Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Human Right For The People Of Israel And Palestine

Peace is a basic human right for the people of Israel and Palestine. Given the tenuous nature of amity between Israel and Palestine, this is a difficult subject at best. However, there are women out there that believe in, and engage in, peacebuilding efforts between these two territories. Women’s participation in the peace building process of these two countries is vital to the construction of an unbiased, proactive reconciliation to occur. Because women comprise a large percentage of the population in these countries, their input and nonviolent negotiating practices are extremely important considering the escalation of violence in the presently unstable situation between these warring parties. Since women have a tendency to operate from a nonviolent arena, their inclusion in the peace building efforts are necessary to eliminate the violence that is ripping these two countries apart. Women are generally viewed as keepers of the domestic domain, thus, they stand to lose their very foundation if peace cannot be achieved. At a time when the conflict between these groups has reached an all-time high, it is of upmost importance for women to help pave the way to culminate a peaceful coexistence between these two opposing factions. The imperative need for a resolution to this age-old conflict must find some immediate answers. There are many women operating at a grassroots level which will hopefully bring about some significant changes that will be instrumental to creating aShow MoreRelatedThe First Two Uprisings Of The West Bank, Gaza And East Jerusalem1341 Words   |  6 Pagesproviding emergency help to people who were in need. Palestinians always have seen themselves as occupied, that what made them economically depend on Israel. Palestinian’s work, wages were half of what Israeli workers would get paid, their taxes were high and another thing was that they didn’t have any kind of job security, because Israeli security denied them any rights within Israel. In this case, position of Palestine is understandable, they are like any other people wanted to be free from beingRead MoreOppression Is The Driving Force Behind The Violence1376 Words   |  6 Pages Oppression is the driving force behind the violence in Israel. It is based on a land dispute that led to oppression and now the violence seen today. Israel is plagued with a cycle of violence and fear. There are many factors behind the climate of terror that is taking place in Israel, but none as significant as oppression. The establishment of Israel by Jews led to many changes for Palestinian Arabs, who were already living in the area. Many of these changes were oppressive and intrusive toRead MoreThe Conflict Between Israelis And Palestinians1686 Words   |  7 PagesJerusalem, according to the annual report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Because of the unfair treatment of Palestinians, the situation in Israel/Palestine is a human rights conflict. To further understand this conflict, one must first know how it began. In 1948, the country of Israel was formally created. Technically speaking, this would be the origin of this conflict, but some scholars think it began earlier. They believe it was a result of the Jewish exilesRead MoreThe Plo As The Palestinian Sovereign1529 Words   |  7 PagesName Palestine has a right, under international and natural law, to self-determination under the borders which existed prior to Israel’s formation in 1948. The natural governing authority of the new Palestinian State to be formed within these borders is the Palestinian Authority (PLO) currently led by Mahmoud Abbas. Given that land was stolen from Palestinian natural sovereignty via actions taken by Israel in wars which Palestine proper was not a participant to, Israel must also pay reparationsRead MoreUnintended Consequences - Israel from Palestine1297 Words   |  6 PagesHolocaust’s causation in the creation of Israel and generous partition of Palestine is the potential for nations to pity the Jews for their suffering. In truth, Zionism wasn’t offered any gains by the Holocaust. Not only was the genocide irrelevant to the argument of Zionism to the rest of the world, but it also couldn’t be pitied, as it was not yet understood. Overall, the Palestine qu estion – and it was just that: a question regarding Palestine, not Israel – was answered based on the state of eventsRead MoreEssay on The Recognition of Israel: World War II1483 Words   |  6 Pages Recognition of Israel World War II left Europe in ruins and devastated those who lived there, but nobody was more affected than the Jews. When the war ended, the U.S. and other countries revealed to the world the amount of torture and mistreatment the Jews suffered under Nazi control. Many wanted to help these suffering outcasts, so Jewish Zionists suggested the Jews be relocated to Palestine, where they could live in peace away from others(Devine, 1). Britain and President Truman felt sympatheticRead MoreThe Partition Of Israel And Palestine966 Words   |  4 PagesSince the UN partition of Israel and Palestine in 1947, Israel has been placed in many instances of conflict between the Jewish migrants to the region and the Palestinian natives. Several conflicts resulted in open, declared war, such as the First Arab-Israeli War of 1948-1949, and the Yom Kippur War of 1973. In addition, Israel has been involved in the occupation of the West Bank and the blockade of the Gaza Strip. After the last open war, I srael’s occupation of the West Bank has been marked byRead MoreUnveiling Truths of Occupied Palestine Essay1368 Words   |  6 Pagesall, a menace to Israel. Ask a Palestinian about an Israeli, and the thoughts may be of militant brutality, people oppressors, and ultimately land stealers. But where do these negative paintings come from? And who is the artist? Do connotations held by the majority constitute absolute truth, or any truth for that matter? The answers to these questions are not easily answered, due to the broad scope in nature of these topics; however through the exploration of occupied Palestine, some light may beRead MoreThe Treaty of Camp David1874 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Camp David agreement never before was there such a significant agreement made. The Camp David accords effectively ended the Israel–Egypt conflict never before had any of the sides publicaly considered a peaceful agreement. The Camp David accords truly were the begining of a new er a in the Midle East . However the agreement had an unseen consequence the Palestinian people were now more reluctant to fight for their freedom using radical tactics supporting the PLO furthermore using terrorism as aRead MoreIslamic and Middle East World Conflicts1048 Words   |  4 PagesHamas and Fatah, second conflict is the Arab-Israeli conflict, and finally Syrian civil War. The Arab-Israel conflict started over a land. Both Palestinian Arabs and Israeli wanted the right to the same land. During the WW II Britain promised both sides a state in Palestine. After the war, the British Empire gained control of Palestine. The British mandate opened Jewish immigration into Palestine. Arab Palestinian population felt threatened by increase of few population and fights broke out on both

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Challenges faced by Indian IT Free Essays

