Etourism – “Global Distribution Systems †Going, Going, Gone”

Global Distribution Systems – Going, Going, Gone? | Table of Contents Introduction:2 Timeline3 Airline Reservation System3 Computer Reservation Systems (CRS)3 Global Distribution Systems (GDS)4 Who uses GDSs? 5 GDS – Through the years:5 The Future of GDS:6 What should they do? 6 What is the role of the global distribution system in today’s travel agencies? 6 The Internet7 Conclusion8 References9 Books:9 Articles:9 Websites:9 Introduction: GDS – Going, going, gone? Well, certainly Global Distribution Systems have been going for a while but are they yet gone?This paper is on the history, present time and the questionable future of Global Distribution System (GDS). Firstly I go through each stage of their timeline: – Airline Reservation Systems began in the 1960s and is a computerized system is designed to control flight inventory, maintain flight schedules, seat assignments and aircraft loading. It’s used to store and retrieve information and c arry out transactions associated to any air travel. The modern airline reservation system is comprehensive suite of products to provide a system that assists with a variety of airline management tasks and ervice customer needs from the time of initial reservation through completion of the flight. – Computer Reservations Systems (CRS) began in the 1970s. These types of systems charge other travel suppliers for the right to market their products and services through these systems. ‘The computer reservation systems are completely keyboard driven and you must learn the formats in order to operate it efficiently. The web based booking engines are the point and click environment. ’ Travel Agent Training Centre, (2011). Global Distribution Systems (GDS) began in the 1980s and refer to the booking tool travel agents use when making an air, hotel, car or other travel service booking. They provide pricing, availability and reservation functionality to many online travel ag encies. There are currently four major GDS systems: 1. Amadeus 2. Galileo 3. Sabre 4. Worldspan Hotel-ICT, (2011) – The Internet has become the main sales channel and customer interface for low-cost airlines because of its efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Timeline The timeline stages of CRS/GDS according to Werthner & Klein (1999), is as follows: ———————————————— Time1965197519851995 SystemAirline ReservationCRSGDS Global Travel & FocusSystem Tourism Information Airline Reservation System Airline Reservation System was one of the earliest modifications to improve on efficiency. It’s a moderately simple standalone system that controls flight inventory, maintains flight schedules, seat assignments and aircraft loading. ‘It provides a system that assists with a variety of airline management tasks and service customer needs from the time of initia l reservation through completion of the flight. Videcom, (2006). ARS contain airline schedules, fare tariffs, passenger reservations and ticket records. Airline Reservations Systems sooner or later evolved into Computer Reservation Systems (CRS). Computer Reservation Systems (CRS) ‘A Computer Reservation System (CRS) is a computerized system for saving and retrieving information when needed related to air travel. CRS were created and used by airlines and at a later point they were finally used in tourism intermediaries like travel agencies. ’ marcelvacek. logspot (2010)   An airline's direct distribution works within their own reservation system, as well as pushing out information to the GDS. The second type of direct distribution channels are consumers who use the internet or mobile applications to make their own reservations. Travel agencies and other indirect distribution channels access the same GDS as those accessed by the airlines' reservation systems Well known CRS operations that book and sell tickets for multiple airlines are known as global distribution systems (GDS).Airlines have separated most of their direct holdings to devoted GDS companies, who make their systems available to consumers through Internet gateways. Modern GDSs naturally allow consumers to book hotel rooms and rental cars as well as airline tickets. As well they provide access to railway reservations in some markets although these are not always integrated with the main system. CRS and GDS seem to have the same functions but the major difference between these two systems is that CRS only provide information about airlines whereas by using GDS you can reserve a ticket, a room in a hotel and also a rental car.This is why they are called Global Distribution Systems because you can use GDS to reserve basically everything. Global Distribution Systems (GDS) ‘The term GDS (Global Distribution System) describes a network of one or more CRS for distributing product offer s and functionalities of the participating networks in different countries of the world. In addition to the airline product also other products such as accommodation, car rentals, cruises, or tour operator products are included. Werthner & Klein (1999) Today the travel marketplace is a global arena with hundreds of thousands of buyers (travel agents) and sellers (hotels, resorts, airlines, car rental companies) working together to reserve and deliver the services to the buyer – the traveller. Increasingly Global Distribution System is known for a Global Electronic System, which connects users and suppliers. GDS offer instant access to the supplier's information (i. e. hotels) with immediate function. Many main web portals are also associated to  GDS, including Expedia. com, Orbitz. om, Travelocity. com and priceline. com to name a few. For many years the GDSs had a dominant position in the travel industry. To bypass the GDS and avoid high GDS fees, airlines have started to distribute flights directly from their websites. Another possibility to bypass the GDS is direct connections to the Travel Agencies. According to ITSA there are currently four main GDS companies in operation, these are Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre and Worldspan. These are by far the most used systems, comprising the vast majority of the global bookings in the GDS industry. The Global Distribution Systems (GDSs), a development from the Computer Reservation Systems (CRSs), were for a long time the most important distribution channel for airlines. They were effectively developed as travel supermarkets in the pre-Internet era and their primary objective was to connect travel agencies with airlines (Buhalis, 2004). GDSs are still a vital element in the light of the huge variety of tariffs to be administered. GDSs are the main link between airlines and intermediaries, such as tour operators and travel agents.They are also empowering Internet transactions by providing the background link be tween electronic travel agencies and airlines. ’ (Egger ;amp; Buhalis, 2008) There is one downside of using GDS and it is the fact that it costs airlines money to go through a GDS process. Airlines complain that the prices are too high and therefore some poorer airlines have decided to post their best offers by using their own websites instead of the global distribution system so that they do not go bankrupt. CRSs (Computer Reservation Systems) and GDSs were the most important facilities of change in the tourism industry before the arrival of the Internet, as they were established as a comprehensive travel marketing and distribution system and were often called travel supermarkets. The need for GDSs arises from both the demand and supply sides as well as from the expansion of the tourism industry in recent decades. ’ (Buhalis,2003. ) Who uses GDSs? A majority of travel agents (worldwide) and travel websites use the Global Distribution System (GDS) to book their air, ho tel and car reservations. There are currently over 600,000 travel agents worldwide who have access to  GDS. On top of that, there are hundreds of thousands of web portals that use  GDS  to provide information on hotels, airlines, car rentals,  etc. ’ According to 1Hotelsolution, (2009). GDS – Through the years: There have been 3 stages of evolution the first reservation system was called an Airline Reservation system, the second a Computer Reservation System (CRS) and the third evolution is today’s Global Distribution System (GDS). The establishment of the Computer Reservation Systems (CRSs) in the 1970s and Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) in the 1980s, followed by the development of the Internet in the late 1990s, have transformed the best operational and strategic practices in the industry dramatically. ’ Buhalis ;amp; Laws (2008) The big winners here are the airlines, followed by the GDSs. The carriers' major concern was to overhaul their di stribution economics and they did that – reducing the fees they pay the GDSs by about 33 per cent per segment.And the airlines, with assistance from the GDSs, did it on the backs of travel agencies. Travel agencies bear about 80 per cent of that reduced airline payment to GDSs through the incentive cuts the agencies agreed to, while the GDSs foot about 20 per cent of the lost revenue themselves. With travel agencies already under financial pressure, the 80-cents incentive cut they agreed to could mean the difference between profit and loss, survival and bankruptcy, according to the article Airlines the big winners in ‘the GDS wars’ Schaal (2006). For the amount of contestable market share is limited given high load factors. Worse this is not going to get any better due to the constraints on supply due to the high price of fuel. If  we look at the market share of the 3 major alliances they now occupy more than 50% of total traffic. When you then remove the Low C ost carriers out of the loop as they don’t participate in the GDSs the amount of neutral traffic unaligned falls significantly. Perhaps for this reason we see traditional unaligned airlines like Virgin Atlantic starting to evaluate their options seriously.   4Hoteliers, (2011). The Future of GDS: Over the last 10 years, the Internet has proved to be a crucially successful platform for selling travel, appealing to a vast group of suppliers. According to Breaking Travel News (2004), the number of travellers booking airline tickets, hotel rooms and other travel services online continues to grow. The GDSs were actually among the first e-commerce companies in the world as early as mid 1970s. Earlier before the beginning of the GDS, travel agents spent huge amounts of time manually entering reservations.The airlines realised that at this point they could make travel agents more productive and essentially re-invent them as an extension of the airlines sales force. It is these orig inal legacy GDSs that provide the strength to the Internet Travel distribution. While online commerce was growing at a fast pace, agents are more and more facing a new reality whereby customers are finding the cheapest fares for themselves on the Internet. The airlines can no longer afford to put fare content through GDSs and are complaining that the prices are too high.The low-cost airlines have added to this pressure, having found an alternative form of distribution that bypasses the GDSs, as stated by Breaking News Travel, (2004). In an attempt to cut their own costs, traditional airlines have started to make their best fares available on their own websites alone. Although GDSs are still a very useful distribution tool, at this stage it is crucial that they reduce their distribution costs in order to restore profitability and ensure the airlines survival (none of the GDSs are now owned by airlines). This is no doubt leading to the volume of the GDS transactions diminishing.What s hould they do? Moving into a de-regulatory environment will change the rules for GDSs, meaning a shift in focus creating new opportunities. They really need to concentrate on value, content and pricing as priorities in moving ahead. They should also re-evaluate their costs and agent incentives. British Airways (BA) has recently negotiated a deal with Amadeus, Sabre and Galileo, which gives them full access to BA’s fares as indicated by Breaking Travel News, (2004). What is the role of the global distribution system in today’s travel agencies?With the dramatic expansion of the Internet and the proliferation of new sources offering bookable travel content, GDSs are still the primary, most comprehensive and reliable platform for travel agencies and their corporate clients to access, shop and book travel. It is also through GDSs and their rich portfolios of travel planning and management tools those agencies and corporations reconcile and manage daily travel business. Due to their range, extent and supplier relationships, GDSs are also fundamental to the supply of travel products to retailers in the online channel according to Travelport, (2011). The InternetThe Internet has become the main sales channel and customer interface for low-cost airlines because of its efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The most recent stage of distribution system increase happened in the mid-1990s and counterparts the fast growth of the Internet and its widespread penetration into households by the end of the decade. The internet gave rise to alternative booking channels. ‘ Instead of going to the travel agent to pick up brochures, customers will request details of holidays over the Internet and watch video pictures of the accommodation before booking with the swipe of a credit card. Morgan, (1996). ‘Airlines have a number of options for Internet distribution including airline-owned websites, alliance sites, electronic intermediaries and other forms of sales i ncluding electronic auctioning of unsold seats. A major advantage of these types of services is the ability to offer 24-hour, 7-days-a-week service that in the near future will include bookings via cellular phones using Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) technology. ’ Buhalis & Laws, (2001). By combining the simple protocol of the Internet with a user-friendly interface it represents the main â€Å"vehicle† for creating a worldwide electronic community, integrating research institutes, private companies, public organizations and, most important, private households. ’ Werthner & Klein, (1999). Conclusion The questions are if there is a concentration of power in the hands of the airlines and the intermediaries, is there really a need for a neutral distribution system? What if there was no GDS? If this were the case – would the prices of the products go down or stay the same?From the research in this paper I believe that GDS today is costing us more . As 4Hoteliers stated previously in the paper, the market share of the 3 major alliances they now occupy more than 50% of total traffic. When the Low Cost carriers are removed out of the loop they don’t take part in the GDSs the amount of neutral traffic not united falls considerably. I would agree that the GDS has over time restrained competition and indeed cost the consumer more. GDS – Going, going, gone? They did indeed lasted many, many years but yes I believe they are on their way out.A new generation of people are coming in with more knowledge about technology than the last. They have more of a grasp about computers and the workings of the Internet therefore they will not need GDS, thus, will not need to use travel agencies who are the main users of GDS to book their air, hotel and car reservations. Once travel agencies are out, Global Distribution Systems will no longer be needed. They are soon to be gone. References Books: * Buhalis, D (2003). eTourism. Harlow , England: Pearson Education Limited. P93-94. * Buhalis, D. & Laws, E. (2001).Tourism Distribution Channels-Practices, Issues & Transformations. Cornwall, UK: TJI Digital. P221 * Egger, R. & Buhalis, D. (2008). eTourism Case Studies. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann P264 * Morgan, M. (1996). Marketing for Leisure and Tourism. Hertforshire, UK: Prentice Hall. P263 * Werthner, H. & Klein, S. (1999). Information Technology and Tourism – A Challenging Relationship. Austria: Springer-Verlag Wien. P79 * Werthner, H. & Klein, S. (1999). Information Technology and Tourism – A Challenging Relationship. Austria: Springer-Verlag Wien.P185 * Werthner, H. & Klein, S. (1999). Information Technology and Tourism – A Challenging Relationship. Austria: Springer-Verlag Wien. P188 Articles: * Breaking Travel News (2004) The Future of the GDS. Available from http://www. breakingtravelnews. com/news/article/btn20040216144254916/ [accessed 8th Oct 2011] * Buhalis, D. & Laws, E. (2008) Progress in Tourism Management: Progress in information technology and tourism management: 20 years on and 10 years after the Internet—The state of eTourism research. Available from http://www. sciencedirect. om/science/article/pii/S0261517708000162 [accessed 7th Oct 2011] * Schaal, D. (2006) Airlines the big winners in ‘the GDS wars’ in International News. Available from http://0-web. ebscohost. com. ditlib. dit. ie/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer? vid=5&hid=8&sid=562024d9-8116-4049-8ab3-6bb0295294dd%40sessionmgr13 [Accessed 7th Oct 2011] Websites: * Hotel-ITC, (2011). GDS (Global Distribution System) – Connect to the world. Available from http://hotel-ict. blogspot. com/2011/04/gds-global-distribution-system-connect. html [Accessed 8th Oct 2011] (Image) * ITSA – GDSs and LTDs http://www. nteractivetravel. org/IndustryBackground/Attachments/GDSs_and_LTDs_FAQs. pdf [accessed 8th Oct] * Marcelvacek. blogspot, (2010). Touri sm & Hospitality Business Applications. Available from http://marcelvacek. blogspot. com/2010/10/what-is-crs-and-gds. html [accessed 7th Oct 2011] * Travel Agent Training Centre, (2011). Computer Reservation System Training Available from http://www. travelagenttrainingcenter. com/Computer%20Reservation%20System%20Training. htm [accessed 8 Oct] * Travelport, (2011). What do travel agents

