Rewrite and clarification of problem statement and Lit review Essay

Rewrite and clarification of problem statement and Lit review - Essay Example Social support is commonly employed as a means to pacify the tense individuals. Social support plays an important role in solving marital problems and has provided greatly improved the marital satisfaction among couples conventionally. Social support is very important tool for dealing with marital problems and often leads to positive outcomes. It is deemed good for the sustainability of marriage as well as the psychological wellbeing of the whole family (Cummings, 1998, p. 78). Owing to the noticeable usability of social support in sustaining a marriage, there has been blossoming interest in studying the role of social support in safeguarding marriages from potentially pathogenic effects of marital problems (Verhofstadt et al, 2005, p. 23). People even seek counseling when there is no proper need for it. However, it is a useful practice. One does not have to get extremely distressed in order to seek help (Goodman, 1999, p. 342). â€Å"Marriage  counseling  is a type of relations hip therapy that focuses on building and maintaining a strong, healthy marriage† (Foster, 2011). Social support providers have developed counseling programs to suit the needs of elderly couples who conventionally remain out of the focus. However, elderly couples feel much more reluctant than young couples to seek social support in order to improve their marital relationship. In context of this matter, factors that may influence the alliance of the elderly people with the social support provider become concerns of prime importance. In order for the marriage counselor to gain a firm understanding of the underlying issues causing trouble in the marital relationship of the client, he/she needs to know about various matters related to the married life of the client. It is a must for the marriage counselor to develop a certain level of intimacy with the couple so that the job can be done appropriately. It is highly unlikely for a client to make a collaborative relationship with a co unselor without the existence of trust between the two (Sheth and Sobel, 2000, p. 4). One way in which their reluctance can be overcome is by developing marital counseling programs particularly to suit the needs of elderly people. There are several factors that play a decisive role in determining the level of intimacy between the client and the marriage counselor. Such factors include but are not limited to the age, sex, race, language and culture of both the client and the marriage counselor. Culture that the client and the counselor mutually share directs adequate need-based practices and behaviors (Oladipo and Balogun, 2010, p. 5). Physical attributes influence the formation of initial impressions between strangers (Newcomb et al., 1965). According to Beutler et al. (1986), the chronological age greatly impacts the initial impressions that clients form of counselors. Because of their limited experience, many young counselors have little to no experience of interaction with an old client. The very lack of experience on the part of young counselors limits their comfort or interest in dealing with the old people (San, 2011). It is quite likely for an old client to be skeptical about the eligibility of a young marriage counselor in helping him improve his marital relationship with his spouse. Several theories provide the hypothesis about the views of old clients in need of

Leadership Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Leadership Assignment - Essay Example If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can achieve.† (Brown, 2007) Some people are born to lead and Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr is one of them History and background Al Gore was born on 31st of March in 1948 and served as the 45th vice president of the U. S. of America under the administration of president bill Clinton. Al gore was the nominee from the Democratic Party in 2000 for the election of the president of United States (Gore and Media, 2006). Al Gore is at present a writer, entrepreneur, and environmental campaigner (Berlet, 1995). He has formerly served as an US elected official for almost 24 years, and he represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives from the year 1977 to 1985, and later he served in the U.S. Senate from the year 1985 to 1993, and then finally he became the Vice President of united states of America in 1993. Even though in the 2000 election campaign, Al Gore won the popular vote by an amazing 500,000 votes and more. But, he could not stand up and eventually had to lose the Electoral College as well as the election, to Republican George W. Bush and this happened due to the Florida re counting case that Supreme Court ruled in the favor of GW bush. This has happened only once in the history of United States that Supreme Court has ruled in any president elections. Early Childhood Al gore was born in the hub of US that he was born in the Washington DC it self, he was the second child of Al gore senior who also was a representative in the senate from the state of Tennessee , his mother Pauline al gore graduated from the university of Vanderbilt ( its law school). One of his sisters died young due to lung cancer. The ancestors of al gore were Scottish and Irish who settled in Virginia in the middle of the 17th century and shifted to Tennessee after the war of revolution. During the year when he went to school he resided with his family in The Fairfax Hotel located in the Embassy Row section in Washington D .C. Al gore family was also in to cattle and farming, as in summer vacations al gore use to go to Tennessee and help on the family farms which grew tobacco and hay. Al Gore early schooling was from the St. Albans School in Washington, D.C. which was from the year 1956 to year 1965; this school was considered as a prestigious feeder school which prepared its students for the Ivy League colleges. Al gore was also into sports as he became the captain of the football team, was also in throw disc team and last but not the least participated in foot ball. He was also interested subject like in arts and government, he graduated and applied for the most prestigious college in the states that is Harvard and also got accepted Al gore’s political career for the US presidential candidate was a short one; Let's say you were dreaming up the ideal stealth applicant for 2008 presidential elections, A Democrat who could be a part of the Presidential race when the party confronts its doubts ab out the lead runners. Mostly the candidate should be some one like Barack Obama that the United States have in recent times. Especially when Iraq was one of the main targets for the US, and to hold US’s sovereignty it was very important to have a man who could deliver what he promised. Also it was very important to have a candidate who was rough and tough and knew how to handle the world through a center

Ways Ecommerce May Increase Customer Service Levels Commerce Essay

