Physical Therapy Assistant Essay Example for Free

Physical Therapy Assistant Essay Under the observation of a Physical Therapist, a Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) works to help patients recover from injuries or disabilities within the body. A few exemplifications of their line of work include balance training, exercise, electrical stimulation, massage, ultrasound therapy, and mechanical traction. However, seeing as they are still just assistants, PTA’s must very thoroughly document and report everything they do and turn in their paper work to their overseeing therapist. Although the position is one of a mere apprentice, they are not required to hold a license, but there are several other qualifications needed. Education is the first step to certification. A basic two-year Associates degree is needed. This can be obtained through Murray State College in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. There are two different components that fit into the degree: classroom studies and clinicals. Under the education part of the degree, you would take several courses during your two year term, including rehabilitation, psychology, physiology, kinesiology, and terminology, and anatomy. Other courses include orthopedics, advanced physical therapy procedures, and pathology. Overall, sixty hours of educational course credits are needed. In the second section of studies, you are required to have working experience in the field. These clinicals occur within the second year of your education. Whether it is in a treatment center of some sort or a professional Physical Therapy business matters not, only that you have the experience needed, and in most cases, 2,000 working hours. Seeing as this would put you directly in contact with other people in a medical field, you would be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the basics of first aid. On a side note, since you are in the occupation of physical therapy assistance, you yourself as the therapy assistant should be in good or excellent condition. Oftentimes, the assistant has to work with the patients and help them with mobility, therefore, there is a high necessity to have a physically maintained body as well. After you have secured your Associates degree and completed your physical therapy assistant program with credits, you have become eligible to apply for and take the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE). This test is administered by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. One way that you can help prepare yourself for the exam is by joining professional organizations. Not only would the groups make you look good, they would also offer many network opportunities and benefits in the future. Earning credentials also allows for more preparedness. For example, joining the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) requires a substantial number of extra experience hours and approximately a year of work before admission. This would give someone a very good head start when it comes to studying for the test. Once you feel prepared enough, you may take your exam. If passed, the graduate may then carry on with their certification of completion for the Physical Therapy Assistant. With this license, you can now go out into the medical field, get your own job as a certified physical therapist assistant, and thrive with the degree and job you love.

Defining And Analysing Business Ethics Philosophy Essay

Defining And Analysing Business Ethics Philosophy Essay Ethics is similar value and moral, in business ethics are doing something and decision, that not right or wrong, it is depend on people how to treat and feel it. In business, all care about is money, it will done everything because of money. They even not care about to do that thing have moral or not. They just think about that done about have valuable or not. Business ethics is doing not have correct or wrong, it is depend how much you can covered by your conscience. Define the follow Concepts: In business ethics, there have five concepts, which are contractual rights, ethics of virtue, legal rights, principles of fair equality opportunity, and utilitarianism. Those concepts can to guide or to be an example for the business to conduct. Contractual rights is the rights based on the contract, either one party of the contract breach the contract, the other party can to sued the breach of contract. It is an agreement between two or more people mutual benefit but do not necessarily involve in mutual supportiveness. The right is based on the contract, if the contract does not have mention about, then might not can to sue the other party because in this theory is based on the contractual rights. No contract, no agreement, and then no right to complain or sue the other party. In business, everything is made by the contract that can secure both party benefit and loss. Contractual right can to secure people have the right to made contract and sue people who is breach of contract. Both parties have the right to sue other party based on the contract. For example, buyer and the seller, they have to sign a contract for seller must have supply A4 paper 1000 sets. Buyer has the right the sue seller because supply A3 paper to them, instead of A4 paper. Both party have right to sue each other if they have something are not followed by the contract. Or the seller can sue the buyer if the buyer is late or do not have pay the installments. Ethics of virtue is an approach to ethics that rule, and particular acts focus on the kind of people who acting. Ethics of virtue is the person when is a kid, parents or people who relative to effect the person. Ethics of virtue is important for business ethics because in business people must trust other people. And the trust is come from the virtue ethics. Ethics of virtue is that value and characteristic on the person, is based on the person culture, background, moral, and value. Obligation is not morally sufficient for virtue. To compare virtues and moral character is duties or rules and that consequence of actions. In business, businessmen or businesswomen believe that trust. Although they have to sign contract, before this action, they must have a trust between each other. Some of the business is do not have use contract, they use trust to their each other, such as allow owing the money for doing the business. If do not have any trust for the business party or other party, it might make the business hard to conduct. They are allow to owing money is not a small amount, if they each other do not have trust between them. How come a person to believe and allow to owing the money? For example, to do a business must have a virtue ethics, such as be honest. Nowadays, to do businesses