Amy Tan’s A Mother’s Tongue Essay -- Amy Tan A Mother’s Tongue

Amy Tan’s A Mother’s Tongue The purpose of Amy Tan’s essay, â€Å"Mother Tongue,† is to show how challenging it can be if an individual is raised by a parent who speaks â€Å"limited English† (36) as Tan’s mother does, partially because it can result in people being judged poorly by others. As Tan’s primary care giver, her mother was a significant part of her childhood, and she has a strong influence over Tan’s writing style. Being raised by her mother taught her that one’s perception of the world is heavily based upon the language spoken at home. Alternately, people’s perceptions of one another are based largely on the language used. Tan was born to a pair of Chinese immigrants. Her mother understood English extremely well, but the English she spoke was â€Å"broken.†(36) Many people not familiar with her way of speaking found it very difficult to understand her. As a result of this, Tan would have to pretend to be her mother, and she called people up to yell at them while her mother stood behind her and prompted her. This caused Tan to be ashamed of her mother throughout her youth, but as she grew, she realized that the language she shares with her mother is a â€Å"language of intimacy† (36) that she even uses when speaking with her husband. Just as with her books, Tan’s focus in this essay is her mother. Tan considered her book, The Joy Luck Club, a success after her mother read it and exclaimed over how easy it was to read. However, the audience of this essay is not Tan’s mother, but rather it is anyone who can relate to this situation. Tan’s purpose was to bring to attention the fact that when the language spoken at home is different from that spoken by the general public, problems will arise for those caught in... ...ensitive to the situation. The doctors would have a totally different story. Tan succeeds in her use of pathos as she manages to make her mother seem helpless. This is quite a feat, as her obvious strengths have already been displayed in situations such as when yelling at the stockbroker. Tan supports her depiction of her mother as a victim by bringing up how people â€Å"did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.† (37) Tan has proven herself a master of rhetorical appeals as well as proving her point, that language can have drastic affects on the users. She has judged and been judged by her language, and has seen her mother disrespected because of how she speaks. Speech is important, as it is used as a tool to determine the limitations of your thoughts.

British Castles :: essays research papers

BRITISH CASTLES   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Great Britain’s castles exemplify artistic characteristics and were essential elements in the lives of kings, lords, nobles, and chieftains. The word castle means a building or group of buildings usually intended as a residence of a king, lord, noble, or chieftain. There are many different types of castles, and the features about them are simply amazing. Warfare was also an important issue involving castles. They had to have some means of protection.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The castles reached their fullest development in the medieval period, even though fortified building had been around much earlier. The castles created a feudal system, which gave them their greatest importance. The feudal system was divided into three classes: the knights and nobles, clergy, and peasants. The knights and nobles’ job was to defend society, the clergy was to pray, while the peasants had the duty to till the soil and support other classes (Collier’s Encyclopedia 532). The origin of has been traced back to the late Roman times when men placed themselves under a man stronger and wealthier than themselves (Rowling 31). The knights lived in castles built upon hilltops or in the bend of rivers. There they received vessels, held meeting: and upon occasion, defended themselves from rivals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many different general styles of castles in Britain. One of the styles is a motte and bailey, which was one of the first types of castles built. The castle was made of a motte, which was a large man-made mound of earth. The top of the mound was surrounded by wooden palisades, which were like logs. Within those logs was a wooden keep. This was used as a lookout tower and a last refuge or keep (Farndon 7). The only way to get into the motte was across a sloping bridge, placed on high pillars. The bailey was next to the motte, and wooden palisades also surrounded it. A ditch of water protected the bailey. The motte and bailey were connected by a flying bridge that could be torn down if the bailey was not needed anymore. Since the motte and bailey were made of wood and earth none of the castles have survived completely today (Remfry 1). Norman’s were few so they must have had to force people to help build it (Farndon 6). By the eleventh century the mot te and bailey form of castle was widely spread (Alistair 3).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another type of castle is a shell keep.

