Mini Trial

Incredibly, there are currently over â€Å"3,000 asses of Mesopotamia annually' in the US and more than â€Å"1 0,000 cases† globally (â€Å"The Mesopotamia Center†, 2014). Asbestos lawsuits are continuously prevalent and can be identified by simply turning on a television set any given time of the day. More than likely there will be an asbestos lawsuit commercial on several channels. Since the sass's, Maryland has had its fair share of these lawsuits because of its asbestos production and inherent health risk posed to the surrounding communities.In 1 993, Baltimore had more than â€Å"200,000 cases† pending against the state of Maryland and the courts had become inundated with an insurmountable mountain of lawsuits (Ogden, 1 993, pig. 38). Attempting to manage all of these cases put a serious strain on the court systems and jeopardized the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the state's judicial infrastructure. The question for legal professionals was how t o handle such a large surge in caseloads. The answer came in the form of an Alternate Dispute Resolution (TAR) known as a Mini-Trial.This TAR process created a means for legal professionals to process large groups of disputants through a dispute resolution process in minimal time. Asbestos mini-trial proceedings in Baltimore were conducted in ropes and series so that the most severe cases could be handled first. The unprecedented decision to utilize mini;trials in this capacity yielded quicker results than normal bench-trial cases could and paved the way for the continued use of this form of 3 TAR. The unique style in how the mini-trials were applied to the Baltimore asbestos cases is what really stood out.Case Study As the amount of plaintiffs grew against multiple companies involved in asbestos manufacturing, Judge Marshall A. Levin of Baltimore's Circuit Court, ordered the majority of the cases to be performed as mini-trials (Person, 1993). This process would alleviate Some of th e limiting factors being experienced in regards to litigation saturation. With literally thousands of affected citizens, Judge Levin felt that a series of mini-trials would clear up a large portion of the individual claims bogging down Baltimore's court system.The first thing he ordered was for the trials to be conducted in groups. Within these groups, legal professionals to include the judge; would select the most important cases first. His first grouped involved over 600 cases in which patients were already sick or dying from asbestos related illnesses (Person, 993). It was important to process these cases quickly so that any damages awarded could be used for healthcare immediately. Another group involved a series of plaintiffs that were seeking damages from either being exposed to asbestos or not being properly informed of the dangers of asbestos.Even though these were of lesser importance, the process of the mini-trial still afforded the plaintiffs quick resolution. Because ther e were so many people involved in all of these cases, the judge would also only allow a select few to present testimony. By doing this, Levin prevented the same testimony from Ewing heard by thousands of plaintiffs with the same argument. This â€Å"abbreviated version† of a full court trial proved his theory that mini-trials were beneficial in lieu of (Colors, 2009, pig. 203). Time was not the only thing gained by these trials however.Judge Eleven's first mini-trial only took four weeks and caught the attention of several other judges. During the second set of 4 trial series, three judges from Baltimore joined him in hearing six more major asbestos cases. Those mini-trials yielded more than SSL 1 million in restitution for three out of the six cases (Person, 1993). Knowing that the number of asbestos cases would increasingly rise, Judge Levin created the â€Å"New Discovery Rule† that would supersede any statute of limitation Maryland had in regards to asbestos relate d lawsuits (Ogden, 1993).Applying additional gateways offset the non-binding agreement mini-trials and other forms of TAR normally have. Discussion The overall goal in hearing asbestos cases quickly and clearing the courts of hemorrhaging lawsuits was ultimately a success. Eleven's progressive approach to dispute resolution proved that alternate methods can be fair and equal. Properly categorizing claims that were more severe against claims that were to was paramount in choosing first to appear cases. The quick action of the mini-trial afforded victims in need compensation necessary to the treatment of their illnesses.By grouping the trials into series, the mini-trials also protected the asbestos manufactures of frivolous law suits and false claims of lung cancer due to smoking and not asbestos exposure. One of the biggest conclusions that can be drawn from this case is that the mini-trial is adoptable and long lasting. As recently as 2013, exactly 20 years after Baltimore's first a sbestos min-trial, Maryland is still using the TAR practice ND is a â€Å"major forum for asbestos litigation† (Richard, 2014). Baltimore's use of the mini-trial not only relieved the strain of over tasked court system, it proved that different forms of TAR could save time.

Essay of the Ideology and Social Base of Bharatiya Janata Party Essay

The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) was formally launched as an independent political organisation in February 1980, after the split of the Janata Party on the R.S.S issue. Most of east while Jana Sangha members along with a few others, left the Janata Party to form the B.J.P. Thus the B.J.P. is a reincarnation of the Jana Sangha, the militant Hindu nationalist party founded in 1951 by Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. The object of the Jana Sangha was the rebuilding of Bharat as a modern, democratic society in accordance with religious precepts. The party adopted four fundamentals one country, one nation, one culture and a rule of law that would determine its future course of action Nehru described the party as its â€Å"Illegitimate child.† Professor Rasheeduddin Khan has rightly remarked, â€Å"The BJP has prints of continuity with the Jana Sangha, in its discipline and well knit organisational set up and units linkage with the traditional Hindus socio-cultural organisations, the RSS a nd the VTTP.† Support Base: The BJP’s support base is essentially the same as that of the erst while Jana Sangha. It is a party of the urban educated Hindu middle classes professionals, small businessmen and white collar workers. In Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi and Rajasthan BJP is the ruling party with charismatic leaders like Suresh Meheta, Gopinath Mundle, Mandas Lai Khurana and Bhairon Singh shekhawat. But BJP’s most impressive performance was in Karnataka, U.P. and Gujarat in 1991 election. In all these states the BJP vote went up by over 20%. Gujarat represents the BJP’s most spectacular showing. Electoral Performance: In 1967, the party gave its full support to the SVD ministry in U.P headed by Charan Singh and it had 98 members in the Vidhan Sabha. In 1977, with 98 of its men in parliament under the Janata banner it received only three cabinet ministership. In 1980 the party backed Jagajivan Ramand in 1983 with their 18 members in the Karnataka legislature the BJP supported R.K. Hegde who was then of a minority The BJP bore V.P. Singh on its shoulders after he formed the Jana Morcha. In 1984 during its worst showing only 2 Lok Sabha seats it still polled 7.4% of the national votes ahead of the Janata’s 6.7 percent and the Lok Dai’s 5.6. Ideology and Programme: The BJP believes in Gandhian socialism. The party says that its socialism is inspired not only bi Gandhi and JP but also by a Deen Dayal Upadhyaya. It stands for positive secularism and clean government while laying emphasis! on the ‘Hindus Idiom’ on its poll manifesto, the party stands for justice for all and appeasement of none. Policy of reservations for the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes apply the same policy to the backward castes broadly in line with the recommendation of the Mandal Commission. The party also favours smaller and stronger states desires to abolish Article 370, favours uniform civil code and would like to establish Human Rights Commission. BJP – RSS Relationship: The Jana sangh has been closely associated with the RSS. The RSS has served as the organizational base for the party. The BJP being its successor, what type of relationship it has with the RSS? The official stand of the BJP and the RSS is that those are two separate organizations working in two different -fields. Besides they do not interfere in each others work. But an over whelming majority of the BJP workers have RSS background. Therefore a large number of people think that the two organizations belong to the one and some family. Even the BJP has reaffirmed its RSS link. It seems this link as vital to its newly emphasized commitment to national unity since it believes that the RSS’s patriotism is unmatched. It is’ in fact proud of its link with RSS. The BJP is now being viewed as an alternative to the century partoes that have so far had a monopoly on power.

