Heroes in The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan703 Words   |  3 PagesIn the novel The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, four Chinese mother-daughter pairs, each with her own unique story, have deep connections with each other. At the beginning of the novel they each seem like ordinary women, but as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that these women are more than just mothers, daughters, or wives; they can also be considered heroes according to Joseph Campbell. Joseph Campbell says a hero is someone who undergoes a departure, where the person is confronted with a problemRead MoreCritical Analysis of Mother Tongue Essay907 Words   |  4 PagesBeverly Williamson English 111 September 21st, 2012 Critical Analysis Essay I have chosen â€Å"Mother Tongue† for the subject of my essay. I chose this essay because Amy Tan has a unique writing style which has tone that is clear and identifiable. Tan makes her arguments in a way that is easily understood. While her tone is sometimes humorous and captivating, it still clarifies some serious issues. These qualities among others leave Tan’s work to be desired by almost any reader because her tone andRead MoreAnalysis Of Amy Tan s The Joy Luck Club, Homer s Odyssey1480 Words   |  6 PagesElbert Hubbard once said â€Å"Our desires always disappoint us; for though we meet with something that. In Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club, Homer’s The Odyssey translated by Robert Fagles, and Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, hope and expectation illustrate the thin line between success and utter destruction in which hope and expectation are found. Characters such as Junior, and Penelope have begun to master the art of hope, while characters such as June have people aroundRead MoreMother Tongue1199 Words   |  5 PagesRhetorical Analysis of â€Å"Mother Tongue† written by Amy Tan â€Å"So easy to read†(p.4). Amy Tan ends her essay, â€Å"Mother Tongue† with this short and even grammatically wrong sentence. She tells us this mother’s brief review is a proof of success of her writing. Why does she think that easiness is an essence of her writing? She suggests answers to this question by her essay. In her essay, Amy Tan effectively convinces her readers that â€Å"broken English† is not an inferior language, but just

Scavenger Hunt - 1092 Words

University of Phoenix Material Center for Writing Excellence Scavenger Hunt For each of the questions below you should look at both the Center for Writing Excellence and the University of Phoenix Writing and Style Guidelines. Submit your responses to the following questions: (HINT: Refer to the Reference and Citation Examples documdented in the Tutorials and Guides section, as well as the Sample Paper and the Library link.) 1. If more than one author is listed, must all authors be listed in the citation? Yes 1. Is the author’s full name used in the References page entry? No 2. If no year is listed for an in-text citation, what should be listed? (n.d.) 3. What is the minimum information needed for an†¦show more content†¦| | |Fit to Window |Stretches your paper to fit the viewing area. Depending on your computer’s | | | |screen settings, this sometimes makes things easier to see. | | |Normal |Switches to the Normal view. | | |Print Layout |Switches to the Print Layout view. | |Insert |Page Break |Adds a page break to your paper at the point where your cursor is. | | |Page Number |Inserts a page number into your document (useful in the header). | | |Symbol |Adds symbols not available on your keyboard. Some useful examples are the em | | | |dash (—), the copyright mark ( ©), all of the accented letters you could ever | | | |want (Useful if your name is â€Å"Renà ©e†), and several fractions (â…ž). | |Format |Align Left |Left justifies the text of whichever paragraph your cursor is in. | |Show MoreRelatedScavenger Hunt922 Words   |  4 Pages16.   How many submissions are allowed for Exercises?   How many submissions are allowed for Post Tests? Two submissions are allowed for exercises and only one submission is allowed for post-tests. 17. How many points will you receive on the Scavenger Hunt if get all questions correct.   How many points will be deducted for each question missed? If all questions are correct, you receive 50 points. You lose 10 points for each incorrect answer. 18. Canvas contains practice exams and answers.   WhatRead MoreThe For The Cultural Scavenger Hunt1428 Words   |  6 PagesFor the cultural scavenger hunt, I was able to observe my doctor’s office, called Doctors Family Practice Center. It was interesting for me to notice the setting more in detail, and to observe people, pictures, and literature. Although I have been there a few times, it was helpful to notice small details. I was glad that I was able to do this project, because in the future I will observe healthcare settings more in detail. While at the doctor’s office, I noticed several pictures that were displayedRead MoreScavenger Hunt1421 Words   |  6 Pages1. ECPI is an accredited institution. Who is the accrediting body, and what does this mean for you as a student? Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, It means that our diplomas are real and can be used in the real world 2. What 4 academic programs or courses of study does ECPI offer? Technology, Business Criminal Justice, Health Science, and Culinary Arts 3. Who are the department heads for each program (for days and nights it’s the same Dept. HeadsRead MoreEssay on Scavenger Hunt1183 Words   |  5 Pagesquestion in your own words (do not copy and paste). Provide the page number on which the information is found. Save the document as first name, last initial_scavengerhunt. Example: CrystalE_Scavengerhunt. If you have questions, please ask. Scavenger Hunt Questions University 1. Who is the accrediting body for ECPI? ECPI University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC). Specifically, The Health Science/Medical AssistingRead MoreImplementing A Debt Education Program1310 Words   |  6 PagesCashCourse ® is that they offer scavenger hunts. Student life could promote the scavenger hunt and assist with the execution of the events. The goal is to help students become familiar with the program throughout each semester. Towards the last three months of each semester, we will have an event to test the student’s skills and knowledge they acquired through the activities. The Scavenger hunts consist of three online challenges. The student who can complete the scavenger hunt in the least amount of timeRead MoreA Study On The Scavenger Hunt Activity844 Words   |  4 PagesThe appellation given to me is â€Å"Donald William Chang† but please call me Dach for short!†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨My intended area of study for business would b e in entrepreneurship, e-commerce, leadership, and business law, ethics, policy, strategy, society. †¨The Scavenger Hunt activity gave me a hands-on opportunity to navigate the online campus in order to locate and remember where important learning and informational resources were located. It also demonstrated to me how the process could actually be fun and engagingRead MoreCareer Scavenger Hunt Essay1755 Words   |  8 Pagesï » ¿Career Scavenger Hunt Instructions Part I: NCDA Scavenger Hunt 1. What is the relationship of the NCDA to the American Counseling Association? The relationship of the NCDA to the American Counseling Association is that the â€Å"NCDA is a founding division of the American Counseling Association and collaborates with the ACA to jointly represent the interest of counselors in congress and in the national legislative process† (NCDA, 2015). 2. What is the purpose of the NCDA? The purpose of the NCDA isRead MoreCivil War Scavenger hunt1004 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Title: The American Civil War Review Scavenger Hunt Use the underlined sites to find the answers to the questions. (Place your cursor before the Question mark and type your question. Highlight a word or words and link to the web site Where the answer is located.) 1. Who was the president of the Confederate States of America? Jefferson Davis 2. Clara Barton became the first president of the American Red Cross. 3. President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865 in WashingtonRead MoreUNV501 Online Scavenger Hunt Essay900 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿ Online Learning Environment Scavenger Hunt Introduction Learning how to navigate the online classroom environment is essential to your academic success. GCU’s Learning Management System (LMS) LoudCloud has many resources to help you become a successful graduate student. Directions View the LoudCloud Walk to Class Tutorial as well as search LoudCloud to find answers to the questions below. You should complete the guide while navigating the LoudCloud environment. Part A: Answer each promptRead MoreInft Scavenger Hunt Quiz Essay709 Words   |  3 PagesClassroom Scavenger Hunt/Quiz Instructions Complete this worksheet by responding to the following the tasks listed below and providing answers to the questions. You may choose to print this worksheet for easier access. If you instead type out your answers onto this document, be sure to electronically save your work. Once you have completed this worksheet, open the INFT 101 Module/Week 1 Assignments folder and review the assignment instructions for completing the Classroom Scavenger Hunt Quiz. You