Kodak Company Essay

Eastman Kodak Company, commonly known as Kodak is an American multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquartered in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1889. Kodak is best known for photographic film products. During most of the 20th century Kodak held a dominant position in this sector. In fact, Eastman Kodak Co. is one of the dominant market share holders within the camera and other photography-related industries. Kodak pioneered amateur photography and is often credited for the invention of roll film and the first camera. The markets for color film and color photofinishing in 1954 were controlled by Kodak. It had over 90% of the amateur color negative film market. In 1994, Kodak appeals to court to terminate 1921 and 1954 decrees that restrict pricing policies. Moreover, fifteen years ago, Kodak was the fourth most valuable brand in the world after Disney, Coca-Cola and Microsoft, but today, the company has totally sunk. Indeed, on January 19, 2012, the company filed for bankruptcy. We will first discuss about the termination of the 2 decrees and then, try to find out what went wrong in the company that lead to bankruptcy. Finally, we will discuss about the changes I would have made if I was the CEO of Kodak in order to avoid such an end. Question 1: What are the decrees affecting Kodak’s actions? Why were they put into place? Two decrees affecting Kodak’s actions had been put into place, in 1921and then in 1954. According to the first decree, Kodak had to stop imposing different forms of dealing contracts on retailers, divest all of the acquired firms, license its photofinishing processes and technically assist anybody willing to start a photofinishing business. The decree’s main goal was to provide better conditions for healthy competition in the photo industry. With the development of the color film market, Kodak became its unique leader. The company sold its color film only as a package together with processing. Thus, by bundling the cost of film and processing, Kodak effectively monopolized the photofinishing industry. This resulted in the second decree which placed a permanent restriction on Kodak from bundling the sale of its color films to the photofinishing process. It also required Kodak to divest itself of some of its photo labs. Thus, the decrees of 1921 and 1954 had facilitated the development of a competitive market for the sale of films as well as processing. The decrees against Kodak aimed to limit its market power and prevent monopolization of the photographic industry. Question 2: Who are the competitors for Kodak? What market share does Kodak have compared to its rivals? What competitive advantages does Kodak have? Kodak’s competitors are as follow: Fuji, Konica, Agfa and 3M. These are the four firms manufacturing and selling camera film in the US. However, despite a subtle difference in the quality of film, Kodak’s sales considerably exceed the ones of its competitors even though the prices charged by the company are generally higher. According to court, Kodak’s sales in dollar terms constitute about 75% of all the film sales in the US. About 241,000 major retailers provide Kodak film, while only about 71,000 provide its nearest rival, Fuji, even though its prices are reported to be 10% lower. As for the other competitors, their market share is relatively small: Konica accounts for only 4% of sales, Agfa for 3% and 3M for 8%. Kodak’s market share also increased thanks to several acquisitions it made; the most important one was the acquisition of Qualex in 1994 that currently accounts for 70% of all the wholesale macro lab photofinishing market in the US. The main co mpetitive advantage that Kodak has is the consumers ’trust and loyalty: despite much higher prices, 50% of consumers will only buy Kodak film, while 40% will prefer to purchase Kodak products. Moreover, the company also provides various incentives to those retailers who sell extra or only Kodak film. Question 3: What is the relevant geographic product market for film? According to the definition, a relevant product market includes â€Å"all those products which are regarded as interchangeable or substitutable by the consumer by reason of the products characteristics, their prices and their intended use†. We can presume that the relevant market for film includes all of the five firms: Kodak, Fuji, Konica, Agfa and 3M. However, not all of these firms’ products are viewed as fully interchangeable and substitutable by the consumer as stated in the definition. According to statistics, about 50% of consumers will only buy Kodak film despite of substantial price increases. This phenomenon indicates the consumers’ adamant belief in the superior quality of Kodak film. There were two different viewpoints on the relevant geographic product market for film discussed in the case. According to the district court, the relevant geographic market for film is worldwide, since foreign manufactures sell considerable amounts of film in the United States and Kodak’s market share is only 36% globally. However, the government argues that this determination is wrong and that the relevant geographic market in this case should be limited to the United States. The main explanation here is that a relevant geographic market comprises an area where the firm can exercise the market power. Taking into consideration the fact that Kodak charges much higher prices in the US comparing to other countries, the relevant geographic market for this case can be identified as the United States. Question 4: What evidence does the government provide that Kodak still maintains significant market power in the United States ? First of all, according to the government, Kodak had engaged in geographical price discrimination against its United States customers. The evidence shows that Kodak charges a higher price for its film in the United States than it charges for the same film in other parts of the world. The prices that Kodak sets within the US are normally above the competitive levels. This, as the government states, is one of the proofs that Kodak exercises market power in the United States. Another important thing is the US customers’ strong preference for Kodak film and the resulting premium price that Kodak is able to obtain for its film in this country. Despite the price disparity, Kodak still continues to maintain 67%-75% share in the US. However, the evidence shows that the quality of Kodak film is not better than its rivals’ film quality. The last item evidence relied upon by the government to support a finding that Kodak has market power within the United States is the fact that Kodak’s own elasticity of demand is two. According to the government, an own elasticity of two indicates that Kodak is earning excessive profits from