Machiavelli’s Life and Principles Essay Example

Machiavelli’s Life and Principles Essay Name: Tutor: Course: Date: We will write a custom essay sample on Machiavelli’s Life and Principles specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Machiavelli’s Life and Principles specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Machiavelli’s Life and Principles specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Machiavelli’s Life and Principles Niccolo Machiavelli was an Italian scholar renowned for his military understanding and his views on leadership. Over his lifetime, he wrote many famous texts that scholars still revere top this day. His most famous work was The Prince, a title that mostly discusses the dynamics of power. In many of his works, Machiavelli discussed the different ways that a leader should behave and the values and attributes that they should have. Machiavelli practiced his own advice whenever he got the opportunity to do so. In The Prince, Machiavelli outlines the different ways that princes can succeed. He achieves this by using examples to show different successes in gaining and keeping power. One of the things that Machiavelli wrote about was the acquisition of power. Machiavelli claimed that it was best to use arms and virtue because when a prince acquired territory using his own troops and strengths, it would be easier for them to retain control of the land. One thing to note is that for Machiavelli, virtue mainly meant manliness and strength. Machiavelli also claimed that a leader should have evil qualities because that way it would be easier to hold on to power. For instance, he argued that it was better to be feared, but not hated, than to be loved. Lastly, he stated that a prince did not need to be trustworthy. In his life, Machiavelli adhered to some of the principles that he explains in his writings. Using his intellect and skills, he gained a series of promotions that helped him rise through the ranks of government in Florence. At one point he was in a close to the chief magistrate of Florence and in this position, he pushed for the use of local militia in the state. This conformed to one of the ideals that he stated in The Prince on the rejection of mercenaries in favor of local armies. When Florence had its own militia, Machiavelli was placed in charge of the militia. In this position, he showed great military understanding to capture Pisa (Unger 163). After Machiavelli lost his position, he was never able to rise to the same level of political prestige and was thus unable to apply his own principles. Work Cited Unger, Miles. Machiavelli: A Biography. New York, NY: Simon Schuster, 2011. Print. Class Struggles in the Contemporary World Scholars widely consider Karl Marx to be the father of Communism. His thoughts, works and ideas inspired leaders and political figures such as Josef Stalin, Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong. Marx’s works touched on a large number of issues affecting humanity such as governance, equality and wealth. To explain some of these issues, Marx introduced the concept of class struggles, or class conflict, to explain many of the issues that Europe was grappling with at its time. In his view, that many of the problems that were in Europe at the time, such as poverty, crime, war and unemployment could be explained by analyzing the concept of class conflict. Many of the issues that Marx talked about are still relevant in the contemporary world. Governments all over the globe are still struggling to deal with poverty, crime and unemployment and some of these crises seem to be worsening by the day. Class conflict can still be applied in the contemporary world to explain many of the problems th at humanity is facing. To explain class conflict, Karl Marx started by introducing two classes, the bourgeoisie and the proletarians. The bourgeoisie were the capitalists who owned Europe’s means of production. This meant that they were the richest people, had strong political connections and were the employers of the wage laborers (Marx and Engels 14). Marx argued that this class arose from the feudal society that had previously been in place in Europe (14). The feudal class had instituted class antagonisms and following its revival as the bourgeoisie, it was coming up with a new way of oppressing the people in lower socio-economic classes. The fresh system instituted new classes, methods of oppression and struggles within Europe (Marx and Engels 14). In contrast, Marx referred to Europe’s working class as the proletariat. This class provided the wage labor and worked in the companies owned by the bourgeoisie. Since they had no capital or means of production, these people were forced to provide labor for the upper classes as their only way of making a living (Marx and Engels 14). History shows that the feudal class, which became the bourgeoisie, had also been oppressing the working class in the previous feudal systems. This had come after most communities in Europe and Asia abolished the systems of common land ownership and replaced them with structures that created the antagonistic classes that Marx was discussing (Marx and Engels 14). Within this context, Marx explained that there was a perpetual struggle and conflict between the two main classes. The bourgeoisie and the proletariat were constantly in opposition to each other and this struggle between them played out in a persisting fight that took place in the background of their daily relations. Marx argued that history had seen people occupying positions of slaves, serfs and plebeians engaged in a constant struggle with their opposites such as freemen, lords and patricians (14). At the time that Marx was developing this theory, many of these positions had changed. The introduction of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat had made class struggles a much simpler concept to grasp. The divisions within society were limited to the two groups, with the classes consistently becoming larger as they simultaneously grew further apart. Capitalism grew hand in hand with class conflict, and it allowed the bourgeoisie to expand their industries and employ more people from the working class (Dahrendorf 5) The class conflict that Marx described was mainly the result of contrasting fortunes between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Marx argued that the upper classes, needed to revolutionize the means of production to ensure that they remained at the top of the system. This was followed by the domination of global trade and the world market to create consumption for the products that their industries created. This system continually expanded into a massive global force that forced the bourgeoisie to spread and settle in other parts of the globe (Marx and Engels 16). Since the bourgeoisie employed the working class in the industries and other means of production, the proletariat grew along with the system that the upper class was instituting. Marx claimed that the situation was very different for the proletariat (18). In their case, they could only survive as long as they found work and they were only employable as long as their labor created capital for the bourgeoisie. Additionally, the use of advanced technology had taken away the pride that workers formerly had in their work (Marx and Engels 18). This contrasting situation created a lot of tension between the two classes as the proletariat felt that the bourgeoisie was using them to advance its position at their expense. One of the key issues surrounding class conflict was inequality. Karl Marx felt that the situation with the bourgeoisie and the proletariat created a lot of inequality between the two classes. The proletariat worked hard within the industries owned by the upper classes, but were paid meager wages. In contrast, the bourgeoisie were able to make large profits from their industries through systems that Marx argued were oppressive. For instance, by underpaying their employees, the companies were able to make sure that the profits that they made were larger. Additionally, these profits all went to the bourgeoisie meaning that regardless of how well the industries did, the working class would still earn the same salary. In the modern world, inequality still exists in various forms. Racial prejudice and sexism are good examples of inequality. For some scholars, the reality is that there can never be a society or community in which all men, women and children are afforded equal chances (Dahrendorf 23). There are varying reasons for these disparities, with some people arguing that the diversity found in society cannot allow there to be complete equality. Within a single community, there exists a wide range of tasks that need to be done along with a large number of diverse interests and abilities. A combination of these factors is what causes the inequality (Dahrendorf 23). However, this still does not explain the reason why some members of society place themselves in positions of complete dominance over others by using oppressive systems such as the one that Marx described. Dahrendorf argues that in the modern world, the shape of class conflict has changed in some ways (24). During Marx’s time, the conflict was typified by a system of social immobility that was deeply entrenched with European society. The problem then was not just that the system oppressed the working class, but that the proletariat had no chances of moving upwards towards a higher social class. The structures within society confined them to an unsatisfactory life of hard labor and low wages. The situation is different in the modern world. The issue of entitlement has substituted that of social mobility (Dahrendorf 27). Class conflict is now about the status that people hold in society and the different opportunities attached to those positions. One real problem involving inequality in the modern world is income disparity. Income disparity can be used to show the inequality that causes class struggles within the same economic context that Marx used to apply the situation. The American society is currently struggling to contain a growing gap between the top earners and the bottom earners in the nation’s economy. The end of the World Wars and the economic depression that came in between them saw the American government develop economic policies that were supposed to deal with the issue of income inequality (Schmitt 1). The policies were able to cause a reduction in this disparity but the 1970s saw all of the progress come undone. Income disparity in the country started to rise again and this trend has continued to this day. Subsequent economic scandals and crises such as the late 2000s recession have worsened the situation making it harder for American’s in the lower social classes to cope in the prevailing econo mic conditions (Schmitt 1). Class conflict helps to explain these disparities in many ways. Firstly, the American economy still relies on a capitalist system. The only change that has happened is that the structure is no longer centered on means of production but on financial systems (Foster and Holleman 191). The oppressive systems that Marx described in his works still exist, albeit in a different form. The bourgeoisie now depend on other systems to dominate society. The capitalist systems have allowed the upper classes to control national, regional and global economy and this has caused friction between them and the working class (Foster and Holleman 192). Class conflict also explains this income inequality by showing that there is a competition between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat where the former are trying to sustain the status quo in their favor while the latter keep trying to gain dominance over the other. This conflict has translated itself into tensions between the two classes as the workers pu sh for governments to increase taxes on the higher classes. This whole situation has seen different presidents elected around the world on campaigns that appear to be against the rich (Schuman 1). In other cases, the tensions have escalated into mass protests against financial institutions and other organizations that are deemed to be under the control of the upper class (Leavitt 2). There are several arguments that can be made against the idea that class conflict still applies in the world today. Firstly, society has evolved over the past few years, leading to the formation of new classes that do not fall under the categorization of either bourgeoisie or proletariat. The rise of the middle class is a good example of these changes within the class system that is now found in the world. The middle class is usually seen to be apathetic and uninvolved in the struggle between the classes and this opposes the ideas put forward by Marx in some ways. One of the reasons why the middle class are uninvolved in the struggle is the fact that they are trying to break into the bourgeoisie as opposed to bringing it down. Another counter argument to Marx’s theories entails the fact that there have always been members of the lower classes who are in control of some means of production. These people may not have owned large industries or companies but they were employers themselves and they were not struggling as much as their companions were even though they were employed as wage laborers by the bourgeoisie. Dahrendorf notes that this contradiction was there when Marx was coming up with his views, even though his works completely failed to acknowledge the existence of these people (9). The fact that some workers are capable of owning their own businesses and industries negates one of the key arguments that Marx made concerning chances and opportunities within a class system. This situation implies that there are possibilities for the working class to create their own industries and take control of some means of production. It also suggests that social mobility was not as limited as Marx made it to be. The concept of class conflict has influenced political discourse within society for years and years. Karl Marx came up with the idea as a way of explaining the different issues that were affecting European society during the nineteenth century. Even though the concept was developed almost two centuries ago, the ideas it held still apply today. Our societies are still divided into social classes, and these divisions have been the cause of a perpetual state of conflict and never ending tension. The same problems that created the class conflict still exist today, as different countries are struggling to deal with inequality, particularly in the incomes earned by different citizens. These disparities have worsened the situation, as the conflict between the two classes has been brought out in the open. Works Cited Dahrendorf, Ralf. The Modern Social Conflict: The Politics of Liberty. New Brunswick, N.J: Transaction Publishers, 2008. Print. Foster, John Bellamy and Hannah Holleman. â€Å"The financialization of the capitalist class: Monopoly-finance capital and the new contradictory relations of ruling class power.† Imperialism, Crisis and Class Struggle: The Enduring Verities and Contemporary Face of Capitalism. Ed. James F. Petras and Henry Veltmeyer. Leiden: Brill, 2010. 191-202. Print. Leavitt, Gregory C. Class Conflict: The Pursuit and History of American Justice. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 2013. Print. Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. London: Pluto, 2008. Print. Schmitt, John. Inequality as policy: The United States since 1979. Real-World Economics Review 51.1 (2009): 1-9. Print. Schuman, Michael. â€Å"Marx’s revenge: How class struggle is shaping the world†. Time. Time Inc. 25 Mar. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