Strategic Management Hospitality Industry

Question: Discuss about the Strategic Management for Hospitality Industry. Answer: Introduction: Strategic management in hospitality industry requires creating and implementing the goals which are focused on this particular industry to improve the status of an organization. The strategies are created by the management board on behalf of the owners after considering the available resources in the organization. While creating the strategies for an organization, the management has to keep in mind the competitors strategies. Strategic management provides the ways of using the available resources efficiently to ensure low cost and an efficient production process for the company. Strategic management is an inconstant process where any change in the environment where the organization is operating will result in a change in the strategies of the organization. Strategic management works on the business model of an organization to create competitive advantage in the industry. In the year 2005, the Langham Hospitality Group acquired the property in Queensland, New Zealand, where the hotel stands now. It had focused on the Victorian grand tradition and elegance while refurbishing the rooms. The company faces competition from strong Internet brands like Wotif.com and others. There are also traditional hotels present in the same area, but the excellence in providing service is what keeps the organization ahead of its competitors. Customer satisfaction, one of the main requirements in this industry is properly adjusted in every strategic management sessions in The Langham Auckland. The fundamental purpose of the hotel is to provide accommodation to the clients. It also provides other services like a fitness center, restaurant, spa, entertainment, conference facilities, and spa. This report shows the internal and external situations of the organization. It points out the scopes of improvement with proper measurements. It incorporates the strategies which can he lp the organization in improving the quality of their services (Langham, 2016). Internal audit: To understand the internal situation of The Langham Auckland a SWOT analysis is required which will reveal the organization's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the hospitality industry. SWOT analysis: Strengths Excellent service Experienced employees Heritage of Victorian grand tradition Variety of products and services Huge investment capacity Reputation Wifi enabled buildings More than four hundred rooms Weaknesses Old strategies for the market Lack of new skillful employees Rising labor cost and another cost of production Low-profit margins.' Lack of sales channels Huge maintenance cost Less appealing to the young generation Government intervention Low-level security Opportunities Rapid growth in the tourism sector Increasing demand for hotels due to sports events Destination preference of European tourists changed for New Zealand Increased rate of travel for business Unavailability of top quality hotels Technological improvements Diversity in related services Vintage decorations and other added values to the services being provided Extending booking options Free use of social media Threats Harmful contents being posted in social media Increasing number of cheap hotels Young generation avoiding vintage decorations Old strategies to encounter present day issues Poaching staffs Increasing competition Change in government policies Emerging online hotel industry PESTEL analysis: PESTEL analysis is used by the strategic management officials to analyze the external market environment. As stated by Yksel, (2012), it highlights the factors which affect the organization. The factors are broadly incorporated under the categories Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal. The Langham Auckland is currently operating in Auckland, New Zealand (Auckland, 2016). The following PESTEL analysis will show the environment where the hotel is operating. Political: As stated by Becken et al., (2013), the political scenario of New Zealand is more or less stable. It gives the hospitality industry in the country an extra boost. The corruption level in the politics of the country is low due to transparency and the small size of the country. , Kate Simcock, the Greenpeace Climate and Energy Campaigner said, despite being one of the first countries in the world to ratify the agreement, the New Zealand Government doesnt yet have a plan for how it will curb climate emissions domestically. This puts the otherwise stable political country New Zealand in a tough situation. The regulation and taxation policies by the government have the potential to make the business environment-friendly to The Langham Auckland. Economic: The country has steered out of the depression which was caused by the Global Financial Crisis of 2007. The country is facing boom now, which means the scope of the hotel in the industry is high. According to Yusof and Amalina, (2014), the impact of globalization has been positive on the countrys economy. It brings more tourists from the international market. The labor cost or the wage is reasonable in the country, and it holds promise for more employment in the future as the economy move towards the boom. The factors of production in this country come at a reasonable price. Due to the global operations of the organization, it has a great parameter of comparing input prices of New Zealand. Social: Population growth in New Zealand is increasing at a constant rate. The political leaders with the help of the citizen have reduced gender and ethnic diversity. This promises a better workplace environment in the country. Health situation is improving rapidly in the country with an increasing literacy rate. This phenomenon incorporates all the cultures present in the country. As stated by Campbell and Ma, (2015), the digital disparity in the society is yet to overcome the high hurdles. More literacy rate, especially in the tribal areas, will ensure more skilled labors. According to the tourism and travel board of the country, there has been a significant increase in city tours. It presents an enormous scope for The Langham Auckland in New Zealands market. This will increase social welfare and reduce economic disparity in the country. Technological: As stated by Tse, (2014), the research and development activity in the country has increased since the nation came out of the Global Financial Crisis. The Multi-National Corporations operating in the markets of New Zealand has contributed significantly in this regard. The government has also taken significant steps to increase the research and development activity in the country. The impact of emerging technologies might hold a rough patch for The Langham Auckland, but the technology transfer by the Langham Hospitality Group can help the grand hotel in adopting the market challenges present in the economy. Environmental: According to Brunton et al., (2015), the climate change issues are considered as a threat in the country. New rules and regulations in the country are created to protect the environment. Those businesses are getting a license which will follow the emission regulations. This will decrease the impact on the environmental health of New Zealand. According to Rachet, (2014), the general health will get better due to this giving the organizations operating in the country a healthy workers domain. The pollution control board gives guidelines to the organizations production process and products and services. The Langham Hospitality Group has spent a lot of environmental issues which put the organization in an advantageous position the industry. Legal: The consumer law in the country helps The Langham Auckland to create its ethical guidelines. The employee law creates a better working environment for the employees. Both of these together help the staffs to serve better. As stated by Bargiela and Nickerson, (2014), the health and safety law is there to ensure a better service. The regulatory board of the hospitality industry determines the service quality of the organizations. It also determines the degree of competition in the market. The legal environment in New Zealand is favorable for the grand hotels like The Langham Auckland. Gap analysis of The Langham Auckland: According to Williamson et al., (2012), the purpose of a Gap analysis is to see the difference between the things an organization has achieved using some resources and the things that it should have achieved using the same resources. It shows the gap between actual performance and potential performance of a country. If the actual performance is lower than the possible performance, it will show the inefficiency in the organization's production process. The gaps considered in the case of The Langham Auckland are given as follows: Gap 1: It shows the general incompatibility between the organizations management and its clients. It happens for not understanding the real expectations of the visitors. According to Buhalis and Crotts, (2013), due to wrong interpretation of clients expectation, this gap gets created. The customers complaints and failure in understanding them by various levels of organizational management are responsible for this gap. Gap 2: As stated by Choudhury and McIntosh, (2013), this gap gets created in the process of realization. The Langham Auckland, even knowing the clients demands failing to satisfy them creates this gap. The proper reasons behind this kind of gap are as follows: Bad service design: Unclear service design Bad and faulty service design New service developed unsystematically Lacking the standard that clients want: Failure in defining the level of service according to clients wish Procedural management lacking the focus on the demands of clients Goals of service quality not being met by the management Lacking good quality service ambiance: Failure in creating values according to the needs of the clients Failure of the service ambiance to meet the demands of the clients Lack of innovation in creating the ambiance Gap 3: According to Lam, Ho and Law, (2015), this kind of gap arises when the available resources are not enough to meet the clients demands. The management over sighting the needs of the clients causes this gap. The reasons can be pointed out as: Oversight by the Human Resource: Creation of bad reputation Friction in the clients and managements interests Weak method of evaluating customers' preferences Deficiency in high quality teamwork Inadequate interaction between the management and customers: Clients failing to recognize their role and engagement in the service process Clients creating negative reputation among themselves Difficulties with servicing representatives: Frictions regarding objects and accomplishments Quality and consistency controlling problems Frictions regarding administration and authorities Poorly accorded presentation and demand: Failing to modify the demanding limits Weak selection of clients Disproportionately relying upon the price while adjusting the demand Gap 4: Miscommunication between the management and the staffs due to various reasons might result in earning a bad name in the industry. The reason behind this gap are: Lack of creating an integrated communication system: Customizing every outer transmission independently Not keeping interactive marketing in the plan of communication Lacking a developed program of internal marketing Ineffective administration of clients anticipations: Failing to manage client anticipations through all communication forms Clients are not instructed sufficiently Absurd agreements in marketing pursuits for personal benefits Low horizontal communication level: Miscommunication between people handling campaigns and people handling the operation Inadequate communication between people accountable for retail and people engaged in operations A same organizations different branches having different beliefs According to Hall and Rusher, (2013), any one of these four gaps or all of them might occur in the organization, which will lead to the 5th gap (Gap 5) which is also known as the "gap of clients." It results in creating a difference between the expectations of the customers and the service they were provided. From the Gap analysis done above for The Langham Auckland, several options can be developed to make a strategic change in the organization, the major one being concerned with miscommunication. Creating a better communication system for the organization: Miscommunication is the 4th gap. According to Mok, Sparks and Kadampully, (2013), it has more potential of ruining an organization. The first three gaps are easier to overcome than the gap of miscommunication. Hence, it is a must for the organization to create a better communication system. The desired outcomes of creating a better communication are as follows: Better customer service: A better communication process has the potential of removing Gap 1, Gap 2, and Gap 3 alone, which are related to serving the customers. As stated by Thill, Bove and Chatterjee, (2013), with better communication system within the staffs of The Langham Auckland the differences between the services promised and provided will decrease. As all the employees of the organization will have a clear picture of what they are providing the clients, they will be able to put their effort in the right way. Communication with the clients will also get better because of this improvement in communication. The issues which were created by miscommunication between the management and clients will reduce due to this measurement, creating a better place for the clients. Clear recognition of the directions from administrators among the employees: According to Kernbach, Eppler and Bresciani, (2015), with a clear communication system the direction coming from the authorities will be thoroughly carried by the staff members. The plans created by the upper managements will properly executed by all employees with the help of a better communication system. The betterment of communication is needed in both ways. There are several issues that can be observed by the staff members which are not noticeable for the senior management. With a clear communication system which works both ways, these issues can be addressed properly. This will add to the value of the service being provided by The Langham Auckland. To achieve a better communication system and implementing the required changes the management has to take some actions. This will require some resources which will allow the actions to improve the communication in The Langham Auckland. Required actions: The organization has to use multiple channels for communication. Using only one channel might result in failure in successfully reaching a message as different employees respond to different channels. According to Argenti, (2015), the management has to determine which person requires which channel of communication. The message has to be delivered in a consistent way; otherwise it will get distorted on the way to the receiver of the message. Thus, the need for consistent communications is very important. The organization has to make sure that every employee of The Langham Auckland goes through a training process where identifying different situations and reporting them is being discussed thoroughly. Creating a regular horizontal communication chain is required. It will make the staffs familiar with the dos and donts in the communication system. According to Poulston and Jenkins, (2013), a feedback process is required with the communication system. Feedbacks will help the organization' s communication process get more accurate and efficient. Required resources: Developing communication strategies: Developing communication strategies will help the organization reach its communication goals. Using better technologies: the existing technology being used for communication can either be updated or replaced by new technology to get a better quality of communication. The Human Resource Management can include more skilled personnel who can improve the quality of the communication process prevailing in The Langham Auckland. Regular training with improving technologies is required in order to ensure a better handling of the communication system. The resources needed for creating a better communication in the organization; the organization has to hire personnel who are specialized in this domain. According to Markey and Knudsen, (2014), this will ensure high quality of information mobility. Milestones: Activity Week 1-2 Week 3-4 Week 5-6 Week 7-8 Week 9-10 Identifying the effective communication processes Choosing the appropriate communication process for The Langham Auckland Selecting personnel fitting the chosen communication process Acquiring required technology using the resources available Installing the communication system Regular training for a specific period to create top quality information mobility Table 1: Gantt-chart for creating a better communication system. Source: As created by the author. The figure above shows the milestones that the organization has to cover in order to create a better communication system in The Langham Auckland. Success measurements: To measure the success of implementing better communication system, this following table has to be followed by The Langham Auckland (Lacey, 2013). Goals Measure of success Dialogue creation Clear business communication between the sender and the receiver of the message. Teamwork and communication Effective communication is achieved by the team. No one is lagging behind. Credibility of the information The information gathered by internal and external communication are trustworthy and reflects positivity. Quick delivery of emergency information In the cases of urgency, messages are delivered and received quickly as required. Table 2: Measures of success for The Langham Aucklands better communication. Source: As created by the author. Conclusion: The Langham Auckland is dealing with that part of the industry which has been revolutionized by the internet facilities. The services provided by the restaurant are no more unique as the competition in the market is rising rapidly. The quality of the services is differentiating The Langham Auckland from its rivals. There are several places where the hotel can add more value to the services provided to the customer. The report shows that The Langham Auckland can improve the five gaps in order to improve the quality of their services. The gap which demands priority is communication. The communication process of the hotel can be changed into a better and updated process. It will make the workers more efficient and ease conversations with the customers. It will take The Langham Auckland ten weeks to complete the whole transformation process. This transformation in the system also requires training for the employees to get used to. The technology which will be adopted by the hotel can come from the research and development wing of The Langham hospitality group. Using social media properly to address the young generation will also increase the market demand for the services provided by The Langham Auckland. References: Argenti, P. A. (2015). Corporate communication. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Bargiela-Chiappini, F., Nickerson, C. R. (2014). Writing business: Genres, media and discourses. Routledge. Becken, S., Rajan, R., Moore, S., Watt, M., McLennan, C. L. (2013). White paper on tourism and water. Brunton, M., Kankaanranta, A., Louhiala-Salminen, L., Jeffrey, L. (2015). Are Strategic Communication Management Competencies and Personal Attributes Global? A Case Study of Practice in Finland and New Zealand. International Journal of Business Communication, 2329488415608846. Buhalis, D., Crotts, J. (2013). Global alliances in tourism and hospitality management. Routledge. Campbell, C., Ma, J. J. (Eds.). (2015). Looking Forward, Looking Back: Drawing on the Past to Shape the Future of Marketing: Proceedings of the 2013 World Marketing Congress. Springer. Choudhury, N., McIntosh, A. (2013). Retaining students as employees: Owner operated small hospitality businesses in a university town in New Zealand. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 32, 261-269. Hall, C. M., Rusher, K. (2013). Risky lifestyles? Entrepreneurial characteristics of the New Zealand bed and breakfast sector. Small Firms in Tourism, 83. Kernbach, S., Eppler, M. J., Bresciani, S. (2015). The Use of Visualization in the Communication of Business Strategies An Experimental Evaluation. International Journal of Business Communication, 52(2), 164-187. Lacey, C. A. (2013). Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon and the Langham Place Group. Routledge. Lam, C., Ho, G. K., Law, R. (2015). How can Asian hotel companies remain internationally competitive?. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 27(5), 827-852. Langham Hospitality Group, (2016). Langham Hospitality Group | Luxury Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. Langhamhospitalitygroup.com. Retrieved 5 November 2016, from https://www.langhamhospitalitygroup.com/ Markey, R., Knudsen, H. (2014). Employee participation and quality of work environment: Denmark and New Zealand. International Journal of Comparative Labour Law and Industrial Relations, 30(1), 105-126. Mok, C., Sparks, B., Kadampully, J. (2013). Service quality management in hospitality, tourism, and leisure. Routledge. Poulston, J., Jenkins, A. (2013). The persistent paradigm: Older worker stereotypes in the New Zealand hotel industry. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality Tourism, 12(1), 1-25. Rachet, B. (2014). PESTEL analysis and Porters Five Forces For Innocent Drinks Company. Docs. school Publications. The Langham, Auckland,. (2016). Auckland Luxury Hotel | The Langham, Auckland. Langhamhotels.com. Retrieved 5 November 2016, from https://www.langhamhotels.com/en/the-langham/auckland/ Thill, J. V., Bove, C. L., Chatterjee, R. B. (2013). Excellence in business communication. K. Subramanian (Ed.). Pearson. Tse, T. (2014). The making of an international hotel brand: a case study of the Langham. Journal of hospitality tourism cases. Williamson, D., Harris, C., Matthews, S., Parker, J. (2012, March). Golden opportunities? A decade of exit interviews and turnover in the New Zealand hotel industry. In CAUTHE 2012: The new golden age of tourism and hospitality; Book 2; Proceedings of the 22nd Annual Conference (p. 675). La Trobe University. Yksel, I. (2012). Developing a multi-criteria decision making model for PESTEL analysis. International Journal of Business and Management, 7(24), 52. Yusof, M., Amalina, N. (2014). Customers' expectations of hotel green marketing: a New Zealand quantitative study.