1. Uncertain global economy: The Indian IT outsourcing industry gets about 75% of its revenues from US and Europe. The renewed concern regarding the European sovereign debt has led to companies slowing down their IT spending. We will write a custom essay sample on Challenges faced by Indian IT or any similar topic only for you Order Now BFSI segment has been the biggest contributor to Indian IT revenues. As shown in the figure below, the recent turmoil in Europe US has resulted in slowing demand in BFSI segment. Source: Business Standard 2. Protectionist measures: There have been periodic threats of the US stopping all outsourcing work. Rising US rhetoric against shipping of jobs to low cost locations ahead of US presidential elections in November might result in lower market shares for Indian IT companies. The US Senate will be looking into a bill backed by the Democratic party popularly known as the ‘Bring Jobs Home Act’. If the bill is passed, tax benefits will be extended to companies that shift their work back to the US will end tax incentives for those who send work offshore. On the other hand, Europe has quietly enforced visa restrictions making people difficult to travel onsite for work. . Tough competition from MNCs: Increasing competition from MNCs like IBM, Accenture who have set up bases in several of the IT zones earlier dominated by Indian IT firms. Also, US wages have been decreasing and are on par with Indian wages for some of the sectors. Outsourcing will be less attractive to American employers. 4. Pressure on billing rates: Discounts from key financial sector clients is pinching IT f irms. On 12th July, Infosys claimed that pricing has fallen by 3. 7% in the June quarter from the previous quarter. As the growth in demand has fallen, firms are vying for the small pie by opting for price cuts. 5. Low employee utilization: Increasing bench size has been reported across various IT firms. Employee utilization has fallen down to 67% for lot of Indian companies. Companies have to reserve certain human capital so as to accommodate them in case of future demand. 6. Volatility of Indian rupee against the dollar: Depreciating rupee helps the IT industry. Increase its revenues as most of the companies earn in US dollars. However, as the companies would have already hedged against rupee appreciation in advance, the currency volatility wouldn’t affect much. Planning for the future becomes a problem. Major players in Indian IT: 1. TCS is the largest software company in Asia and was one of the pioneers of the global delivery model. Its Q1 results have been slightly better than expected with 14. 6% increase (over previous quarter) in Q1 profit at Rs 3280 crore with revenues at Rs 14869 crores. TCS has said that it is expecting to beat the forecasts of 11-14% growth in revenues set by NASSCOM for FY13. According to the CEO, TCS has been seeing strong growth from markets like North America, UK Europe despite the gloomy economic environment. 29 new clients were added in the June quarter. Successful execution of its restructuring much before its competitors has been one of the reasons of success for TCS. Also, it is more flexible than its peers when it comes to pricing. And is more open to the client’s suggestions The fixed component is atleast 8-10% higher than that of its peers. 2. Infosys is the 2nd largest Indian IT service provider and reputed for its work ethics world class management practices. In the past by exceeding revenue expectations, it kept investors and analysts happy. But by failing to meet expectations in 3 of the 5 recent quarters, it has lost its status as the industry bellwether. It has cut down its revenue forecasts for FY13 to 5% down from its April estimate of 8-10% growth. The company has underlined weak macroeconomic environment, falling clients’ confidence fall in discretionary spending (spending by corporate which can be held back at discretion and are usually for long term benefits) as the reason behind its fall in revenues. Critics have blamed the poor results on the change in leadership, its inability to motivate its employees when the morale is already down because of delayed and small pay raises, premium pricing in the face of slowing economic growth and its conservatism by not using its excessive cash pile (around $3. 7 billion as of June 2012) to make acquisitions that can make it a global company. The CEO said that Infosys is looking out for opportunities in product, consulting, platform space and system integration. The company’s strategy of positioning itself as a premier global consulting system integration major has backfired since the economy has still not recovered from the slowdown. 3. Wipro is the third biggest Indian IT firm and its revenues for the year 2011-12 stood at $5. 7 billion. It is betting on regions like Latin America, Asia Pacific and Ghana as they have been contributing almost 16-17% of the total revenues for Wipro. Wipro is also shifting its focus from telecom equipment vendors who have reduced IT spending to telecom analytics mobile broadband where the end users are telecom operators. . HCL Technologies is the fourth largest Indian IT company. In the last 2 quarters, it has won deals worth $2. 5 dollars and Europe has contributed almost 54% to it. It is strong in total IT outsourcing which comprises of infrastructure services, application development and maintenance. While most of the other Indian IT firms are vying for high-end consulting contracts, HCL has been focusing on infrastructure deals. Future prospects : Inspite of the economic upheaval, Indian IT firms still feel that BFSI will bring in the maximum revenues. The optimism is based on the fact that even clients were supposed to have cut spending during the credit crisis time, Indian IT exports have grown $33 billion between 2008-09 to 2011-12. However all the IT firms have to get used to lower margins. Gone are the days when experienced 30% growth. IT firms have so far mainly relied on cost differentiation. To cope up with the various challenges, they need to start innovating. So they have to find new markets, new customers, develop products etc. For eg: Wipro has started offering to IT solutions to the petroleum industry in Ghana. Transformations are taking place as the use of cloud computing mobile devices is slowly increasing. Infosys has added about 20 new clients in the past quarter in cloud, big data and security. With the increase in use of apps on mobiles, programs are being written for mobile. Also companies have started positioning themselves as IT consulting firms. In the near future, government of India might provide the impetus as it plans to go big on digitization. The immediate future for IT companies may not be as bright as it was in the past. But companies should reboot its systems and log on to new sites The decade of 1990 was the golden era for information Technology in India. With liberalization, privatization globalization, Indian IT Sector took huge leaps in Information Technology. Today, with total revenues of about $88. 1 billion, Indian IT sector being one of strongest industries worldwide has grown for more than 30% for more than 20 years. Indian IT firms have moved up the value chain from low cost programming in the early years to providing premier global IT consulting services. Before the onset of recession in 2008, the IT industry flourished thanks to the exponential increase in global IT spending. During the recession, companies decreased their IT spending thereby slowing down the growth of IT industry. But this created a pent-up demand for IT. With economic recovery, companies have started spending on IT albeit with great caution. Fig : Statistics of IT BPO in India Intense competition has impacted growth in billing rates thereby affecting revenues. For the first time in 47 quarters, Infosys missed quarter’s expectations. The major IT firms have reduced their growth expectations for the year 2012-13. The top 4 Indian IT companies grew at 17% in the 3rd quarter and at 14% in the fourth quarter as opposed to 24% in the first quarter in the last financial year and this is a cause of worry. Industry Verticals: The various verticals in IT sector are shown in the pie chart. Achievements of Indian IT sector in 2011: Increase in global sourcing industry from 51% in 2009 to 58% in 2011. * Contribution to India’s GDP has increased from 1. 2% in 1998 to 7. 5% in 2012. Demand Supply : Due to the expansion in IT sector in terms of form, volume etc, there is a continuous demand for engineering graduates, skilled workforce etc. Being a service oriented industry, this sector is highly dependent on manpower. While there is enough of supply of grad uates, it is very important for the labour to be technically competent and possess soft skills. How to cite Challenges faced by Indian IT, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Human Dignity in Health and Human Services -myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theHuman Dignity in Health and Human Services. Answer: Human Dignity in Human and Health Services: An Op-Ed Two years ago in a hospital in Madison, Alabama, Dr. Ronald Wyatt faced an uncomfortable situation. As he was about to attend a patient for treatment, a couple walked in to his room and closed the door. According to them, their daughter was a patient in the hospital two years ago, who could not survive even after treatment. The woman showed the doctor the picture of her daughter to the doctor and asked for answers. Searching the database, Dr. Wyatt found that the girl was really a patient and he explained to the couple that he and his team worked very hard to save her. After some time, the couple left peacefully. However, in a later interview, Dr. Wyatt raised an issue that although this couple left peacefully, the situation could entirely been different if the couple suddenly turned hostile and even shoot him. Moreover, he also said that he could not have saved himself if such a situation occurred. Dr. Wyatts interview raised a lot of eyebrows and concerns grew regarding protection of human dignity in human and health services. From this incident above, we can naturally ask ourselves where are we heading in healthcare services? It is evident from various incidents around the world that more and more doctors in hospitals are under constant threats of violence from the patients families if the patients do not survive even after treatment. The question which also arises in this regard is why are the doctors under these constant threats (Cheraghi, Manookian Nasrabadi, 2014). Even a few years ago, doctors were treated like Gods and people relied on them in any health issues. In order to find the root causes behind these, we need to look into other related factors that are also influencing peoples opinions regarding the healthcare services. First of all, one cause for this hostile behavior can be the rapid growth of private hospitals that care more about business rather than healthcare. Although these private hospitals have modern facilities and reputed doctors, the patients have to go through a long process for admission like registration, form fill up, partial payment, booking of room and others. In many emergency cases, this long process has cost the lives of the patients (Edlund et al., 2013). From the ethical point of view, healthcare is the basic human right and denying it unless the entire admission process is completed strips of the right as well as the dignity of the patients. Hence, it is very much logical for patients families to show their anger on the hospitals. Second reason can be the increase in extreme emotional outbursts of people that are caused by various factors (which are out of scope of this op-ed). It has been seen that because of the different causes, more and more people are showing strong emotional outbursts at slightest of reasons and death of a certain patient during treatment is a major incident (Sharkey, 2014). Whenever such an incident occurs, the patients families turn hostile and start showing anger and protests against the doctors and the nurses of the hospital. There have been numerous incident reports where the doctors and nurses were severely beaten and injured by the protests. According to my opinion, this should never happen. The patients families should understand that no doctor is practical sense will not try to save a patient or deliberately ill-treat so that the patient dies (Matiti, 2015). It is the lack of proper administration in the hospital that results in these incidents. In addition, in some cases, by the time the patient reaches the hospital, the doctors have nothing to do to save him / her. I also think that the governments should take active actions in order to address these issues. These incidents violate human dignity and ethics for both the patients and the doctors whereas the hospital as a middleman earns the money from the admission payments (Manookian, Cheraghi Nasrabadi, 2014). Before allowing license to private hospitals, the government should enforce certain sets of guidelines that should include immediate admission and treatment of patient without conducting such long admission processes. This will at least reduce the incidents of death of patient due to lack of treatment or mob attacks on the doctors due to death of a patient. References Cheraghi, M. A., Manookian, A., Nasrabadi, A. N. (2014). Human dignity in religion-embedded cross-cultural nursing.Nursing ethics,21(8), 916-928. Edlund, M., Lindwall, L., Post, I. V., Lindstrm, U. . (2013). Concept determination of human dignity.Nursing ethics,20(8), 851-860. Guo, Q., Jacelon, C. S. (2014). An integrative review of dignity in end-of-life care.Palliative Medicine,28(7), 931-940. Manookian, A., Cheraghi, M. A., Nasrabadi, A. N. (2014). Factors influencing patients dignity: A qualitative study.Nursing ethics,21(3), 323-334. Matiti, M. R. (2015). Learning to promote patient dignity: An inter-professional approach.Nurse education in practice,15(2), 108-110. Sharkey, A. (2014). Robots and human dignity: a consideration of the effects of robot care on the dignity of older people.Ethics and Information Technology,16(1), 63-75.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Napoleon III compared to Napoleon Bonaparte Essays - French Emperors

An Assessment of Whether Napoleon Bonaparte or Louis Napoleon Had More Significant Reforms in France Both Napoleon Bonaparte and his nephew Louis Napoleon Bonaparte were important rulers of France. They ruled with great power and control, they implemented many sweeping reforms and laws that greatly changed the course of French and European life. Napoleon Bonaparte and Louis Napoleon, also referred to as Napoleon III, each directed France through many reforms under their rule. However, the leader with the more significant reforms and impact on France was Napoleon III. Napoleon III had longer lasting reforms in the likes of rebuilding and modernizing Paris, constructing the French railway and heading a strong French foreign policy that included the unification of Italy. He also led France through a period of prosperity and industrialization. Louis Napoleon Bonaparte was elected the president of France at age 40, and capped a quite remarkable, and unlikely rise to power. (Cavendish, 1998, para. 1). Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, named after his uncle Napoleon I, had never held a government position, nor had he even shown any sort of political capability, he rose to power solely through widespread support in France that he was the rightful heir to Napoleon I. (Cavendish, 1998, para. 1,2). In essence, Louis Napoleon rode into control of France on the coattails of his uncle and then he took his uncle?s rule and furthered the reforms and French power. Louis Napoleon campaigned that he would return France back to the glory that they had once had under the first Napoleon, and that he, as a ruler, was destined to bring France once again to the top of Europe. (Cavendish, 1998, para. 5). His strategy successfully swept him into the office of President of France?s Second Republic. The Professional Politicians in France couldn?t believe that Louis Napoleon had won, and they were even more shocked when he did away with them. But this didn?t satisfy the ambitious ruler and he quickly took advantage of an economic slump in 1851 and posed himself to be the man that the French needed, not as president but as emperor. (Cavendish, 1998, final paragraph). Louis Napoleon Bonaparte can now be called Napoleon III, for in 1852 he declared himself the perfect fit for the job to keep France from collapse and socialism, the Emperor of the second French Empire. (Cavendish, 1998, final paragraph). The citizens of France, so scared of anarchy, and still believing in the ?Napoleonic Ideals? that Napoleon I had left behind, overwhelmingly accepted Louis Napoleon as their new Emperor. The new parliamentary constitution that Napoleon III set up gave him the executive powers; it allowed him to nominate the members of the law-making council of state and the senate. (?France History-Se cond French Empire? n.d., para. 1). Now that Louis-Napoleon had full control of France, he could freely implement actions and reforms that he couldn?t have easily achieved as President. One of Napoleon?s keen interests was in architecture, and it was his desire to make Paris a new modern city that ultimately turned Paris from an overcrowding, ancient, disease-ridden cluster of districts into the thriving beauty it is today. (Kirkman, 2007, para. 2). Napoleon?s interest was the foundation that would produce the plans for a rebuilding of Paris?s streets, its sewers, and all other aspects of urban planning. It would change the sight of Paris to something unlike anyone had seen. (Kirkman, 2007, para. 2). For hundreds of years, certain areas hadn?t been improved, and the daunting task of a renewal of Paris was laid on Baron Haussmann. Haussmann was a big time planner and was an advocate for beautiful sights, perfect balance and exactness. (?Paris? pg. 18). Haussmann?s desire of linear symmetry surfaced in his first step, wh ich was to put Paris on a grid. He added streets to Paris that ran east and west, and north and south. These new streets were also wider, allowing for more public safety and safer traffic engineering. (Kirkman, 2007, para. 4). The rapid population growth mixed with fierce industrialization made some changes to Paris an absolute necessity. An example of this was shown in the growing demand for water closets, which directly led to the need to funnel the human waste effectively into the sewers.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Quebec Essays - French Quebecers, Lucien Bouchard, Free Essays