are cannot to cheat other party, customers already to be smarter, they are know you are cheating them. Once they are known you are cheating them, they are not to deal with you anymore. They would not to do a business with a dishonest businessman, and it will to spoil the business images because the person who deals with you, they will spread out what you did. This ethics theory should be right based that legal rights are that legal guaranteed power available to a legal. It can claims to rights, such as property, work, privacy, speak, and clean environment. Such as people have the right have a clean and good environment to live, they have right to live in a good environment. But some of the people to spoil and dirty up the environment, such as thrown rubbish in river, spitting, and so on. People have the right to live in a good environment, maybe some of the people are not like to live in good and clean environment but they have no right to discourage other people have right to live in good and clean environment. In business, right do not have correct or wrong, there are only have positive and negative right. Positive right is that right is good for anyone; negative right is that might have some of people do not thing that is good or bad for anyone. Such as, a people smoke not right or wrong, in the smoker, they have a right to smoke, but for people who surround the smoker have the right do not have breathed in the second smoke. Positive right is smoker has a right to smoke, the negative right is people have a right to choose does not breathe in the secondhand smoke. For example, people have a right to sell or not to anyone. Businessmen have their own right to decide to sell what kind of product, and they have right to selling to whom. Unfortunately, government have to interfere with the business, no one can to in charge the business without government. But businessmen have the right to choose which party they want to collaborate with. Principles of fair equality of opportunity is mean everyone have a fair enough opportunity in every fields. To be fair or have an equality of opportunity that should have not any discrimination, include culture, religion, race, gender, age, and so on. Have an equality opportunity is very difficult to gain and it have happened in everywhere. Hard to prevent or avoid this thing happened. If to fair enough to everyone, it will to make happened more because to given more chance to everyone to try to do. More chance to try that can have more answer at all. In business, company or businessmen are discrimination of gender, age, culture, race, and so on to hiring or dealing with. Discrimination people might get sued by the people. For example, a company to hire a staff cannot to depend on the staff background, culture, region, and gender; it might get sued by the candidate. Or a business deal because of the gender or race. Many businesses were done by the gender, it might consider as bribe. Some kinds of businesses are not dealing with women, because discrimination women capable, they are doubt women capable. Have an equality of opportunity that can to help the business going up, maybe the people who are discriminated by the person, they can maximum the job, to done as well. Different people have different capable, should to give a chance for everyone, just for done as well in the job. Also that do not discrimination any position of job, even a cleaning worker is important for a company. Utilitarianism is takes into consideration opportunity cost and benefit, and to give satisfaction to other. It should choose the option that brings greater to most people. It can to maximum the good and minimum the harm, and it has to decide what is good. There have two types of utilitarianism which is act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. Act utilitarianism is performing that act to leads to greatest good for greatest, it is use an action to greatest to people, such as charity, donation, and so on. Each individual action is to be evaluated directly utility principle. In business it will do the charity and something for social responsibility in order to build a good image to the company. For example, a company to give salary to the worker in return working for company, the salary for the workers is very important because the money can to give they eat, sleep, drink, clothes, and even to pay the daily use expenses. It is to greatest good and to give greatest for most people. To using an action to give a happiness to people, such as donate money to beggar. Other utilitarianism is rule utilitarianism; it is based on the rule to give the greatest people. Rule have significant place, and cannot be compromised for protect at all. It is behavior that evaluated by rules, if universally followed would lead to the greatest good for the greatest. For example, to give a greastest based on the rule, it might as the law. Only the rule can to protect, secure, and to give the greatest, it will help to give a good thing. The rules are come from the law, and the law will secure the benefit for everyone. In business, businessmen or businesswomen use the rule to secure their business. Such as, the method to do business is very important, need to understand the rule of different business, or sign contract. In conclusion, the concepts of ethics are example to give businessmen or businesswomen know that to do business must have conscience, and that also nowadays the thing do not have. Five concepts have business ethics that are contractual rights, ethics of virtue, legal rights, principles of fair equality of opportunity, and utilitarianism. QUESTION 2 2. Do you agree with the claims that (i) future generations have no rights, and (ii) the future generations to which we have obligations actually include only the generation that will immediately succeed us? Explain your answer. If you do not agree with these claims, state your own views and provide arguments to support them. Introduction: What is Right? Rights are an equitable that can have it to everyone that is a power to everyone. Everyone have a power to decide their own things how to going on. For a company they have copyrights that to prevent other company to copy they product packaging or logo. Human have a rights to choose what they want actually, even a kid also have a rights to choose what they want. But many people are like to decide for everyone, they are discouraging people to choose what they want, such as parent, friends, and sibling. Do Not Agree Future Generations have No Right I am not agree future generations have no rights, everyone come to this world should have their own rights. For future generations also, they have their own rights to decided by themselves. Parents should try to let