its film. This, as the government states, is strong evidence that Kodak exercises market power in the United States. The significance of an own elasticity of two, in the government’s view, is that it indicates that the sales price of Kodak film is twice the short-run marginal cost. Thus, from Kodak’s own elasticity of two, the government concludes that Kodak is exercising significant market power in the United States. Question 5: What risks are associated with terminating the decrees? More specifically, what actions might Kodak take that would hurt competition or unfairly hurt competitors? Terminating the decrees will definitely have some negative impacts and can seriously hurt the competition. It will provide Kodak with many relatively cheap ways to exclude competitors, such as introducing various price reductions and discounts, which the company can afford due to high sales volumes and profit margins. However, the same offers will be too expensive for the rivals, which might drive some of them out of business and only increase Kodak’s market share. Termination of the 1954 decree will again allow Kodak to bundle the sale of its film to photofinishing, as it did before and will involve some serious risks as well. As it has been admitted by the company, one of its main goals is improving its bargaining position with retailers. Since Kodak already enjoys market power over the film it sells to retailers, the termination of the decree will only strengthen its film monopoly and make it even more challenging for the rivals to compete. Thus, it is unlikely that termina ting the decrees and allowing bundles will benefit the competition in any way. Question 6: It was reported that Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection on January 2012. Please provide your comments on the failure of Kodak. If you were CEO of this company, what would you transform and reorganize in the company in the past decade? On January 19, 2012, Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection. The company was doing very well since its beginning in 1889, it was number one and above all, the consumers liked this brand. So, what exactly went wrong? What exactly lead a leader company in digital imaging and photography to bankruptcy? According to many people, economists, businessmen or just consumers, Kodak was killed by one thing, which is the digital camera revolution and an incompetent management that avoided embracing the innovations and changes to their market. In fact, rather than diversifying their product portfolio, they got stuck in cameras and printing and even then, did a poor job of innovating in both fronts. For most of the 20th century, Kodak was one of the largest producers of film for both still and motion picture cameras and it stuck with that business model even after the advent of digital cameras made its films, chemicals and papers obsolete. Kodak watched the market for amateur photography shrink for 30 years ; yet, management consistently made decisions trying to defend and extend the historical market rather than move the company into faster growing, more profitable opportunities. The irony of Kodak’s decline, however, lies in the fact that the company’s own researchers had invented the first digital camera way back in 1976. That should have put Kodak in a position to dominate the industry with a stream of new products such as cameras, printers, printer papers and inks, just as it had in the old days. But it never happened. Despite the fact that Kodak invented much of the technology for digital photography, its leaders chose to license it to others rather than develop the market because they feared cannibalizing existing sales. Indeed, why would they risk reducing their high sales volume, their sales revenue or market share by introducing new products when the business is going perfectly? But they were wrong to think like that because it led them to their end. Kodak had been such a beloved brand for so long that its executives thought Americans would never desert it. By the time they woke up to the fact that film sales were dropping precipitously, it was already too late because the digital revolution was in full swing. There again, Kodak found itself behind the curve after its executives failed to anticipate how rapidly and completely the new devices would transform the photography market. Thus, the Kodak problem is that it did not move into the digital world well enough and fast enough. The former  « king of photography  » failed to reinvent itself in the digital age. So, Kodak’s failure was entirely due to strategic decisions either avoided or made poorly. As a result, from 2003 to 2010, Kodak reduced its workforce by 50,000 employees and closed 13 of its 15 film plants and 130 photo labs. By the end of 2011 it was rapidly running out of cash, its market share had plunged and its stock was selling for just 54 cents a share. The company found itself reduced to selling off its patents simply in order to stay afloat. In this kind of business, I think that the success is related to one simple thing which is innovation. As a CEO, the most important thing is to know when and how to do some changes in the business ; so, first of all, if I was the CEO, I would have changed the management team and hired people who were more open to innovation and who did not fear changes and were ready to take risks in order to achieve a better position and at the same time increase sales, revenue and market share. Then, the company was already leading since its foundation so if I was the CEO back then, in order to keep that high position in the photography and digital imaging sector, I would have always sought new technologies and innovations to always be one step ahead of competition. Even if sometimes innovating can be a failure it will never be worse than getting stuck with the same products for ages. Innovation is the key to success, but in order to make the innovation a success, it is essential to know the customers’ expectations and adapt the products to their need. By better meeting consumers demand, the innovation of new products is unlikely to fail. Furthermore, Kodak already had the consumer’s trust and loyalty which was a plus to its success. If we took into consideration the fact that photography became part of the daily life because of the phones; that half of the camera users did not know anything about photography; that printing pictures became less and less common because of social medias; that thanks to digital cameras, people took unlimited amount of pictures and most of those pictures went directly into social medias such as Facebook, Twitter†¦ It would have been intelligent and profitable to produce new products facilitating a ll of the previously mentioned elements years ago before bankruptcy and before competitors.

