Uniting the People and Government

By the end of World War II, the nations of Western Europe all faced the burdens of the post-war economies. If not totally destroyed, a nation was in chaos and needed dramatic reconstruction. This is where democratic societies stepped in; recreation of sturdy government was crucial to the revival of Western European countries. Within just a few years after the defeat of Italy and Germany, the European hemisphere bounced back into a stronger, more efficient society than ever before. Some call this the â€Å"Golden Age of the European economy. † As human life became more and more complex and difficult to manage, the government had to accommodate to the citizen†s needs and wants. Because of the basic importance of the contemporary social structure, its management had a crucial importance in making the countries work. Europe was used to strict authority over its people and complexity in the way they handles a countries affairs was not accepted. â€Å"Europe was a very special situation though, because it has a long record of traditional social control imposed over the individual by collective authorities, especially the state, and hierarchal religious institutions. Another problem that was going on in modern Western Europe† (pg. 21, Crozier) the military grew in size a great deal, West European armed forces grew from forty-two thousand to almost eighty thousand within five years after the Second World War. Especially in the country of France. With the militant group emerging larger than ever, the government was working! with more citizens first hand, by supporting the working military group. One of the main pieces to making a modern democracy work was inducing the people to want to partake in the government and have them strive to get involved with the mending of the societal crisis. All post war European countries had to live through the same costly situation of having to restore their country†s trade, government, social harmony, be at peace with the government, and relinquish all other aspects of damages caused by the intolerances that came along with traditional thinking. In the United States, the country was working by the people, for the people, in all efforts to be a united, strong country. Automatic freedoms of speech, press, and religion, gave the people the reassurance that things were being done to assist them in everyday life. Sixty five million dollars alone went into healthcare, unemployment, social services, community programs, and better education for children, and progra! ms for the working class. Also, anyone who was educated had a chance to run for various forms of government positions, which meant the citizens could first hand, come out and take part in the government. Some positions include senators, mayors, councilmen, governors, seats in congress and House of Representatives. Where else but America could you find opportunities such as these? Divisions once created by war and intolerance led to the modern developing of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). This was a form of military unity, which was important to Western Europe after 1945. It helped heal wounds with competing countries in the trade world, and have peace between once warring countries. Many other European peace treaties were signed during the 60†³s and 70†³s. These primarily helped the democratic people altogether because peace smoothed over tense conditions for European citizens. These treaties include the European Coal and Steel Community and the EEC or common! market. In the 1980†³s, a treaty on the European Union, integrated even more countries for a peaceful trade system. After signed in the small country of the Netherlands, an attempt to create a true economic and monetary union of all EC (EEC) members. One of the most interesting facts, coming into play in ever most recent times, is that a goal of the EC was to introduce an absolute worldwide common currency that could be found almost everywhere, called the â€Å"Euro†, dated to be out 2002. Even now in present days, the Euro dollar is heard of as an idea that some forms of government want to pursue. The fact is, democracy does not work without the people playing a crucial role in government. If your government is constantly telling you exactly how to live your life, what you must believe in, cheating you out your dollar, and totally undermining the working class, you are going to see no progress in that society. Basically, with Western Europe having the least amount of acceptance of variety and having little tolerance for true societal freedom, a great democracy cannot exist. This is why the United States has grown to be the most powerful and well off country of all times. The creators of our ever-evolving democracy here in America just goes to show, that caring about the people who make up our â€Å"democracy† gives them the strength and will to work together to make anything work and to truly peruse happiness. Thank God for America!

Bama Pie Limited Company

Bama Pie, Limited is a company that reinforced â€Å"quality as a way of life.† Bama Pie has been the single source supplier of pies to McDonald†s† U.S. operations. By providing top-quality pie products and â€Å"never missing an order,† Bama had been able to expand its core pie business by landing 50 percent of McDonald†s† oven-ready, prebaked frozen biscuit needs. Another major customer includes Pizza Hut (for which Bama was producing approximately 25% of its bread stick requirements). Bama Pie produced more then 1 million pies per day from facilities in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for McDonald†s. The History of Bama Pie dates to 1927 when Henry C. Marshall decided to utilize the pie-baking talents of his wife, Cornelia Alabama Marshall, to provide employment for himself after a lengthy period of being out of work. The company†s CEO now was 38-year-old Paula Marshall-Chapman, who succeeded her father in 1985 as a chief executive officer of the company. i) Quality has always been the company†s top priority. à  The company had instilled a total quality management discipline in its approximately 600 employees through extensive training and educational programs offered through the in-house Bama Institute. Even fork truck operators have gotten involved in helping solve the inventory adjustments problem. ii) Long-term relationship with McDonald†s has allowed Bama Pie to grow along with McDonald†s as one of its key suppliers. iii) Diversity of expertise: Paula reshaped the management team significantly and assembled a highly professional staff with an average age under 40. The team members are all well-educated, experienced and young (they can serve the company for a longer period of time). iv) BEBOPP: In 1990, Bama instituted the Bama Employees† Bonus on Profit Plan to provide bonus incentives to all employees in the company. The plan was based on an annual return on sales objective that was established by Marshall-Chapman. The profit-sharing plan is a good way of getting employees involved. v) Management talents obtained by Paula: she was the person trained to run the new computer system, and in that capacity she learned the value of training people and helping people solve problems. She was known as the Bama†s problem solver. i) Relationship with McDonald†s: Although Bama has been McDonald†s principal supplier of biscuits for 24 years, they had never established a contract. ii) Relatively small company with limited capital: Compare to Quaker Oats, Bama is a very small company with limited capital for expansion. iii) Limited product line: Bama has a low variety of products. iv) Limited market for its products: Its major customers are McDonald†s, Pizza Hut, Wal-Mart and Sam†s Wholesale Clubs. v) Health Conscious Thinking: Consumers now are more health conscious and some of them do read the nutrition fact label prior to consumption. Pecan pies contain a lot of calories and fat. As consumers become more health conscious, the pecan pies† sales may drop. i) Bama can expand its brand by creating new products such as hard cookies, crackers and power bars. The company still has room for expansion in its under-utilized biscuit plant. ii) Buyout smaller companies that sell similar products. iii) Joint Ventures with foreign local firms: Bama can invite a foreign local firm to invest together to create a local business. They can share ownership, control and profits of the new company. . i) Lose business with McDonald†s: Since more than 70% of the company†s business comes from McDonald†s, if McDonald†s finds another supplier, which provides cheaper pies and biscuits, Bama may lose its business with McDonald†s. ii) Loss of Paula: As it mentioned in the case, Paula is the one who set up the company†s computer system and she is known to be the â€Å"Bama†s problem solver.† With her management talent, she is also described as a â€Å"unique chief executive† by her employees. She is the one who recruits all the professional staff together and she is the core of the company. iii) Competitors: There are a lot of big and small competitors out there. vi) Health Conscious Thinking: As I mentioned earlier, consumers now are more health conscious and some of them do read the nutrition fact label prior to consumption. Pecan pies contain a lot of calories and fat. As consumers become more health conscious, the pecan pies† sales may drop.

Satisfying all stakeholders when the business is competing in mature Essay - 2

Satisfying all stakeholders when the business is competing in mature product markets is difficult. Discuss - Essay Example Therefore, the management should ensure that the business is making profits all through the year. This is not an easy task especially when a firm is in the mature competition stage. In this stage, all the competitors have established markets. They are all struggling to get an extra market to expand their operational sphere (Neale and Haslam, 1994:120). Since the stakeholders have entrusted the management to deal with the business, they will only require satisfactory results. As such, most of the managers have to develop strategies that will improve on the overall business performance. In many developed countries, many businesses have been in the market for a long time. Therefore, they have firmly established their business links. This leaves a mature competitive market. In such a market, most of the industries fight for a low margin that is not aligned to a certain product. Therefore, they have to be convincing enough to attract such a market. For example, close to 80 percent of the industries in the United States are already in the mature market bracket. Therefore, they have to compete in ensuring they develop a wider market niche. This could be rather indulging as all of them are utilising varying strategies. Impressing stakeholders in a mature competitive environment is a hard task especially when the demand for the product is saturated. This is as a result of too much supply from a large number of manufacturers and industries, thereby making the market saturated. As such, the demand for the products only increases in negligible proportions. In some situations, the demand for products in this market slowly declines, which reflects a similar record in the sales of individual companies. In such an instance, the industry or firm should look for ways of attracting customers from the saturated market, who are already allied to specific products. Therefore, they have to practically convince the market to start using their products and abandon the others from the c ompetitors. This is harder as compared to approaching a new market that does not have any experience in using product of such nature. A mature market has industries and firms that have a considerable financial muscle. Therefore, investing in emergent technologies can add huge value to managing the value chain. As such, companies invest in modern technologies which are used to improve on efficiency in production. Since their production is in large scale, they accrue the benefits of economies of large scale production (Haslam, Neale and Johal, 2000:67). In such a situation, the market is flooded with goods from different industries and firms, which is uncontrollable in liberalised markets. Practically, these businesses reduce overheads in relation to transport, labour and manufacturing when producing and supplying the products in the market on large scale basis. This could lead to high discount rates to consumers thereby reducing the prices of commodities across the entire supply chai n. This could drive some other industries out of the market as the pricing drop could render theirs uncompetitive. Since time immemorial, there has been no generation of specific solutions or formulas that could be used by businesses in a mature competition. As a fact, they have to generate different strategies in ensuring they have a niche market (Ferrell and Hartline, 2010:541). Therefore, this makes it hard for the management to

Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 18

Psychology - Essay Example This research used ANOVA to find out whether there is effectiveness in the way in which information is relayed or communicated. The experiment used a 3 x 3 factorial with three levels of message format (email, telephone, written) and three levels of message length, described as no extras, small, and large. From the experiment, it was demonstrated that in the email format, the participants had more correct answers, than the two – telephone and written formats. The written format was next to the email formal. We can analyze here that the email and the written format are almost identical format, although the written format can be considered as more formal in appearance, but is actually identical with the email format. For the three levels of the message length, the ‘no extra’ details got the highest number of correct answer and the highest mean. The email format is more preferred by the participants; meaning the intended information is well received by the participants through the manner of communication, which is email. The email format is easily understood, and this is understandable because it has become the most common form of communication among the young population during the advent and popularity of the internet. The message length also has an effect on how the information is received by the participants. The message length has an effect on all three formats – email, telephone, and written. At the ‘no extra’ level, the participants were responding with high scores. This is also true with the telephone and the written formats, although these two were a bit lower when it came to the values of the means. Scores were lower on all three formats when information was relayed and manipulated with ‘small’ and ‘large’ details. We computed the mean of the three formats to the level when information was manipulated to ‘small’ and ‘large’ and we attained intriguing

Human genetic disorders can arise as a consequence of mutations in Essay

Human genetic disorders can arise as a consequence of mutations in either nuclear or mitochondrial genomes. Using specific examp - Essay Example These are called so because they carry genes for the determination of the sex of the newborn and they are also of two types i.e. X & Y chromosomes where X is for female and Y for Male. The chromosomes are mainly classified either on the basis of their banding or on the basis of the position of the centromere i.e. the central point of every chromosome. The basic constitutive component of these DNA molecules, euchromatin and heterochromatin is the main factor on which the DNA on all these chromosomes differ from each other. Still, on some of the chromosomes e.g. 1, 9 and 16 show heterochromatin in their centromere region where as Chromosome Y is also considered to contain more heterochromatin. (T. STRACHAN and A. READ, 2004,p19) Mitochondrial genes There usually are two strands in mitochondrial genome i.e. H and L strand. The H strand is supposed to encode more genes i.e. 28 out of 37 where as the L strand encodes the remaining number of genes. The mitochondrial genome is not very much similar to the nuclear genome as it does not contain any introns as well as it is very much compact and tightly packed as compared to the loosely packed nuclear genome. Most of the coding sequences are separated by one or two of the non coding bases while overlapping is observed in only some of the coding sequences. In some genes post transcription introduction of of UAA codon i.e. termination codon is necessary since they lack their own termination codons. (T. STRACHAN and A. READ, 2004,p19) Figure 9.3 The organization of the human mitochondrial genome. The H strand is transcribed from two closely spaced promoter regions fl anking the tRNAPhe gene (grouped here as PH); the L strand is transcribed from the PL promoter in the opposite direction. In both cases, large primary transcripts are produced and cleaved to generate RNAs for individual genes. All genes lack introns and are closely clustered. The symbols for protein-coding genes are shown here without the prefi x MT- that signi fi es mitochondrial gene. The genes that encode subunits 6 and 8 of the ATP synthase (ATP6 and ATP8) are partly overlapping. Other polypeptide-encoding genes specify seven NADH dehydrogenase subunits (ND4L and ND1–ND6), three cytochrome c oxidase subunits (CO1–CO3), and cytochrome b (CYB). tRNA genes are represented with the name of the amino acid that they bind. The short 7S DNA strand is produced by repeat synthesis of a short segment of the H strand (see Figure 9.2). COMPARISON OF NUCLEAR AND MITOCHONDRIAL GENOME (T. STRACHAN and A. READ, 2004,p21) Single gene disorders These mainly include autosomal, X linked and Y linked. These disorders are called as Mendelian disorders as they follow the mendelian order of inheritance. Some other disorders such as Non mendelians ones are also included in the list. (AKUL MEHTA.2012) Both the sperm and the egg contribute to the formation nuclear genome in the zygote whereas the mitochondrial is supposed to take the sequence from t he egg only.(T. STRACHAN and A. READ, 2004) Autosomal dominant These disorders are usually common in the offsprings who have one of the two parents with the abnormality. These disorders are mainly caused by mutation in one of the genes only with the 50 % possibility of getting the mutated gene. The disease usually develops later in the life or it would even not appear at all as the penetrance

Intro to fiction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Intro to fiction - Essay Example The main character in the story sees Mangan’s sister at the time when they were playing with other boys. The boys used to admire the way Mangan’s sister walked and the ways she had made her hair. This desire in the boy is brought out when he describes the ways the hair of Mangan’s sister moved as she walked. â€Å"soft rope of hair tossed from side to side,†(Joyce 14). This story shows the way in which boys get mental confusion as they begin to notice the beauty in women. The main character in the story is still too young to understand issues of love. He does not know how to please a beautiful girl. He decides to go to the market to buy a good present for the girl hoping to win her love. However, he starts to feel some sense of confusion as he realizes the confusion of love. He fails to win the love of the girl and suffers deeply because of rejection. The behavior of the boys in the story by James Joyce is almost similar to the behavior of the three men in the story called â€Å"A Woman on a Roof.† In this second story the three men see a woman sunbathing on the roof of her house. The woman is dressed scantily and the men can see most of her nakedness. The men are caught up by desire and want to catch the attention of the women. All of them try in different ways to attract the woman but she refuses to listen to them. However, she remains on the roof as she enjoys the sun. The men are Tom, Stanley, and Harry. Tom is the youngest of them while Harry is the oldest. Tom is very much interested in loving the woman. He does not have a lot of experience in issues of love and thinks that he is the only one who can love the woman in the proper way. He does not want the other men to win the love of the woman. However, the woman rejects all of them. Stanley is very angry with the woman because he thinks that women must love men. According to Stanley, the actions of the woman are equal to â€Å"a crime gotten away with,† (Lessing 858). This means that

Critically analyse fair and equitable treatment standard in Essay

Critically analyse fair and equitable treatment standard in international investment treaties, taking into account recent treaty - Essay Example The specification of the standard, however, has been subject to various interpretations through the years because of its reliance on principles of equity. Debates over the FET revolve around whether this standard should be based on other standards of law or whether it is an autonomous and self-contained standard in itself. The standard it is most commonly related to is the customary international law minimum standard, and sometimes it is measured against more general principles of international law. In this paper, the evolving meaning of what constitutes fair and equitable practice as contained in BITs and as interpreted by arbitral tribunals shall be discussed and critiqued. The bases and rationale for the continued development of the FET will provide implications into the continued growth of foreign direct investments in this increasingly globalized economy. ... The most important principles that attach to FET are transparency, stability, and the investor’s legitimate expectations, compliance with contractual obligations, procedural propriety and due process, action in good faith, and freedom from coercion and harassment.3 The FET appears consistently in investment treaty practice since it was first articulated in the Havana Charter of 19484 where it is stated in Article 11(2) (a) (i) thereof: ‘to assure just and equitable treatment for the enterprise, skills, capital, arts and technology brought from one Member country to another.’ While the Charter was never enforced, U.S. treaty practice was influenced by its reference to FET.5 It was thereafter included in codifications of investor rights, beginning with the 1959 Draft Convention on Investments Abroad,6 Article 1 of which states that ‘Each party shall at all times ensure fair and equitable treatment to the property of the nationals of other parties.’ The identical wording was adopted in the 1967 OECD Draft Convention on the Protection of Foreign Property.7 As a result of the lack of precision in its definition, various treaties accord different contexts to the application of FET. Some BITs link FET with a substantive norm such as nondiscrimination, such as the treaty between Bangladesh and Iran which provides that each party extend to covered investment ‘fair treatment not less favourable than that accorded to its own investors or investors of any third state, whichever is more favourable.’8 There are a host of cases that link FET with customary international law in a variety of ways, as shall be seen in the discussion of the use of FET in BITs in the

Thoreau's views of Nature is primarily subjective in which he Essay

Thoreau's views of Nature is primarily subjective in which he identified himself as a part of Nature whereas those of Darwin and - Essay Example His political view seems to be much closer to the concept of Individualism but at the same time, it is of dangerous effects in terms of the line he drew through the chapters like Civil Disobedience. As any other writer, Thoreau’s writings may bear resemblance to the thoughts of different authors. To see through him from the perspective of an individualist thinker in comparison with some other individualistic ideologists is interesting. John Locke, a prominent English writer and philosopher of the 17th century who questioned the divine rights of the King, triggered a revolution of theorization in the field of political and philosophical thoughts. Locke is strictly an empiricist, who holds the view that the experience of the senses is pivotal in pursuit of knowledge. In this sense, when we turn back to Thoreau and his practical experiment with the simplicity of life in Walden Pond, can we find any similarities or dissimilarities between Thoreau and Locke? Or can we say that did the views propounded by Thoreau derive from the Locke’s writing? This research paper is an attempt to look into Thoreau’s thoughts on nature from this viewpoint. Does Thoreau’s Views of Nature Stem from Locke’s Writings? Let’s start with a quote used by Thoreau in his essay titled Where I Lived and What I lived for. â€Å"I am monarch of all I survey; My right there is none to dispute† (Thoreau retrieved from http://thoreau.eserver.org/walden00.html) Thoreau asserts that man is supreme in constituting his understanding of nature as we see in the philosophy of empiricism. From these words, it is obvious that Thoreau believes that human beings are absolutely free to lead their life in nature as they wish and a particular government or a law cannot reign over the free will of them. Again in the essay titled Civil Disobedience, one of the most controversial and influential essays by him which inspired the great social thinkers like Mahatma Gandh i and Tolstoy, â€Å"I heartily accept the motto , that government is best which governs least(Thoreau. Retrieved from http://thoreau.eserver.org/civil1.html)†. We can a draw a line connecting the main thought of both of the citations, which accentuates man’s freedom in the state of nature. In this regard, he is obliged to Locke’s views of nature as we read the essay titled Of the State of Nature: TO understand political power right, and derive it from its original, we must consider,what state all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons, as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature, without asking leave, or depending upon the will of any other man. (Locke. retrieved from http://www.constitution.org/jl/2ndtre). Here, we can see the meeting points of the ideology of both the writers and it is most probable that Thoreau’s views must have shaped from Lockeà ¢â‚¬â„¢s thoughts. According to individualistic ideology man is supreme and above another’s restrictions. The above-mentioned wordings of the both of the writers assert the same line of thought in different manner. It is easy to infer from this similarity in thought that Thoreau should have forged his conception of nature and human freedom from the individualistic ideologists like Locke. Through the analysis of The Second Treatise of Government by Locke it is obvious that he upholds the view that sovereignty is secured in the hands