Feminist Perspective of the Role of Lady Madeline Essay

â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher (1939)†, arguably Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous short story, is a tale centered around the mysterious House of Usher and its equally indiscernible inhabitants. These subjects are plagued with physical and mental degradation – the Usher siblings suffer from various abnormal ailments and unexplained fears, while the house itself seems to be tethering on the edge of collapse. The gothic elements in the story are distributed generously, and the plot is increasingly ridden with the supernatural as it progresses. Lady Madeline, Roderick Usher’s twin sister, is a key element in the story. She suffers from a disease much like catalepsy, a disease that subjects her to seizures and insensitivity to various stimuli. Roderick himself, on the other hand, suffers from an â€Å"acuteness of the senses† and a strong belief that the house is somehow alive and conscious of its surroundings. Roderick has not parted from the house in years, and has instead elected to keep himself inside to pore over literature and art, rather than threaten his sanity by overwhelming his senses. The siblings are very similar, not only in their appearance, as they are twins, but in their problems as well. They are both suffering from similarly mysterious diseases, and are both aware of the underlying sexual tension in their relationship. Early in the story, the readers are made aware of the age-old Usher tradition that has kept the Usher family ‘pure’. In other words, incestuous relationships were the norm for them. However, by no means was Madeline and Roderick’s relationship condoned by the rest of society. This essay will examine the story from a feminist perspective, focusing on understanding the narrating styles of the male author, and the actions of the characters in the book. It will also look specifically at the ways that women have suffered from social conventions throughout the years, and compare it to Madeline’s struggles in the story. Women & Poe Males are the dominant gender in the text, both in terms of dialogue and in description. The complete absence of a female voice in the text, save for several moans and groans from Madeline scattered throughout the story, is  pointedly apparent. Throughout the story, Madeline never utters a single word – what the readers know of her is severely limited by the vague descriptions given of her and the way she is treated. Not only do males dominate the text in terms of their presence, but there is also a greater sense of regard among the male characters themselves than there is between Madeline the the male characters. They seem to regard her ailments less seriously than they do of Roderick’s, giving Roderick’s much more detail and explanation than that of Madeline. Roderick’s description, on the other hand, seems to go on an on, reaching into Poe’s treatment of Madeline after her apparent death is a representation of the author’s strangely violent attitude towards women. Like in a number of his other works, women are subject to strange and horrific treatment after their deaths. Berenice was buried alive, and had all her teeth pulled. Ligeia sees the death of two women, and a perverse return of one of them. One could conclude that Poe had misogynistic tendencies, though the fact that Madeline did rise up in power could be seen as support for an opposing perspective. Women in Victorian Society Understanding the circumstances behind the treatment and portrayal of Madeline also demands an understanding of how women were expected to act, especially as reflected in nineteenth century literature. At that time, women were expected to adhere to certain well-defined virtues, centered around the virtures of submissiveness and domesticity. To some extent, a woman’s value depended quite largely on her physical attributes. This refers not only her physique, but also to her abilities in carrying out household tasks. Women were traditionally seen as homemakers – people in charge of matters in the household, not outside. Men, of course, were seen as the mind and intellect of the household, and the one qualified to receive an education and work in the outside world. A woman’s mental ability was regarded as essentially limited to superficial sensing, while a man would have been seen as the one responsible for complex thought and reflection in a household. In a way, Madeline’s suppression by her twin brother and the way she generally presents herself reflects this. Madeline does not speak, and simply obeys the orders of everyone else in the house. Roderick, on the other hand, always has the final word. This is exemplified once again the  Roderick’s live burial of Madeline, in which Madeline could not do anything to change her fate. In the nineteenth century, the female daughter is seen as a critical supporting element of the family. She was expected to keep her aspirations and motivations rooted in maintaining and upholding the family and its name, from within the household. The way Madeline was buried, â€Å"half smothered in its oppressive atmosphere†, reflects the way she was smothered in Victorian society. The nature of their illnesses also reflect the gender roles of the era. While Roderick’s illness amplifies his senses, Madeline’s disease, described as â€Å"a settle apathy, a gradual wasting away of the person†, dampens hers, reducing her into an ‘barely-there’, almost ghostly, individual. Roderick is able to isolate himself from the outside world to spare him from the torture of his oversensitivty, however, Madeline is helpless towards hers. Madeline’s illness subjects her to physical degradation. On a mental level, she is suppressed by the gender roles and expectations of the time. Relationship between Madeline and the Other Characters Madeline’s burial represents the suppression she is subject to under Usher tradition, and under the ideals of her brother. She cannot truly be herself or express herself fully, because of the expectations she has to fulfill. Even from the start, she is trapped in the house, trapped under the shadow of her ancestor’s expectations, and trapped under the realization of what she and her twin brother would have to do to continue their family line in the traditional Usher fashion. Madeline has no freedom, both in life and in â€Å"death†. It is a feminist victory, then, to see Madeline emerge from the depths of her suppression to exact her revenge and exert her power over those who have suppressed her all her life. He then says that his sickness can be â€Å"traced to a more natural and far more palpable origin†Ã¢â‚¬â€namely, to his â€Å"tenderly beloved sister—his sole companion for long years—his last relative on earth.† Madeline’s display of power and ability to induce fear is an abrupt change in the dynamic among the characters. Instead of the silent, unregarded character she has always been portrayed as thus far, Madeline is finally clearly seen as a powerful figure, capable of breaking out of her constraints, both physical and mental, and exacting justice on her own. It is interesting to see that Madeline only manages to struggle out  of these constraints after her apparent death. Perhaps in only allowing Madeline to break free after her death signifies that for women, stepping out of the very well-defined social conventions of the day is as difficult as death itself. Furthermore, Madeline’s new appearance as a strong character over her brother’s meekness represents how women actually have the capability to rise up and over society’s expectations for them, when given the chance. In that final scene, while Roderick is â€Å"a victim to the terrors he had anticipated†, Madeline is fearful and intimidating, with her â€Å"lofty† appearance and the blood on her clothes displaying the kind of struggles she has experienced and conquered. Perhaps this point offers insight into why this invoked fear in the readers of the era – to see a woman assume such a powerful role would have seemed abnormally threatening. Another notable fact is that Roderick’s condition visibly deteriorates after the departure of Madeline from his daily life. It signifies that despite Madeline’s apparent weakness and low value, she does play a fundamental role in the Usher family. It suggests that she may have been a strong character from the start – but the readers just cannot immediately see it as it is shrouded by the lack of attention on her and descriptions of her. In essense, a feminist criticism of â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† reveals much about the nature of the characters and their relationships, as well as the reasons behind the circumstances and the characters’ subsequent actions. A prominent theme stems from the context of the story, the Victorian era. By knowing how women were expected to act, we see the reasons why she was treated a certain way, and why her response was far from active. Madeline’s final actions, however, reflect a different side of the female role, adding a very interesting twist to the story. Bibliography: â€Å"Early Nineteenth Century Attitudes Toward Women and Their Roles as Represented By Literature Popular in Worcester, Massachusetts.† Teach US History |. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2012. . â€Å"‘Sympathies of a Scarcely Intelligible Nature’: The Brother-Sister Bond in

Steve Jobs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Steve Jobs - Essay Example born in California on February 24, 1955 to students Joanne Simpson and Jandali Abdulfattah resulting in him being given up for adoption by Paul and Clara Jobs. He knew that he was adopted from an early age. â€Å"My parents were very open with me about that,† he said3. Furthermore, Steve Jobs grew up in California attending Reed College but dropped out after six months since the fee was too much for his parents1. He did not completely drop out of college but attended classes that were interesting to him including a calligraphy class that he would later be grateful for in the development of Macintosh and refer to it in his inaugural speech at Stanford University. After working for Atari as a video games designer from 1974, he travelled to India for inspiration and returned a Zen Buddhist to California, where he was introduced to Steve Wozniak by a friend2. Moreover, Steve Jobs was offered a job for the design of a circuit board with reduced chips, and he partnered with Wozniak, paying him $350 out of the $10,000 paid by Atari. After the design and sale of blue boxes with Wozniak, Jobs and Wozniak formed their own company naming it Apple. Then he was 21 and it is at Apple that he pioneered technological advancement in computers, music, movies, phones, management, leadership, and will be remembered as an icon in his own right. Steve Jobs personality is one of the main factors that propelled him to achieve his iconic status in the technology industry. His personality entailed an unbelievable imagination in terms of the vision that Steve Jobs had of Apple’s products changing the manner of communication, work, and lives of the people3. He imagined products that would change the world for the better and his perfectionist nature made this possible. Steve Jobs was in a position to design and develop products that were innovative and interactive to make people love them, and he insisted on a perfect design that allowed him to develop a strong brand. Passion is the other

Assignment 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Assignment 1 - Essay Example For instance, since 2004, the company has been aggressive in pursuing strategies that could help address problems of climate change. In addition, the company has helped farmers come up with measures that would keep them off from farming activities that endangers the environment. Packaging wastes have been reduced by a way of introducing recyclability cups. In fact, recycling has been one of the primary principles of reducing waste generated by company’s stores. The company’s goal is to implement front-of-store recycling by 2015. By 2012, the company had managed to have 153 front-of stores recycling. Nevertheless, the company has been cited calling for all parties’ responsibility to take care of the environment citing that some customers do not take personal responsibility to dispose used materials in a responsible manner. However, the company has also focused on building environmentally sound stores as well as conserving energy. In summary, Starbucks has emphasized on the need to take care of the environment and continued support to all stakeholders to take part in environmentally friendly activities. In fact, the company has argued that instilling environmentally measures such as recycling reduces its operating

The Impact of Joe Colombo's Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Impact of Joe Colombo's Design - Essay Example He sketched fantastical visions of a futuristic nuclear city, where man would exploit advances in atomic science to create a new way of living. Later became a founding member of the art concrete group. His father has inherited a ribbon factory, which he turned into an electrical conductor manufactory. In the factory he experiment with the modern production processes and latest developed plastics such as fiberglass and polyethylene in order to create good domestic designs. Later he gave up his work on paintings and focus on his designs to promote his design career. He ventured into design by creating a ceiling for a Milan jazz club. He designed three open-air rest areas featuring television shrines in which TV sets were used to construct mini theaters or shrines. He opened a design factory in Milan. He has his own design office. He worked on conception and architecture. His early designs were mostly for lodges and hotels. He also worked on many designs using plastic. He created the first chair molded from a single material. In his mission to furnish this world with new type of habitat, he applied new production processes and materials to existing types of furniture. His Elda armchair was made from fiberglass. He made furniture with aluminum, then ABS and, finally, polypropylene. Stackable and easy to clean, the universal chair is also adjustable because its legs can be unscrewed and replaced with longer ones. He was intent to reinvent the furniture as new concepts, which would definitely be better suited to a mobile lifestyle. He also designed a Combi-Centre container, which consists of cylindrical units to store things like books, tools and drinks etc. He also designed a Man-Woman container, a futuristic version of a 19th century trunk in which shelves, drawers and mirrors are hidden. The tube chair, Ragno outdoor light, two in one drinking glasses and a self-supporting smoking pipe, which did not require a stand, are remarkable creations of Colombo. Inspired by

Occupational Segregation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Occupational Segregation - Essay Example As the paper outlines occupational segregation exists, then, when women and men are distributed across occupations so as to be out of proportion with their overall participation in the labour force. In the United Kingdom, most occupations are comprised of predominantly male or predominantly female workers and many are identified as men’s or women’s work. This essay covers different theories explaining facts and figures of occupational segregation as described by researchers, its measurement and existence, gender, occupations, its consequences and explanations have been covered. This study declares that levels of aggregation affect the index of segregation in two ways. First, occupational segregation increases with the decrease in the level of aggregation of the data. For instance, women hold 74.5 of all teaching positions in 1995 but 89.5 of all elementary school positions. Gender segregation increases still more when one considers job-level segregation within firms. Second, the variability of occupational categories between years or between organizations can cause misleading comparisons. Some English scholars cite more fundamental problems with the index of dissimilarity. Watts claims that it is faulty because it fails to replace those workers who move to other occupations, resulting in a distribution that does not resemble the previous occupational structure. To overcome this problem, Watts proposes the use of the Karmel-MacLachlan index, which factors in the replacement workers. Blackburn, Jarman, and Siltanen conclude that the index of dissimilarity is seriously flawed by the fluctuation in sex and occupational composition.