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Information Systems Governance Structure - Research Paper Example the following principles; ensuring the smooth running of internal controls with a common objective set by the management, utilizing the resources of the company, making sure that the information systems are in compliance with the law, and ensuring that no existing structures are interfered with (Irani, & Love, 2008). Transaction processing functions include process transactions like making purchases, sales. IBM’s IMS system is used to process billions of transactions on a daily basis by 95% of the top Fortune 1000 companies. A record of direct transaction taking place, its report or an explanation coupled with a record for reference is imperative. The maintenance of master files is integral relating to storage of data pertaining to the organization coupled with production of reports. Management reporting is also a function that is used in the production of output for users. The output is commonly reports that are geared towards the planning, control and monitoring of the organization purposes. IBM continues to enhance its system manages an estimated 15 million GB of critical data. Decision support is based on programmable, semi-programmable and un-programmable decisions. Programmable decisions are repetitive and well defined while semi-programmable decisions are partially reliant on the manager. In addition, programmable decisions rely on the manager’s experience (Khosrowpour, 2006). Kallinikos, (2010), states that transaction processing systems automate the handling of data on business activities and transactions. They are the oldest type of business information system and record routine transactions. IBM in 1968 launched the world’s first commercial database management system later renamed Information Management System in 1968.The information system had a transaction processing software responsible for financial applications, inventory management and other high volume based transaction operations. Management reporting systems perform routine