The Great Gatsby Essays (1714 words) - The Great Gatsby,

The Great Gatsby Life, like The great Gatsby Imagine that you live in the nineteen twenties, and that you are a very wealthy man that lives by himself in a manchine, on a lake and who throws parties every weekend. This is just the beginning of how to explain the way Jay Gatsby lived his life. This novel, by F. Scott, Fitzgerald is one that is very deep in thought. Fitzgerald releases little clues along the way of the novel that will be crusual to understand the ending. For instance, he makes the blue coupe a very important clue, as well as the Dr. T. J. Eckleburg eyes on the billboard that Mr. Wilson (the gas station attendant ) refers to as the eyes of god. There are also other little things that relate to the reason of gatsby's death. The main character's of this novel each have their part to do with the ending, Nick Caraway is probably the main character of this novel, as he comes down from New Jersey to new York to visit his cousin Daisy, who is married to Tom Buchannan. These are some of the incidents that are included in the novel as you will read further I will relate some issues of the novel, as well as other critics have included their views on The Great Gatsby. F. Scott, Fitsgerald was an American short story writer and novelist famous for his depictions of the Jazz Age(the 1920's), his most brilliant novel work being The Great Gatsby(1925). He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on sept. 24, 1896 and died in Hollywood, California on December 21, 1940. His private life, with his wife, Zelda, in both America and France, became almost as celebrated as his novels. Fitsgerald was the only son of an aristocrat father, who was the author of the star spangle banner. Fitzgerald spent most of time with his wife, latter in their relationship they moved to france where he began to write his most brilliant novel, The Great Gatsby. All of his divided nature is in this novel, the native midwestener afir with the possibilities of every Americans dream in OLSON 2 it's hero, Jay Gatsby, and the compassionate princeton gentlemen in it's narrator, Nick Carraway. The Great Gatsby is the most profoundly American novel of it's time (Houghton). Fitzgerald had an intensely romantic imagination, what he once called ?a heightened sensitivity to the promises of life,? and he rushed into experience determined to realize those promises. Latter on in Fitzgeralds life, he started to drink very heavily and became very unhappy. In 1930 his wife had a mental breakdown and in 1932 another, from which she never recovered. With it's failure and his despair over Zelda, Fitzgerald was close to becoming an incurable alcoholic. He surpassed becoming an alcoholic though, and moved out west to become a Hollywood screenwriter were he met his new wife Sheilah Graham, but he never forgot about Zelda and his daughter Scotti. (Johnson, 384). The Great Gatsby is an excellent review on how fitzgerald preceived his life to be, in the same sense that he also was very wealthy. Gatsby, in this novel is the mistiries wealthy man that lives in the big house across the lake from Tom and Daisy Buchanann. There would always be some type of party going on at his house, but for some reason he never attended to them, he would always watch from his window. Nick Caraway is Daisy's cousin who comes to visit, Nick needs a place to stay, so he finds an ad for a guest cottage that Mr. Jay Gatsby owns. After Nick has moved in Jay and Nick become pretty close friends. Jordan has always wondered who The Great Gatsby was, so she uses Nick to find out more about him. As the story goes on, there are some odd things that Fitsgerald relates to the story as important things. These important things make you really think about what it means to the story. The Automobile in The Great Gatsby is a very big topic for the conclution of the story. What we have in The Great Gatsby is a creative manipulation of the automobile as symbol and image to accomplish a variety of ends (O'Meara, 74). O'Meara goes on to say that when Fitzgerald accentuates mechanism and minimizes aesthetics, he depersonalizes vehicles and underscores the OLSON 3 behavior of their drivers. The existing criticism on automobiles in The Great Gatsby usually centers on one or

