Skywest Inc

Case 6 : Sky West Inc. and the Regional Airline Industry 1. 3 Business Model 1. Network Carriers legacy carriers Hub-and-Spoke 2007 United, Northwest, American, Continental Delta 2005 5 82 % 10 0 25. 3 2. Low Cost Carriers low cost business model point-to-point Southwest JetBlue legacy Low Cost Low Cost United Airlines Low Cost United Ted Airlines Delta Low Cost Delta’s Song Airlines 3. Regional Carriers Jets Legacy Network (Hub-and-Spoke) short-haul flight Regional Airlines block-hour incentive Regional 95 % Regional Regional Hub-and-Spoke Legacy Regional Airlines Partner SkyWest Inc History Origins in the Early 1970s SkyWest Dixie Airline St. George Utah 1972 J. Ralph Atkin 4 Dixies Commuter Airline Atkin Fixed Base Operation (FOB) Air Charters Air Ambulance Service Mar 1972 Atkin SkyWest Airlines 1974 Jerry C. Atkin Ralph Atkin's nephew $25,000 Oct 1975 Reorganized 3 SkyWest Expansion in the Late 1970s 1976 Hughes Air West Cedar City-Salt Lake City SkyWest Navajo Chieftans 5 National Parks Transportation Company Avis Franchises 2 Cedar City St. George. 1977 Interline American Airlines ? Check-in Interline SkyWest 1978 1. SkyWest Commuter Airline ( Regional Airline) 3 Certified Air Carrier Federal Government Regulations Major Airlines 2. Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) SkyWest 3 $160,000 Page Arizona Yuma, Kingman, Prescott, Grand Canyon, Tucson, Winslow Phoenix, Arizona, Blythe, Los Angeles, and El Centro, California. 3. SkyWest Fairchild Metroliner II $1. 4 ( $150,000) Growth from Deregulation, Acquisition, and Affiliations in the 1980s 1978 Major Airlines United, Western American Airlines Regional Airlines SkyWest 1983 Metros 7 Navajo Chieftans 5 Cessna 207s Charters SkyWest Reagan Reagan Professional Air Traffic Controllers Association 24 Sep 1981 SkyWest Arizona Metro SkyWest 1982 SkyWest 10 Republic's Escort 1980s SkyWest Mail, Small Packages, and Bank Documents 10 % 1983 SkyWest 2 Regional Airlines St. George 17 6 250 Customer Service Aug 1984 SkyWest Las Vegas Palm Springs, California Southern California Palm Springs Sun Aire 1968 Borrego Springs, California San Diego 90 1983 Sun Aire 330,000 1985 Sun Aire SkyWest Metros SkyWest 12 14 Sun Aire 28 Sun Aire Facilities American Airlines Los Angeles SkyWest/Sun Aire Major Market SkyWest Regional Carrier 11 Holding Company SkyWest, Inc. , 3 1. SkyWest Airlines Inc. SkyWest Aviation Inc. ) 1998 Regional Airline 5 12 Business Travelers SkyWest Commuter Airline Ski Resorts California SkyWest Airlines Delta Continental Airlines 2. Scenic Airlines Air Tours, General Aviation Scheduled Flights Grand Canyon Arizona, Utah, Nevada 3 . National Parks Transportation franchise Avis 1985 SkyWest Code-Sharing Western Airline Salt Lake 70% 1987 Delta Airlines Western Airlines SkyWest Delta Code : DL SkyWest SkyWest/Sun Aire Western Express Delta Connection. Logo Code-Sharing Major Regional Airlines 1980 United Airlines Regional United Express American Airlines American Eagle Network 1980 SkyWest Brasilia EMB-120 Turboprop Regional Airlines SkyWest California 1986 Sun Aire acquisition SkyWest NASDAQ 1987 SkyWest Air Transport World's Commuter/Regional Airline 500 Regional Airlines 988 SkyWest $2. 3 California 28 Events in the 1990s Jun 1993 Aviation Services West, Inc. Flight Tour Scenic Airlines, Inc. , Las Vegas Grand Canyon Aviation Services West Scenic Airlines, Inc. 1994 SkyWest Delta Salt Lake City 5 Casper, Wyoming; Butte, Montana; Burbank, California; Rapid City and Sioux Falls, South Dakota SkyWest Canadair Regional Jets (CRJs) Bombardier, Inc. Brasilias 50 540 1,200 miles 41,000 Oct 1995 SkyWest Continental Airlines Code-Sharing SkyWest Continental Connection Los Angeles SkyWest 3% Continental Flights 1996 48% Delta 1996 SkyWest 2. 5 16 SkyWest Brasilias 50 Canadair Regional Jets 10 Metroliner 1 Oct 1997 SkyWest United Airlines United Express SkyWest Connecting Flight Los Angeles 1997 SkyWest 25 SkyWest 585 45 12 Salt Lake City Vancouver Canadair Regional Jets 19 Jan 1998 SkyWest United United Express San Francisco Hub United June 1, 1998 1998 SkyWest Connecting flight 3 Major Airlines Delta, United Continental 1 July 2002 SkyWest Tucson Arizona. 8 Dec 2002 United Airlines Partner SkyWest Chapter 11 2003 SkyWest Bombardier CRJ700 70 30 United Express 9 May 2003 SkyWest code-share Continental Airlines SkyWest regional Continental Houston, The US Department of Transportation SkyWest 2003 SkyWest DOT SkyWest 1 5 regional carriers DOT 2004 †¢ hub Chicago, IL (ORD) †¢ Colorado Springs, CO (COS) CRJ †¢ Delta Dallas/ Fort Worth Hub (DFW) SkyWest †¢ SkyWest ,000 †¢ DOT SkyWest 2004. [pic]2005 †¢ SkyWest, Inc. Atlantic Southeast Airlines Delta Air Lines. †¢ Chicago O’Hare. †¢ Sky West Inc. Partner United Delta 2006 Legacy 2 2006 †¢ SkyWest CRJ900 †¢ Dec 2006 SkyWest Inc. SkyWes t Midwest Partner [pic]2007 †¢ SkyWest Airlines Midwest Connect / Delta Connection / United Express Legacy 2 (Delta Connection / United Express) Outsource 20 SkyWest Inc. Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles San Francisco United express SkyWest Inc. Outsourcing Delta †¢ SkyWest Delta Connection Department of Transportation Cedar Utah 8 Jan 2008. Source: Annual Report 2007 SkyWest Inc. Skywest Inc. 2. : Bridging the Region Gap from West to East SkyWest Inc. Regional Airline Western Eastern SkyWest Airlines ASA artner Legacy Airlines : safety / on time arrival / service and quality / fairness and consistency / working together as a team / personal and corporate integrity and maintaining profitability & Efficient Use of All Resources. SkyWest Inc. : Partner Legacy Airline / : Developed industry-leading reputations for providing quality, low-cost regional airline service. 3. (Functional Level Strategy) [pic] Inbound Logistics: Service , , , Ground Handling Equipment, Operations: Outbound Logistics: Marketing and Sales: †¢ Distribution Legacy Airline Partner †¢ Product Design Service : (Functional Level Strategy) (Competitive Advantage) 3. 