Professional Development Plan (PDP) & Review - Developing new skills Assignment

Professional Development Plan (PDP) & Review - Developing new skills and behaviours - Assignment Example Since the cycle of development is a continuous process, it is only via reviewing the plan effectively in order to formulate appropriate plans for the future steps. Furthermore, the effective review of the plan can also identify the effectiveness of one’s plan, and that their direction is aligned to their future ambitions. Objectives/Goals Students, just as professionals, require a professional development plan to monitor their academic progress. This tool enables the student to devise a plan which to follow in ensuring their success and development into a sort-after employee (Barrett, 2008). A student’s learning environment is central to their success and as such they must be provided with suitable physical and mental environment from which to grow their academic ambitions. The recent past has seen huge developments in technology that has seen some technologies like the iPad rise into prominence. As a result, Barrett (2008) believes that it is vital to keep up to date w ith such technological advancements in order to keep by the CPD standards as well as improve the personal performance of the student, team performances as well as inflict organisational or institutional excellence. In order to achieve this, it is essential to set SMARTe goals. The set goals should be strategic and specific with respect to the student’s needs, they can be measured, they are attainable, they should be results oriented or relevant, they can be achieved within a specific period of time and they must also accommodate everyone. The major objectives include: i. To ensure that the students have a supportive, safe, and equitable environment for learning their activities. ii. To explore as well as implement different instructional strategies in order to increase the achievement of the students. iii. To increase the achievement of the students via the use of technological applications in the classroom as well as in the instruction and management of data in the instituti on. Professional Development Plan A professional development plan (PDP) is a tool that enables students to identify their existing skills as well as help them develop new plans for the further development of other skills in desired and or relevant fields. Employers all over the globe are placing greater emphasis on skills and their advancement or development. As a result, it vital that students be able to lay bare that the skills they possess have been acquired and developed actively over a relatively long time. The development of such skills enables students to develop into productive professionals as well as placing them into better positions to compete for the ever reducing opportunities for employment after successful completion of their academic courses. Day and Sachs (2004) define CPD as â€Å"a term used to describe all the activities in which professionals engage during the course of a career, which are designed to enhance their work† (p. 3). Progress Review Among the underpinning stones of long-term learning is the ability to self evaluate as well as update personal skills and knowledge. Critical skills for students’ development are the abilities to learn via experience and become progressively more self critical and self aware (Luzinski, 2011). This can be determined via evaluation and reflection

Ben Franklin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ben Franklin - Essay Example 82). Franklin decided with these two sentences that he will respect other nation’s options but still the United States has its own conceptions to follow. Franklin also logically researched on a number of different thoughts on the diverse virtues, which he wanted to include locating the best description for his virtues list (Lauter et al. 82). "The Speech of Polly Baker," on the other hand, seems to be an optimistic and "amusing story". Nevertheless, Franklin presents a logical protest against a law, which punished females for out-of-wedlock sexual relations through whippings and imposing fines whereas the male of went without any penalty (Lauter et al. 94). Through the woman’s use of logical rhetorical questions to the judges, Franklin reveals the unfairness of the then U.S. justice system. Two examples include, â€Å"God has been pleased to add his divine Skill and admirable Workmanship in the Formation of their Bodies, and crown’d it by furnishing them with rational and immortal Souls?† and â€Å"You have already excluded me from all the Comforts of your Church Communion: Is not that sufficient† (Lauter et al.

Sarojini Naidu Essay Example for Free

Sarojini Naidu Essay Sarojini Naidu, also known by the sobriquet as The Nightingale of India, Naidu was born in 13 February 1879 in Hyderabad to a Bengali Hindu Kulin Brahmin family of Agorenath Chattopadhyay and Barada Sundari Devi. Her father was a doctor of science from Edinburgh University, settled in Hyderabad State, where he founded and administered the Ahmadabad College, which later became the Nizams College in Ahmadabad. Her mother was a poetess baji and used to write poetry in Bengali. Sarojini Naidu was the eldest among the eight siblings. Education Sarojini Naidu passed her Matriculation examination from the University of Madras. She took four years break from her studies and concentrated upon studying various subjects. In 1895, she travelled to England to study first at Kings College London and later at Girton College, Cambridge. Marriage During her stay in England, Sarojini met Dr. Muthyala Govindarajulu Naidu, a non-Brahmin and a doctor by profession, and fell in love with him. After finishing her studies at the age of 19, she got married to him in 1898 during the time when inter-caste marriages were not allowed. Her father approved the marriage and her marriage was a very happy one. The couple had five children. Jayasurya, Padmaja, Randheer, Nilawar and Leelamani. Qualities of Sarojini Naidu Sarojini Naidu was truly one of the gems of the 20th century, a child prodigy, Indian independence activist and poet. Naidu was one of the framers of the Indian Constitution. Sarojini came through as a fragile woman, but an indomitable spirit, forward-minded and always open to new ideas, self-disciplined, optimistic, forward-looking and utterly free from prejudice of caste, creed, race, gender, nationality and religion, determined to fight for the cause of Indian women but above all for Hindu-Muslim unity. She was famous for her wit and humour, for her capacity to laugh at herself and such was her closeness to Mahatma Gandhi that she could call him Micky Mouse and a man on whom riches had to be spent to keep him poor. Sarojini was a die-hard bourgeois liberal, a faithful espouser of her party line but and events. Indian Freedom Fighter Sarojini Naidu (extreme right) with Mahatma Gandhi during Salt Satyagraha, 1930 Sarojini Naidu joined the Indian national movement in the wake of partition of Bengal in 1905. She briefed the struggles of freedom for independence to the political stalwarts of European nations, she had visited. She came into contact with Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who later introduced her to the stalwarts of the Indian freedom movement. She met Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Annie Beasant, C. P. Ram swami Iyer and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. With such an encouraging environment, Sarojini later moved on to become leader of the Indian National Congress. She traveled extensively to the United States of America and many European countries as the flag-bearer of the Indian Nationalist struggle. During 1915-1918, she travelled to different regions in India delivering lectures on social welfare, women empowerment and nationalism. She awakened the women of India and brought them out of the kitchen. In 1916, she took up the cause of the indigo workers of Champaran in the western district of Bihar. She also helped to establish the Womens Indian Association (WIA) in 1917. She was sent to London along with Annie Besant, President of WIA, to present the case for the womens vote to the Joint Select Committee. In March 1919, the British government passed the Rowlatt Act by which the possession of seditious documents was deemed illegal. Mahatma Gandhi organized the Non-Cooperation Movement to protest and Naidu was the first to join the movement. Besides, Sarojini Naidu also actively campaigned for the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms, the Khilafat issue, the Sabarmati Pact, the Satyagraha Pledge and the Civil Disobedience Movement. In 1919, she went to England as a member of the all-India Home Rule Deputation. In January 1924, she was one of the two delegates of the Indian National Congress Party to attend the East African Indian Congress. President of the Congress In 1925, she was elected as the President of the Indian National Congress Party and presided over the annual session of Indian National Congress at Cawnpore (now Kanpur). In 1929, she presided over East African Indian congress in South Africa. In 1931, she attended the round table conference with Mahatma Gandhi and Madan Mohan Malaviya. Sarojini Naidu played a leading role in the civil disobedience movement. In 1942, Sarojini Naidu was arrested during the â€Å"Quit India† movement and was jailed for more than a year. Sarojini Naidu was the first woman Governor of Uttar Pradesh. Her chairmanship of the Asian Relations Conference in 1947 was highly-appraised. Poem hunter Sarojini Naidu was a brilliant student. She was proficient in Urdu, Telugu, English, Bengali, and Persian. At the age of twelve, Sarojini Naidu attained national fame when she topped the matriculation examination at Madras University. Her father wanted her to become a mathematician or scientist but Sarojini Naidu was interested in poetry. Once she was working on an algebra problem, and when she couldnt find the solution she decided to take a break, and in the same book she wrote her first inspired poetry. She got so enthused by this that she wrote The Lady of the Lake, a poem 1300 lines long. When her father saw that she was more interested in poetry than mathematics or science, he decided to encourage her. With her fathers support, she wrote the play Maher Muneer in the Persian language. Dr. Chattopadhyaya distributed some copies among his friends and sent one copy to the Nawab of Hyderabad. Reading a beautiful play written by a young girl, the Nizam was very impressed. The college gave her a scholarship to study abroad. At the age of 16 she got admitted to Kings College of England and later at Girton College, Cambridge. There she met famous laureates of her time such as Arthur Symons and Edmond Gosse. It was Gosse who convinced Sarojini to stick to Indian themes-Indias great mountains, rivers, temples, social milieu, to express her poetry. She depicted contemporary Indian life. Sarojini’s prose compares poorly with her poetry, but both are recognised for their emotional warmth and extravagant and high-faulting vocabulary. Her collections The golden threshold (1905), The bird of time (1912), and The broken wing (1912), the sceptred flute (1943), the feather of the dawn (1961)†, the Indian weavers (1971)† attracted huge Indian and English readership. Her poems were admired by many prominent Indian politicians like Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Her poems were lyrical with a heightening of sensuality in the imagery, until every sense is stimulated to excess. In the Bazaars of Hyderabad is a 19th-century poem. The poem is written in five paragraphs and it was published in her collection of poems The Bird of Time (1912) published from London, where she was attending higher studies. Naidu has described the beauty of a traditional Hyderabadi Bazaar. In this poem Sarojini Naidu describes the magnificent things of life along with common scenes in the Bazaars of Hyderabad; the poem is set in the form of conversation between customers and vendors. The variety of activities and its colorfulness is vividly represented by the poetess to present an awesome picture of Indian culture. Each line of the poem contains rhythm and a beat, and the sequence What do you and O ye mark the rhyme scheme of the poem, and the poet often repeat these words, phrases, lines to create a musical effect to emphasize a point to draw attention to a point and to lend unity to a piece. To present the pictorial scene of the bazaar, Naidu has used rich sensory images-feel of touch, sense of sound, smell, sight and taste vibrantly. Naidu presented the lively pictorial scenes of merchants, vendors, peddlers, goldsmiths, fruit men and flower girls selling their goods, they all similarly answer to the questions of purchaser who buy their articles after a detail bargaining. She presented the scene of the music produced by traditional instruments played by the musicians and the chantings of the magicians, the fruits like citron, pomegranate and plum are being sold by the fruit-men, while the vendors are weighing saffron, lentil and rice. The fragrance of sandalwood and henna can be smelt along with the smell of flowers which are woven into chaplets and garlands. One can see the richness of wares in the bazaar; the poetess has mentioned coloures such as crimson, purple, silver, amber, azure and red. This shows what all goods are sold in a Hyderabadi bazaar. Turbans of crimson and silver, tunics of purple brocade, mirrors with panels of amber, daggers with handle of jade, chessmen, ivory dice, anklets, wristlets, rings, bells for the feet of blue pigeons, girdles of gold, and scabbards for the king are all examples of the expensive wares sold in the bazaars of Hyderabad. Sadly, few textbooks published in India on poetry carry her poems.