New Media and Consumer Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

New Media and Consumer Behaviour - Essay Example The new media not only offers various benefits for consumers but also has allowed the consumers to promote their goods and services. Popular social and networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, eBay, YouTube etc. have made possible for the normal consumers to become suppliers and vendors through the new media. These revolutionary advancements challenge the typical business models which have been there since decades. The traditional ways of developing strategies, finding customers, marketing and advertising don’t seem that useful now. (HENNIG-THURAU ET AL.2010; EVANS & BRATTON.2008) SOCIAL MEDIA- THE NEW MEDIA: Social media is also called Web 2.0 which allows users to interact with each other through new technologies. The new technology has empowered the users which now allow them to share information in a way that wasn’t possible before. Social media includes networking sites, consumer review sites, online communities, journals and blogs controlled by individuals and com panies. Now days people need to involve in ‘conversation’, that is talk about the thing offered. ... Joiners utilize the sites, blogs etc by using them while spectators are silent viewers of the content who view and read the content uploaded by different participants. Inactive participants are online but they don’t take part in the conversation any aspect. Businesses now realize the importance of actively participating in these conversations and influencing user’s minds for marketing their products. (HAWKINS, MOTHERSBAUGH & MOOKERJEE.2011; EVANS & BRATTON.2008) New media can be explained as â€Å"Websites and other digital communication and information channels in which active consumers engage in behaviors that can be consumed by others both in real time and long afterwards regardless of their spatial location.† (HENNIG-THURAU ET AL.2010). New media is made up of interactive communication and information channeling platforms. According to mentioned explanation the new media allows users to exchange information anytime anywhere irrespective of their location. Thi s information can be utilized not only today but also in the long term. New media is digital which makes it cost effective. Like old means of exchange of information, there is no cost involved in producing digital copies as it can be accessed by millions of people on internet. Consumers, thorough the new media can actively participate in giving feedback about every aspect of value chain. New media is visible, that is any feedback, comments, reviews and blogs can easily be traced. The biggest advantage offered by the new media is the real time access and exchange of information at anytime. The feedback posted and received in instant through chats, videos, blogs and reviews, making it easier for other readers to make an opinion regarding the product. Additionally new media has made interaction possible among

Go Look Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Go Look - Essay Example There are layers of interpretation that can be framed for the story that operates behind the love story of Kath and Danny that delights myriad of minds along with encapsulating volleys of social issues and messages underneath. The play ‘Go Look’ opens with a young couple Kath and Danny set out for a camping in a forest at night where they hear a sound of a beast and assume it to be a wild bear. They were camping late at night and Kath sends Danny, as he was the male counterpart in the relationship, to find out the real source of the noise. After awhile, Danny comes back and Danny is found to be setting out some of his frustration towards Kath for sending him alone. Danny yields his brassy comments in a humorous tone and Kath quite smartly counters them. Until this point of time, the relationship between the couple seems to be quite conventional and their chemistry is evident as that operates between any average young couples with unresolved commonplace differences. But the ending of the play, set out in a different perspective, gives a jarring effect to the mind and soul of the readers. The young couples at conflict take decision to bring resolution to every conflict occurring between them an d learn the reason of differences and their mutual likes and dislikes henceforth. This apparently hilarious love story has a strong gender discourse beneath. Playwright Christopher Graybill wants to project the irony present in the assumed gender roles in an ordinary relationship. The male ego which comes at a logger head for following the instructions of a woman is displayed during the initial part of the play. The central idea or the core point of this play is far beyond the source of the noise. The aspirations for the deconstruction of the stereotype gender roles are evident in the play. Danny is a man and accepted with a strong image and so he is supposed to fight the beast. On the contrary,

