10 effective networking conversation starters

10 effective networking conversation starters Gone are the days that you just punch a clock from 9 to 5 on Monday through Friday and forget about work when you’re not there. These days, if you’re serious about your career- regardless of what field you’re in- it should always be something you’re working on. This includes managing your professional social media like LinkedIn, joining professional associations in your field and attending events, and working to build your network of colleagues and contacts to help you achieve your goals and climb your career ladder to the very top. Whether you’re currently employed or on the job hunt, networking has become an absolutely essential part of a career toolkit. There’s just too much fierce competition from qualified and capable individuals at all levels who have realized that no one is an island and if they want to set themselves up for success, they need to network and maintain career contacts and leverage them to improve their positions- and you can either join in or get left behind.The Balance published an article that included some compelling stats that highlight the value of networking:70 percent of people in 2016 were hired at a company where they had a connection.80 percent of professionals consider professional networking to be important to career success.35 percent of surveyed professional say that a casual conversation on LinkedIn Messaging has led to a new opportunity.61 percent of professionals agree that regular online interaction with their professional network can lead to the way into possible job opportunities.Okay, so hopefully by now you recognize the value of networking in order to enhance your career trajectory. But are you any good at it? The truth is, some folks are natural schmoozers and seem to be able to network wherever they find themselves, while others among us find it a bit more of a challenge and struggle at times to network effectively. Which camp are you in?Whether you’re a world champi on networker, a total networking newbie, or somewhere in-between, we can all benefit from a little help and some fresh ideas for meeting new people in our industry and making meaningful and lasting connections. It all comes down to how you handle the initial contact- the moment you approach or are approached by a potential contact and unleash your conversation starter- will you shine or shrink?Consider taking advantage of one of the following 10 starters when you find yourself in a potential networking situation.1. Hi, what brings you here today?- Here’s a simple, friendly, and direct question that you can comfortably bring up to any potential contact without throwing them off guard via a difficult curveball question. Although this starter works best at industry-focused events, you can feasibly modify it for nearly any situation.2. What do you do for a living?- Another simple and straightforward conversation starter that can really get the ball rolling if you follow up with g enuine interest in what the other person has to say. Plus, getting to know what the other person does can help you quickly determine how this individual could potentially fit in your networking orbit, which has its obvious benefits.3. Where are you from originally?- It’s almost a universal truism that most people are comfortable with and enjoy talking about their home towns, and it can really open up lots of interesting avenues for continued conversation. You’ll also score some bonus points if you have a common background.4. Hey, do you happen to have any recommendations for restaurants [or bars, or coffee shops] in this neighborhood?- If you’re new in town, or just new to the area in which you’re in, consider asking for a recommendation for something nearby. If the conversation goes well, you can always invite the person along to wherever they recommended.5. How did you hear about this event?- Most people enjoy debriefing about an event they’ve at tended, even while they’re still there. Reach out to someone to get their perspective on the event you’re attending, whether it’s a professional event or a social activity, and be ready for a floodgate of conversation.6. How are you enjoying this [insert event]?- This is a slight variation of the previous conversation starter, and once again a friendly way to engage a new potential contact and initiate a possibly fruitful conversation. Again, the key is to be genuinely interested in the response; people usually know when they’re dealing with someone sincere or not, and the reaction you get will likely be based on how you’re perceived during the early stages of the conversation.7. Hi, I really like your [article of clothing].- What better way to break the ice than with a well-placed compliment? If handled correctly, you can count on the flattered recipient to go into some detail about the item being discussed, and you can take it from there.8. What do you think of this [venue/space/etc.]?- This one works especially well if you’re in an interesting or historical event space, or if there’s some memorable or unusual aspect to the place you’re in. This one’s a pure conversation starter- use it just to break the ice and then move on to other topics.9. I’ve been so absorbed with the latest story about [insert current news event], how about you?- This is a little bit of a tricky one- although engaging someone in a conversation about a topical story in the news can lead to an engaging back and forth, be careful about choosing a â€Å"hot-button† or polarizing issue- if you espouse a strong opinion that the other person doesn’t agree with, you may be dooming your chances of making a long-lasting contact. Bottom line- choose your news event carefully.10. I’m always a little nervous at the beginning of the networking events, especially if I don’t know anyone.- Most people app reciate a little honesty when talking to someone new, and the truth is, if they’re feeling nervous than your mentioning this might help put them at ease and earn you some points with a new potential contact. The humble approach can work wonders, provided you come across as being sincere.There you have it- 10 surefire networking conversation starters that you can use to your advantage when the opportunity arises. After you break the ice, where you take the conversation from there is up to you. Good luck!

