Research Paper: Elections 2008 - Barack Obama -- American Politics

Currently, America is facing various hardships such as struggling economy, poor health care, two wars, pollution, excessive relying on exported oil and illegal immigration. Both Barack Obama and John McCain expressed in the campaigns their points of views and possible solutions for these problems. Obama, the candidate from the Democratic Party, proposed answers on improvements on situation in the United States. One of the major issues nowadays is the health care. There are many reasons why it is so controversial and needs a lot of attention from the future president. In the past eight years, health insurance prices have grown 3.7 times faster than wages. Many insurance plans do not cover a number of doctor’s visits. In addition to that, over forty-five million Americans don’t have any health insurance at all. Most of these people just cannot afford their medical bills. Dramatically rising health care costs are also making it increasingly difficult for small businesses and other employers to provide insurance to their employees. (â€Å"Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s Plan to Lower Health Care Costs and Ensure Affordable, Accessible Health Coverage for All,† par 1) Barack Obama believes that government-run health care or insurances supplied by government are wrong. He proposes a plan that combines the two types of health care system into one. The plan would â€Å"strengthen employer coverage, make insurance companies accountable and ensure patient choice of doctor and care without government interference.† (â€Å"Plan for a Healthy America,† par 1, 2) Under Obama’s plan, everyone can keep his or her current health insurance and all the insurances will cost about $2,500 per year. Those who don’t have insurance would have many affordable options to ... ...9/opinion/19tue1.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=in%20search%2 0of%20 a%20real%20urban%20policy&st=cse&oref=slogin.>. Ivanovich, David. â€Å"Obama Likely to Tackle Energy Early on.† Chron.com 8 Nov. 2008. 11 Nov. 2008 . â€Å"New Energy for America.† Obama ‘08 08 11Nov. 2008 . â€Å"Obama-Biden vs. McCain-Palin: Record on Women.† Obama ‘08 11 Nov. 2008 . â€Å"Plan for a Healthy America.† Obama ‘08 11 Nov. 2008 . â€Å"Plan for Ending the War in Iraq.† Obama ‘08 11 Nov. 2008 . â€Å"Plan to Stimulate Urban Prosperity.† Obama ‘08 11 Nov. 2008 .