Public Library - Architectural Essay Example for Free

Public Library Architectural Essay * Introduction * Definition A library (from French librairie; Latin liber = book) is an organized collection of information resources made accessible to a defined community for reference or borrowing. It provides physical or digital access to material, and may be a physical building or room, or a virtual space, or both. A librarys collection can include books, periodicals, newspapers, manuscripts, films,maps, prints, documents, microform, CDs, cassettes, videotapes, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, e-books, audio books, databases, and other formats. Libraries range in size from a few shelves of books to several million items. * A public library â€Å"should encourage the following uses: browsing, seeking, studying, meeting, and borrowing. Major trends likely to influence library design in the foreseeable future include: a 30% increase in pensioners by 2025, and a significant diminution in those of working age; a significant increase in those with a higher education; more part- time work; more jobs in knowledge-based areas, and fewer in manufacturing. * History The concept of the ‘public library’ evolved from the Guildhall Library in 15th century London. In the 17th and 18th centuries, most libraries were created by gift or endowment, but by the beginning of the 19th century, these had generally been superseded by either institutional (e. g. those attached to mechanics’ institutes or literary and philosophical societies) or subscription libraries. The Public Libraries Act of 1850 was one of several social reforms of the mid- 19th century, and was generally intended to create ‘free libraries’, available to all classes of society throughout the country. The first two purpose- designed public libraries were Norwich and Warrington, in 1857. The Public Libraries Act of 1919 further extended library provision. Besides the lending library and the reading room, most libraries now had a reference department, and many had separate children’s departments. After 1918 there was a considerable increase in technical and commercial libraries (over 115 by 1924). By the 1930~~ most libraries had adopted open access (as opposed to books being available over a counter via the library staff), which required more sophisticated classification and cataloguing systems the Dewey system was generally adopted. Increasing literacy and leisure time plus the ‘information explosion’ make it important to plan for maximum flexibility and for future expansion. New techniques are changing methods of control, indexing and retrieval. The growing availability of computerized information (particularly on compact discs and on-line electronic systems) means there is a change in emphasis from book storage to information exchange utilizing computer equipment. These require additional ventilation and secure power supplies, and suitable lighting levels for users. The wide availability of computers means that the problem of space, and particularly the location of a library in a single building, may no longer be critical. * Space Requirements * Public services A central library may serve in the region of one million customers per year, with a peak daily count of approximately 5000 to 6000 people and a peak hourly count of up to 400. The following service areas may be provided * Branch library May be included as a discrete section of a central library, probably near the entrance, and cater for more popular books and related material. There will be only a few thousand volumes, acting as a ‘taster’ invitation to what is available elsewhere in the library. The library may be divided into subject areas, perhaps with defined enquiry points. Study spaces, browsing areas, and publicly available computer terminals can also be provided in each subject area. The various areas may be open plan, but must be visually defined (possibly by variations in lighting, different finishes and planting). * Older teenage section An area for this group is desirable (fiction and non-fiction) and should be  located between the children’s library and main lending library (literature and humanities sections). * Children’s library Occupying approximately 300 m2, with roughly 12000 volumes for ages up to 14 and their careers, this area should have its own identity, and demonstrate to all children that visiting the library is a safe and enjoyable experience. There must be good visibility to maximize child security and safety; it should also be difficult for children to wander out of this area. * There should be a sequence of information books for all ages and sections for: * pre-school (there should be ‘kinderboxes’, shelves with picture books, novelty cushions, child chairs) * early school years (easy-reader books, with appropriate shelves and browser units) * primary school years (stories, with appropriate shelves and browser units) m young teenage (novels, with appropriate shelves and browser units). Spoken-word cassettes and other media should also be available. In addition, provide ten study places, eight browsing seats and an enquiry desk for two staff. * Children‘s activities room A room for up to 35 children may be required for a variety of activities (63m2). * Exhibition area Easily accessible from the main entrance, but with a distinct identity and with suitable security, an area for exhibitions is desirable (40m2). * Lavatories The requirement for customers is 38m2 and also 15m2 for the children’s library, which should include a nappy changing room. Depending on the overall plan, one or two sets of staff lavatories will be required (each of 32m2). * Meeting rooms- Include one room for 100 people (200m2 in total), with divider to separate the room in a proportion of 60:40. Chair storage and simple catering facilities are also required. A small room for about six people is also required. Access may be required when other parts of the library are shut; good access from entrance(s) is therefore required. * Special collection library This area may be required in larger or specialized libraries. An adjoining librarian’s office is necessary. * Refreshments/coffee bar For 50 customers maximum, providing drinks, snacks and light meals (105m2). * Sales point An area to promote sales is required (this may be no more than a display case): the strategic location is important, but it may be combined with another area (13m2). * Study desks These should be suitable for use with personal computers (which may be the customer’s own machine, necessitating simple plug- in compatibility). The integration of PCs with study furniture is very important. Two power sockets are also required. * Art in architecture Libraries are often considered excellent places in which to display local (or national) art, either in the form of permanent murals or sculpture, designed as an integral part of the building, or in facilities for temporary exhibitions. * Subject departments Organization of a library into subject departments has always been a consideration. * Related Local Projects * Bohol Provincial Library and Information Center New Capitol Complex, Marapao Street, Tagbilaran City, Bohol * Alaminos City Library Alaminos City Hall, Alaminos City, Pangasinan * Butuan City Library J. Rosales Ave. , Butuan City. * Cavite Provincial Library Legislative Building, Provl Capitol, Trece Martires City * Leocadio Alonsagay Dioso Memorial Public Library (Municipal Library of Pandan, Antique) Pandan, Antique, Philippines * Marikina City Public Library V. Gomez St. cor. Shoe Ave. , San Roque, Marikina City * National Library of the Philippines T. M. Kalaw Ermita 1000, Philippines * Quezon City Public Library (Several Branches) * San Carlos City Public Library (Negros Occidental) 610 Elm Street, San Carlos, CA 94070 * Raul S. Roco Library (Naga City Public Library) City Hall Compound, J. Miranda Ave. , Naga City * Zamboanga del Norte Public Library. Santa Cruz, Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines * Supporting Datum * A possible arrangement of a central library could typically be as follows (The Architects’ Handbook) * Business At 184m2, this department contains 2100 volumes covering all aspects of business information (local, national and international). Customers will include: those hoping to set up their own business, those undertaking research to develop their existing business, and students. Some queries may come via fax or phone. Computerized information resources will probably be more prevalent here than in other departments. Includes 40 study places and an enquiry point for two staff. * Community With 9000 volumes (300m2), this holds social sciences and all quick-reference works (e. g. directories, yearbooks, timetables, etc. ). Includes 30 study places and an enquiry desk for three staff. Customers will be coming for both quick fact-finding and for longer-term study: any potential conflict therefore needs to be resolved. * Humanities Department for arts, recreational pursuits (e. g. gardening), religion, music (books and scores), sound recordings (music cassettes and compact discs), and videos for hire. With 495m2, 22 000 volumes, 9000 recordings (including videos), and 10500 sheet music. Includes 12 study spaces, four browsing seats and an enquiry desk for three staff. Note that there is a noise problem with customers browsing through music cases, which can be distracting in the study areas. * Literature and language Department for adult fiction (9000 volumes), large-print fiction, spoken- word cassettes, multi-media, drama (9000 volumes), single copies and play sets (286m2), covering English and foreign languages. Includes 12 study spaces, four browsing seats and an enquiry desk for two staff. Local studies/history 3000 volumes on public shelves (230m2); 50 study places; enquiry desk for three staff. This area will be used by short-term browsers (e. g. tourists) and for long-term study (students and researchers). It will also be used by those wanting information about local statutory agencies, and those looking for a quiet study area. Environmental conditions for this area must be designed in accordance with BS 5454: 1989. * People and places For information books on travel (guides and travel/adventure), biographies, and human geography. 15000 volumes (240m2); 15 study places; four browsing places; enquiry desk for two staff. * Science and technology Area with 11000 volumes (200m2), covering computing and pure and applied sciences: 20 study places; no browsing seats; enquiry desk for two staff. Access and circulation areas generally As mentioned above, generally all public and staff areas should be accessible to people with disabilities, particularly those with sight or hearing impairments. * Other considerations are as follows (The Architects’ Handbook) * Customer services/reception An informal and welcoming atmosphere is required, as this is the first major point of contact for new customers and where existing customers can resolve queries (e.g. about availability and overdue books); space is required for three staff (51m2). Estimated peak daily level of registration updates is approximately 200; estimated peak level of enquiries, approximately 600. The area should allow for satisfactory queuing arrangements. The general layout requirements are for: a professional, inviting and efficient reception area; clear layout and instructions for customers; maximum flexibility in staff resources; suitable supervision of customers; and suitable staff security. * Internal circulation The flow of people and materials (particularly the two-way flow of trolleys) should be made as easy as possible. Note that circulation areas provide opportunities for vandalism and concealment of theft, and should therefore: be kept to a minimum; follow a logical route; allow visual control by staff (closed-circuit TV may be installed); allow segregation of staff and public areas; allow segregation to enable secure out- of-hours use to specified areas; and allow easy emergency evacuation. * Internal vertical circulation This should be by lift and stairs, and possibly escalator. Lifts should: allow movement of staff, books and materials to all floor levels; be linked with the book sorting office; provide public access to main lending floors; provide suitable access for out-of-hours use. No more than four lifts should be provided. Security generally The key those wanting information about local statutory agencies, and those looking for a quiet study area. Environmental conditions for this area must be designed in accordance with BS 5454: 1989. * People and places For information books on travel (guides and travel/adventure), biographies, and human geography. 