I totally understand where your coming from and this is why Personal Statement

I totally understand where your coming from and this is why - Personal Statement Example Thus, the red menace acted like a buffer in keeping the arms race going on and in keeping the business of the two Super Powers from running out. It is as if the two countries had a great degree of understanding in planning and executing the way the Cold War progressed. Indeed, it looks like a game played skillfully with an ulterior business motive. As Eric Berne observes in his book Games People Play: The Psychology of Human Relationships, â€Å"War is the grimmest of all games† (50). It is interesting to think what the history of the last half of the twentieth century would have been like, had Roosevelt been alive a little longer. Perhaps Hiroshima would not have been destroyed. Perhaps the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan would not have been necessary. But these are idle thoughts, not of any consequence. It is hard to buy the notion that the US disinterestedly spent billions for the ‘reconstruction of Europe’. It can only be as true as philanthropy is for h elping the poor. It was politically and commercially motivated and the red menace provided a pretext for the maneuvers. The projected pretext ultimately melts down to a joke with Russia joining the NATO in 1992. Today it matters little whether the red menace was notional or real. What is important is whether its contribution to the world was good or bad.

Attack metholodgies ( network security ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Attack metholodgies ( network security ) - Essay Example Thus, the security system attackers and hackers are now using the information obtained after penetrating through the security systems to attack the target individuals or organizations and defraud them. Without full understanding of the nature of threats to the network security systems and the methods of attacks applied, it would not be possible to establish a strong security mechanism that will effectively protect the network systems and their associated data from attack. The understanding of the Network Security Attack Methodologies is therefore pertinent to the establishment of the most effective defense mechanisms and capabilities. The modern computer and network security systems are faced by diverse threats, owing to the fact that there has been a general growth in the internet accessibility and use, as well as the overall growth in the number of targets comprising of both individual and organizational computer and network security systems [1]. The attack capabilities has also increased, due to the development of more advanced hacking and attack tools, following the increased knowledge and skills of computer operation and usage that have come with the advanced technology wave. Securing the network security systems against potential threats, both for the individuals and business organizations is a present effort that seeks to protect older systems already established, while also securing the newly acquired systems. While the protection of the network security systems against known threats could be easy, there is a need to ensure the continuity of proactive efforts to detect emerging new threats and understand their defense mechanisms [2]. The understanding of the network security attack methodologies require a broad focus on who is interested in attacking, what their motivation is and what capabilities they have to exploit the network security weaknesses [3]. The network security systems are far ahead of the available defense

Theories of motivation Essay Example for Free

Theories of motivation Essay Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed clearly showed us how difficult it was for the lower 20% population of America to merely survive an entire day. Given the fact that it was during the years 1998 and 2000 that America had its glorious economic boom, it cannot be denied that Ehrenreich’s novel brought to us a wakeup call to reality. On how she struggled to merely pay for her rent or even to get herself enough food to eat is something that a lot of Americans are actually experiencing, especially now that we are in the state of recession. If Ehrenreich had conducted her experiment in the present, I believe, she would have gotten a worse and more difficult experience. The state of America’s economy now is something far from promising—not only for Americans but also to everyone else throughout the globe. It can never be denied that whatever the state of a country’s economy is there will always be a greater percentage of people who belong to the base of the economic triangle. Those people are the ones who struggle to merely have a bed to sleep on at night or even food to eat for the day. They are the ones who push themselves to the limit—physically and mentally—just to survive. Back in 1998, America was considered as one of the best economical refuge of people from different countries. A lot of Asians, Latin Americans, Australians and even Europeans alike venture to the United States to find a better state of living. Nowadays, however, most of those people are starting to leave the country to go back to their homeland due to the sudden loss of jobs and affordable places to live in. This is one proof that indeed, compared to before, the economy of the United States has gotten worse and if Ehrenreich did conduct her experiment in the present, she’d definitely have a harder time. In 1998, 1-star motel rent rates of the US ranged from $13 to $20 a night, depending on the location of the motel and the services that were included with the rent, such as TV, telephone, security, etc. These motels usually were badly kept, needed serious repair and didn’t even provide the basic needs of the usual customer. These were the types of motels that a usual low-wage homeless worker goes to stay. In the present, 1-star motel rates are actually much steeper compared to before, ranging from $55 to $90 a night, with the fact that less motels are available now due to the increasing instability rate of America’s economy. Given those facts, if Ehrenreich would have conducted her experiment in the present, her chances of finding a cheap will-do place would be smaller. She’d have to struggle into either working extremely hard to pay the rents of the most available motel she could find or stay nights in her car for the moments that she didn’t have a place to stay. Of course, Ehrenreich’s chances of surviving in the present would vary greatly depending on her wages. With the reality that wages are a bit higher nowadays compared to before, Ehrenreich would still be having a hard time. In 1998 to 2000, minimum wages were around $6 to $7 an hour and having only one job is not enough to pay for anyone’s monthly rent—add to that food, medics, gas and all the other basic necessities. During the experiment, Ehrenreich struggled from being a waitress to a housekeeper to a dietician and in every month that she had her experiment, she always had to have two jobs just for her to pay the monthly rent. As time goes by, the rich multiply in number, twice as much for the poor and like what Ehrenreich said in her novel, low cost apartments and motels are being replaced by expensive condominiums and apartments, forcing people to rent spaces that they cannot even afford with merely just one or two jobs. If Ehrenreich were to conduct her experiment in the present, she would likewise be forced to rent a space that’s either near her workplace or quite available, which however would force her to choose between extremely expensive and quite affordable. According to Time Magazine, the hourly minimum wage was increased by . 85 cents back in 2007. This happened to be a relief for some people who were working in companies that somewhat considered their employees for good compensation. In some small businesses, however, like Laundromats, Supermarkets and Salons, not much change were seen. Employees who worked under such industries had wages that averaged to only $3 per hour. Given this scenario plus the sudden spike of unemployment in America due to fluctuating prices of basic necessities we could pretty much say that Ehrenreich’s chance of survival drops to nearly impossible. Simply put, Barbara Ehrenreich’s experiment would definitely have different results if she had conducted it in the present. Given the facts of unemployment, fluctuating prices and lack of available resources, Ehrenreich’s chance of survival would be less compared to before. Today is simply a much harder time to live. We are living in a world that’s crueler than before. Surviving is much more difficult, living is truly tiring. America is now a different country, offering hope to some and none to almost everyone. Works Cited: Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By America. USA: Metropolitan Books, 2001. Hansen, Randall S. â€Å"Surviving and Moving Beyond Low-Wage Jobs: Solutions for an Invisible Workforce in America†. 14 November 2008. http://www. quintcareers. com/surviving_low-wage_jobs. html. Caplan, Jeremy and Fitzpatrick, Laura. â€Å"The Worst Jobs in America†. Time. 30 July 2007. 14 November 2008. http://www. time. com/time/business/article/0,8599,1648055,00. html? imw=Y.