Individual Project Essays

Individual Project Essays Individual Project Essay Individual Project Essay For your selected company you must provide a formal management review report that contains the following sections: 1 . Executive Summary a. You will need to provide a concise summary (or extract) of your findings followed by a general recommendation on how well this company performs the main functions of management and where any major Improvements could be made. 2. An overview of this company a. Its name, location of head office, location of subsidiary offices b. Its main line of work (services, products) 3. Governance a. Composition of its Board of Directors b. Committee Structures (such as whether It has a separate audit committee, insemination committee) c. Major shareholders or shareholder groups (such as Pension Fund Managers for example) d. How effective is its governance? Can you suggest improvements? 4. Ethics and Social responsibility a. Is this an ethical company? Is it socially responsible? You will need to support your position. B. Has the company ever been featured in the press in a negative way that was attributable, whether correctly or Incorrectly, to ethical or social responsibility Issues? If so, were these allegations founded? If not has your research uncovered any areas Tanat could pose a rills to tens company In accessibility or ethics? 5. Organization ten areas AT social a. How is this company organized? What is its organizational structure? B. Is there a prevailing organizational culture? How is this evident? If this is not obvious from your research what type of organizational culture would you expect to find and why? C. Link as much of the course material concerning organization to your research into this company d. How effective is its organization? Can you suggest improvements? 6. Planning a. How does this company conduct its strategic planning? Its operational planning? B. Link as much of the course material concerning planning to your research into this company. C. How effective is its planning function(s)? Can you suggest improvements? 7. Leading a. Who are the key leaders in this company? B. Which leadership styles are evident? If this is not obvious from your research, which leadership styles would be most appropriate and why? C. Link as much of the course material concerning leadership to your research into this company. D. How effective is its leadership? Can you suggest improvements? 8. Controlling a. What control mechanisms do you feel would be most critical to this company and why? B. Link as much of the course material concerning control to your research into this company. . How effective is control in this company? Can you suggest any 9. Written Assignment Grading Report a. Every assignment must be submitted with an academic attestation (as below) signed by every member of the group, and, b. A Grading Report Sheet as given on page 4 Your written assignment MUST: Clearly contain bold headers for each section; Be free of grammatical errors; Respect scholarship by appropriately referencing all material that is n ot original; Contain the academic attestation form, signed by all members of your group; and, Not exceed 15 pages, 12-pitch font, double-spaced, excluding cover page, bibliography and references. The outline of your written report must be as follows: Executive Summary Company Overview Governance Ethics and Social Responsibility organization Planning Leading Controlling The Academic Attestation MUST be the following and MUST be signed: Academic Integrity Integrity is a basic value of our society and of the business world. Academic integrity is also a key value of the Teller School of Management. To underline its importance, all assignment, report, project, or other work submitted in partial fulfillment of the acquirement of a course at the Teller School of Management must include on its front page the following signed statement (signed by each member of a team in the case of a group assignment or team work): Statement of Academic Integrity This work conforms to the rules on academic integrity of the University of Ottawa. Signature: add a signature sheet.

How to Quit College and Drop Classes with Minimal Risk

How to Quit College and Drop Classes with Minimal Risk No one wants to quit college, but sometimes dropping out is the only option. Illness, family issues, financial problems, or other hardships may make it impossible to continue with your classes. When it comes to quitting college, there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about it. Don’t just stop showing up and turning in your assignments. The long-term consequences of a disappearing act may haunt you for years to come. Instead, use this time-tested advice: Talk to Your Teachers Depending on your situation, professors may be able to cut you a bit of slack and make it possible for you to have an extension on your work instead of dropping out. Many colleges allow professors to create a contract with students, allowing them up to a year to complete late assignments. This might give you enough time to resolve outside issues and still stay on track. Extensions are less likely at the beginning of the semester, but if you only have a few weeks or one big project left, there’s a good chance your teachers will show leniency. Meet with a Counselor If receiving an extension from your professors won’t work, college counselors can walk you through the steps necessary to withdraw from the university. Be sure to ask about any tuition and fees that you’ve paid. Will you receive the full amount or a prorated portion back? Will you be expected to pay back any ​financial aid or scholarships if you leave university? Does a hardship situation change the way the school treats cases like yours? Don’t take your name off the rolls until you have solid answers.​ Try to Get Away with a Clean Record Aside from getting an extension, the best thing you can do for your future college career is to make sure that your transcript stays spotless. If you simply stop going to class (or logging in to your assignments), you’ll probably receive an entire semester of F’s. That’s bad news if you ever want to come back to college, enroll in another school, or become a grad student. Recovering from a semester of F’s is extremely difficult, and your college may even put you on academic probation or suspension. You may not care now, but it could become a problem years down the road. If you’ve passed the deadline for a clean record, you may be able to get a special exception if you’re going through some sort of hardship. If That Doesn’t Work, Aim for a â€Å"W   If you cannot get away with a clean record, at least try to get a line of W’s on your transcript in place of failing grades. A â€Å"W† means â€Å"withdrawn.† While a lot of W’s may indicate unreliability on the student’s part, they generally have no effect on your GPA. Your transcript won’t be pretty, but it’s better than being put on academic probation or having difficulty re-enrolling in college. Ask About a Leave of Absence or Deferment Do you think you might want to return to college? If there’s any question in your mind, ask about a leave of absence or deferment before you withdraw from the university. Many schools have a program in place to allow students to leave for up to a year and return to the school without re-applying. There are programs designed specifically for hardship cases. There are generally also programs available for students that don’t have any extenuating circumstances. That means, if you want to drop out just to spend a year on the beach, you may be able to pick up classes a year from now without any penalty. Just make sure that you submit the papers before you leave; deferment doesn’t work in reverse.

Financila Performance and Positioning Assignment

Financila Performance and Positioning - Assignment Example A projected profit and loss account of Clinton Cards plc has also been included in this part to add to the analysis. Shareholders need to analyse the management's performance and efforts put into the company affairs through the financial results so as to realise its strengths and weaknesses. Riahi-Belkaoui (1998, p11) says, "the profitability ratios portray ability of the firm to efficiently use the capital committed by stockholders and lenders to generate revenues in excess of expenses". Therefore, the analysis for the shareholders has been done with the help of following profitability ratios: The above chart depicts the profitability ratios for Clinton Cards plc indicating the financial performance of the company over the last five years. Shareholders are interested in the company's profit records and being the real owners of the firms, they constantly need to appraise the company's performance. If the company is able to generate a stable profit for its shareholders out of its business activities, then it is said to be a good performer in the financial sense. The Gross Profit Margin Percentage evaluates the percentage of profit earned by a company on sales after the production and distribution activities (Mcmenamin, 1999). It shows how well the company manages its expenses so as to attain maximum profit out of its total sales. Clinton Card plc's gross profit ratio shows that the company is sustaining a stable profit margin with a slight increase in profitability. It further illuminates that the company manages to keep about 11% of its total sales revenue out of all the production and distribution expenses. This can also be inversely stated that the company loses about 89% of the total turnover in meeting cost of sales. The Net Profit ratio shows what percentage of profit a company earns on its sales (Mcmenamin, 1999). It reveals the profit retained by a company after accounting for its various operating costs. The difference between the company's net and gross profit ratios indicate the amount of profit foregone by them in the course of meeting various selling and administrative expenses. Thus the above graph shows that the company manages to retain about 6% of the total sales after accounting for various operating costs. The company's net profit margin is also rising sparingly at a stable rate showing the management's efficiency in managing costs. Riahi-Belkaoui (1998, p11) says that the return on capital employed ratio "indicates how efficiently the capital supplied by the common stockholders was employed within the firm". Clinton Card plc's return on capital employed ratio reveals that the company is having a slightly fluctuating rate of profit on the funds invested by the shareholders. However the rate of fluctuation is not high and thus the graph shows that the company gains profit as about 30% of the total equity funds. The return on asset ratio indicates the returns or profits generated after utilising the financial resources of the company determine the company's financial performance throughout the year (Meigs & Meigs, 1993). The company in consideration has had a significantly