Guidelines For Students For Maintaining Mental Health

Guidelines For Students For Maintaining Mental Health If you still cannot find a solution†¦ How To Maintain Good Mental Health If You Are A Fresher? If you are a fresher, you have probably read many articles and watched videos on how great it could be to start a new chapter of your life. So you might already picture the life in the university. You leave your home maybe for the first time for a long time, pack your belongings, sit in the car and unpack them in your new home that will be your place of living for the next few years. You will meet a bunch of new people and maybe make new good friends. Anyway, you will be constantly surrounded by young people that are just like you in the new surroundings. Of course, there will be a lot of studying and discoveries. You will be free to arrange your time as you wish to paint it to education and fun as well. But there is also a possibility that you will not have the expected fun. The truth is that often the reality does not meet our expectations. Young students, instead of spending time on parties with friends, sometimes may isolate themselves from others and spending free time missing home. They also may suffer from the fact that the educational process is not as fascinating as they expected. We do not want to scare you with this article. Young people after leaving home and starting hard studying want to make these years full of discoveries, impressions, and memories. But the reality is that often it takes time to adjust to the new environment and find your place in the new place and circumstances. It may require a few months or more. Or the case may be the opposite. The start of your new life will be great and careless, but with November comes you may face a serious crisis connected with numerous tasks, strict deadlines etc. And this is the moment many students get shocked because of the drastic difference between the start and the actual educational process. But we want to reassure you that having problems on the starting stages of your university life is completely normal. And you are not the first who face this and you will be able to overcome everything as well. We have prepared some tips for you to help with this challenge. You are not alone! Many freshers suffer from the disappointing reality when they got surrounded by people and things that are not as funny and inspiring as they considered from the various sources of information. They have planned to enjoy the best years of their life but in fact, they do not have any pleasure at all. They may feel like being betrayed, especially when they see other students enjoy the same things. If you have found yourself in a similar situation, the first thing for you to keep in mind – you are not alone in your feelings. You are surrounded by various events and different people. So it is okay if someone’s attitude will differ from yours. You may be focused on people who genuinely enjoy their lives in the new environment, but there are also students who suffer from anxiety and experience the same emotional problems as you do. Such conditions may be caused by various aspects starting with relationships with your roommate and tuning your social life and ending with trying to keep up with curriculum and other educational challenges. The thing is there are many freshers who may feel lonely and left out so you are not alone in this struggle. It is a very big thing for young people to leave their homes and start living close to complete strangers without any support or communication they got used to in their hometown. This experience may have a completely unpredictable effect on the human mind. Sometimes students, who were not socially activities in their previous lives, change drastically. They estimate the new surroundings as the opportunity to create a new image and to reinvent their personality. So they even might turn into extroverts. But for students, who have had plenty of friends in their hometown and their reputation made people wanting to become friends and spend time together, building new relationships may be hard. They got used to attention and communication that have built for years. But in the new environment, they do not experience the required level of attention. They might feel lost realizing they need to start everything over. In the first weeks at university, you will meet plenty of new people, maybe more than you have ever met for such a short period of time. This might be one of the most socially intense periods of your life. Many students will agree with this statement. You need to realize that if your feelings of loneliness and disorientation start turning into more serious mental conditions without getting better, you need to look for help. But it is fine if you feel uncomfortable for a while during the adaptation time. This is a normal reaction to the discovery that some aspect of student life is more difficult in reality than you expected. Do not push yourself to have fun if you do not feel like a party. Constant pressure that you need to have fun and keep up with the educational process will lead only to the growing anxiety. Give yourself a break.   Look for support from your friend to feel more comfortable If you have friends from school or at least of the same age as yours, you may feel like calling them for support. But hearing they have so much fun in the new environment can make you feel even lonelier. However, they likely face similar difficulties with assimilating in the new university environment as well. But you can mistakenly assume that they are too busy to communicate with you. Eventually, you can lose touch with them as it is natural that you both will have to spend time on building new connections and overcoming new challenges. But if your friendship is strong enough, even without constant communication you can support each other in the troubles of university life. Do not hesitate to call them. Share your feelings with a close person. Ask them whether they have faced the same issues and how they have dealt with them. You may receive useful guidelines that will help you in your struggle. Also knowing that your friend also tries to overcome new environment challenges may help you to fight loneliness as you will have a person who understands you completely in your struggle. You may be afraid to admit that student times have started less colorful. But sharing your feelings with a close friend will help you to free your soul. If your friends are lucky enough to have a fascinating college life, you may visit them to seek for inspiration. This may give you positive energy to walk through hard times having a vision of the future. You will have more confidence that everything will be much better with time. This attitude will lower the pressure of the situation and you will definitely feel better. Take time There are many events in the university during the first weeks of the year that are aimed at providing freshers with an opportunity to get to know each other better and make new friends. This can be a great opportunity to expand your communication circle and find people with similar interests. Clubs and societies can serve a great deal as well. Do not hesitate to meet someone for coffee or drinks to have a conversation and maybe to start building a long-time friendship. Usually, freshers do not reject such invites as they also are interested in making new friends. But in case you do not feel comfortable with this way of assimilation, do not force yourself. Take it easy and do not expect to meet your future BFF on the first day of university. Take time and let events evolve naturally. University is a long road and you do not have to walk it all at ones. The first week may be difficult but with time you will notice that there are some people around you and they build connections with each other by having common tasks, interests, and places for going out. Some students may have plenty of â€Å"friends† but in fact, they will just have a selection of humans to spend time with. So you can choose to stay in your room and to refresh your mind, paying time for your favorite activities etc. You can also call your mum or close relative to share your thoughts and events of the day. Going to university you make the first step towards adult life and one of the greatest things about it is that you will be free from the peer pressure. You will be able to choose what to do, when and why as this is your life and only your choices matter to you. So you are free to decide whether to go out or not, make new friends or enjoy solitude etc. Do not force yourself to search for connections. The best way to socialize is when you want it and feel comfortable with this. You will find people you will be comfortable being around eventually, so there is no need to rush the events. University’s effect on mental health We should not underestimate the effect of the first week at the university on the mental help of the freshers. Often this is the time when their anxiety grows. So this is the reason to calm yourself if you feel anxious as you now know that almost everyone in your group has the same feelings. Usually, this type of anxiety does not last long and you will feel better with time. But if your bad condition will last longer and without any positive changes, this may lead to more serious problems like depression. Problems with mental health are very common and disturbing in US universities as well as in educational institutions all over the world. The anxiety may be caused by financial problems, curriculum pressure, worries about your future career and other factors that lead to mental crisis. According to some reports, 1 of 4 students suffers from mental issues during their studying at the university. Considering this data, there are high chances you will face some issues as well on this stage of your life. This is almost impossible to avoid any mental difficulties when you drastically change your living environment. If this is not about you, then someone you know may be in the group of risk. The main point of this passage is that when you notice there something happens with your mental condition after you start your education, you do not have to feel like you are crazy or something. On the contrary, you are the average student who has to overcome average difficulties. But you still need to monitor your conditions and check whether it is within regular parameters or you suffer for too long and need some professional help. How to tell the difference between a bad mood and depression? Mental health is an important thing and you need to monitor your conditions and seek help in case something in your brain make you worry. However, you need to understand that human emotions include sadness as well as the ability to express sadness as well as happiness is also a sign of your mental stability. You may have plenty of reasons to feel sad and this is a part of our life. We can miss our friends and family, be upset because of some failures or difficulties in studying or working. Feeling sad does not mean you suffer from depression. If you can find the definite reasons why you’re feeling sad, you are within a norm. But what is the depression then and how to detect this condition? In simple words, the professional psychologists explain this condition as a constant feeling of sadness without definite triggers or reasons. This is the main difference between a bad mood and depression. An article in Psychology Today we may find a wider explanation: Depression is an unusual condition, may also be considered as a mental illness that chronically affects a person’s emotions, thoughts, perceptions, and actions. Depression makes us feel sad whether have we a decent reason for that or not. This condition may appear even without any noticeable events or circumstances and the person does not always experience some serious losses or problems before depression as it often may appear without any obvious triggers. Objectively the life of the person with depression may be fine (and the patients even admit this), but bad feelings will haunt the anyway. If you notice that you constantly feel sad even if there are no obvious reasons for that and even if your life is fine in all aspects but you still cannot enjoy it – there are high chances you suffer from depression. You can use the checklist of symptoms of depression from Psychology Today to monitor your condition and minimize risks of digging deeper into your mental issues. If you have checked more than five symptoms from the list below, you may be in depression: most of the time you feel depressed and everything can irritate you; you lose interest in the activities that you liked or enjoyed before; you have noticed changes in your weight or appetite; you have difficulties with falling asleep or waking up and you sleep longer than it is required for the normal brain functioning; your actions are slowed down or you cannot rest for a long time; you feel tired and have a lack of energy most of the time; you constantly feel worthless and guilty; you have troubles with focusing on things, the lack of concentration, inability to create and make decisions; you often have thoughts about suicide or just do not want to live. If you found that this checklist applies to your condition, ask for professional help as soon as possible. Students usually neglect their mental conditions and do not ask for help. That is why there are a lot of self-harm and suicide cases among students. Where to seek for help For most students, it is hard even to admit that they suffer from serious mental condition and that they need professional help. But the next challenge is finding the place where they can find that help. Usually, it is more difficult to find a place where you can address your mental issues comparing to physical problems. So students, even if they have admitted they have problems, cannot identify the place they can go with their problems. That is why we have collected some options you may use in case you seek for help or some of your friends or mates does. University counselling services Usually, universities provide students with numerous services and counseling. They often hire qualifies counselors and psychologists to provide students with professional help or at least checking service. And this can be the place where you can get qualified advice considering your mental health. In some universities, such help can be provided by other students that can be even more effective as they have faced the same difficulties of assimilation a year or even less ago. This option allows students to feel more informal without visiting special offices whether they might feel like crazy. But the friendly peer conversation may be really helpful. You can check the university website and see what resources and services are provided for students. Personal tutor To make it easier to adjust to university life, most universities assign a personal tutor to each student. The level of the care they provide may vary depending on the educational institution, but anyway, this is one of the options for providing help for freshers. Sure thing, the significant part is played by the relationships you will have with your tutor. And if you are lucky to find a common tongue, you can share your feelings and worries in a friendly conversation, especially if you have any mental worries. Your tutor may help you directly or advise to talk to someone who will more likely help you. Your GP It is okay if you do not feel like sharing your worries, especially connected with mental illnesses, as you have changed your doctor after moving in. But if you suffer from serious problems and cannot cope with them on your own, you need professional help and the doctor is one of the most suitable people for providing it. Despite the fact that your GP is not specialized on mental issues, he or she will be able to define the service that will suit your need the most. They also may prescribe you some medications to ease your condition. This is the place where you can get a doctor’s note to justify your missing classes, exams etc. Online self-help In case you cannot make yourself talk to professional or other people, you can try to find a solution online. There are numerous websites and resources where you can share your concerns and discuss your mental problems. We refer now to the services like Student Minds, the NHSs Moodzone, and Students Against Depression. The Samaritans This is the place where you can find immediate help if you feel too depressed and you worry about your life. This is a 24-hour service that can be reachable anytime and any day. You can call there for free on 116 123 and find a person to talk to and discuss your worries in your head. You can rely on receiving a sincere help, advice and simple a shoulder to cry on. You can tell what you worry about the most and even find a solution to the most concerning issues. London Nightline This is another British service that is aimed at helping students with their issues. The service is available via the phone or live chat. They are available at night hours between 6 pm and 8 am, to close the gap when other services do not work. You can call there using 020 7631 0101 or text on 07717 989 900. Also, Skype, IM and email options are available. The contact info can be found on the website. Nightline has well-trained volunteers-counselors who want to help students and provide valuable advice to make it easier to overcome years of studying. They offer a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to cry on. You also can be sure that your communication will be strictly confidential. What about my classes? You need to realize that your health, both physical and mental. Are of the main priority and you need to put them in the first place anytime you feel seriously sick or depressed. Do not try to keep up with your educational plan ignoring your mental issue. You risk getting more serious conditions if not fix the current slight depression etc. Extensions to assignment deadlines If you feel anxious due to having many deadlines, you become less able to complete the task properly eventually. So you can make everything even worth by trying to keep up with deadlines even if you are mentally exhausted. So try to ask your tutor to extend your deadline to provide you with the opportunity to recover and have some rest (physical and emotional). A doctor’s note can help to prove that you do not fake your condition and you really need help. Usually, tutors and professors try to be sympathetic to students, especially the freshers so you can rely on their understanding. Apply to defer or retake exams If your mental condition makes it impossible to pass current exams or you are strongly sure that your bad results were caused by mental issues, you can request for deferral. If you really can explain why you ask for re-talking, you will likely be provided with this opportunity. Moreover, if you observe that you constantly perform badly on your exams even if you know the topic or subject, you need to check your general mental condition as this may be one of the signs of depression. Do not waste your time expecting that everything will be fixed somehow without any actions from your side. Make it possible to provide an explanation and proofs that your mental health affects your exam performance. After this, you will be allowed to retake the exam without any penalties. Do not take no for an answer Universities are obliged to pay attention to the mental conditions of their students. So if you face some unsympathetic attitude to your emotional problems, you can address to the students’ union and receive the proper help, assistance etc. If you still cannot find a solution†¦ Take some rest. Take a break and move back home for a while. Or you can travel to some other places to relax and change the environment. This is a great opportunity to revise your life plans and goals. Maybe you will find out that you do not want to dedicate yourself to the university to the extent you did before. Or you just took too much on your shoulders and a few months off may become a solution. The main statement of this article is that you should not be ashamed of mental conditions you may suffer from. You will show you strength if you will try to fix it.