Quebec Essays - French Quebecers, Lucien Bouchard, Free Essays Quebec Maine doesn't see Quebec sovereignty as a threat ROCKPORT, Me. - Premier Lucien Bouchard got the message he wanted Thursday from two American politicians: Quebec's future is an internal matter and economic ties would be kept with their state if it leaves Canada. "The future of Quebec is essentially a Canadian matter," Maine Governor Angus King said at a news conference with Bouchard in Rockport, a community on the Atlantic Ocean. "It's not up to us to sit on the sidelines and suggest what the solution should be," King added. Bouchard was on a one-day tour of Maine to attend a business development conference to promote trade between the two struggling economies. King, whose motto is "Export or die' said putting people to work is his priority. "Jobs is really what it's all about." Mark Lawrence, president of the state's Senate, said Maine would keep economic ties with an independent Quebec. "We have a strong history with Quebec and whatever form of government Quebec chooses, we intend to maintain a strong relationship with Quebec," Lawrence said. Bouchard couldn't disagree, adding that the first rule of diplomacy is to stay clear of your neighbor's political problems. "No country would like to see other countries get involved in their internal business," the premier said. Bouchard didn't shy away from the sovereignty issue. He tried avoiding the matter last time he was in New England, saying it slipped his mind. He visited Boston last June and said questions about Quebec voting to leave Canada hadn't been raised. But Bouchard still preferred to dwell on the economic aspects of the Maine trip, saying it's important for the state and the province to strengthen their economic ties. Trade between them is worth about $207 million US annually. They aim to increase tourism and technology and possibly designate a heritage highway between Quebec and Maine. Bouchard said he hopes the trip boosts Quebec's international image and "doesn't hurt its reputation." King and Lawrence played up Maine's strong French cultural heritage. About 30 per cent of the state's population of more than one million have French roots. They left Quebec at the turn of the century to work in New England's textile mills. Maine, one of Quebec's closest U.S. neighbors, is also a popular tourist destination in the summer for Quebecers. Bouchard, who likes to visit Maine in the summer with his family, has struck up a friendship with King based on their passion for Thomas Jefferson, a father of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. King gave Bouchard a portrait of Jefferson. In turn, Bouchard gave King a book by Jefferson about the problems with debt, something Bouchard said his "foes in Quebec say I'm obsessed about." King, who didn't seem surprised to receive the book, said the exchange of Jefferson-related gifts was a coincidence. "We didn't plan this," he laughed.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Breakfast - By John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck was a known writer in the 30’s. He was known for writing about poverty in the 30’s with focus on the life of the exposed working class. His stories takes place around Salinas California where he was born. The short story Breakfast by John Steinbeck deals with the exposed people of the 30’s and their way of managing life with what they are given. The short story features a Narrator, whose name we are not told, however, the narrator is also the protagonist in his own story. The narrator tells us about a memory which brings joy to him when remembering details about it. At first he tells about himself walking along a country road on an early morning, feeling the cold while observing the light growing behind the eastern mountains. As he walks he smells fried bacon and baking bread. He sees a tent where a girl, an older man and a younger man sit. The men bid him a good morning and offers him to sit and eat breakfast with them. The narrator accepts and sits down with them being told that they pick cotton for their own clothes and then they eat and drink as much coffee as they can, refilling and refilling. While they had refreshed themselves with warm food the narrator observed the sun rising above the mountains spraying light upon the valley. The two men and the women offer the narrator to come along and pick cotton with them. However, the narrator declines the offer and separates from the cotton pickers. At the end of the story the reader returns to the narrators present where the he reflects upon the event. The story is located in a valley during the early morning just before dawn. In the beginning the setting is described with the words â€Å"lavender grey† and â€Å"black-blue†. He also feels the touch of the morning temperature as cold, but not painfully cold. All in all the setting we are introduced to at the opening of the story places the protagonist in a sad and colourless environment. Though, while he eats with the cotton pickers, the setting changes from cold and dark to light and red. You could say that the dark-blue and lavender grey colours in the before sunrise represent the lifelessness and sadness, while the red colour mixed with the light, spraying upon the valley, after sunrise represent warmth and joy. The two men and the woman, who the narrator meets, are poor hard working people, who are not wealthy in material. They don’t have chairs, they live in tents and their equipment is described as poor; â€Å"Beside the tent there was a flash of orange fire seeping out of the cracks of an old rusty iron stove. † Even though the cotton pickers have poor conditions they have certain traits that the protagonist remembers them for. Firstly, we are told that they make their own clothes from picking cotton and that they have only been eating well for twelve days. However, they still show generosity towards the protagonist and offer him breakfast. Therefore, we can call them generous. Secondly, they are full of contentment. Even though they live like nomads, finding cotton and food where they can and not living on much, they smile and keep a good vibe. Thirdly they are grateful to god and thank him for what they have; â€Å"The older man filled his mouth and he chewed and chewed and swallowed. Then he said, â€Å"God Almighty, it’s good†Ã¢â‚¬ . Their wealth is not measured in materialism but in attitude towards life. They are not given any names because each of them do not have their own character. This is because they represent a type of people and symbolizes traits. Their simplicity in symbolizing generosity, contentment and being gratefulness to god have a clear affection upon the protagonist. After the protagonist and the cotton pickers part we return to the narrator reflecting on the experience. Here he says; â€Å"That’s all. I know, of course, some of the reasons why it was pleasant. But there was some element of great beauty there that makes the rush of warmth when I think of it. † The sensation the protagonist gets from the experience is from the affection the people had on him with their traits. The details he remembers such as their personality and the sun rising above the mountain spraying a red gleam upon the valley just as he just finished the warm breakfast all culminates into something unique. However, the most significant about the memory is the affection the cotton pickers had and still have on the protagonist. The painting The honeymoon Breakfast from 1887 by Daniel Ridgway Knight contains a newly married couple sitting in the nature preparing their breakfast. All they have is some food and the company of one another, but they seem content about what they have. So in the same way as the cotton pickers the painting expresses their happiness through simplicity and content.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

INDIVIDUAL project plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

INDIVIDUAL project plan - Essay Example The immediate effect on the families includes affording basic needs among them clean food and education. The learned individuals would as well become a role model to other children in their respective communities. This would consequently improve the society well being and general economy. The project is funded with ?500 which is intended to successfully carry out a golf tournament event scheduled for 1st June 2013. The event is planned to attract more than 5000 interested individuals to raise more than ?600,000 to help fund education for various children living in deplorable conditions. Tables of Contents 1. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.1.0 2. Business case†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2.0 3. Need assessment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...2.1 4. The significance of the project†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.2.2 5. Investigating alternatives†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2.3 6. Evaluation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2.4 7. Breakdown structure†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦3.0 8. Marketing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..4.0 9. Network diagram †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..5.0 10. ... The problems have been perverse in three main cities. These include Pretoria, Cape Town and Johannesburg. It is well known that South Africa has the highest number of street children. Many governmental and non-governmental organizations in the world have attempted to curb the situation without a complete success. However, it is clear that most of the destitute children have reformed given the highest increment of students at both primary and secondary levels. Although these children attend school, it is reported that there have been a tendency of students boycotting classes without teachers' knowledge. It is further noticed that habit of bhang smoking has led to high level of students drop out. Many of them fail to join high school following the high level of dropout at the primary level. It is also realized that some students drop out of school as a result of malnutrition. Many families rarely experience three meals in a day. The families find it prudent to involve their children in their efforts to search for a meal. Girls are extremely affected as most of them are forced to involve in prostitution as well as working as house girls in well off families. These activities deny the girl child a chance to study as their counterparts. Through various researches done, it was found out that if a single student is provided with adequate fees to cater for boarding facilities it is likely that the levels of school absenteeism and dropout would significantly drop. This would ensure that the chance of a student completing a college course is meaningfully increased. Accordingly, the student would become a role model and furthermore help the

