Great News Web Widgets for Your Blog or Website

So youve got your news blog or website up and running but you want to spice it up a bit. A web widget can do just that. What Are Web Widgets? Web widgets are simply little pieces of code that you can copy and paste into your website, blog or social networking site. There are thousands of widgets available for free online, focusing on virtually every topic imaginable. Why Should I Use Web Widgets? Web widgets can add interest to your website or blog by providing content that complements the material youve created. For instance, if your blog focuses on local politics, you can add a widget that focuses on state or national politics. If you cover high school sports, you can add a widget that follows the pro teams. Widgets can provide the kind of news content that would be difficult for a student or citizen journalist to cover. How Do I Use Web Widgets? You can find detailed instructions on using web widgets on-line, but usually, its just as simple and copying and pasting a bit of code into your website or blog. And while there are hundreds of ready-made news widgets to choose from, you can also customize widgets to fit the look of your site, or even create your own. Below is a list of sites where you can find news widgets. There are much more out there, so dont be afraid to search for what you need. General News CBS News - The network offers widgets in many categories. Associated Press - A widget from the U.S. wire service. The New York Times - Breaking news from the newspaper. CNN - News from the cable network. Fox News - Breaking news from the cable network. USA Today - A variety of widgets from the newspaper. Politics USA Today Politics CNN Political Ticker Politico Live Pulse - News from the politics website. Business and Economic News CNN Money - Business and financial information. Wall St. Journal Sports USA Today Sports Make Your Own There are also widget sites that host dozens of widgets in a variety of categories. You can pick pre-made widgets or even create and customize your own. Widgetbox - Search from this sites collection of hundreds of widgets, or make your own. Google - The search engine offers dozens of widgets in different categories. Wordpress - Widgets for those who have Wordpress blogs. Follow me on Facebook Twitter

Beowulf and The Intent of Christians to Convert Pagans...

Before England was the superpower it is known to be today, it was a small country inhabited by many groups of people over time. First to England came the Celts, then the Romans, and then the Anglo Saxons. The Anglo Saxon’s traveled to England from the northern countries of Germany Norway and Sweden. When they arrived, they brought their gods with them. The Anglo Saxon’s religion consisted of multiple gods and goddesses and their own view of Heaven and what it would be like. The Anglo Saxon’s also loved poetry, and they used it to keep track of the history of their people. Beowulf is an epic poem that was past down by the Anglo Saxons from generation to generation. The poem is infused with multiple elements of their pagan religion.†¦show more content†¦The characters in Beowulf, as Streissguth says, are enveloped in a completely pagan atmosphere. Their belief system follows mythology much more closely than Christianity. By making the characters praise the Christian one true God and making multiple references to Him and to the Biblical view of Heaven, the Roman Catholic’s of the time period hoped to, as with relating Grendel to the Biblical Cain, convert the pagans to Christianity. Finally, Beowulf is portrayed as Jesus Christ from the Christian Bible multiple times throughout the poem. There are exact instances in Beowulf that parallel almost precisely with stories of Jesus Christ in the Christian Bible. Beowulf says, â€Å"Light glowed out and illuminated the chamber / with a clearness such as the candle of heaven / sheds in the sky (1569-1571). This parallels well with the scripture from the Holy Bible â€Å"While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!’† (The MacArthur Study Bible, Matthew 17.5). Another example is at the end of the Epic poem when Beowulf is giving his life to fight the dragon for his kingdom, and his men abandon him in his time of need. The text states: It was not long then till they budged from the wood, the battle-shirkers, ten of them together, those traitors and weaklings who had not dared deploy theirShow MoreRelatedA Glimmer Of Hope By William Shakespeare1818 Words   |  8 Pagesorigins and are passed down orally such as Beowulf can be unclear regarding the interpretation of religious themes. As Stevick points out, â€Å"interpretations [of Beowulf] ... sort themselves ... into opposing views†, consisting of â€Å"regarding the poem as dominantly Christian† or viewing the poem as one of â€Å"Germanic orientation† or pagan (Stevick 79). In fact, Beowulf may not purely one or the other; instead, it could have been set at a time where â€Å"Christian and pagan values blend† (Ruth 154), or as Stevick

Nervous Breakdown Free Essays

QUESTION: Have you ever had the experience of getting nervous breakdown during examination? If so, explain the process in order to avoid a nervous breakdown during exams. No matter how much we do to prevent it, exams are almost always going to be accompanied by stress. One of the reasons that cause the students felt stress and getting nervous breakdown during examination is the students afraid of not being capable to revise all the important material before the exam and the anxious to get a well result in the exam. We will write a custom essay sample on Nervous Breakdown or any similar topic only for you Order Now To perform well in the exam, we should learn the ways to avoid a nervous breakdown during exams. Firstly, all of us should know that we should not playing ‘catch-up’ when the examination nearby. Most of the students not concentrate during the lessons or absence the classes, and they like to playing catch-up when the exams nearby. The students will felt stress due to not enough time to revise all materials that given by teacher. The students should make an effort to attend every class and put a fully concentrate during the lesson. When exams approach, students should give themselves ample time in which to study. First, students can make a list of all the topics that need to be revised from syllabus. Clearly know the target will relief students from any unhealthy pressure. Second, students must be able to know the best time to study during the day and have a planned time table. Students can arrange for study time table to occur during their peak concentration hours. For example, if you think that you can do your best work in the morning, schedule a study time after the breakfast. Students should not take the all time of a day to do their revise because this might cause them felt more stress. Students should learning to relax by taking time for themselves. Students can take breaks of fifteen to twenty minutes after every 120 minutes during revision time. Students can practice some relaxation techniques and do it when the breaks. One of the relaxation technique is diaphragmatic breathing. First, close your eyes, then breathe in and out slowly and completely; placing your hands on your abdomen, concentrate on it expanding as you breathe in and contracting as you breathe out. Besides the diaphragmatic breathing, laughter also had been proven to have a physiological calming effect. Student can reading a funny book, watching a comedy on TV or at the movies or joking with friends to keep hemselves laugh. This will help them beat down any nervous that may appear from the examinations. Otherwise, having regular exercises during times of exams can be very helpful. After sitting in the library or at your desk for long periods of time, exercise will give you that extra boost of energy and cheerfulness. In addition, exercises also help to increase the blood flow around body which helps to disperse nervous energy that is produced under stressful conditions. Students can use a little of time to do some exercises such as joking, dancing or cycling, these kind of exercise can be very helpful and are recommended. Most of the students felt stress and getting nervous breakdown during the examination due to they fail to avoid circumstances that can create stress during exams. Students should know how to plan their time wisely during the examination periods. Furthermore, students should also maintain a positive attitude. Students shouldn’t let the negative thinking of failing an exam rushing into their mind. Thinking positively can help to keep your energy levels high and avoid the nervous breakdown. Conclusion, How to cite Nervous Breakdown, Papers

