The Scarlet Letter Essays (488 words) - English-language Films

The Scarlet Letter Adultery, betrayal, promiscuity, subterfuge, and intrigue, all of which would make an excellent coming attraction on the Hollywood scene and probably a pretty good book. Add Puritan ideals and writing styles, making it long, drawn out, tedious, wearisome, sleep inducing, insipidly asinine, and the end result is The Scarlet Letter. Despite all these things it is considered a classic and was a statement of the era. The Scarlet Letter is a wonderful and not so traditional example of the good versus evil theme. What makes this a unique instance of good versus evil is that either side could be considered either one. Hester could very easily have been deduced as evil, or the "bad guy," as she was by the townspeople. That is, she was convicted of adultery, a horrible sin of the time, but maybe not even seen as criminal today. As for punishment, a sentence to wear a scarlet "A" upon her chest, it would hardly be considered a burden or extreme sentence in present day. Or Hester can be seen as rebelling against a society where she was forced into a loveless marriage and hence she would be the "good guy," or girl, as the case may be. Also the townspeople, the magistrates, and Chillingworth, Hester's true husband, can be seen in both lights. Either they can be perceived as just upholding the law -she committed a crime, they enforce the law. On the other hand are they going to extreme measures such as wanting to take Pearl, Hester's daughter, away just because Hester has deviated from the norm, all to enforce an unjust law that does not even apply to this situation? Although the subjects of the novel do apply to important issues in history and could have had influences on the time period, they were not great. During the times and in the Puritan community this did not have a large affect on anything. Sure, they did not want anyone committing adultery, most were killed if convicted, but it was not something that upset their way of living in any permanent manner. To an individual or group who was battling something backward in the Puritan society, as were many things, this would have been an inspirational book and possibly a revelation. In short, this book could have been exceptional; it had all the elements of a superb book. Unfortunately, Hawthorne found himself a rather large thesaurus and added a bunch of mindless prattle that mellowed out the high points of the book and expanded on the low points. In many chapters all he manages to accomplish is to update the lives of characters, mostly with irrelevant drivel. Also by expanding on the symbolism of the scarlet letter umpteenth times he wears it out so that the reader wants nothing more to do with a dumb "A" on some woman's chest hundreds of years ago. Other than that, great book.

The suicide of meriwether lewis essays

The suicide of meriwether lewis essays In the early hours of October 11, 1806, while en-rout to Wasington to defend himself against accusations made on him in accordance to the fiancial decisions made by him as govoner of the Louisian teritory,Meriwether Lewis shot himself in the head with his own pistol at Natchez Trace.1 However, the ball only grazed his skull. Of course, after doing so he fell to the floor in pain. After this, Lewis drew his second pistol, and shot himself in the chest, this passing through his body and exiting at his lower back bone. However, once again, he survived this blow. By now he had aroused Mrs. Grinder, the innkeeper at Natchez Trace, who sent for the servants in the barn. After entering Meriwethers room she saw Lewis cutting himself with a razor. At this point he exclaimed, I am no coward; but I am so strong, [it is] so hard to die. At this point Lewis pleaded with the servants to take his rifle and kill him; he even offered them money and the assurance that no ill fate would come to them. After dawn, Meriwether Lewis hart stopped beating. 3 To understand why such a well respected man, and explorer took his own life we must examine what composed his life, this being his upbringing and major events and influences in his life.4 Meriwether Lewis was born August 18, 1774, the same year of the Boston Tea Party, in Rockfish Gap, Virginia, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Here the East met the West.5 Lewis had the advantages of living in the wilderness to sharpen his hunting and wilderness skills, but when the availability of schooling from the East.6 Meriwether Lewis was born on the eve of the revolution. He was brought up with a very anti- British attitude. Meriwether also was brought up knowing of what his ancestors had accomplished. For instance Robert Lewis, a Welshman, was one who moved from Britain to the wilderness of Virginia, on a grant from the King of England of thirty-three thousand thirty three an...

SOCIAL SCIENCE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

SOCIAL SCIENCE - Essay Example The selected regions of England and Wales followed a similar pattern with Wales by far surpassing the other regions. In the North West region the percentage of good water quality was greater than fair or poor quality for the four year period. A similar situation occurred with Southern and Wales. In the regions of Midlands and Anglian, though, the percentage of fair water quality was greater than the good quality for the years 1990 and 1995. Nonetheless in 2000 and 2005 there seems to be a dramatic improvement in the quality of water. In the Midlands, the percentage increase moved from 45 in 1995 to 59 in 2000 and 2005 whilst Anglian increased from 39 percent in 1995 to 49 in 2000. Wales outperformed the regions by a great margin for the entire period. Their good water quality ranged from 79 percent in 1990 to 93 percent in 2005. North West came in second in terms of the percentage of good water quality to fair and poor. Anglian’s good water quality ranged from 17 to 46 percent. At no time were they able to cross the half mark of 50. Thus, Anglian seems to have performed the worst in terms of the percentage of good water quality. Although North West experienced the highest percentage of poor quality water of 27 percent in 1990 this figure was significantly decreased to 8 percent by 2005. Hence, North West had the greatest percent decrease of poor water quality of 19 percent during the period. Interestingly, in 1990 Anglian with 17 percent began as the worst performing region in terms of the smallest percent of good water quality. Although they made a 22 percent leap to 49 in 2000, they remained with the lowest percent in good water quality. The market economy is one that is run by the forces of a market, that is, the economy is based on the dynamic relationship between the prices of goods and services and the behavior of producers and consumers. For example, as consumers increase their demand for a particular good or service the price of that commodity