Favorite Brand Paper Essay Example for Free

Favorite Brand Paper Essay Within this paper the reader will read about 3 to 4 companies the author would like to work for with detailed explanations as to why. Furthermore, the reader will learn ways of engaging those companies in the most effective manner in communication that guarantees the author’s acceptance of those position(s), and what makes the author potentially valuable to those companies. In short, YOU the reader will learn the, who, what, and why of piecing a proposal (an elevator pitch) together while keeping it short and simple. The elevator pitch that will be used depends on what position you would like to expose oneself to within/for the organization. For now, let us check out potential companies the author envisions himself working for. Then we can look a few elevator pitches that will guarantee the authors acceptance. Ideal Company(s) to Work For/With One of the author’s ideal company(s) to work with would be in the area of market advertising. Reason being is that the author has a sincere belief that influence plays a major role in economic growth and development if not the opposite depending on what is being promoted. So the ideal company would be a company called LGA (http://lgaadv.com/). Another interest is management for a company therefore, the ideal company the author would like to work with is Integrated Management Associates (http://www.ima-pm.com/) who specializes in developing leadership skills from self capture-to-company capture perspectives. Finally, trading/negotiating is another interest the author admires. So sales would be an ideal career and likes Wal-Mart (http://www.walmart.com/). Does He Got What It Takes The author has somewhat an experience related background in those fields. For an example: The author as a young man handled voluminous orders and door-to-door sales for a direct marketing company (he wishes to not mention the name). His aggressive persistence and way with words ushered him straight to the top. Moreover, his desire to work with others in his interest in trading (in which he was exceptional at) gave a desire to work with like minded individuals- so obtaining a degree in the services of Management enabled the author to learn skills in communication, observation, integration, coordinating, and specialization. Although the author doesn’t remember what was said that placed him in positions of power in recent years, but since developed, let us look at his elevator pitch in obtaining a career of his dreams on a macro-level. To get a bit more creative, he would choose to be President of THE UNITED STATES of AMERICA. An Elevator Pitch The elevator pitch that will be used to explain the author’s value to those companies is as expressed below for the local companies and the position for a seat as president also. The pitch is as so: Hello, my name is Brandon White, also known as BWU. I will be obtaining a degree in business management with a concentration in management and have recently graduated from the University of Phoenix. I am looking to add value to your company/constituents with learned skills I have developed over decades. I recently written an article revealing the phenomena. Can I invite you to my summit to elicit your inquires? The pitch, does it sound as if it is coming from someone who wants to simply work and stay at the bottom of the totem poll? The author certainly doesn’t think so, however, the pitch does reveal a drive to reveal something that is only possessed by the deliverer. The author basically states that developing a pitch that entails/projects confidence, influence, and room t o give the listener room to ask questions wins if responses are in harmony with the observer’s question(s). Best Ways to Make Contact According to the author, best ways to make contact would be in the most effective form of communication- writing. He writes that because the communication would be void of all emotions as oppose to speaking over a telephone or in person and listening to reactions stemming from emotions. And the same would be applied for those needed to contact that may have influence in the hiring process. Granted, the author isn’t saying create something so influencing that doors will be opened for you, but injecting different levels of communication for different levels of positions. For example, if you wanted to land a gig working within a company your communication would reflect an ability to work well with others, being able to follow directions, and having some form of dependability. However, if you wanted to land a gig running a company, one must know how to nurture that company to the point all the above answers for working that company would be included while being able to communicate and execute those  actions.