Business - Heritage - Culture and Sustainability

Question: Discuss about the Business, Heritage, Culture and Sustainability. Answer: Introduction: The colonial government faces the pressure coming from the business investors as well as the inflow of the British people, to buy more and more of land available with Maori, in 1850 (Gardiner, 2003). The people residing in Maori understood that they had started losing the land, due to the increasing number of individuals coming from the Pakeha; therefore, there was a requirement to safeguard the existing land, and this was the main aim behind Tainui hiring sovereign, which was same like the Queen of Britain (Gardiner, 2003). The Crown had approved the New Zealand settlement act along with the act of suppression of the rebellion, which also permits the rebels land, who deny to sell down their land to Crown (Gardiner, 2003). The Act of Native Land 1865, failed in accepting the ownership of land and over that they approved individual titles, as they were not able to afford the price of land surveys and in between they lost their land (Gardiner, 2003). The land ownership of an individual was also designed to formulate the ground alienation easier and faster (Gardiner, 2003). The troops of Lieutenant General Duncan in the year, 1863, had tried to cross the River of Mangatawhiri, located in Waikato, and the same comes under the territory of Kingitanga, and there they took the Waikato river possession along with the nearby land of the river (Gray, 2011). Tawhiao, who was the second king of Maori, along with their supporters came to the Waikato second in the territory of Maniapoto, after the invasion of Waikato (Gray, 2011). They were enquired by Governor Grey to move towards the reserve area based on the land of confiscated, but at the same time, King of Maori was interested in returning to the confiscated land, which was not possible, as the land was given to British people (Gray, 2011). Many petitions were approved by King of Maori, who was Tainui in a case of land located in Raupatu (Gray, 2011). In the period of 1927, a commission was established. It was explored by the committee about the confiscation as immoral, and they gave compensation of the yearl y amount of around $3000, to settle the claim of Tainui-Raupatu (Gray, 2011). This claim was later on disapproved by the king of Maori, as they think that land already taken should be given back (Gray, 2011). The settlement of money was also not approved in comparison to the lost land (Gray, 2011). It was evident that after eighteen years, in 1946, the Princess Te Puea Herangi, who was the granddaughter of Tawhiao, made the negotiation to take the financial compensation, worth of 6000 each year for the coming 50 years and the amount of 5000 per years, will be made by Peter Fraser belonging to Labour party (Mahuta, 1995). The Tainui Maori Trust Board was set up, for the purpose of administering the amount taken from the government (Mahuta, 1995). The government viewed this settlement as the final, but again Tainui views the compensation as settlement part for the purpose of supporting economic times, and various pending land area (Mahuta, 1995). Outline the four elements of these settlements made by the Crown with Tainui. Include a brief comment on the significance of these settlements on Tainui. Social and economic development undertaken in the Tainui tribes was done under the Act of Maori Trust Board in the year 1955 (Meijl, 2013). According to the report came in 1982 about Tainui, Kenneth Egan as well as Robert Mahuta, presented their point about the underdevelopment of regions near Tainui, which acted as the driving force, going behind the resubmission of the longstanding claims of Raupatu (Meijl, 2013). In the year 1985, the law was changed, which gave the permission to the Waitangi Tribunal for the purpose of examining the grievance claims from the year 1840, when the agreement was made about the Treaty of Waitangi (Meijl, 2013). Bypassing the TMTB in the case of the tribunal, negotiation permission from the government was attained (Meijl, 2013). It includes certain cases such as, historical account, which depicted that, in the year 1995, the claims made about the Waikato Raupatu Settlement became law (Meijl, 2013). It was noted that the Waitangi treaty helped the Tainui grievance about the land, in which act of crown clearly got unjustified through the Waikato and Kingitanga areas, and they finally did not succeed in fulfilling the criteria of Article 2 related to the treaty (Meijl, 2013). The people living in Maori, which tried to support the land from getting invaded by Pakeha clearly rebel and follow the threat coming from the sovereignty of crown (Meijl, 2013). It also includes the redressal of finances. The returning of the crown from around the 35000 acres of land got confiscated (Meijl, 2013). The restored land value was calculated to come around NZ$170 million, that came to around amount required for proceeding the leases and rents, and it was estimated to around NZ$7 (Meijl, 2013). It also includes the apology, in which crown apologized from Queen Elizabeth II, in the case of invasion of Waikato that had tried to claim for all the casualties (Orange, 1987). The raupatu of the land created the people of Tainui to work towards dislocating from land and failure to hold any identity (Spiller, Finn Boast, 1995). It created the breakdown emotionally of tribes and even lead to loss of dignity, ability, and self-respect for controlling ones life (Spiller, Finn Boast, 1995). It also includes redressal of culture (Durie, 1994). According to the act of Waikato Raupatu claims settlement in the year 2010, it impacted the Raupatu settlement of all the claims, which came to the Crown as well as Waikato-Tainui in the year 2009 (Spiller, Finn Boast, 1995). It permitted the river management by both the authority of territory as well as Waikato-Tainui (Spiller, Finn Boast, 1995). In the year 1995, the settlement of deed, taken between the Crown as well as Tainui, it provided Waikato-Tainui with the base to construct the business empire for the people that had lost their life in the year 1960, under the invasion of Waikato-Raupatu. The land came with the confiscation and money was included in the grievances, created by the crown (Spiller, Finn Boast, 1995). The amount was viewed as the crime acknowledgment. In the year 1994, it was noted that the very first fiscal envelope was created by the government of New Zealand to settle every historical treaty Maori, with a view to claiming for the 1 billion dollars (Spiller, Finn Boast, 1995). In the year 1995, the Waikato Raupatu act of settlement permitted the tribes of Waikato- Tainui for the purpose of claiming the 17% share from the comprehensive settlement with various other tribes, that increased the billion dollar amount, establish the settlement of tribe (Spiller, Finn Boast, 1995). What kinds of business projects has Tainui undertaken with the proceeds of the settlement? Give at least three examples. Identify the business model developed by Tainui to implement these projects. The property assets and compensation attained in the year 1995, from the Crown as well as Tainui, had moved towards the creation of the commercial organization, and its known as Tainui Group Holdings (Walghan Partners, 1996). The key role of an organization is to attain the commercial gain from the property by management and property development, along with financial investment (Walghan Partners, 1996). The total asset managed through the company had enhanced with time (Renwick, 1991). The sound investment, strategic management, along with skills of real leadership had moved the assets of the company to billion dollars within 2014 (Walghan Partners, 1996). TGH had also tried to increase individual property assets by conducting financial investment; for instance, the Te Rapa Air Force Base transformation in the center of mega shopping is also known as the base (Walghan Partners, 1996). As per the yearly TGH report, came in 2014, it was mentioned that the total income coming from rent includes 47% of the total revenue, and around 37% was made through around three hotels, which were complete owned by the Tainui (Walghan Partners, 1996). The group of TGH also tried to control the Hamilton Riverview Hotel that was entirely owned as well as operated through the Hotel of Novotel Tainui in the year 1998, along with IBIS hotel (Department of Health, 1992). The river trust, as well as Waikato Raupatu, came under the trustee of Te Kauhanganui, and all these trusts attained the land, and try to manage the settlement money and Waikato River through the crown (Department of Social Welfare, 1997). The main aim of the trust was mainly to oversee both the economic and social development of tribe according to the rules of appropriate trust (Department of Social Welfare, 1997). Describe social and cultural benefits that have resulted from the Tainui settlements. Discuss also the aspirations and benefits yet to be achieved. The Waikato- Tainui Te Kauhanganui, in which dividends were made available, were mainly used for the tribal expenditure, grants, scholarships, Kingitanga office, cultural events as well as sports (Base, 2015). According to the yearly report of Waikato- Tainui, there will be the distribution of breakdown (Council, 2012). The Maraes clinics collaboration had come with the healthcare in the area of Maraes, instead of cities, in which the people are unlikely to move at Maraes, and are considered the lifeblood of Maori Society (Council, 2012). The facilities, as well as Marae Grants, is supporting the construction of the building and help in maintenance cost during the day time (Council, 2012). Most of the money is spend on the education from the early days by the help of granting scholarships (Durie, 1998). The main aim is actually to preserve the Te Rao, Maori, and finally to get affluent, and to enhance the skills and qualification level within the tribe (Durie, 1998). The College of Waikato-Tainui research and development had also tried to build a base on the set vision of Sir Robert Mahuta that had sought to negotiate the settlement of Waikato-Raupatu, with an aim to produce the coming future of Maori leaders, who can easily lead the tribe towards the coming century (Durie, 1998). In the year 2007, the Te-Arataura, as well as Waikato-Tainui Te Kauhanganui, actually come together for the purpose of the future blueprint of the tribe, and to attain the same by the year 2050, and its known as Whakatupuranga by the year 2050 (Durie, 1998). The aim of the strategic plan is to attain the cultural, social, as well as economic advancement of the Waikato-Tainui in the coming time (Durie, 1998). The ideology plan apparently dwells over the Kingi Tawhiao vision, who believes for the purpose of growing and succession; constructing the stable base is essential for them for facing the future problems (Adds, 2012). The key reason behind the plan of 2050 was mainly to make sure about the tribe longevity and to move from the legacy for the upcoming generation (McHugh, 1991). The requirements of Waikato-Tainui require keeping the leaders that can quickly create fluent in Maori and the one who can easily pass the values and cultural practices of Maori, mainly in the Kingitanga role in the coming future (Fleras Maaka, 1998). The use of tobacco consumption on the health, social, economic and cultural well-being of the Maori fail to get align with the Whakatupuranga by the year 2050 (Fleras Maaka, 1998). The requirement to ban the tobacco from both the New Zealand as well as Waikato through the WTTKI is mainly aimed towards attaining the 2050asprations in the blueprint of 2050 (McHugh, 1991). The advantages related with banning the tobacco is endless from the Maori and Tainui along with whole country (McHugh, 1991). References Adds, P. (2012). Te ?ti Awa of Taranaki-War and a kind of peace. Retrieved from Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved on 29 January 2017, from https://www.teara.govt.nz/en/te-ati-awa-of-taranaki/page-3 Base, T. (2015). History. Retrieved from The Base. Retrieved on 29 January 2017, from https://www.the-base.co.nz/info/history/ Council, W. R. (2012). CO-MANAGEment AGREEMENT For WAIKATO RIVER RELATED LANDS. Retrieved on 29 January 2017, from https://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/PageFiles/15805/JMAs/2276497%20Tainui.pdf Department of Health. (1992). Whaia Te Ora Mo Te Iwi: Strive for the Good Health of the People. Wellington. Department of Social Welfare. (1997). Iwi Social Services Information Pack. Wellington. Durie, M. (1994). Whaiora: M?ori Health Development. Auckland: Oxford University Press. Durie, M. (1998). Te Mana, Te Kawanatanga: The Politics of M?ori Self-Determination. Oxford University Press Fleras, A. Maaka, R. (1998). "Rethinking Claims-Making as M?ori Affairs Policy" He Pukenga Korero, 3(2), 43-51. Gardiner, J. (2003). Achieving enduring settlements. Retrieved on 29 January 2017, from PostTreatySettlements.org.nz: https://posttreatysettlements.org.nz/achieving-enduring-settlements/ Gray, J. (2011). Tainui plans for Ryman windfall. Retrieved on 29 January 2017, from https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3objectid=10739347 Mahuta, R. (1995). Tainui , Kingitanga and Raupatu. In M. W. Yeatman, Justice and Identity (pp. 18-32). Wellignton: Antipodean Practices. McHugh, P. (1991). The M?ori Magna Carta: New Zealand Law and the Treaty of Waitangi. Oxford University Press Meijl, T. V. (2013). Ownership and distribution in settlement of M?ori grievances. In K. B. Fiona McCormack, Engaging with Capitalism: Cases from Oceania (pp. 39-43). Bingley, United Kingdom: Emerauld Group. Orange, C. (1987). The Treaty of Waitangi, Allen and Unwin, Wellington. Renwick, W. (1991). Sovereignty and Indigenous Rights: The Treaty of Waitangi in International Contexts. Wellington: Victoria University Press Spiller, P., Finn, J., Boast, R. (1995). A New Zealand Legal History. Brookers, Wellington. Walghan Partners. (1996). The Treaty of Waitangi and Social Policy Project. Brookers.

Siddhartha Gautama Essays - Arahants, Ascetics, Buddhas,

Siddhartha Gautama Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, was born in the sixth century B.C. in what is now modern Nepal. His father, Suddhodana, was the ruler of the Sakya people and Siddhartha grew up living the extravagant life of a young prince. According to custom, he married at the young age of sixteen to a girl named Yasodhara. His father had ordered that he live a life of total seclusion, but one day Siddhartha ventured out into the world and was confronted with the reality of the inevitable suffering of life. The next day, at the age of twenty-nine, he left his kingdom and new-born son to lead an ascetic life and determine a way to relieve universal suffering. For six years, Siddhartha submitted himself to rigorous ascetic practices, studying and following different methods of meditation with various religious teachers. But he was never fully satisfied. One day, however, he was offered a bowl of rice from a young girl and he accepted it. In that moment, he realized that physical austerities were not the means to achieve liberation. From then on, he encouraged people to follow a path of balance rather than extremism. He called this The Middle Way. That night Siddhartha sat under the Bodhi tree, and meditated until dawn. He purified his mind of all defilements and attained enlightenment at the age of thirty-five, thus earning the title Buddha, or "Enlightened One." For the remainder of his eighty years, the Buddha preached the Dharma in an effort to help other sentient beings reach enlightenment.