In General, Toyota's Foreign Plants Have Achieved Productivity Levels Essay

In General, Toyota's Foreign Plants Have Achieved Productivity Levels Similar To Those In Japan - Essay Example This system involves team and individual discipline in the assembly line operation and a paradigm shift from doing quantity production to creating quality products the first time. Toyotas culture of quality work and continuous improvement through a team-based work place as implemented by Ohno Taichi has made Toyotas manufacturing facilities and assembly lines efficient and effective. Without the aggressive implementation of these corporate values of discipline, quality and continuous improvement, Toyotas lean production system would have been a failure and productivity would not have increased. The culture of Toyota has become the company strength and competitive advantage in the automobile industry. A global corporation is defined as an organization that coordinate and integrates its activities on a worldwide basis. It offers its customers a standardized product or services. The company is a highly centralized structure. The role of local subsidiaries is to assemble and sell products developed centrally. (Bartlett and Ghoshal, 1989). Toyota as a manufacturer of automobile products has highly standardized its product, manufacturing processes, and operations in all of its facilities worldwide. The production process of Japan and foreign plants of Toyota utilizes the Kanban system, a simplified assembly line called Global Body Line and supplier support system. The allocation of resources, responsibilities, and controls are centralized on a global basis towards the home-country, Japan.

Global Marketing Operations Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Global Marketing Operations - Case Study Example Samsung has emerged stronger with global image by their innovative strategies that were globally focused, restructured, and streamlined to the target. Samsung achieved 70% of the business from outside Korea. The company remained very much Product- focused with attention on manufacturing. They believed in quality product that could take care itself to establish and to be preferred by consumers. But in today's world of competition this notion was mistaken and they had to change to become market oriented under the able leadership of Mr. Kim. In 2008, Samsung is expected to earn 9.27 trillion won, up from 7.4 trillion won last year, according to Reuters Estimates. The major objective of the company in 2008 is to be top three electronic companies in the world by 2010 with quality products, to double up their 2004 sales achievement of $55 billion by 2010, to have 20 number one market share in the compared to the present eight number one market share products, to identify growth engines of growth and pursue innovation through out its business operations. It is a fact that Samsung Electronics had been more a manufacturing giant than a market entity. In terms of marketing the company has been backward if compared with its rivals in the market such as Nokia and Motorola. The company started its marketing efforts late and yet they could not make highly visible brands particularly in the foreign market. The company is badly in need of signature product that will make its brand name stick in consumers' mind. The company is suffering from identity crisis. For example iPods of Apple is easily identifiable in United States as 'Anycall' phones of Samsung is identifiable in Korea. But this brand has identity problems in other countries. The real challenge is to build Samsung into a beloved brand into the mind of people who would love to have it and recall it any time. Cell phones account for 31% of Samsung's revenue and therefore needs intensive attention from the marketing manager. The company is planning to enter and succeed in emerging markets. The efforts of building the brand image can be resumed in these countries. Emerging markets have become highly competitive and it is very dangerous to take initiative here. But Samsung with its history of doing miracles with its products innovation can do it in marketing as well. In India about six million people are buying new mobile set every month. Nokia and Motorola are well positioned there even at low profit margins. They are active in the market to sell dirt-cheap handsets with hope to take over the high-end market in future. Samsung does not like to market these low-end handsets. They are catering to high end of the low-end market- 'the premier low end' in the price range of $50-$70. Samsung needs differentiation of its brand here in this premier low-end market. There are numerous consumers who bought high-end products in the past but and they are not happy buying the cheap products. Samsung with its superior image of building high quality products can focus its brands of low-end premium products without increasing the