System Thinking Approach to Problem Solution

System Thinking Approach to Problem Solution Introduction System thinking is an important component in the climate system, and plays a key role in diagnosing the organisation by using different methodologies .System thinking is an approach for looking at problems from many angles, looking at the whole problem rather than parts (Jackson 2008). In this assignment the writer will explore A problem issue and use the appropriate methodology to solve the problem. Problem Situation Arab National Bank (ANB), a Saudi Joint Stock Company, is one of the top ten banks in the Middle East. Since its inception in mid- 1979, ANB has operated through its 143 local branches, 21 Womens sections and one branch in London, UK since 1991. Arab Bank offers a full range of domestic and international commercial and Islamic products and services to the retail and corporate sectors. The bank also offers consultancy and investment, mutual funds and assets management, local and international equity trading, foreign exchange and treasury services. They are several principal activities, for example, firstly, retail banking such as deposit, credit and investment products for individuals. Secondly , corporate banking such as loans , deposits and other credit products for corporate, institutional customers, small to medium sized businesses and the Banks London branch. Finally, treasury banking: manages the banks trading and investment portfolios and the banks funding and liquidity, currency, and commission risk. The banks staff currently has 3, 532 employees, of which 90 % are Saudi Citizens (ANB). The bank previously achieved significant profits in the absence of real competition and lack of banks and the Public Pension Agency transfers salaries of retirees through ANB, but recently the bank has faced several major problems such as increased staff turnover. Many qualified employees who have several responsibilities in their departments have resigned and gone to other banks. ANB is facing real challenges, particularly the emergence of new competitors with the emergence of new banks after Saudi Arabia joined the World Trade Organization. The new banks such as Al Belad and Al Jazerah are attractive to experienced and skilled employees, because they offer high salaries and a good environment. Also, skilled employees in ANB are working under stressful circumstances; they are working for long hours without motivation. When skilled and knowledgeable employees leave Arab Bank, it is not easy to find alternative employees. This has had a bad effect on ANBs success and growth. Metaphor The essence of metaphor is understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another (Lackoff and Johnson, 1980, p 5). For this study metaphors are used to explore and investigate the subsurface of our problem situation. Metaphors are considered as lenses to expose our worldview and creative thinking. They can be used to understand how different organisations work and how managers can transform their way working and recognise the hidden problems in organisations. Morgan (1997) pointed out that the metaphors in his writing are a good example of how to use metaphor in organisations. According to Mutch (2006, p19) The material on the use of metaphor in organizational analysis suggests a number of approaches. There has been considerable interest in exploring the literary devices that might be used, going beyond the use of metaphor to explore, Morgan (1986) mentions eight metaphors while Jackson (2003) added from Alvesson and Deetz (1996) a ninth one, as follows: Brain: information processing system and efficiency in solving problem. Flux and transformation: wisdom, attractors, chaos and complexity Culture: Society, values, beliefs, laws, ideology, diversity and history Political system: rights, power, hidden agendas, leaders and conflict management Psychic prison: unconscious processes and workaholics Instrument of domination: discrimination , compliance and charisma Carnivals: minimise order and support creativity. Organism: organizations dealing with their environments, structures and improvement. Machine: efficiency, timeliness, and quality Is recognised as a technical appearance that has several (often standardised) parts each with a definite function. Much emphasis is placed on the efficiency of the parts. The machine operates in a routine and repetitive fashion and performs predetermined sets of activites, seeking the rational and efficient means of reaching preset goals and objectives (Flood and Jackson, 1991, p 8). To explore the above stated problem situation, the writer decided to use the organism metaphor as a dominant metaphor and machine metaphor as a dependent metaphor. Organism is relevant because Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has joined the World Trade Organisation. The writer chose these for two reasons; first, the long history for ANB as a profit company (organization structure); second efficiency of production activities in a machine constituted of interlocking parts (organization efficiency). Thus ANB needs adaptations to a new environment .The organization exist in a competitive global environment where there is strong competition for investment, markets and skilled employees. ANB is a profit company and needs to be flexible and to keep eyes on the market because it needs to maintain market share to achieve its targets. On the other hand, is the system of work in ANB is routine, and like a machine, for example tellers and customer services. System of System Methodologies (SOSM) A Complex system is a complicated system that has a large number of subsystems to be operated, and many interactions between the elements. A simple system is a system with clear system with a small number of subsystems to be operated. The operation in the Bank is based on a complicated system with a large numbers of subsystems such as many complex computing and information systems, frequently updated data and financial operations. Employees from the practical and support sides both have diverse views and interests but have the same career expectations (unitary) at ANB. In the writers opinion, this means the problem situation in the ANB is complex unitary situation that involves real world performance as illustrated below, a modified version. Jackson and Keys (1984) suggest that choice of an appropriate system methodology depends on the nature of the problem context. They introduced a matrix, later modified by Jackson to help in classifying contexts. According to system complexity an d participants (see figure A1) . Participants: Participants are individuals who participate to achieve common goals, share the same interests or takes part in something. According to Flood and Jackson ( 1991) participants are divided into three groups : First ; unitary ,they share the common interests , have highly compatible values and beliefs , and large agreement upon ends and means. They all participate in decision making. Secondly, Pluralist; they have basic compatibility of interests and their values and beliefs disagree to some extent .They do not necessarily agree upon ends and means but they participate in decision making .They proceed in accordance with decided objectives. Finally, Coercive; they do not share common interests .Their values and beliefs are likely to conflict .They do not agree upon ends and means. Paradigms: The word paradigm is now commonly used to refer to something like world view or way of seeing things (Jackson, 2008, p 37). According to Jackson and Gregory (2008), therefore are four types of paradigm: The functionalist paradigm: promotes efficiency, effectiveness, survival and adaptation. Related with this paradigm are the machine , organism , brain , and flux and transformational metaphors . The interpretive paradigm: helps managers to search for the degree of shared corporate culture in the organization, increasing commitment and superiority in work life. The culture and political metaphors are related to this paradigm. The emancipator paradigm: pays attention to discrimination based on class, sex, race, and disability. Related to this paradigm are the psychic prison and instruments of domination metaphors. The postmodern paradigm: takes a less serious view of organization, believes it is too difficult to understand using any other paradigm, emphasises having fun in the organizations, and that one can learn much by bringing conflict to the organization surface. The metaphor of the carnival is associated with this paradigm. So I can be seen from these paradigms that the ANB paradigm is functionalist. Having looked at metaphors, system, participants and paradigms, it can be suggested that organism is a dominate and machine the dependant metaphor, organization paradigm is functionalist and the content is complex and unitary. Because the issue as a complex one and as the participants are unitary, it could be said that VSM is the most effective methodology to deal with this issue because this methodology is characterised as complex-unitary. It is also approach for a situation where the participants are functionalist, whishing to promote efficiency, effectiveness and adaptation. Therefore, it is applicable to proceed to the Viable System Methodology (VSM). Application of Viable System Methodology (VSM) The VSM is used in the process of viable systems diagnosis. The VSM offers solutions to problems of complexity; it remains weak in dealing with pluralism, conflict and coercion. This weakness stems from the organism and brain metaphors it employs and the functionalist paradigm it is usually associated with (Jackson and Gregory, 2008, p 49). According to Flood and Jackson (1991), The VSM is an arrangement of five functional elements (systems 1-5) that are interconnected through a complex of information and control loops. VSM help self organisation and localised management of problems. Also emphasis is placed on the relationship between the viable unit and the environment. As mentioned above, the model is made up of five systems 1 5 which may be categorized as implementation, co-ordination, control, development and policy. To diagnose problems in VSM it is important that the functions handled by these five systems be effectively performed in all organisations (Jackson and Gregory, 2008). The VSM is shown in the diagram figure B1, with the relevant elements of ANB indicated. According to Jackson and Gregory (2008):- System 1 has parts directly connected with implementation, and absorbs much of the environmental variety. In the diagram we can see that the departments are connected with the managers and environment. However, it is clear that there is no co-ordination function with system 2. Also there is no clear feedback to top management, so this is considered to be problem. Under normal circumstances compatible instruction from higher management should ensure that various parts of system 1 act in harmony (Jackson and Gregory, 2008). Actually the function in system 1 tries to act in its own best interests but has only local information to go on . System 2 is an essential system because, given their self-rule, the parts of system 1 is liable to take uncoordinated decisions. There is no co-ordination in the organisation and system 2 is vacant. System 3, called the audit channel, gives direct access to the circumstances of relationships in the operations. This control position is should be the CEO. It is clear that there is lack of communication between system 1 and 2 with system 3. The responsibility for this matter lies with system 4 for passing a co-ordinated plan down the line to system 1 and giving the negative feedback to CEO. System 4 is a development function of the organisation and has two tasks. The first task is it switches the orders down to the lower level, then switch responses upwards. The second task is to capture for the organisation all related information about the environment. This is totally neglected in the ANB and there is no connection between the executive committee (Intelligence) and long term environment and there is a weak contact and competition between the short term environment and other departments. There is a lack of information about the external environment or statistics of client satisfaction of ANB does not examine the strong competition between the organisation and others and is not aware of the threats and attractiveness of competitors in the absence of motivation in the organisation. Thus there is no benefit from system 4. System 5 is responsible for policy and making decisions. In the organisation the internal demands are represented by the commitment of autonomic management but external demands are not represented by system 4 and not taken into account because there is no link between system 4 and the environment. After diagnosing the problem in VSM, now this problem will be solved by redesigning the problem using the same basic diagram in figure B2. Board of management policy As shown in the diagram (figure B2), in system 1 the departments perform better because the co-ordination function in system 2 is set, Therefore it is performed effectively and the manager of every department keeps in touch with the co-ordination in system 2 . System 2 as a co-ordination function gives the feedback to system 3, then system 3 accesses the information and feeds back to system 4. System 4 now has a link with the environment to capture for the organisation all relevant information about other organisations and transmit the information to other departments. This will supplying the department of human resources in system 1 with the information and resources to motivate staff and retain them in their work to achieve the goals of the organisation. Recommendations There are a number of important changes which need to be made and so are some recommendation are listed below:- Redesign the reward system to be equivalent to the competitors. Use motivation and recognition system to keep employees loyalty to the organisation Set up a process of evaluation to improve the organisation staff. Criticism When VSM is used to diagnose a problem and concentrate on some levels, sometimes, It leads to lack of information on particular individual assistance to achieve the goals for each level. VSM cares about some features of the organization. However Flood and Jackson (1991) point out that VSM neglects the purposeful role of individuals, such as organizational culture, shared responsibility. VSM does not deal with organizational culture because the statistics will not be an accurate reflection of the true status of the organization, so feedback on performance will be disingenuine (Tepe and Haslett, 2002, p 520). This methodology is difficult to apply to diagnose in depth the responsibilities of each level. There may be goals, but they are not fixed and they can take account of the environment (Flood and Jackson, 1991, p 110). Conclusion This essay has argued that VSM is a suitable approach to solve ANBs problem. An implication of this is the possibility that VSM is able to deal with complex situations, even though it neglects some aspects. The VSM revealed that the problem was a weak contact between executive committee and the external environment, and there was no co-ordination , then, necessary changes were identified .These include motivation and keeping in touch with the external environment. Considerably more work will need to be done to determine other aspects of the problem. For example SSM could be better to solve turnover problems. This methodology can be used to develop targeted interventions aimed at diagnosing problem in the organisation.