6 To-Do List Styles to Get Your Life in Order

6 To-Do List Styles to Get Your Life in Order Do you find the idea of making a to-do list strangely daunting? If you’re one of those people who don’t naturally tend to the to-do list, you might need a little help or inspiration to get you started. Here are some of the best templates, options, and styles for you to try.The Old School ListGo the simple route and simply handwrite your list. If you get a random thought and aren’t near your computer, just jot it down! You can always add it to a more high-tech list later on. You might find this method less distracting when you’re in a working groove. If you have a hard time conceptualizing how to organize your list, there are tons of printable templates in .doc or PDF. Just print ‘em out and fill ‘em in!Bullet JournalingEverybody’s talking about Bullet journaling. Read up on this new technique, described as â€Å"a customizable and forgiving organization system†- an all-in-one â€Å"to-do list, sketchbook, notebook, and diary.â₠¬  It helps you keep your lists manageable in size and keep items from overwhelming you while making sure more of them actually get done. So go to the website and see whether or not the Kool-Aid is right for you!Breaking It DownSet yourself one big goal for the day, then break it into actionable chunks. The smaller tasks will feel more manageable than the larger goal, and you’ll find you chip away at them quickly. Once you build momentum, you’ll be surprised at how fast you knock out your ultimate goal and consider that day a success.Use Your CloudUse the cloud calendar function already on your laptop or your phone. They’ll merge effortlessly together so you can update from either device and have your to-do list with you at all times. And it can help you visualize how much time you have for each segment of your day. Try out the Google â€Å"Goals† feature along with this method for your long-term wish list of goals.Prioritize Your TasksCheck out Wunderli st, Todosit, or iDoneThis, or the thousands of apps like them, to sort your to-dos by priority level. You’ll also earn reward â€Å"points† for every task completed, which is just fun enough to make you feel really good about yourself. If you want a version with fewer bells and whistles, try Template.net which sorts your tasks into columns like â€Å"to do, to get, to call,† etc. Or TidyForms, which lets you schedule out two full days instead of one.Do It For CupcakesNo, honestly, that’s the name of the template. Design Eat Repeat created an adorable weekly organizing template called DO IT FOR THE CUPCAKES that lets you identify six goals per day. If you finish all your tasks in that week, you get cupcakes! Well, you’re strongly encouraged to get them.

The Negative Effects of the Grading System Essay

The Negative Effects of the Grading System - Essay Example While each individual has perceptions of what an A or a C or an F should mean with regard to student achievement, the reality is that these measures are often applied inconsistently and arbitrarily. Letter grades often become efforts to shoehorn subjective learning assessments into an objective measurement system that does not necessarily lend itself to being applied in that way. Further, such grades can be applied with relativism, such as in the context of a bell curve whereby students are given a grade that may not truly reflect their mastery of the subject matter, simply because of their juxtaposition to other students in the class. Ultimately, there are several potentially negative effects of the traditional letter grading scale that warrant a wholesale review of how student performance should be appropriately measured under various circumstances. To be sure, the traditional system may be the best system for some situations, namely where students are objectively tested and scored on the material. However, education is largely becoming a more complex, subjective and nuanced endeavor in a world that is rarely black and white. This paper will assess the appropriateness of the traditional letter grade system for measuring student success in various types of learning environments, and evaluate some of its alternatives. It will also discuss the potential negative consequences of applying the traditional objective letter grade system where it may not be appropriate to do so. The Meaning of Letter Grades A's and B's no longer mean what they used to, largely because they have become the predominant grade given. For example, a recent analysis of grades in Indiana public schools shows 75% of all grades given were either A's or B's, with only 10% being D's or F's (Stockman, 2007, para. 3). That leaves 15% of grades being C, which intuitively would be the median grade. Such an uneven grade distribution begs the question of whether grade inflation is at play, or whether the vast majority of students are really earning these high grades. According to Matthew Hartley, assistant professor of education at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education, "It's important to remember that grade inflation is a shift in grades without a corresponding improvement in performance. . . If your institutions are becoming more competitive and selective, it may be that they are admitting better prepared students who are earning A's, which means there is no inflation" (para. 7). Largely due to this uncertainty about how well deserved a grade actually is, letter grades are becoming increasingly irrelevant as students move toward the transition from school to the workforce. As George Kuh of Indiana University asserts, "If you talk with business and industry leaders, they'll tell you grades don't matter . . . What you really want to know is if they're flexible, adaptable, can they work with other people" (para. 30). Thus, it seems a different, more subjective measurement of student performance may be in order if the goal is to help students succeed as working professionals. An approach that evaluates students on their ability to apply what is learned in a way that makes them functional contributors to society would likely be more valuable to

Discrete and Combinatorial Mathematics (Week 4) Assignment

Discrete and Combinatorial Mathematics (Week 4) - Assignment Example 8.) Figure 11.10 shows an undirected graph representing a section of a department store. The vertices indicate where cashiers are located; the edges denote unblocked aisles between cashiers. The department store wants to set up a security system where (plainclothes) guards are placed at certain cashier locations so that each cashier either has a guard at his or her location or is only one aisle away from a cashier who has a guard. What is the smallest number of guards needed? 15.) For the undirected graph in Fig. 11.12, find and solve a recurrence relation for the number of closed v-v walks of length n ≠¥ 1, if we allow such a walk, in this case, to contain or consist of one or more loops. 22.) For the graph in Fig. 11.37(b), what is the smallest number of bridges that must be removed so that the resulting subgraph has an Euler trail but not an Euler circuit? Which bridge(s) should we remove? You are an electrical engineer designing a new integrated circuit involving potentially millions of components. How would you use graph theory to organize how many layers your chip must have to handle all of the interconnections, for example? Which properties of graphs come into play in such a circumstance? If the likelihood of the edge (v1, v2) is 50%, then there are equal chances that that edge will not be a section of the edge set. Similarly, for all the pair of vertices we can say that there is equal probability of having or not having an edge between those two. So, if there are n vertices in the vertex set then there can be maximum n "single connected component" (in which no edge is there) of that graph or minimum one connected component in which all the vertices are connected to each