Our National Flag Essays

Our National Flag Essays Our National Flag Essay Our National Flag Essay There is no king without a crown. Similarly, there is no nation without a flag of its own. When India was under the British rule, there was no national flag of India. The people then became free. India became an independent country in 1947. Since the date of her independence, India has a national flag of her own. National Flag is a sacred thing for all. It stands for the mother land. When we honour our national flag it is considered as an honour to the country or our motherland. Similarly, any dishonor to our national flag is treated as a dishonor to our country. Our national flag is called Triranga. Because it contains three different colours such as saffron, white and green. Three stripes of these three colours remain horizontal. The upper part of the flag is of saffron colour. The middle part is white. The lower part is green. On the middle of white part there is a wheel or Chakra in the model of the Dharma Chakra of the noble emperor Ashoka the Great. The flag originally belonged to the Indian National Congress. In 1931 when this flag was adopted, it had a spinning wheel on the middle. But when it was chosen to be our national flag, the spinning wheel was replaced by the Dharma Chakra of Ashoka. It is a sin to consider the national flag as a piece of ordinary cloth. The flag has great meaning and significance. Saffron stands for sacrifice and selfless devotion. White colour indicates truth, purity and simplicity. The green colour stands for freshness and creative energy. The wheel indicates activity and progress through the path of justice, liberty and brotherhood. It also indicates peace. The people of India hoist the National Flag on 15th August and 26th January every year. They stand up under the flag and sing the National Anthem and pay honour to the Country. They vow to keep up her ideals. The National Flag is kept hoisted on all days of the year on the top of the government buildings and Courts. When a very important person of our country passes away, the National Flag is brought down half mast. The National flag is also hoisted on the buildings of the Indian Embassy in foreign countries. The National Flag-of India is a sacred thing for all the Indians irrespective of caste, colour, and religion. At any cost, we have to keep its prestige.

Social, legal and ethical aspects of IS security and privacy Research Paper

Social, legal and ethical aspects of IS security and privacy - Research Paper Example This study looks into an information system as a combination of hardware, software, procedures, policies, people, information and data which is involved in the management of organizational business functions with an aim of meeting organizational objectives and goals with efficiency and effectiveness. The hardware within information systems includes the physical aspects of the system such as computer components and the related equipment. The software is a set of applications alongside the hardware to effectively perform organizational or business functions. The software applications include information processing systems, finance and accounting packages, anti malware applications, statistical tools and word processing packages. Policies comprise of the set standards for proper management of the information system according to the internal and universal norms of organizational functioning. Procedures are the steps through which various activities and processes in within the systems sho uld follow to ensure that efficiency is enhanced and thus achievement of high productivity. In an information system, the people are the human resource and expertise who are involved in various organizational activities and processes. These include the clients, staff, management, suppliers and distributors. Data or information is one of the significant aspects of an information system because it helps organization to function and survive in the business environment through its application to enhance all business processes and to compete favorably within the market. (Qing, Zhengchuan, Tamara and Hong, 2011, p. 54). Examples of information systems include transaction processing systems which include as set of applications for the processing of the daily activities and processes of an organization. Decision supports systems are other examples of information systems that are important in the decision making process of organization and thus serve as an essential tool for the management t eam. Management information systems are commonly used technologies which facilitate the management process of all functional areas of an organization (Skupsky, 1994, p. 40). Other information systems such as expert systems are used to perform specialized functions such as the application of technology and software applications in the diagnosis of various conditions by medical practitioners. Information System Security and Privacy Within information systems, individuals desire to have data or information about them be kept safe from unwarranted, unauthorized access and use for malicious intentions. Additionally, organizational data must be safeguarded from business rivals or malicious system attackers who would take advantage of vulnerabilities within the information system to gain access with intentions of causing damage to the system or accessing sensitive information without proper authority (Mingers and Walsham, 2010, p. 833). The continuity of business activities and pr

Criminal Justice Policy Processes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Criminal Justice Policy Processes - Essay Example This article aims to highlight various criminal justice policy processes and the significance of implementing justice as its significant part. Important ideas throughout the article revolve around the contribution of the various stakeholders such as special interest groups and individual policy makers within the court jurisdiction. Introduction The criminal justice system is composed of three major stages: first, the creation of laws; second, adjudication implemented by the courts; and third, corrections. Corrections take place in confinement facilities such as jails, probation and parole units as well as in prisons. In a functional system of criminal justice, these distinct organizations work in tandem with regard to the legal provisions guiding the process and under the tradition of keeping the sanctity of law within a population. The implementation of criminal justice begins with policing: the first contact a suspected criminal has with the system is normally the law enforcement a gencies. Police probe a suspected offense and initiate an arrest. The suspect is then taken to court where all incriminating evidence is tabled to enable the judges to make an informed decision on whether or not the suspect is culpable of the criminal accusations leveled against him or her. The court may acquit the individual or rule that he/she is to be taken to correction facility in case he or she is guilty. Participants in the Criminal Justice System The police act as the first department of the criminal justice system, which apprehends and investigates suspects for their suspected criminal actions. If needed, law enforcement agencies are authorized to use any means of legal force to implement order in society. The second department, courts play the role of a place where criminal suspects are proven guilty or otherwise – the venue of administration of justice. In light of the criminal justice, numerous individuals play pivotal roles in any courtroom. These important peopl e are called the courtroom work group. The team is comprised of both specialized staff and non-professional persons. These encompass the jury, prosecutor, and the defense lawyer. The jury is made up of judges or magistrates. For one to qualify for the post, he or she should be proficient in the law. An arbitrator is normally elected or nominated to impartially oversee the trial process and recommend a final verdict to conclude a case (Max, 2010). The Process of Criminal Justice McDonnell (2011) indicates that the criminal justice is a compound process, encompassing an array of stages opening with a criminal inquiry and up to the discharge of an individual who has completed his or her jail term. Throughout the process, regulations and drawing conclusion are the major tenets of this process. In view of this, these structures must come from somewhere. Such areas include the legal statutes containing Bill of Rights, the state code, court verdicts, federal policies of criminal processes, the state regulations of criminal process, jurisdiction and agency traditions. For instance, in the United States, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure dictate the course of all criminal trials in the country’s courts. Stages in the administration of criminal justice First: Probe of an offense by the law enforcers. The need for investigation into a criminal activity involves the gathering of proof to corner a

The Penn State Sex Scandal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

The Penn State Sex Scandal - Essay Example Unfortunately, the identity of the boy remains to be unidentified. Cleary, Sandusky should be held accountable because he molested kids, ruined the reputation of the football program and jeopardized the careers of his colleagues. The first and foremost reason why Sandusky should be indicted is due to the fact he molested little kids during his 3 year tenure period. According to McQueary’s testimony, McQueary depicted a scene in which he entered the Lasch Football locker room and thought he heard voices that depicted sexual activity. He walked into a shower room and saw a naked boy Victim 2. McQueary insisted that the naked boy, Victim 2 was backed up against the shower and was subjected to anal intercourse. The next day, McQueary reported this horrific incident to Paterno, who conveyed this message to Paterno. However, Paterno had knowledge of this information but continued to bring this to the public. The investigation continued to grow stronger as the mother of a young child , who was identified in documents as â€Å"Victim 1. â€Å" To make matter worse, a mother of a boy who was a Central Mountain High School in Clinton County was also reported to be molested by Sandusky. The Grand Jury Investigation concluded that Sandusky evidently had an inappropriate relationship with that boy and was reported to have â€Å"illicit touching: with victim 1 since 2005. ...Both Curley and Schultz denied the fact that Sandusky had oral-anal sexual intercourse with the victim. Curley continued to refute the fact that McQueary told him anything of that nature and insisted that Sandusky was just playing around with kids. The second reason why Sandusky should be indicted and be prisoned is due to the fact that he clearly stained the football program at Penn State. Penn State football program was one of the most prominent and respectable programs in the NCAA. For the last 23 years in this football program, he was the team’s defensive coordinator. However, his hig h reputation as a coach saved was completely diminished after the scandal. Although Sandusky was considered to be â€Å"the heart and the soul† for the football team, this accusation was a huge stain in his reputation. Moreover, the whole football team lost its concentration to achieve the ultimate goal after the scandal had a crippling effect throughout the school. The â€Å"icing on the cake† that proves that Sandusky should be indicted is due to the fact that his horrific actions have jeopardized the professions of his colleagues. As a Penn State coach, Paterno had earned a very solid reputation as a football coach. However, after these accusations were indicted against Sandusky, Paterno and McQueary became victims. Paterno was fired shortly as Sandusky awaited trial. It was evident that the 85 years Paterno’s legacy was brutally plagued with this scandal. Paterno was notorious for assisting students with academics as he also donated to build a library at Pen n State.