Customer Satisfaction: Hotel Industry

Customer Satisfaction: Hotel Industry The Hotel Industry had a great pickup in early 1980s, at that time hotel businesses all over the globe tried their best to grew up to international level, different mergers and new continental hotels group came into existence in late 1980s. As research figures indicate tourism and hotel industries have turned into one of the most profitable sources of income throughout the world especially in last two decades. In 1990s Electronic businesses had approach hotel industry very quickly where that became a milestone for the said industry that was beginning of this realistic approach to be followed up by hotel industry. Capital expands from rich countries to least developed countries and than the life standard of the people improved on the global very quickly, more wellbeing requisites introduced to satisfy human needs in the shape of technology, more comfort necessities became familiarized and if we could try to portray the current picture of the world we could see hotel industry affected directly in this regard, hotel industry is responsible for the fulfillment of the human desire up to maximum level. It is an instinct of human nature to be creative all the time, measuring once level of satisfaction in hotel industry is quite difficult but there are obvious rules which can be followed to find the level of customers satisfaction attainment in the hotel industry, Express by Holiday Inn GSTS system has great responsibility to judge all customers issues and tell true pictures of the services levels of the hotel. Abstract The study mainly reviews and discusses the topic of customer satisfaction and its application to the Hospitality industries. Defines the concept and analyzes its importance to services and its importance to serves in general and to hospitality / tourism services in particular. Following a discussion on the dimensions and attributes of satisfaction, lists the main methods of measuring satisfaction and concludes with a review of global and cross-cultural issues that affect satisfaction in hotel industry. consequently this research aims to investigate the customer satisfaction level in Express by Holiday Inn hotel, London City (Firoka Group of companies UK Ltd), to apply a tool of SERVQUAL model in Express by holiday Inn hotel, London City. Study has also enlisted descriptive survey, feedbacks, trends, approaches research collection questionnaire; the research questionnaire data contain 25 questions. We discussed approaches toward integration and comprehensive model of satisfaction and loyalty, The quality of the Relation Customer Orientation The competitive Advantage We will focus on rational questions Why should we measure customer satisfaction and who should be involved? What will be the process involve? Where Do I Start? How Do I measure Satisfaction? How can I get insight from the result? How do I communicate and action the results and then what? The analyzed obtained data revealed that guests perceptions of the offered services were below than expected average level of an index indicating, which gives us an idea that service level not at optimal level. The overall services quality standards needs to be calculated in terms of satisfaction to encounter the differential gap of optimization. List of Tables List of Figures Declaration Chapter 1 1.0 Introduction: Living in competitive world today wasnt being challenged ever before, Economic, Socio Cultural environmental effects are deciding future of the world businesses today, this era is more complex due to its immense finance requirements, More competitive tools have been evolved to satisfy human needs, Presently Service industry prevailing great deal of challenges where! Every customer has high demands on lowest prices, Life standards are increased with the passage of time so as expectations! and it is very important for one business to calculate its expectation level towards its customers and judge where it is standing in the markets, In the Hotel industry the trust of the customer is very much fragile, It is almost necessary for all hotel businesses to keep themselves well updated about customers needs and market demands, To count prompt responses of the hotel customers there are many systems are being utilizing by the hotel industry, Express by holiday Inn is a franchise hotel of InterContinental hotel group, IHG Group has centralized reservation department which looking after all customers issues, They also responsible to prepare performance report of an individual affiliated franchise hotel world wide on monthly basis, the report GSTS encounter all areas which need to be focus in terms of customers satisfaction, later we will discusses in details all main areas of that report. Customer satisfaction is the leading decisive factor for determining the quality and standard which is actually delivered to the customer through the product, service or by the accompanying servicing. (Vavra, 1997); Its simply stated, Customer satisfaction is essential for corporate survival Several studies have found that it costs about five times as much in time, money and resources to attract a new customer as it does to retain an existing customer (Neumann, 1995). This creates the challenge of maintaining high levels of service, awareness of customer expectations and improvement in services and product. Hayes states that; Knowledge of customer expectations and requirements is essential for two reasons it provides understanding of how the customer defines quality of services and products, and facilitates the development of a customer satisfaction questionnaire (Hayes, 1997, p7). Furthermore, customer satisfaction is recognized as of great importance to all commercial firms because of its influence on repeat purchases and word of mouth recommendations (Berkman and Gilson, 1986). The researcher interest is to carryout a study of customer satisfaction at Express by Holiday Inn, London. 1.1 Aims Objectives of the Study The main objective is to conduct the customer satisfaction and its measurement in the hotel industry with special reference to Express by Holiday Inn Hotel, London. Subsidiary Objectives Analyses of costs demonstrating that customer retention is substantially less expensive than customer acquisition. Customer behaviorists in the area of lodging, restaurant, food services and tourism. Customer satisfaction is a psychological concept. Customer purchase goods and service with pre purchase expectations about anticipated performance. Assessment of satisfaction is made during the service delivery process. Satisfaction is not a universal phenomenon and everyone is not getting the same satisfaction out of the same hospitality experience. Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, Empathy and Tangibles. Research Problem Customer satisfaction research is not an end into itself. The purpose, of course, in measuring customer satisfaction is to see where a company stands in this regard in the eyes of its customers, thereby enabling service and product improvements which will lead to higher satisfaction level. Satisfaction is not a universal phenomenon and not everyone gets the same satisfaction out of the same hospitality experience. The reason is that customers have different needs, objectives and past experiences that influence their expectation. The results of a customer satisfaction survey need to be evaluated to determine what needs to be improved. Goals should be as specific as possible. Hotels are often challenged on how to best increase guest satisfaction, and how to optimize both price and occupancy. Employee satisfaction, guestroom cleanliness, amenities, appearance, food and services all contribute to customer satisfaction, and increase customer satisfaction is a proven driver of guest retent ion and higher occupancy rates. Understanding customer experience through research is widely recognized as a key factor in improving long-term business performance. Express by Holiday Inn Hotel had a requirement to obtain daily feedback at an individual level by rooms/reception questionnaire in general for its GSTS (Guest satisfaction tracking system). It has to introduce web based questionnaire survey to create an opportunity to built feedback interface for general public to get provided a cost-effective and practical methodology so hotel future guest see the reviews in term of past feedbacks. In the customer arena, we believe that regular, quantitative measurement of customer satisfaction provides a much better lead indicator of future organizational health than profitability of market share change (Tom Peters, Management guru) Significance of Study Customer Satisfaction measurement (CSM) consists of on two major roles Providing Information Enabling Communication with Customers The initial or primary reason for taking the time to measure customer satisfaction is based on to collect the information. It means that what customers say that need to be done differently or on the other hand to assess how well an organization is currently meeting its customer needs or requirements. But the secondary is not less important function of CSM in hospitality industry that by surveying customers. An organization is emphasis its interest in communicating with its customers. In hotel industry, its always finding out customers needs, pleasures, displeasures and overall well being. Though it is impossible to measure the satisfaction of every single customer needs. The customer satisfaction may different from organization to organization or hotel to hotel. Here we would like to quote Neumann (1995) five objectives suggestions as follows: To get close to the customer Measure continuous improvement To achieve customer driven improvement To measure competitive strengths and weaknesses To link Customer Satisfaction Measurement (CSM) data to internal systems hypothesis Customer Satisfaction is a psychological concept. Customer purchase goods and services with pre purchase expectations. Assessment of satisfaction is made during the service delivery process. Satisfaction is not Universal phenomenon. Recognition of the employees who contribute to the Customers satisfaction Customer based improvement goals Plans for improving operational variables Incorporation of customer satisfaction skills into employees training program Measurement and plan for improvement of employee satisfaction Importance of my Study To satisfy each and every customer or to meet his / her expectation every time is not an easy task especially in hotel industry. This work is to investigate and examine the psychology of the customer, their expectations and behaviour. Tools of data Collection The data collection would include the use of questionnaire, scheduled interviews, guest feedback, and management feedback, guest services track system (GSTS), guest survey, and personal experience along with personal observation. In the questionnaire design, I will use the respondent completes short closed ended questions and long open ended questions. In the interview design, I would like to use personal forms, sharing their experience and work directly with the respondent. In the guest feedback, I would like to get the guest feedback while they are checking out from the hotel, compare their past and current experience. In the management feedback, I would like to get the information from management regarding the standard and complaint level of the guest activities in the hotel. 1.2 Objectives 1.3 Rationale 1.4 Background of the Organisation 1.5 Structure of the Dissertation 1.5.1 Introduction 1.5.2 Literature Review 1.5.3 Methodology 1.5.4 Analysis Results 1.5.5 Discussions 1.5.6 Conclusion Recommendations Chapter 2 2.0 Literature Review 2.1Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction is an important topic for both researchers and managers, because a high level of customer satisfaction leads to an increase in repeat patronage among current customers and aids customer recruitment by enhancing an organizations marker reputation. Being able to successfully judge customers satisfaction levels and to apply that knowledge are critical starting points to establishing and maintaining long term customer retention and long term competitiveness (Yuksel Yuksel, 2002). Customer satisfaction brings many benefits. Satisfaction increases customer retention and customer retention is dependent on the substance of the relationship between parties which is also affected by the service delivered. Satisfaction is an overall customer attitude towards a service provider, or an emotional reaction to the difference between what customers anticipate and what they receive (Zineldin, 2000), regarding the fulfillment of some need, goal or desire. For most products or services, aspects of performance can be objectively assessed. Although these attributes can be objectively measured, customers assessments may not objectively reflect measured performance. Some clients may be taken to several homes that fit their criteria but are unsuitable to the clients personal taste which leads to the clients assessment of the service as being unpleasant because they did not see listings that they liked. Kano, Bentler and Li-tze (1984) developed a model to categorize the attributes of a product or service based on how well they are able to satisfy customer needs. Considering Kanos model, one sees how it may not be enough to merely satisfy customers by meeting only their basic and performance needs. In a highly competitive marketplace, organizations need to adopt strategies and to create product attributes targeted specifically at exciting customers and over-satisfying them (Tan Pawitra, 2001). In real estate to excite or over satisfy customers, an agent would need to have a thorough and vast knowledge of all listings in the local area. In essence, it is the experience and attitudes of the individuals in closest contact with customers that are most likely to affect whether or not customers are satisfied and willing to return to the company. It is also the people in direct contact with customers who determine who the retained and satisfied customers are, and their experience determines how they treat the customers (Hansemark Albinsson, 2004) thus impacting on the service quality delivered. 