How to Replace the LCD Screen in a Laptop Assignment

How to Replace the LCD Screen in a Laptop - Assignment Example The manual also enable the technician to understand how the system works. This manual outlines the steps followed when changing a laptop LCD screen. The first part gives instruction on how to remove the LCD screen while the second part shows how to assemble the laptop This is the first and the most important step. Different manufacturers have different methods of assembling the LCD screen. It is necessary to go through the laptop manual to identify the requirement for opening the laptop and its internal structure. Before opening the laptop, all the power cables should be disconnected. This prevents the risk of shock and also prevents the computer from short circuit which damages the mother board, the processor and other gadgets. Remove the laptop battery, this battery is located at the side where the LCD screen is hinged to the main laptop body. Removing the battery ensures no damage of the delicate electronic circuitry of the laptop. Remove the rubber seals at the all the sides of the laptop screen. These rubber seals can be identified readily as they are in the form of rubber projection. In some laptop designs, countersunk bolts are used without a rubber seal cover. These bolts can be seen by carefully observing the edges. Removing the seal exposes the bolts. A sharp object is used to remove the seals. Figure 2 showing the removal of the rubber seals. ... 7 July 2009 http://www.fonerbooks.com/laptop_6.htm ) (D)Remove the rubber seal Remove the rubber seals at the all the sides of the laptop screen. These rubber seals can be identified readily as they are in the form of rubber projection. In some laptop designs, countersunk bolts are used without a rubber seal cover. These bolts can be seen by carefully observing the edges. Removing the seal exposes the bolts. A sharp object is used to remove the seals. Figure 2 showing the removal of the rubber seals. (Adapted from Fona Books. Dell Laptop Screen Repair - Illustrated how to replace a Latitude notebook backlight and LCD. 2009 7 July 2009 http://www.fonerbooks.com/laptop_6.htm ) (E) Unscrew the bolts Unscrew the exposed bolt. Use a Phillips 'star' screw driver. Keep the bolts in a safe place as they will be used when the set is reassembled. It is important to check position of each screw as some are not the same size. Picture 3 showing unscrewing of the bolts during laptop repair (Adapted from: Fona Books. Replacing LCD Laptop Screen - Illustrated how to replace a laptop screen on PowerBook 180.2009. 7 July 2009 http://www.fonerbooks.com/laptop_6.htm ) (G)Remove the front and side seals Adapted from: Fona Books. Replacing LCD Laptop Screen - Illustrated how to replace a laptop screen on PowerBook 180.2009. 7 July 2009 http://www.fonerbooks.com/laptop_6.htm Remove the side seal; this exposes more bolts, again take note of the bolts positions. Different bolts used have differing lengths and thread types. (H)Removing the LCD bezel Remove the LCD bezel. Do this by wriggling the bezel so that it is released by the latches. Latches are made of plastic. Unhook the bezel from latches