Factors Affecting Contrast In An Xray Image Health Essay

Factors Affecting Contrast In An Xray Image Health Essay To test resolution, a line pair guage is used. To measure MTF in an x-ray system, the sine wave equivalent of a line pair gauge is used. The closest distinguishable pair of cycles determines the best MTF, it is quoted in cycles per mm [2]. A common way to express the system resolution is to quote the frequency where the MTF is reduced to either 3%, 5% or 10% of the original height [3]. MTF and spatial frequency are related by MTF curves. Examples of MTF curves are given below; Mammography System: Fig 2: MTF curve for a mammography system [4]. Chest Radiography System: Fig 3: MTF curve for a typical chest X-ray. Three different detector types are indicated on the plot [5]. Fluoroscopy System: Fig 4: MTF curve for a Fluoroscopy system with plots shown for individual components of the imaging process. The film and the optics have excellent resolution. The MTF of the imge intensifier is shown to have a limiting resolution of approximately 4.8 cycles/mm. The TV camera is the worst in the series, it limits the MTF of the overall image during live fluoroscopy and videotaped imaging. [6] Question 2: Contrast is the variation in brightness or optical density across an image. Factors affecting contrast in an x-ray image include the tube output, or the kVp. This is a measure of the energy of the x-ray beam leaving the x-ray tube and passing through the patient to form an image. X-rays with higher kVp can penetrate deeper into materials. In an image with the correct kVp bone is white and soft tissues and air are gray/black. If the kVp is too high, the x-rays will pass through even dense bone, creating an image that is mostly black with indistinguishable features [7]. The opposite occurs when a kVp which is too low is used. The most suitable kVp depends on the feature under investigation. Also among the factors affecting the image contrast is the patient. The density, the atomic number Z and the thickness of the part of the patient being imaged. Denser tissue, tissue with higher Z or tissue of a greater thickness results in lighter areas on the image because they have blocked the x-r ay from exposing the image receptor. Variation in contrast occurs because tissues in the body attenuate x-rays differently. The human eye can percieve a difference of approximately 2% in contrast between adjacent areas [8]. The final influence on image contrast to be discussed here is the image receptor. In film imaging, the contrast of the resultant image depends on the sensitivity of the film used. To produce an image with the correct contrast, a film with corrresponding sensitivity must be chosen before imaging. In digital imaging, there is no fixed sensitivity. It has the advantage of being able to record the full range of exposures and digital processing after imaging can be used to improve the contrast in the image. Image contrast can be evaluated using a densiometer. This device emits light of a known energy. The light is reflected back from the image and detected by the densitometer. The difference in energy between emitted and detected light is used to compute the optical density (blackness) in that area. Since contrast is the variation in optical density, this method can be used to survey the contrast in the image. Question 3: The following description is based on an article from the NDT database [9]. Spatial resolution of an x-ray system is limitied by the size of the focal spot. Fourier analysis can be used to calculate the focal spot size. X-rays are passed through a test object with a known pattern. This test object is placed between the x-ray source and detector, the arrangement is shown in the figure below. The focal spot of the x-ray is not assumed to be point-like, as the detector is moved away from the source, the detected focal spot appears larger. Blurring of the image by the detector is included, this blurring is related to the point spread funtion (psf) of the detector. Otherwise, an ideal detector is assumed. Image deterioration due to noise is also factored into the description. Fig 5: Setup for determing the focal spot size. The X-ray source, the flat object, and the intensity distribution measured at the detector system lie in different planes for which different coordinate systems with the variables (x, y), (x, y) and (x, y) respectively, are used. This is done in order to include magnification effects in the calculations. The measurement of the x-ray transmission, t, is derived mathematically. This is done by convolving the intensity distribution of the focal spot f with the transmission profile of the flat object g and the detector point spread function d. Also, t is deteriorated by noise, which is taken into consideration by addition of a noise term n to the result of the convolution. In order to take into account the geometrical magnification, V, of the setup, these functions are represented in one of these planes (here the plane of the detector), whereby the physical magnification effects of the setup were observed before the convolution is accomplished, this is shown in the second part of the equation below. The magnification is the distance between the source and the detector system divided by the distance between the source and the object. The Convolution Theorem states that the Fourier transform of a convolution is the product of the Fourier transforms. Conversely, the Fourier transform of a product is the convolution of the Fourier transforms. Using the above equation, a deconvolution of t with gâ‚ ¬Ã‚  (â‚ ¬Ã‚  d yields an estimate of f. In a technique like this, a suitable test object is measured. The resulting image corresponds to a convolution of the test object with the intensity distribution of the focal spot and other factors. Information on the focal spot is derived from this measurement using knowledge on the test object and other influencing values which means that the convolution process is undone to a certain extent. Also, with the presented method an arbitrary two dimensional intensity distribution can be measured, regardless of shape. According to the convolution theorem, a convolution in the spatial domain corresponds to a point-by-point multiplication in the corresponding Fourier domain. Furthermore, according to the addition theorem, an addition in the spatial domain corresponds to an addition in the corresponding Fourier domain. (Note: lower case letters represent functions and upper case letters represent the Fourier transforms of the equivalent functions.) The initial equation now becomes; At certain spatial frequencies | N | can be significantly higher than| F Æ’-â‚ ¬Ã‚  P |. At these spatial frequencies division of T by P mainly increases noise and deteriorates the image quality. This is due to the fact, that information on F is lost at these spatial frequencies. For that reason, independently of the deconvolution method applied, all spatial frequencies which are contained with high intensity in | F | should be contained with high intensity in |P| in order that | FÆ’- P | is significantly larger than | N |. This means that the test object (in combination with the detector imaging properties) should contain the major spatial frequencies which are required to describe the focal spot with sufficient intensity. In this case F can be restored well at these spatial frequencies, which yields a good estimate of f. Question 4: Using a bar phantom similar to that used for determining resolution can lead to an error determining the focal spot size. This is because the line pairs are aligned in one direction only. For accurate measurement of the focal spot size, many images with the bar phantom at different angles would be necessary [10]. To overcome this problem, a star phantom is used. This is a disc of alternating Lead spokes and x-ray transparent material. At a particular diameter of the focal spot the image of the spokes blurs, i.e., adjacent spokes cannot be distinguished from each other. The diameter of the blur is an indication of the focal spot size [11]. Fig 6: Star pattern for testing focal spot size [12] Question 5: 5a. The most obvious parts of a CT scanner are the moving patient table and the gantry or tube. Conventional projection radiography is limited because it collapses 3D objects onto 2D images. CT has a rotating system of emission and detection and so it can give accurate 3D diagnostic information about the distribution of structures inside the body. Inside the gantry there is the X-ray tube, x-ray detectors and slip-rings. The X-ray beam is collimated and radiates in a fan-beam shape. The x-ray emitter and detectors rotate in the gantry to measure projections that form an image that is a slice though the body. There are brushes around the rotating slip-rings to transmit signals. In CT, the linear attenuation coefficient, ÃŽÂ ¼ is measured. This tells how much intensity is lost as the beam travels through the medium. This distribution of ÃŽÂ ¼ is the basis of image formation. There are two distinct motions of the x-ray beam relative to the patients body during CT imaging. One motion i s the scanning of the beam around the body. The other motion is the movement of the beam along the length of the body.   This is achieved by moving the body through the beam as it is rotating around Fig 7: External appearance of a CT scanner. [13] Fig 8: Basic schematic of the construction of a CT scanner. Fig 9: CT image quality and electromechanical acceptance tests. The Priority column indicates which of the tests are the most important. [14] 5b. CT images are formed by multiple intersecting projections. This is illustrated in the figure on the left. In the bottom right section, it is seen that the combination of the projections causes blurring in the final image. The blurring goes as 1/r, i.e., it is proportional to the distance from the centre point. The 2D Fourier transform of 1/r is 1/à Ã‚ . Since the inverse of 1/à Ã‚  is |à Ã‚ |, it is possible to compute the 2D Fourier Transform of the blurred image, multiply the Fourier transform of the resultant image by |à Ã‚ | and the calculate the inverse Fourier transform to obtain a sharper image [15]. Fig 10: On the left, unfiltered back projections and on the right, filtered back projections. The conversion is done in the spatial domain by convolving the projection with the IFT of |à Ã‚ |. Fig 11: The mathematics of the image reconstruction process, can be expressed compactly in the above equation, where the terms have been grouped to reflect the filtered-back-projection approach [15]. 5c. The fundamental system performance indicators are CT number, resolution, noise, and patient dose.26 The accuracy of CT numbers is measured by scanning a water-filled phantom at least monthly. The CT number for water should be zero over a 20-cm-diameter phantom, with a variation of less than 1 CT number. Deviation from the expected CT number of 0 for water at any energy is adjusted by applying a correction factor for the pixel value. Constancy of the value should be monitored with a daily scan. An overall check of system performance is obtained from semiannual measurements of CT image noise, defined as the standard deviation of CT numbers in a region of interest. Constancy of performance is checked by evaluation of the standard deviation in the daily water scan mentioned previously. Resolution is measured by scanning phantoms on a monthly basis. Of particular importance is low contrast resolution, which is a sensitive indicator of changes in component performance as they affect noise. Patient dose is evaluated semiannually. Specially designed ionization chambers provide measurements from which the dose may be calculated for the exposure conditions (narrow beam, variable slice thickness) used in CT. The values should agree with manufacturers specifications to within 20%. [hendee]

Hamlet: A Sane Character Essay -- Hamlet Essays

The story Hamlet was composed by the playwright William Shakespeare, and is regarded as a timeless piece in both literature and theatre. Now, over four hundred years after Hamlet was written, society still continues to analyze its complex characterization (Reiss 769). In a Psychiatric Times article, twentieth century physician Alan Stone says, â€Å"Even today in our era of cultural diversity, Shakespeare remains the greatest figure of world literature, performed on every continent, surviving translation† (Allan 20). The protagonist Hamlet is a particularly multifaceted character. He is an intelligent being who appears to have been overcome by self-conflict due to the sudden murder of his father, the King of Denmark. The transgressions of the murderer, his uncle Claudius, drive Hamlet to a point of questionable sanity. It is Hamlet’s psyche which is a large topic of scholarly debate concerning the play. â€Å"Shakespeare’s understanding of the human condition mi raculously transcends his culture and place,† says Stone (Allan 20). Shakespeare had a particular interest in the human mind, mental conditions, and nosology. Upon evaluation of Hamlet’s sanity, it becomes apparent that these subjects are present in the play. The subject of Hamlet’s sanity is a vastly complex but not necessarily unexplainable topic. There is arguably evidence to support the protagonist’s sanity with: the seven soliloquies, the psychoanalysis of Hamlet’s character, and the utterance Hamlet makes in Act III. To begin, the seven soliloquies serve as a strong testament to Hamlet’s sanity because they convey his coherence like no other remarks made in the play. As the story digresses, there is an apparent shift in Hamlet’s demeanor. The rivaling question is, is Hamlet... ...Marian. "Hamlet’s seven soliloquies."  Philip Allan Literature Guide (for A-Level): Hamlet. Oxfordshire: Trans-Atlantic Publications, 2011. . Print. Crawford, Alexander W.  Hamlet, an ideal prince, and other essays in Shakesperean interpretation: Hamlet; Merchant of Venice; Othello; King Lear. Boston R.G. Badger, 1916.  Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2009. . Reiss, Benjamin. "Bardolatry in Bedlam: Shakespeare, Psychiatry, and Cultural Authority in Nineteenth-Century America." ELH. Vol. 72. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins UP., 2005. 769-97. Print. No. 4. Shakespeare, William.  Hamlet. 1603. Reprint. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1992. Print. Stone, Alan A. "Shakespeare and Psychiatry: A Personal Meditation."  Psychiatric Times  30: 20-21.  ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source. Web. 5 May 2014.