A SWOT and PESTEL Analysis of EasyJet

A SWOT and PESTEL Analysis of EasyJet 1. Introduction and History A successful example of a European no frills airline is easyJet. Stelios Haji-Ioannou (Greek) founded the company in 1995. It is based on the low-cost, no-frills model of the US carrier Southwest. The concept of easyJet is based on the belief that demands for short-haul air transport is price elastic. That means, if prices for flights are being reduced, more people will fly. Traditionally airline concepts are based on the assumption that airline traffic grows in line with the economy and that cutting prices will only lead to a decrease in revenues. With the introduction of the no-nonsense concept to the European market, after its deregulation in 1992, easyJet has proven this theory wrong and goes from strength to strength by actually increasing the size of the market and more recently by taking away passengers from the majors (see www.easyjet.com for passenger figures, financial data and employee statistics). Today, it offers 125 routes from 39 European Airports (see www.easyjet.com for route launch dates), with Luton, Liverpool, Geneva, Amsterdam as base airports  [1]  and is operating 72 aircrafts (November 2003). November 1995: easyJet starts flights from Luton to Glasgow and Edinburgh with to leased Boeing 737-300 with a capacity of 148 seats at a price of  £29 one way. Seats are being sold over telephone reservation system only. In 1996 easyJet takes delivery of its first wholly owned aircraft and goes international with first services to Amsterdam from Luton. One year later easyJet launches its website, easyjet.com which will from 1998 onwards form an integral part of the business concept (and which provides for some 90% of the bookings today  [2]  ). In August 2002 easyJet expands its fleet and routes by acquiring British Airways low-cost subsidiary Go. In October 2002 the airline signs a deal to purchase 120 Airbus, which will facilitate the airlines ongoing growth strategy. Up until now, one of the cornerstones of the easyJets low-cost model has been to operate a single aircraft type fleet which so far has been the Boeing 737 series because uniformity means efficiencies in train ing, maintenance and operating costs. However, easyJets new deal with Airbus is being viewed by the company as stunning as the additional costs, which incur through the new type of aircraft are far outweighed by the financial benefits of this deal. easyJet argues that both Boeing and Airbus aircraft have broadly similar characteristics but that a wider aisle on A319 will make it quicker to embark and disembark, that it has an extra seat on board (150 vs. 149) and that overall the A319 will lower costs by about  10% compared to the current mix of aircraft, which will contribute to lower ticket fares. (See appendix 1 for Stelios Haji-Iannous other easyGroup enterprises). 2. The Mission Statement of easyJet To provide our customers with safe, good value, point-to-point air services. To effect and to offer a consistent and reliable product and fares appealing to leisure and business markets on a range of European routes. To achieve this will develop our people and establish lasting relationship (see www.easyjet.com) The basis of an organisations mission statement should answer the question What business is the company in? easyJet is doing this by stating that it provides point-to-point air services to its customers. That clearly underlines that easyJet is not in the people or food business, neither in the service business as such, but in the mass-transportation business, and as such its model is based on cost efficiency of the mass-transportation business. Moreover, it reflects several decisions about what kind of air service easyJet wants to provide. Evidently, its focus is on European routes, targeting business and leisure travellers alike. Furthermore, it aims to offer safe, good value transportation. easyJets mission statement also gives information on the How to get there? by putting emphasis on its people and suppliers. What is missing from the statement is the importance of the customers point of view, which could be expressed by saying, for instance, we want to be recognised asà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Also, as the mission statement is the bedrock for the marketing plan it should be more quantifiable, as to how much market share easyJet aims to gain in the future, for example. 3. Competitive Analysis In order to analyse the airline industry in detail, it is useful to apply Porters five competitive forces. The threat of substitutes Minimal threat from other modes of transport like train and car on domestic routes. Usually the time and cost advantage of the low-cost carriers far outweigh the increased comfort and flexibility of trains or cars (e.g. on the route Luton/London to Glasgow a train takes around 6 hours and costs around  £80 while a easyJet plane takes just one hour and costs around  £29). On international routes distances are usually too great for car or train to be an alternative to air travel, expect maybe from London to Paris, which can be reached by Euro Star. The threat of new entrants High capital requirements negate threat to some extent. easyJet was started with a loan of  £5 million, with 2 leased aircraft, but required a  £50million investment raised by debt and equity in year two to speed expansion and buy 4 new planes. The UK low-cost market is quite mature in comparison to the rest of Europe and easyJet, as the biggest operator has quite a comfortable position. However, expansion into new European markets might prove more difficult as established; cash strong holiday firms like TUI are setting up their own low-cost operations (see information about Hapag Lloyd Express, www.hlx.com) Lack of take-off and landing slots makes it difficult for new carriers to find suitable airports. Loss leader is required in order to join the low cost market. The power of suppliers The price of aviation fuel is directly related to the cost of oil, as an individual company easyJet does not have the power to alter this. Airplane manufacturers are concentrated in the industry, with Boeing and Airbus providing the majority of commercial planes and with easyJet operating one type of aircraft until recently. easyJets deal with airbus however shows that favourable agreements can still be reached. The dependence on spare parts from one manufacturer could pose a risk. The more easyJet expands the more power it will posses over its suppliers The power of buyers Buyer power within the airline industry and especially the low-cost market is relatively strong, as customers will often shop around for the better price, particularly with the dependence that the low cost airline has on Internet sales. Price discrepancies can be easily found and exploited by the consumer, meaning that the operator must keep a regular check on prices. Need for customer loyalty because of low switching costs Customers have the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on their side which provides: 1. protection against the consequence of travel organiser failure for people who buy package holidays, charter flights and discounted scheduled air tickets; and 2. licenses airlines and ensures compliance with requirements of European and UK legislation relating to financial resources, liability and insurance of airlines.  [3]   Rivalry among existing firms Ryan air, BMIbaby, MyTravelLite and Buzz are major competitors of easyJet in the UK. Virgin Express, Hapag Lloyd Express, Germanwings and Air Berlin already are or might become competitors in the light of future expansion plans. Ryanair is the only one of these so far to have succeeded and shown a continuous yearly profit (see appendix 2 for financial data). A growing number of tour operators (like Thomas Cook and TUI) are selling air only scheduled seats to reduced prices  [4]  . British Airways and other traditional carriers out of the UK are competitors as well but on a lower scale as they target different market segments (see appendix 3 for more detail). 4. Marketing Mix Price Low price is a key element of the brand. Uses differential pricing; off-peak travelling and booking in advance makes a ticket less expensive. Discounts for tickets booked online. Product no-frills, point-to-point air services also car hire on its website (use of the Internet for bundling products) and links to other easyGroup websites (see appendix 1 for other easyGroup enterprises). Place/distribution Internet booking system (over 90% of bookings). Telephone reservation system. Promotion Highlights its number one position among Europes low-cost airlines (advertising strap line: Size matters!, slogan: the webs favourite airline) Advocates internal marketing, creative work done in-house. No Bullshit approach (Stelios), humorous, attention-catching campaigns (e.g. the giving away of free tickets on Gos inaugural flight and Stelios protesting in a orange boiler suit against an increase of airport fees at Luton in a branch of Barclays bank which owns the airport). 5. SWOT Analysis 5.1. Internal Analysis Strengths Image, differentiation on price and brand. Is financially successful. Is being seen as an innovative and flexible organisation. Has a strong e-business. Is part of the consortium that has been awarded to run UKs air traffic control system (NATS). Weaknesses Has no customer retention policy Has little or no scope outside of Europe. Lack of service, flexibility and business focus (such as frequent flyer programmes e.g.) make the low-cost model unappealing for most business travellers. The two drivers of growth, the focus on price and the focus on convenience (frequent flights, few connections, more nearby airports e.g.) are reaching their natural limits. Differentiation from there remains to be difficult. easyJets own success makes it difficult to recruit and train staff quickly enough. 5.2 External Analysis Opportunities Experts predict great potential for future growth in the next years (see appendix 4). The current recession is favourable as people and businesses are more cost-conscious. More full-service airlines may withdraw from the regional market to focus on more profitable long-haul routes leaving the market to the low-cost operators. The short-breaks market, an important market for easyJet grows more rapidly than the UK travel market as a whole  [5]  . Reduced aircraft prices Threats Difficulties to expand as viable new routes from London are scarce. Competition is likely to intensify, given the saturated market and the shortage of other options  [6]  . Increased competition is likely to lead to greater difficulties in demanding incentives from communities, like the very low fees easyJet received at Luton  [7]  . Companies cut on business travel in times of economic downturn and because of new time-consuming security measures travel substitutes like videoconferencing are introduced  [8]  . 6. Situational Analysis easyJet seems to be positioned very well with experts predicting excellent growth opportunities for the low cost-sector. Given the saturated market and the shortage of other options in the UK, competition is likely to intensify inevitably followed by consolidation, an early sign of which is easyJets purchase of GO. The UK market offers little growth opportunity, therefore concentration will be on the continental market, a step forward in this direction is setting up a major new base at Berlin, with flights from 11 European cities  [9]  , and possibly as well on Eastern Europe. Focus remains on pricing Strategy and expansion of its route network. Promotion needs to persuade people that it is safe to fly and establish easyJet as Europes largest low-cost carrier (as easyJet is already doing in its advertisement: Size matters!) 7. PEST Analysis Marketing Plan PEST analysis for easyJet for the next 5 years The following factors are likely to have an influence on the airline industry and should therefore be taken into account when formulating a Marketing Plan for easyJet. Politico-legal factors Threat of war in the Middle East The Air Miles scheme is not considered as a taxable perk by the government in the way that company cars are taxed which may change to allow easyJet to compete on more equal grounds with the likes of BA. A EU east-enlargement may provide access to viable, new markets. Economic factors Likelihood of increasing fuel costs, congestion and other environmental restrictions, as well as the prospect of higher security and insurance costs to reflect the risk of terrorism. As the recession is likely to last for some more time, business travellers will keep an eye on their travel expenses. Globalisation should continue to boost traffic in the long-term. The introduction of the single currency in Europe is likely to bring more business to easyJet as Europe becomes more integrated. Socio-cultural factors To win over the French and German publics might cause problems as there appears still to be a general reluctance to use credit cards over the phone and Internet  [10]  . The public are general quite friendly to the prospect of cheap flights. However they may feel begrudged where they see promotions found in newspapers where flight are for  £10 only to find that the actual cost is much higher for the particular time or day they wish to fly on. Technological factors A key issue will be the extent to which technological advancements such as the use of the Internet on distribution and cost synergies from industry consolidation can offset upward pressures on prices and costs. easyJet has to keep track of technological developments in the field of e-commerce and aircraft manufacture in order to gain a competitive advantage. 