1 Superior Efficiency : Superior Efficiency SkyWest Inc. Product Design: †¢ 0. 03 USD 0. 095 USD. †¢ Partner Legacy Airline †¢ (routine maintenance) Human Resource: †¢ †¢ – 90 - Retirement Plans SkyWest Inc. – Teamwork Information System Function: †¢ Interline American Airlines Check-in †¢ Republic's Escort Marketing: Product: (Cost per Available seat mile) Place: – Code Sharing Market Share – Partner Legacy SkyWest Inc. 2006 SkyWest Inc. 3,114 2005 1,964 ( Exhibit 6) 3. 2 Superior Quality Superior Quality SkyWest Inc. Reliability: The Aviation Safety Action Program Program Stetson Quality Suite SkyWest Inc. SkyWest Airline Regional Airline 15 2004 2005 SkyWest 84. 5% SkyWest 1% 50% 2006 SkyWest Airlines 1. 2 % 1. 7 % Reliability SkyWest Airlines . 3 Superior Innovation: Process Innovation – SkyWest Airline ASA 2 – Partner Legacy Airline 3. 4 Superior Customer Responsiveness SkyWest Airlines DOT 2 2003-2004 Functional Strategy SkyWest Inc. Superior Customer Responsiveness †¢ Superior Efficiency : Product Design Upgrade 0. 103 USD 0. 095 USD. †¢ Superior Quality : Customer Service 4. (Business Level Strategy) (Functional Level Strategy) . What needs will be satisfied? SkyWest Inc. Regional Airline Legacy Airlines partnership 2. Who will be served? Connecting flight Legacy Airlines (Broad Target) 3. How will those needs be satisfied? On-time service with quality. Business Strategy SkyWest Inc. Cost Leadership Competitive Positioning Efficiency Quality – – Business Leisure (Broad Target) Legacy Airlines partner – Western Eastern – Customer Services) Business Strategy Functional Strategy Superior Efficiency Superior Quality Superior Customer Responsiveness 5. (Corporate Level Strategy) SkyWest Inc. 1. Concentration Growth: †¢ Horizontal Growth ASA Partner Legacy Airline Partner Legacy Airline Partner (Contract Agreement Term) †¢ Intensive Growth Improve Competitive Position Regional Airline 2. Retrenchment Sell-out National Parks Transportation Scenic Airlines Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) [pic] (Concentration Strategies) 1. Market Penetration SkyWest Inc. Upgrade ( CRJ 50 ) Legacy Airline (Contract Agreement Term) Legacy Airlines 2. Market Development ASA ( ) Eastern Partner Legacy Airline 6. 6. 1 (Organizational Structure) SkyWest Inc. Geographic Structure (Destinations) SkyWest Airline Atlantic Southeast Airline (ASA) Functional Structure Decision Making SkyWest Inc. Centralized ( www. SkyWest. com/about/exec. php , www. flyasa. com , www. SkyWest,Inc. htm ) 6. 2 (Organizational Culture) SkyWest Inc. Efficiency and Quality Efficiency : Part Time 3 Ticket Agents / Baggage Handlers SkyWest Airlines $40,000 $202,000 ASA Airlines Quality: †¢ SkyWest Airline Maintenance Department AMT Award 3 2004 – 2006 †¢ The US Department of Transportation SkyWest 2003 2004 6. 3 (Organizational Leadership) â€Å"Chairman, President and CEO Jerry Atkin accept the Airline Business magazine award for Regional Airlines Leadership† Efficiency and Quality 7. (Strategic Control) 7. 1 Efficiency: †¢ SkyWest Inc. ASA Delta SkyWest Inc. SkyWest SkyWest 70 90 50 †¢ 2007 SkyWest Inc. SkyWest ASA ? †¢ ASA Regional SkyWest ASA Cost per available seat [pic] 7. 2 Quality: †¢ SkyWest Inc. The US Department of Transportation SkyWest 2003 2004 †¢ SkyWest Inc. the Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Stetson Quality Suite software SkyWest Inc. ? Partner Legacy Airline 7. 3 Innovation : †¢ Midwest, Bradford R. Rich , CEO Treasurer SkyWest Inc. SkyWest Midwest †¢ ASA Teamwork ? 7. 4 Customer Responsiveness : The US Department of Transportation SkyWest 003 2004 Legacy Airlines 8. (Strategic Evaluation) 8. 1 Established standards and targets : Regional Airline Partner Legacy Airline FAA / DOT TSA Regional Airline Legacy Airline Partner Legacy Airline 8. 2 Create measuring and monitoring system : Yield/RPM, Revenue/ASM, Cost/ASM Miss baggage handling rate 8. 3 Compare actual performance against the established targets : ? 8. 4 Evaluate result and take action if necessary : (Statements of Income / Balance Sheets / Air Travel Consumer Report) easuring and monitoring system 9. SkyWest Inc. (Functional Level Strategy) : Superior Efficiency Superior Quality Superior Customer Responsiveness †¢ Superior Efficiency : Product Design 0. 103 USD 0. 095 USD. Superior Quality : (Customer Service) (Business Level Strategy) : Cost Leadership Competitive Positioning Efficiency Quality – – Business Leisure (Broad Target) Major Airline Partner – (Customer Services) – Western Eastern (Corporate Level Strategy) : 1. Market Penetration SkyWest Inc. ( CRJ 50 ) Legacy Airline (Contract Agreement Term) 2. Market Development ASA ( ) Eastern Partner Legacy Airline Bridging the Region Gap from West to East Regional Airline Western Eastern Operations Developed industry-leading reputations for providing quality, low-cost regional airline service. 10. (Effectiveness of Strategies) Profitability (ROIC) Profit Growth 5 5 5 MESA AIR, ALASKA AIR, EXPRESSJET, PINNACLE AIRLINES REPUBLIC AIRWAYS 6 002-2006 : |Airlines |2002 |2003 |2004 |2005 |2006 | |SKYWEST |86. 87 |66. 79 |81. 95 |112. 27 |145. 81 | |MESA AIR |-11. 27 |25. 31 |26. 28 |56. 87 |33. 97 | |ALASKA AIR |-118. 60 |13. 50 |-15. 30 |-5. 90 |-52. 60 | |EXPRESSJET |84. 28 |108. 18 |122. 77 |97. 99 |92. 7 | |PINNACLE AIRLINES |30. 79 |35. 07 |40. 73 |25. 70 |77. 80 | |REPUBLIC AIRWAYS |7. 69 |36. 14 |38. 85 |60. 65 |79. 51 | |Total |79. 75 |284. 98 |295. 28 |347. 58 |377. 05 | (Source : Annual Report year 2002-2006 ) Plot 2002-2006 [pic] SkyWest Inc. SkyWest Inc. 2005 SkyWest Inc. SkyWest Inc. ASA Delta 2005 ASM (Available Seat mile) SkyWest Inc. (Passenger Revenue) Ground Handling Service Major Airline Partner ASA 2005 SkyWest Inc. 2002 – 2006 :    |   |   |   |   |   | |   |2002 |2003 |2004 |2005 |2006 | |OPERATING REVENUES: | | | | | | |Passenger | 769,427 | 882,062 | 1,139,580 | 1,938,450 | 3,087,215 | |Ground handling and other | 5,020 | 5,964 | 16,464 | 25,598 | 27,441 | |Total operating revenues | 774,447 | 888,026 | 1,156,044 | 1,964,048 | 3,114,656 | |   | | | | | | |OPERATING EXPENSES: | | | | | | |Total operating expenses | 654,892 | 779,546 | 1,011,268 | 1,743,640 | 2,775,496 | |   | | | | | |Interest expense |3,611 |9,891 |18,239 |53,330 |118,002 | |   |   |   |   |   |   | |   |   |   |   |   | |   |2003 |2004 |2005 |2006 | |OPERATING REVENUES: | | | | | |Passenger |14. 