Good Hotel: Doing Good, Doing Well Essay

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to explore Case Study # 10 – Good Hotel: Doing Good, Doing Well?excerpted from Strategic Management: Planning for Domestic and Global Competition Thirteenth Edition authored by John A. Pearce II and Richard B. Robinson published 2013 by The McGraw – Hill Companies New York, NY. This paper will seek to address five issues concerning the Good Hotel case study. This paper will discuss the vision/mission behind the concept of the hotel. Pam Janusz’s considerations that she may present to the new hotel ownership will be discussed. The Good Hotel’s target customers will be defined and assessed. The marketing strategy of jDV for the Good Hotel will also be assessed and discussed. Finally, this paper will give insight as to how the Good Hotel should be competitively positioned against its rivals. Keywords: Hotels American Pacific International Capital, Inc. acquired the Good Hotel located in San Francisco in May 2010 and is now managed by HAIYI Hotels and Management Group. (Hotel Interactive, 2010) Joie de Virve was the prior management of the Good Hotel. (Pearce and Robinson, 2013) The hotel is referred to as a â€Å"hotel with a conscience.† (Pearce and Robinson, 2013) The hotel desires to inspire the â€Å"good in us all.† (Pearce and Robinson) Mission/Vision The Good Hotel’s mission is to make differences for guests and associates by sharing passions for work, life and individualized experiences. (Haiyi Hotels). Its vision is to be a unique boutique hotel with its own character  and style.(Haiyi Hotels). Pam Janusz Considerations Pam Janusz weighed three different options for the hotel to present to the new ownership. She considered the continuing, expanding, or discontinuing Good Hotel’s concept. The continuation of the current concept would have a minimum effects on operations. The recently trained staff embraced the current concept which led to increased customer satisfaction and occupancy, and financial results were being met or exceeded. Continuing the concept of the hotel can also have disadvantages. Increased awareness of the need to become more friendly to the environment may lead to a more competitive marketplace. The employees could become complacent and may resist future needed changes. The hotel may acquire a greater market share if the current concept was expanded. This option could increase the hotel’s occupancy and increase the financial bottom line. Since the associates have recently been trained on the current concept, they may be more receptive of additional training to expand the concept instead of replacing the concept completely. The decision to expand could have some repercussions though. Employees may be resistant of the additional training and there would be additional costs and decreased productivity, because of the training. The third consideration of Pam was to completely discontinue the current concept of the hotel and seek a new direction. If this option was chosen, then there would be a fresh new start under new management with a new concept of the hotel. This decision may be beneficial or detrimental to the hotel. It could be beneficial because of a fresh new start. The hotel could re-brand itself by setting a new tone and image. The cons of the decision to discontinue the current concept are similar to the cons of expanding. With discontinuing the current concept, associates may resist the change especially since they have recently been trained on the current concept. They would have to be trained a new concept and the training comes with a monetary cost. Good Hotel’s Customers The Good Hotel targets customers who are environmentally conscious. These customers are referred â€Å"Cultural Creatives† by sociologists(Pearce and Robinson, 2013) These customers tend to be younger in age and hold the belief that they are to be responsible both economically   environmentally. JdV’s Marketing Strategy Chip Conley, JdV’s founder and CEO, stated that he became interested in hospitality industry because he â€Å"enjoyed commercial real estate but hated the transactional part.† (Pearce and Robinson, 2013) Per Conley, if a customer perceives a hotel as an extension of themselves, then the hotel would be an aspiration to them. JdV’s strategy is being â€Å"geographically focused and product-line diverse.† This strategy may suffice, but it can also have disadvantages. The greatest disadvantage of this strategy is the limitation placed upon itself by filling a niche market which will lead to a smaller segment of customers desiring their services. Competitive position The Good Hotel has positioned itself competitively in relation to industry rivals. Great strides were made by the Good Hotel from 2009 to 2010. The hotel’s twelve month occupancy from 2009 to March 2010 increased 61.3%. (Pearce and Robinson, 2013) The industry’s twelve month occupancy declined 9.9% over this period. (Pearce and Robinson, 2013) The hotel has a great outlook for future profitable business. References Haiyi Hotels. About Haiyi Hotels. Retrieved 05/07/2014 http://www.haiyi-hotels.com/ soma-hotels-san-francisco-en.html Hotel Interactive. May 3, 2010. Haiyi Hotels and management group assume ownership of three San Francisco hotels subsidiaries of American Pacific International Capital, Inc (APIC) make first U.S. Hotel purchases in San Francisco, California. Retrieved 05/07/2014 from http://www.hotelinteractive.com/article.aspx?articleid=16899. Pearce, John A. II and Robinson, Richard B. Robinson, Jr. Strategic management. 13th edition McGraw Gill. 2013.