Linear Sequential Model

Linear Sequential Model Introduction Software process (Jean, Badara David 1999) defines the way in which software development is organized, managed, measured, supported and improved. Although they may show different levels of sophistication in mastering their processes, all organizations involved in software-development follow a process of some kind, implicit or explicit, reproducible, instrumented, adaptable or otherwise. Software Development Organization in general has come to realize that the key to successful delivery (on time, on budget, with the expected quality) lies in the effective management of their software process. Generic phase Pressman (2001) mentions that software engineering can be categorized into three phases, regardless of application area, project size or complexity. The definition phase focuses on what. That is during definition, the software engineer attempts to identify what information or data is to processed, what function and performance are required, what system behavior can be expected, what interfaces are to be established, what design constraints exist and what validation criteria are required to define a successful and working system. The development phase focuses on how. That is, during development a software engineer attempts to define how data are to be structured, how function is to be implemented within a software architecture, how procedural details are to be implemented, how interfaces are to be characterized, how the design will be translated into a programming language, and how testing will be performed. The methods applied during the development phase will different, but three specific technical tasks should always occur: software design, code generation, and software testing. The support phase focuses on change associated with error correction, adaptations required as the softwares environment evolves, and changes due to enhancements brought about by changing customer requirements. The support phase reapplies the steps of the definition and development phases but does so in the context of existing software. Four types of change are encountered during the support phase: Correction: Even with the best quality assurance activities, it is likely that the customer will uncover defects or bugs in the software. Corrective maintenance changes the software to correct defects. Adaptation: Over time, the original environment (e.g., CPU, operating system, business rules, external product characteristics) for which the software was developed is likely to change. Adaptive maintenance results in modification to the software to accommodate changes to its external environment. Enhancement: As software is used, the customer/user will recognize additional functions that will provide benefit. Perfective maintenance extends the software beyond its original functional requirements. Prevention: Computer software deteriorates due to change, and because of this, preventive maintenance, often called software reengineering, and must be conducted to enable the software to serve the needs of its end users. In essence, preventive maintenance makes changes to computer programs so that they can be more easily corrected, adapted, and enhanced. Linear Sequential Model / Waterfall Model Linear sequential model or be known as waterfall model is one of the approaches in Software Development Process Models that software engineer used to defined and design which are used during the development process of software. Parekh (n.d.) clearly stated that all these phases are cascaded to each other so that second phase is started as and when defined set of goals are achieved for first phase and it is signed off. Phases of Linear Sequential Model (Startvbdotnet Contributor, n.d.) Feasibility The feasibility study is used to determine if the project should get the go ahead. If the project is to proceed, the feasibility study will produce a project plan and budget estimates for the future stages of development. Requirement Analysis and Design Analysis gathers the requirements for the system. This stage includes a detailed study of the business needs of the organization. Options for changing the business process may be considered. Design focuses on high level design like, what programs are needed and how are they going to interact, low-level design, interface design and data design. During these phases, the softwares overall structure is defined. Analysis and Design are very crucial in the whole development cycle. Any mistakes in the design phase could be very expensive to solve in the later stage of the software development. Much care is taken during this phase. The logical system of the product is developed in this phase. Implementation In this phase the designs are translated into code. Computer programs are written using a conventional programming language or an application generator. Programming tools like Compilers, Interpreters and Debuggers are used to generate the code. Different high level programming languages like C, C++, Pascal and Java are used for coding. With respect to the type of application, the right programming language is chosen. Testing In this phase the system is tested. Normally programs are written as a series of individual modules, these subjects to separate and detailed test. The system is then tested as a whole. The separate modules are brought together and tested as a complete system. The system is tested to ensure that interfaces between modules work, the system works on the intended platform and with the expected volume of data and that the system does what the user requires. Maintenance It is cannot be avoided fact that a system will need maintenance. Software will definitely undergo change once it is delivered to the customer. There are many reasons for the change. Change could happen because of some unexpected input values into the system. In addition, the changes in the system could directly affect the software operations. The software should be developed to keep or save detail of changes that could happen during the post implementation period. Project Output in a Waterfall Model As Freetutes.com Contributors (n.d.) has seen, the output of a project employing the waterfall model is not just the final program along with documentation to use it. There are a number of intermediate outputs, which must be produced in order to produce a successful product. The set of documents that should be produced in each project are: Requirement document Project plan System design document Detailed design document Test plan and test report Final code Software manuals (user manual, installation manual etc.) In order to certify an output product of a phase before the next phase begins, reviews are often held. Reviews are necessary especially for the requirements and design phases, since other certification means are frequently not available. Reviews are formal meeting to uncover deficiencies in a product. The review reports are the outcome of these reviews. Based on the information given by The Software Tester Contributor (n.d.), below are the advantages and disadvantages for Linear Sequential Model. Advantages of Linear Sequential Model Emphasizes requirements before design. Single system design phase emphasizes planning and design of the system architecture and technology before coding begins. Milestone reviews encourage close scrutiny of phase exit and entry criteria. Sequential progression through phases readily maps to configuration control points and the establishment of baselines. Model structure is readily understood and communicable to all stakeholders. Disadvantages of Linear Sequential Model Testing does not receive focus until after the system has been specified, designed and coded. Many different units and sub-systems could be developed within the one project and the Waterfall Model implies that these are all specified and designed in one clump which does not reflect the reality Customer involvement is not throughout so issues with requirements are not always realized until later in the lifecycle. Linear progression through the phases can result in issue identification being pushed downstream resulting in many cycles of rework causing delays. The customer does not get to see the software until the very end. Project managers cannot always get a true picture of project health and progress, especially in the earlier phases. Rapid Application Development (RAD) Pressman (2001) describes rapid application development (RAD) as an incremental software development process model that emphasizes an extremely short development cycle. The RAD model is a high-speed adaptation of the linear sequential model in which rapid development is achieved by using component-based construction. If requirements are well understood and project scope is constrained, the RAD process enables a development team to create a fully functional system within very short time periods. Normally it takes about 60 to 90 days. RAD Models Phases Stages of Rapid Application Model (RAD) Pressman (2001) Business modeling: The information flow among business functions is modeled in a way that answers the following questions: What information drives the business process? What information is generated? Who generates it? Where does the information go? Who processes it? Data modeling: The information flow defined as part of the business modeling phase is refined into a set of data objects that are needed to support the business. The characteristics or can be called as attributes. Each object is identified and the relationships between these are objects defined. Process modeling: The data objects defined in the data modeling phase are transformed to achieve the information flow necessary to implement a business function. Processing descriptions are created for adding, modifying, deleting, or retrieving a data object. Application generation: Rather than creating software using conventional third generation programming languages, the RAD process works to reuse existing program components when possible or create reusable components when necessary. In all cases, automated tools are used to facilitate construction of the software. Testing and turnover: Since the RAD process emphasizes reuse, many of the program components have already been tested. This reduces overall testing time. However, new components must be tested and all interfaces must be fully exercised. Advantages of Rapid Application Development (RAD) My Project Management Expert Contributor (n.d.) The time required to develop the software is drastically reduced due to a reduced requirement analysis business requirements documentation and software requirement specification and planning stage. All the software prototypes produced can be kept in a repository for future use. The reusability of the components also fastens the phase of the process of software development. It is much easier for a project manager to be accurate in estimating project costs which of course means that project cost controls are easier to implement and manage as well. It is a big cost saver in terms of project budget as well as project time and cost due to reusability of the prototypes. If a component is being picked for the repository, it is already tested and hence need not be tested again. This helps in saving time required for testing. The project management requirements are collected in a dynamic manner. Every time there is a prototype ready, requirements are studied and matched. If there are any additional requirements, these are then included in the next prototype built. Disadvantages of Rapid Application Development (RAD) My Project Management Expert Contributor (n.d.) This method may not be useful for large, unique or highly complex projects This method cannot be a success if the team is not sufficiently motivated and nor is unable to work cohesively together. Success depends on the extremely high technical skills of the developers. There are times when the team ignores necessary quality parameters such as consistency, reliability and standardization. Hence this can make project quality management hard to implement during the project management life cycle Comparison between Linear Sequential Model and Rapid Application Model Below are the comparison for linear sequential model and rapid application model that are clearly stated by e2x limited Contributor (2005) Linear Sequential Model Development Linear Sequential Model development demands that all the requirements are identified and detailed at the start of the project. The system architecture is then defined, and detailed design of the system carried out before programming starts. The system is usually delivered in modules that, once finished are then integrated and tested. The big problem with linear sequential model development is that it assumes all the requirements, the architecture and the design can be identified, fixed and signed off up front. If this is done correctly, development and delivery of the system should be little more than the correct translation of the design into code. Experience has shown that it is incredibly difficult to produce requirements of such detail and completeness that the system delivered is exactly what the customer wanted. We have also seen that the transition from design to programming, from programming to integration, and from integration to testing can be fraught with problems; usually caused by misunderstandings, incorrect assumptions and discrepancies not identified during the requirements, architecture and design phases. Linear sequential model development can, and does work, but doing it right is typically very expensive. However, even when waterfall is practiced well, it is not very good at dealing with change. Every change in the requirements requires a change request, often submitted to a change control board. Linear Sequential Model works best when change is restricted. RAD (Rapid Application Development) In a RAD project, the customer is involved early on in working with technologists to quickly produce prototypes that embody the requirements. This gives the customer and users a chance to play with the technology early on to firm up their requirements and identify any gaps or incorrect assumptions. RAD projects then typically head in one of two directions. Some will become linear sequential model development projects, with the prototypes being formalized as requirements. Others will seek to develop the prototypes into proper implementations. The later approach often leads to a number of poorly engineered and poorly integrated solutions as fleshing out a prototype is not the same as developing a proper solution from the ground up. As with linear sequential model development, RAD can and does work. However, successful RAD projects tend to be those where the final solution is actually relatively close to the prototype in terms of implementation. Front-office solutions for exotic financial markets built around spreadsheets, and one-off, limited scope, database-and-forms applications are good examples. Conclusion As a conclusion, if I am a project manager for a specific software project, I would choose rapid application development (RAD) as one of my method to develop software. By using RAD, I can roughly know what end-user want with their software, I can get clear view what the software can do, how the software behave and what type of performance that I can predict out. On top of that, RAD also enabled the team to work quicker and we can produce high quality software that can meet end-users need.