Ways Ecommerce May Increase Customer Service Levels Commerce Essay Introduction: In now days where the level of technology is increased after each minute; it is very difficult to run large business like that of HASM Company with traditional approach only. In order to success in the market place and global competition, you need to have an online approach. The level of customer services will of course increase more and more by having an e-commerce service. The following are some reason why the introduction of e-commerce service might affect the level of customer services provided: Range of customers can get services at the time: Instead of providing services to customers one after another in traditional approach and leaving others waiting on the cue for services; using e-commerce is different, many customers may get services at the time. This is possible because in the e-commerce mode of service providing, many activities are done by automatic systems. There fore, there is a great benefit to have an e-commerce service as a mode of business. Its very easy to make follow up on the service provided: If the customer made purchase via e-commerce, that customer is automatically inserted in the companys customer database. There fore, the company will know its customers details along with their contact and addresses. For that reason, it will be easy to make follow up to the services provided by the company and make sure the client get the order in time. This will increase the customer satisfaction and products improvement. Its also builds an effective relationship between customers and the company. Customers will get services from anywhere and anytime: E-commerce service is available worldwide 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 52 weeks a year. For that benefit customers may make purchases at anywhere and anytime they need to purchase. However this is not possible through traditional approach where service is provided by limited time. This makes the level of customer service to be higher only by having an e-commerce service. Customers will look after themselves: In e-commerce service, many activities that are done by customer service argents in traditional mode of business are done by customers themselves. In traditional mode of business, customer service argents are doing every thing needed in order the purchase to occur. But it is different to the e-commerce services where so many activities are done by customers themselves. For example, there is a software called auto responder which may be used by the company for responding to many routine customer queries; always this software is installed to the company telephones in which many routine customer questions and their related answers are inserted; there fore, when customers dial for asking questions, their questions may be answered by this system; only technical rare questions may be answered by customer service argents. Easier for customer to place order: Using an e-commerce customer may easier keep their order, just going to the site, choosing the products that he/she deeds and place an order for those products. Customer can easily order what they want at any time. Potential Advantages and disadvantages of e-commerce to customers Advantages: Customers will cut many costs, in e-commerce costs are cut down from customers. For example, there will be no transport cost to follow up on their order since theyll purchase and the company will make sure they product are delivered to them, therefore theyll avoid parking costs while visiting to each shop, they wont be any intermediaries and at all when using e-commerce service. Customers will save plant of time and money for not visiting the stores physically: Before making purchase of course customers will need to do some researches about the products they want to buy which this can be done from anywhere could be at home, office anyplace that the client feels is appropriate to do so. In traditional mode of business, this is the hardest stage which doesnt give the customers alternative at all. But it is different with e-commerce where customers may do their research many times as the please go through different exciting shops within few minutes without having to go there physically. The will no closure at any time: Because e-commerce business is available 24 hours a day and every day, there is no closure of business. There fore, customers may buy products at anytime that appropriate for them. E-commerce provides the service need all the time. Customers satisfaction is well considered: In e-commerce business, there is a customer database in which all customers who bought products at the company they previous recorded are and their contact and addresses details are kept, however this details will be use to sending them promotions. This leads to customer satisfaction and a royal relationship between the company and its client. Payment method this is done online/ bank transfers: This helps customers to avoid the serious problem of money lost during the journey of visiting shops with cash on hand, which in traditional approach its must cash or credit cards on hand whatever you pay visit to the store. With e-commerce it give them an easy and safe alternative Instead of visiting with money or they credit cards, e-commerce enables customers to pay online/ through their bank accounts or electronic money transfer. Disadvantages of e-commerce to customers: It is difficult for potential customers to believe the order delivering process: For potential customer is difficult to tell him/her about the order delivering process and trust it. Customers may ask themselves many questions, like, how safe my order will arrive; the order I had kept is the exactly one I will get; and other related questions. There is range of threats to e-commerce business: This is also a serious problem in e-commerce business. There are many threats which make customer fear about the safety of this mode of business. Some times customer money may be stolen by hackers; some times customer important details may be stolen or lost along the way. There fore, customer may feel this is no safe mode of transaction. E-commerce service is for literate people only: Of course to use e-commerce customers need to know how to read and write and also to use computer literacy especially in Microsoft Internet Explorer. There fore, for illiterate customers it is difficult to use this service. Language difference: Because e-commerce customers are from different nations, the language difference problem must occur. For example, the web page may be designed for English language; it will be difficult for people who do not know English to buy products they need. How to counter E-Commerce Problems There should be good security policies in order to ensure that there is safety to both customers and the company. The customer service team should be very careful on processing order and delivering them. The web designers should keep a languages options for customers, which contains all international languages, this will enable customer to visit the site by his/her national language. The site should be designed in simple programming language which helps non computers to access the site. Guidance for e-commerce websites: The e-commerce regulations does your website comply: They are three web tools for building better website for less, These three tools will help them find free graphics, instantly, discover an available domain name and create a members-only website to generate their income. More business marketing tips to guide the customers on finding their where about on what they need on e-commerce service. TASK 5 MARKETING PLANNING FOR HASM COMPANY Introduction: Many business conducted using traditional approach are retarding. This is because range of customers buys their products and other needs online. In addition the costs required to conduct such business are very high. For that reason many business now are conducted through online approach because the costs of operating it are lower and it is profitable. In addition customers are now shifted to an electronic plat form business. If the HASM Company introduces an e-commerce mode of business, it will grow faster, and be on higher position compare to the other market competitors, and also it will increase its profits more and more. However, it will be easy to monitor the business operation activities. Therefore I recommend that the HASM Company introduce an e-commerce site for its business. Marketing Planning for e-commerce takes about 6 key activities that when addressed very well the business will be more successful and meet its expectation level. The key activities are as follow: SITUATION ANALYSIS: Here we need to identify the current environment of the business and the future environment of the business. For that manner we need to look at the following key factors for situation analysis: Demand analysis: Here we analyze the demand of the business the site and projected customers. This is done by