Cyber-Bullying and aTeenage Suicide Essay Example for Free

Cyber-Bullying and aTeenage Suicide Essay A study done by Pew Research Center from 2007-2010 stated that 95% of all teens use the internet and 80% of them use social networking sites (www. Edgewave. com). One in three teens is cyber-bullied (The Guardian, Tues, Aug 6, 2013). One in 13 teens face persistence abuse online (The Guardian. ). Cyber-bullies do not see the harm they cause or the consequences of their actions which minimizes any feelings of remorse. This gives the kids more advantage to say crude and hurtful things they would not do in person. Cyber-bullying is devastating when nasty things are verbalized, but when someone sends pictures of one that is not meant for the world to see this type of damage is more detrimental than the nastiness of words. The betrayal one must feel to know someone close to them would hurt them by exposing such material. The aftermath, for that experience is destructive for one’s self-image and self-esteem. When a teen is subjected to such negativity, it may push them over the edge. The damage cyber-bullying causes can be deep and long lasting. The damage that cyber-bullying can cause is low self-esteem, withdrawal, poor grades, school absences, self- harm, depression, risks for addictive behaviors such as drinking and using drugs and in the worst cases one take their own life, because they can no longer take the never ending pain that is being caused by the bullying. Cyber-bullying has been the final cause in the teens mentioned in this report as to why they committed suicide. Although, this was not the only underlining factor, many of these teens suffered from depression and other mental illnesses (WebMD, 2007). I have found several articles about teen suicides that were connected to cyber-bullying. The first such case of teen suicide connected to cyber-bullying was reported on October 7, 2003 in Essex Jct. , Vermont. Ryan Halligan was a 13 year old and he was bullied for numerous years. His parents thought the bullying was done and over with until his suicide. His father went into his computer and found that Ryan was being severely harassed. The person who bullied him years before, but became friends with later bullied Ryan. His parent has warned Ryan not to trust this person, because he betrayed him before. Ryan told his friend stories and eventually his friend turned on him unknowingly to Ryan and he was being bullied over social media sites and at school. Ryan’s father was not aware of this until after Ryan’s death and he was trying to make sense of why he son took his own life. He soon figured it out. Ryan’s parents were devastated. John Halligan has been totally dedicated in honoring the memory of his son. As well as to raise awareness on the issues, that led to Ryan’s death. John spearheaded the Vermont’s Bully Prevention bill that was signed into law (ACT 117) in May 2004 just a few months after Ryan’s death (RyanPatrickHalligan. Mr. Halligan has also successfully led the passage of the law pertaining to mandatory suicide prevention education in public schools (ACT 114) signed in April 2006 (RyanPatrickHalligan. Org). John Halligan has been recognized with five award for his outstanding community service, hard work and outreach he has done in his sons memory and his dedication to educate others on these issues (RyanPatrickHalligan. Org). Prior to their suicides, some of these teens did cry out for help by posting heartbreaking videos and updates on their sites. The examples I would like to use to support this statement are as follows: â€Å"My Story: struggling, bullying, suicide, and self-harm’ Amanda’s YouTube Video. Watching this video of Amanda was heartbreaking. To see any children go through that kind of pain and they feel they have nowhere to turn just breaks my heart. I have a teenage daughter who has been bullied in every way imaginable. I know what problems being bullied and harassed can create. She cried out for help with the Facebook posts, the flashcards, cutting and other behaviors. As I stated earlier, cyber-bullying is not the only problem that causes one to commit suicide there are other factors involved. I can relate to an extent with the parents who have lost their children to suicide. My daughter has attempted suicide and almost succeeded. It has been the worst experience to go through. She has refused all the help that was always there for her until the last attempt where she has been placed in a residential facility that I feel has saved my daughter’s life. Tyler Clementi was a quiet 18-year-old talented violinist. He started his first year at Rutgers University in 2010. Tyler â€Å"came out of the closet† with his family before leaving for college his brother James said in a statement where he discussed what a wonder person Tyler was, the suicide of his brother, what life is like without him and the close bond they shared growing up and that they both are â€Å"gay†. (James Clementi, www. queerty. com). Tyler discovered his roommate used his webcam to stream intimate moments with his boyfriend over the internet (New York Times, March 16, 2012). Tyler sent and e-mail requesting a single room, because of the webcam spying issue on September 21, 2010 about 4 a.m. (New York Times, March 16, 2012). Dharun Ravi whom was the roommate of Tyler apparently searched the internet prior to starting Rutgers and discovered Tyler’s sexuality. Dharum was not pleased to have a â€Å"gay† roommate and sent several texts to friend about keeping gays out (New York Times, March 16, 2012). Tyler asked his roommate for some privacy one evening to spend time with his companion. This second attempt to use his webcam to mainstream activity between Tyler and his companion was halted, because Tyler found the camera pointed at his bed (New York Times, March 16, 2012). Dharum tweeted â€Å"that he seen his roommate making out with a dude† and invited others via text to watch the live stream action (New York Times, March 16, 2012). From all the information, I have read on this case the final message from Tyler that was discovered after his death in a gay chat room was how to deal with the invasion of his privacy in such intimate moments and facing the people who were ignorant enough to watch it. I am going to assume that he felt he would have been bullied and harassed constantly, because of the webcam video. On September 22, 2010 at 8:42 P. M. Tyler Clementi posted on Facebook â€Å"Jumping off the GW bridge, sorry†. Tyler’s body was not recovered, but the police did pull an unidentified male body from the Hudson River north of the river where he jumped. Tyler’s wallet with his freshman identification was at the scene (ABC News, Sept 29, 2010). Dharum Ravi was charged with several charged and served a jail sentence. The other person involve exchange her testimony for reduced charges (New York Times, March 16, 2012). A huge problem with cyber-bullying is that is can be done with complete anonymity. Teenage years are tough enough to experience. When a teenager is being cyber-bullied and humiliated in front of the millions of people, it is like having a brown bag over your head in the social media world many can take a jabs instantaneously. When they feel like â€Å"everyone† is against them their self-esteem is non-existent and they slowly fall into a depressive type state. Not knowing who is saying or doing the harsh content makes it worse and makes it easier for the teenager to withdrawal. With the research I have done for this project, the experiences I have experienced as a parent and help from my teenagers, I have found many social networking sites that allow anonymity postings. A few examples of these social networking sites are www. pencourage. com, www. youmitter. com , Tumblr. com and formspring. me. The one that I found the most information on was the social networking site Ask. fm. All of these sites mentioned are question and answer social networking sites that allow anonymous participation. Ask. fm has been in the national headlines involving several teenage suicides. Ask. fm has 30 million participators who minors (Huffington Post, August 30, 2013). With the research I have done on Ask.fm, I came across the story of Hannah Smith a beautiful, 14 year old who committed suicide due to being subjected to cruel taunts and insults on Ask. fm (The Huffington Post, Aug 30, 2013). David Smith, Hannah’s father stated in the Huffington Post on August 30, 2013, â€Å"These sick people are just able to go online and hide behind a mask of anonymity while they abuse vulnerable teenagers†¦ When they’re sitting behind a computer screen you can say whatever you want and there no comebacks, but these trolls need to realize that they are affecting people’s lives in the most horrific way imaginable† (Huffington Post, Aug 30, 2013). In my opinion, Mr. Smith stated this perfect. I have wondered if any of the people involved in the cyber-bullying that finally pushed Hannah and other teens over the edge to end their lives if they have a conscience. I wonder if they are able to sleep at night knowing they are some of the reason another person ending their life. Interesting, with more investigating for this report I found on a website called www. cyberbullyingresearchcenter. us . The information that is in investigation on the case with Ask.fm and the cyber-bullying case of Hannah Smith has been founded that 98% of the messages sent to Hannah were from the same IP address as Hannah was using which indicates she was sending the hateful, threatening messages to herself (www. cyberbullyingresearchcenter. org). IP is short for Internet Protocol Address. IP addresses are assigned to every computer on an Ethernet Network (www. dummies. com). The IP address is similar to your home address. No two computers can have the same IP address on the same network (www. dummies.com). Ask. fm has identified four messages that were sent to Hannah from different IP addresses and has agreed to turn the information over to the police (The Telegraph August 11, 2013). There is no guaranteed proved that Hannah sent these messages to herself. There are other possibilities of how the messages were sent from the same IP address such as Wi-Fi connection or a school network. Mr. Smith does not deny Hannah may have sent herself some of these messages, but feels Ask. fm are trying to cover their butts. Mr. Smith has the name of one of the trolls that was harassing his daughter and the authorities do not seem interested in the information. In my opinion, there is much more to this suicide story than we the public will ever know about. Due to the recent suicides that involved Ask. fm on August 19, 2013 the social networking website agreed to make some changes (www. heavy. com). Ask. fm has implicated a report bullying or harassment button that would compel the website to investigate reported comments (www. heavy. com). This feature is expected to go live in September 2013. Ask.fm stated â€Å"they wanted their users to be able to have fun, share information and make friends freely they want their younger users to be able to do this in a safe environment† (www. heavy. com) Finally, the teen suicide rate has increased over the last 15 years (WebMD 2007). In my opinion, this has a lot to do with the advanced technology that teens have constant access to today. The ole bullying has transpired into a more severe problem called cyber-bullying. This is done through social networks, instant messages, e-mails and text messages. Electronic bullying is instant. Bullying is no longer the traditional note passing in the halls at schools. Bullying and cyber-bullying does not stop at the end of the school day as it did prior to the internet and other advanced technology we have today. Cyber-bullying triples suicide risks in teens (Sherry Boschert, Pediatric News. Digital Network). Girls are often the target of being cyber-bullied than boys. Usually by a 9% difference in studies, I came across. Being victimized by a bully can happen at any given time of the day, by anybody and regardless of what stance in authority they may hold. I was completely shocked to have come across the Andrew Cain story. Andrew Cain was a 19 year old from Pullman, Washington, whom had a criminal history since he was a minor. Most recently, Andrew failed to appear for a court hearing for charges he received in March 2013 for a probation violation (Huffington Post, June 27, 2013). Not appearing for the court hearing, warrants were issued for his arrest. The deputy posted on the Sheriff’s Facebook page that included a wanted poster and this statement â€Å"We have decided that Andrew Cain is no longer the wanted person of the week. He is the wanted person of the month of June Congratulations! † (www. heavy. com). Andrew had received texts, Facebook messages, e-mails and instant messages about this post on the Sheriff’s Facebook page about what a horrible person he was. It was not long until bogus rumors started about the charges Andrew had. According to his sister, Alise Smith she received a text from Andrew about how this has bothered him and feels that it was just too much for him to handle. Andrew Cain was in the process of turning his life around. Unfortunately, due to heartless people we will never see how Andrew Cain’s life could have turned out. On June 13, 2013, Andrew Cain committed suicide. Indeed, while I do feel the advanced technology we have today are very beneficial in many aspects of everyone’s lives. I feel that the advanced technologies that we have become accustomed to should be used with responsibility and integrity. Cyber-bullying in a nutshell is a deadly game to play. Cyber-bullies do not see what harm it causes their victim by harassing them via social media sites unless something drastic happens to their victim due to them being bullied. I really would like to ask some of the teens that have been charged in connection to these suicides if they are able to sleep at night. How the teens involved are going to feel knowing they have been a reason, why another human being took their life? They may not think about it now, because they were able to be that cruel to someone, but what about when they are older and realize what their actions caused? I would like to ask the parents of the cyber-bullies who have been charged in the suicide cases if â€Å"they† had any issues growing up or any un-resolved issues that would cause them to be so hateful to another human being. What is your opinion? I am hopeful one day that the internet world will become a safe place for all children to enjoy. Where a child can go for fun and not become depressed to the point they want to take their own life, because they have no idea how to handle all the pain and pressure of being bullied and being a teenager. I do feel so much sadness in my heart with all the young lives lost to the cruel, senseless act of other humans.

Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big

Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big To fully understand this book, people must go behind the book and find the true state of mind of the author. Unfortunately in this case, the author is the one and only Jose Canseco. Jose Canseco is what I like to call, â€Å"The black sheep in the family of baseball.† Canseco’s history can be related to such incidents of drug using, heavy drinking, numerous sexual encounters with hundreds of partners, and unreasonable acts of violence. This book goes into grave detail on how steroids have changed his life and how it is currently changing baseball. Juiced starts off with what appears to be a legal disclaimer. "This book does not intend to condone or encourage the use of any particular drugs, medicine or illegal substances." Yet the author spends most of the time doing nothing but repeating his assertions that taken under proper supervision, these drugs can enhance everyday life. Jose Canseco says he wrote Juiced because he wanted his fans to listen to him and hear him out on what he has to say about the current state of baseball and it’s future. I believe this former 40-40 had another reason for writing this book and it’s plain and simple†¦money. Money encourages the human mind to perform selfish and somewhat outlandish stunts in order to achieve wealth. I believe that Jose Canseco’s mind consists of slop and greed. It’s a proven fact that this 1988 Major League MVP has a truly unstable mind. One incident in his book that proves this is the time he went â€Å"deep sea fishing.† The story begins with Jose Canseco’s wife leaving him for Kansas City Chiefs’ all-star tight end, Tony Gonzalez. Mr. Canseco reacted by grabbing his 12-gauge shotgun and taking his boat out to sea where he decided to shoot sharks with his shotgun when they surfaced. This incident is one of the very many incidents that question the complete truth in Juiced. Jose Canseco is best known for several things: A fly ball bouncing off his noggin and landing over the fence, dating Madonna, his tape measure home runs, having numerous run-ins with the law, being the first man to ever hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season, and his bulging biceps. In Juiced, Canseco recalls other steroid user’s stories within the sport ... ...baseball and hold them responsible. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of bad things rising from the depths of this book. One of these would be the fact that Jose Canseco is gaining more attention for these appalling allegations and stories. Not only is Canseco gaining attention from the media but he’s also profiting immensely from his book, book signings, talk shows, and television appearances. The only thing worse than a regular Jose Canseco is a rich Jose Canseco. We are simply feeding the dragon himself by agreeing and believing all his allegations in Juiced. The book clearly depicts that there are holes within his stories and these prevent the truth to be fully told. Although I have an undying hatred for Jose Canseco, he deserves credit for forcing America to give serious attention to the steroid problem not only in baseball but all of professional sports. Without Jose Canseco’s deceiving stories about the abuse and the media attention that this is creating, there is a possibility that this could have been unnoticed for many years to come. This drug usage throughout the league is clearly paving a dark future for our national pastime.