Oedipus the King and Mason’s Shiloh Essay -- comparison compare contra

Oedipus the King and Mason’s Shiloh  Ã‚     Ã‚   "Shiloh," written by Bobbie Ann Mason, and Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, contain extremely different story lines but jointly have one unique quality, the role of the woman. In each of these stories, the females struggle to overcome one major obstacle plaguing them by using their inner-strength. Norma Jean from "Shiloh" fights to leave a seemingly endless marriage, and Jocasta from Oedipus the King struggles against an ill-fate. Norma Jean and Jocasta believe that they are strong enough to conquer these challenges, but, in the end, they both realize they are not strong enough and commit suicide because of this defeat. Norma Jean and Jocasta strive to beat the one main obstacle placed before each of them; Norma Jean fights against marriage, and Jocasta struggles against fate. In "Shiloh," Norma Jean is married to a man with which she cannot live anymore. By strengthening herself mentally and physically, Norma Jean believes that she can leave her husband, Leroy. In preparation for the day when Norma Jean will leave Leroy, she takes a body-building and English composition class. After working out one day Norma Jean explains to Leroy, "I'd give anything if I could just get these muscles to where they're real hard" (491). Strengthening the mind and body is the only way Norma Jean knows to build her self-esteem and prepare herself for this day that will soon be upon her. On the other hand, Jocasta has always been a mentally strong woman. Jocasta's battle is against something much more severe than a bad marriage; she battles fate. When Jocasta first had her baby, Oedipus, an oracle declared to Jocasta th at "doom would strike him[Laius] down at the hands of a son, / our son, to... ...r too overwhelming for her. Once again the woman was not strong enough to overcome life's many challenges. How does one know if he or she has enough strength? In both of these stories, the women try to battle life using inner-strength. Even though Norma Jean and Jocasta are under extremely different circumstances, both make the same ultimate decision, death. Whether or not death was the right choice, this choice was made by both characters. Their strength was not enough to surpass the problems of life. Works Cited Mason, Bobbie Ann. "Shiloh." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Sixth edition. Eds. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Harper Collins, 1995. Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Discovering Literature: Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Eds. Hans P. Guth and Gabriele L. Rico. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1993.      

Value of Health Care Essay -- United States Healthcare

The Value of Health Care The development of value based healthcare reimbursement systems between healthcare payers and healthcare providers is evolving from the need to provide patients with beneficial healthcare technologies under conditions of significant economic uncertainty. The concept examined centralizes on shifting the focus of the healthcare system from volume to value. Value is measured by outcomes achieved based on a full cycle of care not volume of services rendered based on each service performed. Summary of Article The article chosen for this assignment was published on December 23, 2010 in the New England Journal of Medicine (Porter, 2010). The author, Porter (2010) examines the role of value in the healthcare system in the United States. According to Porter (2010) â€Å"Value should define the framework for performance improvement in healthcare.† Porter indicates that value in healthcare should be measured by outcomes achieved not the volume of services rendered. According to Porter (2010), â€Å"The proper unit for measuring value should encompass all services or activities that jointly determine success in meeting a set of patient’s needs. Posistive and Negative Affects, Cost, Quality, Access, Trade-offs The national pay for value based system development has positive and negative aspects. System implementation will require multiple entity participation. Hospitals, physicians, outpatient centers, and clinics all will be responsible for collaboration in developing an integrated communication system which will present additional expense on the front end. Government mandates will be required; from implementation dates to specified circumstances in which assistive funding may be available. Multi provider ... ...g outcomes are important actions towards improving outcomes. True reform will require both moving toward restructuring the care delivery system and a national system of consistency, regulation and payment. References Lee, T.H. (2010). Putting the value framework to work. New England Journal of Medicine. 363:2481-2483 Porter, M.E., (2010). What is the value in healthcare? New England Journal of Medicine. 363:2477-2481 Porter, M.E., (2009) A strategy for helath care reform – Toward a value-based system. New England Journal of Medicine. 361:109-112 Carlson, J.J., Sullivan S.D., Garrison, L.P., Neumann, P.J., Veenstra, D.L. (2010). Linking payment to health outcomes: A taxonomy and examination of performance-based reimbursement schemes between healthcare payers and manufacturers. Health Policy, 96(3), 179-190. doi: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2010.02.005

Personal Narrative: My Senior Project on Starting a Business :: essays research papers

I began my senior project expedition probably my junior year. I was in A.V.I.D. and I became aware of the need to think about ideas of what I intended to do my senior project on. It truly wasn’t until the first month of my senior year where my English teacher mentioned to us that we would begin to work on our senior project. I had a plethora of ideas on what I pictured myself on doing my project on. One of my many ideas was on auto-customization. I enjoy learning about cars and their different attributes. I was interested in learning how to upgrade a cars performance and power. I was interested in learning how to change the interior parts of a car. I also thought of doing it on becoming a disc jockey (D.J.). This topic intrigued me because of my passion for music. I listen to diverse types of music from Rock to R&B. In the end I did not end up doing it on any of these topics, due to the fact that I could not picture myself working this fields for a long time. I decided to do my senior on Business Management. I decided on this due to the fact that I have always dreamed on opening my own business someday. Another reason why I claim this as my topic is because the world today if filled with business. Who would ever thought that coffee shop could make u a millionaire? The owner of Starbucks can answer you that question. I have always dreamed of owning my own clothing line. By doing my senior project on business management I can get a good perception of the requirements and obstacles that are in the industry of a successful business. When I noticed my parents of my senior project choice they were quite shocked. They thought that I would have decided on something relating to soccer or in mechanics. They were also quite happy that I decided to do it on something new. They know that by doing it on unexpected topic it will expand my knowledge. I am really motivated in doing my senior in this field because I plan entering this industry when I have the correct knowledge. This project will benefit me in the future, because I plan on having my own business by the age of 22 years old.

Parts of Thesis

Parts of a Thesis (Descriptive Design) 1. Chapter 1 (The Problem: Rationale and Background) 1. 1 Statement of the Problem 1. 2 Hypotheses 1. 3 Theoretical/Conceptual Framework 1. 4 Significance of the Study 1. 5 Scope and Limitations of the Study 1. 6 Definition of Key Terms 1. 7 General Organization and Coverage of the Study 2. Chapter 2 (Review of Related Literature) 2. 1 Related Legal Bases 2. 2 Related Literature (Local and Foreign) 2. 3 Related Studies (Local and Foreign) . 4 Justification of the Present Study 3. Chapter 3 (Methodology) 3. 1 Research Design 3. 2 Determination of Sample Size 3. 3 Sampling Design and Technique 3. 4 The Subjects 3. 5 The Research Instrument 3. 6 Validation of the Research Instrument 3. 7 Data Gathering Procedure 3. 8 Data Processing Method 3. 9 Statistical Treatment 4. Chapter 4 (Results, Analysis and Interpretation) 5. Chapter 5 (Summary of Findings, Recommendations and Conclusions) 6. Bibliography 7. Appendix 8. Curriculum Vitae Parts of a Thesis (Experimental Design) 1. Chapter 1 (The Problem: Rationale and Background) 1. 1 Statement of the Problem 1. 2 Hypotheses 1. 3 Theoretical/Conceptual Framework 1. 4 Significance of the Study 1. 5 Scope and Limitations of the Study 1. 6 Definition of Key Terms 1. 7 General Organization and Coverage of the Study 2. Chapter 2 (Review of Related Literature) 2. 1 Review of Related Legal Bases 2. 2 Review of Related Literature (Local and Foreign) 2. Review of Related Studies (Local and Foreign) 2. 4 Justification of the Present Study 3. Chapter 3 (Materials and Methods) 3. 1 Research Method 3. 2 Materials 3. 3 Equipment/Apparatus and Utensils 3. 4 Procedure 3. 5 Training of Panelists 3. 6 Evaluation of the Results 3. 7 Statistical Treatment 4. Chapter 4 (Results and Discussion) 5. Chapter 5 (Summary of Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations) 6. References 7. Appendix 8. Curriculum Vitae