the answers of the following questions: What is the percentage of customer business have access through the internet? What is the percentage of member of the buying unit in these business have access to the internet? What is the percentage of customers are prepared to buy product online? What percentage of customers with the access to the internet are not prepared to purchase online, but they are influenced by web-based to buy offline? What are the barriers to the adoption amongst customers and can we encourage them to adopt it? Competitor analysis: Here we analyze the e-business services or products offered by your competitors and adopted by their customers. In order to success on this, the HSM Company should review on, well-known local competitors, well-known international competitors, and new internet companies locally and world wide. Therefore from these competitors you need to review the products offered and the customers adoptions. Look for those products offered by these competitors and with high customer adoption. Keep those products if they havent done it. Intermediary analysis: Here we analyze whether our competitors have any special sponsorship arrangements and micro-site created with intermediaries? The other aspect for situation analysis for intermediaries is the way in which the marketplace is operated. And to what extent do competitors are using disintermediation and reinter mediation? OBJECTIVE SETTING: After analyzing the situation, we now set our objectives. Our objectives will affect the almost all the other following activities i.e. strategies, tactics, actions, and control. Therefore, we should very careful on objectives setting. There are many objectives used in objective setting, but the best approach for HASM is SMART approach which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-constrained. However, the objective set by HASM should follow that approach effectively. It should set objectives which are specific, easy to be measured, which are achievable, realistic and should be specified for that period time. STRATEGY: This is the next step in marketing planning where the company set its ways in which the objectives set will be achieved. In setting the strategies, we will look at the following important areas: Market and Product positioning: The site offers the opportunity for HASM to change its products or modifying them. In this stage the company set the marketing position to them self and also their products to sell. This case was first stated by Ansoff (1957). He developed four options for positioning the business: market penetration, market development, product development, and diversification. Market penetration is the selling of existing product but in new market; market development means selling existing products into existing market; product development means selling new products into existing market; and diversification means selling different products to a new market. Therefore, for the HASM goals, the best approach is market penetration approach. Target market strategies: Here there is evaluation and selection of appropriate segments and appropriate offers. In this step we choose the segment of customers to provide services to and we select the appropriate offers to offer them. The products to sell depends on the segment we selected. For example, if the HASM Company selected the young customers, the products that it should offer are modern products, digital and of higher quality. TACTICS: These are the ways in which the strategies planned will be achieved and implemented. Here we shall look at 4Ps of Products, Price, Place, and Promotion. And other 3 Ps of People, Process, and Physical evidence. After looking at these factors we should also look PESTEL factors which we shall discuss them letter. Products: Here we select the quality of products we need to offer. The quality of those products should focus to the segment we had positioned ourselves in. For example, if we select young customers we should sell the modern audio equipments and of higher quality. Price: Here we set the price of the products we shall offer. The price will be set according to the costs we use and the level of profit we need. For example, if we sell high quality products the price should be higher to exceed all costs. Place: Here we choose the place to offer our products. But because we use e-commerce our products will be sold globally. Promotion (communication): After selecting the segment and products to sell, we should communicate our site to those we have selected to be our customers. Therefore, the site will be promoted to those targeted customers. The site will be promoted using online media and offline media. Online media include mobile phones, internet, e-mails, TVs, etc. and offline media are newspapers, signboards, radios, and journals, etc. ACTIONS: These are activities done by managers to execute the plan. When specifying actions you need to ask yourself the following questions: What level of investment in the internet channel to deliver the expected services? What will be the payback? What training of staff is required? What new responsibilities are required for effective internet marketing? Are changes in organizational structure required? What activities are involved in creating and maintaining the web site? CONTROL: The control process can combine both online and traditional approach. For example, we can conduct marketing research to obtain customers views about the web site and also we can use online analysis of web-server log files that uses technology to monitor whether objectives are achieved. Use of Information Gathered from Visitors for Marketing Activities The company will get information from visitors through different ways, for example, customer may send e-mail to the company to explain queries of the site; company may get information through the marketing researches which tells how many people visited the site, how many were bought, how many asked, how many left without appreciating, and why? These sources of information will be used by marketers for marketing activities. TASK 6 SECURITY POLICY TO AN E-COMMERCE SITE Introduction: The biggest problem in e-commerces known? It is the issue about security which makes this mode of business to be like theft to the eyes of those who have low knowledge about e-commerce. Many potential customers remain on cross road about this mode of business when they think about the safety of this business. The following are three keys that are highly important part to an e-commerce business: Authentication Access control Data integrity Authentication: Authentication this is the part of security policy which helps merchant to identify whether who claims to be the customer is true or thief. Also helps customer to identify whether who claims to be merchant is true or theft. Possible threat that may occur: For example, when this part of the security policy is not adequate addressed; a person may pretend as customer and may steal transaction or credit card details might from merchant. On the other hand a person may pretend as a merchant and steals transaction details from the customer. But by the presence of this security policy, this theft might be stopped. Access control: Access control is the one among the security policies which disable those who are not authority to access a certain data. This is done normally by keeping passwords to those data which are known only by people who are authority to access them. Possible threat that may occur: For example, a person who has no authority to access certain data may access them and causes the dangerous thing to the business development. It doesnt matter if this person is inside or outside the company. For example, the data from an accountant do not required to be shared by anyone else who is not involve at that particular department in the company. On the other hand some marketing data do not required to be known by competitors. Therefore, when there is security on accessing the data the safety of this information will be