The voices of silence by Bel Mooney Essays

The voices of silence by Bel Mooney Essays The voices of silence by Bel Mooney Paper The voices of silence by Bel Mooney Paper The novel The voices of silence by Bel Mooney is set in the country of Romania during the last months of the regime of the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. The story is told from the viewpoint of Flora Popescy, a thirteen-year old school girl who lives with her parents Rodika and Constantin in the capital city of Bucharest. In chapters one to three we are given an immediate insight into the harshness of life under an oppressive government. Floras family lives in great poverty. We realise from Floras dream that even bananas are a delicacy, and a seven-year-old boy requested a banana for his big birthday present. Floras family lives in a twenty-story block, which was due to have new lifts fitted but as the government ran out of money they left the shafts on view. Between each block theres only rough terrain as there is no gardens or even grass. When rain falls puddles collect easily, as there is no drainage system just unfinished ground. Flora describes her flat as tiny with only two rooms, a tiny kitchen and bathroom. The sofa in the flat is her parents double bed at night. It is a damp flat which was evident from Floras description of the dampness that bubbled and sprouted on the walls. Also they have an old wooden draining board which is cracked down the middle. They heat the flat with paraffin but it isnt enough to keep the flat warm. Each day at dawn they have to queue for bread and milk. Sometimes Tata would return with an old bag containing four/five apples, or bacon or just a lump of cheese, which made any of these things a real feast and by our standards shows how what a poor state they really live in. For Floras birthday it was such a treat for her to be served fresh bread and in addition she had two pieces of salami and a little strip of cheese and a fried egg. Flora had one birthday card, which was obviously appreciated because she took great care looking at the decorations the pictures and colours. Also Flora had one present rapped in the same paper their food was wrapped in, yet her mum had drawn and painted moons and stars on it. Flora had a scarf as her only present, she really appreciated it because it was an extravagance not a necessity. Daniel Ghiban had joined the school on the first day back. At lunchtime everyone crowded round him because of what he had on his sandwiches which was proper meat on soft bread and cake. On that day Floras school bag had broken again, she mentioned her mum had already mended it five times before, another example that they cant afford new possessions. Daniel Ghiban stopped to help her pick her stuff and sharpened her pencil with a real sharpener. Flora told Daniel that usually she sharpens with a knife. Daniel wore real jeans, a blue jumper with the schools badge on and trainers, he really stood out from the others because Flora described everyone in school looked the same Drab dark clothes From the opening chapters of the book we also learn a great deal about the political regime. President Ceausescu is a cruel dictator who lives in luxury, while keeping his people in poverty. In chapters two, on Floras birthday, she and her parents go into the city to look at the presidents dreadful, lavish, giant new palace, Her father Constantin seethes anger but dare not voice his opinions aloud in public. We learn very quickly that the citizens of Romania are spied on and that the government tries to control their thoughts and actions. Floras account of how the pupils chant their loyalty to Romania and the beloved president on a daily basis is evidence of the political indoctrination in school. From a early age Flora tells they learned from songs that the president was the father and his wife Elena was the mother. Some examples of characters been nervous of talking about the government are when mama tried shushing Tata from explaining why they are deprived from having certain things. Also Flora was worried when Alys called Old Ceausecu an old monster. This was evident because Flora tried shushing Alys and looking over her soldier to see if anybody had heard. Another point about this is the fact that Daniel was not supposed to tell his friends how he had managed to have decent food, he told his friends in a whisper, which later made Flora nervous of running footsteps behind her. Constantin was suspicious that Daniel had arrived unexpectedly at their flat bringing MMs for Floras birthday. Father said It was not Right because even though he was a school friend he was a stranger, adding people in Romania have to look after themselves and it wasnt normal to send presents to others unless they wanted something in return. From my reading of the novel so far, I understand life in a country like Romania must be very miserable. I think that the thing I would hate most of all would be the fact that you couldnt have any real friend or someone to trust as you have to live a life of secrecy and whispers because you never know who might be listening in on you.