2-4-1-Customer satisfaction and measuring system: To realize customer satisfaction, everyone within the organization should consider continuous improvement as something normal. As part of this strategy it is important to define the product or service and the customers needs, making an inventory of customers data and complaints, and selecting processes which cause most of these complaints. The central questions in this case are: which products or services do we provide? Who are our customers? What do they want, what are their requirements? Is it measurable? Which critical processes need improvement? By answering these questions continuously, the customer will be better understood, and the product or service will be better in and to create product attributes targeted specifically at exciting customers and over-satisfying them (Tan Pawitra, 2001). In real estate to excite or over satisfy customers, an agent would need to have a thorough and vast knowledge of all listings in the local area. In essence, it is the experience and attitudes of the individuals in closest contact with customers that are most likely to affect whether or not customers are satisfied and willing to return to the company. It is also the people in direct contact with customers who determine who the retaine and satisfied customers are, and their experience determines how they treat the customers (Hansemark Albinsson, 2004) thus impacting on the service quality delivered. To realize customer satisfaction, everyone within the organization should consider continuous improvement as something normal. As part of this strategy it is important to define the product or service and the customers needs, making an inventory of customers data and complaints, and selecting processes which cause most of these complaints. The central questions in this case are: which products or services do we provide? Who are our customers? What do they want, what are their requirements? Is it measurable? Which critical processes need improvement? By answering these questions continuously, the customer will be better understood, and the product or service will be better in tune with the market demand. Which Products/ Services do we provide? First of all, define the most important product or services as concretely as possible. This Definition must indicate what you are really doing as a supplier. The more specific the definition, the better the customers need can be met. Who are our customers? It is important to understand the entire chain of customers. This means that you should know all of your customers. The needs of each customer must be examined separately. Not only the external, but also the internal customers should be considered. In fact, if the company does not satisfy the needs of the internal customers, how will it be able to comply with the needs of the external customer? All employees determine the degree of customer satisfaction. Employees from within different departments must be considered customers of each other. By bringing individual employees together as customers and suppliers, the traditional barriers between departments will be broken. Each employee delivers something to a colleague, whereby one unction as the internal supplier and the other as the internal customer. What do they want, what are their requirements? As a supplier, you should try to figure out what the customer needs and wants. Communication is hereby very important. Talk to your customers and ask them what they think of your product or service. Try to figure out how they use it and what they really want. Listen especially to what they have to say and indicate which customer-supplier relationship needs improvements. The central questions hereby are: -Which needs and expectations do your customers have? -Which needs and expectations do you know? -To what extent do you comply with the needs and expectations of your customers? -If you do not satisfy their needs, what is the reason according to your customers? Making an inventory of customers data, customers complaints and benchmarking are important opportunities to improve the customer orientation of the organization. Information about the opinion of the customer regarding a product or service is of essential importance, and can be obtained in several ways, such as customer surveys, phone interviews, and customer panel discussions. Customer surveys are a powerful tool to get information about what the customer thinks and expects. In general, questionnaires are used with different questions, which may vary from organization to organization. Is it measurable? To comply with the needs of the customer, it is necessary to translate these into product specifications. Quality function deployment is a practical technique to do this. Usually, it is necessary to negotiate with the customer, which results in feasible and agreed on customers requirements, which are measurable and understood by all parties. All statements of the customer about qualitative aspects must be translated into quantitative specifications for the supplier. Define clearly and explicitly what they are talking about. Customer Satisfaction Measuring System: A customer satisfaction measuring system is shown in Table (2-1), to illustrate the activities needed to improve your customer satisfaction. Mark a possibility in this checklist with a cross at each question, and discuss the results of these measurements, and check why this customer Many of these recommendations also apply to your relationships with external suppliers. Treat your suppliers as though they are an integral part of your organization. Listen to their ideas on how you can work closely and productively together, create joint improvement teams with them, invite suggestions from them, assist them in improving their own processes, build mutual trust and respect, reward them if they achieve improvements, let them participate in the celebration of success, involve them in the development of new products and processes, and become a better customer yourself. Expanding your culture of continuous improvement to all your suppliers will ensure that the quality of your inputs is sufficient to meet your own improvement objectives. If possible, minimize the number of suppliers; go with the few best and improvement oriented suppliers with a demonstrated continuous improvement culture and effective leadership by top-management, based on a long term partnership contract. Table (2-1) Customer satisfaction measurement: I customers 1. Do you know who your customers are and how many customers you have? 2. Do you listen effectively to all your customers? 3. Do you regularly make up an inventory of all the needs and expectations of your customers? 4. Did you segment your customers based on their needs? 5. Do you routinely conduct surveys among your customers about your products and services? 6. Are all your employees informed about the results of these surveys? 7. Are more than 75 percent of your customers satisfied? 8. Do you anticipate customer needs? 9. Do you treat each customer as unique? 10. Are complaints replied to whit in two days and solved within one week? 11. Do you stimulate customers to register their complaints? 12. Do you use e-business tools to communicate with customers? 13. Do you have a customers helpdesk or a call center? 14. Do you know which percentage of the customers who terminated their relationship with your organization did this out of dissatisfaction? 15. Are complaints systematically registered and analyzed in your organization? 16. Did you establish complaints handling procedures and are these routinely used in your organization? 17. Do you measure the degree of customer loyalty? 18. Do you make recommendations to customers about the products or services that best suit their needs? 19. Do you know what the costs are when you lose a customer? 20. Do you know what the costs are to gain a new customer? 21. Do you know how much sales you lose due to unsatisfied customers? 22. Do you regularly visit your customers? 23. Do you regularly organize meetings with customers groups to learn about their needs, wants, ideas, and complaints? II. Leadership 24. As a manager, do you know how many complaints are received yearly? 25. is there commitment at top-management for customer orientation? 26. Did you integrate customer satisfaction into the norms and values of the organization? 27. Are these norms and values clearly communicated to all your customers? 28. Does management recognize visible trends and do they anticipate these in a timely manner? 29. Is management convinced of the importance of satisfied customers and do they act accordingly? 30. Does management try to express the importance of satisfied customers to the organization at every occasion? 31. Does management set a good example with regard to customer friendly behavior? 32. Is management open to suggestions and ideas of customers? 33. Does management personally reward those employees who deliver a valuable contribution to increased customers satisfaction? 34. Are relationships with customers reasonably supported and stimulated by management? 35. Is management at all times available to the customer? 36. Does customer satisfaction also belong to the evaluation criteria of management? 37. Are the customers wishes continuously taken into consideration when taking decisions? 38. Does top management also personally handle complaints of customers? 39. Do all members of management in the company have personal contact with external customers at least once a week? III- Policy 40. Is customer satisfaction part of your organizations vision? 41. Did you formulate concrete goals regarding the degree of customer satisfaction? 42. Have you developed e-business strategies for the next two years to increase customer satisfaction? 43. Is the customer satisfaction policy continuously communicated to all employees? 44. Do you have a partnership relation with all your customers based on mutual respect and trust? 45. Do you involve your customers in the development of promotional activities? 46. Do you guarantee your customers a minimal service level and/or complete satisfaction? 47. is there continuous benchmarking with regard to customer satisfaction? 48. Do you involve your customers with the execution of improvement processes in your company? 49. Are more than 50 percent of your employees involved with the improvement of customer orientation? 50. Do you have guidelines with regard to optimally satisfying the customer? 51. Are all employees following these guidelines? 52. Do you have an up-to-date databank in which all characteristics of your customers are registered? IV- Products / services and process 53. Are products delivered within the period expected by the customer? 54. Have you fully integrated the telephone, fax, internet, and any other technology that the customer wants to use to do business? 55. is the phone in you organization answered within three rings in more that 90 percent of the cases? 56. Is every function and each process in your organization arranged to optimally comply with the expectations of your customers? 57. Do these expectations form the basis of internal performance indicators? 58. Are these indicators continuously measured and analyzed? 59. Do you use measured customer satisfaction as an indicator for process improvement? 60. Did you appoint process owners for controlling processes? 61. Do you involve your customers in the development of new products and processes? 62. Do you measure the satisfaction of your internal customers? 63. Do supporting departments within your organization guarantee quality of the work they deliver? V. Human resource management 64. Does customer orientation belong to the profile of the desired employee? 65. Do you have an introduction program in which new employees are also educated concerning the importance of satisfied customers? 66. Are your employees who continuously perform in a customer-oriented manner rewarded? 67. Is training mandatory for each employee in your organization? 68. Are customer orientation and continuous work towards improvement criteria for promotion? 69. Do you regularly organize excursions for your employees and your important customers? 70. Do your marketing employees receive a training of at least two weeks each year in customer orientation? 71. Are your marketing employees free in taking decisions to satisfy customers? 72. Are your marketing employees free to spend what is necessary to correct a mistake made with a customer? 73. Do you involve your employees in improvement projects about increasing customer satisfaction? 74. Do you stimulate your employees to generate ideas about increasing customer satisfactions? 75. Are the employees interest and the interest of the customer related? 2-5. Service quality The concept of service quality as a whole construct is large and varied. The theory has been elaborated on by many researchers. Berry, Parasuraman and Zeithaml (1985) write service quality as perceived by consumers stems from a comparison of what they feel service firms should offer (i.e. from their expectations) with their perception of the performance of the firm providing the services. Perceived service quality is therefore viewed as the degree and direction of discrepancy between consumers perceptions and expectations. For example in real estate, this would be what the client is expecting from the agent in comparison to which is actually delivered by that agent. In real estate, that interaction occurs from the moment the client and agent s peak either verbally or electronically. It is evident that research on goods quality is inadequate in the service field, which has three inherent characteristics: intangibility, heterogeneity and inseparability between production and consumption (Berry, Parasuraman and Zeithmal, 1985). 2-5-1. The Customers Perspective of Service Quality Service quality is usually expressed as a function of customers expectations of the service to be provided (based upon their previous experience, the organizations image, the price of the service for example) compared with their perceptions of the actual service experience (Gronroos, 1984; Berry et al, 1985; Johnston and Heineke, 1998). Perceptions are defined as the consumers judgment of the service organizations performance. However, Parasuraman et al (1988) delve deeper and define the service performance gap as the discrepancy between the specifications of service and the delivery (Chenet, Tynan Money, 2000).