Management theories Essay

Classical Management theory and Human Relations theory have played an vital role in the history of modern management .It is two qualitative leap of modern management system. As two relatively complete system of Management theory, Classical Management theory and Human Relations theory has made its own unique contribution. This essay aims to identify key similarities and differences between two theory by comparing detailed aspects which including focus, the comprehension of structure ,basic assumptions of person and the task of leader, simultaneously, exploring how Classical Management theory and Human Relations theory can reconcile the incompatibilities between the approaches. Classical Management theory was developed during the Industrial Revolution in order to deal withthe problem about inefficiency in the factories. it mainly contained of Weber(1922)’s Bureaucratic management,Taylor(1911)’s Scientific Management and Fayol(1925)’s General Management Principles. As Taylor (1911) wrote in his books â€Å"the purpose of scientific management is how achieve the maximum efficiency â€Å",these theory highlighted the importance of using scientific and standardized methods in workplace ; pointed out the study will continue to improve the working methods; determine the many principles to operate the organization more efficiently and emphasized the salary as a potential factor of motivation. Human Relation theory was proposed by a America behavioral scientist named Mayo (1933) after that Classical Management theory had been presented for nearly 20 years . According to Meyao (1933)the most important factor that effected the productivity are not condition and treatment ,but the human relation in workplace.Human Relation theory stressed the importance of human factors ;advocated improving managers’ interpersonal skills and changing leadership; emphasized the informal organization Classical Management theory and Human Relations theory contain many aspects that share differences and few aspects share similarities. Firstly, on focus,the classical management approach emphasized a concern for task (output).Thus, using the methods of Optimization of techniques and strict management in order to improve workers output is what the classical  management theory concentrate on. In contrast ,the Human Relations Approach focuses on both the workers themselves and efficiency, This aimed at increasing the work productivity through satisfaction and collaboration. Secondly ,according to the comprehension of organizational structure .in Classical Management approach . The organizational structure should be formal and clearly. Weber (1922) wrote that an ideal administrative structure has characteristics which including: a clear organizational division of labor ;a top-down hierarchy; a professional management system and a strict independent rules and discipline. Whereas the Human Relations Theory proposed the perspective that there is a informal organization existed in enterprise besides formal organization.The role of this formal is to safeguard the common interests of the members so that protect the common interests from additional loss caused by negligence of internal individual or external interference. For instance ,a group which the members are not arranged by manager but the reason of which have common values or personal interests is a informal organization. Thirdly ,on basic assumptions of person, the classical approach adopts standardized the methods of working ,as well as training of employees and they worked more like machines. Therefore , the staff often regarded as â€Å"economic person â€Å"in Classical Management theory ,this approach also states that the salary is the only way to stimulate the enthusiasm of employees to work .While Human Relations theory proposes treated staff as â€Å"social person † so that not only does it consider collaboration factor to motivate worker but also views strong worker relationship, recognition and achievement as motivators for increased productivity. It’s based on the most popular Maslow(1943)’s hierarchy of needs which stated that every person has some needs which affects his performance and motivation. These needs in the order from the most basic are Physiological needs, Safety needs, social needs, Esteem needs and Self-actualization needs. ( Maslow ,1943) Finally ,the task of leadership under classical management theory is to set the staff to set work standards, and supervise employees complete the  project efficiently .While under the Human Relations theory, the task of leader ship was to facilitate cooperation or coordination among the workers while providing assistance and opportunities for their personal promotion and development and was to be seen as â€Å"an agent for intra and inter group communication. † (Donnelly,2008) Although both two theories on the theoretical though and the