PEST Analysis Of AirAsias Essay

1.1Background AirAsia was set up by Dato’ Tony Fernandes in 2001. In December 2001, Fernandes and his partners set up Tune Air Sdn Bhd (Tune Air), an airline holding company then bought over AirAsia. Now, AirAsia has become one of the most successful airlines in the Southeast Asian region and the pioneer of low cost and no frills travel in Malaysia. The leading low fare airline in the Asia – AirAsia has been expanding rapidly since 2001, to become an award winning and the largest low cost carrier in Asia. With a fleet of 72 aircrafts, AirAsia flies to over 61 domestic and international destinations with 108 routes, and operates over 400 flights daily from hubs located in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. To date, AirAsia has flown over 55 million guests across the region and continues to spread its wings to create more extensive route network through its associate companies, Thai AirAsia and Indonesia AirAsia. AirAsia believes in the no-frills, hassle-free, low fare business concept and feels that keeping costs low requires high efficiency in every part of the business. Efficiency creates savings which are then passed on to guests so that affordable air travel can become a reality. Through our philosophy of ‘Now Everyone Can Fly’, AirAsia has sparked a revolution in air travel with more and more people around the region choosing AirAsia as their preferred choice of transport. As AirAsia continuously strives to promote air travel, we also seek to create excitement amongst our guests with our range of innovative and personalized service. The aim of the investigation The aim of this analysis is to conduct a PEST and SWOT analysis in the context of AirAsia’s international business operations, identifying the major variables involved and the impact of the specific threats and opportunities confronted by AirAsia .Besides that, The purpose of this report is to identify its stakeholders and core competencies, carry out a investigation of its external environment, review a strategic analysis of Airasia to identify opportunities and threats it might face, and to isolate key strengths and any weaknesses that need dealing with. Moreover a SWOT analysis will be carried out to assess the extent to which its strategies are suitable to what is happening in its present environment. Finally, after  identifying competitive strategy a Strategic plan will be made to gain competitive advantage. Chapter 2 DISCUSSION 2.1 Company Overview AirAsia is currently one of the leading low cost airlines in South East Asia which has expanded rapidly and it’s still the second largest air carrier in Malaysia. It dynamic nature of business is based on domestic and international flights, holiday and business arrangements for its customers domestically and internationally around the region with the low fare, safe and convenience means of transportation. (www.airasia.com). AirAsia’s vision To be the largest low cost airline in Asia and serving the 3 billion people who are currently underserved with poor connectivity and high fares. AirAsia’s mission To be the best company to work for whereby employees are treated as part of a big family Create a globally recognized ASEAN brand To attain the lowest cost so that everyone can fly with AirAsia Maintain the highest quality product, embracing technology to reduce cost and enhance service levels AirAsia’s values AirAsia make the low fare model possible through the implementation of the following key strategies: SafetyFirst: Partnering with the world’s most renowned maintenance providers and complying with the with world airline operations. High Aircraft Utilisation: Implementing the regions fastest turnaround time at only 25 minutes, assuring lower costs and higher productivity. Low Fare, No Frills: Providing guests with the choice of customizing services without compromising on quality and services. Streamline Operations: Making sure that processes are as simple as possible. Lean Distribution System: Offering a wide and innovative range of distribution channels to make booking and travelling easier. Point to Point Network: Applying the point-to-point network keeps operations simple and costs, low. Products and Services offered By Air Asia In-flight services: †¢ Air Asia offer food and drinks on board programme . †¢ In-flight services customise meals and merchandise package upon request e.g. caps, T-shirts, and pants. Online services: †¢ Online booking makes it more convenient for its customers to book online anywhere anytime. †¢ Flight information is available to help customers make enquiries on flight schedules arrival and departure time and date. †¢ Chatter –flight: Created for a group of people, business travellers for purposes like meetings, conventions, leisure or even exhibition. Channels of distribution A number of alternate ‘channels’ of distribution may be available: Selling direct: †¢ Outbound sales forcer †¢ Via mail order, Internet †¢ Telephone sales Selling indirect: †¢ Agent, who typically sells direct on behalf of the producer †¢ Distributor (also called wholesaler), who sells to retailers †¢ Retailer (also called dealer or reseller), who sells to end customers Sales and Marketing AirAsia is an international company, and going global invites a lot of competition. AirAsia has to deal with the competition of local companies in the same field- Airline services. Competition for AirAsia would also be encountered in the virtual world-the internet. As they entered into the use of modern technology such as the public domain would invite competition on the global scale. Different localities and countries have different technological standards, and quality control policies, which AirAsia would have to adhere to, by adherence to these policies; certain intended developments may be possible in certain communities but not acceptable in others. According to CEO’s of the company, Mr. Fernandez, there are a lot workers or low pay salaries earners who would like to travel often to meet their families especially during special occasions but due to how expensive it was that time, their desire are not fulfilled. By introducing a low fare will give all those people opportunity to travel if not more than once in a year. This enables them to identify their target market. Reduced price sales  is one of the basics of securing a target market for AirAsia. They reduce their price to suit their class of customers Branding AirAsia went into intensive General advertisements and other high profile activities, which contributed to the high offering of their company’s image. They came with a brand â€Å" Now every one can fly† These points of contact with their target customer help them to build their image, which in turn created loyalty from their customers. Group Discounts and Offers Discounts or other offers can help exposure business to new customers, resulting in a sales increase . AirAsia is a ticketless Airline that allows customers to purchase their ticket online with at a discounted rate. They also have a scheme of group discount and this help to get more target market, especially internet based customers. 2.2Core competencies: Computer Reservation System (CRS) AirAsia’s CRS (Open Skies by Navitaire) has helped it to grow at a dramatic pace in the past couple of years. Tony Fernandes, CEO AirAsia described that Navitaire’s Open Skies technology has truly enabled Airasia’s growth from 2 million passengers to 7.7 million passengers in less than two years. Open Skies scaled easily to accommodate our growth. It is an integrated web-based reservation and inventory system. It includes Internet, call center, airport departure control and more. It is a direct sales engine that effectively eliminates the middleman (travel agents) and the sales commissions that need to be paid to them. Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) AirAsia has recently (May 2005) opted for a full fledged ERP system implemented by Avanade consultants. By implementing this package AirAsia is looking to successfully maintain process integrity, reduce financial month-end closing processing times, and speed up reporting and data retrieval processes. Self Check In With the use of the new self check in service a quicker and more convenient way to check in using mobile phones, laptops etc, connecting to the internet. This system is easier and faster for customers and their family to  check in at or before they get to the airport without having to queue up at the counter to check in. Air Asia credit card Air Asia offers a choice of credit card facilities to fit in their customers travel life style be it business, leisure, training or holidays. With an Air Asia credit card a customer can purchase any goods or services while travelling anywhere in the world online. Go Holiday services Air Asia has a product called Go Holiday, with the help of E-commerce Air Asia is able to display their coverage maps, holiday resorts, first and average class hotels, car rental services, and activities in different countries with their different rates and prices on Air Asia’s web page.. Using E-commerce, customers are able to select and make a holiday and travel arrangement with a hotel of their choice and class, a pick up car and even medical services. And payments for all this can be done on the internet using credit cards or other online E-payment methods ahead of travel time. Foreign workers and Contractors strategy AirAsia also target most foreign workers from Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, China, Macau who may not afford the expensive flight home and offer them the cheap fare which attracted most of them as would go home very often without paying much. 2.3 The Competitors Companies in all industries have direct as well as indirect competitors. Direct competitors in the aviation industry are companies that offer flights to similar destinations on