Nudity and Sex in Advertising :: Advertising Advertisements Media Essays

Nudity and Sex in Advertising I have chosen to research and write about the controversy of nudity and sex in advertising in the United States of America. Many people oppose advertising that uses sex and nudity to sell products, while others believe that there is nothing wrong with sex or nudity displayed in adverting. For my final research paper I have chosen to argue with the side that believes it is okay to advertise usually nudity and sex. Countries in Europe use full frontal nudity and sex to sell products all the time and not as many people are offended by the advertisements compared to people in America. I will be discussing why Americans view these advertisements different than Europeans and why with out these advertisements they are making the situation worse. The topic of nudity and sex in advertising is important to all television viewers because if nudity and sex are banned from advertising, what will be banned next. Any thing could be banned with the support of a enough people, so we have to draw a line somewhere. I believe that hopefully my research and conclusions will help change the minds of at least a few people and maybe even start a revolution to allow nudity and sex in advertising. Maybe no one will read my paper or change there minds about the topic, but at least I can say that I tried and gave it my best. I hope though to become more knowledgeable about the topic for later encounters with this controversy. Virgin Mobile has decided to move away from nudity in their campaigns and move more to conservative advertisements. They believe that the change will indeed change them from â€Å"sinners to saints.† Their old ads had nude women wearing only a clear cell phone box where now the ads will contain teenagers talking to religious figures such as priests, monks, and rabbis. They decided to make the change with all the pressure advertising and the media has been getting from showing sex and nudity. I will be using this article in my paper that condemns using nudity and sex in advertising and the media. It will help me show even companies are actually listening to their viewers and in the end changing their advertisements. Word count: 123 Cuneo, Alice Z.

Egyptain Foreign Policy In Regards To Israel & The United States. Essay

The History of the conflict in the Middle East is long and well documented. To both, and to many biased observers the history of the Egyptian/Israeli conflict is very one sided, with one government, or one people causing the continued wars between the two neighboring states. But, as any social scientist of any reputation will state, all international conflicts have more than one side, and usually are the result of events surrounding, and extending over the parties involved. Thus, using this theory as a basis, we must assume that the conflict between Israel and Egypt is more complicated than a partial observer would see it. For the purpose of this paper, we are going to examine the basic factors of Egypt’s Involvement and conflict with Israel, with some emphasis on the involvement of the United State, and the Western Nation in this conflict. Also, I wish to pay particular attention to the question of who, or what brought these countries into conflict. Were they both victi ms of their situation, or did they become actively involved in promoting conflict, or perhaps a third party source, such as the US pushed them into conflict? In 1948, the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel was read by David Ben-Gurion in Tel Aviv. The Egyptians, like most of the Arab states saw this as a creation of a Western State, backed by the British Empire, and thus an imperialistic entity in the Arab homeland. Considering the past 20 years of the Egyptian state, and of most of the Arab nations, was a continual conflict again imperial powers, the Egyptian were naturally weary and afraid of any new imperialistic powers developing in the Middle East. In September 1947, the League of Arab States decided to resist by force the plan for the partition of Palestine into an Arab and a Jewish State, and when the Jewish state was created, the armies of the various Arab states entered into Palestine to save the country for the Arabs again "Zionist" aggression. The Arabs were defeated and the Arab Countries saved a small amount of land, the Transjordon, and the West Bank. Similarly Egypt saved strip of territo ry around Gaza. The causes of this war, and Egypt’s involved can be examined in several ways. Obviously, the creation of the State of Israel ... ... Israeli withdrawal from Sinai took place as scheduled. A multinational force of observers took up positions in Sinai to monitor the peace. Egypt was allowed to station only one army division in Sinai. Since then, Egypt has had a decent relationship with Israel and the United States, and it has been seen by many Arab Countries as the traitor in many circumstances. It is perceivable that without the influence of the United States the peace in Israel would have been different, if not sooner. The United States, in order to push the cold war policies saw Israel and Egypt as pawn in their global game of politics. Especially in the early years, neither country saw the United States as a enemy nor as a ally, and thus depended on it for little. Yet, both countries saw the possibility of gaining resources from the great western power, or at least its enemy the USSR. Under Carter, however the United States, perhaps for the first time, played a peace-making role in the Middle East. Perhaps Carter was being the peaceful President, or more likely he realized the need for peace in the middle east in order to lower the gas prices, and for the US to harness the immense resources of the region.