children to make decision, maybe decision is wrong, and at least, the decision is decided by them. They are not regret about the wrong decision. Future generations should have rights to choose what they are wanted actually. Future generations are our future hope, should to bring a best thing to them. Education, future generations have own opinion, perception, and they have rights to selection or decide what they future. Such as parents to arrange the children go to other country to further study, or to disallow the children to choose what they want. Parents are not consider the child do not want to go oversea for further study. Some of parents will interfere with children study, maybe the children are like to draw, and have talent to draw, want to be artist, but parents hope the child to be an accountant or be professional, do not like a child to be artist. To stop the child dream but the child has rights to decide what career they want. Many workers are not satisfying their job because they doing the job are not they like. Maybe some workers are forced by parents; they are not hope to do so. Have a lot of people will to do what the parents hope, after that, they will change the career, or even go to study again for interest. Furthermore, nowadays people have educated, they know what are they can to have and right. They would not to keep quiet; they are known what rights they have. Formerly, government are controlled publish the truth and information to the citizens for prevent citizens know what right they should have. Nowadays, citizens can to know and find out the truth and information through the internet. Future generations also have the rights to choose what the choices they want, such as they have rights to decide what they want to do, purchase, eat, sleep, and drink. They have to choose by themselves. Parents are very nervous their children, everything are done for children, do not know what children want. Obligation In my opinion, people should to do something to secure future generations have to know and can to keep on to other future generations. The obligations for future generations there are to protection environment and give a freedom selection. Parents or other people cannot to make a decision for the future generations; they have rights to decide by their own. Future generations have the rights live in a good environment that they have a right to choose what environment to live. They have the rights to breath in every air are pure and fresh; do not have any haze mix with the air. Nowadays, water, air and noise are polluted by human; the future generations might not have a good environment for the rest of the life. Besides that, some kind of animals and plants are facing extinct because of human are not save the planet. Human are always wasted natural resource and to polluted environment. Air pollution, future generations have rights to choose what air to breath in, they have rights to decide how fresh the air breath in, but children might need to wear mask for prevent breath in that air are destroying their lung. Have a lot of the mill, factory, manufactures are doing some kind of business that polluted air. To burn the chemical in order for produce the product, and the haze will spread out and in the air. Water pollution, water is very important for our life that is cannot lack of. Has a lot of the company using water to conduct business, at same time, the company is the most pollute water. Such as, company thrown some liquid have chemical in the rivers or seas. Besides polluted water, people are wasted water. Water on earth that only have 1/3 water is can to drink, 2/3 water is cannot drink that is salt water. If human waste or polluted water, in future, the future generation might do not have clear water for drink, even will have a war caused by water. Noise pollution, noise pollution is very effect people think and emotion. The sound will make people going in bad emotion because the sound too noise. Such as, developer to building house nearby the school or surround the houses, the sound effecting the student study when developer to building the house, sure have come out some of the sound. Future generations have right to having a quiet and nice environment to study or live in. They would not hope have a noise sound surround their life. Animals and plants extinct, future generations have rights to know, discovery, see, and explore animals and plants, but nowadays, animals and plants are very rare, almost going to extinct. Animals and plants going to extinct because businessmen or businesswomen to mining trees, sure the trees will die and animals are loss shelter and die also. Future generations have right to know and see the animals, soon and later, future generation may not know how a trees or animals look. The obligation for environment is protection environment. For water, people should do not waste water, overuse or wasted. Company should not throw the cabbage or chemical liquid thrown in the rivers or seas. Company should to reduce the products are destroy through the air. Or use something can to replace that chemical which are release on the air. Such as air-conditioner have release a gas that destroy atmosphere to be thin enough, after that the UV light will directly come in the earth and human, animals, and planet will die caused of the UV light. Nowadays, air-conditioner release that gases are replace by another gas that do not have destroy our atmosphere. To prevent the developer developing the building make the noise, they should to developing the building is making sure done everything. Such as the building was built up already, and if some of the houses need to decoration the houses should to decoration when the building not yet allow people stay in. to reduce the noise, or the machine changes to silent machine. Animals and plants extinct because of the human mining trees after did not to re-plant in on the jungle. It is made the animals and plant extinct. Human should re-plant on the plant which is mined. Resources, businessmen or businesswomen are should not to wasted and use up the natural resource. Future generations have rights to use the natural material, but nowadays have a lot for natural materials are almost used up. The obligation of the human are to reuse the materials, such as recycle paper, tin, and so on. Do not wasted the natural materials, and to be more environmental protection. Such as recycle, reuse, and to be vegetarian to reduce the natural materials will be used up. In conclusion, future generations should have rights to choose what they want to do for future, such as education. And future generations have rights own any best environment and resource. Human should have obligations to take care and to succeed.