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Cable Companies as a Monopoly Research Proposal

Cable Companies as a Monopoly - Research Proposal Example The paper will draw on previously published reports that address the topic. These reports and articles will help define what a monopoly is as well as determining the present status of the cable companies. The paper will define the various forms of monopoly and report on current trends and legislation that affect the cable television industry. It will, when appropriate, put the issue into a historical context to determine if the industry is moving towards a greater or lesser monopolistic hold. The paper will be written with the premise that a monopoly does not exist in the cable television market. It will present evidence of this point of view, while remaining open for the presentation of opposing viewpoints. It will conclude by presenting a synopsis of the data and drawing a conclusion. In the face of rising cable bills and falling levels of service it is tempting to seek out a culprit and point to the cable company that has a seeming monopoly on the delivery of television viewing and broadband delivery. It is reasonable to believe that since we have one cable coming into the house and only have the choice of one content provider that a monopoly exists and we are left without any consumer selection. However, that anecdotal information alone would not necessarily qualify the cable company as a monopoly. There is the bidding process that takes place that determines the provider to consider. There are also suitable substitutes available that may limit the use of the word 'monopoly' when applied to television and broadband. The cable television companies no longer have a monopolistic hold on television delivery, as they have been subjected to competition from new technologies and deregulation. When we speak of a monopoly, the classic vision is the company that has a total market share and there are no competitors and no substitute products. The word is often used in a negative context as monopolies have historically had the ability to raise prices above the point that a competitive market would allow. As an example, private railroads in the past were able to act with monopolistic characteristics, as there was no competition from other transportation means. However, monopolies may also be the result of the economics of scale. If the fixed costs or startup costs are of a value that prevents others from entry, it may form a natural monopoly, where one company is able to produce and sell the service at a lower cost that having two or more companies competing for the same market share. A monopoly may also exist if there are simply no competitors that wish to enter the market, but the company does not act like a monopoly in the distribution of its services or the pricing of its goods. In addition, there is a difference between a regulated industry and a monopoly. According to Bollick (1984), "because of structural conditions that exist in certain industries, competition between firms cannot endure; and whenever these conditions exist, it is inevitable that only one firm will survive. Thus, regulation is necessary to dilute the ill-effects of the monopoly". For the purposes of this paper, a company will be considered to be a monopoly when it willfully acts to eliminate competition through its business practices and practices monopolistic pricing policies. Cable

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Personal Competency Essay Example for Free

Personal Competency Essay Personal competencies represent a person’s ability, skill, character, and knowledge that develop through life experiences. Competencies are required to perform efficiently in any professional organization. The ability to fully understand his or her personal competencies and using it as a resourceful tool for improvement constructs the foundation of highly effective management department. Poor communication is often the biggest barrier in organizational effectiveness. In a managerial position, development of communication skills is an integral part for managers to build and maintain relationships by employee‘s self-concept. When expectations are known, uncertainties are reduced, outcomes can then be better predicted allowing the organization to run smoothly. To overcome conflicts and effectively communicate with different areas of the business, management uses communication technique to have a pleasant and productive work atmosphere. Clearly defining each position’s roles and responsibilities sets a foundation and reduces tension in the workplace. Employees feel valued when managers actively listen to concerns and allow workers to participate in any decision-making process. This helps build a positive, parallel relationship between the manager and employee. Keeping an open mind and knowing that disagreements can occur help contribute to advancement of a business by realizing that management may not always be right. Innovating and strategizing are the essential competencies to focus on in order to adapt strong communication skills. A successful innovative organization clearly explains to each employee the organization’s vision, mission, purpose and each position’s responsibilities. Making sure the vision is understood, trusting staff members and prioritizing meetings is a guiding light for an innovative organization. Strategizing also is another critical element that allows better communication. Reflecting on the previous year, and current year and planning for future years allows the organization to expand through the use of communication. Communication is the key to the success of many objectives and goals set by individuals and upper management. Recognizing each individual’s personality and finding various ways to communicate is an integral part of management in any organization.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Rocky Marciano :: essays research papers

On Sept. 1, 1923 Mr. and Mrs. Pierino Marchegiano of Brockton, MA became the proud parents of a lively twelve pound baby boy. The child was named Rocco Marchegiano, but the world would one day know him as the legendary boxer Rocky Marciano. When "bambino Rocco" was 18 months of age, he contracted pneumonia. Although the infection nearly killed him, his exceptionally strong constitution enabled him to survive without impairment. As a pre-teenager, Rocky relished his mother's Italian cooking so much he bordered on being stocky. This was underscored by his relatively short but muscular arms and legs. However, even at this young age, his overall bearing suggested exceptional physical strength. Throughout his teenage years, Rocky took great advantage of living across the street from the James Edgar Playground, where he especially enjoyed playing baseball. It was during this period that he began the habit of exercising to his limit." After spending countless hours hitting and chasing after baseballs, he would often go home and do chinups and lift homemade weights until he was totally fatigued." After supper, "Rocky and his pals often spent hours pummelling a stuffed mail sack that hung from an oak tree in the Marchegiano's back yard....In hot weather, they usually finished their workouts by racing over to Saxton's Spring to get a cold drink of water." Unfortunately, Rocky's experience of growing up in a multi-ethnic, working-class setting contributed to his involvement in a number of "altercations." Although most were territorial battles that took place at James Edgar Field, some occurred well beyond.... Even prior to his teenage years, Rocky's reputation for being a "really tough Italian kid" extended all the way over to the Bush, Brockton's Irish section. However, by the time he was 14, Rocky's notoriety as a baseball slugger began to overtake his reputation as a slugger with his fists. The legend of his athletic prowess began at age 15 when, as cleanup batter on the local American Legion team, he blasted a towering home run over the left field fence at James Edgar Playground. It landed on the front porch of a slightly irate neighbor. At age 15, Rocky entered Brockton High School - an institution with a nationally prestigious football tradition. Error! Bookmark not defined. Rocky's favorite subjects were Italian and Manual Training. And, except for a rather erratic scholastic record, all went reasonably well for him - at first.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Complaint letter

Allay she informed me that Ms. Portfolio shouldn't have left anymore have a chose to take the quiz at an other time, then went back to class take the MOA quiz 2. After I left the room from finishing what I could do on the quiz students that were done with their quiz had informed me that she had made a call on her cell phone to Ms. Allay concerning me and allowing to speak freely among the other student calling me â€Å"malaria and grosser† and other slanderous words towards me, which I thought was very unprofessional of her to do. Also, she was very rude to speak about me in that manner.I was dumbfounded by how rude Ms. Portfolio behavior was today. After I was informed about the incident that had just occurred I went down to her office to confront her about it. She was speaking with Ms Allay about me, I didn't hear exactly what was being said but saw a look of relief on her face that I was there, maybe she had thought we could talk things over. I told Ms. Portfolio that did n ot appreciate how she spoke about me so rudely in front Of the class and that I hope next time if she had something to say about a student it would be in private.She then got upset and told Ms. Allay to suspend me, I then got upset as well and spoke a little strongly to her saying â€Å"On what ground can you suspend me for if I have done anything wrong other than telling you that your actions were unprofessional, I have never disrespected you in any way, have not verbally or physically abused you† She then yelled out † If she still remains her I can no longer be here†. This altercation has upset me and embarrassed me, made me feel discouraged to continue my stay at your program. Ms. Portfolio makes me feel unwanted in the facility.Ultimately I am writing this letter with the hope that my complaint about Ms. Portfolio will be resolved. I appreciate the time you have taken to read this letter and consider the grievance that I have contacted you about. If you have a ny additional questions or would like to talk to me about resolution options. Can be contacted at my email address Eva. Jove. [email  protected] Com or my cell phone (415)635-9936. Would like to get this resolved as quickly as possible so that I can better fully focus on my studies and completing the rest of my nine month course here at MILS in healthy environment.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