maintained. Data integrity: This is the software which checks whether the message sent is complete, i.e. not corrupted. Sometimes messages come to the company inbox are incomplete, therefore, this security part may identify such errors on the messages. Possible threat that may occur: When the message sent is incomplete or corrupted causes the user of that message to record the data which is incomplete or incorrect. For example, when these data are information from customers for keeping their orders; the receiver may receive the incomplete data and record them hopping that customers sent only that of he/she has been received. The hard problem come while customer receives the order and sees is incomplete. Then the problem comes between customer and company, and if this problem is adequately addressed, it may break the company image and the relationship with their client. TASK 7 WAYS OF MEASURING BENEFITS OF AN E-COMMERCE SITE To be able to know whether your e-commerce site is profitable to your business or not you need to have some ways of measuring the benefits. Nothing can be monitored without having any measurement success or development of it, and also e-commerce has its ways of measuring its development. The following are five different ways of measuring the benefits of e-commerce site that were presented by Chaffey (2000): Measuring business contribution: This measures the contribution of the site in terms of revenue, new market penetrations, cost and profitability. Revenues measured here are direct and indirect revenues. Also here we measure how the site contributes on the category penetration and how far the company has been expanded. However, we also measure cost and profitability of the site; therefore, we analyze the cost used to manage business under e-commerce and also the profit gained as the result of e-commerce. Measuring marketing outcomes: Here we measure what e-commerce site leads to the business; the sales volume after having an e-commerce site; the service contacts; and conversion and contribution efficiencies. Therefore, we will look at what e-commerce lead to our business whether positive or negative out come. Also we check the level of sales if it has increased or decreased. The level of customer services is higher or degrades. And also we will look at what conversion had brought as a result of e-commerce. Measuring Customer satisfaction: Here we measure site usability, performance, and contact strategies. Therefore, under this circumstance of measurement the site benefits. We shall also measure how many customers use our site (frequently or rarely); the performance of our business since weve introduces our site; and also we shall measure the contact strategies of the site. Measuring Customer behavior: When customer visits to our site we can note contents he/she accesses, at which time, and for how long stays to the site? And also we will examine whether he/she is satisfied or not, for example he/she buy or keep an order? Measuring the site promotion: Here we measure attraction efficiency, referrer efficiency, cost of acquisition and reach. By this method we shall know how the site helps on attracting new potential customers; also we measure the referrer efficiency, referrer is the site that visitor previously visited before following a link; also we will measure the cost that we had used to acquire the site and reach our targeted customers. The most Appropriate Way to be used by HASM in Measuring Benefits of E-Commerce The most appropriate ways in measuring the benefits of e-commerce for HASM are Business Contribution Measure and Customer satisfaction measure. The combination of these two measurements is most appropriate to HASM because: Business contribution measures the site earnings which is why they exist. Business contribution also measures the contribution of the site on expansion of the business Business contribution also measures the cost used and profit gained which tell us whether the site is profitable or not. Customer satisfaction measures the degree of the site in satisfying customer, because we exist by satisfying our customers. And these two ways measure all measurement to all 5 ways of measuring the benefits of e-commerce. Conclusion

Free Essays - Courage and Honesty in Sir Gawain and Green Knight :: Sir Gawain Green Knight Essays

Courage and Honesty in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is a poem written by a poet (name unknown) approximately 6000 years ago in the late 1300's in the medieval times. This story was originally written in medieval literature with a real unique rhyme scheme, but was translated later in time to regular English for high school students and researchers to study and read. The story begins during the New Year's feast in King Arthur's court. Then a green knight enters asking all of the knights in the court if they would like to play a game. The game is he will allow which ever knight that chooses to challenge him one swing with a battle ax to try and chop off his head, but in order to play the game, the accepting knight must meet the green knight one year later at the green chapel. The brave knight Sir Gawain accepts to the challenge of the green knight. Sir Gawain takes one swing and chops off the head of the green knight. Right after the green knight's head is chopped off he gets up immediately, picks up his head and leaves. Once a year passes, Gawain sets off on a journey to find the Green Chapel. He arrives at a castle in which a lord welcomes him to stay for several days (Gawain only needs to stay there for three). The next morning the lord makes an agreement to share everything he gets during these three days with Gawain, but Gawain must agree to do the same. During days one and two the lord's wife tries hitting on Gawain, but he only allows her to give him a few kisses. At these days Gawain shares what he got to the lord for what he has hunted those days. On the third day, Gawain finally accepts to take a magic girdle from the lord's wife, but he didn't share it with the lord. This magic girdle helped Gawain survive the three fatal swing's of the green giant's ax, only leaving him with a little nick. After Gawain survives these 3 swings at his neck, the green knight then reveals his identity and explains that he is Bercilak, the lord of the castle. He also said that the three blows were taken at him in regards to the three days of their agreement.

Salutatory Address

SALUTATORY ADDRESS Kristine Ann Villanueva To our outstanding guest-speaker, Dr. Florentina R. Lizano, firm yet caring director Mr. Antonio Punzalan, ever-calm and patient directress Mrs. Angelita Punzalan, dynamic principal Mrs. Joy Mercado, kind and warm faculty and staff, ever-supportive parents, gratified fellow graduates, Good Evening! A Chinese Proverb goes : To get through the hardest journey, we need to take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping. First and foremost, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was very helpful along this step in my journey, this step called high school life. I would like to thank ADT Montessori School, my parents, relatives, and friends, you are the reason why I am here tonight, standing in front of you with much honour and humility. I am grateful for this moment. Second, may I share with you this step in my journey, high school life. As the only girl and the eldest in the family and a stereotyped achiever since childhood, there were a lot of expectations from me. Being the eldest isn’t that easy. You have no ‘ate’ or ‘kuya’ to rely on and you have to handle a lot of pressure at times in school and at home. I always thought an eldest needed to be very careful with her words and actions as people expect you to be flawless. You have to perform well in all the activities given, always give your best and be competitive because that is what’s expected. I thought I was born to comply with what everyone wanted. In short, I have to please everyone almost at all times. And because of that, I have come to believe that I can