Picasso - Cultural Expression :: essays research papers

Picasso was arguably the most influential artist of the twentieth century. He had some degree of influence in all styles of painting which were used during his time, and was known and respected by almost every art enthusiast on the face of the planet. Pablo Picasso, born Pablo Ruiz y Blasco, came into the world on the 25th of October 1881 in the southern Spanish town of Malaga. Pablo was an artist from early in his life – he was a child prodigy. He began his career as a classical painter. He painted things such as portraits and landscapes. But this style didn’t satisfy Picasso, he was a free man and wanted to express himself and ultimately leave a lasting mark on art as we know it. Picasso turned his attention to cubes. He invented Cubism – a radical art form which used harsh lines and corners to display a picture instead of the usual soft curves (see enclosed picture no. 1). Picasso won a lot of fame for his Cubist paintings, but was criticized for it also. He designed and painted the drop curtain and some giant cubist figures for a ballet in 1917. When the audience saw the huge distorted images on stage, they were angry, they thought the ballet was a joke at their expense. Cubism lived on despite this. Other artists mimicked Picasso’s Cubism, and it took hold. Picasso had only just begun his one-man art revolution. In the late 1920s, Picasso fixed himself upon an even more revolutionary art form – Surrealism. Surrealism emphasized the role of the unconscious mind in creative activity. Surrealists aimed at creating art from dream, visions, and irrational impulses. Their paintings shocked the world – particularly Picasso’s – it was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. Picasso saw his newly found art form as a kind of â€Å"painted literature† or sign language. He took advantage of this fact and also the fact that he was extremely famous, to make a few political statements, statements that would go down in history. 1936 saw the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. Fascist revolutionaries, led by Francisco Franco took hold of Spain and imposed a fascist dictatorship upon the country. Due to poor economic control and disregard for the people on the part of the Fascists, the country went through hell. The unemployment rate was phenomenal. The majority of the population were peasants and lived in appalling conditions.

Alternative Fuel Source :: essays research papers

In one year, America will have exhausted 80% of her petroleum reserves. Will we then go to war with the Arabs for the privilege of driving our cars? Will we strip-mine our land for coal and poison the air we breathe to drive our autos an additional 100 years? Will we raze our forests for our energy needs? I certainly hope our country will never come to those conclusions. However, someone must make a conclusion – hopefully toward an alternate fuel source. The fuel source I would propose is biomass fuel derived from hemp.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hemp is the world’s most versatile plant. It actually improves the soil in which it grows, without chemical fertilizers, while choking out weeds by virtue of its fast dense growth. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, over a twenty year period one acre planted with hemp produces as much pulp as 4.1 acres of trees. Farming hemp at such a fast rate is the key to providing large enough amounts of raw biomass at costs low enough to enable cellulose (the hydrocarbon provider necessary for fuel production) to recapture lost markets. This versatility has led people to believe it is the only biomass resource capable of making America energy independent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is only one catch: the federal government prohibited the growth of hemp in 1938. There were also theories that the major energy industries of the late 30s collaborated to ensure a petroleum-based energy market. Regardless of laws, let us consider hypotheticals. Farmers would be practically guaranteed profit if they could grow hemp for biomass. It also would not take long for a measly 6% of the American landmass to start cultivating hemp – enough to replace our economy’s dependence on fossil fuels.

Urine Therapy :: Health Medicine Papers

Urine Therapy At the end of the winter of 1996, something historic occurred. During that February in India, the First World Conference on Urine Therapy took place. Scholars around the world gathered together to discuss the age-old practice of "urine therapy." Although urine therapy had been around for thousands of years, it had fallen into obscurity over the last century. Now, urine therapy was officially back in business. So what exactly was this alternative practice that dealt with one’s own bodily fluid? And how does it help? What are the claims of effectiveness? What does the scientific and medical world have to say about it? How does it work? Does it work? These, were the questions that demanded discussion. What is urine therapy? The basic definition of "urine therapy" is using (your own) urine internally or externally as a way to aid or sustain your health. Urine therapy, which includes drinking, injecting, massaging with-, and/or bathing in- urine, is an ancient practice that is used today, not only in times of sickness, but also in times of good health for preventive health maintenance. It has been claimed to have proven helpful in a great number of varying illnesses, ranging from a simple cold and a throat-ache, to tuberculosis and asthma, from minor skin problems such as itching to major skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis and even skin cancer. But you probably ask, "How can your own urine benefit your health? Besides, isn’t it toxic?" Urine as a lifesaver: During the NBC Nightly News on October 16, 1992, Tom Brokaw reported that, "In Egypt, rescue workers found a 37-year old man alive in earthquake rubble. He survived almost 82 hours by drinking his own urine. His wife, daughter and mother would not and they died" (http://www.all-natural.com/urine.html ). We’ve all heard stories of individuals who have either lived or died by being trapped in places without food or water for days. In those stories, the survivors were always the ones that drank their own urine. The ones that died probably could not overcome the misguided thoughts that urine is an unhealthy waste product of the body. But it’s not; urine is simply a substance that the body does not need at the time, and a substance that the body secretes. And sometimes, it’s a lifesaver. What’s in urine? Urine, 95% of which is water, 2.5% of which is urea, and 2.5% of which is a mixture of minerals, salts, hormones, and enzymes, is not a toxic waste product.