64% |29. 19% |70. 10% |59. 26% | |Ground handling and other |18. 80% |176. 06% |55. 8% |7. 20% | |Total operating revenues |14. 67% |30. 18% |69. 89% |58. 58% | |   | | | | | |OPERATING EXPENSES: | | | | | |Total operating expenses |19. 03% |29. 73% |72. 42% |59. 18% | |   | | | | | |Interest expense |173. 91% |84. 40% |192. 0% |121. 27% | |   |   |   |   |   | 2002 -2003 2004 2002 – 2006 |Airlines |2002 |2003 |2004 |2005 |2006 | |SKYWEST |71. 96% |-23. 11% |22. 71% |36. 99% |29. 87% | |MESA AIR |76. 56% |324. 57% |3. 86% |116. 37% |-40. 27% | |ALASKA AIR |-173. 27% |111. 38% |-213. 33% |61. 44% |-791. 53% | |EXPRESSJET |75. 31% |28. 36% |13. 49% |-20. 18% |-5. 4% | |PINNACLE AIRLINES |116. 10% |13. 91% |16. 13% |-36. 90% |202. 74% | |REPUBLIC AIRWAYS |26. 73% |370. 00% |7. 51% |56. 12% |31. 09% | |Total |190. 78% |257. 33% |3. 62% |17. 71% |8. 48% | Plot 2002-2006 [pic] SkyWest Inc. 2002-2006 2003 CRJ200s EMB120s ROIC |ROIC |= |Net Profit (After Tax) | |   |   |Invested Capital | ? Invested Capital = Total Equity + Total Long-term Debt ( http://finapps. forbes. com/finapps/jsp/finance/compinfo/) (Annual Report) Sky West 2001-2006 ROIC : | |2002 |2003 |2004 |2005 |2006 | | | | | | | | |Net Profit (After Tax) | 86,866 | 66,787 | 81,952 | 112,267 | 145,806 | | | | | | | | |Total Asset | 999,384 | 1,529,210 | 1,662,287 | ,320,646 | 3,731,419 | | | | | | | | |Total Equity | 638,686 | 709,063 | 779,055 | 913,198 | 1,178,293 | |Long-Term Debt | 125,379 | 462,773 | 463,233 | 1,422,758 | 1,675,626 | | | | | | | | |Total Invested Capital | 764,065 | 1,171,836 | 1,242,288 | 2,335,956 | 2,853,919 | | | | | | | | |ROIC |11. 37% |5. 70% |6. 60% |4. 81% |5. 11% | (Source: Annual Report from www. SkyWest. com) ROIC SkyWest Inc. ROIC 5 MESA AIR, ALASKA AIR, EXPRESSJET, PINNACLE AIRLINES REPUBLIC AIRWAYS 6 2002 – 2006 ROIC Airlines |2002 |2003 |2004 | 2005 |2006 | |SKYWEST |11. 37% |5. 70% |6. 60% |4. 81% |5. 11% | |MESA AIR |-5. 67% |8. 14% |3. 87% |6. 99% |4. 44% | |ALASKA AIR |-7. 84% |0. 85% |-0. 92% |-0. 33% |-2. 74% | |EXPRESSJET |31. 53% |39. 46% |42. 49% |27. 21% |20. 37% | |PINNACLE AIRLINES |37. 52% |48. 96% |34. 67% |18. 41% |35. 68% | |REPUBLIC AIRWAYS |- |7. 18% |3. 97% |3. 44% |3. 99% | Plot [pic] SkyWest Inc. ROIC 2003, 2005 2006 2003 CRJ200s EMB120s 005 ASA Delta ROIC 2005 ROIC 11. (Problems) SkyWest Airline : (Miss baggage handling) Atlantic Southeast Airline : – Cancel flight – – (Miss baggage handling) – (On-time) ASA 12. (Issues) 1. Partner Low Cost Airlines (South West Airline and Jet Blue) 2. Partner 13. (External Environment Analysis) (External Strategic Factors) (Opportunity) (Threat) (Attractive or Unattractive Industry) 13. 1 General Environment [pic] a) Economic segment 4 US Inflation rates | |[pic] |Current Inflation Rate | |Year | |Jan | |Feb | |Mar | |Apr | |May | |Jun | |Jul |Aug | |Sep | |Oct | |Nov | |Dec | |Ave | | | |2009 | |NA | |NA | |NA | |NA | |NA | |NA | |NA | |NA | |NA | |NA | |NA | |NA | |NA | | | |2008 | |4. 28% | |4. 03% | |3. 98% | |3. 94% | |4. 8% | |5. 02% | |5. 60% | |5. 37% | |4. 94% | |3. 66% | |1. 07% | |0. 09% | |3. 5% | | | |2007 | |2. 08% | |2. 42% | |2. 78% | |2. 57% | |2. 69% | |2. 69% | |2. 36% | |1. 7% | |2. 76% | |3. 54% | |4. 31% | |4. 08% | |2. 85% | | | |2006 | |3. 99% | |3. 0% | |3. 36% | |3. 55% | |4. 17% | |4. 32% | |4. 15% | |3. 82% | |2. 06% | |1. 1% | |1. 97% | |2. 54% | |3. 24% | | | |2005 | |2. 97% | |3. 01% | |3. 15% | |3. 51% | |2. 0% | |2. 53% | |3. 17% | |3. 64% | |4. 69% | |4. 35% | |3. 46% | |3. 42% | |3. 9% | | | |2004 | |1. 93% | |1. 69% | |1. 74% | |2. 29% | |3. 05% | |3. 27% | |2. 99% | |2. 65% | |2. 54% | |3. 9% | |3. 52% | |3. 26% | |2. 68% | | | |2003 | |2. 60% | |2. 98% | |3. 02% | |2. 22% | |2. 6% | |2. 11% | |2. 11% | |2. 16% | |2. 32% | |2. 04% | |1. 77% | |1. 88% | |2. 7% | | | |2002 | |1. 14% | |1. 14% | |1. 48% | |1. 64% | |1. 18% | |1. 07% | |1. 46% | |1. 0% | |1. 51% | |2. 03% | |2. 20% | |2. 38% | |1. 59% | | | |2001 | |3. 3% | |3. 53% | |2. 92% | |3. 27% | |3. 62% | |3. 25% | |2. 72% | |2. 72% | |2. 65% | |2. 13% | |1. 0% | |1. 55% | |2. 83% | | | |2000 | |2. 74% | |3. 22% | |3. 76% | |3. 7% | |3. 19% | |3. 73% | |3. 66% | |3. 41% | |3. 45% | |3. 45% | |3. 45% | |3. 39% | |3. 8% | | | |1999 | |Fiscal Year |Domestic |International |Total |% change | |2006 |660. 9 |89. 7 |750. 6 |0. 46 | |2007 |693. 3 |75. 8 |769. 1 |2. 46 | |2008 |713. 8 |79. 8 |793. 6 |3. 19 | |2009 |735. 7 |84 |819. 7 |3. 29 | |2010 |758. 9 |88. 3 |847. 2 |3. 35 | |2011 |782. 6 |92. 9 |875. 5 |3. 4 | |2012 |807. 7 |97. 6 |905. 2 |3. 39 | |2013 |833. 4 |102. 3 |935. 7 |3. 37 | |2014 |860. 5 |107. 2 |967. 7 |3. 42 | |2015 |888. 4 |112. 3 |1,007. 1 |4. 07 | |2016 |917. 7 |117. 6 |1035. 3 |2. 80 | |2017 |848. 4 |123. 1 |1071. 6 |3. 51 | Source: Forms 41 and 298-C, US Department of Transportation Forecast % Passenger change [pic] Source: RAA Industry Life Cycle †¢ Forecast % Demand Passenger change Airline Industry 2006 Life cycle Airline Industry Airline Industry Regional Airlines Regional Airlines 1970-2006 Life cycle Regional Airlines ? Industry Life Cycle Growth ) Strategic Groups [pic] Y Performance Performance Partner Airline Legacy X c) Strategic Types : Strategic Type Regional Airline Defender Regional Airline Performance Partner Legacy Airline Regional Airline †¢ Legacy Airline †¢ FAA TSA DOT Upgrade †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ d) Key Success Factors : †¢ On Time Schedule Sector †¢ Regional Airlines ? Hub Time Elasticity †¢ Destinations Regional Airline †¢ Cost Regional Airline Partner