15000 volumes (240m2); 15 study places; four browsing places; enquiry desk for two staff. * Science and technology Area with 11000 volumes (200m2), covering computing and pure and applied sciences: 20 study places; no browsing seats; enquiry desk for two staff. Access and circulation areas generally As mentioned above, generally all public and staff areas should be accessible to people with disabilities, particularly those with sight or hearing impairments. * Other considerations are as follows (The Architects’ Handbook) * Customer services/reception An informal and welcoming atmosphere is required, as this is the first major point of contact for new customers and where existing customers can resolve queries (e. g. about availability and overdue books); space is required for three staff (51m2). Estimated peak daily level of registration updates is approximately 200; estimated peak level of enquiries, approximately 600. The area should allow for satisfactory queuing arrangements. The general layout requirements are for: a professional, inviting and efficient reception area; clear layout and instructions for customers; maximum flexibility in staff resources; suitable supervision of customers; and suitable staff security. * Internal circulation The flow of people and materials (particularly the two-way flow of trolleys) should be made as easy as possible. Note that circulation areas provide opportunities for vandalism and concealment of theft, and should therefore: be kept to a minimum; follow a logical route; allow visual control by staff (closed-circuit TV may be installed); allow segregation of staff and public areas; allow segregation to enable secure out- of-hours use to specified areas; and allow easy emergency evacuation. * Internal vertical circulation This should be by lift and stairs, and possibly escalator. Lifts should: allow movement of staff, books and materials to all floor levels; be linked with the book sorting office; provide public access to main lending floors; provide suitable access for out-of-hours use. No more than four lifts should be provided. Security generally The key considerations concern the control of access between staff and public areas (both during and outside opening hours), and prevention of theft. These issues can be addressed by: strategic location of staff enquiry points, with line-of- sight control; CCTV cameras; electronic book sensors at exit points; and security personnel. * Trolleys Allowance must be made for trolleys: for instance, by providing suitable protection to prevent damage to wall surfaces, adequate door widths, and suitable flooring (studded and ribbed flooring is not suitable). * Entry/access areas One main entrance and two others are required, preferably separate: * Main entrance foyer/lobby: ( 190m2) should be clear and inviting, and be sufficiently spacious to cater both for visitors who have a specific destination and those who may wish to wander around. * Public out-of-hours entrance: must provide a short and secure access route from the street to the meeting rooms etc. It could be combined with the main entrance, but a lift solely for out-of- hours use is not acceptable. * Staff/service entrance: to be a safe and secure area, particularly for staff leaving after dark. Queuing space should be allowed for 40 people to wait (at 0. 5 m2/person, 20m2 is required). * In-counters (51m2) There will be one central counter for the whole building, after which customers will either move to other departments, move to customer reception, or leave. Peak hourly levels of customers are approximately 250-300, with a peak hourly level of returns of approximately 1000 items. Space is required for three staff plus computer terminals for customers. The layout must allow for clear and direct flows. * Out-counters (38m2) All items issued or renewed will be from the out-counter and there may be more than one, depending on overall layout. Note that some customers may wish to return to other areas of the library (e. g. the coffee bar) after visiting the out- counter. Peak levels are as for the in-counter. Space is required for two staff plus computer terminals for customers. The layout must allow for clear and direct flows: in particular, customers not wishing to borrow items must be able to avoid becoming involved with this area. * Library returns bin This is required in the entrance area for returns during times when the library is closed. It must be a secure unit. * Self-issue terminals The space required is 3 m2/terminal and at least three terminals are required at various points in the library. * Smartcards The inclusion of a ‘smartcard’ system is increasingly likely, to allow customers to pay for services (e. g. photocopying, overdue charges, borrowing videos, etc. ). The machines will be located throughout the library. * Admin and staff accommodation In addition to a general admin office space of roughly 53 m2, provision will also include the following. * Enquiry desks These should ideally be located so that they can service more than one department at quiet times or during staff shortages. * Librarian’s office (20m2) The base for the manager in charge of the whole building, the room must be close to the administrative support and interview rooms. Apart from everyday managerial tasks, the room will be used for small discussions with up to two people and project work. * Library manager‘s office ( 13m2) This includes one office for two assistants, shared desk, and also room for small meetings of one to three people. Privacy is necessary, although easy access/overview is required for counters and customer services. The office should be located near the branch library. * Delivery area (16m2) There will be a daily ‘in’ delivery of boxes containing: books from this library, but returned to other libraries; books requested from other libraries; and new books. The ‘out’ delivery will be of books sorted in the sorting office, and books requested by other libraries. This area will also act as a short-term reception and dispatch area for other equipment, furniture, exhibition equipment, etc. , and sufficient space should be allowed for this. * Interview room (14m2) To be used by all staff for private meetings, appraisal interviews, meeting the public and recruitment interviews, the room must accommodate up to four people and ensure confidentiality is maintained. * Local studies reserve stack ( 150m2) Most local studies stock will be reference only, in closed-access storage areas, obtained by staff on customer request: access systems therefore need to be quick and simple. (Book stacks must be designed in accordance with BS 5454: 1989. ) A local studies workroom (38m2) will usually be required adjacent to the local studies area. * Reserve stacks (155m2) Certain sections of stock will be housed in closed-access rolling stack storage, including: seasonal overflow (fewer items are borrowed during the summer and over Christmas); reference stock; music sets; play sets. The weight of rolling stack storage is substantial and will need to be taken into account in structural calculations. * Secure area for exhibits A secure storage area is  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœsmartcard’ system is increasingly likely, to allow customers to pay for services (e. g. photocopying, overdue charges, borrowing videos, etc. ). The machines will be located throughout the library. * Admin and staff accommodation In addition to a general admin office space of roughly 53 m2, provision will also include the following. * Enquiry desks These should ideally be located so that they can service more than one department at quiet times or during staff shortages. * Librarian’s office (20m2) The base for the manager in charge of the whole building, the room must be close to the administrative support and interview rooms. Apart from everyday managerial tasks, the room will be used for small discussions with up to two people and project work. * Library manager‘s office ( 13m2) This includes one office for two assistants, shared desk, and also room for small meetings of one to three people. Privacy is necessary, although easy access/overview is required for counters and customer services. The office should be located near the branch library. * Delivery area (16m2) There will be a daily ‘in’ delivery of boxes containing: books from this library, but returned to other libraries; books requested from other libraries; and new books. The ‘out’ delivery will be of books sorted in the sorting office, and books requested by other libraries. This area will also act as a short-term reception and dispatch area for other equipment, furniture, exhibition equipment, etc. , and sufficient space should be allowed for this. * Interview room (14m2) To be used by all staff for private meetings, appraisal interviews, meeting the public and recruitment interviews, the room must accommodate up to four people and ensure confidentiality is maintained. * Local studies reserve stack ( 150m2) Most local studies stock will be reference only, in closed-access storage areas, obtained by staff on customer request: access systems therefore need to be quick and simple. (Book stacks must be designed in accordance with BS 5454: 1989. ) A local studies workroom (38m2) will usually be required adjacent to the local studies area. * Reserve stacks (155m2) Certain sections of stock will be housed in closed-access rolling stack storage, including: seasonal overflow (fewer items are borrowed during the summer and over Christmas); reference stock; music sets; play sets. The weight of rolling stack storage is substantial and will need to be taken into account in structural calculations. * Secure area for exhibits A secure storage area is required, with easy access to both the delivery area and the exhibition area. * Security control room (17m2) This acts as the base for control attendants, and for the closed- circuit TV system. * Sorting office (63m2) Required for sorting all returns. The main divisions are: for return (by trolley) to the various departments; for return to other libraries; for special requests (e.g. customer reservations); and for particular processes (e. g. book repair). Wall shelving for 1000 items is required for temporary storage during peak flows or staff shortages. This area also acts as a supervisory area for the counters and the customer reception, allowing the easy allocation of additional staff when necessary and for general troubleshooting duties. * Staff room (115m2) With a total staff of approximately 50, the staff room should accommodate seating for 30 and also be suitable for relaxation, social gatherings and informal meetings. During special events, staff will work outside normal working hours so there should be an adjacent kitchen area suitable for making light meals and drinks; a dishwasher may be desirable. Staff lockers (25m2) are ideally located in a separate room and storage for wet clothing is also required. * Stock workroom (127m2) For four to five staff, its functions are: processing books from the delivery area; repairing stock; binding requirements; stock exchanges; inter-library loans for music sets. Wall shelving is required for approximately 2000 books. * Subject staff workroom (152m2) Required for processing complex enquiries and selecting new stock, these rooms are needed in humanities, literature and science libraries; for six librarians and support staff (maximum). Wall shelving will be required. * System room (38m2) Needed to house computer equipment for library circulation and other information systems. * Training room (58m2) Required for meetings and training sessions, facilities must be suitable for current technology and equipment. * Shelf storage Typical examples based on 900mm shelf module are: adult non-fiction37 vols/900mm run of shelving adult fiction 30 sheet music 60 junior fiction 44 junior non-fiction 74 All shelving units should be four shelves high except: local studies 6 shelves high music scores 3 (overall height to be as four-shelf unit) children’s non-fiction ditto * Other areas * sick room (10m2) * stationery store (25m2) * general stores (four; approximately 1000m2 in total) * cleaners’ room/store (29m2) * WCs; shower if possible. * Preferred space standards, from the Follett Report, are: * one space for 6 full-time-equivalent students. * 2. 39m2 per reader (subsequent research indicates that 2. 5-3. 0mZ may be required) * reader modules to be minimum of 900 x 600mm * information technology (IT) spaces to be 1200 x 800mm. * Building Services (The Architects’ Handbook) Heat reduction is a major problem, and is exacerbated by the use of computers. Air- conditioning is expensive and environmentally undesirable and should therefore only be used where essential, natural ventilation being the preferred option (traditional window ventilation, however, can be a security risk). Service zones are required above ceilings and below floors: ventilation systems, heating and electrical fittings, and information technology units, must be designed to allow flexibility of layout, and must allow for movement of shelving without causing disruption. Distribution cabling for networked computer systems and terrestrial/satellite aerials also needs to be allowed for. Noise in libraries is a problem, both from external sources and between different activity areas within the building. Acoustic considerations must therefore be carefully considered. * Maximum Floor Area Allowance per occupant (occupant load factor) from International Building Code Reading rooms 50 net Stack area 100 gross * The loading applies to stack room floors that support nonmobile, double- faced library book stacks, subject to the following limitations (International Building Code) * The nominal book stack unit height shall not exceed 90 inches * The nominal shelf depth shall not exceed 12 inches for each face * Parallel rows of double-faced book stacks shall be separated by aisles not less than 36 inches wide. References/s: * TIME-SAVER STANDARDS FOR BUILDING TYPES 2nd edition, International Edition Edited by JOSEPH De CHIARA and JOHN HANCOCK CALLENDER 1983 by McGraw-Hill Book Co-Singapore 2nd printing 1987 * The Architects’ Handbook Edited by Quentin Pickard RIBA 2002 Blackwell Science Ltd * 2012 International Building Code First Printing: May 2011 Second Printing: June 2011 * http://readphilippines. com/Forum/viewtopic. php? f=33t=74 * http://paarl. wikispaces. com/Libraries#Public%20Libraries * http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Library * http://web. nlp. gov. ph/nlp/.