Peer pressure Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Peer pressure - Assignment Example This pressure is not physical pressure or coercion. A person is just compelled to do what the peer group is doing. This happens on a subliminal level and the person feels compelled to join the act even if he or she disagrees. It is a form of persuasion but the person performs the act unwillingly. This phenomenon comes in many forms and mostly teenage students fall prey to this. They do stuff which their friends are doing just for social acceptance. They personally are not willing to do the act but they are mentally forced. People with weak personalities are more susceptible to peer pressure. They quickly give in to pressure of social groups because they want to be the part of them. Smoking is something that is mostly done under peer pressure. The problem with peer pressure is that it comes in a very subtle form. Smoking is an addictive behavior so it just needs a trigger. After a few times the person gets used to smoking and this is one of dangers of peer pressure. The dangers of peer pressure also extend to other forms of addictions and attitudes or actions. Peer pressure is not limited to schools and teenagers. The human need of social acceptance is great. We get in groups because we want to protect ourselves. In groups we feel a sense of protection. Human beings try to hide in groups because they are afraid their deficiencies are disclosed in front of others. The influence of positive remarks or social acceptance is great on human psychology. It raises our self esteem and makes us believe in ourselves. A few positive comments about shoes or clothes can make our day and bad comments are not appreciated by anyone. Why do we behave in such a manner? We do so because we like being liked. We want our friend around us to love us. We want attention and this is another reason why we feel prey to peer pressure. We usually spend our time with different groups and sub groups like family, friends and office

Issues, Challenges and Strategies in Successful Implementation of an Essay - 1

Issues, Challenges and Strategies in Successful Implementation of an HRIS Project - Essay Example Employee recruitment, retention, and motivation are the significant factors that determine the productivity and growth of companies. Hence, immediate access to information regarding the potential candidates and current human resource capital is essential for the effective functioning of a firm. Human resource is the most valuable asset of every firm. HRIS is the recent development which has been widely accepted in organizational functions. However, careful analysis and strategic approach are essential to meet the subsequent issues and challenges. The past few decades have witnessed tremendous changes and innovations in the infrastructure and HR management functions of organizations. Scientific approach and technological advancement have intensified business operations more than ever before. Modern organizations pay great attention to employee retention and other HR functions. Modern technological backup has enabled companies to store every valuable data regarding the employees in its specially designed software. This information system is highly integrated with the enterprise planning (ERP) of a company. The complexity of data collection, reporting, and analysis can be resolved by the effective implementation of HRIS. It not only helps the HR decision-making process but also ensures the company’s legal compliance by maintaining and updating every piece of information. In addition to the advantages of HRIS, I tend to discuss certain challenges and issues that are associated with the implementation of an HRIS project. ERP is the broad system that integrates all information and process in an organization such as manufacturing, HR, supply, financials, customer relations etc; whereas, HRIS is exclusively meant for Human Resource information. When a company plans its ERP project, it must include each and every piece of information related to its overall function.

The Ethical Dimension of Climate Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Ethical Dimension of Climate Change - Essay Example Climate change manifests in skewed vulnerabilities in terms of contributors, affected nations, repercussions, and pattern (Gardiner & Hartzell-Nichols, 2012). Martin firmly believes that the current generation holds the solution to the climate change problem, especially when it comes to ecological and generational justice. He states that all nations have the moral responsibility of protecting the earth through formulating international policies. He states so because any nation that contributes to climate change breaches some standards of responsibility and fairness that spanning generations and nations. In this regard, Martin asserts that the world, particularly developed nations, ought to inculcate responsibility and fairness as serious ethical concerns in climate change. Gardiner,  S.  M.  &  Hartzell-Nichols,  L.  (2012). Ethics and Global Climate Change. Nature Education Knowledge, 3(10), 5. Retrieved from