Creative Writing and High School Essay Example for Free

Creative Writing and High School Essay Creativity is Everything: You can Make Writing Fun by being Creative If someone was to come up to me and ask me what kind of writer I am, I’d say that I someone who enjoys making up fairy tales along with reading and watching movies about fairy tales. I am a writer who likes to use their imagination, this is due to the kinds of books that I use to read. I wanted to be the next Dr. Seuss. Growing up, my imagination is all I really had. My family had to move a lot because my dad always had to switch jobs. We’d move to different states every couple of months, sometimes we’d stay for a year or two. I never really had anything stable. I couldn’t participate in any sports or extra-curricular activities. There was one thing that I did have though, I had my imagination. With my imagination, I drew the weirdest pictures and wrote from the most magical to the most gruesome stories I could. I always had myself occupied with my stories. I was never bored when we were on the road, I’d be writing random ideas for stories in my spiral notebook if we were on the road and read books like there was no tomorrow. I made writing and reading fun for myself and I enjoyed doing it. My Timeline with Reading As with all children, they being with their parents reading bedtime stories to them. I loved being read to at night. My favorite bedtime books were several Dr. Seuss books like One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and Green Eggs and Ham. As I got older I began to read poetry more than anything. My all time favorite author is Shel Silverstein; he is one of the most brilliant and talented poets. He has helped me improve in my reading, as well as my writing. Some of the books I could never put down was The Missing Piece, The Giving Tree, and Where the Sidewalk Ends. Throughout my elementary days to middle school and high school, I have read at least over one hundred books, written vigorious reports over the years and have changed my point of view towards reading and writing all together. 1984 by George Orwell did it for me, along with Lord of the Flies; I read these two books my senior year and they really made an impact on me. 1984 really freaked me out, it had me thinking, what if there really is a Big Brother in our world; Lord of the Flies made me realise that there are monsters in all of us, and only some of us are pure and innocent, like Simon was. Transforming from Doodle Writer to Competitive Writer In 2004, I was located in the Belleville/Canton area here in Michigan. I attended Henry Ford Elementary. My teacher’s name was Ms. Dixon. This wonderful woman was the one who really started to get me into writing a lot more . At Henry Ford, we had an annual fourth and fifth grade writing contest. No fourth grader ever wanted to enter it, but they still did to try to impress each other with their stories. Looking back, I felt skeptical about doing the writing contest. I had no idea what I should write about! I was having a writer’s block. No good ideas came to mind; I was stumped. A few students in my class chose to write about their pets or what they wanted to be when they grew up, but that just wasn’t my style. After a couple of days, something popped into my head. Halloween was around the corner shortly; I decided to try to come up with a nasty, disgusting story that formed around the Halloween theme. I started to brainstorm, then it hit me. The perfect idea for a story. It was gruesome, disturbing, creepy, and just nothing you’d think a fourth grader would write about. My very short, scary, story was about a two-headed baby who was found behind a dumpster on evening, the parents took the baby into their home. Come to find out the baby is a cold-blooded murder; one who slaughtered anything in its path (I told you that you wouldn’t think that a fourth grader would write about something like this). I ended up winning second place in the writing contest, that’s when my writing started to expand. Progressing throughout School with Writing and Reading As time went on, I was out of elementary school and into middle school. This was the time when book reports really made me not like writing. As much as I am a book reader over a writer, writing papers on books†¦ It was just wrong in my mind. I wrote book reports on Helen Keller, astronauts, Rosa Parks, the Holocaust, etc. I never really enjoyed the reports, they took the fun out of reading for me. Eighth grade came we started to write about who our heroes were; I wrote about my baby cousin that had died a year before. He was my rock. That was basically my main focus point for all my papers. After I left middle school, I started to attend the high school, Lincoln High School. This school has had me on a roller coaster since day one. We immediately began to read, How to Kill a Mockingbird, we had to analyze and write about the morals of the story. As time went on, I found out that I qualified for several AP English classes. Junior and senior year, I took AP British Literature, AP Issues in Fiction, and AP Creative Writing. The only class that I enjoyed going to was my creative writing class. In that class I was able to write about anything that I wanted. I wrote about fairy tales, I wrote a children’s book for the elementary kid, short stories, everything! I felt at home, comfortable with writing rather than I felt in my other two English classes. I am a creative writer, I write what comes out of my heart and mind. Everything I wrote just had an amazing flow, I never ever want to stop writing as long as I can make it fun for myself; and make it interesting for others to enjoy too! Where I am Today as a Reader and Writer I am in college now, so there is a lot that has changed. Im still a very creative writer, there isnt a class that Ive came across yet that I can take where I can express my creativity in writing. I am hoping that down the road Ill come across a class that is somewhat like my high school creative writing class. I still read regularly, I just finished the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy by E. L. James, and Ive got to say, I never thought that Id have so much interest in a book that has such a vulgar topic. I know deep down that I have room for improvement with my writing skills as well as my reading, and Im hoping to improve myself better throughout the next four years that Im going to be spending at Eastern.

The Extinction Event and Life in the Post-Apocalyptic Greenhouse :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Extinction Event and Life in the Post-Apocalyptic Greenhouse The biggest mass extinction of the past 600 million years (My), the end-Permian event (251 My ago), witnessed the loss of as much as 95% of all species on Earth. Key questions for biologists concern what combination of environmental changes could possibly have had such a devastating effect, the scale and pattern of species loss, and the nature of the recovery. New studies on dating the event, contemporary volcanic activity, and the anatomy of the environmental crisis have changed our perspectives dramatically in the past five years. Evidence on causation is equivocal, with support for either an asteroid impact or mass volcanism, but the latter seems most probable. The rest of this article spends time speculating through the advances in technology and the reanalyzation of old evidence to determine various cataclysmic events that happened millions of years ago. There are many sections in this article that discuss the methods used to determine the closet possible dates and the sequence in which they follow. There are also sections in this article which discuss methods used for the evidence of impact, eruption and how reading the environmental changes can help paleontologists determine conclusions and narrow the perspectives of paleontologists (scientists) and popular culture as a whole. However, there are still many factors in the evidence collecting process that make it difficult to determine the actual events, let alone the sequence of them. For instance, at the end of the Permian, giant volcanic eruptions occurred in Siberia, spewing out some 2 million km3 of basalt lava, and covering 1.6 million km2 of eastern Russia to a depth of 400-3000mteres, equivalent to the area of the European Community. Consequently, with increasingly precise dating, the Siberian â€Å"Trap† (areas which are composed of basalt, a dark-colored igneous rock which is generally not erupted explosively from classic conical volcanoes, but usually emerges more slowly from the long fissures in the ground) have switched from having only a minor role in the Permian crisis to being the most probable cause of the whole catastrophe. Some scientists have even suggested recently that the massive flood basalts were actually themselves caused by a giant extraterrestrial impact, which tore deep into the continental crust of that part of present-day Siberia. So this is yet another example the evolutionary and