Hotel Arts Barcelona Placement Cultural Studies Essay

Hotel Arts Barcelona Placement Cultural Studies Essay I really wanted to go to a Spanish speaking country, because it is my second language at school but also because I really want to discover the Spanish culture. Especially Barcelona attracted me a lot because I heard a lot of good things about this city. I have been to Madrid a couple of times but my perception of Barcelona was way different. Barcelona has a couple of things which attract me very much: the architecture, the climate and the football club. The department I was working in was the Guest Service Department and sometimes in the FB (bartender). I had several duties, some of these responsibilities were welcoming the new guests, taking care of the luggage of the guests, parking the cars of our guests, calling taxis for the guests, explain the directions to the guests and giving recommendations to the guests about restaurants and clubs. The  Hotel Arts Barcelona  is a 44-story, 482 room luxury  hotel  on the seafront of  Barcelona, in  Spain. A lot of people believe the hotel was build to service the 1992 Summer Olympics but actually it wasnt. Although the construction of the hotel was part of the big changes underwent by the city to prepare the Games, the hotel wasnt made for the Olympics. Hotel Arts is one of the citys leading hotels. The construction of the hotel was fully finished in 1994. It was designed by  Skidmore, Owings Merrill  and is 154 meters tall. Its one of the few skyscrapers that Barcelona has. The hotel underwent a total renovation in 2006, they installed new technology and upgraded the guestrooms and the bathrooms into modern, luxurious spaces to the standards of a 5 star hotel. A vision is an almost impossible dream and a mission is a written statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement guides the actions of the organization, it sets its overall goal and it guides decision making for every level of management. Its the direction for the company for within at least five years. Their vision is to provide the finest personal service and facilities, for their guest who will always enjoy a warm relaxed yet refined ambience. If you see this sentence you can conclude that its almost impossible. Their mission is to instill the well-being and fulfill even the unexpressed wishes and needs of their guests. 2.2.3 Mission Statement in practice The mission statement is definitely reflected in my department. Every morning we had a briefing about all the things that happened with out guests, good and bad things. So for example when it was someones birthday, everyone of our department kept that in mind so when someone came across the guest he congratulated him and gave him a little present. That is an example of fulfilling the unexpressed wishes of the guests. Every morning we also had a value of the day. Which was one of the 11 service values. For example: I own and immediately resolve guest problems. 2.3 Market segments 2.3.1 What market segment(s) does your hotel focus on? Hotel Arts Barcelona can be put in the luxury segment. They aim for well fortuned guests who are willing to spend from 400 up to 10.0000 euro per night. They make use of demographic segmentation because when you divide the market on a demographic base you get groups like: age, gender, life-cycle, occupation, race, income, education, religion and nationality. Hotel Arts has a mix of business guests and leisure guests. In the summer time its mostly leisure but trough the whole year there are big conventions being held in the meeting rooms. 2.3.2 Characteristics As I explained in the previous sub-title, there are different characteristics of demographic segmentation; age, gender, race, life-cycle, occupation, income, education, nationality. Hotel Arts is focusing on the upper-income guests and business guests. If you compare the demographic characteristics with other types of segmentation you will get the following things. When you look at the psychographic segment you can find a relation with the demographic segment. In the psychographic segment they are focusing on the social class, lifestyle and personality. When we talk about the targeted social class for the hotel, its the upper-level. If you look at the products the hotel is offering like, like. With geographic segmentation, they focus on geographic variables like: countries nations, states, and cities. Ritz Carlton is a brand that is known all over the world, thats why its not necessary to adapt to geographic variables because it doesnt matter. The mission statement does reflect on the market segment where Hotel Arts focuses on because the guests want to be treated like a king because they are used to a certain luxury standard. They say in their mission statement that the genuine care and comfort of their guest is their highest mission and that they pledge to provide the finest personal service and facilities, and those things are exactly what the luxury guest wants. When I started with working they let me walk with a colleague who showed me everything in my department. The first day was just looking, I didnt do anything but observing my colleagues. In my department we didnt have SOPs because the department itself was new. We did have standard procedures of working but it wasnt written down on paper. When a guest arrived we had a certain operating procedure. The cab with the guests came driven to our main door. One of my colleagues opened the trunk and took the luggage out. He told me trough a little microphone the name that was on the tag of the luggage and I opened the door of the cab and greeted the guest with the name that was given to me trough my earpiece. We first asked how their trip was to Hotel Arts and after that we asked if the guest wanted us to take care of the luggage. If yes we gave the guest one half of an orange ticket with a number on it and the other half we put on the luggage. It was an amazing system and it gave the guest mo re than just a warm welcome. We exceeded the expectations of the guest from the beginning by saying their name when opening the door of the cab. My managers were kind and open-minded, one came from Brazil and the other one from Belgium. They were natural leaders because they never acted like they were the boss or the manager but you always knew that you didnt want to disappoint them. They had a lot of conversations with the employees. If they had the feeling that there was a problem they always invited you for conversation. They asked a lot about how things where going personally and that was really nice. Because its good that your manager supports you and cares about you. We always had a group meeting 10 minutes before starting the shift and we always had a evaluation about the day after the shift. They also give you the room to improve yourself by giving you several responsibilities. For example after the first month I got the responsibility of welcoming the and taking care of the luggage of the band Coldplay. It took me a lot of planning and off course a little stress but it was nice to know that my manager had trust in me . One thing that I very much appreciated was the fact that my supervisor had arranged a Spanish class for me and a couple of my other foreign colleagues. I dont have the feeling that there are a lot of thing to improve for my managers. They were very talented and as a matter of fact when I left the hotel they got a promotion as Rooms Division managers 3.1.4 Guest Satisfaction When guests checked out they were asked to fill in an questionnaire with a few question about every department. Sometimes people got a phone call after there stay. Every month we got a report back about the answers that were given by the guests; this is called: the Gallup Report. Customer feedback is obviously an important part of the improvement process. Simon Cooper, president and chief operating officer, states, When it comes to customers, feelings are facts. The Ritz-Carlton deploys multiple methods to capture the customer experience, such as comment cards and a follow-up survey call from Gallup to guests after their stay. In addition, the staff discreetly look, listen, and ask for feedback during transactions and moments of truth to build upon the Ritz-Carlton knowledge-management system. In addition, theres a follow-up survey conducted by Gallup, which provides third-party validation. Finally, mystery shoppers circulate though the various properties to critique the processes.  [5]   3.1.5 Problems, complaints and solutions We had to take care of that the luggage went into the right room, which was sometimes a lot of work because of the arrivals of big groups (100 people at the same time). We made a sheet with all of the guests names and room numbers and after that we tagged all the luggage and made sure it was brought up. We had to take care of the parking as well, sometimes it was a problem for us because we had to park guests their cars but at the same time other guests wanted us to retrieve their cars. What we did to make sure it wouldnt be to busy with the parking we always asked if the guests were using their car during their stay. If not, we put them down in the big garage, if yes, we parked the cars in front of the hotel. Barcelona has a big problem with pick pocketing, because we where the first employees to come across when guests came back to the hotel, we were the first to listen to the problem. We had to send the guests to the concierge because he dealt with these problems but we always had the responsibility to follow up on the guest if we would come across him/her. We didnt have a point of sales system in my department because were werent selling anything, we were just providing service. I know from the times that I helped as a bartender we had Micros which was linked to the Opera system of the whole hotel. On Opera you could find everything of the guests. You could see what their preferences are in terms of their coffee, their newspaper and so on. With this knowledge we created a thing which was called Mystique. This is accomplished by having the empathy to know what thrills guests and how the staff can make the visit memorable. This is accomplished in conversations with guests and by maintaining a knowledge-management system that records the preferences of every guest. These preferences were all saved on Opera and it is accessible for Ritz Carlton employees all around the world. Maybe its a favorite magazine or wine, or dessert, or cappuccino. Whatever the case, employees know how to surprise the guests, which leads to strengthening the relat ionships with them. I have to make sure that all the employees are good ambassadors of the hotel, we must give arriving guests a warm welcome and a fond farewell. We can either make or break a holiday from the start and at the end. For example if people leave the hotel and nobody can order a taxi for them or help them with the luggage they will leave with a bad feeling. My responsibility is also to give my employees, like you for example, a warm welcome as well and to help you with problems. Welcoming the guests is a really strong point. We use a special system for this. The cab with the guests comes driven to our main door. One of my employees opens the trunk and takes the luggage out. He tells the doorman trough a little microphone the name that is on the tag of the luggage and the doorman opens the door of the cab and greets the guest with the name that was given to him trough his earpiece. We first ask how their trip was to Hotel Arts and after that we ask if the guest wants us to take care of the luggage. It is an amazing system and it gives the guest more than just a warm welcome. Simon Cooper, president and chief operating officer, states, When it comes to customers, feelings are facts. The Ritz-Carlton deploys multiple methods to capture the customer experience, such as comment cards and a follow-up survey call from Gallup to guests after their stay. In addition, the staff discreetly look, listen, and ask for feedback during transactions and moments of truth to build upon the Ritz-Carlton knowledge-management system. In addition, theres a follow-up survey conducted by Gallup, which provides third-party validation. Finally, mystery shoppers circulate though the various properties to critique the processes.  [6]   I think these are good performance indicators because if they say that they got noticed and helped immediately when they arrived it says a lot about giving a warm welcome. When they say the time of waiting for a taxi it says a lot about how fast people were getting helped. If their named was used when they left you can say that they got a fond farewell. Because every department gives its own specific service, and ours is welcoming guests, anticipate on needs of guests and giving guest a farewell, its good to be judged on specific indicators about our own department. If we score high and fits with our mission statement of giving the finest service to our guests. Because the hotel was situated in a an area where a lot of restaurants and nightclubs are, there were always people around the hotel. We always had a line of taxis right next to the hotel who were especially for our guests. If people from a restaurant from nearby came to our entrance and asked for a taxi we werent allowed to help him. We had to deal with that a lot. One day I started at seven in the morning and 10 minutes after I started a young man came to me. He got pick pocketed by a criminal gang, he lost his mobile phone and his wallet. He asked me to let him call with the hotels phone at the entrance but he was not a guest. If you look at this trough the JUSTICE way I couldnt let him make use of the phone because he was not a guest. Above that, the young man looked like he had drank to much. But if you look at this trough the CARE way, even though the guy had drank some alcohol he was really calm and friendly. On the other hand he was also really desperate because he couldnt ca ll for help. I could see the sadness in his eyes and because he asked me this in such a friendly way I decided to help him and let him make one quick call with the phone of the hotel.