Beneath the Pipes Essay

When Ralph’s teacher Mrs. Pitt announced that his class was going on a field trip he felt a surge of happiness and there was an immediate buzz of excitement throughout the class of thirteen and fourteen year old children. However, the following words which escaped the teacher’s mouth did not engender the same kind of enthusiasm. The class were disappointed that visiting the brand new Monster Valley theme park, was not on the agenda. A curly ginger boy, whose surprisingly tall figure appeared to be made solely of knees and elbows, stepped off the bus as his eye caught the sign that read ‘NORTH HELLWITH SEWAGE WORKS’. Ralph sighed in chorus with his only friend Callum. Callum’s frame was stout and his pale face was painted with spots and freckles. The class was approached by a man who wore an unpleasant grin. â€Å"Good afternoon children†, his words penetrated like when a wooden chair is dragged across a gym floor. Ralph gave Callum a profound curious look and then turned his attention back to the leering man. â€Å"I am your guide for this tour of the sewage works, my name is Mr. Red†. On a closer inspection, it came to Ralph’s attention that the man had a tail which spouted from the back of his trousers. ‘Nobodies perfect’ thought Ralph. It seemed that Ralph was not the only pupil losing interest on the subject of how many light bulbs were in the various rooms of the works. Callum was trying to reach his attention. â€Å"Ralph, I’m bored† â€Å"Me too† came the reply. â€Å"I’m off† â€Å"No you’re not†, as Ralph said this he recalled memories of Callum achieving other inappropriate feats and began to wonder if this statement would stand. â€Å"Perhaps you are, but I’m not†. Callum glanced around him and when his teacher had turned her back he strolled away purposefully. Ralph moaned and darted after him like a lion that had its favourite luncheon snatched from under its nose. Ralph followed Callum into a pitch black room. â€Å"Callum, get here now!† â€Å"Are you scared?† â€Å"Of course not† â€Å"Come on then† there was a patter of feet and then Ralph heard a sudden, â€Å"AAAARRRRGGHHHH†. Ralph fell on the floor in terror and confusion. He began searching on hands and knees for his glasses which had fallen off his head. As he crawled he felt his hand squelch into something soft – without pausing to consider what this mess could have been he scampered on with an unpleasant smell surrounding him amidst the dark. â€Å"Callum?† he waited for three or four seconds to pass and then â€Å"Callum? Callum?† still there came no reply, Ralph’s stomach slipped past his trembling knees. In a dazed panic he darted upright and sprinted for the exit to find the rest of his class. What Ralph didn’t know, is that he was running the opposite way from which he entered†¦. Ralph fell with a thud and glanced back at the stairs he had fallen down. It was still very hard to see but there was an eerie red glow leaking from the walls. He began to whimper and it was not too long before his whimpers became tears. Ralph pulled himself together and dried his eyes with a chewed sleeve. He looked up at the stairs and remembered those dark rooms, so he took the alternative route and continued along the boardwalk he found himself on; he convinced himself that he would find someone – anyone to help him. But he didn’t. Finding the boardwalk spiralling downwards, Ralph broke into a sweat and started to run. A dim red glow lost itself in a mysterious humid fog. The walls began to deconstruct and develop to a cave wall. The red glow started to get brighter and brighter still as he tunnelled further beneath the ground. After what seemed like a lifetime, Ralph gratefully found himself at the opening to a huge chamber and he could hear faint voices in the distant. The first thing he noticed about the room was the disgusting smell of raw sewage. He ran to find the owners of the voices but as he got closer he realised the talking was exceptionally deep and croaky. He launched himself round several corners to the increasingly loud sounds until, â€Å"OOOFFFFF† he was stopped dead in his tracks and fell to the cold hard floor. When he opened his eyes he screamed, â€Å"AAAARRRGH† he was staring into the eyes of a completely red demon which had two horns and a massive nose. Ralph was tall but it towered over him; it must have been three times his size and twenty times stronger. â€Å"LOOK WHAT WE GOT ‘ERE!† the beast snarled and beckoned to others just as threatening. â€Å"WHAT WE GONNA’ DO WITH ‘IM? BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE HAD ONE OF THESE†. â€Å"EAT ‘IM† said a second, Ralph squealed. â€Å"RIP HIS BONES APART† a large drop of saliva let go of the demon’s face onto Ralph’s leg. â€Å"NO, WE ‘AVE TO GIVE ‘IM TO THE KING, HE’D HAVE OUR TAILS IF HE EVER FOUND OUT WE ATE ‘IM WITHOUT SHARING†. Murmurs of understanding and self pity were heard amongst the gathering demons. Ralph felt himself hoisted up and they carried him off, he fought desperately with flying legs and arms. Ralph was launched into a cave walled cell with long iron bars at the front. A rusty door slammed shut behind him. He looked around the cell and to his terror; in the shadows he saw the shape of a demon. â€Å"RELAX†, it croaked, â€Å"THE NAMES GODFREY, GODFREY JONES – AND YOU ARE?† Ralph moved across the cell so a red beam of light fell on the demons face. It looked like he had been crying and for some reason, Ralph pitied him. â€Å"Ralph Marving† came the reply. And so the conversation continued for some time, of course, time was not an important factor in the demon world. Ralph became to like and admire Godfrey. Godfrey had been locked up because he was one of the rebels who did not believe in feeding and building houses out of human waste. They were living amongst the hills in caves, hiding from the regular demon society. The deep talk with Godfrey was not to last too long, they were interrupted by the wailing of a child. Shouts and curses were heard everywhere as the boy was thrown in the cell. Ralph smiled. It was Callum. They rejoiced when they saw each other and then the introductions began. â€Å"We’re getting out of here† â€Å"How?† â€Å"These demons may be powerful, but they’re not likely contenders for brain of Britain.† â€Å"OI!† â€Å"No offence meant† â€Å"He’s watching us†, the huddle shifted further away from the guard standing at the door. â€Å"So?† â€Å"Callum, you’re going to wind up Godfrey. Godfrey you’re going to hit Callum, only you’re not really hitting him. Okay?† â€Å"I SUPPOSE† â€Å"The guard will hopefully open the door and try to stop the fight and I will hide and launch myself on his back and grab the keys from his belt.† â€Å"Sounds easy enough† â€Å"Meanwhile, you two run past the guard and make for the exit I will let go of the demon and run. When I get past you, slam the door shut and I will lock it, right?† â€Å"Right† â€Å"RIGHT† Callum and Godfrey began their argument. It was clear that neither of them were natural actors. Yet sure enough, the door opened and in walked the guard. The next part of the plan, however, did not go accordingly. Ralph made a leap for the keys but the demon was too tall. It turned its unwanted attention towards Ralph, who backed off. Godfrey threw himself courageously at the demon the two of them fell plundering to the ground with a loud thud. The stout figure of Callum darted in and grabbed the keys. â€Å"YOU MUST GO! I CAN’T HOLD HIM DOWN† â€Å"No!† â€Å"THE HUMAN WORLD IS NOT MY WORLD, GO! I BELONG IN THE HILL CAVES†, Ralph would argue no more, he was grabbed by Callum and they ran and ran for an exit. He turned to look back and saw demons flooding into the cell and his heart felt heavy. After minutes of running they were exhausted but the way was clear. Fortunately, it was easy to find their way to the corridor that led upwards. Callum and Ralph paced themselves up the spiralling corridor with the red ambience growing thinner. The shouts behind them diminished. They eventually reached the boardwalk and were too tired to continue running so they came to a halt. â€Å"What time is it?† Callum lifted his chewed sleeve and his battered watch read, â€Å"Two minutes past three† they looked at each other in astonishment. The six hours which had passed seemed to have stretched to days. â€Å"If we’re quick we may just make the bus back to school† so the two of them, once again, heaved their bodies forward. When they arrived at the entrance to the sewage works, Callum heaved a sigh of relief. The air was cooler, fresher and moist, it strew itself on their faces gratefully. They spotted the class lining up next to the bus, it was apparent that a head count was being done. They tried to mingle into the group unnoticed but Mrs. Pitt was aware of their presence. â€Å"Callum, Ralph, where on Earth have you been?† she snapped. â€Å"Well -â€Å", Ralph begun, then he considered the reality of his adventure. â€Å"We – got lost†. The class boarded the bus and Ralph and Callum landed themselves on a tattered seat. Ralph breathed on the window and wiped it. Just for one moment, he thought he saw a distant red object, disappearing over the valley towards the hills which stood boldly above the landscape.