Financial And Market Analysis Of Premium Economy Business Commerce Essay

Financial And Market Analysis Of Premium Economy Business Commerce Essay In the airlines industry, in order to achieve success in the market competition, superior market players have to generate a good understanding about the underlying demands in the market. Traditionally, airlines provide three major flight classes to the customers, namely economy, business and first class flight and services. With the prosperous economic development and the increasing demand in air travel, the idea of premium economy is introduced and it is now being widely accepted by the airline industry. Premium economy, or maybe called differently by different airline companies, generally offers a wider space and more premium service to passengers, and accordingly, requires a higher ticket price. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the current performance outcomes and the market potential of premium economy business. The first question will be answered with the comparison and analysis of five selected airline companies which have already launched premium economy business during operation. These five airline companies include Qantas, United Airways, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airbus, and ANA. Then based on the performance outcome comparison, the second question will be answered with a further market demands and input-output analysis. 2.0 Premium economy business in the five selected airline companies Premium economy, a niche market strategy widely introduced in long haul market of business travel, is not standardized. In United Airways, the idea of premium economy is called Economy Plus; while in British Airways, it is called World Traveler Plus. Meanwhile, premium economy business is being carried out differently in the five selected airline companies. Some may only provide extra legroom with other service no more different from standard economy; while other airline companies may emphasize a clear distinction from traditional business by introducing priority boarding, excellent on board service and entertainment, etc. 2.1 Qantas premium economy business Premium Economy is available on all Qantas A380 aircraft and selected B747-400 aircraft with selected flights from Sydney to Los Angeles, London, Singapore, Bangkok, Johannesburg, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, San Francisco and New York, and from Melbourne to Los Angeles, London, Singapore and Hong Kong. In Qantas premium economy project, passengers are entitled to benefits such as priority check-in, extra legroom for stretch out and relax, personal TV, laptop power for all premium economy seats, and priority in disembarkation. Qantas has introduced three types of aircraft and twelve scheduled flights to provide premium economy business. Detailed seat information is extracted and analyzed. Averagely, premium economy delivers a 2 extra inches of seat width, 7 extra inches of legroom. However, with an analysis into the seat number, it can be seen that premium economy business is not so widely introduced in Qantas. Averagely, seats for premium economy business just take up 9% of the total available seats in one flight. As to the ticket price for each class, generally, in Qantas, premium economy is generally 80% more expensive than standard economy. And the price for premium economy stays quite the same for the whole month, thus preventing discount for advanced bookings (Qantas, n.d.). 2.2 United Airways premium economy business Premium economy is widely available on 15 types of aircrafts in the United Airways. The flight routes are selected between a variety of North American destinations and Hawaii. In United Airways, premium economy is called as economy plus, which is not a separate class of service but differs from standard economy with up to 3 to 5 inches of extra legroom. Generally, seats for economy plus are located nearer to the front of the aircraft, so that passengers in this section will be served first. Benefits such as priority check-in, personal TV, laptop powers, or priority in disembarkation are not entitled to economy plus passengers. Averagely, premium economy delivers almost the same inches of seat width, 4 extra inches of legroom. With a look into the seat numbers, the total average seats available on these aircrafts are 210, and averagely, seats for premium economy business take up 23.7% (50 seats) of the total available seats. As to the ticket price for each class, generally, in United Airways, premium economy cost much the same with standard economy (United Airways, n.d.). 2.3 British Airways premium economy business Premium economy is called world travelers plus in British Airways, and it is available on 5 types of aircrafts and a variety of flight routes. In British Airways world travelers plus project, passengers are entitled to benefits such as priority check-in, extra legroom for stretch out and relax personal TV, laptop power, and priority in disembarkation. Averagely, premium economy delivers almost the same inches of seat width, 7 extra inches of legroom. With a look into the seat numbers, the total average seats available on these aircrafts are 268, and averagely, seats for premium economy business take up 11.5% (30 seats) of the total available seats. As to the ticket price for each class, generally, in British Airways, premium economy is generally 90% more expensive than standard economy (British Airways, n.d.). 2.4 Virgin Atlantic premium economy business Premium economy is available on 6 types of aircrafts and a variety of flight routes. In Virgin Atlantic premium economy project, passengers are entitled to benefits such as priority check-in, extra legroom for stretch out and relax personal TV, laptop power, and priority in disembarkation. Averagely, premium economy delivers a 4 extra inches of seat width, 7 extra inches of legroom. With a look into the seat numbers, the total average seats available on these aircrafts are 360, and averagely, seats for premium economy business take up 12.6% (45 seats) of the total available seats. As to the ticket price for each class, generally, in Virgin Atlantic, premium economy is generally 46% more expensive than standard economy (Virgin Atlantic, n.d.). 2.5 ANA premium economy business Premium economy is available on 5 types of aircrafts in ANA. The flight routes are selected from Nagoya to Taipei and Tianjin routes, Narita-Hong Kong route, Narita and North America as well as the NRT LHR route. In ANA, premium economy differs from standard economy by providing priority check-in, laptop powers, and priority in disembarkation. Averagely, premium economy delivers almost the same inches of seat width, 4 extra inches of legroom. With a look into the seat numbers, the total average seats available on these aircrafts are 257, and averagely, seats for premium economy business take up 12.3% (32 seats) of the total available seats. As to the ticket price for each class, generally, in ANA, premium economy cost much the same with standard economy (ANA, n.d.). 