How Important Is It to Maintain Confidentiality in a Childcare Setting? Essay

How important is it to maintain confidentiality in a childcare setting? When in a childcare setting it is vital to maintain confidentiality in different areas not just for the Child’s welfare but the families as well! Confidential information must not be shared outside of the setting E.G family or friends. The following examples are to be kept confidential; enrolment forms, family’s health insurance information, health screenings and records, including immunization records, emergency contact information, contact information for those authorized to pick up child, emergency care consent forms , consent forms (permission slips) for outings or special activities, names of regular medical or dental providers who know the child, nutritional restrictions, progress reports, child observation logs, parent conference logs, medication logs, documentation of medical, behavioural or developmental evaluations, referrals or follow-ups, addressing issues relevant to the child’s participation in the program, documentation of any injury occurring at the program site and the steps taken to address the situation. While the rights and desires of families to keep their personal details private are important, there are also some circumstances under which identifying information should be shared for example; Program staff and the â€Å"need to know (might have a dietary or medical requirements so the cook or nurse will need to know) Outbreaks of reportable illness or Outbreaks of reportable illness as the information might be vital and used to saved the children’s life or keep them healthy. One way to differentiate whether the information is confidential or not would be to think â€Å"Is this common knowledge or do I know it because my position in the setting† as all children, families and young people have a right to confidentiality. So always ask your supervisor if you aren’t sure about what information is appropriate to disclose to different people. In addition all information needs to be store properly- in a secure place. If this isn’t possible make sure you donâ €™t discuss the information apart from those directly responsible for the care of the child. Technology is advancing but this still doesn’t escape the laws. Read more:  Maintaining an Individual’s Confidentiality and Disclosing Concerns There is legislation that defines in what ways personal information can be used; The Data Protection Act 1998 (was created to protect individual’s rights and to prevent breaches or information.) It applies whether or not they are kept on the computer Maintaining confidentiality protects children and their families from gossip but also prevents situations of an abuser mounts a legal defence based on tampering of evidence so it is essential that you don’t talk to anyone other than those directly involved about your concerns or about what a child has told you. As anything you learn about children or their families or other during the course of your practice is likely to be very confidential. When working with other professional it is most likely you will hear comments and remarks that aren’t anticipated to be repeated outside of the meeting/ conversation. You may be given documents that cover sensitive areas- this means that you need to keep the information confiden tial but also in a safe and secure lock up. Photography is an ever increasing technology and can be a brilliant way to have evidence for observations or practical’s but there are some basic rules that you have to follow to maintain confidentially when taking photographs; ALWAYS Have permission from the parents of the child that you a photographing, Only use a school camera as this ensures that the photographs don’t make it out of the school, although the parent says it okay the child might not when you are taking the photo always keep this in mind, If the parent(s) don’t want their child to be in the picture then make sure that they STAY OUT of it or you can cut/ bur them out of the photo. When doing observations you need to maintain confidentiality in the following ways; only using the Childs first names, change the children’s names if they are unusual or could lead to the child be identified in any way, give the type of setting rather than the name of the settings EG â€Å"a primary school† rather than â€Å"The John Warner primary school†. Write the children’s age as years and months rather than the date of birth as they can be easily identified, photographic records should not be used unless permission is gained from the child’s parents and the setting lastly make sure the files have a contacting telephone number so they can be returned safely if lost. Lastly it is vital that as a practitioner that we maintain confidentiality as our main priority is the welfare of child and their development. If you breach confidentiality then you are putting the child at a very high risk, whether this is of kidnapping, sexual, emotional or physical abuse, there are laws and moral rules for a reason as it should be the child’s interest at heart at all times. Secondly you should always maintain confidentiality to keep a good relationship with the parents. You are in charge of the apple of their eye and they are trusting you with the Childs life thus it is vital to maintain a good and healthy relationship with the c hild’s parents. If you don’t this might result with them taking them out of the current school and you losing your job. Overall you should always make sure that the person who is picking the child up has the right of access as this could lead into very bad situations of the child being abducted. It is vital that you don’t break the trust with the family. The child might suffer abuse so you should take the right steps (Talking to your child protection officer) and no one else unless directly involved with the child’s welfare. When passing on information make it is to the correct people as the child might not be telling the truth and putting the child and family in danger for no reason. Don’t repeat anything your team says that you think is confidential. If you hear something that is being talked about them distract them- if it is a parent just talk to them about how well their child is doing but if it is a member of staff take them to one side and talk to them. With any serious or sensitive issues with children ( break ups, deaths etc†¦) then you need to tell your supervisor immediately and instead of asking the child to tell you a good way to get their emotions out is to write it down ( if old enough). Always ensure that children’s names are remained confidential e.g.; in observations etc†¦ If you are going arrange to talk to anyone about a confident matter then always arrange a confidential area so no one will come in and hear/ see what you are discussing. Always obtain permission for photographs/ videos of a child. Make sure there is no mistrial as to many questions could lead a child on and not tell the truth, get a professional in to deal with the matter. Lastly the data protection acts has 8 principles that state all about maintain confidentially with any documentation in any situation, this is the law. Overall it is vital that you as a professional practitioner you always maintain confidentiality of the setting/ children/ families as it can put many people at risk or a endless list of dangers.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

21 Words Stemming from the Latin Word for Look At

21 Words Stemming from the Latin Word for Look At 21 Words Stemming from the Latin Word for Look At 21 Words Stemming from the Latin Word for Look At By Mark Nichol A surprising number and array of English words derive from the Latin verb specere, meaning â€Å"look at.† Each word, and its meaning and related forms, appears below. 1. aspect: a part or quality of something, the way someone or something appears, or the direction that something faces (adjectival form: aspectual) 2. circumspect: reflective about the consequences of doing or saying something (noun form: circumspection; adverbial form: circumspectly) 3. conspicuous: easy to see, or attracting attention (noun form: conspicuousness; adverbial form: conspicuously) 4. despicable: obnoxious or worthless (verb form: despise; noun form: despicableness; adverbial form: despicably) 5. expect: look forward to something or think that something will happen, consider something necessary or reasonable, or, as expecting, being pregnant (noun forms: expectedness, expectation, expectancy; adjectival form: expectable; adverbial forms: expectably, expectedly) 6. frontispiece: an illustration opposite the title page of a book, or the front of a building, or an architectural feature over a window or other opening (the final syllable is not cognate with piece) 7. inspect: look at something carefully (noun forms: inspector, inspection; adjectival form: inspective) 8. introspection: examination of one’s own feelings or thoughts (verb form: introspect; alternate noun form: introspectiveness; adjectival forms: introspective, introspectional; adverbial form: introspectively) 9. perspective: point of view, a literal or figurative view, or a way to represent an image by using converging parallel lines to give an illusion of depth and distance (or such an image) (adjectival form: perspectival) 10. prospect: as a verb, scout, or search for mineral deposits; as a noun, an opportunity or possibility, or someone likely to be chosen (alternate verb form: prospecting; alternate noun forms: prospector, prospecting; adjectival form: prospective) 11. respect: as a verb, to admire or regard; as a noun, admiration or regard (adjectival form: respective) 12. retrospect: as a noun, review; as an adjective, relating to the past or a past event (alternate noun form: retrospective; alternate adjectival form: retrospective) 13. species: related living things capable of interbreeding with other members of the species, one of several kinds of atomic particle, or a thought or mental image, or, loosely, synonymous with kind or sort (adjectival form: species) 14. specimen: a thing typical of its kind, or a remarkable example of something, or a minuscule amount or piece of a substance to be examined or tested 15. spectacle: an impressive show or sight; in plural form, a synonym for eyeglasses (adjectival form: spectacular; alternate noun form, spectacular) 16. spectator: a person who watches an event (verb form: spectate; adjectival form: spectator or spectatorial; alternate noun forms: spectatorship, spectatory) 17. specter: a ghost or spirit, or something that bothers or haunts one; British English spelling is spectre (adjectival form: spectral) 18. spectrum: range of light or sound waves, or range of people or things; scientific plural form: spectra 19. speculation: guess or idea, or financial activity with high risk but possibility of high profit (adjectival form: speculative; adverbial form: speculatively) 20. speculum: a medical instrument inserted into a body passage, or an image showing the relative positions of the planets, or a patch of color on a bird’s wing 21. suspect: as a verb, think that a crime has been committed or someone has done something wrong or that something is the cause of something bad; as a noun, someone or something that has caused something bad to happen; as an adjective, causing doubt or a feeling that someone did something wrong or that something bad is likely or true (alternative noun form: suspicion) Todays YouTube video: Program vs. Programme Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Dialogue Dos and Don'tsWhat is the Difference Between Metaphor and Simile?What the heck are "learnings"?

Monday, November 4, 2019

Conduct Disorder and it's affect on African American Males Research Proposal

Conduct Disorder and it's affect on African American Males - Research Proposal Example Until the society adopts a new orientation about the basic problem and undertake modern therapy to invite all African Americans males in the mainstream, give respectful understanding and let them feel self esteemed the problem can't be solved for good. Over the last ten years, young Africans American males have been over represented in virtually every negative social conditions of American society. These include incarceration, crime victimization, poverty and unemployment. Currently, nearly one of three or 32.2 percent of African Americans numbering 8, 17400 are under criminal justice supervision such as incarceration, probation, and parole. They have the strongest likelihood of being victims of perpetrator of murder, robbery and aggravated assault. (IvoryAchebeToldson, Esoteric group therapy: Counseling African American adolescent males with conduct disorder remarks in the journal of African American studies) This is a dismal picture of African Americans adults in USA. Approximately five percent of all children in the United States, ages 4-17, suffer from conduct disorder, which involves chronic, serious anti-social behavior problems. Likely symptoms that are found in such boys are frequent and persistent lying, physical cruelty, sexual activity fire-setting, vandalism forcible or stealing that begins much earlier than normal juvenile delinquency and is much more severe. African American males between 15 years to nineteen years die from homicides, which is as high as 46 times compared to the white counterparts. During 1980-1995 the rate of suicide among this age group had increased from 5.6 to 13.8 per hundred thousand of population. This is reverse trend compared to the earlier trend when European American youths had more suicide rates than the African American. "These figures should not be surprising since adolescent African-American males in contemporary American society face major challenges to their psychological development and well-being. In addition to dealing with the physical, mental and emotional issues typically experienced during adolescence, adolescent African-American males are confronted with unique social and environmental stressors. They must frequently cope with racism and its associated stressors, including family stressors, educational stressors, and urban stressors," said Dr. Xanthos. Conduct disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis defined as "a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others and major age-appropriate societal norms or rules are violated," Rolf Loeber, Ph.D., of the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues investigated the relationship between Conduct disorder (CD) in young men and carrying a concealed gun with him. He showed how gun carrying is associated with crime in adulthood. He asserts that using weapons is also a symptom of CD, but he is not certain about how many boys with CD illegally carry concealed guns before the age of 18 and

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Discuss the main components that you need to write a wireless LAN Essay