Packaging and the Environment

Packaging and the Environment The growing of the packaging industry is one of the phenomena of the 20 first century. Most people would non oppugn the necessity of packaging in our civilization both domestically and globally. It is perfectly indispensable for the distribution of trade goods and peculiarly for the retail of nutrient and other perishable points. There has been an increasing consciousness and concern about packaging in that the theoretical account of â€Å"use one time and throw away† puts a big load on the environment. Plastic has been the focal point of the attending. Paper merchandises really rapidly go wet and contract and quickly biodegrade to go portion of the natural environment. Tin home base rusts quickly and glass bottles are broken. Plastics do none of these things. They retain their form, composing and visual aspect for a really long clip, and when it is considered that a one pint polythene bottle weighs less than one ten percent of the weight of a glass bottle, the ground for the hapless image of plastics boxing as a constituent of litter is evident. ( Scott, pg. 189 ) In the first topographic point, the cost of plastics has been increasing at a slower rate than that of paper, tin-plate and glass in recent old ages. Second, plastics have certain built-in proficient advantages over the traditional options. They are really much lighter than glass and metals. Unlike paper, they do non absorb H2O, and since wet opposition is indispensable in nutrient packaging both to incorporate the nutrient and to defy bacterial taint from outside the bundle they have an overpowering advantage over paper. This advantage, coupled with the escalating monetary value of wood mush for paper, has led to a steady replacing of paper. ( 190 ) The packaging industry is an recognized facet of modern society and reflects the manner in which personal goods and belongings are looked upon as progressively disposable. This sentiment is a common subject which runs through all facets of the environment. A civilization born and raised in metropolitan countries, is non linked to nature or the environment. Their nutrient comes in a can, bag, bottle, or plastic wrap. The waste goes into bins that are emptied on a hebdomadal footing. Out of sight out of head, and the one manner disposal theoretical account continues. Many communities are mandating recycling as a manner to coerce decreases in solid waste. As the recycling industry grows, boxing interior decorators will necessitate to take recycling concerns into history. Harmonizing to Dr. Susan Selke, a packaging professor at Michigan State University, planing reclaimable bundles will cut down the solid waste disposal burden â€Å" provided a recycling system is in topographic point and the bundles enter the system. † With the important growing in recycling across the United States, guaranting that bundles can be recycled expeditiously and economically is paramount. ( Stana pg.18 ) Industry is faced with doing bundles that fit modern American life styles bundles that offer convenience and easiness of usage for all people every bit good as protect the merchandises. Packagers are committed to equilibrating these economic and societal considerations with environmental issues to bring forth bundles that meet the usage and disposal demands of s ociety. ( pg.19 ) And therein lies the job. Boxing fills trash containers and landfills, enduring far longer than the merchandises it was made to incorporate. It consumes natural resources. And it can besides reassign chemicals into our nutrient, with unknown wellness consequence. ( Claudio, pg. A233 ) If environmental harm is inordinate from the waste of packaging, the best solution is to beef up environmental ordinances regulating the extraction and production of the natural stuffs needed to do the packaging. ( Dewees, pg. 458 ) There is besides what is called User-Pay policies. User-pay policies require families to pay for each bag or can of waste collected, typically one dollar per bag. Paying per unit provides inducements to minimise packaging purchased, to divide recyclables for aggregation, and to minimise waste volumes in general. User-pay policies have by and large been implemented in communities that already have a curbside reclaimable aggregation plan. Empirical surveies of the experience with such plans finds that waste aggregation is reduced by between 14 per centum and 47 per centum. ( pg. 462 ) The costs of curbside recycling plans vary well among legal powers and over clip. This suggests that policy should non oblige curbside recycling in all topographic points and at all times. Again, flexible policies that encourage recycling when its benefits are high and its costs are low would be efficient. ( pg. 467 ) Since packaging is on a planetary graduated table, it would be prudent to look at policy outside of the United States. The German Waste Disposal Law is non merely really luxuriant, but besides instead complicated. A huge sum of statute law has been enacted at national, regional and local degrees, and an huge volume of proficient regulations and ordinances have been introduced, all of which purpose to guarantee that waste disposal and the recycling of used objects are non damaging to the general public assistance. ( Weidemann, pg. 1135 ) Trade and industry are now called upon to â€Å" change by reversal the concatenation of idea † . Packaging should be re-usable, every bit lasting as possible and the stuffs used should be suited for recycling. The decisive instrument for the enforcement of this doctrine is the duty to take back packaging, which the Regulation imposes throughout trades and industries. Taking the Regulation as a theoretical account, the German Minister for the E nvironment plans to publish similar ordinances for farther merchandises. The undermentioned ordinances are in readying: Regulation for the Avoidance and Recycling of Waste from Printed Materials, Regulation for the Avoidance and Recycling of Waste from the Disposal of Vehicles ; Regulation to Guarantee the Introduction and Extension of Returnable Beverage Container Systems ; Regulation for the Avoidance, Reduction and Recycling of Waste from Used Electrical and Electronic Equipment, Regulation for the Disposal of Construction Materials ; Regulation for the Disposal of Boxing incorporating Residues of Noxious Filling Substances ; Regulation for the Disposal of Used Batteries. ( pg. 1137 ) The United States could afford to take a expression at such rigorous policies. There are besides biodegradable options to conventional plastics. Presently the costs of bioplastic polymers are still much higher than that of mainstream plastic opposite number nevertheless, the impacts of biodegradable bioplastics, when come ining the waste watercourse and handled by landfill, recycling, and incineration, enable a possible option for waste intervention through composting as a manner to retrieve the stuffs and to bring forth compost as a utile merchandise. ( Davies, pg. 2129 ) Unlike conventional petrochemical-based polymers, biodegradable and compostable bioplastic polymers can be composted. Making or naming a merchandise biodegradable has no built-in value if the merchandise, after usage by the client, does non stop up in a waste direction system that uses the biodegradability characteristic. ( pg. 2131 ) It is clear from research done that several biodegradable packaging stuffs can be processed in place composting systems and output compost stuffs suited for wor ks growing. This capableness will enable such stuffs to be disposed of in well-run place composting systems and consequence in waste recreation from municipal waste watercourse. ( pg. 2137 ) Bioplastic polymers have great possible to lend to material recovery, cut down the usage of landfills and usage of renewable resources. Widespread public consciousness of these stuffs and effectual substructure for rigorous control of enfranchisement, aggregation, separation and composting will be important to obtaining these benefits in full. ( pg. 2138 ) In sum-up, recycling is one scheme for end-of-life waste direction of plastic merchandises. It makes increasing sense economically every bit good as environmentally and recent tendencies demonstrate a significant addition in the rate of recovery and recycling of plastic wastes. These tendencies are likely to go on, but some important challenges still exist from both technological factors and from economic or societal behaviour issues associati ng to the aggregation of reclaimable wastes, and permutation for virgin stuff. Though developments at an international and national degree are driving a civilization alteration towards more sustainable direction of waste in concern, it is the enterprises being implemented at a local degree which are ensuing in the most direct impact. ( Hopewell, pg. 2124 ) It is the concern advantage to be gained from effectual waste direction which is possibly the strongest driving force of all. ( Cain, pg. 1430 ) With the coming of â€Å"green† consumerism, concern behaviour forms look set to alter, as over-packaged goods are boycotted and composting enjoys a resurgence. ( pg. 1435 ) Though developments at an international and national degree are driving a civilization alteration towards more sustainable direction of waste in concern, it is the enterprises being implemented at a local degree which are ensuing in the most direct impact. ( Hopewell, pg. 2124 ) Communities are progressively turning to local environmental establishments ( LEIs ) to turn to unmet environmental challenges. This impulse toward place-based solutions and the creative activity of LEIs is fueled by the desire to do environmental policy more antiphonal to local values and involvements and to travel off from â€Å" one-size-fits-all † environmental plans crafted by distant authorities bureaus. ( Konsiky, pg. 3 ) When it comes to packaging, local communities can instantly make up one's mind what is best for their localised environment. Normally this far exceeds the capacity of a authorities which has no cognition of the local environment or resources. In the 1960’s Sweden had tur ning environmental concern. At the clip different bureaus handled different facets of the environmental issue with really limited powers, since the power to make up one's mind on those affairs rested with the Cabinet or with the County Administration. Their resources were besides really limited. The Governmental Principal Proposal on the Environment of 1965 marked the beginning of a new, integrative stage in Swedish environmental policy. It was the beginning of an incorporate policy. What followed is considered the nidation stage. In 1967, an incorporate administrative organic structure was established. It covered the Fieldss of nature conservancy, H2O and air protection, out-of-door diversion and the protection of wildlife. ( Lundqvist, pg. 95 ) The tendency now is toward the establishing of an increasing figure of demands that make it necessary for fouling industries to take appropriate steps for the protection of the environment. The bureaucratism and the deficiency of communicat ing between bureaus has been cut to a bare minimal ensuing in more immediate action towards environmental concerns. The displacement of focal point demands to be less on packaging and more on policy. Policy is what will do alterations in packaging waste. Presently, political urgency of environmental reform may be weakening. Public support for environmental ordinance remains high, but environmental policy suffers from the ups and downs of the issue attending rhythm. This may merely be a job in a media-controlled society like the United States. But, at least at that place, it undermines the demand for consistent and uninterrupted attending to public policy issues that is indispensable for serious determination devising. ( Mandelker, pg. 108 ) Mandelker continues, the general populace supports environmental reform because it believes it will get away the load of conformity but participate in the distribution of benefits. In short, the public expects a free drive. This does non ever go on, and public support for environmental steps disappears when the true allotment of benefits and loads becomes evide nt. For illustration, in 1970 public resistance Clean Air Act arose when other costs which the Act imposed became evident. Congress was cognizant that effectual control of car pollution would necessitate alterations in transit wonts every bit good as bounds on car pollution. The public doesn’t want to be inconvenienced. They are excessively disconnected from the environment. We all want a clean environment because that is the right thing to make. When it comes down to taking an easy life style, or a clean environment, the populace will take the easy path. One ground is that they have non been educated about the environment and another, the reverberations from mismanaged resources have non affected their day-to-day lives. Any alteration must be extremist. Intervening at the borders is non plenty. What is needed most is to set an terminal to the destructive utilizations of symbolism in environmental political relations. This will non be easy. Political symbols provide a cutoff for mobilising support in a complex society where issue argument is hard, and public attending in the issue attending rhythm is brief. ( pg. 116 ) Public environmental instruction must get down in the schools. It should ramify to every country of life. Movies, media, and the amusement industry, must force environmental consciousness. It is non a short program, nevertheless in one coevals, it could alter the United States if non the universe. A coevals could be formed for zero acceptance of politicians that make determinations based on money alternatively of the good of the common people. There are excessively many illustrations of the calamity of the parks that have been the consequence of the corrupt or greedy few. John Ehrenfeld captures the current sentiment ; losing about wholly from the problem-oriented activities of today is a vision of a universe that is sustainable, even a definition of sustainability is losing. No admiration that we move frontward merely on occasion, alternatively floating largely sideways or backward. ( pg. 48 ) In our coevals, we exhibit a religion in instruction which is firm. In malice of grounds to the contrary, we believe that cognition leads to virtue and that truth will so bring forth goodness. ( Hurst, pg. 35 ) It is with this cognition that we can alter the destructive class we are heading. Get downing with kids, instruction of the environment and linking each one of them to it on a personal degree will guarantee regard for the environment subsequently. Ehrenfeld closes with a statement that wraps everything up ; as this happens, encoded elements of a sustainability paradigm will get down to replace the old cultural pillars. And as the structuration procedure works its evolutionary manner, the whole system should go more and more unfastened to sustainability, supplying fertile dirt for the visions of the interior decorators to take root. ( pg. 196 ) Plants Cited Scott, Gerald. â€Å"PACKAGING AND THE ‘THROW-AWAY ‘ SOCIETY† . Journal of the Royal Society of ArtsVol. 122, No. 5212 ( MARCH 1974 ) ( pp. 188-202 ) Stana, Edward J. Packaging and the Environment. Natural Resources & A ; Environment, Vol. 9, No. 2 ( Fall 1994 ) , pp. 16-19. Published by American Bar Association Luz Claudio. OUR Food: Packaging & A ; PUBLIC HEALTH. Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 120, No. 6 ( JUNE 2012 ) , pp. A232-A237. Published by: Brogan & A ; Spouses Donald N. Dewees and Michael J. Hare. Economic Analysis of Packaging Waste Reduction. Canadian Public Policy / Analyse de Politiques, Vol. 24, No. 4 ( Dec. , 1998 ) , pp. 453-470. Published by: University of Toronto Press Clemens Weidemann. GERMANY: Regulation ON THE AVOIDANCE OF PACKAGING WASTE. International Legal Materials, Vol. 31, No. 5 ( SEPTEMBER 1992 ) , pp. 1135-1144. Published by: American Society of International Law J. H. Song, R. J. Murphy, R. Narayan and G. B. H. Davies. Biodegradable and Compostable Alternatives to Conventional Plastics. Philosophic Minutess: Biological Sciences, Vol. 364, No. 1526, Plastics, the Environment and Human Health ( Jul. 27, 2009 ) , pp. 2127-2139Published by: The Royal Society R. Aspinwall and J. Cain. The Changing Mindset in the Management of Waste. Philosophic Minutess: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Vol. 355, No. 1728, Clean Technology: The Idea and the Practice ( Jul. 15, 1997 ) , pp. 1425-1437 Published by: The Royal Society Jefferson Hopewell, Robert Dvorak and Edward Kosior. Plastics Recycling: Challenges and Opportunities. Philosophic Minutess: Biological Sciences, Vol. 364, No. 1526, Plastics, the Environment and Human Health ( Jul. 27, 2009 ) , pp. 2115-2126. Published by: The Royal Society Stephen M. Meyer and David M. Konisky. Adopting Local Environmental Institutions: Environmental Need and Economic Constraints. Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 60, No. 1 ( Mar. , 2007 ) , pp. 3-16. Published by: Sage Publications, Inc. Lennart Lundqvist. Sweden ‘s Environmental Policy. Ambio, Vol. 1, No. 3 ( Jun. , 1972 ) , pp. 90-101. Published by: Springer Daniel R. Mandelker. Environmental Policy: The Following Generation. The Town Planning Review, Vol. 64, No. 2 ( Apr. , 1993 ) , pp. 107-117. Published by: Liverpool University Press Sam T. Hurst. Environment and Education: Past, Present, Future. Journal of Architectural Education ( 1947-1974 ) , Vol. 19, No. 3 ( Dec. , 1964 ) , pp. 35-37. Published by: Taylor & A ; Francis, Ltd. John R. Ehrenfeld. Sustainability by Design. A Insurgent Strategy for Transforming Our Consumer Culture. September 2008 Published by: Yale University Press