comparable terms of travel. Direct competitors include: Malaysia Airlines: offering flights in same routes . Singapore Airlines: offering flights on same routes between London and Kuala Lumpur. Thai Air : operating flights between Bangkok an Kuala Lumpur. Air Srilanka: operating flights between Colombo and Bangkok. AirAsia are facing strong competition with major international and national airlines on the market shares In contrast to other airlines ,AirAsia offers better value for money 2.4Analysis of Environmental Factors In analyzing the macro-environment, it is important to identify the factors that might affect a number of vital variables that are likely to influence the organization’s supply and demand levels and its costs (Kotter and Schlesinger 1991). The external environment of any organization can be analyzed by conducting a PEST analysis. The acronym PEST is used to describe a framework for the analysis of a range of macro environmental factors including the Political, Economical Social and Technological environment. PEST Analysis for AirAsia: Political Flying outside Malaysia is difficult. Bilateral agreement is one of the main obstacles in the way of low cost carriers. Landing charges is also another big influencing factor on costing of low fare airlines. The low- cost airline industry in south-east Asia has been underdeveloped because the aviation market is tightly regulated by bilateral air rights agreements. Threat of terrorism, people is afraid to fly after the September 11 terrorist attacks incident. Economic In spite of strong competition from Malaysian Airline (MAS), AirAsia’s low-cost carriers offering cheap tickets and few in-flight services are gaining attraction in the region. Current recession hit the aviation business. But with this economy slowing down, more people will want to enjoy its cheap tickets. Oil prices is another regulatory factor for this type of airlines. If oil prices go high, it is very difficult to control cost of operation. Social Passengers are reluctant to board a no-frills airline for a long-haul flight. Increasing world’s population, tourists and number of educated people helpful for the growth of aviation industry. Outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has scare people to fly. AirAsia commit to â€Å"Safety First†; comply with all regulatory agencies, set and maintain consistently high standards; ensure the security of staff and guests. Technology AirAsia provides online service that combines air ticketing with hotel  bookings, car hire and travel insurance. To help keep costs in check, Air Asia has pushed internet booking services. AirAsia also recently introduced GO Holiday, the airline’s online programme where guests can book holiday packages online in real time AirAsia has bought in A320 to replace Boeing 737. The Airbus A320’s improved fuel efficiency and extra capacity which leads to better performance and reliability. SWOT analysis for AirAsia Strengths Low operational and maintenance cost by having a single aircraft type fleet i.e. from Boeing 737 to Airbus A-320. Economy of scales benefits. Low operating cost due to being No Frill, online reservations system, quick check in etc. There is huge untapped market in the region, especially for business travellers and â€Å"for-the-first-time-flying† segment. As it is low cost airlines, it can target customers who are currently using non-aircraft modes like, Bus, Trains, car to travel to distances. Weakness Huge investment to purchase air planes and implementing latest technologies there is high amount of operational cost. Rising fuel price. Increased the operational cost. The flight times are more or less limited to 2.5 hours. So they cannot operate flights of longer duration without any Frill, so No-Frill becomes impossible to implement for passengers. Opportunity Low fares offer by AirAsia has encourage people from all walks of life style to fly. Especially, during economy down turn. Airbus A320 would encourage greater passenger capacity and offer comfortable service to customers. Introduction of SMS booking allows customer to book their seat at anytime and anywhere. With the commitment in ensuring the security of staff and customers, customer will have more confident to fly via AirAsia. Threats There are more no-frills airlines may take off in Asia to meet increasing consumer demand following the success story of Malaysia’s budget carrier AirAsia. Singapore Airlines plans to launch a budget carrier, they see the success of AirAsia. They know how big the market is and how good the opportunity is in Asia. Travelers may not choose AirAsia if they are to  travel long distance flight. They will prefer airlines such as MAS or SIA which provide better services. Demand to fly decreased via terrorism and outbreak of the SARS. 2.5 Marketing Plan Cost advantages activities: AirAsia already introduced cost advantages activities. Some of them describe below: Utilising one type of aircraft (Boeing 737-300 which will be fully replaced with Airbus A320) results in reduction of maintenance cost (one of the major expenses in airline industry), scheduling cost, administrative cost, and inventory of parts. Creative and low-cost advertising significantly reduces marketing cost. On the other hand, AirAsia direct sales through internet, call centres, walk-in airport sales, and sales offices significantly reduce the commission fee to travel agents as AirAsia only assigned its sales to limited travel agents AirAsia assigned multi-skilled cabin crews (2-3crews/flight), cost-effective training, performance based reward and incentives systems Target Market: Low- income Customers and tourism segment Malaysia emergence as a regional business and tourism hub has provided AirAsia plenty of room for growth and has fuelled regional air passenger traffic. Transit passengers Kuala Lumpur is the operational hub for AirAsia, which is the best connection point between Europe and Asia/Australia has supported the growth of their business. AirAsia has been using this â€Å"connection point† to promote their business. 2.6 Proposed Strategy for further expansion of AirAsia Extending New Routes: Extending current services into new markets may be helpful to further growth of this company. It is possible to achieve this strategy by launching existing services into new geographical area or new market segments. Adding new routes and destinations are possible; especially there is growth Malaysia and East Asia tourism. Activities related to this strategy: Marketing research Feasibility Study Contract with hotels and tourist agency at new destinations Finding out strategic partner Marketing new routes and destination Time frame and cost: It will take 1 to 2 years to start a new route and estimated cost around $200 million to new aircraft and for marketing cost. Organizational change: Recruiting new employees Arranging training for new employees Opening new office in new destination Evaluation criteria: New destinations are implemented to achieve new market development. Flight number in new destination is the best way to measure result of this strategy. Private Suite for business customer: Introducing new services into existing markets implies product development. This strategy involves the development of fresh competencies and requires business to expand customized services which can apply to current markets. That’s why Emirate Airlines introduce high quality first class private lounges to attract business travelers. Activities related to this strategy: Technical and feasibility Study Allocated budget Contract with a company to install new facility. Installation and modification of aircraft’s onboard facilities Time frame and cost: It will take 6 months to 1 year to complete installation new facilities in a single aircraft and estimated cost around $0.2 million to new aircraft and for marketing cost. Organizational change: Recruiting new employees to serve business customer Contract with new or existing company for catering service for business customer. Evaluation criteria: Quantitative measurement of this product would be number of booking or occupancy. Chapter 3 CONCLUSION 3.1 Conclusion By studying PEST, SWOT and marketing analysis, it could be said that AirAsia  is situated in standard cycle markets where it get competitive advantage for its business policy and strategy. Providing customers with superior products and services with low fare is synonymous to the AirAsia brand. However, it is necessary that Airasia should re-evaluate its strategies and focus on core values and competencies. For this why, AirAsia should reconsider their market and specific routes to obtain value other than price and survive the competition. From this study, it is possible to say that still there is some other option to expand this company. Adding new route and introducing business class suite may be suitable option for AirAsia for further growth. 3.2 Recommendations To remain leader in the market in serving customers, AirAsia has to re-evaluate their current strategy. Recommendation for improvement can be outlined as follows: AirAsia should make any major changes to their strategy after proper technical and feasibility study to avoid unnecessary risks. Oil price is a big factor to low fare airlines. So this company should make longer contracts with fuel suppliers for more stability As Airasia operates their fight very frequently, so they should have a spare aircraft at each location to avoid delays. AirAsia should consider environmentally friendly operation system as such as carbon offsetting to save environment. REFFERENCE Daniels, J. D. & Radebaugh, L. H. (1998), International Business ‘Environments and Operations, 8th edition, Addison-Wesley, USA. Peng Mike W, 2006, Global Strategy, Thompson, United States Porter Michael E, 1998, Competitive Advantage, The Free Press, United States. Websites: www.airasia.com www.navitaire.com/res