Customer Service in the Transport Logistics

The South African transport industry is one that is changing. In terms of Customer service there are certain companies that are excelling and are able to provide service that gains them a greater measure of customer satisfaction. Good customer service is an integral part of any business or organization. The process of managing stock, warehouse inventory, and freight transportation is at the heart of logistics. Logistics is the management and coordination of moving inventory from its origination to its ultimate destination. The goal of a logistics team is to find a way to do this process in the most streamlined, cost efficient method possible. The overall High costs in the logistics industry though are a cause for concern as they hinder the ability of organisations to provide maximum efficiency, to their customers thus not achieving maximum customer service. We will discuss what customer service is and its importance in the transport industry. We will look at the challenges facing the South African Transport industry as well as current developments going into the world cup and what these developments mean for the future of the South African transport industry. Customer Service is defined by Vogt and Pienaar as â€Å"the integrated series of activities between a supplier and a buyer, which enhance the sale and facilitate the effective use of the suppliers’ products. When rendered effectively, customer service is the overriding logistics supply chain function that can create demand and retain loyalty. In a broader sense customer service is the measure of how well the logistics system is performing in providing time and place utility for a product or service (Pienaar & Vogt; 2009, 25). According to Christopher and Peck (2003) customer service includes points of contact between a supplier and buyer also including tangible and intangible elements. Logistics performance is extremely important in achieving customer satisfaction. Importance of Customer service The importance of customer service in any organisation and the transport industry as a whole cannot be over emphasized. Customer service is the most critical aspect of the whole supply and distribution chain (Ron). According to Karl it has been proven in surveys that most customers do not come back to certain business establishment because of the indifferences they might have had with the owner, manager and employees regardless if they like the product or service the business renders. Every business management must recognize the reality that customer service is imperative in the success of the business. This ensures customer loyalty and commitment to the business. The company’s ability to focus on customers needs rather than on their own will ensure that company is cost effective and efficient at all times. Characteristics of customer service in transportation There are a number of factors that make up customer service and specifically for the transport industry these include, dependability, time in transit, flexibility of mode chosen, loss and damage performance of the mode, and ability of the transport to adapt to the changing customer needs. (Craig, 2004) Most customers are more interested about receiving their delivered goods on time than whether the person delivering the goods has a cheerful face. Successful companies try to under-promise and over deliver in terms of delivery time. This allows the firms to capture their customers ensuring that the company’s reputation is not jeopardized so firms need to ensure that their lead times are accurate. Customer service excellence is about reliability and consistency. Reliability means that the suppliers commitment to maintain a promised delivery schedule and to advise customers if deliveries subsequently cannot be made on time. This shows that the suppliers are reliable and keep the customer at ease. It is better to switch to a more expensive but reliable supplier than to rely on a relatively inexpensive but erratic supplier. Customer satisfaction is highest when a customer knows they can rely on their goods to be delivered at the specified time and that the goods will be delivered. Companies such as Manline offer customers the service of being able to track their goods in transit through a customer call centre where they can monitor their cargo through real time satellite tracking of their vehicles. Such services allow customers to be more at ease. In South Africa overall this is a concern in the transport industry as the rate of hijacking is high and thus the risk of goods not arriving is high. This means that in South Africa it is imperative that an organisation gets the best security technology in order to meet customer needs. The amount of time in-transit is another important element in customer service within the transport industry. Goods need to be transported and delivered as quickly as possible as customers need their cargo on hand as soon as possible. The flexibility of any mode of transport is another important element in customer service. If an organisation is to provide the best service they need to react to a customer’s changing needs. In the South African transport industry it is sometimes difficult for there to be immediate changes in customer requirements as the most used mode of transportation is road transportation. This means that service delivery in any other form is sometimes difficult or unreliable. The idea is to move goods as quickly, efficiently and cost effectively as possible. JIT (Just-In-Time) deliveries are a powerful force in the modern epoch. Deliveries are getting smaller but more frequent. We are moving into a situation where there is a continuous flow of goods from source to final delivery. Those carriers who are able to adapt to the changes in the market and accommodate a wide set of logistical competencies will be the winners in the new age of transport. Traditional haulers must change their ideas of what industry they belong to and face the challenges of the new order. Fast-moving, 2005) Challenges affecting customer service in South Africa Within the last couple of years the country has been able to address some of the issues within the transport industry, though there is still much that needs to be addressed. There have been various challenges that have and still face South Africa’s growing transportation and physical distribution industry. One of