Case Study About Frauds in Information System Essay

1. Compose a summary of the case. Include how the fraud was perpetrated, the characteristics of the perpetrator(s) who committed the fraud, the role the auditor(s) had in the case, and the direct and indirect effects the incident had on the organization’s stakeholders (customers, vendors, employees, executive committee, and board of directors). Comerica is being sued by Experi- Metal’s for a $560,000 phishing attack to their bank account. Experi- Metal, a custom auto- parts maker, was hit by phishing criminals in January 2009. The fraud was perpetrated when the bank’s vice president received a phishing email telling him to fill out online paperwork to perform scheduled maintenance. The e-mail appeared to have been sent from the bank. The email was sent from phishing criminals) Once the president sent over his credentials the attack was started. Experi- Metal accused Comerica of failing to take immediate action that could have eliminated some of the loss. The bank processed over a million dollars in wires from the companies account. The attack was done in a matter of hours. Criminals tried to move millions of dollars to an Eastern Europe account. Comerica learned of the attack within four hours of the fraud. J.P. Morgan Chase contacted Comerica to report suspicious activity in the account. The criminals were funding money into the Chase Accounts to move it overseas to Russia and Estonia. Comerica shut down the scam but it was after the business lost money. Comerica shut down the account but still processed 15 wires after finding out about the scam. Comerica filed suit against the bank for the phishing attack and to try to recoup some of the money that was paid out through the phishing attack. The characteristics of the perpetrator are usually people from abroad and the emails have spelling errors. The attacks come from abroad and the emails will contain misspelled and transposed letters. The attackers send out thousands of emails trying to get an individual to respond. The emails are intended to trick users into clicking on the link and entering their personal information. The email will impersonate a company such as a bank. The email will state there is a problem and need the individual to verify their information. It will include a cause of action prompting the user to respond or delete. The direct and indirect effects on the organization’s stakeholders were the bottom line would be understated because of the lost of money. â€Å"Phishing scams deceive you into revealing your personal, banking, or financial information through links in email that refer your browser to a look- alike fake website that requests your personal, banking and/ or financial†.(Roddel, 2008, pg. 93) The board of directors would need to put something in place with the bank to make sure this doesn’t happen again. This is a lack of internal controls because the vice president should have verified the email before providing his credentials. The direct impact is to cripple the company and its availability of funds, breach confidentiality, and safety. Phishing has a negative impact on a company’s revenue which is a direct impact on the stakeholders. The direct effect could include legal fees, and additional marketing expense to recapture lost revenues. An organization should communicate with its stakeholders when a phishing attack happens to eliminate the stakeholders losing confidence in the organization. An indirect effect to stakeholders is responding to media inquiries, and delivering messages to parties affected. 2. Suggest the fraud classification(s) the case can be categorized into (based on the data processing model). Include your rationale for the classification. â€Å"By far the most common form of corporate identity theft used by fraudsters is ‘phishing’. Phishing involves fraudsters sending e-mails under the guise of a bank or other reputable company, which appear authentic, to customers or users of that particular company. The emails invite them to log on to the company’s website and verify their account details, including their personal identification details† (Simmons & Simmons, 2003, pg. 8). The controller of Experi-Metal’s received an email that appeared to be urgent. The email stated the bank needed to carry out scheduled maintenance on its banking software. It instructed the controller to log in to the website via the link in the email. The email appeared to come from Comerica’s online banking site. The site asked the controller to enter a security code. The website was fraudulent and was used to get the information to process the fraudulent wires. 3. Suggest the type of controls that may have been in place at the time of the violation. The goal of any organization is to prevent or limit the impact of phishing attacks. The company probably had an in house phishing plan in place. Corporate organizations have policies and procedures to help deter phishing attacks. This should have included training of employees to avoid a phishing attack. The controls in place at Experi-Metal probably included a preventive plan that consisted of employee training and e-mail filters. There needs to be more effective controls in place to prevent this from happening in the future. The controller should never have given his personal information out online without verifying through the bank. Management has to be made aware of the types of phishing attacks through education and an effective policy needs to be in place to cover these types of attacks. The system did not fail it was the actions of the controller which led to the phishing attack. 4. Recommend two (2) types of controls that could be implemented to prevent fraud in the future and additional steps management can take to mitigate losses. â€Å"Avoid emailing personal and financial information. If you get an unexpected email from a company or government agency asking for your personal information, contact the company or agency cited in the email, using a telephone number you know to be genuine, or start a new Internet session and type in the Web address that you know is correct† (McMillian, 2006, pg. 160). A variety of efforts aim to deter phishing through law enforcement, and automated detection. One thing that should be stressed at Experi- Metal is never follow links in an email claiming to be from a bank. Bank institutions never ask you to verify your online banking username and password. The controller should have contacted the bank and verified the information before he entered the code. The motto is trust no email or web site. The business should have in place controls to keep this from happening going forward. Second, Experi- Metal should install a good Anti-virus and firewall protection software and adjust the settings to tighten up web security. Any customer or business that has an excessive amount of wires the bank should place a stop on the account and it needs to be verified before anymore wires are processed. Experi-Metal could have positive pay on the account and this would eliminate any wires from being processed without their approval. Additional employee training should be offered to help employee’s be able to notice fraudulent emails. An individual should never respond to any emails asking for personal information. The bank should follow policy to protect and inform customers about fraudulent activity. 5. Judge the punishment of the crime (was it appropriate, too lenient, or too harsh) and whether the punishment would serve as a deterrent to similar acts in the future. The court ruled in favor of Experi- Metal in the case. Comerica was held liable for over half a million dollars stolen from Experi-Metal. The punishment was not hard because Comerica failed to act in good faith when it processed over 100 wire transfers in a few hours. The bank should have stopped the wire transfers and contacted the company. A customer is holding a bank responsible to keep their money safe. Most of the money was recovered but the judge ruled in favor of Experi-Metal based on the fact the bank did not respond quick enough in stopping the wire transfers. Banks are doing a better job at spotting fraud because of this case but there is still room for improvement. This was a major case because it put pressure on banks to strengthen their security posture. The judge is holding the banks responsible to the safe keeping of a company’s money.

Strategic Management Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategic Management Theories - Essay Example Strategic management theorists have over the years developed various tools to help managers in formulating strategies for organisational success. These include the SWOT analysis, Ansoffs matrix, PESTLE, and Porters five forces among others. These tools assess the threats and opportunities as well as the strengths and weaknesses for the firm and enable it to capitalise on them. The Porters five forces and the generic strategies have been widely used by companies to assess the attractiveness of the industry and their competitive position hence are able to formulate strategies to gain competitive advantage in the industry. The five forces include: competitor rivalry, threat of close substitutes, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, and threat of new entrants. The five forces will be used in this paper to assess the competitive position of the UK fire service and the strategies employed by the company. Rivalry in the industry is more apparent where are there are exi sting businesses and threat of entry and exit is high. Firms compete on price, new products, technology, advertisements and on customer service. According to Porter (1998) rivalry results from slow growth within the industry, high fixed costs, lack of differentiation, diverse competitors, and equally balance companies among others. Intense rivalry has a great impact on price and profitability of the firm especially if there are close substitute products in the industry. The UK fire service is a parastatal which operates under separate legislation and administrative arrangements of devolved governments of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) is funded and governed by the fire authority. There are various fire brigades in each country under local authorities but in North Ireland, there is only one statutory corporation funded by department of health, social services and public safety (UK Fire Service, 2012). As such, there are no strong com petitors in the fire industry since most services are offered for free by the government. However, there are competitors such as DDA fire ltd which is the largest private fire service in UK offering specialist fire and safety, high profile health and safety consultancy and sales services to private sector (DDA, 2012). Some of the FRS in UK include: fire fire and rescue services in Scotland, Strathclyde with 111 fire stations strategically placed in Scotland, NIFRS in N.Ireland with 68 stations and the London FRS under the fire authority. There is no intense rivalry in the industry hence it is attractive for investment. Another force as portrayed by porter is the bargaining power of suppliers in the industry which has an effect on prices and quality of products. According to Porter (1998) a high bargaining power is achieved when there are few companies or suppliers in the industry. It also occurs when there are no close substitutes such that even if the suppliers offered high prices, the industry would still take it since there is no option. If the product is essential in the industry, the suppliers may also have power over it. The suppliers can also threaten to integrate forward hence becoming a threat to the industry. However, De Wit and Meyer (2010) argue that forming the right strategy can alter the power of

Amores Perros Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Amores Perros - Movie Review Example Right from the starting sequence till the eventual climax the movie held my attention. Not only was the story suspense filled and gripping, but it was also fast paced. But in spite of these exciting aspects, the movie’s probing of ethical question regarding humans and animals is its standout feature. As much as the directorial excellence the performance rendered by the lead characters is also that will stay in my memory for a long time to come. In each of the three sub-plots, the characters give a superb performance – one that is realistic while also aesthetically pleasing. The movie has so many merits, but it is not devoid of flaws. I earlier mentioned how innovative the narrative technique was, but during the movie’s climactic phase, when the connection between the three sub-plots was revealed, there is room for improvement. To give a specific example, I got the impression that the movie drifted away from the story of Octavia before its proper completion. I also felt that there is an excess of violent imagery in the film. But, considering the fact that it was a debut film for the director, it is indeed a stand out work. I will carry with me many memorable moments from the movie, starting from the breathtaking opening car chase to the somewhat less aesthetic dog fights to the internal turmoil of the model toward the

General Agreement on Tariffs & Trade Research Paper

General Agreement on Tariffs & Trade - Research Paper Example Such direct and indirect non-tariff barriers can be suicidal to the interests of an exporting firm. It cannot run its business and the same applies to the importing country; if the importing country has alternative sources of getting the same product, it can manage but the exporting firm has to change its business planning strategy and need to find out new locations to export is stock, which can be dead stock if no other foreign marketplaces an order for the same produce. Management has to be always on the alert to take bold decisions as per the new reality. Scope and horizon of GATT are necessary to know before knowing the basic principles of GATT. GATT 1947 rules were framed to be applicable in trade of goods only. GATT 1947 played a dominant role in minimizing tariff and non-tariff barriers in world trade but worldwide problems were surfaced where GATT could not play a positive role in resolving the issues. Certain areas of business were not part of the GATT responsibilities like trade in services and agriculture-related issues of continuous quarrels among nations. Trade in textile and apparel was left out of the GATT scope because of the politically touchy nature of these industries. Left out of the scope of GATT were intellectual property rights issues. GATT could not succeed in controlling â€Å"unfair trade† practices ((Schaffer et al., 2009, p. 297). GATT 1994 came in effect to address the limitations of the previous agreement on trade. GATT 1994 included two most important agreements on WTO Final Agreement representing the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations and the WTO Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization. GATT 1994 included other than the earlier provisions of GATT 1947, a number of multilateral trade agreements on particular issues ((Schaffer et al., 2009, p. 297).