African Americans: Fighting for Their Rights Essay

There has always been a lot of discussion about the perception of African Americans in the media and how it affects their self-identity. It is easy to find examples of bias in portraying African Americans in the media. So what exactly is it that the media does to bring out these stereotypes, biases, and images that tend to stick with a lot of African Americans? The goal of this paper is to explore the different perceptions African Americans have gone through, how it has given them a sense of double consciousness on life, where the media image of African Americans that has stuck with them for so long can, and will go from here. According to the United States Census Bureau (2001), 12. 3% of all people reporting as one race reported they were â€Å"Black or African American†. This ethnic identity is now the second biggest minority group in the United States. It also refers to a group of people that has been in the United States for as long as it has existed. However, through the persecution of slavery, the austerity of segregation, and the continuing underlying prejudice, African Americans are still searching for their true identity. Just as children that were adopted tend to long for a true identity most of their lives, so are the circumstances of the African American. Stolen from their homeland and forced into slavery in a new country, African Americans were basically victims of identity theft. Although a lot of progress has been made in the way of an American identity for African Americans, a true identity has not yet been found. According to W. E. B DuBois (1903) â€Å"The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife—this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self† (p.68). Many African Americans feel the same as W. E. B. Du Bois when he says, â€Å"After the Egyptian and Indian, the Greek and Roman, the Teuton and Mongolian, the Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world – a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world. † He also states, â€Å"One ever feels his twoness – an American, a Negro, two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled arrives; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder. † A quick look at American history makes it easy to understand where this split identity stems from because Du Bois claims that African Americans were always forced to see things through â€Å"white† eyes only and not have a vision of their own. In an effort to rephrase Du Bois’ comment above, the terminology of â€Å"twoness† is really him trying to define double consciousness as a few different things: 1 the power that white stereotypes have on African American’s lives and also having that internal conflict between labeling themselves as African and American simultaneously. 2 it is a sense of awareness of one’s self along with the awareness of how others may perceive one. This in turn leads to conforming based on level of power, which is basically what occurred. PBS’ African American World Timeline (2004) says that there is a large history of not granting African Americans an identity. Before 1787, of course, African Americans were slaves and only thought of as property. In 1787 the U. S. Constitution was approved. It allowed for the continuation of the slave trade for another 20 years and claimed that a slave counted as three-fifths of a man for representation by the government. In 1865 some progress was gained when the Thirteenth Amendment was passed, outlawing slavery and creating a Freedmen’s Bureau to help out former slaves. Also in 1865 Union General, William Sherman issued a field order setting up 40-acre plots of land in Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida for African Americans to settle. But, in 1866, some all-white legislatures in the former Confederate states passed what were known as, â€Å"Black Codes† harshly cutting the freedom of African Americans and practically re-enslaving them. Since that time there has been some progression and also some difficulty for African Americans. Based on the history of the United States’ treatment of African Americans, it is easy to understand how they could struggle for their true identity. James Jones (1991) might say it best when he states, â€Å"Black personality is in part an adaptation to the political contours of racism. The conflict between the freedoms and rights of United States citizens is connected to the denial of freedom and rights that is the history of the African American presence in this country. If we view personality as the resultant of coping pattern and socialization directives, then black personality is, in part, the cumulative representation of the effects of racism over four centuries. It reflects over time, the effects of the form and structure racism takes, and comes to signal the nature of race relations at any point in time (p. 305). † This would lead to accepting of the fact that African Americans do, of course, have an identity, but a lot of the time it is dependent on the identity of White race at that time. Alain Locke (1925) explains the upward moving and upbeat side of African American identity: â€Å"In the last decade something beyond the watch and guard of statistics has happened in the life of the American Negro and the three norms who have traditionally presided over the Negro problem have a changeling in their laps. The Sociologist, The Philanthropist, the Race-leader are not unaware of the New Negro but they are at a loss to account for him. He simply cannot be swathed in their formulae. For the younger generation is vibrant with a new psychology; the new spirit is awake in the masses, and under the very eyes of the professional observers is transforming what has been a perennial problem into the progressive phases of contemporary Negro life. Could such a metamorphosis have taken place as suddenly as it has appeared to? The answer is no, not because the New Negro is not here, but because the Old Negro had long become more of a myth than a man. The Old Negro, we must remember, was a creature of moral debate and historical controversy. His has been a stock figure perpetuated as a historical fiction partly in innocent sentimentalism, partly in deliberate reactions. The Negro himself has contributed his share to this through a sort of protective social mimicry forced upon him by the adverse circumstances of dependence. So for generations in the mind of America, the Negro has been more of a formula than a human being –a something to be argued about, condemned or defended, to be â€Å"kept down,† or â€Å"in his place,† or â€Å"helped up,† to be worried with or worried over, harassed or patronized, a social bogey or a social burden. The thinking Negro even has been induced to share this same general attitude, to focus his attention on controversial issues, to see himself, in the distorted perspective of a social problem. His shadow, so to speak, has been more real to him than his personality. Through having had to appeal from the unjust stereotypes of his oppressors and Traducers to those of his liberators, friends and benefactors he has subscribed to the traditional positions from which his case has been viewed. Little true social or self-understanding has or could come from such a situation†¦ †¦Until recently, lacking self-understanding, we have been almost as much of a problem to ourselves as we still are to others. But the decade that found us with a problem has left us with only a task. The multitude perhaps feels as yet only a strange relief and a new vague urge, but the thinking few know that in the reaction the vital inner grip of prejudice has been broken. It does not follow that if the Negro were better known he would be better liked or better treated. But mutual understanding is basic for any subsequent cooperation and adjustment. The effort toward this will at least have the effect of remedying in large part what has been the most unsatisfactory feature of our present stage of race relationships in America, namely the fact that the more intelligent and representative elements of the two race groups have at so many points got quite out of vital touch with one another (p. 631). † Even in the premier times of African American identity there were still questions to be answered. Now those questions lead to progressive thinking like Locke’s, â€Å"middle of the road† thinking and â€Å"extremist† thinking. An example of the term â€Å"middle-of-the-road† thinking can be seen in a post by Malcolm Frierson (2004) to a discussion board using the topic of what label to give African Americans. He says: â€Å"It is the right of the individual to be self-defining. Black is a color, not a term for a race of people in this millennium. The word was made beautiful and strong in the 60s and beyond for obvious reasons. That effort was admirable and effective, but now fairly done. It is time to move forward. † The term African American linguistically puts the race on more comfortable ground. It doesn’t seem right or fair to look at four men and call one Italian, one Native American, one Chinese, and the other â€Å"black. † â€Å"Whites† don’t seem to have this concern obviously because they sit at the top of this name issue. The whole system was constructed to glorify the â€Å"whites† (the imperialists) and belittle the â€Å"blacks (the subjects). † Also, many â€Å"whites† and â€Å"blacks† together, beg for an end to this issue because they claim, â€Å"we’re all Americans. † But if we are actually honest with each other, nobody while in contemporary American society, when asked for their race or ethnicity, will never be able to simply label them self as simply â€Å"American. † There will always have to be a distinguishing label put upon everyone. Why is it that â€Å"blacks† have to go through this labeling issue more than any other American subgroup? Asian Americans, Italian Americans, and Filipino Americans often become Asians, Italians, and simply Filipino without ridicule or persecution (Asians further become Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese, and others). A