Is the Game Theory, the Right Game Essay

Yes, indeed the game theory is the right game. Business is not about winning and losing nor is it about how well you play the game. The essence of business success lies in making sure you’re playing the right game. The challenge for us is to make sure we’re playing the right game. There are times in our life that we think we are in the right game but suddenly we realize that it is not the game we should play. For example, the course that you choose in college, you enrolled in accounting because your parents said so or because you don’t have any choice yet but you don’t possess the passion, attitude and skills an accountant must have. That is an evidence that you are in the wrong course, the remedy is to change your course into the course you love and possess the skills and passion for. To every action, there is a reaction. You have to look forward into the game and then reason backward to figure out which of today’s actions will lead you to where you want to end up. In order to succeed we need to go beyond the threats and opportunities that might occur and what we what to become in the future but we need also to be realistic and not too imaginary. Thus, after looking forward we make the action that will lead us to where we what to be. The decisions and actions you make today will affect our future career. So make the right actions and decisions. You cannot take away from the game more than you bring to it. You cannot take away more than your added value. Don’t remove something that contribute to your strengths, keep and maintain them. The main focus is allocentrism. It is the importance of focusing on others. You have to put yourself in the shoes and even in the heads of other players. You have to ask not what other players can bring to you but what you can bring to other players. It’s changing our mind-set into other players mind-set because if you know what and how they think it’s easy for you to discern what they need and what to the betterment of the company. Successful business strategy is about actively shaping the game you play, not just playing the game you find. It’s true that we should actively shape the game we play. It means that finding a continuous improvement and not just be stagnant in where you are now. We should find a way to increase and improve to the next level as years pass by. Understanding other players can help find new strategies for changing the game or new applications of existing strategies. In changing the game we should understand the players, added value, rules, tactics and scope. There is nothing permanent in this world we should actively change into better. The world is constantly changing and we need to adapt to it for us not to be left behind. In conclusion I agree that we should be a game maker than a game taker. We should have a coopetition mind-set and to be an allocentric. I believe that in business and even in our own lives there is no end to the game of changing the game. It is always an on going process that we should adapt and be flexible to it. We should be alert and wise to make decisions and actions because our decisions and actions today will change and have an effect to our future career.

The European Agrarian System Essay Essays

The European Agrarian System Essay Essays The European Agrarian System Essay Essay The European Agrarian System Essay Essay Name: Course: Lecturer: Date: The European Agrarian System Essay 1. The European Agrarian System had estates, which dealt with agriculture and farming and were divided socially into three groups. These groups are the first, second and third class. They are divided in this manner due to the difference in their composition, structure and the parallel missions each one of them has. The third class agrarian social estate is composed of the peasants. These citizens did not own land, which was a very valuable commodity during the 18th and 19th Century. These citizens acted as laborers to the owners of the land. The peasant and his family would be given a piece of land where they were allowed to settle as squatters. In return, they would offer their services to the owners of the land, known as lords. The squatters’ basic job was to cultivate the land, and this was to the Lord’s benefit. They ploughed the land in a shifting method system where they would work on one piece of land, after the land loses its fertility they would move to another leaving the former fallow. The land was divided into strips, and each peasant was allocated where to work. This job was done manually by men using simple tools. The peasants had other duties, which included grinding of grain into flour, baking bread, and squeezing wine from grapes, which was mostly done by the wome n and children. These laborers were further divided into free peasants or slaves; whereby the free ones had certain rights that included freedom to specify on the number of days to work. The slaves, who were known as serfs had no say whatsoever. The second estate was made up of long distance traders who were known as merchants, who emerged in the mid 19th Century. These groups of people traveled to distance places in search of trading opportunities such