Discuss the main components that you need to write a wireless LAN security policy. How such a policy would be different from a - Essay Example A sample Wireless information security policy can be found in this link http://www.sans.org/security-resources/policies/Wireless_Communication_Policy.pdf . II. Essential Components of a Wireless Security Policy Essential components of the Wireless Security Policy are the mandatory change of password for the Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). The Wireless Security Policy also includes a list of standard devices allowed to connect to the wireless local area network. Since it would be easier to diagnose a problem including the implementation of solutions when there are less variables to consider. Wired local area network IP addresses in some instances can be dynamic for each of the devices connected to the local area network. However, in the wireless local area network static IP are assigned to MAC address to ensure that only authorized devices connects to the local area network. Since the possibility of security breaches or infiltration are higher using the wireless local area network the s ecurity policy normally do not allow devices intending to connect to the wireless local area network to access beyond a finite area. Most often this area is not accessible to normal human traffic from outside the perimeter of the organization’s property. ... This is to ensure that no rider or malicious codes accompany the authentication process of the wireless device as it connects to the wireless local area network. In some instances the organization’s wireless security policy only allows the devices supplied by the organization to connect to its wireless local area network. The security policy also mandates that the local virus protection system of the wireless devices is up to date. III. The Difference of Wireless and Wired LAN Security Policy The policy governing wireless communication in a local area network is different in the sense that. Wireless devices that can attach to a network are mobile or can be taken out of the premises of the organization while devices that are wired to the Local Area Network of the organization cannot be taken out of the office without arousing any suspicion. Wired connection can easily be inventoried and accounted for using network management software. Devices that are connected to the wireless devices of the local area network are dynamic connections that can move around and be at certain locations that are within the range of the wireless router. The possibility of infiltration and data theft is not only probable but very likely since the shortest effective range of a wireless router can include areas that are beyond the visual range of security forces of the organization. While the devices connected to the wired local area network are secure and static within the company premises. The manners in which devices connect to the wired local area network are managed and administered are entirely different with the way devices connect to the wireless

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Corruption between inmates and correction officers Term Paper

Corruption between inmates and correction officers - Term Paper Example Interestingly, there is no formal definition of correctional corruption. However, the penal codes define corrupt acts to be: acceptance of honorarium, bribery, accepting sexual favors and improper influence; but, they do not authoritatively describe what constitutes corrupt. Corruption is always evident as an abuse of power, whereby individuals presume that the use of power leads to the achievement of a purpose other than what it granted. In correctional facilities, there are instances of promotion or hiring of a less qualified staff based on their relation with the supervisor. Some of the inmates may receive preferential treatment from the security personnel on the grounds that they serve as house trustees. A group of inmates may be denied their civil rights or privileges because of their faith or religion (Souryal, 28). On the other hand, use of oppression is also a form of corruption that is evident in correctional facilities. A warden may pile up charges on an inmate or an office r, which they did not commit, because of ethnicity or race. In some instances, officers and inmates may experience physical abuses, which are permitted by others, due to their different lifestyles. In the prison context, there are three metrics which generally define corruption, that is, Acts of Misfeasance, Acts of Malfeasance and Acts of Nonfeasance. Acts of misfeasance are the illicit acts, which the correction officers are supposed to undertake, nonetheless, they willingly contravene for personal gain. These acts are more often than not committed by high-ranking officers in the correctional hierarchy or by outsiders, who are linked to the prison facility through professional or political appointment. Generally, acts of malfeasance are committed by prison officers at the middle or lower management levels. These acts involve acts of misconduct or criminal acts, which the officers intentionally commit in violation of agency rules and regulations and/or state laws (Souryal 29). Acts that are in this category are trafficking of contraband, embezzlement, extortion, official oppression and the exploitation of inmates or their families for goods, money or services. Lastly, acts of nonfeasance involve avoidance or omission knowingly committed by prison officers who are responsible for undertaking such acts. These acts are common in the correctional facility despite an officer’s rank. There are two types of nonfeasance: an officer ignoring a prisoner’s violations of the institutional laws and the failure to report other officers of misconduct as a repayment of an earlier favor or personal loyalty. Additionally, there are other metrics that can be used to measure corruption in correctional facilities, which are drawn from the Path-Driven Taxonomy of Corruption Metrics. It is composed of four metrics, which are: Political-Economic-Social (PES) metrics; Public Administration (PA) metrics; Citizen Engagement (CE) metrics and Cultural (CU) metrics. In the c orrectional facilities context, the PES metrics will examine the general conditions and draw a parallel between situations or events, which make the occurrence of corruption to be very high in the prevention stage. In addition, it will also measure the existence or insight of existence of corruption in the correctional facilities; its different units and partners in the detection stage of corruption. Furthermore, the metrics will also focus on the perceived or existent actions to fight

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

What is the connection between drugs and crime And how can the Essay

What is the connection between drugs and crime And how can the government stop the youth crime in London - Essay Example The paper also dwelt on the issue of legalizing some of these drugs. On a final note, this paper has presented conclusions and recommendations to promote a drug free and a crime-free society. Drugs are a threat to today’s society. Because of this fact, there are numerous studies which have attempted to establish a causative relationship between drugs and crime. Indeed, there is a steady relationship between drug abuse and the growing crime rate. This is evident as we often hear about sporadic violence occurring in those neighbourhoods of our cities which have acquired a reputation for the being drug joints of the city. There is a relationship between youths getting attracted to drugs and eventually towards crime (Bullock and Tilley 2002). Researchers have always tried to find out the answer to various questions relating to this menace. However, much of their theories remain unknown to the public. This may be the reason why drug abuse as a causative agent to youth crime has remained one of the prevailing problems of this modern world. Thus this paper aims to discuss the factors why drug abuse leads to the increasing rate of youth crime all over the country. Specifically it attempts to discuss the rate of drug abuse here in UK, the nature of drugs used in substance abuse and how they affect a person’s level of functioning, mental and emotional state; socioeconomic problems which link youth crime and substance abuse together and solutions and recommendations which can help lessen substance abuse and youth crime rates. Broadly, the term â€Å"drug† is used to describe â€Å"any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function.† (WHO, 1969). Drugs are used to treat diseases, but there is a subset of drugs being termed as recreational drugs, which are chemical substances that affect

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Business Essays Ryanair Airlines Transportation