Discrimination In The English Language

Discrimination In The English Language There exists national and racial discrimination in the English language. Such kind of discrimination can be reflected by words, expressions and also proverbs. This linguistic phenomenon has profound historical and cultural background, reflects national bias, conflicts and hatred, and thus provides us information about historical relationships among nations. This paper analyses causes and connotations of national and racial slurs, and shows the potential negative effects of the slurs on international contacts. It also deals with the current state of linguistic discrimination in modern society and the efforts people make to eliminate the phenomenon. Language primarily functions as the communication tool and information transmitter, and is closely linked to ethnic. Every ethnic group in this world has its own language which may be either slightly or totally different from other groups. Language is the carrier of ethnic history and social culture, and evolves together with the society where it is used. So to speak, the development of the ethnic is the fundamental cause and basic condition of the development of the language. Since language and ethnic are so profoundly interrelated, it is no wonder that language is influenced by ethnic feelings and the latter are fully embodied in the former. 1.2 National and racial discrimination in the English language As a common social phenomenon, national and racial discrimination against other ethnic groups would inevitably exert influence on languages. Thus, slurs come into being in almost every language in the world. Among these languages, English is a particularly striking example which contains many national and racial slurs. It is clearly seen that in the English language, part of its large vocabulary is concerned with nations and races. Unpleasantly, this part often carries a connotation of national and racial discrimination. We can readily find slurs with various forms such as vocabulary, phrase, address, proverb, etc. Take the Dutch idioms for example. If a person says to you, you do beat the Dutch (Liu, 2003:131), he intends to mean that you are excellent. When people use the Dutch idioms, they may wonder how those idioms originate. In fact, the slurs in the English language have profound historical background. Though causes of slurs are rather complicated ¼Ã…’yet we can still sort out them. Among these complex causes, ethnocentrism, wars and racial differences are the most important ones. 1.3 Objectives of the study The study focuses on the phenomenon of national and racial discrimination in the English language. We will look into the reason why the slurs come into being and the connotations that they carry. Once we get a better idea of their connotations, we can know whether it is proper to use them in public. Hence, we can try to avoid misunderstandings in cross-cultural communication and improve our competence. Since there are so many slurs in English, we have to be very careful about them. We may wonder about the following questions. What consequence would they cause when used improperly? Are they still used frequently in daily life? Or are they going to fade out from the English language? 2. Causes of national and racial slurs in the English language 2.1 Obsession of ethnocentrism in the United Kingdom and United States In Oxford Advanced Learners English-Chinese Dictionary, ethnocentrism is based on the ideas and beliefs of one particular culture and using these to judge other cultures. (Hornby Wehmeier, 2004:580) Strong sense of national pride is one of the main causes of national discrimination. A nation with ethnocentrism believes in the superiority of its own culture including values, norms, languages, etc., and considers other nations as inferior to it. Since National feelings are closely interlinked with national language, national discrimination finds expression in the latter. The USA and the UK are considered to be very proud nations. We can tell ethnocentrism from the two countries names. (Jiao, 2009:57) The USA is short for the United States of America. Despite the fact that the word America stands for the whole continent including Canada and Mexico, the USA employs it as a component of its country name. When people say Americans today, they generally refer to the people of the USA and exclude Canadian and Mexican. The British is no less proud than the Americans. They used to claim their country to be the empire on which the sun never sets and the mistress of the seas (Mao, 2003:141) The full name of its nation is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The British prefer to call their country Great Britain. The UK is actually a small country but it is the only country around the world using great in its countrys name. Some proverbs in English are the authentic portrayal of the excessively proud mind of the British. For instance, the English are a nation of shop-keepers; all countries stand in need of Britain, and Britain of none; one Englishman can beat three Frenchmen. (Mao, 2003:143) From these proverbs, we can see this island country is completely indulged in self-admiration. It assumes that whatever in its country is good and useful while those in other countries are odd. More often than not, it despises other countries especially those once at war with it such as France and the Netherlands. Even two of the world major powers, Russia and the United States cannot escape the fate of being derided. As the proverb says, An American will go to hell for a bag of coffee. Scratch a Russian, and you will find a tarter. (Jiao, 2009:59) Ethnocentrism endows the English language with a predilection towards the UK and the USA, and a bias against other nations or races. An excess of national pride glorifies a country while shows contempt for the virtues of other countries. In reality, it is fair to say that any ethnic group in the world is likely to show undue pride of nationalism of various degrees, consciously or not. Nonetheless ¼Ã…’ethnocentrism negatively affects international relations and goes against peaceful coexistence. 2.2 National resentment caused by wars Historical events have undoubtedly made their contribution to the development of English lexicology. New expressions often emerge from times of war when national emotion is running high. In most cases, they continue to stay in the language in the process of social development even if hundreds of years have passed. The French and Dutch expressions and proverbs are the classic examples. From a geographical perspective, France faces the United Kingdom across the English Channel. From 1377 to 1453, France and England were engaged in wars over territory and economic benefit. (Dai, 2003) The hundred-year war ended in a victory for France. This certainly gave rise to resentment from Englishmen toward France. English people found expression for their hatred in the English vocabulary. They considered the word French as a derogatory one and created many terms containing the word. Even today, we can still see the French expressions usually used as pejorative in the English language. For instance, the proverb one Englishman can beat three Frenchmen means defeating enemy troops with a force inferior in number. Some French phrases are connected with sex and eroticism. A French postcard/novel (Hou, 2009:64) is a pornographic photo/book. French gout (Hou, 2009:64) is syphilis. Not only the term French but also Dutch fall into this category. Dated back to 16th century, England had been friendly with the Netherlands. It was not until the 17th century that the Netherlands became one of the largest colonial empires in the world and a strong competitor of England for maritime trade. (Dai, 2003) It was inevitable that growing commercial rivalry between England and the United Netherlands led to the outbreak of wars. There were three Anglo-Dutch Wars fought in the 17th century. After the wars, the United Kingdom of Great Britain achieved maritime supremacy. Due to the wars, hostility persisted for years between the two countries. Many Dutch expressions and proverbs represent English feelings toward the Dutch. For instance, Dutch comfort/consolation (Liu, 2003:131) means no comfort/consolation at all. If something is double Dutch (Liu, 2003:131) to a person, he can hardly understand it. 2.3 Racial differences The majority of Native English speakers are white people. White racists consider their ancestry is sacred and of higher quality than others. They believe that their race possesses absolute and remarkable superiority when compared to others. As a consequence, they disparage other races in the world. This kind of emotion can be called racial discrimination and is sufficiently reflected in the English language. People can name racial slurs, many of which are related with African Americans, Native Americans and Asians. Expressions and proverbs containing such words as Negro, nigger and Indian often carry a connotation of contempt. Particularly in the American English, we can recognize the serious racial discrimination phenomenon. The United States is described to be a big melting pot, into which immigrants from all around the world have come together and blended their cultures and traditions. People of different nationalities, races, colors and faiths inhabit in the same community, contacting, influencing and integrating mutually. Altogether, they create a dynamic, multi-ethnic, and multi-cultural society, and make their specific contribution to the American history. Yet ¼Ã…’this predominantly white country has been faced with racial contradictions and conflicts throughout its history. Strong hostility and prejudice between different racial groups, mostly the white and the colored, has resulted in racism in the English language and led to a rapid increase of discriminatory vocabulary. 2.4 National traits From the micro point of view, it is a common practice among people to remark on others physiological features, and make fun of them about their looks, shapes, and dressing. In a broad perspective, one ethnic group may tease another about its distinctive physiological feature which appears to be strange. It is conceivable that national traits (physiological features and characters) can also be a source of slurs in the English language. It is not surprising that Japanese, smaller in stature than the westerner ¼Ã…’get the nickname little-yellow-man (Liu, 2003:129) from the Americans. The Russians are nicknamed polar bears (Liu, 2003:129) because on one side part of Russia is located in the cold Arctic Circle, where polar bears often haunt, and on the other the Russians had a reputation for being strong and aggressive. Although these make sense, making fun of others about their distinctive traits is improper ¼Ã…’inconsiderate and even cruel after all. From the perspective of nation, every ethnic group is unique in its traits due to the interactions of heredity, environment and other factors. A nation is inclined to discriminate others on condition that it assumes its traits are better than any other nations. It is unfair and wrong to measure other nations by the standard of ones own nation. 2.5 Spatiotemporal differences Owing to spatiotemporal differences, countries face different environments which affect their knowledge about others. Therefore, the lack of knowledge of other areas would give rise to wrong interpretations and misunderstandings of people in those areas. Sometimes a countrys geographical backgrounds can become a popular topic and laughingstock to other countries. We may have heard the saying, Finland is the devils country (Mao, 2003:143) and wondered about its origin. As is known, Finland is situated at high latitudes of northern hemisphere with cold climatic conditions. The special geographical location leaves an impression on the English-speaking people that Finland is uninhabitable and only devils dare live there. In the English language, Chinese puzzle (Mao, 2003:142) refers to a complicated thing or problem. The phrase stems from the history when America and China had little contact. The Americans felt confused about China and had a poor understanding of the country. Hence, it is imaginable that they attached a sense of complexity to the word Chinese. 3.Words ¼Ã…’expressions and proverbs mirroring ethical prejudice In what way can words, expressions and proverbs reflect national and racial discrimination? From the point of modern English lexicology, there are four common tendencies of semantic change in words: restriction of meaning (specialization), extension of meaning (generalization), degeneration of meaning (pejoration), and elevation of meaning (amelioration). (Zhang, 1987:269) Among these four, degeneration of meaning refers to the condition that words once respectable or neutral may shift to a less respectable or even derogatory meaning. (Zhang, 1987:277) This is the most common method used in linguistic discrimination. For instance, the Dutch idioms in Chapter 3.1.1 have derogatory meanings because the word Dutch is degraded into negative sense. In English, there are so many idioms concerned about ethical prejudice that it would be difficult to cover all of them. Let us have a look at some of them from two broad categories. 3.1 Reflection of national discrimination Before moving on, I would like to state that all the idioms in the following paragraphs come from On National Prejudice in Language by Liu Baojun except those with special interlinear notes. 3.1.1 The Dutch idioms There are many Dutch expressions in English. We probably have heard or said them in daily life. However, we may have little idea about when they were first used and how they came into being. Dutch is explained by the unpleasant associations of certain historical events, namely, the Anglo-Dutch wars and rivalry at sea in the seventeenth century. Many of the Dutch expressions were first used in England at that time, during fierce naval competition between England and the Netherlands. British people used Dutch to refer to something bad. Now, of course, the British and the Dutch have a friendly relation. But the word Dutch is still used in almost the same way as it once was long time ago. The Dutch idioms can be classified into several types. First of all, some of the Dutch expressions are related to wine because the Dutch were regarded as bibber. The phrase Dutch courage is a slang term for courage gained after drinking alcohol. It is synonymous with liquid courage. The term is purported to have its origin in the battles of the seas. (Liu, 2003:131) It is said that the Dutch navy feared all other navies especially the English navy. It was rationalized that they must have drunk alcohol before battle to relieve their fear. A Dutch bargain or Dutch agreement, which is made between men who have drunk too much alcohol, is an uneven, one-sided deal. When the host is the first to get drunk in the party, it can be called a Dutch feast. Second, the British used to consider the Dutch very stingy about money. The Dutch always split the bill when whey went out for dinner. Based on this conception, Dutch treat referred to a dinner at which the invited guests should pay for their own share of food and drinks. A Dutch party is a party to which each guest contributes some food and drink. Today, Dutch treat has a slightly different meaning from that. When friends go out to have fun, each person pays his own share if they agree to Dutch treat or go Dutch. Third, in the eyes of the British, the Dutch were rude, irritable and weird. To get ones Dutch up is to flare up. To do a Dutch act means to commit suicide. If a person talks to you in a very severe way, he is talking like a Dutch uncle. This phrase emerges for the reason that the Dutch had a reputation for raising their children in a firm way. (Li, 2009:52) Not only expressions but also proverbs can convey national slurs. The Dutch has taken Holland can be interpreted as follows: a man who has seen little regards many things as strange and comment excitedly on a commonplace thing out of inexperience. However, people using these expressions may not be well aware that they are hurting the Netherlands national pride. Almost all the Dutch phrases contain negative connotation. The situation makes the Netherlands feel uncomfortable and low national respect. Thus, in 1934, Netherlands government commanded that officials should avoid use the word Dutch. (Hou, 2009:65) In spite of the effort, today the derogatory sense of the word still exists and people continue using it to refer to something negative. 