Financial Management Questions

Q5. Putting yourself in the position of an existing shareholder(investor) of your company, using both the annual corporate report and the information about your company’s share price in the Financial Times, provide a recommendation (with reasons) whether you rate your company’s shares as Buy, Hold or Sell. There are a wide range of factors that affect share price. These include interest rates, inflation, the performance of the industry/sector the company is in, the performance of the company itself, and the market supply and demand for the companies’ shares.The following graph shows Marks and Spencer’s share price over the last 12 months. http://corporate. marksandspencer. com/investors/shareprice/chart Accessed: 05/12/11 By viewing the graph, we can see that there have been numerous fluctuations in share price over the last 12 months. At the start of the year share price was at around 370 pence per share and dropped down to around 330 pence per share afte r 3 months. There was then a surge in share price which reached over 400 pence per share at its peak in May.It then fell to its lowest point, just above 300 pence per share in September and there have since been small fluctuations in share price. Its current share price is at 329. 00 but we expect it to continue to fluctuate slightly before finally increasing again into the New Year, as share prices do generally remain low over the Christmas period. The following table is share information that was published in The Financial Times weekly update on Monday 5th December 2011. | |Price |Wks% Chg | Div |Div Cov |Mcap ? | Last xd | |Marks&Sp |330. 10 |+7. 3 |17 |2. 3 |5,233. 3 |16. 11 | Using the data available from this table and information published in the annual company report, we can work out dividend yield and dividend cover. â€Å"Dividend yield tells you the percentage cash return on the investment, and can be directly compared with interest rates and other investment opportuniti es. It expresses the dividend per share as a percentage of the current share price† (McKenzie, 2010:385).It is therefore worked out by dividing the dividend per share which is 17 pence, by the current price by share, which is 330. 10, and then multiplying the answer by 100. The dividend yield can then be worked out as 5. 17%. This would therefore be a worthwhile investment considering many interest rates for banks are less than 1%. The dividend cover â€Å"measures how many times the dividend could be paid from the available profits† (McKenzie, 2010:384). The financial times reveal that the dividend cover is 2. 3, and therefore the dividend could be paid 2. 3 times out of Marks and Spencer’s available profits.This shows that Marks and Spencer are using quite a substantial amount of profit to pay out dividends, nearly half. This may be rewarding for a shareholder looking for a quick return, however, shareholders who are looking to invest in Marks and Spencer in th e long run may find it more beneficial if Marks and Spencer’s reinvested their profits into the business. Taking everything into account, we would recommend a shareholder to hold their shares, as we believe that there will be a rise in share price in the coming months, so they will therefore make a better return if they do wish to sale in the future.The dividend yield shows that Marks and Spencer offer a good return on investment, compared with other alternatives such as bank interest rates. And also they use a considerable amount of their profits to pay shareholders dividends, so we believe it would be worthwhile holding onto the shares for the time being at least. Financial Times, Monday December 5 2011, p. 26 McKenzie, W. (2010) Using and Interpreting Company Accounts. FT Prentice Hall. p. 384-385

A Critical Examination of Rene Descartes Trademark Argument essays

A Critical Examination of Rene Descartes Trademark Argument essays A Critical Examination of Rene Descartes Trademark Argument In the six meditations written by Rene Descartes there are numerous principals and theories proposed, among them is the Trademark argument for the existence of God, which states that we all have an innate idea of an infinitely perfect God and the cause of the idea could only be a perfect God. Descartes states that there are degrees to reality and what is less real may not be caused by something, which is given more reality, (that the cause must pre-contain the reality of its effect). Descartes dubs this the pre-containment principle. He then goes on to say that all things must have a cause and that all causes may affect another thing, (deemed the principle of universal causation). So using all this Descartes states that he has an idea of God, and the only possible cause for this idea is God himself, because only God contains enough formal reality to cause the idea with that much objective reality. First off how do we know that the idea of god is in fact innate, and what of the fact that there are many different versions of that same idea? If you were to ask a person who had never had contact with another human being before exactly who or what God is, I believe the person would ask who and what God is? Who is to say the idea of God is in fact innate, what proof is there to suggest that the idea is Innate, or that there are innate ideas at all? Three similar objections can be raised, the first being that God can be thought of as not existing. That is, we can separate his existence from his essential attributes. Since, according to some critics, we can conceive of God as not existing, then existence is not a necessary attribute of this idea. A further objection to Descartes' proof is that even though a necessary attribute of a mountain is that it be adjacent to a valley, it doesn't follow that any mountains or valleys exist. In the same way, even though the c ...

Reporting Verbs for English Language Learners

Reporting Verbs for English Language Learners Reporting verbs are verbs that serve to report what someone else has said. Reporting verbs are different than the reported speech in that they are used to paraphrase what someone has said. Reported speech is used when reporting exactly what someone has said. To do this, use  say and tell. John told me he was going to stay late at work.Jennifer told Peter she had lived in Berlin for ten years. Peter said he wanted to visit his parents that weekend.My friend said he would finish his work soon. Other verbs used with reported speech include mention and comment. Here are some examples: Tom mentioned he enjoyed playing tennis.Alice mentioned she could take care of the kids this weekend. The teacher commented the students werent getting their homework done on time.The man commented he felt tired after such a long journey. When using reported speech, change the verb used by the original speaker to match your usage. In other words, if you report using said, you need to move everything back one step into the past. There are also pronoun changes and time cue changes that need to be made as appropriate in reported speech.   I like playing tennis. - Tom mentioned he liked playing tennis.  I have lived in Berlin for ten years. - Jennifer told Peter she had lived in Berlin for ten years.   Say and tell are the most common reporting verbs used to report what others have said. However, there are a number of other reporting verbs which can more accurately describe what someone has said. These verbs take a variety of structures that differ from reported speech. For example: Original Statement I will come to your party. I promise. Reported Speech He said he would come to my party. Reporting Verb He promised to come to my party. In this example, reported speech changes the original verb to would as well as changing the possessive pronoun your to my. In contrast, the reporting verb promise is simply followed by the infinitive. There are a number of formulas used with reporting verbs. Use the chart below to identify the structure required.   The following list gives you reporting verbs in various categories based on sentence structure. Note that a number of verbs can take more than one form. verb object infinitive verb infinitive verb (that) verb gerund verb object preposition gerund verb preposition gerund adviseencourageinviteremindwarn agreedecideofferpromiserefusethreaten admitagreedecidedenyexplaininsistpromiserecommendsuggest denyrecommendsuggest accuseblamecongratulate apologizeinsist Examples:Jack encouraged me to look for a new job.They invited all their friends to attend the presentation.Bob warned his friend not to open the can of worms.I advised the students to study carefully for the test. Examples:She offered to give him a lift to work.My brother refused to take no for an answer.Mary decided to attend university.He threatened to sue the company. Examples:Tom admitted (that) he had tried to leave early.She agreed (that) we needed to reconsider our plans.The teacher insisted that he didnt give enough homework.Our manager suggested we take some time off work. Examples:He denied having anything to do with her.Ken suggested studying early in the morning.Alice recommends playing golf in Bend, Oregon. Examples:They accused the boys of cheating on the exam.She blamed her husband for missing the train.The mother congratulated her daughter on graduating from college. Examples:He apologized for being late.She insisted on doing the washing up.Peter apologized for interrupting the meeting. For more information on reported speech, this overview of  reported speech  provides a guide on which transformations are required to use the form. Practice using this form with the  reported speech worksheet   that provides a quick review and exercise. Theres also a  reported speech quiz  which provides immediate feedback on correct or incorrect answers. Teachers can use this guide on  how to teach reported speech  for help introducing the reported speech, as well as a  reported speech lesson plan  and other resources.

CONSENSUS PERSPECTIVE VS SOCIAL CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE Essay

CONSENSUS PERSPECTIVE VS SOCIAL CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE - Essay Example Members of society are constrained by social facts through their way of thinking, acting and feelings (Ritzer, 23). Moreover, belief and moral codes are passed from one generation to another as they are shared by individuals who make up the society. He says that collective conscience and social stability can only be achieved through consensus that consists of â€Å"common beliefs and sentiments. Without this consensus, social solidarity could be impossible as human being will not integrate with each other† (Ritzer, 25). Durkheim argues that collective conscience restricts individual to behave in accordance with the societal norms. His argument is based on the fact that the society is composed of various parts or institutions which are integrated to form it in order to produce social order. According to consensus; contract comes as a result of the consensus or the meeting of minds. Of any contracting parties without consensus there is no contract and hence it continues to be important and very essential to most of the approaches to contract law (Ritzer, 24). Apparently, most of the participants in the development of this theory tend to think that the growth and the history of consensus theory give a greater knowledge of the foundations of modern contract law. In addition they view the history consensus theory as a testing ground for dissimilar conceptions. The social conflict perspective is one of the major sociological models of understanding the social world. Mainly, this perspective has got three components. First, is that it has conflict which is common and continuing in the society. Second, is that the society is comprised of several classes of populace who have contradictory values and interests. Third, is that the conflict that is present in the society occurs between the dominant and the subordinate who have stiff competition over scarce resources. In this perspective, Karl Marx uses two groups to explain the