8. Conclusion 8.1 Strategic issues facing the airline industry The face of aviation is gradually evolving. The long-standing problems of the industry in the form of large numbers of network carriers and substantial over-capacity in many markets were exacerbated by the events of September 11th (see appendix 5 for a post-Sept. 11th overview). This is likely to pave the way for some acceleration in the process of airline restructuring and consolidation. Experts believe that there is not room for the current multitude of carriers in Europe, and that these will eventually be whittled down to three or four major airlines, with the others absorbed or restructured to focus more on regional traffic. This also represents an opportunity for no-frills carriers to increase their market share. Along with this, some restructuring of the industrys complex and outdated regulatory system will be required. In the longer term, trend growth may itself slow gradually as the big air travel markets mature. In addition, falling yields, which have boosted air travel growth in the past, cannot be relied upon to persist, at least at the rate they have for the past decade or so. If cost trends are less favourable for example because of increasing fuel costs, congestion and other environmental restrictions, as well as the prospect of higher security and insurance costs to reflect the risks of terrorism the scope for lower yields would be less, and this might reduce future growth trends. A key issue will be the extent to which favourable cost trends such as the impact of the Internet on distribution costs and cost synergies from industry consolidation can offset these upward pressures on prices and costs. The full-service airlines, saddled with big networks and strongly unionised workforces, cannot easily embrace the management strategies of the no-frills airlines. Moreover, their scope for de fensive mergers is limited by competition policy. The ability of international airlines to expand is limited by ownership restrictions (In the US foreigners cannot own more than 25% of a national airline, in the EU the restriction is 49%  [11]  ). The no-frills market within Europe is immature relative to that of the US. The sector accounts for only around 5% of all intra European capacity, though the share is much higher in the UK domestic market and on services between the UK and Europe, closer to 20%. Further strong growth is expected over the next 2-3 years as new operations start up, and new destinations are added to the existing carriers networks. However as the UK market becomes saturated, these carriers are likely to focus their development at continental European hubs. The experience of the US market suggests that deregulation will be followed by industry consolidation. So far there has been limited progress in this direction but many are viewing the current crisis as the catalyst necessary to completely restructure the European airline industry . In the US the industry has consolidated into seven major carriers, which carry over 80% of passenger traffic of US airlines. Europe is far more fragmented with the equivalent figure for the seven European majors at only 47%  [12]  . 8.2 easyJets Future easyJet has to consider whether it should respond to new entrants by ceding niche-segments or by competing aggressively on price, routes and service in an attempt to drive the entrant out of the market. To make the strategic decision market research on the size of different combinations of pricing and service is needed. easyJet also needs to know how much it costs the competitor to serve, and how much capacity the competitor has for, every route in question. Finally, the new entrants competitive objectives are of relevance to anticipate how it would respond to any strategic moves easyJet might make. By obtaining these information residual uncertainty would be limited, and the incumbent airline would be able to build a confident business case around its strategy  [13]  . It is advisable that easyJet targets mainly leisure travellers as business often demand frequent flights to a wide range of destinations, seek quality service and frequent flyer programmes, and are willing to pay a premium for these benefits. Also, trying to appeal to widely different customer needs runs counter to the overall trend in service industries, in which distinctive approaches, tailored to different customers, have generally come to dominate  [14]  . No real opportunity offers the long-haul business as it is very different, both technically and in customer needs, to short-haul travel. easyJet should continue to focus on price and attempt to connect the dots in its network, which cost less than opening new cities. Thereby, it needs to make sure that a growth in its network and fleet does not lead to higher operating costs. It should also consider putting more emphasis on direct marketing by e.g. introducing a customer retention scheme. To differentiate its brand further on promotional lines, easyJet could introduce a CRM (cause related marketing) scheme, developing a reputation for being a caring airline, e.g. by selling shares in forest help programmes over its website, collect ing foreign currency on flights for charity etc., thereby giving its passengers a sense of psychological comfort and well-being  [15]  when they choose to fly with easyJet. Overall, easyJet has to develop a realistic and accurate assessment of the market-niche to be served. A relentless commitment to quality service and cost control is as important as the discipline to establish a growth plan (see www.easyJet.com for easyJet product life cycle and marketing strategy). (Word count 3,144) Appendices Appendix 1 Under the easy brand Stelios Haji-Iannou has furthermore established and Internet car rental service (easyRentacar), a chain of Internet cafes (easyEverything), a financial services site (easyMoney), a portal site for bargains on the net (easyValue) and a free e-mail service (easy.com). In all his ventures he is using yield management to extract the ideal margin from each customer  [16]  and keep costs down. Furthermore, yield management can help to better use price in the marketing mix to best reach the most customers  [17]  . However, there are no cross-shareholdings between easyJet and these other easyGroup companies. easyJey operates independently from the other companies although some cross-marketing agreements do exist. Also, results of the non-airline businesses have been mixed as they have lost  £75m in three years  [18]  . Appendix 2 Profit for Ryanair April September 2002 Year-on-year increase 151m à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ ( £96m) 71% Source: Tran, M. (2002)  [19]   See http://www.ryanair.com/download/morganjune.pdf for actual data. Appendix 3 Compare Airline Traffic Data (Europe) Air Transport World http://www.atwonline.com/Pdf/worldairlinereport_2002.pdf Appendix 4 The airline market is currently being re-shaped by the expansion of existing low-cost airlines. It has been estimated that they will expand their European market share from 5% to 25% by 2010, establishing themselves on a long-term basis. (Source: International Travel News (2003), available on http://www.internettravelnews.com/article/20223 Friday, 28th November 2003) Low-cost airlines are gearing up to take large chunks out of their rivals. In a decade, low-cost airlines may be the dominant form of air travel in Europe. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. In Europe, no-frills travel accounts for only 5% of European air travel, but it is likely to grow to claim a 12-15% share in the next decade. (Source: BBC News (2002), available on http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2038192.stm; Friday, 28th November 2003)