stand all by myself and live only for the awards. So I missed out the chance to enjoy life with the people around me; to experience a life other than academics and competitions. It did get kind of tiring to spend life doing those things. But when I stepped at ADT, I found the better meaning of achievement and learned the greater value of those around me. It was in the month of June 2008 that I first set foot upon this school. I was that girl still stuck with that belief and desire to just ace everything. I had a hard time dealing with others because of that. But as I spent my days being a student here, I slowly transformed. I slowly became a stronger person; open with the values that life and the people around was imparting to me. A girl ready to face another step in her journey. Who would have known that the days would go by so fast? The next thing I knew I am already in fourth year. I can still remember the days that we had a hard time adjusting to the new system. I can never forget the days too when all of us would have to rush for the deadline of our projects and do all the things we never expected we could do. We have learned to multi-task and do it in short periods of time with much effort and grace. Here I have learned to have grace even under pressure. There had been moments that tested my strength and almost made me want to drop to my knees and quit; times that I just wanted to throw my hands up in the air and say â€Å"I give up†, because I thought the problems would never be solved. But I was wrong; there were people around me I hadn’t expected to help who picked me up whenever I fell. I have realized the value of friendship, as we shared all the happiness and pain through the things that we went thru. This year had all taught me that things don’t always happen the way we want them to. The times that I lost or didn’t reach the top when I knew I really gave my best shot to win but still failed. The time when I hadn’t passed at the school I was dreaming of. If we really want to, we really need to make a way and give more: 99% perspiration and 1 % inspiration as what Albert Einstein has said. Fourth year high school was the greatest part of my high school life. Not only because of the relationships built but also the changes it has brought me. I was made to realize that I cannot have everything and win every time. It had reminded me that I still have to go through failures and downfalls, be hurt and learn with each pain I experience. What is a life full of happiness given right away, anyway? We are given challenges for us to do better and see the bright side despite problems; to find happiness despite tears and to never quit instead continue and never give up. Take the next step. So much has happened throughout this year. It was just like yesterday when we’d laugh at all the jokes thrown, play all the games we wanted and make crazy experiences to remember. It was just like yesterday when we all needed to cram for our projects and review at the same time for our finals. It was just like yesterday when we were just all together through thick and thin. Now here we are, dressed in our school uniform that we had learned to love, topped with the toga signifying our graduation—the end of our high school days. We just took that step. Batch mates, ito na! It’s the finish line of our highschool days; the starting line of our college life. We will be making decisions that may or may not lead us to the fulfillment of the unforgettable class prophecy. Graduation day has finally come; the day we had all been waiting for all these years. After this night, everything might change; everything may not seem the way they used to be. We’ll be moving on to the next chapter of our journeys. Graduation brings mixed feelings. We are happy our hardships will be recognized and awarded with a diploma or medals. We are happy because finally, we are off to the next level. But at the same time, we are sad. We are sad for the fact that we are going to say goodbye to the people we have learned to love; to the people who have once made us happy and feel invincible; to the people we should be thankful for. To my Alma Mater, thank you for being the medium of my transformation. Thank you for providing excellent teachers to mould us, nurturing our talents and training us to be wholesome citizens. To my family, especially my beloved grandparents and Tita, thank you for giving me the support I need; for being a parent giving advises and moral support. For fulfilling whatever is missing and for being there whenever I am in need. You have been such good role models who I can look up to and follow the footsteps as I grow. At the same time, you are my biggest fans, cheering for me and telling me always: â€Å"You can do it. † To my parents, who inspired me in different ways and gave me the appetite to pursue and give my best in everything in terms of studies, thank you for guiding me and correcting me whenever I go astray and made mistakes. Thank you for being so patient and forgiving for all the times I have my shortcomings. Though we have hard times, always remember that I love you and no matter what, even years may pass, even the world turns upside-down, you would always be my parents who will always have a big space in my heart. To all our adorable teachers present here, thank you for not only teaching, but forming us to become better persons and giving us lessons in life as ‘baon’ we can use in college. Mind you, the â€Å"baon† are lessons, and not 50 Million pesos. Though we had hard times, you, our teachers, have been contributors of whatever knowledge and convictions we uphold today. Thank you for investing and believing in us. To my mentor, Ms. Jayla Dela Cruz, thank you for improving my skills in singing and Ms. Ma. Aurene Castillejos, thank you for sharing with us the fun while we were in your care. And last but not the least, to our dearest advisers, who had been mothers and friends to all of us, thank you for molding us to persons who are ready for college. To my friends, a big thanks to all of you. You have played a very big part in my life. Without any blood relations, you have been a family to me. First buds, Cyra and Maegan, Sisters-like Marygel, Clarissa, Nicole and Rizza, guide-givers Donna and Yayin, partner in crime and in food trip Von, friend who had been an asylum, Paul Joseph, and to those I haven’t mentioned, you know who you are. You have been there during the comedy and drama of my life. You were the ones who joined me whenever I go talkative, silly, dramatic, or funny. Thank you for accepting me for who I am and teaching me to accept things and be thankful for whatever I have. To be contented but still, continue and strive hard to reach for something better. My fellow graduates, thank you for sharing a part of your high school life with me in different ways. Each one of you is special and unforgettable to me. Each one has a story that I can remember and treasure even as I go on. All of you and what we had is already tattoed in my heart leaving a permanent mark. To all whom I may have offended unconsciously, my sincere apologies. Four years ago, I was also standing on stage and giving a speech. A valedictorian, embracing the moment where the spotlight and the people are all focused on me. Today, I stand here as a Salutatorian, still enjoying the moment of recognition, even with a different standing. Though I have not attained the highest honor this time, I carry with me the greatest awards I have besides the tangible medal or certificates. These are the friends I have made, the lessons I have learned and the memories I have collected. I realized that success is not all about the medals or the certificates given to you. But it is also the honour and fulfilment you have as a person. I realized that life is not all about competitions. True, life is a jungle as what all grown ups have said. There are some things or circumstances which are deceiving and these may try to pull you down, but what’s important is we have been equipped to stand strong and