Long-Term Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Long-Term Care - Essay Example The aging of America has helped to bring the issue of the state of long-term care system in the limelight. It was in 1988 when Presidential candidates talked in their debates for the elections while Congress first tried decisively to cobble a national policy on long-term care by introducing four major bills on long-term care financing (Kuchler 1). However, while America is aging, life expectancy has also lengthened so that more and more older people are joining the ranks of senior citizens - consequently, expanding the ranks of those who will face disability in the near future. In the past, the policy was geared towards institutional care, mostly nursing homes and residential care facilities, but now efforts are being done towards more a home-based or community-based care due to the wishes of the families of patients. Another socio-cultural force that has brought the long-term care system to its current state is the role played by informal caregivers, especially women. Women and relatives of the elderly and the disabled have traditionally been assigned the task of being the caregivers of the family. As a result of higher educational attainments, rising divorce rates, and more opportunities for women in the labor force, the long-term care system has been faced with the issue of dearth of informal caregivers. ... The shortage of care-giving professionals will continue to affect the state of the long-term care system in the future. Long-term care financing as well as delivery has been tasked as a matter of policy to Medicare and Medicaid, with the former including long-term care service only as an adjunct in case of acute illness for people with disabilities and the latter, as the institutional source of long-term care funding for very economically hard-up people. The policy has been criticized for failing to provide support for people who need long-term care service. Medicaid only could be relied on to provide long-term care when their financial resources have dried up and thus, "the system is excessively harsh" (Feder, Komisar and Niefeld 54). Partly the result of the inadequacy of the coverage of long-term care financing, most people especially from the middle classes rely on out-of-pocket expenses to pay for long-term care. It is estimated in one study that 20% of older people will spend US$25,000 from their own pockets to fund future long-term care needs (Johnson, Toohey and Wiener 2). There are continuin g policy debates on how to integrate Medicare and Medicaid and how these debates will fare in the coming years and thus shape whether the long-term care system will be up to the challenge of providing better services and financially viable options for the country. As the age group called the baby boomers or those who were born between 1946 and 1964 reach retirement age and who currently comprise more than a fourth of the American population, some have sounded alarms that this phenomenon is a healthcare crisis in the making (Achison n.p.). When this age group will become part of the population that will stop paying taxes that fund Medicare and would be

Rimsky-Korsakov Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rimsky-Korsakov - Essay Example The Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov in 1888 set one of these wonderful stories, the tale of Schaherazade to music. It should be noticed that "based on The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, this orchestral work combines two feature common to Russian music, and of Rimsky-Korsakov in particular in particular: dazzling, colorful orchestration and an interest in the East, which figured greatly in the history of Imperial Russia". Through all the movements of the suite run the theme of gorgeous women and wonderful teller, Schaherazade. Emotional, sensuously winding and full of inscrutability melody for violin solo, which is accompanied by harp, perform this theme. This is not just some excerption from an ancient eastern melody. It was composed by Rimsky-Korsakov himself, in the way that it is really seems the melody combines all the enchantment and inviting mystique of eastern lyrics. The same may be said about all other themes: orchestral, lyric-singing etc. They all synthesize eurhyth mics, figuration, and diversity of color of eastern music. Rimsky-Korsakov is best known for his mastership to paint beautiful pictures in music by using the colors of sound made by each instrument of orchestra. He had a color ear for music, and perceived the notes associating them with particular colors2. Note C D Eb E F G A Color white yellow dark bluish-grey sparkling sapphire green rich gold rosy colored The whole first movement depictures the sea, which appears again in the ending section of the final. In such way the composer margined his suite with glaringly blue, and sparkling sapphire colors. The theme of sea is falling from the theme of overbearing Sultan. The theme of Sultan is built on four notes of the describing whole tone scale. Immediately following this theme, almost interrupting it, is the gentle and passionate violin solo of Scheherazade. This is one of the loveliest melodies ever penned. "Listening to these two themes, and the sweeping music of Schaherazade's tales that transports us bodily into the magic of the 1001 Tales of the Arabian Nights, one can only wish that Rimsky-Korsakov had had the time to produce settings for the other 997"3. Some time after we forget about fearful governor as Allegro starts painting the picture of the sea. Accordingly changes the character of the first movement: now it sounds stately and on an even keel. This calmness is underlined with figuration of accompaniment, in which we hear decuman ocean waves. The main theme of the first movement is added by two accessory themes. One of them is a theme of Sinbad's ship. The other one is a theme of Scheherazade, Sultan's wife, who used to please her husband with the marvelous stories. It is remarkable that the wavy accompaniment, which appears as an essential element of the main part, disappears just for a while and then comes again, sounding almost throughout whole first movem

Ethics of Autonomous Drones in the Military Essay Example for Free

Ethics of Autonomous Drones in the Military Essay She states that even the best and most trained soldiers that are in the midst of battle may not always be able to act accordingly with the battlefield rules of engagement that were stated by the Geneva Convention because of possible lashing out from normal human emotions such as anger, fear, resent, and vengefulness. The second major point Dean wants to show, by the views and studies of others, in her article is that with this possible step in our evolution of military technology we do not want to let this idea fade away. Another major point is if we do develop this technology how would we do so, and if not, would we regret not advancing in this field further many years from now. With all of this information Dean uses to present her ideas there are still major flaws such as, the majority of these ideas and beliefs are theoretical, they still have not been fully tested, there is error in all technologies, and where else would the technological advancements lead artificial intelligence. The first argument providing support for Dean’s major point comes from the research hypothesis and thoughts of a computer scientist at Georgia Institute of Technology named Ronald Arkin. Arkin is currently under contract by the United States Army to design software programs for possible battlefield and current battlefield robots. The research hypothesis of Arkin is that he believes that intelligent autonomous robots can perform much more ethically in the heat of the battlefield than humans currently can. Yet this is just a hypothesis and while there is much research done towards this hypothesis there are still no absolutely positive research information that states an autonomous robot drone can in fact perform better than any soldier on the ground or up in a plane could do. In Arkins hypothesis, he stated that these robots could be designed with no sense of self-preservation. This means that without one of the strongest fears for humans, the fear of death, these robots would be able to understand, compute, and react to situations with out outside extraneous emotions. Although the men and women designing these robot programs may be able to eliminate this psychological problem of scenario fulfillment, which will cause soldiers to retain information that is playing out easier with a bias to pre-existing ideas, it is not always the case that this happens to soldiers. You have to realize that from the second a soldier begins his training he is trained and taught to eliminate the sense of self-preservation. There are isolated incidents with soldier error, but they are and will be corrected by superior officers or their fellow soldiers. Another factor that affects Cornelia Dean’s arguments is that there are errors in all things including technology. Throughout history there have been new uses of technology in warfare but with these come problems and error flaws that have cause and can cause more casualties than needed. With the use of an Automated drone the belief by Dean is that it will be able to decide whether or not to launch an attack on a high priority target whether or not if the target is in a public are and will decide if the civilian casualties would be worth it. But what happens if that drone is only identifying the target and the number of civilians surrounding it? It will not be able to factor in what type of people would be around him such as men, women, or children and any variance of them. The error in this situation would be the drone saying the target is high enough priority and a missile is launched and the civilians were women and children around while a school bus was driving by. The casualties would then instantly out weigh the priority to eliminate a specific target and a human pilot would much easier abort a mission than a predetermined response of an autonomous robot. Although Ronald Arkin believes there are situations that could arise when there may not be time for a robotic device to relay back what is happening to a human operator and wait for how to respond in the situation that could complete a mission, it may be that second of time delay between the robot and human operator that the ethical judgment is made. Also the realization that many robots in which are operated by humans are widely used to detect mines, dispose of or collects bombs, and clear out buildings to help ensure extra safety of our soldiers is a way that robots are already used today as battlefield assistants supports Dean. But all of these machines in the field have moments of failure or error. When the machines do fail it takes a soldier who has trained for that experience to fix and then use it again. If an autonomous drone fails while on a mission it is completely by its self and no human operator to fix it. Then can arise the problem of enemies realizing they were even being monitored and they could gain access to our military technology and can eventually use it against us. Another major point that Cornelia Dean discusses upon is with this possible step in our evolution of military technology we do not want to let this idea fade away. A large part of that is if we do develop this technology how would we do so, and if not, how much would we regret or how much would it affect us for not advancing in this field further many years from now. The argument that if other countries advance upon this faster and better than the United States military we could become less of a world power and be more at risk of attack and war with greater human fatalities is not necessarily true. This situation is important in the sense of keeping up with the other world powers but I believe that the risk for reward is not worth the amount of damage and civilian casualties that could happen from any number of robotic drones and their possible errors. There is a possibility as the technology develops and robots become more and more aware to the point were, Arkin believes that, they can make decisions at a higher level of technological development. Yet if these autonomous robots truly can think for themselves and make decisions brings a whole new possibility of problems of what if the robot can decide something differently than what the developers originally had programmed. Also comes the actual use problem of can the government ethically accept that in early stages of use, even after extraneous testing, there may be accidental casualties. If a robot has any error of making decisions because of how new and un-tested they are any of the possibly terrible results would not be the responsibility of the robot but of the country and government that designed it. The supporting evidence of this article strongly shows that Cornelia Dean will hope that use of these ethically superior autonomous robots will be apart of our military in the near future before the United States fall behind to other super powers in the world. Yet with all of this information Dean uses to present her ideas there are still major flaws such as, the majority of these ideas and beliefs are theoretical, they still have not been fully tested, and that there is error in all technologies. With these major points being enforced with plenty of evidence throughout the article, and with all of the possible negative sides and errors of this argument, it is safe to say that this will be and is a controversial topic of discussion by many governments and all parties involved with this technological advancement.