The Gun Control Debate Essay -- Gun Control, 2015

"I have a very strict gun control policy: if there's a gun around, I want to be in control of it." -- Clint Eastwood Gun control has a history dating back to 1791, when the Second Amendment of the Constitution was ratified. However, more recently, the debate over gun control has escalated into a much more public issue to which many citizens can relate. After all, stories about incidents involving guns appear frequently today in newspapers and on television or the radio. One could say that the debate started with the passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968, which banned ownership of guns by certain groups of people and regulated the sale of guns. Since then, two main groups have gradually appeared: people who oppose strict federal regulations on guns, and people who favor those federal regulations. The Second Amendment to the Constitution states, â€Å"a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.†1 Because the â€Å"militia† is composed of ordinary citizens that may take up arms when the country needs, all Americans should be constitutionally able to own a gun. This is one of the beliefs that proponents of gun ownership, including the National Rifle Association (NRA), hold. They feel that most people—excluding certain groups of people, such as criminals should be able to buy a gun with little trouble and without a waiting period. Also, they think that limiting gun ownership would restrict law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves from criminals and violent crime, and that people need to be able to protect themselves and their families. An article from the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action actually rep... ....S. Constitution Online. 2 "More Guns, Less Crime (Again) in 2007." National Rifle Association of America. 3 "Gun Control." Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. WORKS CITED Adams, R. J. "Gun Control." Awesome Library. 2014. Web 30 Apr. 2015. . "Gun Control." Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. Microsoft Corporation. Web 30 Apr. 2015. . "More Guns, Less Crime (Again) in 2007." National Rifle Association of America. 23 Sept.2008. Institute for Legislative Action. Web 30 Apr. 2015. . "The United States Constitution." U.S. Constitution Online. Web 30 Apr. 2015. Clint Eastwood Quote http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/gun_control.html#XShIErUHLBztRpl0.99

The book “Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom” Report

The book â€Å"Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom† by Lisa Delpit provides detailed overview of popular progressive pedagogies ad special attention is paid to finding ways to deliver the best learning for all students. The central argument is that modern education systems often fail to respond to learning needs of diverse students. We are living in diverse world and every classroom is represented by linguistically and culturally diverse students. In the book Lisa Delpit tends to relate progressive learning methods with dominant culture norms. Delpit claims that mismatch is pervasive and educational institutions should teach students considering their cultural roots as students from non-dominant communities find it difficult to comprehend new culture and to learn. Therefore, the central thesis of the book is that learning theory and learning process are profoundly rooted in the culture and, thus, they can’t be ignored when teaching diverse students. The title of the book is metaphoric as, in such a way, the author shows that our world is culturally diverse and other people’s children should be paid more attention during the studying process. Language and learning peculiarities of colour students is often being repressed and assailed. Statistics is really shocking – too many professionals tend to fully ignore cultural factors when they work with students from other courtiers. When students are ‘other people’s children’, the author means that those students are non-white population. Delpit combines theoretical framework with practice and, therefore, her recommendations and reflections are well grounded. As far as the author is educational and sociolinguist anthropologist, analytics and criticism are both present. The author describes practical implementation of her theories and shows that after two decades of practices progressive pedagogies do have benefits. For example, the author describes her experiments in the culturally diverse classroom in Native Alaskan schools and in Inner City. Despite educational settings are located in different places, the results are apparent: progressive pedagogies are of great importance as children feel more comfortable and more confident when teachers consider their cultural peculiarities. The first section â€Å"Controversies Revisited† defends Delpit’s evocative ideas. Her essay â€Å"The Silenced Dialogue† is a critical response for essay â€Å"Skills and Other Dilemmas of a Progressive Black Educator†. Delpit reproaches advocates of whole language because she believes that writing process instructions should be changed and should match learning needs of children from non-dominant cultures. The second section â€Å"Lessons from Home and Abroad: Other Cultures and Communities† offers two informative and factful articles fleshing vision of schools. The author shares her personal international experiences and illustrates two conflicts. In such a way, she is willing to maximize the educational potential culturally diverse students. The conflicts are defined as the following: firstly, context vs. the de-contextualizing rituals of mainstream schooling; secondly, human connectedness vs. the dehumanizing, heritage-destroying processes. These articles prove that Delpit’s advice is seasoned and synthesized from perspectives of educators of color. The third section â€Å"Teachers' Voices: Rethinking Teacher Education for Diversity† discusses American dilemma of cultural disparities in teacher-student interactions, and it is known that Delpit, for he reasoning and progressive ideas, has gained a reputation of being fearless as she tends to convey perspectives of educators of color, in particular, when disputing the popular wisdom of mainstream. The author shows that a power imbalance is still present in most American classrooms. In particular, power imbalance exists in increasingly diverse public schools. Delpit writes that â€Å"one would have to be completely off-target not to realize that Blacks and other people of color often get the short end of the stick when it comes to commanding and exercising power in educational settings†. (Delpit, 1995) Therefore, many argue that Delpit’s reading is thought-provoking and especially valuable. Delpit says that power imbalance may result in racial and gender conflicts in classrooms and the quality and quantity of learning will be negatively affected. Learning outcomes will be doubtful. The author uses thoughtful and measured terms when she tries to explain how parents, students and teachers from diverse groups should develop ingenious means of resisting dominant-group incursion. Ample evidence is offered to show that dominant-group school personnel often fail to interpret fully the knowledge base and, as a result, the potential of non-white students is stifled, and the mark in their assessment is ultimately missing. The work provides corrective responses: â€Å"This combination of power and otherness is what this book is all about. Black, white, Indian, Hispanic or Asian, we must all find some way to come to terms with these two issues. When we teach across the boundaries of race, class or gender — indeed when we teach at all — we must recognize and overcome the power differential, the stereotypes and the other barriers which prevent us from seeing each other. Those efforts must drive our teacher education, our curriculum development, our instructional strategies, and every aspect of the educational enterprise. Until we can see the world as others see it, all the educational reforms in the world will come to naught†. (Delpit, 1995) Personal Reflection I think that the book â€Å"Other People’s Children† should become a ground for teaching for many white teachers. The book is enlightening and empowering as it offers new approaches to teaching. Lisa Delpit is innovative in her filed as she recommends considering cultural roots when teaching students from non-dominant cultures. The book is reasoned and the author invites the audience to understanding the learning needs of diverse students, as well as provides overview of realities of multicultural schooling stressing that every student from non-dominant culture faces a number of challenges. In my opinion, the author is trying to make modern educators realize that education should be improved and such issues as ethnicity, gender and nationality should be paid more attention. One more positive moment is that educational needs of individuals are quite different and professional educators should find ways how to respond to needs of every student. The book is divided into three parts and each part conveys important message. For example, the first section stresses the importance of literacy and literature in modern schools, whereas the second section discusses the impact of culture on education system. Finally, the third section provides recommendations how to make changes in education system and how to teach multicultural classrooms. Mainstream education is associated with dominant education and it is a pity that dominant culture is related to the culture of urban professionals and business world. In other words, dominant culture is the culture represented by white population, middle-class individuals and college educated population. I like the way the author tries to assure the audience that the majority of students are African-American students from low-income families and their rights should not be neglected and ignored as they are personalities and they deserve better living, good education and position in society. Education and discrimination should not come along. I agree with the author that culture has significant impact on education as, for example, non-white students tend to have their own code of language and behavioural patterns and, thus, they often lack skills for establishing Standard English. Knowledge is limited for children from non-dominant cultures and the main reason is lack of basic knowledge and instructional skills. Delpit recommends setting the same standards for all students disregarding their gender and nationality. The problem is that not many professional educators are interested in building and enforcing necessary knowledge for students. Modern society teaches individuals to be well-educated and well-informed of surrounding. Nevertheless, a series of problems is presented in modern American schools. The most important problem is that many teachers don’t think of the student’s future – they simply fulfil their responsibilities and nothing more, but it is wrong as teachers should get their students through particular class and prepare the road for future. Educators and parents must encourage students to learn and to display their abilities and desires. Individuals, disregarding culture and gender, should be allowed to express their feelings, emotions and fears through experiences. Moreover, students should be allowed to use their words and teachers should guide them. Teachers should provide students with more freedom; they should not correct students, but rather to guide them. Fluency of language must be of top priority. Summing up, the book allows teachers to recognize the changes and patterns which remain unrecognized in educational sphere.