as market for the produced goods, more arable land, farming tools etc. On discovering new trading grounds, the merchants would pass the information to the Lords who deployed the serfs to the new working areas in guarantee that they would be granted their freedom. Along with this trade came banking and manufacturing. Laws of trade were set up, whereby property holding rules and regulations were set up and trade disputes were settled. The first estate of European Agrarian social estates was comprised of the nobles, who included the Lord who was the landowner and his family. He was considered as the king and had an assistant who was known as the vassal. The vassal was answerable to him concerning everything that happened in his kingdom. He also had a military system, which was composed of fighters known as knights. The peasants were all at the Lord’s mercy and had to serve him faithfully. 2. In order for the different classes found in society to work together, certain aspects have to bring them together. The European Agrarian social pyramid ensured that its different social classes have the same beliefs, have a common necessity and that each of the societies work according to the powers given. This led them to working together to achieve and fulfill their main objective, which is to improve the level of economic growth. The discovery of domestication of plants (1600s), a vast land for farming and a population growing at a very fast rate necessitated the need for the Europeans to find a way of making use of these opportunities. As a result, a social pyramid was created to turn the potential of Europe into action. As a result, the wealthy men of the region had to take charge of the arable land, while skillful labor would be required to work in the lands and market for the goods, land for expansion and other opportunities were being exploited. This therefore, led to the emergence of the three social states that included the nobles who were the first class, the merchants who were the second class and the peasants who were the third class. The Lords were in charge of the land, the merchants sought for greener pastures while the peasants acted as the laborers. This formed the agrarian social pyramid and the three worked for the betterment of the whole society. The European Agrarian Society had a system of beliefs that has defined the way in which the people in the societies functioned. They believed in innovation, and as such, were willing and ready to embrace new forms of technology and accept the changes that took place with time, such as the evolution from making hand made tools by guilds to manufacturing. They also changed from agriculture to horticulture in the 1920s. They also had a firm belief in religion and believed in Christianity. They believed in the coming of together for pilgrimage to thank God for their success and well-being. It also promoted fairness and equity and therefore played a major role in bringing all the three classes together. The first class that were the overall authority, had total and complete power over all the other classes. They made the rules and regulations that kept the three classes together and ensured that there was peace and order among everyone. The Lords divided the land into strips for the workers helping to avoid conflicts (between 18th and 19th century). They also worked together with the merchants in acquiring new territories and trading of goods. However, towards the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century the government took over the rule from Lords and had overall power. 3. Cuxham is a village in England, which is believed to have existed in the ca. 1300. It is a very small city found in the northern side of Wallingford and south of Thames. However small it is, it represents the kind of life experienced in the whole of European Agrarian world. The Cuxham is home to the first Parish Church of England, which was built in the 14th century. It is the origin of the pre-Roman Church. This indicates that this was a very religious village. In the same way, the European Agrarian World also had very firm beliefs in religion. They believed in Christianity and led by the Roman Catholic Church. They have such a firm belief that at a certain time of the year they used to go pay pilgrimage. Cuxham village has a record of three watermills. The current one was built in the middle of the 18th century. It was built to be of service to the peasants who lived there. Similarly, in the European agrarian world, a number of watermills had been constructed to pump water to the dry areas. The village has a fertile land and cool climate for agricultural purposes, thus promoting farming. This played a major role in the European agrarian world, by motivating them to also take part in domestication of plants. The half-moon pub and restaurant built in the village in the 17th Century was among the first restaurants to be opened in Europe thus encouraging the society in agrarian Europe to invest in other businesses apart from farming. The growth and development experienced in the European agrarian world has been inspired by most of the activities, culture and beliefs of the people in Cuxham village.