2.6 Comparison of the premium economy business With the introduction about the five selected airline companies premium economy business, it is noted that all the five companies have provided passengers with up to 7 inches of extra legroom. Additionally, except for United Airways, Qantas, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and ANA have provided extra benefits for check-in/out and on board service. Such benefits can save much time spent on travel and could leave passengers with a good service impression. However, such benefits are provided with the increase in operation costs. Moreover, the adoption levels of premium economy differentiated with each other to a great extent. Among the five airline companies, Qantas has the lowest percentage of premium economy seats to the total available seats at around 9%; while for United Airways, the percentage of premium economy seats to the total available seats is at the highest level around 23.7%. The diversification in product portfolio may generate the problem of cutting costs down. 3.0 Financial performance of the five selected airline companies As no specific revenue information on the premium economy business could be available from the companies released financial reports, comparison of the financial performance for the five airline companies would be carried out with theoretical analysis. For the airline industry, major airlines have long been troubled by the matter of tremendous fixed costs such as the repair and maintenance of the aircraft, overhead costs and the increasing costs of fuels. In order to cover such costs, airline companies need a great number of passengers to meet the break-even point. In calculating the break even points for each airline service product, the companies may generally follow the formulas below (Horngren, Sundem Stratton, 2002) Break even point (for output) = fixed cost / contribution per unit Contribution (p.u) = selling price (p.u.) variable cost (p.u) Break even point (for sales) = fixed cost / contribution (pu) ÃÆ'- selling price (pu) During operation, the companies will try to lower the break even points so that they can maximize their profits. In order to achieve this, companies can get down on the following aspects: control the fixed cost, increase the output units (loaded passengers), or increase the selling price. As to fixed cost control, it mainly involves improvement on internal control and management; while the pricing strategy will be mainly affected by the passenger market. 4.0 Product profitability analysis When making decisions on new product launches, the companies should assess the profitability of current product portfolio, and the potential profits which may be generated with a new product portfolio. Due to the fact that premium economy generally provides passengers with up to 7 inches of extra legroom and above 2 inches of extra seat width, the introduction of premium economy will inevitably lower the fixed cost amortization. However, if the implementation could generate more loaded passengers, then the decline in fixed cost amortization could be subsidized. The impact of decreased fix cost amortization could be measured by assuming that if the same level of product profits be generated, how many loaded passengers are required. With the figures calculated, a market analysis should be carried out to find out whether such target could be achieved. 5.0 Market acceptance and market potential Every individual in the global world could be potential customer to the player. However, due to limitations resulting from factors like geography, operation scales, cost and benefit principal, etc, the player has to narrow down onto series of segment markets and figure out its target customers, and then focus its marketing efforts and its merchandise on the selected areas (Kurtz, 2010). Information about target consumers backgrounds and their complex buying decision making process is an indispensable part of accurate market identification and positioning activity (Nicosia, 1966). The idea of premium economy is firstly introduced to address the increasing demand from business travel. Unlike traditional market strategy which emphasize heavily on price and cost, strategies for premium economy pays more attention to the product and service quality, as in many cases price is not the primary issue for the business traveler. With the help from advanced information technologies such as visual conferencing, instant messaging system, content management system, etc, business can be done with participants locating all around the world. However, when coming to circumstances under which face-to-face interaction is inevitable to the success of the business, air travel, for its convenience and time saving characteristics, will come as the first choice for business travelers. To such targeted business travelers, what they want most from the flight would generally be the comforts and time saving. Traditionally, the time spent on waiting for check-in/out procedures would almost be more than two hours, which may mean quite a huge time cost to the business. Moreover, exhausted by the uncomfortable sitting environment, passengers may take certain time to fresh up their spirit and energy. This may generally have negative impact on their performance. With the introduction of premium economy business, travelers are provided with more space in which they can stretch out regularly and release the pressure so that they will not feel tired after the journey. Moreover, with the priority in check-in and disembarkation, business travelers could save more time for other important issues. With the product being accepted in the market, it should also be figured out the potential market volume. According to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), in 1999, approximately 30 percent of passengers from London to New York were business travelers (1.14 million passengers) (Sky Trails Airline, Ltd, n.d.). If such percentage could be applied to other heated commercial flights, the total market potential could then be analyzed and the product profitability could be worked out accordingly. 6.0 Conclusion With the increasing demand of long haul travel and the increased consumptive power, the introduction of premium economy will become a popular and inevitable trend in the airline industry. In order to make a proper investment decision on product introduction, the airline companies should first work out the break even point of the new product, and then analyze whether such profit could be realized in the current market. Moreover, in introducing the product, the companies should also consider the characteristics and major demands of the passengers and then further tailor the products to their specific needs. List of references ANA, n.d., Premium Economy, viewed 17 August 2010, http://www.ana.co.jp/wws/uk/e/travelservice/reservations/special/py/index.html British Airways, n.d., World Traveler Plus, viewed 17 August 2010, http://www.britishairways.com/travel/world-traveller-plus/public/en_gb Horngren, C, Sundem, G Stratton, W 2002, Introduction to Management Accounting, Prentice Hall, London. Kurtz, DL 2010, Contemporary Marketing, 13nd edn, Thomson South-Western, Mason, Ohio. Nicosia, F 1966, Consumer Decision Processes, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs. Quantas, n.d., International Premium Economy, viewed 17 August 2010, http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/international-premium-economy-class/global/en Sky Trails Airline, Ltd n.d., Business Plan, viewed 17 August 2010, http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/business-plans/Business-Plans-Volume-09/Airline-Company.html United Airways, n.d., Economy Plus, viewed 17 August 2010, http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,1314,00.html Virgin Atlantic, n.d., Premium Economy, viewed 17 August 2010, http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/cn/whatsonboard/premiumeconomy/index.jsp