Compare And Contrast Krapps Last Tape and Death And The Kings Horseman

Compare And Contrast Krapps Last Tape and Death And The Kings Horseman This paper compares and contrasts several elements of the two plays, Krapps Last Tape and Death and The Kings Horseman. The elements which will be compared and contrasted are basic introduction of each play, characters, styles and themes. The following paragraphs will talk about the mentioned elements in detail in order to provide a better comprehension of the main focus of this paper.IntroductionTo start off with Krapps Last Tape, the central character Krapp has a firm belief that he has the ability to bring transition in the world by the help of his art. This may define the main character a bit, but this is not the central point of the play and instead the main attention is given to the prospect that how this belief of Krapp turned into something depressive and awful. Eventually Krapp discovers that it is not possible to change this world and therefore his art work will not put any positive impact on this world.Wole SoyinkaBeckett, the author, has presented an ironic piece by showi ng how Krapp devastates his time by owning such an excessive vision of changing the world. This play consists of simply one character and his dreams as being an artist and as someone who wants to do something fruitful for the world. Krapp signifies all those people who want to benefit other people, and are passionate about accomplishing their goals. Different people will have different opinion about the play and some may even think of Krapp as being an over dramatic character (“Krapp's Last Tape: Introduction”).Among the many plays written by Wole Soyinka, Death and the Kings Horseman are thought by majority of the people as Soyinkas best play. Soyinka was highly acclaimed for the way he blended Yoruban and European culture in form of poetic drama...