those challenges is that with increased globalization the local industry has to compete wi th foreign industry. Customers want the most reliable yet inexpensive way of transporting their goods and foreign companies are doing this, making it difficult for local companies to stay relevant. Another major challenge which has been addressed to an extent by some companies and aspects of the transport industry is that of technology. Customers want to know the exact specifications of the transportation of their goods. They want to know time of departure, time of arrival, amount of time in transit, and even the route of transit. This then means that the best tracking technology is required. In South Africa this high technology has been slow in infiltrating the transport industry. Devices for tracking and monitoring load carriers using real time satellite tracking is not something that is widely used in the industry. A good example of a company that is doing this though is Manline . This Company has set up a 24-hour control centre operated by fleet trackers that constantly monitor all vehicles and also to apply effective route rationalizing techniques and maximize vehicle productivity and utilization. (Manline 2010). According to the findings of the ‘Research Report for the Infrastructure Inputs Sector Strategy’, commissioned by the Presidency, and compiled by Sudeo International Business consultants. One of the other major challenges facing the South African Transportation industry going into 2010 is that freight volumes travelling by all modes of transport will have to be suppressed for the duration of the world cup. This will have considerable impact on the logistics industry as a whole. Ways to improve and Developments in 2010 The challenges that face the South African industry are ones that can be remedied. The 2010 World cup in South Africa has become a catalyst event in developments in the country and the transportation industry as it is one of the most integral parts of achieving efficient customer delivery and thus achieving high customer satisfaction. An important component of ultimate improvement would be making on-time deliveries every time. When a product is ready for use, the clock starts to count down how long it will take to complete the cycle from completing the manufacturing of a product to the consumption of that product. The longer it takes to get the product into the hands of the consumer, the more money a company loses. It is important that the products are delivered quickly and on time to the customers in order to maintain the company’s customers and keep them loyal. So how does one streamline this process? By implementing a logistics plan of action, a company can do just that. Larger manufacturers will hire a logistics team that is responsible for the routing of goods from the company, to the freight transportation company, and finally to the end client. They will have a database system to track all inventory. They will monitor inventory levels to make sure that a backlog of supply occurs. An additional responsibility of transportation and logistics specialist is to account for accurate transportation times. It is vital for companies to be able to rely and trust that their shipments will arrive in a timely manner. Being well organized accounts for much of this success, but the ability to transport the shipments quickly is also important. Because the country's infrastructure has improved with better maintained highways and interstates, transportation times have decreased. Freight transportation is more reliable now because companies can more accurately predict when a shipment will arrive. Some trucking companies will even guarantee the precise day and hour that a delivery will be made. This is very important because customer satisfaction is often based around on-time deliveries and accurate accounting of merchandise. This has also helped to reduce the cost of shipping freight, since trucking companies now have reliable, more direct routes to utilize. It indirectly affects cost because better roads create less wear and tear on shipping vehicles. It is important for the organization to answer all e-mail and phone calls from customers within an hour. If possible, the owner of the business, personally take care of the problem. This will show that the organization cares about customers and will improve the service quality of the organisation. This is an important area of improvement in South Africa as clients would be able to trust load carriers as they would be in constant contact. It will give customers peace of mind if they can continuously monitor their cargo themselves and also stay in contact with their company. The organisation should offer as many contact methods as possible. Allow customers to contact you by e-mail. Hyperlink the e-mail address so customers won't have to type it. Offer toll free numbers for phone and fax contacts. Some trucking companies have contact numbers written on their trucks so that the customers can be able to contact that particular company when they need their service. The organisation should invite customers to company meetings, luncheons, workshops or seminars in the meeting the manager can inform the customers about when the products will be available in the market because it is important to give customers more than they expect. Create special events for the customers like parties, barbecue's, dances etc. This will make them feel important when the company include them in regular business operations and special events (Larry Dotson, 2004) If a logistic team only concentrates on reducing freight cost, they could potentially lower customer service quality. Therefore, the goal of a logistics manager, or third party administrator, is to find a balance between cost and customer satisfaction. They must also be able to provide accurate tracking information, correctly estimate shipping cost, and be able to calculate delivery dates and times. By being organized, keeping cost low for the clients, and by making on time deliveries, freight management can help control the overall customer satisfaction of their clients. Reducing cost in freight transport is great, but if you can improve customer service at the same time, that’s even better. Logistics software can help reduce costs in freight transportation and logistics while improving customer service quality. (Barone, 2003) In the South African