Business Essays Ryanair Airlines Transportation Ryanair Airlines Transportation Ryan Air Case Study 1.0 Introduction Ryanair was set up by the Ryan family in 1985. The company went public in 1997 and the Ryan’s subsequently sold the bulk of their share to other shareholders. Ryanair traditionally developed organically, i.e. by growing its assets by itself. Every year, it opened new hubs in Europe, started flights from new airports, and added to its aircraft fleet. This model proved to be rather successful. By 2003, Ryanair was the most profitable and valuable airline in Europe ahead of Lufthansa and doubling its value over British Airways. However, as the market started to saturate and as the competition got tougher, the company decided to buy Buzz, another low-cost airline. It did so in 2003. Many said that Buzz was a financial disaster but acquiring it was strategically important for Ryanair that wanted to increase its market share and get Buzz’s airport slots and other facilities. 1.1 Ryan air’s objectives are: To open at least one new base in Europe each year for the next three or four years To grow at a rate of thirty percent (30%) for the next two years to just under twenty million passengers To maintain its position as Europe’s leading low fares airline To operate frequently point-to-point short haul flights, mainly out of regional and secondary airports 1.2 Mission and Vision The mission of Ryanair is to keep the lowest fares among all the other European airlines and to have a friendly and efficient service that satisfies the customer’s needs. The vision to the future of Ryanair is to keep going up and be Europe’s largest airline in the next six years. The heart of its strategy is based on providing a no-frills service with low fares designed to stimulate demand, particularly from budget conscious leisure and business travellers, who might otherwise have used alternatives forms of transportation, or who might not have travelled at all. 2.0 No-frill Ryan Air (refer to appendix A for more details) Over the last decade, European Aviation has moved from a highly regulated market, based on bilateral agreements between countries, towards an oligopolistic structure and finally to a highly monopolistic competitive single market. In this new situation the discretionary powers of the authorities have been curbed and airlines have enjoyed greater freedom to set fares, open new routes and determine what capacities to offer. This has eroded the dominance of the Flag Carriers like British Airways, Lufthansa and Air France, due to the upsurge of low cost airlines. In the United Kingdom however, the industry is still oligopolistic in nature, as there are many barriers to market contestability: Availability of desired take-off and landing slots at airports. The necessity of entering a new route on a large enough scale to achieve acceptable cost levels. The costs of leasing or buying new fleet of aircrafts. Securing contracts with ground-handling companies who may already have contracts with other airlines. Retaliatory behaviour by rivals. The necessity of applying for and securing an air operators’ licence from European Union. Overcoming existing customer loyalty achieved by companies who have exploited their advantage of being the first carrier. Direct intervention in the industry to control externalities e.g. aviation taxation. Ryanair a ‘no frills’ low cost airline was able to introduce pricing strategies that worked. Financial statements from 2002 – 2003 were compared; the results showed that Ryanair enjoyed after tax profit growth of fifty-nine percent (59%). This was possible through an aggressive pricing policy. 3.0 Internal and External Analysis In reference to the competitive structure of this newly formed low fares airline market in Europe and how it has developed during the 1990’s. 3.1 The Porters Five forces model shown in Appendix A, summaries these dynamics under the various influencing factors. The most influential of these are discussed. As entrants developed in this market, rivalry increased although no major head-to-head battles with the mainline global airlines occurred due to the ‘low fares’ market developing their own routes. Competition only existed from various new airlines catering for this growing sector, along with tailor made sub-divisions of the major airlines e.g. GO parent group British Airways. As the market became over crowded, however, the threat of entry was reduced, not only due to the large capital investment required. But the basic factors of congestion in the skies and the lack of take-off and landing slots at airports deterred potential new entrants. The suppliers of aircraft to the sector have relatively low power, second-hand aircraft entailed high maintenance low fuel efficiency costs and some new entrants required new aircraft to promote their new image. Although new aircraft suppliers also have low power due to the fierce competition within their manufacturing industry (Airbus, Boeing), the main force of supplier’s power comes from the price of aviation fuel which is directly related to the cost of oil, as individual companies within the airline sector they do not have the power to alter this. Customers have little power due to their large number and relatively small individual contribution to sales revenue, although this level of power will vary on the travel route in question depending on its level of competition. Porter (1998) highlighted potential risks that companies adopting any of the three generic strategies might face. For a strategy competing on costs, the main risks are when competitors are able to imitate the strategy itself, or technology changes. When the target segment becomes structurally unattractive, it also poses a risk to the company. This can happen when the demand for low fares disappears due to changing consumer taste. From the fact of the case study, Ryan air is a dominant player in the sector, and this risk is particular high at this stage. Ryan air ‘no-frill’ policy may have to change as they are actively expanding their flight route network and distance. It would be impossible for Ryan air not to provide meals on longer haul flights and as a result their cost focus strategy may become blurred. Ryan air continues to set prices lower than mist of their competitor. Bowman’s Strategic Clock may be a better tool for analysing the case study as it focuses on pricing (refer to appendix C). 3.2 Swot Analysis Opportunities for Ryanair There is still potential for more regional departures to satisfy business travel demand and the growth in short breaks. The Internet can provide a simpler route to the market for consumers and businesses. It makes searching for availability and the lowest fares easier and reduce distribution costs for airlines. There is potential for more direct bookings to reduce distribution costs. Increasing collaboration with alliance partners and code sharing partners can increase sales and reduce costs. This could lead to higher levels of cross-shareholdings and consolidation in the industry. There is also considerable potential for further development of low-fare services in Europe. Ryanair can use its reputation as a resource to expand into Internet cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s or car rental services. They can also cut down on the use of intermediataries who sell their tickets for them by getting to publicise through the Internet or airports 3.3 Threat for Ryan Air The threat of substitutes is however a main area of power, smaller geographical space and shorter distances between major agglomerations allow a greater competition from alternative transportation, notably the high-speed train. The main business challenge during the 1990’s for the ‘low fares’ airline sector was how to convince customers to take the plane instead. The threat of September 11 has proved traumatic for the mainstream European airlines. By contrast, in the no-frill airline sector, traffic calmed sharply, buoyed by strong sales promotions and heavy discounting. However, for Ryanair, the mainstream airlines’ losses were the budget airlines’ gains, strengthening their bargaining position with respect to aircraft procurement, airport deals and staff recruitment. 3.4 Strengths for Ryan Air (refer to Appendix B for more details) By looking at the strengths in appendix B, by the end of 2003, Ryanair’s route system had expanded from its primarily Irish-UK emphasis to serve 86 destinations on 133 routes across 16 countries. Ryanair’s no-frill services allowed it to priorities features important to its clientele, such as frequent departures, advance reservations, baggage handling, and consistent on-time services. Ryanair’s strength (appendix B) is that it offers travel insurances, car rental and connecting rail services, and commission on sales of other services such as hotel reservation. Ryanair website is acclaimed as being one of the most user-friendly and visited travel websites in Europe. (Refer to Exhibit 6 in the handbook for details on operating statistics for Ryanair) 3.5 Pestle Analysis: (refer to appendix A for more details) By looking at the Pestle Analysis, its suggests that Ryan air has to keep a lot of things in mind before taking any further step to increase it awareness. It has to make sure that it follows that law. Also, have to look at the people behaviour on spending the money and keep its price reasonable to attract its rival customers. 4.0 Financial Status: In 2003 Ryanair had delivered its 13th consecutive years of increased profitability. Its net margin had increased by 4% to 28%, surpassing its own long-term net profit margin target of 20%. The staff efficiency ratio had improved by 15% (see exhibit 1 in the handbook). The group’s market capitalisation had grown from  £392m in 1997 to  £4.7 by 1 July 2003, as its profitability was seen to be unique among airlines worldwide. In fiscal 2003, Ryanair had delivered extra ordinary growth in fleet, routes; traffic, revenues and profitability (refer to exhibit 1a, b and c in the handbook). Ryanair advertises its low fairs, primarily on its website, in newspapers, and on radio and television. In 1997, Ryanair was one of the first European airlines to cut its rate of commission to travel agents, from 9% to 7 and half percent. In 2002, Ryanair launched its website. This has had the effect of saving money on staff cost, agents’ commissions and computer reservation charges, while significantly contributing to growth. 5.0 Benchmarking: Comparing Ryanair to other airline companies is almost impossible, while the airline industry is blurring through competitive activity and industry convergence. Airlines offer nowadays a lot of extra services, for example, car rental, internet access in the plane et cetera. All those extra services don’t belong to the core product, the flight. Because of every airline company offering something else it makes it hard to compare Ryanair with them. Ryanair could compare itself to other low-budget airlines, despite the product Ryanair offers is very unique and Ryanair is one of the most profitable low-budget airline. 6.0 Resources Available resources Available resources can be grouped under the following four headings: Physical resources The nature of these resources, such as the age, condition, capability and location of each resource, will also determine the usefulness of the resource. Ryanair possesses everything that is needed to have the company operating in the airline industry. For example, an aircraft fleet (the average age was considerably higher than that of the fleets of Ryanair’s current or potential competitors), headquarter in Ireland, secondary airports to use for landing et cetera. Human resources Ryanair has several hundred employees who issued a statement asserting that they are happy to work for the company. Financial resources Ryanair has different shareholders: The Ryan family The employees Michael O’Leary An investment group led by David Bonderman Irish Air EU nationals Intellectual capital The intellectual capital is the intangible resources of an organisation and is often overlooked or undervalued. The intellectual capital of Ryanair consists for example of the knowledge that the individual employees have. They are all well trained, are able to use the customer databases and have good relationships with the customers. These resources are not tangible, but very important in this knowledge-based economy. 7.0 BUZZ – A Low Price Purchase: Ryanair protects and strengthen its position in the current EU Budget airline market through acquired BUZZ, and appointed two deputies, however, in the fierce competition; Ryanair should seek to some other new markets or new products. Enter the long-haul flight market with the existing cheap, no-frills flights or launch the business class in flight for the business travellers are both the good future directions for Ryanair, because these options are more or less relate to the current business which Ryanair is doing, it is easier for sharing the resources and controlling. Diversification into long-haul market with business class flights, seems not a wisdom choice for Ryanair, since choose to do something is not linking to Ryanair’s current business at all; it would make Ryanair into a very risky situation. 7.1 Robustness: (see appendix D) Rarity Michael O’Leary has a lot of experience and knowledge that can be seen as a unique resource for Ryanair. In 2004, the Financial Times named Michael O’Leary as one of 25 European ‘business stars’, who are expected to make a difference. Ideas can not be patented; they are in the public area. So advantage of Michael O’Leary will be short-lived and only if Ryanair is good at learning, adapting and moving to new bases of competition, Ryanair will be the long-term winner. Another rarity of Ryanair is the extremely low costs and low prices. This can be imitated by other airlines by introducing a new cost-cutting policy and by doing a lot of research. Complexity Entering the airline industry is very hard. Surviving in the airline industry as a low budget company maybe even harder, while Ryanair is so unique, innovative, with a very aggressive marketing policy, Ryanair is impossible to imitate. Culture Ryanair operates only in Europe, so the cultural differences are not so big, and does not give any problems. Casual ambiguity Other airline companies know that the basis of success for Ryanair is the cost-cutting policy. But how Ryanair manages this policy is unclear to them. It is hard to imitate. Ryanair is Europe’s first low-fares and no frills carrier, and it believes that it has made a sufficient gap over its competitors. But the question is can Ryanair maintain its objectives and strategies within the next 2-5years. 