Deer Valley Lodge Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Deer Valley Lodge - Research Paper Example In making a decision of an investment, value of NPV is critical in deciding if an investment is good or not. A positive value means that an investment is good, but a negative value means that the investment is not worth it. In this case, the value is positive; therefore, I would advise the management to go ahead and invest in the project (Megginson et al. 252). The net income from the investment annually is $560,000. The tax rate on income is 40% leaving us with 60%. 40% of $560,000 is $224,000, meaning that the after-tax net income is $336,000. The rate of return due to taxation consideration is expected to drop down to 8%, therefore, the MACRS recovery period is 10 years in order to save on tax costs. The new NPV will mean $336,000 is multiplied by the factor 9.818. This will with NPV of $3,298,848. Here, there is a new twist as the investment is to be depreciated within 10 years. Some money will be saved on taxes by this move. To find the tax savings, the initial investment ($3,300,000) is multiplied by the tax rate to get $1,320,000. The tax savings are then multiplied by the 8% discount rate for ten years resulting in $931,788, tax savings NPV. $931,788 is then added to $3,298,848 to get $4,230,636. Compared to the $3,300,000, the initial investment we get a resulting figure of $930,636. This is a very big investment as it earns bette r results than the first scenario with the kind of returns it gives. The scenarios painted in the two parts above are just estimates on paper that are hoped will be the case. The figures are assumed that they will remain consistent, but in reality many things could change that might affect the envisioned income streams from the investment. Deer Valley is a resort that depends on the choice of tourists to flock and use the facilities. Many factors can change the situation including weather conditions like heavy rainfall, delayed snowfall which will come at the supposed peak season or any other natural calamity/disaster

Tell u later Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Tell u later - Lab Report Example The company has faced several political issues that have deteriorated its financial position and brand image among its peers. The major competitors of Nokia are Samsung, Apple, LG and Sony. These companies operate in the Android platform apart from Apple. The rapid growth of Samsung has allowed it to reach the leading position which was once owned by Nokia for a long period of time. Nokia has high potential in the windows tablet market owing to the recent rise of windows tablets’ popularity. The business deal with Microsoft has allowed Nokia to have a strong financial background that can be leveraged to finance the future innovations. In order to improve the current condition of Nokia, the company must introduce new technology and innovative products like smart watch or other wearable devices to gain a competitive advantage over its rivals. Nokia Corporation is best known as the manufacturer of mobile handsets in the global market. The company is headquartered in Finland, owns production plants in 8 countries and operates in more than 120 countries (Marketline, 2014a). The company also manufactures network and location based equipments for third party companies. The company owns three major business divisions, the devices and services, network solutions and location based services under the brand HERE. The devices and services section offers mobile phone devices including smart phones and other low end feature phones. The network solution section offers telecommunication solutions targeted at the global mobile broadband industry. It includes 3G, 4G and LTE services along with customer experience management. HERE offers customized GPS and location based services for application developers, automotive companies and device manufacturers (Nokia, 2014). The global mobile phone market has grown significantly over the past fe w years. As of 2013, the mobile phone market earned revenue of $163.4 billion, which represents a growth of

Exploitation of employees Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Exploitation of employees - Research Proposal Example The research paper will address the causes of employee exploitation and its determent. Legal issues will be discusses such as United States Labor Law and Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. I will use questionnaires and structured interviews for carrying out the research. The whole process will take around one month. The research will focus on questions like: How many employees complain of being exploited? What techniques employers use to exploit them? How employees confront exploitation? What fears do they have which makes them suffer from exploitation? Are employees’ protection laws being implied in these companies? What should be done to motivate employees so that they raise their voices? I plan to visit different companies to locate answers to my research questions. I will conduct structured personal interviews with the managers and employees. I will distribute questionnaires among employers, employees, and some attorneys. I shall conduct a comparative research based on results received from companies which exploited their employees and those which did not. Lynch, P.D, Eisenberger, R, & Armeli, S 1999, ‘Perceived organizational support: Inferior versus superior performance by wary employees’, Journal of Applied Psychology, vol. 84, no. 4, pp. 467-483. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.84.4.467 McFarlin, D.B & Sweeney, P 2002, ‘Countering manipulation and exploitation of employees’, Where Egos Dare: The Untold Truth about Narcissistic Leaders and How to Survive Them, Kogan Page Publishers, USA. Pines, G.L.S, & Meyer, D.G 2005, ‘Stopping the exploitation of workers: An analysis of the effective application of consumer or socio-political pressure’, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 59, no. 1-2, pp.

Liturgy Essay on Religion and Theology Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Liturgy on Religion and Theology - Essay Example The term Liturgy simply refers to the religious performances made by the Christian community publically; it also includes prayers and worshipping, feasts and communion, i.e. Sacrament of the Eucharist. The feast is attributed to the Last Supper taken by Holy Jesus Christ in the Upper portion of Zion, where he declared bread as his body, and wine (or water) as his blood (Anderson, 2005, pp. 302-303). It is therefore, every newly baptised, newly married and recently repentant receives Communion from the Church minister as a holy feast associated with Christ. According to the Coptic Orthodox Church, â€Å"the Sacrament of Communion is a Holy Sacrament by which the believer eats the Holy Body and Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, presented by the Bread and Wine. This Sacrament has the greatest importance among the Seven Church Sacraments.† Since the Communion maintains imperative significance, as Christ has declared that â€Å"He who eats My Flesh, and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him† (John 6:56), it is revered and observed by the Christians en masse wherever they work, reside and migrate.    Liturgy seeks its roots in earliest Christian era; the apostles, saints and true followers of earliest centuries A.D. celebrated the same in the light of the Biblical teachings and the noble sayings of Jesus Christ. As a result, the worshipping rites are accepted and embraced by the future generations without violating any aspect related to its fundamental principles. Kavanagh notices that â€Å"the apostles did it, and so did the Fathers of the Church and her pastors far into the Middle Ages† (1982, p.3). However, some of the critics are of the opinion that liturgy is actually adapted to culture, and seeks inspiration from the state or country in which the Christians reside and practise the same. It is partially because of the diversity in worship methodology as well as multiplicity of the style adopted by the Christian community. Hence, cultur e is more dominant feature than religion in their eyes. Famous sociologist Robert Wuthnow has shown that although the Christian teachings lay stress upon ethno-racial equality as a religious value, yet that value was not transmitted into actual behaviour (Hall, 2007, p.2). Actually by critically examining the history of the civilisations at large, it becomes crystal clear that cultural traits leave their indelible impact upon the individual and collective life of the people belonging to one specific social establishment or the other. The same tradition is not confined to one specific area or region only; rather, it is a universally accepted fact that the norms, mores and customs, prevailing in a culture, can sometimes affect the religious cult and worship practices of the followers of divergent spiritual faiths. Macionis (2008, p. 68) rightly states that cultural traits are so influential that they aptly prevail over the family traditions, religious conventions and statutes of the e xisting laws even. It is because of the very reality that they are being observed collectively in one region for the last several centuries, and do not allow an easy intrusion of social change being introduced in the physical and social environment. It is therefore, the Christians and Muslims adopted several features of Hinduism while their interaction with the Hindu community of Indian culture (Latourette, 1975, pp. 79-80). Consequently, the activities related to Communion are differently performed in Asian, European and African countries. Somehow, it does not mean

Columbine High School Essay Example for Free

Columbine High School Essay You are a sociologist who is interested in studying school violence. Describe how you might approach the study of this phenomenon as a functionalist, a conflict theorist and a symbolic interaction’. â€Å"Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.† Martin Luther King Jr. The problem we are facing today with violence in the schools is a major concern with communities everywhere. School violence has escalated from one-on-one weaponless fights for personal disagreements with said person; this is no longer the case. Due to the outward influences of media, video games, and society in general, this has escalated into all-out, deadly weapon assaults on innocent lives for reasons they themselves are usually unaware for example Columbine High School massacre and Montreal, Canada shooting. Sociologist; however have developed different approaches to evaluate the phenomenon through different perspective; functionalist, conflict theorist and symbolic integrationist, which would be aptly discussed in the proceeding paragraphs. Functionalist look at the implications of crime and control polices rather than directly trying to explain the causes of the behavior. According to Parson Model a social system consist of mutually dependant parts, parts contributing to functioning of system and moving equilibrium. However pertaining to the issue of school violence, I would, following the functionalist perspective look at school violence as way to return to stability within a society thus keeping proper balance . Therefore I would view it as a positive, because the disturbance (school violence) exists more dangerously it encourages the society to come up with better solutions to elevate the problem so it encourages progress. For examples the Columbine Massac with occurred lead to new ideas to combat school violence .A number of new programs were introduced, emphasis was placed on better parenting skills, keeping guns out of hands of kids ,better school security, more counseling programs and bett3er preventative measure, etc. When these methods were implemented no action to that extreme occurred within that society so their fore the youth violence was reduced and the society moved and the society in return became a better place and progress was made. Conflict perspective holds that stratification is dysfunctional and harmful in society, with inequality  perpetuated because it benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor. A struggle for dominance among competing social groups (classes, genders, races, religions, etc.). When conflict theorists look at society, they see the social domination of subordinate groups through the power, authority, and coercion of dominant groups. As it results to school violence using the conflict theorist approach, I would say the violence will only exist at level of exploitation and unworthy or treated unfairly compared to other children they felt a level of inequality and they reacted in a way to gain power over the people who inflicted pain upon them. For example let’s take the Columbine shooting, according to the conflict theorist perspective say that the shootings were inevitable as the exploited, bullied kids eventually had enough and rose up against the bourgeoisie, or the kids that did the bullying. Eric Harris one of the boys who participated the shooting opened his journal with the words I hate the fing world. Showing high levels of hatred to which he portrayed, he wanted to get back at every one who did him wrong. After analyzing the two individual’s journals it was clear cut that they both had problem with society and somehow they did them something which infiltrated this hate for them. So we can see the reason for them to perform these atrocious acts were to gain a sense of dominances in their mind over these people. When doing the act we see the boys smiling while people were being hurting showing a sign of relief in their face and sense of happiness to them that they revenge to the world for inflicting so much of pain upon them. Analyzing them for a conflict theorist point of view I would say the reason for the boys committing suicide after was to get away from everything they already accomplished the goal they wanted so they decided to end their life what more is there to live for when victory was served? Symbolic integrationist view relies on the symbolic meaning that people develop and rely upon in the process of social interaction. Thus, society is thought to be socially constructed through human interpretation. Symbolic interaction view school violence as