Mythology: Edith Hamilton Archetypes Essay

In the myth of Dionysus there isn’t exactly a conflict between two sides of people battling for good or evil, its more as a battle between the two sides of Dionysus’ inner self. Unlike most examples of good versus evil, there isn’t a triumphant side. Just the personality switches between Dionysus being the joy-god or the heartless, savage, brutal-god. The reason for this change is due to the fact that he is the vine god; Wine is bad as well as good. He’d bring up peoples hopes and make them believe that they were capable of anything, but once they were sober again or they became drunk, you could see his dark side begin to arise. The hopefulness would fade and then you could see the people transition into darkness. Symbolic Archetype: Water versus Desert In the story of Dionysus, there’s a part where he comes across a crew from a pirate ship in Greece by the sea. The sailors tried to capture him and saw him as a mortal, rather than the son of a god. In the end, Dionysus turned into a lion and turned all but one of the sailors into dolphins and sent them into the ocean. At this point in the story it shows the first glimpse at Dionysus’ ruthless side, almost as if they’re using this scene in the book at the birth of his â€Å"second side†, setting up the second view point of Dionysus’ personality for future conflicts. Character Archetype: The Outcast In the myth, Dionysus was born in Thebes, he was the son of Zeus and Theban princess Semele- he was the only god whose parents were not both immortal. Before Dionysus’ birth he was snatched from his mother and hidden by Zeus’ side, almost as if he was ashamed by Dionysus. Dionysus was passed from person to person, his mother, Zeus, Hermes, and then to the nymphs of Nysa to be raised. As he became a man, Dionysus became a wanderer, wandering far to weird and strange places. Throughout his life he was often shunned  because many didn’t see him to be as he was- a god. They treated him as a lesser being and in the majority of the myth he is set on proving that he is mighty and punishing those who face him with disbelief. Part Two: Stories of Love and Adventure Chosen Myth: Cupid and Psyche Situational Archetype: The Task Psyche was repeatedly put through seemingly impossible tests by Venus, such as sorting seeds, fetching golden wool, and going to the underworld to ask Proserpine for a box of her beauty. Venus put her through these unruly tasks in hopes to keep Psyche away from her son. But on the other hand, Psyche only completed these tasks due to the fact that she thought it would bring her to her love, Cupid. In the end, Cupid and Psyches love prevailed and Psyches ultimate goal of being with her husband was completed. Symbolic Archetype: Light versus Darkness The battle between light versus darkness can be seen when Psyche and Cupid are together in the cave with each other. Although to Cupid the darkness represented trust and faithfulness in his and Psyches relationship, to Psyche the darkness represented the unknown and fear of her husband being a serpent rather than the son of Venus. When Psyche was about to attack Cupid in the cave, she brought the factor of light into their relationship with the use of the candle. To Psyche, this use of light â€Å"confirmed her love† in the relationship, but also brought along the realization that she had upset Cupid with her lack of trust in the relationship. So all in all the battle of light versus darkness was really a battle of trust. Character Archetype: The Star-Crossed Lovers Unlike the play, Romeo and Juliet, Psyche and Cupid’s love affair didn’t end in tragedy, like the beginning of the myth would lead you to believe. In the myth, Venus’ followers began to shrink and more of the attention from her followers were focused upon Psyche because she was more beautiful than Venus. Venus ordered her son Cupid to make Psyche fall in love with pretty much a scumbag, but instead Cupid fell in love it Psyche. When they were  together Cupid hid himself from Psyche because he knew the repercussions that their love could have. They were two people destined to not be together with every obstacle in their way, but in the end they made it work. Part Three: The Great Heroes before the Trojan War Chosen Myth: Perseus Situational Archetype: Supernatural Intervention On Perseus’ journey for Medusa’s head it was very much expected that he would fail and die, which was Polydectes goal. But in the end he prevailed and completed the mission, due to the fact that he had the luck and support of the Gods on his side. Throughout his voyage he was aided by the support of Hermes and Athena. This can be seen in Perseus’ use of Athena’s shield and Hermes’ sword that he used to attack Medusa. Also, without the help of Hermes, Perseus wouldn’t have been able to find the nymphs of the North, whose gifts (winged sandals, magic wallet, and an invisible cap) also aided him in the defeat of Medusa. Symbolic Archetype: The Whirlpool In the beginning of the myth, Perseus’ grandfather, King Acrisius, was told by a priestess that his daughter would have a son and that her son would kill him. So Acrisius goes out of his way to rid himself of his daughter. He locks her in a castle in hopes that she won’t come across other people and become pregnant. Once he finds out that his daughter does have a son, Perseus, he locks them both into a chest and throws them into the sea. And even though King Acrisius goes through all of this to avoid his death, he learns that fate is unavoidable. In the end Perseus still kills him but rather on accident, not like Acrisius had imagined. So no matter what you do to avoid fate, it’ll happen. Character Archetype: The hero/heroine Throughout Perseus’ journey for Medusa’s head he experienced fluctuations in his motives for the head. He didn’t set himself onto the path of killing Medusa to be a hero, he did it in hopes of making Polydectes happy and giving his mother a nice engagement gift. But when he came back to the  island after the mission and realized that it was in shambles, he used the gifts he got from the gods and Medusa’s head to bring happiness to the island. By turning Polydectes and his followers into stone he freed the people and rid them of their tyrant leader. Thus becoming the hero to the islanders. Part Four: The Heroes of the Trojan War Chosen Myth: The Trojan war Situational Archetype: The Unhealable Wound In the Trojan War the unhelable wound represents both physical and psychological wounds. The first was the start of all of the rest, the kidnapping of Helen from Menelaus, her father, by Aphrodite and Paris. The loss of his daughter brought an unbelievable amount of pain onto the King, driving him to drastic measures, such as war. Also, this archetype can be seen in the sacrificing of Iphigenia, the eldest daughter of the Commander in Chief, Agamemnon. By having to kill his own beloved daughter it brought grief upon him that would linger throughout the war. When the Greek ships reached the rivers of Troy there was a man named Protesilaus, he was the first man to leap ashore, and also the first man to die. His wife, Laodamia, was so sickened with sadness at the loss of her husband that she killed herself just so she could go to the underworld with him; Showing that she felt that she could never be happy without her husband. Another example is when the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon sparked over Agamemnon’s prize of honor, Chryseis. Agamemnon’s prize of honor had to be returned and then he ordered his men to steal Briseis, Achilles’ prize of honor. Achilles became so upset over the turning of his own men that he spent his days in his tent wrapped in sorrow. Throughout this myth there were countless of other examples of unhelable wounds like the loss of Hector, the relationships between the gods, the loss of Patroclus, and the abuse of Hectors dead body. Symbolic Archetype: Haven versus Wilderness This archetype can be seen in the comparison of the war versus taking refuge in the tents. You’d think after Achilles’ prize of honor taken away from him and he stayed back at camp rather than fighting in the war that his  haven would be the tents and the wilderness would be the war. But it was just the opposite of that. When Achilles was in the tents he was consumed with despair. When he finally got vengeance for Patroclus death, he was himself once again. Bringing him back into battle made him whole again and brought balance back to the war. Character Archetype: The Damsel in Distress The Trojan War was centered around two sides, the Greeks and the Trojans, fighting over one person- Helen. Helen was the fairest woman in the world, and Paris was promised her as his wife by Aphrodite. The problem with that being that the role of Helen’s husband was already being championed off by her father, Menelaus, to powerful families in the area. Paris was then responsible for kidnapping Helen, thus causing Menelaus to call the Greeks together and start a war with the Trojans to save the damsel in distress, his daughter. In the view of Menelaus, the heroes were the Greeks fighting to save his daughter and the villains were the Trojans. Part Five: The Great Families of Mythology Chosen Myth: The Royal House of Thebes Situational Archetype: The Fall In the start of the city of Thebes, it was blessed with prosperity and wisdom by the gods, but by its â€Å"end† it had experienced some of the worst hardships known to man. When Cadmus and Harmonia, the founders of Thebes, fled from the city to Illyria, the couple was turned into serpents by the gods. They were turned due to their fate, not because of punishment. Their fate was proof of that the innocent suffered as much as the guilty. They turned from the rulers of a great city into serpents. This archetype is also seen in the sub story of Oedipus. In the beginning Oedipus kills the Sphinx and is then made the King of Thebes. In the end, after the truth is revealed about his life, he begins a transition from light to darkness. He becomes blind and then his uncle/brother in law and his sons expel him from the city and he lives the rest of his life in penalty for crimes he wasn’t aware he was committing. Symbolic Archetype: Numbers In the House of Thebes you repeatedly see the use of numbers in the work, such as the numbers five and seven. The number seven is seen in the amount of champions that attack the gates and the seven champions that protect it. The number seven represents the completion of the cycle, and throughout the myth the importance of the seven is burying the seven dead warrior’s bodies. By burying their bodies it brings peace to the community and restores the balance. Character Archetype: Young person from the provinces The hero, Oedipus, was separated from his family as an infant because an oracle had told his father that someday his son would kill him. He was raised away from Thebes, by King Polybus in Corinth. As an adult Oedipus returned to Thebes and overnight became their hero. In Thebes there was an issue with a Sphinx, and for the Sphinx to surrender and kill herself a riddle had to be solved. Seeing the riddle in a new light, Oedipus solved the riddle and freed the people of Thebes from the Sphinx. They made Oedipus their king and for quite some time he ruled the area peacefully. Part Six: The Less Important Myths Chosen Myth: Midas- And Others Situational Archetype: The Initiation In the myth about Pomona, all she cares about are her fruits and orchids. Rather than her coming to a realization about her problems, she came to a realization about love. No matter the man, she was never interested in them because she felt that her plants were enough. She encountered the epiphany when Vertumnus finally revealed his true identity after kissing her and telling her how much he loved her. Once she saw him in the light of who he really was she saw her calling, to be with him and garden together. Symbolic Archetype: The Crossroads The Danaids were the daughters of Danaus, and in the myth his fifty daughters were being forced to marry their 50 cousins, Danaus’ brother, Aegyptus’, fifty sons. Throughout the myth they sisters were trying to avoid  marrying their cousins, but at some point the wedding between them arrived. The crossroads, symbolizes their fathers decision to tell the girls to kill their husbands after they got married. Because of this decision all but one of his daughters were sentenced to life in hell. And Danaus punished the one daughter who didn’t follow his orders. Because of this one choice the daughters fate was changed forever. Character Archetype: The Temptress Usually when you think of a temptress you imagine a hero falling for a girl, and then the girl is the source of his wrong doings, almost as if she urged him to do it. But in this case, it was a little different. Glaucus was a fisherman who was then turned intoa sea-god. Glaucus was in love with a nymph, Scylla. He did everything in his power to try and make her love him. But one day, he went to Circe for a love potion in hopes that it’d make the wonderful Scylla fall for him. But instead, Circe fell in love with him and used a vile of potion to turn Scylla into a monster. So because of Scylla’s beauty and Glaucus’ love for her, his downfall was the jealousy of others centered around love. It’s almost as if you combined Circe and Scylla’s characters into one and it’d form the perfect temptress. Part Seven: The Mythology of Norsemen Chosen Myth: The Stories of Signy and Sigurd Situational Archetype: The Quest Brynhild was a Valkyrie that was punished and put to sleep until some man shall crawl through the flaming fire and awake her. Brynhild wanted a man that was brave to rescue her and the man responsible for that was Sigurd, the son of Sigmund. He completes the journey of having to make his way through the flames with his horse. Once he reaches his end goal, awakening Brynhild, she gives herself to him because he had proved his worthiness and bravery through awakening her. Symbolic Archetype: Fire versus ice In the myth, fire is a reoccurring element. It first shows up when Signy’s children and husband are being burned and she allows herself to burn to  death. It pops up again Brinhild’s couch is surrounded with fire, a task for Sigurd to save her from. And again when Gudrun kills herself and prays to be laid on her husbands funeral pyre. So as you can see, fire is very much linked to life, rebirth, and death. Rebirth and death in the first scenario, birth of opportunities and love in the second, and death in the third. Character Archetype: Hunting Group of Companions Signy made such an effort to make sure she remained close to her family†¦.extremely close. She had a child with her brother, Sinfiotli. The three of them were most often very close together, a close knit family. Through their plans of revenge to avenge the dead they completed the deeds with one another. They were very support of one another and loving.