Edward Craven Walker and the History of Lava Lamps

Edward Craven Walker and the History of Lava Lamps Singapore-born inventor Edward Craven Walker was having a pint in post WWII England. The pubs decor included a fascinating lamp, which Craven Walker described as a contraption made out of a cocktail shaker, old tins and things. It was to become the starting point and inspiration for Craven Walkers design. Edward Craven Walker Designs the Modern Lava Lamp The liquid-filled inventor proceeded to purchase the equally liquid-filled lamp, whose creator (Mr. Dunnett) Walker later discovered had died. Walker became determined to make a better version of the novelty item and spent the next decade and a half doing so (in between running an international house-swap agency and making films about nudism.) Walker worked on improving the lamp with his company, the Crestworth Company of Dorset, England. Initially local retail merchants thought his lamps were ugly and disgusting. Luckily, for Craven Walker the Psychedelic Movement and the Love Generation came to dominate 60s merchandising in Great Britain and sales of the lava lamp soared. It was the perfect light for modern times, Walker declared: If you buy my lamp, you wont need to buy drugs. The Lava Lamp's Secret Recipe Edward Craven Walker perfected a secret Lava recipe of oil, wax, and other solids. The original model had a large gold base with tiny holes to simulate starlight, and a 52 oz globe that contained red or white Lava and yellow or blue liquid. He marketed the lamp in Europe under the name of Astro Lamp. Two American entrepreneurs saw the lava lamp displayed at a German trade show and bought the rights to manufacture the lava lamp in North America under the name Lava Lite Lamp. Lava Lamp Sales and Success Before selling his company, sales of the lamps had exceeded seven million units. Today with over 400,000 lava lamps made each year, the Lava Lamp is enjoying a comeback. Craven Walkers original  company, the Crestworth Company, changed names to Mathmos in 1995 (a reference to the bubbling force in Barbarella.) They still manufacture the Astro, Astro Baby, and more Lava Lamps in their original home of Poole, Dorset, UK. How the Basic Lava Lamp Works Base: Holds a 40 watt frosted appliance light bulb inside a reflecting cone. This cone rests on a second cone, which houses the light bulb socket and electrical cord connection. The electrical cord has a small in-line switch on it and a standard US 120v plug. Lamp: A glass container containing two fluids, called water and lava, both trade secrets. A metal cap seals the top of the lamp. There is a small amount of air at the very top of the lamp. Loose at the bottom of the lamp is a small coil of wire called the element. Top Cap: A small plastic cover over the top of the lamp which serves to both hide the lamps inner cap and the waterline. When turned off and cold, the lava is a hard lump at the bottom of the glass container and can barely be seen. The light bulb, when turned on, heats both the element and the lava. The lava expands with heat, becomes less dense than the water, and rises to the top. Away from the heat, the lava cools and becomes denser than the water and falls. The lava at the bottom reheats and begins to rise all over again and as long as the lamp is on, the lava keeps flowing in pleasing up-and-down waves. Initially lamps require a warm-up period of about 30 minutes to melt the lava before going into full motion. Todays modern lava lamps use Borosilicate glass that can withstand quick extremes in temperature.

Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management BEM2004 Essay - 1

Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management BEM2004 - Essay Example It includes a discussion of concepts relating to the meaning of work, globalization and the enterprise culture, which are significant factors that influence the existence of paid employment. Paid employment refers to work whereby the serving holds clear or understood employment agreements that offer them fundamental remuneration that is independent of the income gained by the section or department that the person works. The employer may be a business organization, government, non-profit organization or a family unit. The method of payment differs depending on the agreement. It might be in form of wages that can be paid hourly, weekly or per unit of output. Salaries are equal amounts that are paid regularly to the worker upon expiry of the agreed period; while others such as salesmen are paid by commission depending on the amount they sell (Baruch, 2006). The industrial revolution brought major changes in people’s lifestyles at the turn of the 20th century. The global society that was used to the traditional work such as small scale farming, herding, hunting and gathering was transformed in to a modern society that worked in the emerging manufacturing industries and construction and mining companies. The new industries employed millions of people in the early 20th century. Even though employment opportunities were created in the new industries, the wages that the average workers were paid were insufficient. People worked for long hours and were exposed to injuries (Norberg, 2003). During this early period of industrialization, work was structured in a scientific way whereby people were considered as essential components of the machine. They were taught simple skills that helped them perform special functions in the process of production under close supervision by owners. Under such circumstances, workers were dehumanized by the scientific management that was mainly focused on the results rather than the process of production. Performance based pay made

Porfirian Diaz and his role in the Mexican Revolution Research Paper

Porfirian Diaz and his role in the Mexican Revolution - Research Paper Example Foreign turmoil could not be seized by Diaz and in 1877 there was a military conflict with U. At the ends of his first –term ruling, Porfirio did not appeal for the second term . During Diaz reign there were no civil wars in Mexico. Nevertheless, this benefit cost much to the country. The introduction of agrarian reform, which enabled the privileged class to own all lands, was a negative feature of Diaz regime. Farmers had to pay their debts in order to survive. A high increase of price led to starving in the country. There were no homes for more than 16% of population . Foreign investors were attracted to the country by the options of land owning and poor people were forced off from their lands even those, who owned vast landholding. The high inflation rates of US led to depression of 1907 and prices were life were huge for Mexicans. Porfiriato introduced the laissez-faire policies, but these policies could not facilitate the process of inflation. When the economy was on the edge of crisis, middle and upper class did not support Porfiriato policies anymore. Foreign banks introduced stricter regulations for credit and the government raised taxes. The wages for workers remained low and Porfiriato could not manage to bridge the gap of inflation growth and required money for daily living of people. In spite of political and social turmoil in the country, there was a need to reelect the President and Francisco Madero claimed that there was a need for Mexico to return to the Constitution of 1857 . 4. Dictatorship of Diaz was undermined and was strictly criticized by the people. Madero underlined the necessity to introduce political and not social reforms. He criticized Diaz dependence on the foreign capital and the growing number of American businessmen. Diaz was reelected and the anger intensified in the society. Villages