Literature of the Great Depression: Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, the Graphes of Wrath and Tobacco Road

Literature of the Great Depression: A Survey The Great Depression, beginning in 1929 and continuing throughout the next decade, was a time of extreme economic decline, devastating people of nearly every social class, race, age, and geographic region. Millions of unemployed Americans everywhere suffered the burdens of poverty, homelessness, and crime.While vast numbers of citizens lined up in long bread lines, waiting for hours for the small amount of free food offered by government relief agencies; many others, outraged by their living conditions, took to the streets to protest, sometimes violently, demanding that the government take immediate action to alleviate their suffering. It is these images of such widespread trouble, distress, and social and political upheaval, that sparked the attention of literary writers everywhere. As literary writers assessed these new situations brought on by the Great Depression, one group in particular, the South, piqued the interests of many writers .Economic as well as environmental factors, such as drought and the Dust Bowl, adversely affected the South's economic dependence on agriculture; forcing many farmers into poverty, and driving thousands from their homes elsewhere in search of better opportunities. It is these immense economic adversities as well as vast human suffering experienced by the South that drew interest from many literary writers, making the South the subject of many famous and important works of literature, and thereby securing for the Southern regions an important historic niche in the history of the Great Depression in America.By examining the literary depictions of Southern life during the Great Depression, of works such as The Grapes of Wrath, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, and Tobacco Road, we gain essential insights into the cultures, lifestyles, and sentiments of those Americans hardest hit by the Great Depression; farmers and sharecroppers in the American south. Among those works of literature depic ting the Great Depression is Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, written by James Agee with photography by Walker Evans.Written at the height of the Great Depression in 1936 as an assignment for Fortune magazine, and later published in 1941 as a novel, this lengthy four hundred page text is a work of non-fiction that sets out to document the often harsh conditions of white Southern sharecroppers in rural Alabama by spending time with and even lodging with three actual sharecropping families known in the novel as: the Gudgers, the Ricketts, and the Woods for a period of several weeks. In Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, passages of extraordinary description and poetic beauty describe the various settings in which the novel takes place.Agee describes in great detail the homes of the farmers, the work they do, how the people looked, what they ate, how they spoke, their possessions and the surrounding land in order to paint an accurate picture of the living conditions as well as the plight of th e sharecroppers. As Humphries points out, although Agee urges his reader not to view the novel as â€Å"high art† Agee's ability to convey beauty even in those things not typically viewed as beautiful makes the artistic value of Let Us Now Praise Famous Men quite clear.Equally as powerful as the elaborate visual images Agee so skillfully conjures within the reader and the poetic beauty of these images, is the appeal to sensation Agee conveys in his description. Agee in seeking to fully and accurately convey the experiences of Southern sharecroppers, utilizes sensation to attempt to make the reader feel what it is like to be a sharecropper, the physical pain caused by bending of the back, the sensations of cramping in the hand, and the feel of sweat dripping down the body all combine to allow the reader to feel what it is like to be a sharecropper (Quinn).It is through these depictions of sensations that Agee hoped to make the sharecroppers â€Å"so real to you who read of it , that it will stand and stay in you as the deepest and most iron anguish and guilt of your existence that you are what you are, and that she is what she is, and that you cannot for one moment exchange places with her† (Praise 321).In addition to the artful skill with which Agee so vividly depicts his novel, another notable aspect of Let Us Now Praise Famous Men is the unconventionality and experimentation through which Agee, with the help of his partner Evans, crafts the novel. The reader is confronted with this unconventionality upon opening the book, in which the presentation of the scores of photographs taken by Evans appear before any other words in the text, even before the table of contents and copyright information.Additionally, none of the pictures provide any sort of captions, a fact that could be best attributed to Evans' preference for presenting his images without the accompaniment of words (Jackson). In keeping with the lack of traditionalism of Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, Agee casts himself as a character in the novel in which, at parts, he interacts with and reacts to the other characters in the novel. The significance of this is that it provides the reader with insight into the author's thoughts and feelings about the events in the novel.However, this fact along with Agee's Southern ancestry has caused Let Us Now Praise Famous Men to be criticized as being too preoccupied with Agee's personal introspection than with creating a more meaningful depiction of the lives of his subjects (Humphries). Furthermore, in his literary criticism of Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, Coogle contrasts Agee's and Evans' work with that of Jacob Riis' work, How the Other Half Lives in order to demonstrate both Agee's and Evans' intentional preservation of human dignity as well as the rejection of more traditional worldviews, namely Victorianism (Coogle).Coogle's summation of Let Us Now Praise Famous Men is that, â€Å"with its concern for respecting human di gnity and its view of the world as complex and confusing, serves as a striking contrast to earlier notions. Agee and Evans reject any vision of the world as clearly understandable and ordered,† While Riis' Victorian sentiments simplify the human experience and presents his impoverished subjects as inferior, Agee and Evans actively avoid such degradation of their subjects and acknowledge the complexity of life.This new approach to journalism and depicting of social issues coupled with the intentional preservation of human dignity further demonstrates the unconventionality of Let Us Now Praise Famous Men and reflects the surge of new and innovative ideas that the Great Depression spurred. No better example of the Great Depression's call for innovative and experimental ideas is one that has been frequently cited by scholars, and that is the parallel between the innovative economic policies of Roosevelt's New Deal with that of the unconventional approach to the making of Let Us No w Praise Famous Men.Austgen makes the assertion that, â€Å"As Roosevelt recognized that traditional plans for economic recovery could not end the Depression, so Agee and Evans knew that traditional methods of photography and journalism would not work to convey accurately the hard and simple lives of the tenant farmers. † Furthermore, as Evans and Agee seek to preserve the dignity of its subject, so too does Roosevelt's economics (Austgen).In conclusion, while Agee's poetic, and often excruciatingly descriptive journalistic reportage coupled with Evans' contribution of a slew of candid photographs work together to create an accurate depiction of the impoverished Southern farmer's experience during the Great Depression on the surface, it is the the radical experimentation of Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, as well as Agee's and Evans' attention to human dignity, that illuminates the new and innovative ideas that times of social upheaval and economic hardship such as the Great De pression call for.Like Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, another work of literature depicting farm life during the Great Depression is John Steinbeck's American classic The Grapes of Wrath. Published in 1939, The Grapes of Wrath tells the story of the fictional Joad family, who after losing their Oklahoma farm due to economic hardship and the Dust Bowl, embark on a trek westward to California, hoping to find work and economic stability, but only find continued hardship and despair.After losing two family members to death, characters Granma and Granpa Joad, and two more family members, Noah the oldest Joad son and Connie the pregnant Rose of Sharon's husband, decide to leave the family; the rest of the family, however discouraged, continue on their journey to California. After their arrival in California, the Joads endure exploitation by the powerful upper-class employers, horrible living conditions, as well as police brutality.In response to the migrant laborers lack of power and rights , as well as their absurdly low wages, the laborers, including the preacher Jim Casey, unionize in order to fight back against the exploitation of their corrupt employers. Through his depiction of the unionization of exploited workers, Steinbeck advocates for worker's unions and the need for collective action among the masses. Furthermore, by emphasizing the exploitation of the lower classes, as well as the human suffering caused by the powerful and corrupt upper-class employers, Steinbeck's firm stance against the power of big-business is lucid (Hendrick).Steinbeck's further asserts his political ideas by depicting the Joads as having an extended concept of family. Throughout the novel, various instances arise in which the concept of family extends beyond the traditional conjugal unit, â€Å"to include members related by plight as well as by blood† (Hinton). This is first evidenced in the opening chapters of the novel, as the Joads prepare to embark on their journey westward , they allow the preacher Jim Casey to join them on their journey to California, accepting them as one of their own.Ma Joad's attempt to help starving children in the migrant camp, even as her own children do not have enough to eat further depicts the Joads extended concept of family as well as the altruism displayed by the Joad family. It is this extension of the traditional familial structure that conveys Steinbeck's Socialist viewpoints and his emphasis on the altruism and goodness of the Joads that seem to convey the message that during times of immense suffering and social upheaval people must come together to help one another.Perhaps however, the most notable depiction of the altruism and goodwill of the Joad family occurs at the end of the novel by none other than Rose of Sharon, the Joad family's eldest daughter, a character up until this point plays a relatively secondary role in the novel. After the Joad family suffers yet another tragedy, when Rose of Sharon gives birth t o a stillborn baby, the family, devastated by their loss come across a dying elderly stranger.In an act of extreme kindness, Rose of Sharon offers her breast milk to the man in order to save his life. Moreover, Steinbeck emphasis the humanity and compassion of the Joads in order to provide a stark contrast to the cold and unfeeling upper-class employers that exploit the migrant workers in order to both invoke sympathy in the reader for the plight of the workers as well as to further argue against big-business (Hinton). Finally, The Grapes of Wrath, as a renowned work of literature, fosters a prevalent image of the Southern farmer.For those with even the vaguest knowledge of this important historical era, the Great Depression conjures up images of impoverished farmers, driven from their homes, stoic-faced and desperate, in search of better opportunities and a future for themselves and their families. Although The Grapes of Wrath provides a fictional account of one sharecropping famil y, and while it can be argued that Steinbeck creates a rather dramatized depiction of the sharecroppers, the story Steinbeck tells was one that was true for many.The Great Depression did indeed drive thousands of sharecroppers from their lands, many of which may have been subjected to some of the same horrors the Joads endured. In conclusion, The Grapes of Wrath is valuable for its image of Southern farmers that has become the poster image for the Great Depression, and still remains as such even today. In stark contrast to both Agee's Let Us Now Praise Famous Men and Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, is Elskine Caldwell's Tobacco Road.While both Let Us Now Praise Famous Men and The Grapes of Wrath work actively to maintain the dignity of its subjects, Tobacco Road instead provides a much more negative image of the novel's characters. Caldwell's fictional Lester family like the focus of both Let Us Now Praise Famous Men and The Grapes of Wrath are a family of Southern farmers enduring the intense suffering wrought by hunger and extreme poverty in the midst of the Great Depression.Whereas Agee presents a dignified image of his subjects, and Steinbeck emphasis the altruism and goodness of the Joad family despite their conditions, Caldwell seems to reduce his characters to less than human. Driven by base instincts the Lester family seem to epitomize vulgarity, violence, obscenity and general indecency. It is in this way that Caldwell depicts the darker side of poverty. In conclusion, by examining the authors intent of renowned works of literature depicting life during the Great Depression we gain essential insights into the social realities of Southern sharecroppers during the Great Depression.Works Cited Agee, James, and Walker Evans. Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. 1941. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1988. Austgen, Susan A. â€Å"Let Us Now Praise Famous Men: Agee and Evans' Great Experiment. † Agee and Evans' Great Experiment. Web. 04 May 2012. . Coogle, Matt. â€Å"The Historical Significance of Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. † The Historical Significance of Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. Web. 05 May 2012. . Hendrick, Veronica C. â€Å"John Steinbeck: The Grapes of Wrath (1939). † Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. ABC-CLIO, 2012.Web. 8 May 2012. Hinton, Rebecca. â€Å"Steinbeck's ‘The Grapes of Wrath. ‘ (John Steinbeck's book). † The Explicator 56. 2 (1998): 101+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 8 May 2012. Humphries, David T. â€Å"Returning South: Reading Culture in James Agee's Let Us Now Praise Famous Men and Zora Neale Hurston's Mules and Men. † The Southern Literary Journal 41. 2 (2009): 69+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 10 April 2012. Jackson, Bruce. â€Å"The Deceptive Anarchy of Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. † The Antioch Review 1999: 38-49.ProQuest Research Library. Web. 5 May 2012 . Quinn, Jeanne Follansbee. â€Å"The Work Of Art: Irony And Identification In Let Us No w Praise Famous Men. † Novel: A Forum On Fiction 34. 3 (2001): 338. Academic Search Premier. Web. 8 May 2012. Rothstein Arthur. Fleeing A Dust Storm. Cimarron City, Oklahoma. 1936. Web. 10 May 2012. Silver, Andrew. â€Å"Laughing over lost causes: Erskine Caldwell's quarrel with Southern humor. † The Mississippi Quarterly 50. 1 (1996): 51+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 5 May 2012.