8.0 The detailed proposals recommended and previous objectives that can be enhanced. The Strategy that can help Ryan air to increase its competitiveness in the airline industry in short term and long term and the things that it can do to attract more customers. 8.1 Short-term strategy (refer to appendix C for more details about Ryan air strategic position) In short-term strategies, Ryanair must ensure that they are very competitive in terms of their low cost services. By keeping customers satisfied with the price of their tickets, thus reducing the complaints from flight changes and price changes, and ensuring that their day-to-day activities are constantly kept up-to-date with the constant use of the value chain analysis. 8.2 Medium-term Strategy In medium-term Ryanair face continuous competition, due to the fact that they are not number one in the low fare airlines market share even with the merger with BUZZ holding the largest low fares airline, BA and its seven alliances are number one. There should be some goals to under pin other competitors in a market penetration and new product development. Maybe by implementing own branded items into the market, as well as the subsidy’s, to maximise profits with the aid of research and development. Ryanair want to compete against BA. In which Ryanair is continuing its long-term goals of expansion, in order to compete with the larger companies. But they can only achieve this by undercutting BA, i.e. in sectors they fail to break even. 8.3 Additional Service for Customers: The use of secondary airports causes people to catch other modes of transport to reach the main city. Ryanair can take advantage, by offering an additional service to drop people at their locations. This can be done through contracting to a taxi service or a coach company. With a well-researched marketing strategy that can be used to attract the customers thereby boosting Ryanair’s passengers in unfilled seats and thus aiding in the reduction of complaints in short-term strategy. By having more people working on the help desks as the Internet has no middle man, thus no commission has to be paid to travel agencies. In terms of the Internet direct sale, it not only can reduce labour administration costs, but convenience for customers and save their time. In order to provide customers with an efficient and courteous service, it is inevitable that Ryanair have to improve their service. Generally such as the cargo services, well arrangement of booking tickets (in the internet and telephone) and while flights are being cancelled, they will give priority to resolve the situation. 8.4 Promotional Activity for Ryanair: Ryanair needs large amounts of aggressive promotion, to be noticed by the whole world in similarity to Easy Jets marketing tactic of a TV programme that was successful in making a profit and its name being remembered. In comparison, the name Ryanair is not that well known but a market research would be needed to verify this. Ryanair must achieve a new tactic to be known in the market but this may lead to a high risk factor, if they decided to focus on advertisements on TV with their special offers other than travel agencies using their airlines. Another option is the low risk factors by advertising on radio and billboards, then aiming the marketing strategy towards the targeted customers i.e. entrepreneurs and students 8.5 What Ryan air should in terms of its customer’s safety? In points of safety for their customers since the US attacks during September 11th and the recent attacks that took place in 2003, the planes must be kept and insured that they are safe to use otherwise there will be no customers. For example, if a budget air-line had an accident it can be argued that the low costs on ticket prices, cost peoples lives. This strategy will always need constant up-to-date measures in short-term and long-term, because anything can happen. 9.0 Conclusion The aim of this report was to carry out a strategy analysis of Ryanair, Europe’s largest low-cost no-frills airline. From this it became evident that the organisation operates in a complex environment with fast changing influences that affect its business both beneficially and unfavourably. It also enabled identification of some of the sources of Ryanair’s competitive advantage: core competencies, unique resources, key linkages and the superior cost performance compared to its closest competitor. However, it also became clear that the organisation still has a lot to learn from best practice. In general, Ryanair’s strategies match its task environment although it fails to address certain crucial issues. If these are not dealt with they could lead to future problems and reductions in profits. Reference: Cole, G. A. 1996, Management Theory and Practice, DP Publications, London Hornby, W., Gammie, B., Wall, S. 1997, Business Economics, Pearson Education Limited, England Kotler, P., Armstrong, G. 2001, Principles of Marketing, Prentice Hall, New Jersey Sloman, J. 2000, Economics, Pearson Education Ltd, England. Wright, W. 1999, Marketing: Origins, Concepts, Environment, Business Press, London Gerry Johnson. Kevan Scholes, Richard Whittington. 2007, Exploring Corporate Strategy, 7th edition Appendix A Porters Five Forces related to Ryanair: The Threat of Entry High requirements for capital investment Some economies of scale High marketing costs Experience in operation needed, established airlines already have trained staff High congestion of main airports, difficulty of obtaining landing and take-off slots Advantage in brand recognition, first mover advantage Expectation of retaliation from traditional airlines in price cutting and marketing strategies such as British Airways, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines and BMI New EU ruling on overbooking can add to the increasing costs posed to airline companies The Threat of Substitutes Mainstream airlines are losing market share due to September 11 aftermath Substitution depends on the relative strengths of other airlines such as daily flights frequency, punctuality, price and certain destinations Availability of other transport alternatives such as charter airlines, car ferries, high-speed trains and cars. Substitution for land travelling is dependent on journey time distances, destinations, convenience, flexibility, and customer preferences Bargaining Power of Buyers Large population base in EU Switching cost is relevantly low as there is no high differentiation of services Internet booking allows customers to research relative costs between airliners easily; perfect knowledge Price is major factor in the choice of airlines apart from flight frequency and punctuality Services provided is similar among airlines Bargaining Power of Suppliers Concentrated and small number of aircraft manufacturers i.e. Boeing and Airbus Many budget airlines have been opting for standardized Boeing 737 aircraft will lead to Boeing having more power. The power of main airports is increasing due to air traffic in EU is mounting. Secondary airports are desperate for business from budget airlines. The price of aviation fuel is directly linked to the cost of oil, hence budget airlines like Ryanair is difficult to alter this. The more Ryanair expands the more power it will possess over its suppliers. Competitive Rivalry The European low cost airline industry is very competitive. Ryanair has fierce competition from Easy Jet, Virgin Express and Aer Lingus New competitors in the budget sector increase the buyer power. Mainstream airlines have more control over take-off and landing slots in main airports Mainstream airlines are trying to retaliate by decrease cost on domestic flights, introducing internet booking and set up low-fares subsidiaries Low switching costs and customer loyalty High costs of leaving market Pest Analysis: Political and Legal Regulations for the air travel industry are getting even more stringent. The European Union authorities demand that airlines operate in an open, transparent manner. Any state subsidies to airline companies are prohibited in order to make working conditions equal to anyone and to boost competition in the industry. There are also regulations in place for airlines not to exceed certain levels of noise and air pollution. All of the legislation and regulations make operating in the industry harder. Economic Europe is undergoing economic slowdown. People therefore spend less, in general, and tend to travel less, as a result. High oil prices inflate costs of fuel and impact margins negatively. At the same time, people are ready to travel for less and thus willing to opt for low-budget airlines. Business travel is on the surge. E.g., business travelers count for 40% of all Ryanair’s passengers. At the same time, overall traffic in the industry as well as profitability levels plummeted in the aftermath of 11 September and after the war in Iraq and the SARS. This had a devastating effect on the majority of airlines but also gave an impetus to the development of low-cost carriers. Social People’s mobility has been increasing during the last decades. People travel for leisure, business, and in search of new jobs. Personal disposable income of people is rising in Europe as well as the number of senior citizens who enjoy traveling. Traveling low-cost has become a norm. Technological Airlines set up websites through which they sell tickets and other ancillary products and services such as car rentals and travel insurances. This led to cost decreases and to greater reach to customers. Airlines now provide satellite TV and phone services on board as well as broadband Internet and thus enhance value to customers. Information systems allow airlines collect data about passengers, cost, prices as well as ensure better service when boarding and handling luggage. Environmental Companies now have to comply with strict environment protection regulations and laws. Should they breach them, they may be liable to enormous fines or court hearings. This can have a greater impact on low-cost carriers as they have more take-offs and landings due to higher frequency of flights, and therefore need to pay more environment related taxes. Appendix B Strengths and weaknesses of Ryanair Airline Strengths Ryanair first budget airline in Europe, market leader. Most developed route system with frequent departures on Dublin–London route. Pre-empting potential competitors on the same routes, unless they can offer better value than Ryanair through lower prices (which requires them to have lower costs or take the pain of losses) and/or extra services (but customers must consider these worth paying for). Pursuing clear strategy, efficient and effective low cost operator; activities fit together to create low cost  ® difficult to undercut Ryanair on cost, and therefore on price (but see weaknesses for some cost vulnerabilities). Low and reducing breakeven load factor, easily cleared, reduces financial risk. Similarly, average length of passenger haul is moving in the right direction, as is number of employees per aircraft  ® reducing cost per available seat mile ®good operating profit. In fact, in 2001 Ryanair was considered the most profitable airline in the world Low debt, relatively high p/e ratio makes it possible to raise finance for growth Leadership – testimony of awards for management. Michael O’Leary and Tony Ryan are determined competitors, turned Ryanair around very effectively Weaknesses In an inverse way, Ryanair’s weaknesses can be listed and assessed to see whether any of them create critical vulnerabilities that impair Ryanair’s positioning and viability. Cost structure – aircraft utilisation in question with lowest number of hours per day of any budget competitors; older aircraft entail higher fuel and maintenance costs; currency fluctuations make fuel costs unpredictable. Overly cost conscious? Could be irritating to passengers, e.g. withdrawing free ice with paid for drinks – especially when budget rivals are actually adding perks, and mainstream airlines are discounting. Capital structure – very vulnerable to financial markets sentiment and high expectations, so any profit disappointment could be disastrous for share price, which is especially important in absence of dividends. Also, majority free floating shares could result in over 50% ownership outside EU  ®loss of airline licence. Staff issues – EU legislation regarding compulsory trade unions, alongside history of industrial relations problems; question marks over staff commitment and loyalty. Outsourced services outside Ireland may mitigate against employee commitment and intense company knowledge necessary to create superior customer service. Ryanair penalized more than other airlines by loss of intra-EU duty-free because cabin staff remuneration dependent on it; Ryanair had to compensate staff. The Value Chain The value chain model was suggested by Michael Porter. He maintained that an organization can provide value to its customers in two major ways: by lowering costs in a particular operation or by enhancing perceived value-added through differentiation. A company can add value using both methods in its different operations. The value chain consists of primary activities and supporting activities. Primary activities include: a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Inbound logistics, i.e. suppliers, purchases, inventories, lead times; b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Operations, i.e. manufacturing or processing; waste and distribution management; inventory control; efficiency; location management; customer service; information systems; c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Outbound logistics: selling, delivering, transportation, distribution; d)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Marketing and sales; e)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Service: customer satisfaction and retention, customer loyalty. Supporting activities entail: f)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Infrastructure: structure of the organization (centralized or decentralized etc); culture; managers’ involvement and support; vision; frequency of communication between managers and employees; g)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Human resources: motivation; respect of employees, which leads to happier staff and lower turn-around; h)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Technology development: Internet bookings, satellite communications, ERP information systems all lead to greater efficiency and lower costs; i)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Procurement: relationships with suppliers; storage. When bargaining power towards suppliers is high, then costs are low. A succes