International and Comparative Relations Essay Example for Free

International and Comparative Relations Essay As the number of hired workers in companies raises so are the Human Resources Managers facing more challenges as they need to maintain a competitive edge in their business both at home and abroad. Chinas entry into the World Trade Organization created fresh opportunities which resulted to some firms retreating and others expanding (Bamber, Lansbury Wailes, 2004), making the entry of foreign firms to be faced by challenges than it was in the 1970s and thus even the HR managers are in for a challenge since they have to carefully know how to tackle the culture of post-WTO China so as to have an effective HRM systems. According to Lucas (2004) it is important to understand the HRM challenges facing foreign firms in China and how to overcome them. According to information given by interviewees, who included senior managers and private equity specialists, it was discovered that the Western model of HRM may not solve the challenges. Firms had to come out with ideas on how to manage human resources in response to the changing environment in China. To know how the firms were doing this, interviews were conducted rather than survey instrument (Deery Mitchell, 1999). After the interviews it was noted that the strategies of the HR in China differed from those of the West. For instance one of the HR process in China is selection of people they want to work in their companies. Some private successful firms wanted young people who are from school others selected people who do not drink or smoke. While firms really wanted to remove redundant employees in their companies, some of the managers that were interviewed said that there was benefit â€Å"organized† over-staffing. Again in the issue of employee contribution; to encourage employee contribution there had to be change of mentality like their association of mistakes with penalties. It was noted that many employees in the foreign firms were afraid to do anything outside their job description thus the HRM policies were encouraged to aim at helping these employees. There was also the issue of training programs in which they should also teach about what is wrong and its solution.  Ã‚   One way of helping these employees according to (Verma, Kochan Lansbury, 1995) was to train them well in their jobs so as to extend even beyond their job description. This however has to be encouraged through creation of friendly environment involvement in risk taking. There is also another problem of lack of ground rules that are well-established which results to interference with the operations. Some individuals have the power to stop some industries from operating. The foreign firms thus need to know the relevant person in that location. The HR has the role to select well-connected people in management team (Morgenstern, 1984). Even in some companies they need the individuals they want to hire for their jobs to have connections with government bodies or powerful individuals so as they can link them in case of a problem. The HR also plays the role of â€Å"change agent† (Blanpain, Lansbury Park, 2002) where they help firms implement new programs, improve processes and transform positively the organizations culture. Employment relationship is vital as the employers need to have good relationship with their existing employees as well as their new ones so as to avoid problems at the place of works hence increasing workplace productivity. This however can be complex as sometimes the employees can find the rules set by the employers quite challenging. As human the way we choose to control our goal maybe different from what the organization wants. The organization needs people who can interact with others to be productive to the company. The employment relation constitutes of three sides that is the employers, employees and the law. In addition there are employment rights.   In different countries and cities we have different way of treating employees and companies also have got different policies. Employment relationships are faced by challenges such as competitive pressures, technological change as this may result to either the employer seeking new employees who have got the most updated technological skills or requiring the old employees to update their skill by going back to class of which other will not welcome the idea, changing of owns behaviors; this may lead to disappointment to either party. As time goes by the employee-employer relationship changes. This according to Blanpain, Lansbury Park (2002) can be brought about by societal, organizational or individual changes. From the society point of view changes in the relationship is as a result developments in our society for example the cultural norms influence and the values that are related to exchanges. The organization together with the employee composes the second and third sources of changes in employment relationship. The organization and the employer both are part of the society and are both influenced by the same structural factors and dynamic change processes. However they still have some differences as the desires of the organization and those of the employee may not necessarily converge. For instance the organization may require organizational flexibility to cope with the competitiveness. Similarly the employee desire and expectations of the organization may change for example an employee with a family probably with small children will want the employers flexibility to provide good balance between his job and his private life as an important issue. There seems as if the traditional labor laws are less effective in determining the employment relationships in many countries (Dickens Neal, 2006). The pressure for flexibility in firms has led to changes in the employment relations. These changes have been linked to societal factors. In 1999-2000, twenty-seven Dutch Organization (Bach, 1999) a questionnaire was distributed to groups of employees. The data that was gathered from a sample that represented the working population showed that the younger and older employee was underrepresented and there was over representation of people between 25 and 44 years. This is a contradiction to the Chinese authority who wanted younger people. The questionnaires also assessed individual characters, employee obligations toward the company and employer obligation toward the employee. It was noted that most employees aired out their opinions on several issues affecting them and they were thinking beyond their jobs. This is unlike in China where due to fear of intimidation employees were afraid to air out their opinions. A comparative study of employment systems in the US and Japan was achieved by use of game-theoretic framework (Rapra Technology Limited, 2005) here the employment system was seen as an equilibrium outcome of interactions among management, labor, and government. In both countries, the relations evolved from ones associated with short-term contracts and company-wide employee representation. While Japan continued in the same path, the U.S experienced a breakdown of implicit contract during the Great Depression (Mortimer Leece, 1994). It is important to study internationally comparative employment relations so as to contribute to our knowledge about the employment relations in other countries and also to provide model for the development of policy. Due to globalization, there is increased economic connectedness hence the need to learn about employment relations practices in other countries. In addition it also helps with theory construction. International comparison requires acceptance of reference point. Employment relations in Britain as accordance to Jenkins (2000) was characterized with formation of unions which marked a big growth up until the World War II when due to a rising number in unemployment the membership of the unions declined. This was also caused by part-time jobs and concentration in the private sector where unions found it hard to recruit. Unlike most other   Western European countries, Britain (Sparrow Cooper, 2003)has one main union confederation that is the Trades Union Congress(TUC) that was established in 1868.Between 1980 and 1990 private sector firms membership of employers associations fell sharply before it started to rise again slightly in the 1990s. The state plays a very important role in employment relations either directly and/or indirectly. The changing pattern of employment relation in Britain reflects some trends which may include de-industrialization, proportion increase in services and growth of a typical employment. Employment relation in United States of America can be started in 1930s (Stuart Martinez- Lucio, 2005) when the US unions first arose as a seemingly permanent force. Between 1940-1950 the unions grew tremendously and in 1960s and 1970s transformed government employment into sector with strong unions. Employers organizations in USA are relatively unimportant and unlike in other countries there have not been any employers confederations. By 1985 the depth of union membership crisis was acknowledged and new forms of employee participation appeared in some workplaces. Though in the early 1990s there was a strong economic recovery (Bender Theodossiou, 1996), there was growing polarisation in employees labor market experiences. By 2000 the pressures from globalisation increased. The non-union sector has marked a tremendous growth in spite of the labour laws being enforced. REFERENCES Almond, P Ferner, A 2006, American multinationals in Europe: managing employment    relations across national borders, Oxford University Press, Melbourne   Bach, S 1999, Public Service Employment Relations in Europe: Transformation, Modernization    Or Inertia?, Routledge Bamber, G, Lansbury, R Wailes, N 2004, International and Comparative Employment   Ã‚   Relations: Globalisation and the Developed Market Economies, 4th ed, SAGE, Boca Raton,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   FL Bender, K Theodossiou, I 1996, International Comparisons of the Real Wage-employment    Relationship, University of Aberdeen Blanpain, R, Lansbury, R Park, Y 2002, The Impact of Globalisation on Employment