Packet Sniffing

Sniffing In short, packet sniffing is the method used to see all kinds of information as is passes over the network it is linked to, but how does a packet sniffer work? A packet sniffer is a piece of software or hardware capable of monitoring all network traffic. It is able to capture all incoming and outgoing traffic for example clear-text passwords, user names and other private or sensitive details. Packet sniffing is a form of wire-tap applied to computer networks instead of phone networks. It came into vogue with Ethernet, which is known as a â€Å"shared medium† network.This means that traffic on a segment passes by all hosts attached to that segment. Ethernet hardware contained a filter that prevented the host machine from actually seeing any other traffic than that belonging to the host. Sniffing programs turn off the filter, and thus see everyones traffic. In the scheme of things, a computer usually only examines a packet of data that corresponds to the computerâ€℠¢s address but with a packet sniffer you are able to set the network interface to ‘promiscuous mode’. In this case it examines ALL available information passing through it.As the data passes through the system it is copied and stored in memory or on a hard drive. The copies are then able to be studied and the information analyzed. The captured information is decoded from raw digital form into a  human-readable  format that permits users of the protocol analyzer to easily review the exchanged information As soon as you connect to the internet, you ‘sign on’ to a network that is under the watch of your ISP. This network can communicate with other networks and in short forms the basis of the internet.If a packet sniffer is located at a server owned by your ISP, it has the potential to gain access to: * The web sites visited. * What is searched for on the site. * Your e-mail recipients. * The contents of your mail. * Any files you download. * A list of your audio, video and telephony options. * A list of visitors to your website. Switched vs. Non-Switched In a non-switched network environment packet sniffing is an easy thing to do. This is because network traffic is sent to a hub which broadcasts it to everyone. Switched networks are completely different in the way they operate.Switches work by sending traffic to the destination host only. This happens because switches have CAM tables. These tables store information like MAC addresses, switch ports, and VLAN information [1]. Before sending traffic from one host to another on the same local area network, the host ARP cache is first checked. The ARP cache is a table that stores both Layer 2 (MAC) addresses and Layer 3 (IP) addresses of hosts on the local network. If the destination host isn’t in the ARP cache, the source host sends a broadcast ARP request looking for the host. When the host replies,the traffic can be sent to it.The traffic goes from the source host to the switch, and then directly to the destination host. This description shows that traffic isn’t broadcast out to every host, but only to the destination host, therefore it’s harder to sniff traffic. Passive Vs. Active Sniffing Sniffers are a powerful piece of software. They have the capability to place the hosting system’s network card into promiscuous mode. A network card in promiscuous mode can receive all the data it can see, not just packets addressed to it. Passive Sniffing If you are on a hub, a lot of traffic can potentially be affected.Hubs see all the traffic in that particular collision domain. Sniffing performed on a hub is known as passive sniffing. Passive sniffing is performed when the user is on a hub. Because the user is on a hub, all traffic is sent to all ports. All the attacker must do is to start the sniffer and just wait for someone on the same collision domain to start sending or receiving data. Collision domain is a logical area of the network in wh ich one or more data packets can collide with each other. Passive sniffing worked well during the days that hubs were used.The problem is that there are few of these devices left. Most modern networks use switches. That is where active sniffing comes in. Active Sniffing When sniffing is performed on a switched network, it is known as active sniffing. Active sniffing relies on injecting packets into the network that causes traffic. Active sniffing is required to bypass the segmentation that switches provided. Switches maintain their own ARP cache in a special type of memory known as Content Addressable Memory (CAM), keeping track of which host is connected to which port.Sniffers operate at the Data Link layer of the OSI model. This means that they do not have to play by the same rules as applications and services that reside further up the stack. Sniffers can grab whatever they see on the wire and record it for later review. They allow the user to see all the data contained in the pa cket, even information that should remain hidden. The terms active and passive sniffing has also been used to describe  wireless network sniffing. They have analogous meaning. Passive wireless sniffing involves sending no packets, and monitoring the packets send by the others.Active sniffing involves sending out multiple network probes to identify APs. How Does a Packet Sniffer Work? A packet sniffer works by viewing every packet sent in the network. This includes packets not intended for itself. How does it do this? Three types of sniffing methods are used. Methods may work in non-switched networks or in switched networks. These methods are: IP-based sniffing I. P -based sniffing works by putting the network card into promiscuous mode and sniffing all packets matching the IP address filter and is the original type of packet sniffing.The IP address filtering isn’t switched on so the sniffing program is able to capture all the packets. This method will only function in non-s witched networks. MAC-based sniffing MAC-based sniffing works by putting the network card into promiscuous mode and sniffing all packets that match the MAC address filter. ARP-based sniffing ————————————————- ARP-based sniffing doesn’t put the network card into promiscuous mode because ARP packets are sent to its administrators. This is because the ARP protocol is stateless.This means that sniffing can be done on a switched network. Once a hacker has found possible networks to attack, one of their first tasks is to identify the target. Many organizations are nice enough to include their names or addresses in the network name. The Sniffer program works by asking a computer, specifically its Network Interface Card (NIC), to stop ignoring all the traffic headed to other computers and pay attention to them. It does this by placing the NIC in a state known as promiscuous mode.Once a NIC is promiscuous mode, a machine can see all the data transmitted on its segment. The program then begins to constantly read all information entering the PC through the network card. Data traveling along the network comes as frames, or packets, bursts of bits formatted to specific protocols. Because of this strict formatting, the sniffer peels away the layers of encapsulation and decodes the relevant information stored in the packet sent, including the identity of the source computer, that of the targeted computer, and every piece of information exchanged between the two computer.Even if the network administrator has configured his equipment in such a way as to hide information, there are tools available that can determine this information. Utilizing any well known network sniffing tools, an attacker can easily monitor the unencrypted networks. Modes: On wired broadcast and wireless LANs, to capture traffic other than  unicast  traffic sent to the machine running the sniffer software,  multicast  traffic sent to a multicast group to which that machine is listening, and  broadcast  traffic, the  network adapter  being used to apture the traffic must be put into  promiscuous mode; some sniffers support this, others don't. On wireless LANs, even if the adapter is in promiscuous mode, packets not for the  service set  for which the adapter is configured will usually be ignored. To see those packets, the adapter must be in  monitor mode. Who Uses a Packet Sniffer? Packet sniffers are often used by ISP’s as a diagnostic tool for their back-up systems, so it is in fact a well-utilized form of technology. Packet sniffing is also sometimes used to investigate the habits and actions of criminals, for example in the FBI’s Carnivore System.As I am sure you will appreciate from the above, packet sniffers can be a useful, relatively harmless tool or a potentially dangerous invasion of privacy. Packet sniffers are a perfec t example of how technology may be used to help or to harm. USES: The versatility of packet sniffers means they can be used to: * Analyze network problems * Detect  network intrusion  attempts * Detect network misuse by internal and external users * Documenting regulatory compliance through logging all perimeter and endpoint traffic * Gain information for effecting a network intrusion * Isolate exploited systems * Monitor WAN bandwidth utilization Monitor network usage (including internal and external users and systems) * Monitor data-in-motion * Monitor WAN and endpoint security status * Gather and report network statistics * Filter suspect content from network traffic * Serve as primary data source for day-to-day network monitoring and management * Spy on other network users and collect sensitive information such as passwords (depending on any content  encryption  methods which may be in use) * Reverse engineer  proprietary protocols  used over the network * Debug clie nt/server communications * Debug network protocol implementations Verify adds, moves and changes * Verify internal control system effectiveness (firewalls, access control, Web filter, Spam filter, proxy) DEFENSE Detection Protection Conclusion Having looked at what they are, why they work and how they are used, it is easy to view sniffers as both dangerous threats and powerful tools. Every user should understand they are vulnerable to these types of attacks and their best defense lies in encryption. Administrators and professionals need to know that these programs are superb diagnostic utilities that can, unfortunately, be used with malicious intent on any network.