An Introduction to Rogerian (Person-Centered) Therapy

An Introduction to Rogerian (Person-Centered) Therapy Rogerian therapy, created by Carl Rogers, is a therapeutic technique in which the client  takes an active, autonomous role in therapy sessions. It is based on the idea that the client knows what is best, and that the therapist’s role is to  facilitate  an environment in which the client can bring about positive change. Rogerian therapy is sometimes called  nondirective  therapy because of the autonomy given to the client. The client, not the therapist, decides what is discussed. As Rogers  explained, â€Å"It is the client who knows what hurts, what directions to go, what problems are crucial, what experiences have been deeply buried.† Overview of Rogerian Therapy Carl Rogers believed that all people have the capability to bring about positive change in their lives. He developed person-centered (or Rogerian) therapy as a technique for giving clients greater autonomy in therapy sessions.  Rogers’ approach to psychotherapy is considered humanistic  because it focuses on individuals positive potential.   In Rogerian therapy, the therapist typically refrains from offering advice or making a formal diagnosis. Instead, the primary role of the therapist is to listen and restate  what the client says. Rogerian therapists try  to refrain from offering their own interpretation of events or from making explicit suggestions about dealing with a situation. For example, if a  client reported feeling stressed about the fact that a coworker was receiving credit for a project the client worked on, the Rogerian therapist  might say, â€Å"So, it sounds like you’re upset because your boss isn’t recognizing your contributions.† In this way, the Rogerian therapist attempts to give the client an environment to explore their own thoughts and feelings and decide for themselves how to bring about positive change. Key Components of Rogerian Therapy According to Rogers, successful psychotherapy  always has  three key components: Empathy. Rogerian therapists attempt to develop  an empathic understanding of their clients thoughts and feelings. When the therapist has an accurate understanding of the client’s thoughts and restates what the client says, the client is able to figure out the meaning of his or her own experiences.Congruence. Rogerian therapists strive for congruence; that is, being self-aware, genuine, and authentic in their interactions with clients.Unconditional positive regard. Rogerian therapists show compassion and acceptance towards the client. The therapist should strive to be nonjudgmental and accept the client non-contingently (in other words, their acceptance of the client doesn’t depend on what the client says or does). Rogers Later Work In 1963, Rogers began working  at the Western Behavioral Sciences Institute in La Jolla, California. Later, he co-founded the Center for Studies of the Person, an organization that is still active today. In California, Rogers worked on applying his ideas outside of traditional therapy settings. For example, he wrote about education in Freedom to Learn: A View of What Education Might Become, published in 1969. Rogers supported student-centered  learning:  an educational atmosphere in which students are able to pursue their interests, rather than passively absorbing a teachers lecture. Rogers also applied his ideas about empathy, congruence, and unconditional positive regard to political conflicts. He led â€Å"encounter groups† between groups in conflict, in the hope that his therapy techniques could  improve political relationships. He led encounter groups in South Africa during apartheid, and between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland. Rogers’ work earned him praise from Jimmy Carter and a nomination for the  Nobel Peace Prize. Influence of Rogerian Therapy Today Carl Rogers died in 1987, but his work continues  to have an enormous influence on psychotherapists. Many therapists  incorporate elements of client-centered therapy in their practices today, particularly through the  eclectic approach, in which they may combine several types of therapy into one session. Importantly, the essential components of therapy that Rogers put forward (empathy, congruence, and unconditional positive regard) can be employed by any therapist, regardless of their specific approach to therapy. Today, therapists recognize that an effective relationship between client and therapist (called the therapeutic alliance or therapeutic rapport) is key for successful therapy. Rogerian Therapy Key Takeaways Carl Rogers developed a form of psychotherapy called client-centered therapy, or person-centered therapy.In client-centered therapy, the client leads the therapy session, and the therapist serves as a facilitator, often restating  back what the client has said.The therapist strives to have an empathic understanding of the client, have congruence (or authenticity) in the therapy session, and communicate unconditional positive regard for the client.Outside of psychology, Rogers  applied his ideas to the areas of education and international conflict. Sources â€Å"Carl Rogers (1902-1987).† GoodTherapy.org (2015, July 6). https://www.goodtherapy.org/famous-psychologists/carl-rogers.htmlâ€Å"Client-Centered Therapy.† Harvard Health Publishing: Harvard Mental Health Letter (2006, Jan.). https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/Client-centered_therapyJoseph, Stephen. â€Å"Why Carl Rogers Person-Centered Approach Is Still Relevant.† Psychology Today Blog (2018, Apr. 15). https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-doesnt-kill-us/201804/why-carl-rogers-person-centered-approach-is-still-relevantKirschenbaum, Howard. â€Å"Carl Rogerss Life and Work: An Assessment on the 100th Anniversary of His Birth.† Journal of Counseling Development 82.1 (2004): 116-124. http://potentiality.org/drjwilcoxson/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/Person-Centered-theory-Carl-Rogers-100-yerars-Literature-Review-2.pdfâ€Å"Person-Centered Therapy.† Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/person-cente red-therapyâ€Å"Person-Centered Therapy (Rogerian Therapy).† GoodTherapy.org (2018, Jan. 17). https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/person-centered Rogers, Carl R. â€Å"The Necessary and Sufficient Conditions of Therapeutic Personality Change.† Journal of Consulting Psychology  21.2 (1957): 95-103. http://docshare02.docshare.tips/files/7595/75954550.pdfSarkis, Stephanie. â€Å"6 Amazing Things Carl Rogers Gave Us.† Psychology Today Blog (2011, Jan. 8). https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/201101/6-amazing-things-carl-rogers-gave-us