firm and stick for what we think is right and just. As we can all see, we are living in a community full of lies and corruption. From the interviews of some government officials on TV, the platforms made by candidates for election, the justice system in our country, the way the news is delivered by the media, up to the simple lies one tells you that can make you believe and be swerved from the truth. But, do we let this system sway us too? May we not get influenced by the negative things around us. May the values that ADT has given us be etched in our mind and may we have ourselves all gathered up to stand up and fight for what we think is right. Some of the best things that ADT has given me are the people I met along the way and the unforgettable experiences. Experiences that have brought me to what I am and have at this moment. Whether these experiences have been good or bad, I do not regret any of them because they all touched my heart and my mind. I have learned well and will bring these along with me as I go on with life. I have come to the conclusion that there would always be things that might bring us down, but we have to stand up and pursue our lives with all the courage and faith we have garnered and earned from the people around us. Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for being here tonight and for being so kind listening all throughout. As for my fellow graduates, I wish you all the best of luck in your lives and I hope you always live in righteousness and always remember the honor of being truthful. Onwards ADT graduates! May our learnings and experiences guide us in the next step of our journey. Good evening to all, Thank You and God Bless! Salutatory Address SALUTATORY ADDRESS Kristine Ann Villanueva To our outstanding guest-speaker, Dr. Florentina R. Lizano, firm yet caring director Mr. Antonio Punzalan, ever-calm and patient directress Mrs. Angelita Punzalan, dynamic principal Mrs. Joy Mercado, kind and warm faculty and staff, ever-supportive parents, gratified fellow graduates, Good Evening! A Chinese Proverb goes : To get through the hardest journey, we need to take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping. First and foremost, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was very helpful along this step in my journey, this step called high school life. I would like to thank ADT Montessori School, my parents, relatives, and friends, you are the reason why I am here tonight, standing in front of you with much honour and humility. I am grateful for this moment. Second, may I share with you this step in my journey, high school life. As the only girl and the eldest in the family and a stereotyped achiever since childhood, there were a lot of expectations from me. Being the eldest isn’t that easy. You have no ‘ate’ or ‘kuya’ to rely on and you have to handle a lot of pressure at times in school and at home. I always thought an eldest needed to be very careful with her words and actions as people expect you to be flawless. You have to perform well in all the activities given, always give your best and be competitive because that is what’s expected. I thought I was born to comply with what everyone wanted. In short, I have to please everyone almost at all times. And because of that, I have come to believe that I can stand all by myself and live only for the awards. So I missed out the chance to enjoy life with the people around me; to experience a life other than academics and competitions. It did get kind of tiring to spend life doing those things. But when I stepped at ADT, I found the better meaning of achievement and learned the greater value of those around me. It was in the month of June 2008 that I first set foot upon this school. I was that girl still stuck with that belief and desire to just ace everything. I had a hard time dealing with others because of that. But as I spent my days being a student here, I slowly transformed. I slowly became a stronger person; open with the values that life and the people around was imparting to me. A girl ready to face another step in her journey. Who would have known that the days would go by so fast? The next thing I knew I am already in fourth year. I can still remember the days that we had a hard time adjusting to the new system. I can never forget the days too when all of us would have to rush for the deadline of our projects and do all the things we never expected we could do. We have learned to multi-task and do it in short periods of time with much effort and grace. Here I have learned to have grace even under pressure. There had been moments that tested my strength and almost made me want to drop to my knees and quit; times that I just wanted to throw my hands up in the air and say â€Å"I give up†, because I thought the problems would never be solved. But I was wrong; there were people around me I hadn’t expected to help who picked me up whenever I fell. I have realized the value of friendship, as we shared all the happiness and pain through the things that we went thru. This year had all taught me that things don’t always happen the way we want them to. The times that I lost or didn’t reach the top when I knew I really gave my best shot to win but still failed. The time when I hadn’t passed at the school I was dreaming of. If we really want to, we really need to make a way and give more: 99% perspiration and 1 % inspiration as what Albert Einstein has said. Fourth year high school was the greatest part of my high school life. Not only because of the relationships built but also the changes it has brought me. I was made to realize that I cannot have everything and win every time. It had reminded me that I still have to go through failures and downfalls, be hurt and learn with each pain I experience. What is a life full of happiness given right away, anyway? We are given challenges for us to do better and see the bright side despite problems; to find happiness despite tears and to never quit instead continue and never give up. Take the next step. So much has happened throughout this year. It was just like yesterday when we’d laugh at all the jokes thrown, play all the games we wanted and make crazy experiences to remember. It was just like yesterday when we all needed to cram for our projects and review at the same time for our finals. It was just like yesterday when we were just all together through thick and thin. Now here we are, dressed in our school uniform that we had learned to love, topped with the toga signifying our graduation—the end of our high school days. We just took that step. Batch mates, ito na! It’s the finish line of our highschool days; the starting line of our college life. We will be making decisions that may or may not lead us to the fulfillment of the unforgettable class prophecy. Graduation day has finally come; the day we had all been waiting for all these years. After this night, everything might change; everything may not seem the way they used to be. We’ll be moving on to the next chapter of our journeys. Graduation brings mixed feelings. We are happy our hardships will be recognized and awarded with a diploma or medals. We are happy because finally, we are off to the next level. But at the same time, we are sad. We are sad for the fact that we are going to say goodbye to the people we have learned to love; to the people who have once made us happy and feel invincible; to the people we should be thankful for. To my Alma Mater, thank you for being the medium of my transformation. Thank you for providing excellent teachers to mould us, nurturing our talents and training us to be wholesome citizens. To my family, especially my beloved grandparents and Tita, thank you for giving me the support I need; for being a parent giving advises and moral support. For fulfilling whatever is missing and for being there whenever I am in need. You have been such good role models who I can look up to and follow the footsteps as I grow. At the same time, you are my biggest fans, cheering for me and telling me always: â€Å"You can do it. † To my parents, who inspired me in different ways and gave me the appetite to pursue and give my best in everything in terms of studies, thank you for guiding me and correcting me whenever I go astray and made mistakes. Thank you for being so patient and forgiving for all the times I have my shortcomings. Though we have hard times, always remember that I love you and no matter what, even years may pass, even the world turns upside-down, you would always be my parents who will always have a big space in my heart. To all our adorable teachers present here, thank you for not only teaching, but forming us to become better persons and giving us lessons in life as ‘baon’ we can use in college. Mind you, the â€Å"baon† are lessons, and not 50 Million pesos. Though we had hard times, you, our teachers, have been contributors of whatever knowledge and convictions we uphold today. Thank you for investing and believing in us. To my mentor, Ms. Jayla Dela Cruz, thank you for improving my skills in singing and Ms. Ma. Aurene Castillejos, thank you for sharing with us the fun while we were in your care. And last but not the least, to our dearest advisers, who had been mothers and friends to all of us, thank you for molding us to persons who are ready for college. To my friends, a big thanks to all of you. You have played a very big part in my life. Without any blood relations, you have been a family to me. First buds, Cyra and Maegan, Sisters-like Marygel, Clarissa, Nicole and Rizza, guide-givers Donna and Yayin, partner in crime and in food trip Von, friend who had been an asylum, Paul Joseph, and to those I haven’t mentioned, you know who you are. You have been there during the comedy and drama of my life. You were the ones who joined me whenever I go talkative, silly, dramatic, or funny. Thank you for accepting me for who I am and teaching me to accept things and be thankful for whatever I have. To be contented but still, continue and strive hard to reach for something better. My fellow graduates, thank you for sharing a part of your high school life with me in different ways. Each one of you is special and unforgettable to me. Each one has a story that I can remember and treasure even as I go on. All of you and what we had is already tattoed in my heart leaving a permanent mark. To all whom I may have offended unconsciously, my sincere apologies. Four years ago, I was also standing on stage and giving a speech. A valedictorian, embracing the moment where the spotlight and the people are all focused on me. Today, I stand here as a Salutatorian, still enjoying the moment of recognition, even with a different standing. Though I have not attained the highest honor this time, I carry with me the greatest awards I have besides the tangible medal or certificates. These are the friends I have made, the lessons I have learned and the memories I have collected. I realized that success is not all about the medals or the certificates given to you. But it is also the honour and fulfilment you have as a person. I realized that life is not all about competitions. True, life is a jungle as what all grown ups have said. There are some things or circumstances which are deceiving and these may try to pull you down, but what’s important is we have been equipped to stand strong and firm and stick for what we think is right and just. As we can all see, we are living in a community full of lies and corruption. From the interviews of some government officials on TV, the platforms made by candidates for election, the justice system in our country, the way the news is delivered by the media, up to the simple lies one tells you that can make you believe and be swerved from the truth. But, do we let this system sway us too? May we not get influenced by the negative things around us. May the values that ADT has given us be etched in our mind and may we have ourselves all gathered up to stand up and fight for what we think is right. Some of the best things that ADT has given me are the people I met along the way and the unforgettable experiences. Experiences that have brought me to what I am and have at this moment. Whether these experiences have been good or bad, I do not regret any of them because they all touched my heart and my mind. I have learned well and will bring these along with me as I go on with life. I have come to the conclusion that there would always be things that might bring us down, but we have to stand up and pursue our lives with all the courage and faith we have garnered and earned from the people around us. Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for being here tonight and for being so kind listening all throughout. As for my fellow graduates, I wish you all the best of luck in your lives and I hope you always live in righteousness and always remember the honor of being truthful. Onwards ADT graduates! May our learnings and experiences guide us in the next step of our journey. Good evening to all, Thank You and God Bless!

An Exploration Into 14 Bauhaus Books by Lazlo Moholy-Nagy in Relation to Visual Culture Essay

When analysing ‘the 14 bauhaus books’ by Lazlo Moholy-Nagy (see figure 1) in relation to it’s historical context, at least 5 components have to be considered. These are: the image itself; the movement it is part of; the artist, Lazlo Moholy-Nagy, that made it; the bauhaus- the institute it was produced for and where the artist taught – and how these parts have changed or influenced modern times. My argument is that all of these separate components, the main being the movement of Modernism, made life better for the International populations that welcomed it, through the universal progression that modernism once promised. 4 Bauhaus Books is not a ‘pretty’ image. The dirty red mixed with the hard texture of the metal type is not pleasing to the eye for any viewer. But then again it is not meant to be pleasing, the image is a brochure cover, nothing more. Although by todays standards it is crude in design, vaguely relating to the brochure that it covers, which does go into detail about some new typographical forms, it was rather advanced for 1929 as it was a Modernist piece – rejecting decoration. No longer focussing on decoration produced a new language of design that could be understood by everyone, including workers in modern industry. Moholy-Nagy followed his own teachings on typography fully, stating that: â€Å"Letters should never be squeezed into an arbitrary shape†¦ like a square. A new typographic language must be created combining elasticity, variety and a fresh approach to the materials of printing†¦. † (Naylor, 1968, p. 127) This approach to communication through printed material can still be seen today, particularly in adverts which have a very short amount of time to impact on and communicate to an audience. A ‘stand-out’ type coupled with a few witty lines has found itself at the centre of most printed advertisements today (see figure 2), which, it could be argued, can trace it’s heritage back to the modernists ideas of simplicity. We are all now accustomed to this, but back in the early 1900s it was met with fierce opposition and, although new aesthetics were being created, official designers and architects preferred to follow the word of Ruskin who stated: â€Å"We want no new architecture†¦ The forms of architecture already known to us are good enough for us, and far better than any us† (Naylor, 1968, p. ) This narrow-minded approach to design held back progress and kept Europe’s standard of living the same, which, especially for the working classes, was unacceptable. From this, modernism rejected the historical styles before it, such as the Enlightenment phase, that focussed on decoration and perceived that ‘greatness lay in the reconstruction of the past’. Instead modern designers, in the smoke of the Industrial Revolution, created a new style – the ‘International Style’. The ‘International Style’ had called for change and the change was to blur the class distinctions. The â€Å"millions of†¦ home-owners†¦ painted their walls beige† (Greenhalgh, 1990, p52) in an attempt to fit in with this style. This cheap method of interior design, using hardwood for fittings and mass produced light fittings made the ‘International Style’ available and popular. Modernism created objects that functioned with little or no decoration. These objects were mass produced,widely available and more importantly cheap to purchase. For example the Tefal kettle (see figure 3) which has only the water gauge projecting out of a white block for decoration. This simplistic approach to design was, in the eyes of the modernists, an enhancement of purity. The same could be said for ’14 books’. That it’s simplicity is it’s decoration and that the text is the ‘object’ needed for its design purpose. Something functional yet visually satisfying. Modernist designers used the technique of abstraction in their work to help convey a visual trend and to combine the three areas they believed to be true design. This was architecture, furniture and graphic design. Abstraction meant that modernists could use ideas found in a particular building or a colour palette from a painting to create solid habitable homes or items for these homes. A well known example for this is from the painting of Mondrian – composition in red and blue (see figure 4). This was abstracted by the designer Rietveld to create a home (see figure 5) and a chair (see figure 6). Both of which the user had to engage with, as the world had gained a passive lifestyle – the chair was designed for better seated posture and the home bragged fold out compartments, tables and beds so that living was a conscious decision. Unfortunately the chair was not mass produced and only a prototype as there was â€Å"not enough interest in it, as it was not comfortable to sit in† (retrieved on January 10, 2011, from www. contemporarypractice. wordpress. com). This abstraction was seen as a rational use of design, using one ‘useful’ item aesthetics to create another and was used by most modernist designers. The downside to this would be that everything lacked spontaneity. Supposedly a unique series of furniture could look like another, but modernists did not mind this, as they wanted everyone to be equal. The Bauhaus, of course, was the school of modernist design in Europe. It symbolised new technologies and ideas for teaching. Even the building (see figure 7) was a modernist piece. The building had no decoration except for the glass sheets that covered it, which itself was a relatively new item, having been invented in 1832. Glass sheeting, ironically, was used in the crystal palace, which was a celebration of the aristocracies achievements, the opposite message of modernists to â€Å"†¦ reate a new guild of craftsmen, without the class distinctions which raise an arrogant barrier between craftsman and artist. † (Naylor, 1968, p. 9) This quest for the combination of form and function is, in my opinion, found in Josef Hartwig’s 1924 chess set that has, instead of the traditional figures, pieces that consist of geometric shapes (see figure 8). The design of each piece shows how it moves- for example the 2 diagonal lines that make the bishop’s cross show that i t is constrained to diagonal movement. The negative side of this simplicity was a lack of emotion in all creations, as well as an impersonal approach to design. These made the masses feel common, which did not sit well with the elite of the time, who were used to the decorative forms of the Romantics that preceded them. This was, in many ways the enemy of the Bauhaus, referred to as â€Å"that strange decorative disease†(Naylor, 1968, p. 14). Simplicity was key for the Bauhaus and 14 Bauhaus Books was no exception. Understated colours and the photograph used for the main image how this. The type itself is clear and typical of the Bauhaus. Lazlo Moholy-Nagy taught at this revered school and stressed that â€Å"Typography must be clear communication in its most vivid form. Clarity must be especially stressed, for clarity is the essence of modern printing. † (Naylor, 1968, p. 127)Clarity is indeed expressed in ’14 Bauhaus Books’, where no complex symbolisms or congested space occurs. Lazlo Moholy-Nagy’s views on teaching was as radical as his rules. He sought to rid the preliminary course he took over in 1923 of emotion. He saw the soul as part of the body and not in control of it. This wasn’t welcomed by some of his colleagues and students, who described his arrival as â€Å"a pike in a pond full of goldfish† (Whitford, 1984, p. 128). Moholy-Nagy differed from his predecessor in every way. He wore a pair of overalls and nickel-rimmed glasses, emulating an industrial worker , whereas the former teacher, Itten, dressed more like a monk, with a perfectly shaved head – â€Å"creating an aura of spirituality and communion with the transcendal† (Whitford, 1984, p. 23) – mirroring the enlightenment movement that modernism rejected. Moholy-Nagy was to cast out everything irrational in his course. Instead he focussed on teaching techniques and a wider variety of media, stating that: â€Å"anyone who knew nothing about photography was a kind of visual illiterate, and that an artist who restricted himself to any single media should not be taken seriously. † This can be seen in ’14 Bauhaus Books’, where a variety of media is used. The combination of photography, graphics and type give the design a very individual feel. For although Moholy-Nagy insisted he used no emotion, one can’t help but feel a personal aspect behind this cover, a contradiction to his own rule. Moholy-Nagy’s link with industry spilled over to an infatuation with the machine. The machine to him was ‘the’ invention of the century, replacing the transcendental spiritualism of past eras. He saw it as the way to gain equality for the masses. Stating that: â€Å"Everyone is equal before the machine†¦ There is no tradition in technology, no class-consciousness. Everyone can be the machine’s master or its slave. † (Whitford, 1984, p. 128) Using the machine as a figurehead, Moholy-Nagy, along with other modernists and constructivists bettered the world. The change brought about by modernism was huge. As the movement grew in popularity all classes changed their way of living. They were boxed in with hardwood fittings and lived in a functional, conscious home. These homes would later be criticised for being to small and impersonal, but at the time they were considered ‘the modern home’. It wasn’t just the home that was improved through modernism. Factories over Europe America and Asia used more and more machinery, quickly churning out more products in a day than a craftsman, what had come before, could produce in months. This led to more jobs, fewer costs and a better standard of life for everyone. Though this also was met by criticism: that the worker had become non-human, â€Å"an appendage to the machine† (Greenhalgh, 1990, p. 54). The fact that people worked 10-12 hour shifts to maintain their lifestyle did not sit well. Marxists stated that industrial work meant that â€Å"Man is alienated from other men. † (Greenhalgh, 1990, p. 54) It could be argued that the limitations and ideas set in place for this simple graphic design, which is rather crude by today’s standards, has helped the international masses. The change that came about because of the movement of modernism, along with Moholy-Nagy’s approach to design and the new tuition in the Bauhaus of a generation of architects, furniture designers and graphic designers has helped to shape the world of today. Modernist buildings fill today’s cities, from huge skyscrapers consisting of tons of glass, such as the Seagram Building, New York (see figure 9), to mass housing, that was and is cheap, yet functional. This International Style that ’14 Bauhaus Books’ boasts to belong to a collection millions of posters , magazine covers, and furniture designs. Always with its’ main aim to better daily life through technology, for â€Å"not the product the but man is the end in view† (Naylor, 1968,p. 156).