possible answer to this would be that we all identify with our most dominant ancestral line or native country – German, Spanish, Portuguese, Jamaican, what have you. It should come before the understood â€Å"American† part. But again, we should respect an individual’s rights to be self-defining. One â€Å"black† problem could be that a lot of people really haven’t been to Africa and are in a sense kind of ashamed about or tend to disregard that fact possibly feeling a sense of ignorance in that area. The term African should be proudly used along with the term American just as other foreign groups use their places of origin along with their American status. Unfortunately this viewpoint is just a common middle-ground between the two poles. The other pole is a belief best supported by the All African People’s Revolutionary Party. They say, â€Å"African People born and living in over 113 countries around the world are [one group of] people, with one identity, one history, one culture, one nation and one destiny. We have one common enemy. We suffer from disunity, disorganization and ideological confusion. And we have only one scientific and correct solution, Pan-Africanism: the total liberation and unification of Africa under scientific socialism. † They feel that African people that have been born or are living outside of Africa are intentionally kept from the knowledge of Africa and her achievements through European capitalism. They also feel that people inside of Africa are tricked into living in separate countries because of the â€Å"divide and rule† tactic used by Europeans which basically means it forces large concentrations of power (people) into smaller units of power to constrain them from gaining more power as the larger unit. It is this pole that receives the most voice in the media and also probably this pole which leads to the bias media outlets against African Americans. Perhaps the earliest example of media bias against African Americans, whether intentional or not, came from 19th Century naturalists that divided mankind into Caucasians, Mongolians, Malayans, Ethiopians and (native) American races. The Caucasians were defined as wise, the Mongolians crafty, and the Ethiopians/negro unintelligent. This bias is blunt and disrespectful, but possibly not hateful in intent back in the day. Today our media comes from less than ten gigantic media conglomerates in the United States. Salim Muwakkil (1999) mentions that, â€Å"Virtually all of our information, our cultural narratives, and our global images derive from institutions whose major goal is to pay handsome dividends to stockholders (p. 2). † Which in other words the media doesn’t really care what they say even if it sounds hateful. If it sells and gets publicity, it’s a hit. He also points out that black-owned media operations are becoming increasingly rare as much larger corporations continue to buy out more places and more property. Muwakkil’s fear is that the mainstream will continue to alter the image of African Americans without challenge to the point that their â€Å"anti-black† tendencies will be encouraged and sustained. Muwakkil makes a very strong point when he states the Kerner Commission’s findings: â€Å"The Kerner Commission (formally known as the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders), which was charged with finding the reasons for the long-hot-summer rebellions, had concluded that the United States was headed dangerously toward ‘two societies, one black, and one white, separate and unequal. ’ It blamed the urban unrest on persistent racial discrimination and a historical legacy of disadvantage, but it also singled out the nation’s news media for censure. The media treated African Americans as invisible, the commission concluded, and failed to communicate to white audiences â€Å"a feeling for the difficulties and frustrations of being a Negro in the United States (p. 1). † In the book, The Black Image in the White Mind: Media and Race in America, Robert Entman and Andrew Rojecki (2000) point out some surprising statistics from studies done on American television. While Black actors are now more frequently appearing in films, it’s a debatable question as to how well they’re being represented. In the top movies of 1996 representation of African American Females and Caucasian females was drastically different where statistics from differences in using profanity, to physical violence were very often a difference of 70% or more between the 2 races with African Americans being in the higher percentage of the two for those certain areas. Television ads now show, hidden patterns of differentiation and distance pertaining to African Americans. Not surprisingly, for instance, Blacks do not touch Whites in the majority of television ads, but as opposed to Whites, they rarely even touch each other, expressing a slight message assuming that Black skin would be taboo. A ranking of racial preference is implanted within the casting of commercials. Network news also tends to place a â€Å"ghetto† label or more urban image on African Americans. Increasingly, African Americans appear mostly in crime, sports and entertainment stories. Rarely are Blacks shown making an important contribution to the serious business of the nation. The exception of blacks rarely being shown in a positive fashion contributing to the nation would be President Obama, which will hopefully turn the stage for this image stereotype. Unfortunately however, that negative image is not the only blunt indication of a media stereotype. It is noticed by a lot of different people that African American athletes tend to receive a bad representation by the media, pointing out that when they get into any level of trouble, it is reported significantly more and also perceived in a much different way than when White athletes behave in the same manner or worse. It also is sometimes apparent that sportscasters tend to point out solely the athletic abilities of African American athletes in contrast to their tendency to point out the intelligence and savvy of White athletes. It is a known stereotype for quarterbacks on football teams for example, people perceive this position to demand a much more mental capacity and take a much more conscious effort as opposed to other positions on the team. Therefore the stereotype has often been viewed as teams primarily consisting of white quarterbacks. This tends to lead people to believe that black athletes achieve greatness by some coincidence or by simply their natural physical makeup instead of just assuming they are talented and hard working. There are several more examples of media bias against African Americans and there are far too many to speak on individually. Ultimately the point that is trying to be made is that there is a high level of publicity and strong case for media bias against African Americans. Any actor or famous person for that matter will almost always tell you that no publicity means bad publicity. It is logical then, to see the media (whether its biased or not) as a great tool for providing a voice to the African American community. It is also logical to say that a more biased media representation gives African Americans more publicity as Americans simply love bad press because â€Å"dirt† on other people sells, and the media has never cared about ones feelings if it means for them to make money. Ultimately, where I see this issue going from here has everything to do with President Obama. With the world-wide publicity he received for his changing of history for our country, I really feel this will open up many doors into the media for African Americans to have their voice, and create and defend a sense of identity that is much more positive than any other that has been labeled upon them. Obama is the best thing that has happened to African American media and just them as humans because he is what America needs to not only fix the economic and other issues in this country but most importantly bring the people of different colors together even closer than ever before to becoming one country where everyone is separate in color, but equal in representation and voice. Works Cited Du Bois, W. E. B. The Souls of Black Folk. Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co. ; [Cambridge]:University Press John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, U. S. A., 1903; Bartleby. com,1999. P. 68. Entman, R. M. and Andrew R.. (2000). The Black Image in the White Mind: Media andRace in America. University of Chicago Press. Frierson, M. (2004) Black, black, or African American? Feedback Poynter OnlineRetrieved May 10, 2009 from http://www. poynter. org/article_feedback/article_feedback_list. asp? id=51320 Fudjud, D. (2003) Black, black, or African American? Feedback Poynter OnlineRetrieved May 11, 2009 fromhttp://www. poynter. org/article_feedback/article_feedback_list. asp? id=51320 Jones, J. (1991). â€Å"The Politics of Personality: Being Black in America. † In ReginaldJones (ed. ) Black Psychology 3rd Edition, 305-318. Locke, A. (1925) Enter the New Negro. A hypermedia edition of the March 1925 SurveyGraphic Harlem Number Retrieved May 12, 2009 fromhttp://etext. lib. virginia. edu/harlem/LocEnteF. html Muwakkil, S. (1999). Corporate Media, Alternative Press, and African Americans Media Alliance, Retrieved May 11, 2009 fromhttp://mediaalliance2. live. radicaldesigns. org/article. php? id=535 PBS. (2002) African American World Timeline. Retrieved May 11, 2009 fromhttp://www. pbs. org/wnet/aaworld/timeline/early_01. html U. S. Census Bureau (2001) Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin. Census 2000Website Retrieved May 11, 2009 from http://factfinder. census. gov/servlet/ThematicMapFramesetServlet? _bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-tm_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_M00628&-ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_&-_MapEvent=displayBy&-_dBy=040. Woods, K. M. (1995) An Essay on a Wickedly Powerful Word Poynter Online RetrievedMay 11, 2009 from http://www. poynter. org/content/content_view. asp? id=5603.