Citizen Service Centres (KEP): Perceptions of Customers

Citizen Service Centres (KEP): Perceptions of Customers 1. Introduction 1.1 Importance of the Research According to the philosophical bases of marketing customer wants satisfaction. As the consumer is the key for a firm, the voter is the central element for a government or party (Lock and Harri,1996).In this context the citizen voter wants satisfaction and searching his satisfaction from the services that are offered to him is ‘‘ a lens through which government and public managers can gain a better perspective on how citizens respond to the performance of public services, (Van Ryzin , 2004) and offers important findings for the policy makers. Citizen satisfaction surveys are frequently used by U.S. local governments and public administration researchers in order to measure the quality of local government services (Hatry et al., 1992; Miller and Kobayashi, 2000). A big number of U.S. cities use surveys regularly (New York , San Francisco, Phoenix etc.),in order to analyze in a descriptive and unvaried way , the level of perceived quality of services ,within a locality and over time (Van Ryzin et al., 2004). Recent studies have compared citizen satisfaction with benchmarks that were developed from data collected across many localities (Miller and Miller 1991; Miller and Kobayashi 2000), and have focused on the individual, jurisdictional, and city-specific determinants of citizen ratings of service quality (De Hoog, Lowery, and Lyons 1990; Hero and Durand 1985),like taxes and expenditure ,and also on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of respondents such as race (Schuman and Gruenberg, 1972). Other investigations have negotiated the citizen satisfaction from the police according to their ethnoracial characteristics (Brad W. S. 2005), or satisfaction from the education system or from hospitals (Amyx,Bristow ,2001, Suda Anita D.,1998). The importance of the public services quality became popular in the United Kingdom at 1990s when the political parties put an emphasis on the subject ,but even in our days the need for quality services that meet â€Å"customer† citizens needs and expectations, is more and more obvious .This need for quality public services is even expressed by the European Social Fund, as the implementation of the strategy and policies of the European Committee at Member States ,is strongly related with the public service organizations, which many of them are responsible for (ESF,2009). And although, in the marketing research exist a number of well-developed models of approaching customer satisfaction, there has been little development of a model that would test citizens satisfaction. As a result, it would be valuable to test such a model in the framework of Greek public services. 1.2 The Research Objectives The overall objective of this research is to examine the Greek citizens perceptions and expectations of service quality concerning the Citizen Service Centres (KEP) -a Greek public service based on servqual model. From this overall objective a number of more specific aims can be identified: Investigate consumer expectations towards the service offered from public services Examine citizen perceptions about Citizen Service Centres(KEP) Asses the factors that play an important role in the service quality of Citizen Service Centres (KEP) 2. Literature Review 2.1 Politics and the marketing concept It has often been argued that the application of ‘marketing tools and instruments in politics is nothing new (Perloff, 1999; Baines and Egan, 2001).In the last twenty-five years what have changed about the political marketing is not just the size of political marketing management but also the belief that political actors act and think in political terms. Political actors are them that they try to do marketing management in a frame of integration of marketing instruments in a coherent marketing strategy (Newman, 1994a; Dermody and Scullion, 2001). It is supposed that the selling of politicians and the selling of a product is linked (OShaughnessy, 2001) and that commercial and political contexts are essentially similar (Kotler, 1999). Many marketers believe that the tools and concepts of marketing can be transferred directly to the political arena (Lock and Harris ,1996) .The applications of political marketing are used as a tool of managing politics, developing policy (Nimmo, 1999), or even governing (OShaughnessy, 2003). The marketing concept in commercial terms is based on the principle that all company planning and operations will be customer oriented. As such the philosophical basis of the marketing concept is that customer want satisfaction (OCass, 1996). When a political party or candidate applies this concept to the political process, they must be in a position to adapt to and satisfy voters needs (Mauser, 1983; Newman and Sheth, 1987; Reid, 1988). For major mainstream parties, the overriding objective is to attract voters, win elections and hold power (Lock and Harris, 1996).In this extent knowing the degree of satisfaction of citizens seems to be important. 2.2 Citizen Citizen is every person of a state that has the citizenship of it (New Encyclopaedia, 2006). According the place and the time different criteria were used to define the citizen .The genealogical criterion, which is the oldest, the legal criterion and the economic (taxation) criterion .According to the first, citizen is the son of citizen that hasnt lost his rights. This definition was used in the ancient cities in order to distinguish the mass from the public. According to the second criterion citizen is each one that is recognized like that from the law. And finally, according to the last , citizen is each one that owns property or a quantity of goods and contributes to the governmental budget (Encyclopaedia Papyrus Larousse Britannica, 1992).Citizens have some rights and obligations .Their rights are political such as the right to vote, to be member of the jury or public servant , and personal such as the right to live ,to have free speech , to work, to live in freedom ,etc . ,that are protected from the state and are given to everyone. Citizens obligations such as taxation are set in order to protect the privileges that are offered to citizens from the government and they emerge from the need of the States existence (New Encyclopaedia, 2006). One of the governmental works is the provision of goods and services. All the modern governments take part directly to the economy by providing goods and services , organising industrial enterprises I promoting economic activities .Providing sanitary, education, and social insurance services , is one of the modern states concerns (Heinz Eulau ,1992). 2.3 Citizens as Customers, Customers as Citizens The classic definition of customer is â€Å"one who purchases or receives a product or service† (Carlson, 1997). The concept of customer is often more complicated in the public sector. For example, the city of Coral Springs in Florida, refined the idea by considering two distinct categories of external customers. Moreover, a building permit applicant is a direct customer while the applicants neighbors are among the indirect customers who will benefit if the decision helps to ensure a safer city and more appropriate land use and construction practices. But even with these refinements, â€Å"citizen† sometimes has a broader meaning. Citizens enjoy rights and take on responsibilities that extend well beyond those commonly recognized to customers (Popovich, 1999). Despite the passage of generations, the fact that government cannot succeed without the peoples trust and support, is a true even today. These essential elements of civil society shape the capacity and help determine the actual performance of government. Societys efforts to accomplish its highest priority and most practical goals are likely to fall short in the absence of the peoples agreement in the functions of government. As the customer is the key for a firm, the citizen -voter is the central element for a government. 2.4 Public services A service is a non material product (education, health safety etc).The meaning of public services isnt constrained in the area of Public and Αdministrative law .The public service is a known significance in the economy, as an appropriate tool of the states expansion in the social relations, for the preservation of stabilized provisions for the welfare state. Beyond the needs of the of practical policy, the interest of the political science with the expansions of the political philosophy is expressed , as the public service is characterized as the expansion of the state in its social activity . In other words , it is the way by which the state contacts the citizens in order to cover their direct needs .After the two World Wars this phenomenon is observed in the European area .In Germany , this works as ‘‘Anstalten (institutions) and the ‘‘ offentlichen Unternehmungen (public enterprises) . The administration (the welfare state) undertakes and guarantees ben efits even for the preservation of life of human who live massively in big cities such as transportation ,cleanliness , water , electricity etc. ÃŽ ¤he principles of function of the public services are connected with the needs and social aims that are tended to fulfil. Therefore, services are provided to everyone in the same way in order to cover the needs, under conditions that change from time to time (Encyclopaedia Papyrus Larousse Britannica ,1992 ). According to the Europa Glossary that is being updated given the recent signing of the Treaty of Lisbon ,the concept of public service is >. At the same time the Europa Glossary defines that continuity of service quality security of supply equal access affordable prices social , cultural and environmental acceptability Article 16 of the EC Treaty, introduced by the Treaty of Amsterdam, confirms the role of public services in the European Union. The EU policy on operators of public services is still shaped by the desire to liberalise network public services and to widen the scope of competition on national markets, be this, in the areas of rail transport, postal services, energy or telecommunications>>. 2.5 Citizen Service Centres (KEP) The institution of KEP was founded in 2002, based on an idea of the Deputy Minister Mr Beno. The KEP were founded according to the article 31 of law 3013/2002 and were staffed with short term labour agreement workers, according to the processes of article 6 of law 2527/1997. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (2007), over 60.000 of citizens visit every day Citizen Service Centres (KEP) for certified or not processes, ratifications of registrations, certifications of genuine signature and every kind of administrative information. The last three years 40 new KEP were founded and now they are 1035 at their total. The centres are open Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 20:00, and Saturday, 8:00 to 14:00. At Citizen Service Centres (KEP) citizens can:  · obtain information on what they need to do in order to manage their transactions with the municipality * submit applications for the processing of matters that involve the City that the KEP is registered and state agencies in accordance with joint decisions issued by the Interior Minister or other competent Minister >(City of Athens ,2007). Some of the procedures (about 1.014 at total) that Citizens can carry out at Citizen Service Centres are the following:  · The registration or transfer of registration of a passenger vehicle or motorcycle  · The issuance of a birth certificate duplicate  · The issuance of a criminal record duplicate for general or legal use  · The issuance of a marital status certificate  · The issuance of a birth certificate duplicate for those registered with the City of Athens  · The application for a rent subsidy for the year 2006 to Workers Housing Organisation beneficiaries (former recipients)  · The issuance of a registry birth certificate duplicate for an adult or minor  · The issuance of a public transport pass for individuals with disabilities  · The application for the seasonal unemployment benefit in accordance with Article 22 of Law 1836/89 OAED (Greek Manpower Employment Organisation)  · The issuance of a marital status certificate for individuals registered with the City of Athens (online)  · The application for a rent subsidy for the year 2006 to Workers Housing Organization beneficiaries (new recipients)  · The issuance of a marriage license duplicate  · The application for the OAED (Greek Manpower Employment Organization) family subsidy  · The issuance of a drivers license  · The issuance of a Type A military status certificate (full)  · The renewal of a drivers license  · The issuance of a registry death certificate duplicate  · The application for change in passenger vehicle or motorcycle ownership  · The issuance of a permanent residence certificate  · The issuance of a judicial interdiction certificate See Appendix 1 Progressively KEP were transformed to Centres of Completed Transactions, bringing the Public Administration more near to citizen. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (2007), citizens trust KEP and are in general satisfied from them. Nowadays they have permanent staff which possesses about 2588 positions. The number of affairs that KEP handled the last years is presented at the table below: PERIOD NUMBER OF AFFAIRS SERVED CITIZENS 2006 3.042.509 1.154.554 2005 2.305.195 1.527.516 2004 1.643.313 1.316.505 2003 423.759 356.872 Medium number of affairs per day from Monday to Friday: 11.805 Medium number of affairs per day (Saturday): 821 According to the Ministry KEP are recognizable from about the 80% of citizens. Equally big are the visits to them that they exceed 60%, since they were enriched with new, more attractive for the citizen processes. But more interesting are the numbers linked with the subject of satisfaction of citizens, which according to the ministry exceeds the 90%. The problems that the Public Administration was facing when KEP were created were multiple. The most serious of them were the bad organization and the centralism of public services, lack of confidence in the government owned services, lack of evaluation, lack of meritocracy, weakening of ASEP, fragmentary, and consequently unsuccessful, efforts of application of Electronic Governing, absence of controls and sanctions and finally inflation of bureaucracy and corruptness. For this reason in 2007 a number of regulations of the article 15 of the law for Citizen Service Centres (KEP) were introduced, in order to fight the difficulties and dysfunctions of citizens service (Ministry of Internal Affairs, 2007). Some of the regulations were the following:  · The foundation of the Direction of Organization and Operation of KEP in the General Secretariat of Public Administration and Electronic Governing. The Direction was founded in order to guarantee the proper operation of KEP, but also their evolution in Centres of Completed Administrative Transactions, and the resolution of problems that emerges, because of their big number, the crowd of subjects and processes that they realize and the recent enlargement of their competences. The monitoring and the co-ordination of the operation of KEP is practiced , up today, at fragmentary way from the existing Direction of General Secretariat of Public Administration and Electronic Governing, fact which creates difficulties as far as it concerns the united confrontation of problems.  · The regulation of subjects of mobility of permanent personnel. The employees will stay in the KEP of their placement, for at least a five-year period, so that the experience, which has been acquired in the particular KEP, not to get lost.  · The simplification and acceleration of processes  · The restriction of joint responsibilities between the Ministries. It is indicatively reported that Minister of Internal Affairs does not act jointly in more than 25 different regulatory actions  · The obligatory deadline of 50 days for the transaction of the affairs of citizens  · The payment of complete compensation in the citizen in case of delay  · The self appointed search of supporting documents from the service on behalf of the citizen. 208 certificates can be requested from the service without the citizens presence, for 18 of them the self appointed search is obligatory. Indicative is the progress that took place in the case of self appointed search of certificates of birth from KEP, where, while in 2005 they had 231.327 certificates and medium time of transaction the 8 days, in the end of 2006 the transaction reached 432.188 certificates, that is to say almost double, with medium time of transaction the 5 days. Same is the acceleration as far as it concerns the certificates of familial situation, where while in 2005 were published 253.071 certificates, in 2006 until 2007, 373.219 certificates have been published  · The suppression of submission of supporting documents and their replacement with a personal declaration form for 7 cases  · The videoconference of administrative bodies  · The generalization of electronic communication and exchange of documents between the services. The network â€Å"SIZEFKSIS† ensures 50.000 digital certificates (under form of card) in civil servants equal in number. With this way is provided the possibility of electronic distribution of document, with simultaneous place of signature on this, with electronic way, without a problem of genuineness, after the distribution becomes from the above permitted employees with the use of digital certificate of (card). This electronic distribution involves big acceleration of process of publication and mission of document and contributes considerably in the fighting of bureaucracy.  · The application of a plan of restriction of state expenses and the enlarged public sector, by reforming the public services, so that they become more functional and effective  · The promotion of a regulatory reform, with the establishment of rules of good legislation as well as a system of evaluation of the results of legislative regulations in the competitiveness and the entrepreneurship The City of Athens operates a total of seven (7) Citizen Service Centres (KEP), one in each City District. Citizen Service Centres provide an online service for Athens citizens with regards the following: * City of Athens municipal roll certificates * Permanent residence certificates * Certification TAP property fee payment (in cases where agreement exists on the number of square metres registered with the Public Power Corporation and the contract of purchase) The Citizens Helpline 1595 provides information on documents required for all procedures processed by Citizen Service Centres. 2.6 Service marketing Usually marketing had been seen as having dual dimension.On the one hand, there is the notion which supports that the existence of an organization in economical and social content is based on the satisfaction of customer needs and wants, and on the other hand there is the â€Å" set of activities † which serve this philosophy in order to be implemented (CromptonLamb,1986). The marketing of services is a sector with particular characteristics .The expenditure on services is growing in most industrialized economies. According to the European Commission , â€Å"the percentage share of gross domestic product attributable to the services sector rose from 38 per cent in 1970 to almost 50 percent by 1990†. Crowell supports that â€Å"what is significant about services is the relative dominance of intangible attributes in the make up of the service product†. Services as a special kind of product usually they do not result in ownership but they can be linked to a physical good require special treatment. According to Jobber, as many offerings may combine tangible and intangible characteristics the distinction between them is >. For example, a marketing research study provides a physical good, which is the report that comes out, but also is the result of a number of service activities such as interviews with respondents, analysis of results, designing of the research, etc. Products such as a skirt or a pair of socks usually are not accompanied by a service so they can be characterised as pure goods, but also a visit to a doctor or psychotherapy can be regarded as a pure service as there is nothing tangible that the client receives. 2.6.1 THE NATURE OF SERVICES Service characteristics can be summarised to the following four: intangibility, variability, perishability and inseparability. 2.6.1.1 Intangibility As intangibility can be characterised the fact that services cant be smelled, touched, tasted or seen. Service is â€Å"a deed, performance or effort and not an object device or thing† (Berry, 1980). In other words customer cant evaluate a service before buying it and sometimes cant evaluate it even after consuming it. For this reason the challenge for the service providers is to prove the quality of the service by communicating tangible benefits to consumers. Another characteristic of intangibility is the fact that the service cant be owned so customers pay for the use of product or the performance. 2.6.1.2 Variability The provision of service quality may vary depending to the person who provides it. In other words important factors are the capabilities the person has, his physical and mental situation (tiredness, attitude etc.) the location the service is provided .So, in order to control quality variation , methods such as evaluation systems , tight quality controls and service standardization methods are necessary (Jobber,2004). 2.6.1.3 Inseparability In contrast with physical goods services cant be stored in order to be used later. Services are characterised by the â€Å"simultaneous production and consumption.† Because of this characteristic service providers role is very important to the satisfaction of consumer, as many times he is supposed to be himself the company in the eyes of customer (Berry, 1980). For this reason â€Å"the importance of service provider is an integral part of the satisfaction gained by the consumer†. The behaviour of the service provider is also important for the experience that the customer has for the provided service .So, great importance must be given to the training and rewarding of the staff and its selection (Aijo,1996). Another element that is connected to inseparability is the fact that the customer may experience the service in combination with other customers because of the nature of the service and the place it is offered. At this case marketing managers should take into consideration the role of customer interactions between them, but also the inter customer conflicts and nuisance (Barron et al., 1996). 2.6.1.4 Perishability Unlike the physical goods, services cant be stored in order to be used in the future or at peak times. So service providers should take into consideration the combination of demand and supply and use methods such as multi-skilling of the staff in order to be used at peak seasons or part time employees, supply flexibility, differential pricing and reservation system in order to minimize time waiting (Jobber, 2004). Today one of the greater challenges that the sector of services has to face is the increasing competition in combination with the growing expectations of customers and the developing demands of customers as service improves (Joseph Walker, 1988). 2.6.2 SERVICE MARKETING MIX Models had to explain the relationship between the market and the organisation in order to maximize the seconds performance (Gronrooss C, 1982). To certain extent managing services are more complicated than managing products, as products can be standardised. The standardisation of a service is far more difficult as there are more input factors i.e. process, people, physical evidence, to manage than with a product. The service marketing mix consists of the 7Ps model. These include except from the classical 4 Ps that stands for: Product, Price, Place, Promotion, three more Ps which are People, Process and Physical evidence. 2.6.2.1 People People participate and deliver the service experience, the efficiency and effectiveness, the availability and capability, the customer interaction and the internal marketing. Any provision of service includes as an essential part the use of appropriate staff and people. In order to gain an organisation competitive advantage it is important that it recruits the right staff that is well trained in the delivery of service. Usually consumers perceptions and judgements are affected by the employees they interact with. Consumers wait from the staff to have the appropriate attitude, service knowledge and interpersonal skills that they are paying for. So many organisations train their staff to certain standards. Physical Evidence Physical evidence concerns the place where the service is delivered, infrastructure, facilities, surroundings, essential evidence and peripheral evidence ,equipment and premises. It is an element of the service mix that contributes to the formation of the opinion of the consumer about the organization .So the judgments and the perceptions of the consumers are formed by the sight of the service provision .For example if you walk in an office you expect a friendly environment neat and tie. Process The systems used to assist the organisation in delivering the service, constitute the process. So process refers to the operating process that takes the customer through ,from the initial contact till the service experience and evaluation , database management, service delivery, queuing systems, ordering ,standardization .The customer usually expects efficiency and quickness at the process of the service delivery and this fosters consumers loyalty and confidence in the organization. 2.6.3 Quality Quality is important to business organisations and their consumers, because quality products or services can and will secure consumers business. In addition, linking quality with expensive spending is not absolute, as price will not determine always quality. The high or low quality of a product or service is usually determined, â€Å"by how it made the consumer feel and whether consumer expectations were satisfied or exceeded† (Kotler P. et al, 2008). Quality was very popular in the marketing literature,  « where the notion of satisfying the customer was a dominant model of quality of service provided and consumer satisfaction  » (Raftopoulos V., 2005). The US Strategic Planning Institute in 1972 developed the concept of relative perceived quality (RPQ),  «that is the perception of quality as defined by customers, relative to the offerings of competitors. In other words quality is what a customer perceives it to be and this is a dynamic and complex notion.  » 2.6.3.1 Public service quality The need for quality public services is also expressed by the European Commission through the European Social Fund in its program for 2007-2013.The reason is that the quality of public services affects the implementation of policies and the strategy design as public sector organizations are responsible for them at a big degree at the Member States ,e.g. government ministries , local authority departments and special agencies (ESF,2009). The fact of how important is the quality of public services and the need to be improved, became popular, in Britain, at 1990s when the Government gave clear > on the subject, by the proposal of the Conservative Prime Minister John Major enclosed in his Citizens Charter White Paper (Prime Minister, 1991). The issue faced great consensus from the political parties as the same year both Liberal and Labour parties published their own citizen charter proposals. The citizen driven improvement of the quality of public services was a fact (Black et al., 1994). This policy which faced the citizen as user and needed the reporting of performance from the service providers was continued for a long period it was enriched with best value new policies and was popular as>.According to this concept public services is better to be managed than administrated (Black et al.,2001). At the same time another reason that public service quality is important is that the needs and expectations of the users change and increase. Service quality and how to measure it developed to be a critical issue ,so during the 1990s performance measurement techniques developed as a result of >such as government legislation ,regulatory activity by industry keepers and major policy initiatives, as Black St. et al. , characterize them, and not as a result of the needs of the service provider. Meanwhile , all the efforts of understanding and measuring public service quality where characterized as weak and an increasing interest for quality improvement models techniques , certification and awards developed .So a number of new significances appeared such as total quality management and continuous improvement, process mapping techniques, Institution Standards and Charters. The revolution of the commercial service sector that took place the previous decades influenced also public sector organizations that faced the need to provide quality services that meet ‘customer needs and expectations. As Wisniewski remarks, > (Wisniewski, 2001). The notion of treating the customers has started to change as they dont receive passively uniform services without their voice or influence being considered (Skelcher, 1992). At the opposite side, the adoption of traditional methods may lead to the delivery of a service distant from customer needs. So organizations many times, after a more profound search, discover that the needs and values of customers are different from what they assume before searching (Farquhar C.R. ,1993). In order to discover customer perceptions and collect data concerning the attitudes o