Spinner Dolphin Facts

Spinner Dolphin Facts Spinner dolphins were  named for their unique behavior of leaping and spinning. These spins can involve more than four body revolutions. Fast Facts: Spinner Dolphin Size: 6-7 feet and 130-170 poundsHabitat: warm tropical and subtropical waters in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian OceansClassification: Kingdom: Animalia, Class: Mammalia, Family: DelphinidaeLifespan: 20 to 25 yearsDiet: Fish and squid; locate prey using echolocationFun Fact: Spinner dolphins gather in pods that can number into the thousands and are known for spinning and leaping.   Identification Spinner dolphins are medium-sized dolphins with long, slender  beaks. Coloration varies depending on where they live. They often have a striped appearance with a dark gray back, gray flanks and white underside.  In some adult males, the dorsal fin looks as if has been stuck on backwards. These animals may associate with other marine life, including humpback whales, spotted dolphins and yellowfin tuna. Classification There are 4 subspecies of spinner dolphin: Grays spinner dolphin (Stenella  longirostris  longirostris)Eastern spinner dolphin (S. l.  orientalis)Central American spinner dolphin (S.l.  centroamericana)Dwarf spinner dolphin (S.l.  roseiventris) Habitat and Distribution Spinner dolphins are found in warm tropical and subtropical waters in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Different spinner dolphin subspecies may prefer different habitats depending on where they live. In Hawaii, they live in shallow, sheltered bays, in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, they live on the high seas far from land and often associate with yellowfin tuna, birds and pantropical spotted dolphins. Dwarf spinner dolphins live in areas with shallow coral reefs, where they feed during the day on fish and invertebrates. Click here for a sighting map for spinner dolphins. Feeding Most spinner dolphins rest during the day and feed at night. Their preferred prey are fish and squid, which they find using echolocation.  During echolocation, the dolphin emits high-frequency sound pulses from an organ (the melon) in its head. The sound waves bounce off objects around it and are received back into the dolphins lower jaw. They are then transmitted to the inner ear and interpreted to determine the size, shape, location and distance of prey. Reproduction The spinner dolphin has a year-round breeding season After mating, the females gestation period is about 10 to 11 months, after which a single calf about two and a half feet long is born. Calves nurse for one to two years. The lifespan for spinner dolphins is estimated at about 20 to 25 years. Conservation The spinner dolphin is listed as data deficient on the IUCN Red List. Spinner dolphins in the Eastern Tropical Pacific were caught by the thousands in purse seine nets targeting tuna, although their populations are slowly recovering due to restrictions placed on those fisheries. Other threats include entanglement or bycatch in fishing gear, targeted hunts in the Caribbean, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines, and coastal development which affects the sheltered bays that these dolphins inhabit in some areas during the day. Sources and Further Information American Cetacean Society. Spinner Dolphin: . Accessed April 30, 2012.Stenella longirostris (Short-Beaked) and Delphinus capensis (Long-Beaked)Culik, B. 2010. Odontocetes. The toothed whales: Stenella longirostris. UNEP/CMS Secretariat, Bonn, Germany. Accessed April 30, 2012.Hammond, P.S., Bearzi, G., Bjà ¸rge, A., Forney, K., Karczmarski, L., Kasuya, T., Perrin, W.F., Scott, M.D., Wang, J.Y., Wells, R.S. Wilson, B. 2008. Stenella longirostris. IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. Accessed April 30, 2012.Nelson, B. 2011. Why Does This Dolphin Have Its Fin On Backwards?. Mother Nature Network, Accessed April 30, 2012.NOAA Fisheries: Office of Protected Resources. Spinner Dolphin (. Accessed April 30, 2012.Stenella longirostris)OBIS SEAMAP. Spinner Dolphin (. Accessed April 30, 2012.Stenella longirostris)Perrin, W. 2012. Stenella longirostris (Gray, 1828). In: Perrin, W.F. World Cetacea Database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at marines pecies.org/aphia.php?ptaxdetailsid137109 on April 30, 2012. The Mammals of Texas. Spinner Dolphin. Accessed April 30, 2012.

The U.S. Militarys Space Operations

The U.S. Militarys Space Operations People love a good military conspiracy theory, including the one that the Air Force has its very own space shuttle. It all sounds very James Bond, but the truth is that the military actually never had a secret space shuttle.  Instead, it used NASAs space shuttle fleet until 2011. Then it built and flew its own mini-shuttle drone and continues to test it on long missions. However, while there may be great interest within the military for a space force, theres just not one out there. There is a space command at the U.S. Air Force, mainly interested in working through issues of armed forces using space resources. However, there arent phalanxes of soldiers up there, just a lot of interest in what military use of space might eventually become. The U.S. Military in Space The  theories about the military use of space stem largely from the fact that the U.S. Department of Defense flew secret missions on the shuttles when NASA was still using them to get to space. Interestingly, when NASAs fleet was being developed, there were plans to make  additional copies exclusively for military purposes. That affected the specifications of the shuttle design, such as the length of its glide path, so that the vehicle could accommodate military and top-secret missions. There was also a shuttle launch facility built in California, at Vandenberg Air Force Base. This complex, called SLC-6 (Slick Six), was supposed to be used to put shuttle missions into polar orbits. However, after the Challenger exploded  in 1986, the complex was put into caretaker status and was never used for a shuttle launch. The facilities were mothballed until the military decided to retool the base for satellite launches. It was used to support Athena launches until 2006 when Delta IV rockets began to lift off from the site.   Use of the Shuttle Fleet for Military Operations Ultimately, the military decided that having dedicated shuttlecraft for the military was unnecessary. Given the amount of technical support, staff, and facilities required to run such a program, it made more sense to use other resources to launch payloads into space. In addition, more sophisticated spy satellites were developed to accomplish reconnaissance missions. Without its own fleet of shuttles, the military relied on NASAs vehicles to meet its needs for access to space. In fact, the space shuttle Discovery was planned to be available to the military as its exclusive shuttle, with civilian use as it was available. It was even going to be launched from the militarys Vandenbergs SLC-6 launch complex. Ultimately the plan was scrapped following the Challenger disaster. In recent years, the space shuttle fleet has been retired and new spacecraft are being designed to take humans to space.   For years, the military used whatever shuttle was available at the time of need, and military payloads were launched from the usual launchpad at Kennedy Space Center. The last shuttle flight strictly for military use was carried out in 1992 (STS-53). The subsequent military cargo was taken up by shuttles as a secondary part of their missions. Today,  with the increasingly reliable use of rockets via NASA and SpaceX (for example), the military has much more cost-effective access to space.   Meet the X-37B Mini-shuttle Drone While the military hasnt had a need for a conventional manned orbiting vehicle, some situations could call for a shuttle-type craft.  However, these craft will be quite different from the current stable of orbiters- perhaps not in look, but definitely in function. The X-37 shuttle  is a good example of where the military is going with a shuttle-type spacecraft. It  was originally designed as a potential replacement for the current shuttle fleet. It had its first successful flight in 2010, launched from atop a rocket. The  craft carries no crew, its missions are secret, and it is entirely robotic. This mini-shuttle has flown several long-term missions, most likely performing reconnaissance flights and specific types of experiments.   Clearly, the military is interested in the ability to place objects into orbit as well as have reusable spy craft; the expansion of projects like the X-37 thus seems entirely possible and very likely will continue into the foreseeable future. The U.S. Air Force space command, with bases and units around the globe, is the front line for space-based missions, and also focuses on cyberspace capabilities for the country, as needed.   Could There Ever Be a Space Force? Occasionally politicians float  the idea of a space force. What that force would be or how it would be trained are still very large unknowns. There are few facilities to get soldiers ready for the rigors of fighting in space. As well, theres been no talk by veterans of such training, and expenditures for such places would eventually show up in budgets. However, if there was to be a space force, massive changes to military structures would be needed. As mentioned, training would have to ramp up on a scale so far unknown to any military on the planet. Thats not to say one couldnt be created in the future, but there isnt one now.   Edited and updated by Carolyn Collins Petersen.

What is collective efficacy and, how, if at all does it affect local Essay

What is collective efficacy and, how, if at all does it affect local crime rates - Essay Example far as collective efficacy is concerned then crime is actually any harmful act or criminal offense which might be injurious for a particular individual or the entire community. Local crime has a very strong relationship with collective efficacy as it is drastically increasing today in the world while collective efficacy is becoming essential to reduce the crime. Hence it is clearly evident that they both are interlinked with one another. However, the impact of collective efficacy over the crime rates and the critical aspects of their relationship are still unidentified. This paper aims to analyze collective efficacy from different perspectives including all of its influencing factors, how it initiates in a society and what are its possible consequences. Moreover, its affect over the local crime rate would be argued so as to make a conclusion that either the prevalence of collective efficacy in the modern societies will reduce the local crime rate or this would have rather an unnotice d impact. Since this paper is based upon local crime statistics and the general phenomenon of collective efficacy therefore the argument is made considering all the secondary sources including journal articles. These articles have focused upon previous researches in the same area while they have also given a very clear outlook on the criminal world. Thus they have been significantly used to build the argument and also to make the convincing conclusions based on practical ideas. Here, people often misunderstand that crime or criminal activities are linked with the personal attributes of an individual however, the reality is far different from this assumption. It was considered appropriate to present arguments in the paper which will be helpful in understanding organizational and social characteristics of a society which are actually associated with the increasing/decreasing crime rate (Sampson, 1997, p.918). The overall research and critical analysis of collective efficacy reveals that