Solutions to Homelessness Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Solutions to Homelessness - Research Paper Example The second definition was constructed based on the three conceptual frameworks that include adequacy, security of tenure and control to space. In essence, homelessness poses a serious health, social and psychological risk to an individual and the society (Kennett & Marsh 2010). The beginning of homelessness can be traced back to the era of colonial rule in America. In 1640, the English vagrants were considered as outcasts people and the police were looking for them. These homeless individuals were often called sturdy beggars, and they were found everywhere in the colonial towns. A pointing example that existed was in towns like Philadelphia and Baltimore that had several homeless people than any other town in America. The main cause of homelessness at that time was the war of King Philip, which was against the native people. Currently, several people are still homeless due to various reasons. Some of the major causes of homelessness include poverty, war, natural disasters (floods, tornados), prisoners who have been released and re-entry to society is hard and forced eviction of people out of their residential areas. The effects of homelessness are devastating to an individual as well as the society, the effects range from health, social to economic impacts. Regarding the effects on health, homeless people often encounter several problems with their health in that their health get worse daily because of exposure to cold and other dangers. The dangers predispose them to develop diseases such as skin diseases, cardiopulmonary diseases, malnutrition, mental illness and drug abuse among others. When the homeless are taken to hospital, they often stay for a long time and they occasionally do not pay that ultimately translate to the government increasing health expenditure to cover them. The social problem associated with homelessness is crime. The homeless individuals have been seen to engage more in criminal activities thus

Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 8

Research paper - Essay Example The detective raid Irene’s home severally and even bribes her servants but no pictures were retrieved. In an eventuality, the princess family acquires the information concerning the scandal and calls off the wedding; hence, the king loses both the princess and Irene who eventually flees with his lawyer lover to America. During her departure to America, Irene sends Holmes a letter telling him how he foresaw his schemes in his detective mission and leaves her picture portrait to be given to the king. This paper will analyse the general overview of the short story and how femininity is portrayed as the main theme in the story. Analysis The short story contains four characters namely Walton, Holmes, the king and the only woman named Irene. However, the narrator brings out the woman Irene as the main character who takes the central point in the story. In this case, the author tried to bring out the contrast between the woman character and the expected woman character in the 19th ce ntury also referred to as the Victorian era. Unlike the usual Victorian woman perceived to be naive and submissive, the author brings out the character Irene in a different perspective (Doyle 11). To begin with, the author depicts the secretive nature of Irene because she secretly hid the much-wanted photo from everyone and eventually runs away secretly with his lover to another country. In addition, the author depicts Irene’s nature of instinct because somehow, she knew that the king was marrying a Scandinavian princess and more still, her instinct showed her that her precious picture portrait was needed; hence, she hid it. The other amazing fact about her instinct is that she knew that the king was planning for her arrest and that is why she run away in time with his lawyer lover to America. More so, Irene knew that Holmes would visit her home in an attempt to arrest her. On a more interesting note, she exactly knew that Holmes would come looking for the picture where he ha d previously seen it; hence, Irene kept a letter in the same place for Holmes to read and her portrait picture of the king to possess. However, Irene possesses the Victorian woman values because the author depicts how women valued their homes, children and other domestic valuables because in the 19th century, the woman was a homemaker who got married and took care of her home. Irene Adler portrays such a character by rushing home to hide her most valued items, the picture of her, and the king after she learned that the king needed the precious picture portrays (Doyle 11). Moreover, the author depicts how women of the Victorian era were victims of love because they had no authority over the male decisions in terms of love affairs. Irene, who is entangled in a past affair with the king, and uses the picture as the weapon to fight and protect her love right depict this weakness. Nevertheless, Irene Adler’s intelligence surpasses the few portrayed weaknesses, because prior to her instinctive and secretive nature, she goes ahead to show her intelligence by keeping the portrait of his former lover, as a weapon that will protect her from future steps that the king might take, which shows that she has strong intensions of controlling rather than destroying. Ideally, Irene Adler’s beauty and brains lays a platform for admiration. The admiration is in a puzzle concept because at the end of the story the