industry research shows that there should be plans to shift back to rail-freight and reduce that of road as the overall cost of damage to roads will eventually filter down in costs to the customer. Although currently there are greater cost savings and cost competition in using road freight. Measuring Customer Service. Measuring customer service in logistics for any organization is crucial to determine whether the organization is doing what the customers are expecting. The needs of the customers differ to a large extent and the reason being is not all customers are treated the same. Since the needs of the customers differ to a large extent, organizations end up knowing so little in general about the customers’ real requirements hence they end up setting the service levels that are too high and hence too costly (Ballou, 1978). The high service levels result also in higher distribution costs and therefore the overall price of a product. Even though the aim of any organization is to meet the needs of each and every customer, the organizations should however try to generalize about customer service as much as possible to drive down the costs. The problem that is encountered while trying to measure the customer service is what factors to measure exactly. There has always been a contradiction on whether the service levels should be determined by the customers or be set by the organizations. The firms normally select factors that are easier to measure such as order handling, order picking times whereas customers might be interested or concerned about the order transmittal and delivery which tend to be more difficult to measure. Therefore to determine those factors or aspects that the customers value the most, the organizations normally use the performance model (Murphy and Wood, 2004). The performance model is a questionnaire that the customers fill on receipt of their orders; its main objective is to determine the percentage of times the firm accomplishes specific goals and objectives. Managers normally set some visible goals against which performance can be measured. These come in two forms; standards and policy statements (Ballou, 1978). The managers might for example set a standard whereby the target is to ensure a 95% in-stock rate, filling customer orders within 24 hours of receipt or a one day order cycle time for all customers staying close to the organization. Against these standards managers can be able to tell if they are meeting and exceeding the customer service levels the organization had set. I should be further noted that it is inefficient and costly to provide more service than the customer expect or requires hence the firm should try to meet to break-even. Some companies take customer service seriously in a sense that they even have the written printed statements. The policy statements promise the customers that the company intends to act in a specified way with regard to service. There are five ways in which the organizations measure or test the customer service levels (Gwilliam M, 2008). Firstly, if the organization is able to fill the orders then it must be meeting the customers’ expectations. Normally the acceptable standard is the 95% fill rate whereby it is only 5% of the time when there is stock out. Secondly it is the delivery of the goods on time. It is vital to measure how fast the organization can deliver the products that have been ordered. If most of the time the goods are not delivered at the targeted date then major changes need to be done. Furthermore, it is important to measure how successfully the customers’ concerns can be resolved. Since the customers use the enquiries to express their concerns, the proportion of the number of customer enquiries that have been effectively resolved can be used as a means of measuring customer service given the number of enquiries that have been received. Another way to measure customer service can be how quick the organization responds to the customers’ mails, emails, and phone calls. If the organization is able to respond to the customers within 24 hrs than the level of customer service is up to standard. The last way of measuring the customer service in logistics is by letting the customer decide. The customers can let the organization know if it is fulfilling the needs of its customers. The customer surveys that focus on the customer service issues can be conducted and from the response of the customer surveys the organization can be able to improve on the areas that the customers are not happy with. Once the level of customer service is known it becomes easier to control it. When the level of customer service is below the standard the customers become dissatisfied, however if the level of customer service is above or exceed what the customers require it increases the costs of the organization. Control is therefore defined as a process of taking corrective action when measurement indicates that the goals or objectives of customer service are not being achieved. For example, if the delivery targeted dates are not met there might be a need of changing the mode of transport or simply the route being used. Firstly the service level standards are set, and then the actual is compared to the standard. If there is a variation then the corrective measures need to be done so that the standard is met. At times the reason why the standard is not met is because it was set too high that it cannot be matched, in this case the standard itself needs to be revised. Conclusion â€Å"The success of South Africa’s infrastructure growth challenges will be dependent on the ability of logistics infrastructure and, in particular, transportation, to cope with the demands placed on it. †(Engineering news, 2007). In the future the quality of customer service will be the main determining factor in the survival of a company as customers become more aware of product offerings that will suit them. The transportation industry in South Africa is changing, with greater emphasis being placed on the customer and their level of satisfaction. This will bring a greater move forward in the industry that will see South Africa competing on the world stage in terms of transportation. Customer service is vital to the survival of any company, organisation or industry and establishing and implementing customer service policies that work is what will lead organisations and industries to greater growth and success.