The Unknown Citizen :: essays research papers

The Unknown Citizen Is Me â€Å"The Unknown Citizen†, a poem written by W.H. Auden, reflects a period of vast change in America’s history, making â€Å"The Unknown Citizen† an example of the government’s view of the perfect modern man in an overrated, unrealistic society. During the time period that this poem was written, in the late 1930’s, The United States was going through tremendous social, political and economic change. Following the passing of Black Monday and at the onset of The Great Depression, many Americans held negative opinions of their government and the many positive aspects that once drew citizens to the United States were becoming increasingly negative. The Great Depression fundamentally changed the relationship between the government and it’s people. Citizens began to expect and accept a larger federal role in their lives and the economy. During this time period, Americans were issued cards with a personalized federal numbers, better known as Social Security cards, which in turn depersonalized the political system of the United States. We the people, see our government as a coalition between our leaders and ourselves, leaders that we elect to represent and enforce our values. They merely see us a number. This issue emerges currently with regard to the election of the next president of the United States. The entire issue deals not with the citizens’ wants and needs, but with the â€Å"numbers†. We are no longer individuals, but merely a vast pool of insignificant numbers. Numbers that only become imperative when the disparity between them is diminutive. â€Å"Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd: Had anything been wrong we should certainly have heard (Auden).† This question is still being asked today, the only difference now is that there is no doubt whether or not the opinions of the masses are being heard. The question remaining is whether or not the government is actually listening to the people. This poem also expresses that government makes it seem that everyone else is doing the â€Å"right thing†, so you must follow in their footsteps and if you do so your reward is a happy and fulfilled life with all the comforts of the modern man. The standards are constantly changing so that you will never reach the optimum point, therefore you must always strive to improve. This can be seen in the 2000 Presidential Race. We the people have followed the same uniform procedures in determining our presidents since the founding of our country, yet we are now being told these standards are â€Å"outdated† and â€Å"unreliable†, which in turns breaks down our faith and the faith of other countries in our political system.