approaches are totally different. They still contain a few similarities . For example,they both believe in organizations as closed, changeless entities which shared a common point common â€Å"increased productivity â€Å",It was the final goal either of approaches focused on the target that attempted to find the most efficient way for arranging and managing tasks. It is difficult to identify which theory is more superior, in most case .modern enterprise associate two management approach to increased productivity. How to balance it is what the leader should ponder. Therefore ,the two major theoretical thought of management theory are well described by Douglas McGregor’s theory X and theory Y in his book named ‘The Human Side of Enterprise’ Theory X relates to the classical approach that holds that People need, and indeed tend to be directed and controlled .In the meantime ,leaders should use strict rule and punishments to regulated workers behavior. Theory Y relates to the human relations approach, the idea that management’s task is to create an environment where employees can be innovative and productive or satisfied in the workplace at least. For instances, In 1960s, a new mode of production named â€Å"just in time † (also named Lean Production) was implemented Toyota Automotive Corporation .JIT is good combination of two theories. it helps corporation overcome the first energy crisis .The core of JIT is produce timely and appropriately. Equalization and standard production cycle time and standard operating sequence reflect classical management, while Employees can intervene in the production process and develop personal initiative. The mode of production also stressing coordination ,this factors reflect thought of Human Relations theory. In the nutshell.As two of the most significant studies in field of  management,Classical Management theory and Human Relations theory have their own particular merits and limitations. the two theories should not be simply isolated, a single and combined together, but to be a relationship of organic whole. Because of diversity of modern economic environment, A good leader should be the one who can balance various theories and put into practice depending on different situation.which means none of management theories is superior to the other. Reference: Fayol,H (1949) General and Industrial Management.New York :Harper= Taylor,F.W(1911) The Principles of Scientific Management.New York: Harper Donnelly,R.(2008) The Role of the Manager. Scotland: Pitman Publishing. Donnelly, R. (2000) Schools of Management Thought. Scotland :Pitman Publishing. Maslow ,A. H. (1943) A Theory of Human Motivation.New York:Psychological Review. Mayo,E.(1933) The Social Problems of an Industrial Civilization.Boston :Harvard University Press. McGregor,D(1960) The Human Side of Enterprise .New York: McGraw-Hill Bibliography: Davis,R.C. (1951) The Fundamentals of Top Management .New York: Harper

Film Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 8

Film Analysis - Essay Example While at the city, Daniel acts as a choir conductor and this earns him so much fame due to his proficiency in teaching choir members how to alternate their voices and how to sing in harmony. While teaching the choir in the city, Daniel urges the members to work as a team and not as competing parties. In the city, Daniel plans his undertakings with so much ease because he performs what he feels like. During this time, Daniel has enough money that enables him to conduct his planning activities effectively. While at the city, Daniel is jovial and freely interacts with people who surrounds him and this gives him the morale to plan for more activities and to visit more churches and institutions to aid various choir groups in coming up with good and appealing music (Brussat 2009). His ties with the high and mighty at the urban center makes Daniel a center of attraction especially from women who find him to be loving and easy to work with. Many city dwellers in Sweden envy how Daniels plans his activities in a simultaneous way and this acts as an inspiration to many people. During his conducting activities, Daniel encounters a heart attack that drastically alters his plans and activities. Being unable to plan his activities effectively, Daniel retires to his rural home in Norrland in Northern Sweden where he settles at their home that his mother leaves him before her death when Daniel was of tender age. It is at their rural home that Daniel’s plans undergo great alterations. First, the protagonist does not want to associate with others and he locks up himself in the house the whole day. This inconveniences his activities so much given that he is of ill health and unable to socialize with the people he is fond of. The arrival of this character to their hometown evokes so much suspicion, interest and curiosity from the residents of Norrland. However,