3.1.2 The French idioms In the modern history of the world, France and the Great Britain rival each other in political, economic, cultural and military competition. Many British idioms have recorded the countrys discord with the French. French leave is an abrupt and unannounced departure without saying farewell to the host. The phrase can be traced back to 18th century. (Wang, 1999:45) From the view of character, the French were amiable and easygoing by nature. It was their custom that guests invited to dinner would depart without giving thanks or saying farewell to their host. To the British, in particular the English, whose reputed quality is reserved, leaving without saying goodbye is ill-mannered, discourteous and shows no respect for others. There goes the proverb when the Ethiopian is white, the French will love the English. In reality, The Ethiopians are dark-skinned and it is impossible that their skin will turn white. By using this logic analysis, neither is it possible that the French will love the English. The proverb implies that the state of hostility between the two countries would not end. Another proverb goes, The Italians are wise before the deed, the Germans in the deed, the French after the deed. (Jiao, 2009:59) By comparing France with another two countries, the idiom carries a message that the French are wooden-headed and witless. Historically, it was suggested by the Americans that some of the French expressions should be changed. Yet ¼Ã…’it was too early to be cheerful for the French. Here goes the story. In the first half of the year 2003, France opposed the plan shock and awe adopted by the American-led United Nations forces toward Iraq. This stirred up American disgust toward the French. A television host of FOX news, one of the American news media, called for a boycott of French goods. It was demanded that in the English language French toast and French fry should be changed into freedom toast and freedom fry while French leave should be reserved. (Du, 2005:23) Very interestingly, it seemed that the Americans wanted to keep the French expressions with derogatory sense and meanwhile discard others with neutral meaning. In such case, The French could do nothing but sulk. 3.1.3 The Chinaman/Chinese idioms In modern times, China cut off itself from the outside world. As a result of a seclusion policy in foreign relations, China lost an opportunity for development and fell behind. Thus, the western countries showed contempt to this poor and backward nation with weak comprehensive power. Chink and Chinaman have long been used as disparaging terms for the Chinese. Many figures of speech in the English reflected a history of Chinese being insulted. Chinamans chance essentially means an extremely slim chance or no chance at all for someone to accomplish his goal or successfully do an action. In 1978, American publisher Scribner published the novel Chinamans chance by Ross Thomas. Regardless of the content of the novel, people sought the origin of the title Chinamans chance. The historical context of the phrase dates from the goldrush days of California in the middle of the 19th century when many Chinese came here to work as laborers. (Jiao, 2009:58) Their job was demanding and very dangerous but lower-paying. The Chinese faced higher taxes, denial of citizenship and equal rights to white man. Chinamans chance truly depicts the hard life of Chinese in that city. Another expression occurred in the same period. To play someone for a Chinaman is to treat him as a fool. Many of the Chinese expressions heard in English are used as pejorative. A Chinese copy is an exact copy of an original. Chinese slavery means virtual slavery. Chinese compliment is used to describe a man who speaks one way and thinks another. Chinese fire drill refers to confusional and chaotic state, large but ineffective exercise, or the act of a group of individuals achieving nothing. If someone has Chinese restaurant syndrome (Wang, 1999:43), he may feel headache, vomiting, swirl or sweating caused by eating Chinese food that contains monosodium glutamate. Research suggests that there is no evidence of the so-called Chinese restaurant syndrome and it is nothing more than urban legend. 3.1.4 The Irishman and Irish idioms The United Kingdom is made up of four nations England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Of these four nations, the English people account for the majority of the population and feel most British. They have a strong sense of national pride and ridicule the rest of the kingdom. They would verbally attack Scotland, Wales, and in particular Ireland. We can take a look at some of the Irishman and Irish phrases. Irishmans dinner/feast actually means apastia. Irishmans promotion represents demotion. Irish diamond is not diamond at all. It is just crystal or stone. Irish evidence is seen as perjury. Irish compliment is backhanded compliment. If someone makes an Irish bull, he provides a paradoxical statement. To get ones Irish up (Hou,2009:64) means to lose ones temper. A similar expression is to get ones Dutch up. There are also Irish proverbs with offensive implications: Englands difficulty is Irelands opportunity; Put an Irishman on the spit, and you can always get another to baste him. (Mao, 2003:143) 3.1.5 The Welsh idioms The word Welsh shares the same fate of Irish. To Welsh is to repudiate a debt. According to English people, the phrase originates from 19th century when many Welsh people made a living by betting on horse racing. (Liu, 1999:79) They were said to have been extremely cunning because they always tried to get out of paying money when they lost the bet. Thus, in the eyes of English people, they became notorious for such a bad quality. Therefore, to Welsh on somebody is to go back on ones word. To Welsh on ones debt is to rat on ones debt As we know, England is a relatively rich nation when compared with Wales. Phrases like Welsh comb and Welsh carpet are used by the English people to mock at Welsh poverty. 3.1.6 The Greek idioms The word Greek is associated with trick, cattiness, and danger. Greek gift can not be interpreted literally. If a person receives a Greek gift, he should be cautious because the gift is given with the intention of tricking the recipient and causing harm to him. A proverb derives from this expression, I fear the Greeks, even when they come with the gifts. Greek trust indicates unreliability. When Greek meets Greek, and then comes the tug of war. It means that when enemies face each other, their eyes blaze with hate. Fires are rekindled between the two sides and old wounds opened up again. When people encounter something incomprehensible, they would say it is all Greek to me to show that they dont understand at all. 3.2 Reflection of racial discrimination 3.2.1 Discrimination against Native American Before starting this part, I want to make it clear that all the idioms below come from On English Language against Non-English Nationalities by Mao Fasheng except those with special notes. An Indian giver refers to a person who gives a gift but require something in return later. This expression originates from around 1765 and the American colonial days. (Li, 2009:57) To the early American Indians, gifts were simply form of trade goods. A person gave a gift in hope of something of equivalent in return. However, to the European settlers, such kind of custom appeared to be insulting. In their minds, gifts were freely given rather than for trade practices. The original meaning of the expression was only the expectation of a gift in return. By the late 1800s, its sense shifted to describe someone who demands return while giving. Indian giving is a similar terms used to satirize the giver. We should handle an Indian gift with caution as well as Greek gift. The present is given by someone with expectation of receiving another from us. An Indian sign is a magic spell cast on a person to control him or bring him bad luck. If a girl is able to put or have an Indian sign on a boy, then she fascinates him perhaps with her dazzling loveliness. Americans regarded the Indians as dumb, irritable and evil-minded. Terms like cigar-store Indian, dumb Indian, wooden Indian portray a negative image for the Indians as boring and foolish. To get ones Indian up is to get mad or be inflamed with rage. It shares the same meaning as two other figures of speech get ones Dutch up and get ones Irish up. The proverb The only good Indian is a dead Indian (Liu, 2003:131) characterizes the American relationship with Indians. 3.2.2 Discrimination against African-American In American history ¼Ã…’African-Americans were subject to discrimination and their life were sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation. They were faced with poor living conditions and harsh working environments. Being despised, hated, disgraced and oppressed by racists, they lived in misery and suffering. Even today, in the society of more advanced civilization, the phenomenon of racial discrimination still exists. Racism is still a sensitive and serious issue that the world seeks to solve. From the view of language, racial slurs are to be found everywhere. Nigger, niggra, niggruh and Negro (Jiao, 2009:57) are common slavery-imposed epithets with evident insult to the black. They remind people the bitter period of slavery when African-Americans struggled for freedom. To work like a negro/nigger refers to somebody who works or is forced to work very hard just like a slave. Even in literature, we can see racial slurs in world-famous works. For example, some African-Americans complained about the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. They claimed that the writer should not have used the word nigger in the book. The following dialogue, in particular, stirs up strong discontent amongst African-Americans. Good gracious. Anybody hurt? Nom killed a nigger. Well, its lucky because sometimes people do get hurt.  [1]   We should try not to get involved in the issue of racial discrimination; otherwise we may place ourselves in criticism and trouble. In 1999, David Howard, the aide of Washington, DC mayor Anthony Williams resigned after being accused of using a racial slur.  [2]  Mr. Howard, head of the Office of Public Advocate, used the word niggardly when delivering the budget report in one of the regular meetings by municipal government. As a matter of fact, niggardly is defined as stingy or ungenerous and does not have any racial connotations. Yet, staff members present which was made up of two blacks and another white were offended by the word. Soon after the meeting, the rumor began to spread that Howard had used the racial slur nigger. Howard said such rumor has severely compromised my effectiveness as the Districts Public Advocate and in the best interest of my office, I resigned.  [3]  Howard was innocent in this issue. The real problem is that niggardly has a similar pronunciation with nigger. An important lesson we can learn out of this is that people especially government officials should avoid using not only racial slurs but also words sounding similar to them. 4. Negative effects of linguistic discrimination 4.1 Verbal counterback in other languages against English slurs Linguistic discrimination in English would surely result in verbal attack from those countries that have been insulted by English-speaking countries. It is normal to find ethnic slurs in other languages than English. For instance, in the French language, les sombikes (Liu, 1999:81), which has the same meaning as son of a bitch in the English language, is used as a disparaging term for an American. The phrase dates from the First World War when American soldiers liked to shout the expletive son of a bitch. As a matter of fact, almost any language contains ethnic slurs. It may be just to say that any ethnic in the world is apt to glorify its own group and meanwhile look down upon others. This sense of national superiority, more or less, is reflected in the language. 4.2 Negative impact on international relations Based on numerous historical events, linguistic discrimination against other nations and races mirrors barriers, conflicts, and hatred between different ethnic groups. It is a social problem that cannot be neglected. The usage of slurs can be detrimental to international relations. It exerts negative impact on social equity, stability and harmony. History teaches us that it has clearly influenced national unity and integrity in such a country of great ethnic complexity as America. As long as inter-ethnic inequality and contractions exist in human society, they would find expression in the language. Conversely ¼Ã…’linguistic discrimination would trigger hostility and conflicts between ethnics. They together initiate a vicious cycle and people get trapped in it. 5. State of English linguistic discrimination in modern society 5.1 Common existence of English linguistic discrimination It is undeniable that the phenomenon of English linguistic discrimination is still very common in modern society. People use those idioms in daily life, consciously or not. They may say a slur without recognizing that it is offensive and may cause them trouble. Why are discriminatory language still used today even if hostilities ended hundreds of years ago? As is discussed in chapter 1.1, language develops and evolves with society. Once words are given derogatory meanings, it would be difficult to change or eliminate them. It often happens that language is more conservative than civilization, material as well as moral. Objects, institutions, ideas, scientific concepts change in the course of time; yet in many cases the name is retained and thus helps to ensure a sense of tradition and continuity. (Ullmann 1977:198) 5.2 Sign of improvements on the phenomenon Fortunately, we have seen evidence of improvements on the phenomenon of national and racial discrimination in the English language. For example, In the September of 2001, the mountain Chinks Peak in the Pocatello Range in Idaho State got its new official name Chinese Peak from the United States Board of Geographic Names. The original name Chinks Peak was deemed offensive and racist. Some people especially Chinese Americans strongly requested th