Mary Wigman

Mary Wigman: Witch Dance Word Count: 1120 Through her simplification and breaking down of theatrical and aesthetic dance, Mary Wigman stands as one of the most inspirational figures of 20th century dance. Her unique use of theatrical elements such as masks, sound, costume and movement created an evolution of dance that was never seen before. Her use of the character, The Witch, changed the world’s views on dance forever, and inspired a revolution of artistic quality all around Europe.In this essay I will discuss whether or not The Witch in Wigmans work stands as an interpretation of her role in society, and her aspirations for future dance forms. Mary Wigman’s Witch Dance epitomized the breaking away from conventional concepts and traditions. Through her modernistic choreography she captured the true essence of dance. There was no conformity or theatricality to it. Instead, she used elements that would speak directly to the audience (Muller, 1986, pp. 173-184). The arch aic image of the witch expressed the elements of Wigman’s own identity.She expresses her modernistic identity in her breaking away of the social and cultural boundaries that besieged her time error. She also physically identifies herself as a witch, absorbing the viewer with the magical essence of her imagination. Through her movements she was able to personify this strong presence of the witch (Gunhild, 1992, pp. 35-49). She stressed the common association of the image of a witch with that of fear and apprehension of losing control over both body and mind.This fear was created to be extended to the audiences watching the piece (Chritiane & Finnan, 2006, pp. 76-84). One of Wigman’s most praised techniques in dance was her use of breathing. She believed that a dancers expression could be built to a climax simply through the pace and tone of their breathing. Through inhalation and exhalation the dancers were able to create both tension and tranquility. In addition to thi s her dance techniques were also highly revolutionary.Wigman did not believe that dance should be performed merely for entertainment purposes (Chritiane & Finnan, 2006, pp. 76-84). She diverged herself from the conventional practices of dance, such as ballet, and formed her own unique dance language that stripped away the aesthetic movement that was generally accepted at the time. The movement which she used in her pieces was unrestricted and she made use of percussion instead of traditionally orchestrated aesthetic music (Muller, 1986, pp. 173-184).This made the audience focus more on the properties of the dance itself then the external features of it. Wigman’s dances hypnotized the viewer with its powerful yet highly abstract choreography. Her use of repetitive gestures in her choreography helped to carve their cultural roles. She broke away from conventions by pulling away from the aesthetics of ballet. She did this by avoiding following fixed choreography, dancing barefoo t and using eccentric music and percussion (Gunhild, 1992, pp. 35-49).The cultural context in which Mary Wigman’s lived was a very restricted and conservative society. Wigman grew up in Germany during the Weimer republic. This was a time of extreme change in Germany. Ausdruckstanz had been ubiquitous in Germany from the start of the 20th century, and there was a definite cultural and social revolution taking place. Along with this was the reign of feminism taking place worldwide. These ideologies and social changes showed up significantly in Wigman’s choreography. Before Wigman, dance was primarily based on sexuality (Jiyun, 2007, pp. 27-437). Exoticism was instrumental in the audiences appeal to it. Wigman broke away from these ideals by performing characters which held modernistic significance (Muller, 1986, pp. 173-184). Before Wigman, women were often portrayed in dance as modest and simple characters. Wigman changed this view by primarily using female dancers and depicting females as strong and powerful beings. Wigman’s performances challenged the static social dynamics of the time. She created an atmosphere of respect between the female dancers and herself.She allowed for a strong female subject in her pieces that provided females, who were previously oppressed, with a firm identity and place in society. Previously, male choreographers had objectified woman in their choreography. Wigman aimed at individualizing women and breaking away from the sensual image that they previously conformed to (Valerie & Lahusen, 1990, pp. 8-10). Wigman’s choice of using the witch figure in her choreography was partly influenced by her attempt to emphasize the roots of dance and highlight feminist ideals.Through her dances she strove to elevate her art to a new culture and change her own identity to that of a goddess. The witch figure stood as a solution to the concept of Ausdruckstanz (Valerie, 1998, pp. 298-304). This concept introduced a confl iction between the desire to have their dance accepted by society but maintain a strong level of originality at the same time. Wigman’s dance focused primarily on raw and natural movement to truly capture the fresh expressiveness of her work.Through her work she hoped to portray a new vision of life. She wanted her work to be characterized by its dark and somewhat masculine nature. She explored the different ways in which the body could express itself (Valerie & Lahusen, 1990, pp. 8-10). She tried to use freedom of movement in expressing her sensuality and accepted that improvisation was the first step toward composition. The important thing about Wigman’s choreography was that even those who misunderstood it were inspired by the energy of her performances.The audience seldom failed to recognize the energy and life in Wigman’s choreography (Gunhild, 1992, pp. 35-49). The witch in Wigmans choreography represented the overcoming of human mortality and deficiencies through her new religion of dance. The dances were not sets of beautifully displayed images, but were created through disfigured movement that held no consideration for the viewer’s enjoyment. She ripped the space apart through her dance and engaged in the emptiness and diversity of the space.In conclusion, Wigman played a truly inspirational role in the modernization of dance in the 20th century. It would seem that Kolb’s statement regarding the feminist and demonic quality would be true with regards to the time error that she found herself in. The Witch not only represented woman as a powerful figure, but it highlighted the abstract quality of her dance. Wigman changed the face of dance forever through her diverse and unconventional ways of thinking. The way she broke away from conformist ideals still serves as inspiration to the dance we have today. Works Cited