Fine Tuning Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Fine Tuning Argument - Essay Example Moreover, there would only the low density hydrogen would be present which would be get dispersed over time. Consequently, fine tuning argues that such a universe would not have allowed the evolution of life. On the other hand, had the expansion speed been a bit lower, the universe would have collapsed immediately thereby no life could be sustained. In the light of this argument, a life sustaining universe is seen to have emerged because of the presence of just the right conditions (Van Inwagen, 1993). Other parameters that seem to have been fined tuned include the magnitudes of forces, the proton to neutron mass differences and the evenness of early universe (Van Inwagen, 1993). Fine tuning argument advances a hypothesis that the universe resulted from purposeful design (Van Inwagen, 1993). Despite the fact that the designing agent must not have been God, fine tuning holds that God is a center of the fine tuning of different aspects. Peter van Inwagen is one of the proponents of the fine tuning and supports an argument by giving an analogy that if a machine has dials, these dials must be set in a particular way so that it runs in the desired way (Van Inwagen, 1993). ... Van Inwagen gives an analogy where one is presented with a bundle of 1,048,576 straws of varying length and a decree has been issued that unless one pulls the shortest string you are instantly killed. Fortunately one pulls a straw and finds that he is alive and having the shortest straw. According to Van Inwagen, the most reasonable explanation is that the person never drew the straw at random but rather the situation was rigged somehow by unknown benefactor concerned to the person gets the shortest straw. Although van Inwagen notes that there was a probability to pick another straw given that the probability in drawing any of the straws in the bundle, it is not reasonable to argue that something happened due to chance. He argued that whatever is selected is usually the good option and can only be explained that a certain force rigged in the person’s favor. He further asserted that no better explanation existed for the other possibilities that were not picked (van Inwagen, 199 3). This demonstrates that everything is fine tuned to behave in a specific way or to give certain desired results. The analogy used by van Inwagen has been criticized with most of the critics describing the rigging hypothesis as silly. Cowan and Spiegel (2009) note that there various areas of weakness to the analogy of straw lottery and fine tuning. The level of one to accept the explanation that they choose the shortest straw due to the forces of unknown benefactor depends on a prior probability of existence of unknown benefactor who is the agent in rigging the lottery. Given that different belief system, low prior probability of the existence of unknown benefactor translates to the fact

Day Hall Construction Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Day Hall Construction - Article Example After consulting with FixIt Zone manager, JD Tessier, we have arrived at three viable options for the renovation of Day Hall. Our first option is to implement a renovated bathroom area with individual bathrooms doors, with fully renovated bathroom equipment (toilets, showers, sinks, etc.). Our second option is to create renovated, semi-private bathrooms, which will emphasize on increased privacy through increased dividers between showers and sinks. Our last option, which is also the cheapest, is to replace the existing bathroom parts of Day Hall, for many of the showers and sinks are functional. In evaluating our three options, we performed thorough research by distributing the student survey, consulting with JD Tessier, and communicating with the Residence Director of Day Hall, David Grimes, and Office of Residence Life Director Terra Peckskamp, our client, via email. To supplement our findings, we based our recommendation off of 1) Availability of manpower, 2) Cost of renovation, 3) Adaptability to the new bathroom style, 4) Consistency to the goals of the organization, and 5) Implementation period. In evaluating the criteria, our consulting group came to the conclusion that Option 1 aligns most with our criteria and our client’s values. We recommend that Day Hall proceeds with implementing individual bathroom areas, to enhance student satisfaction and the ease of transition. Constructed in 1958, Day Hall at Syracuse University houses approximately 607 students and 14 resident advisors. Together, there are 16 communal bathrooms shared by the 8 floors of residents in Day Hall, which has affected the cleanliness and the lack of working parts in bathrooms.