A Critical Appraisal Of Emirates Airlines Public Relations Marketing Essay

A Critical Appraisal Of Emirates Airlines Public Relations Marketing Essay Virtual public relations may be defined as the utilization of news or print media to publicize the positive image of our company and its product and services along with its business operations methodology; it also includes creating and developing good relationships with local media representatives, customers and community. History: Emirates Airlines commenced its business operations in the year 1985, with the financial resources of $10 million and machinery resources of 2 rented aircraft. The formation of a company was the response of Gulf Air towards its cut back business operations. Its maiden flight commenced towards Karachi on 25th October 1985. Emirates Airlines created a remarkable record by earning maximum profit within 9 months of its business operations. New destinations have been supplemented by Emirates which includes Bombay, Cairo, Colombo, and Dhaka. After the end of two years it enhanced its destination to Europe commencing with London. Apart from them enormous destinations have been added by Emirates in rapid progression. Mission and Vision: Emirates Mission includes sustaining and maintaining the consistent growth of its business with a growth rate of 20% in the upcoming years. The Vision of Emirates is to create and sustain the market leadership which seems ahead of conservative track. Brief Description of Emirates Airlines: Emirates Airlines is the part of the Emirates Group, a leading group of UAE having its global presence in worldwide markets with an impressive brand image in the field of travel and tourism and aviation. The hub of Emirates Airlines is situated at the International Airport in Dubai and its group is possessed by the Government of Dubai. It is operated as the national airlines of Dubai and UAE. It has 2400 passenger flights per week providing services to the worldwide passenger to reach their destination. It is the top most airlines of the Middle East, winning maximum awards for its augmented business operations and services. Figure : Organizational Structure of Emirates Airlines: Media Relations of Emirates Airlines: Media relations helped a lot to keep the Emirates Airlines in the worlds media headlines. During the last year, the company has invested more than US$ 187.7 million for over 40600 media articles which is equivalent to the value invested for the advertisements. With the help of such investment, the company approached a great customer reach and media analysis shows that customer coverage gives an overwhelming and positive response. Emirates Airlines first A380 aircraft have grabbed the great media attention globally even though the Emirates airline is not the first airline to launch such aircraft. The renounce ceremony in Hamburg witnessed more than 800 journalists and celebrities. Through this ceremony, the media relations of the Emirates Airlines have received the global reach through interviews with the higher authorities of the company and the key aviation writers who have experienced the product and services of such new and innovative aircraft. During the six month campaign of such launch and renouncement, the company has received more than 1000 media requests to provide the information and images of the newly innovative product. Due to these strong media relations of the company, more than 1000 aviation and lifestyle writers have experienced the services of the newly launched product and provide their positive feedback by awarding it as a next generation aviation technology and travel comforts through such media only which ultimately affect the global customer reach and helps to attract more and more potential customers. The opening of new Emirates terminal 3 at the Dubai International Airport was spread among the advisories and travelers through these strong media relations of the company. Media relations emphasized various aspects of the new terminal in order to enhance the features to the customers which attracted a vast potential customer range towards the products and services of the company. In order to strengthen the Media Relations, the company organizes media tours, video recording and photography opportunities for various journalists in every six months. Besides the main news of the company, the global media relations also provides the media coverage to the launch of various other destinations of the company in all over the global market which attracts the potential customers towards the five star best airlines of the world. Media relations also support various other differentiated products of the company such as luxury hotels through public relations strategy and they also provide media support for facilitating its portfolio to other hotels. The internal awareness team of the company has launched a new interactive group world which keeps watch over the internal campaigns through integrating all the channels of communication including media relations which provides strength to the company to enhance the customer reach. Community Relations of Emirates Airlines: Community relations include the social responsibility of the company towards the stakeholders which affects the success of the company a lot. With the advent of liberalization of traffic rights, the Emirates Airlines have developed a new department of public affairs and government engagements. The department of public affairs launches a campaign in order to help the company in lowering down the air passenger duty by the UK government. It had launched a new publication which shares the airline industry news and related international policy news. This feature is also added to the website of the company. Industry affairs are trying its level best to represent the Emirates airlines at the IATA agency and services conference in relation to both the passengers and the cargo operations. The Company also has joined the Billing and Settlement Plans with 99 other countries. The industry affairs initiate the web sales through the industrial banks facilitated by the travel agents and thus adopt the IATA resolution changes. The environmental affairs launch various environmental policies which tend to make the Emirates Airlines as the most Eco friendly airlines of the world. The ever largest single recycling program is the part of such projects which tends to collect thousands tones of paper, cardboard, plastic and aluminum from the various buildings concerned with the company. Consumer Relations of Emirates Airlines: Consumer relations are very essential for any company in order to satisfy them with the product and services through resolution of their problems and complaints and make them the loyal customer for the future course of time. For enhancing the consumer relations, Emirates Airlines have separate Customer Affairs and Service Audit (CASA) centers at various locations of each destination which understand and resolves customer problems and complaints. Last year, CASA continued to be decentralized by opening a new office in Johannesburg, Osaka, Hong Kong, and Tehran which adds the strong network to the existing CASA centers at UK/Europe, America, Australia, New Zealand and India. The development of such network helped the company in handling the complaints of the customers as it has shown 50 percent improvement in solving out such problems. This center helps the customers to be dealt with concern at the local level itself and their problems get solved more effectively than earlier. Due to this service improvement in handling problems, 66 % reduction in Baggage Claim Processing has been observed. The company is planning to develop the training and development plan for the CASA employees so as to improve their skills in handling the customer problems more efficiently and effectively. The Knowledge Portal will support such plan in order to share the related data and information. CASA shows an empathetic, caring and personalized behavior towards solving the customer problems and complaints and providing full support to the customers to satisfy their expected standards and quality to make them loyal customer for the products and services of the company. In order to sustain the growth, quality standards and reputation of the company, the Service Audit Team continuously controls and monitors the standards of products and services. The Mystery Shopper team of the company monitors and evaluates the contribution of the staff towards maintaining the expectations of the customers. Service Audit evaluates all the customer services regularly in order to deal with the customers more effectively. These services involve service delivery, airport services, skywards, and the call centers operated worldwide to solve the customer problems. Discussion: Though the public relations of Emirates Airlines impact a lot on the international media and the potential customers yet the company PR need to adopt various changes as per the requirement of competitive environment in order to take the full competitive advantage of the global international market. Though the company has the strong media relations which provide a great exposure to every event held in the company and the company also provides great opportunities of news and events to the media yet there are various changes which are yet to be implemented. These changes involve the use of social media for strengthening the media relations of the company. Now a day most of the companies are using social media such as Facebook, twitter, MySpace and various other social networking sites in order to have great exposure from the customers and the media. The same development is applied to the customer handling departments, to provide ease to the customers for communicating their problems and complaints, most of the companies are now taking help of social networking sites and the internet which is the quick and easy means of communication nowadays. The community relationships such as social events and other environmental initiatives are now being spread and run through the social networking sites by various companies. In this relation the Emirates Airlines are lacking as it is not using the easiest and the renowned means of public relations and communication. Though the company is developing various kiosks to handle the customer requests, problems and complaints, though it is taking various environmental and industry affairs initiatives, though it is providing various opportunities of media exposure, yet it needs to use the social networking sites as the strongest and prominent means of public relations in order to strengthen the orga nization efficiently and effectively. In relation to customer problem and complaints handling, the initiative of the company to run CASA ad providing training to the employees to solve the problems and complaints of customer effectively is really appreciable as compared to the other companies of the same industry. The media opportunities and other community development initiatives of the company are remarkable and appreciable in relation to fulfilling the corporate social responsibility. Conclusion: Â  Public Relations play a very prominent role in maintaining good rapport with the customers, media and community. Public relation helps in spreading information regarding the company to the target group of customers. It serves as the most cost effective tools of promotion which helps with the publicity of the companys products and services. The information publicizes through public relation are comparatively effective on a long term basis and on the large geographical areas in comparison to other promotional tools and techniques. Emirates Mission includes sustaining and maintaining the consistent growth of its business with a growth rate of 20% in the upcoming years. The Vision of Emirates is to create and sustain the market leadership which seems ahead of conservative track. The Public Relation of Emirates Airlines with the customers, media and community prove to be very helpful in the accomplishment of its aforementioned mission and vision and it is also the secret behind its success and market dominance in UAE. In relation to Public relations department, the company is doing well and most of its initiative is appreciable yet there are various changes and updating as per the competitive environment which are needed to be adopted and applied in order to have pace with the changing business environment.

Loss of Innocence in Frankenstein :: Frankenstein essays

Loss of Innocence in Frankenstein In the novel "Frankenstein," Victor Frankenstein is the creator of a "monster." Because of his thirst for knowledge, he goes too far and creates a huge monster, which he immediately rejects. This rejection plays a major part in the monster's hatred for humans. The author, Mary Shelley, supports the theme, loss of innocence, through plot, setting and characterization. This paper will explain the many ways that the characters lost their innocence throughout the novel. The plot deals with the conflict that is inside Victor Frankenstein, who produces a monstrous creature. Victor is disgusted at the site of the creature he has created. "I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then, but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived"(43). After Victor rejects the monster, he meets a family that brings out his sensitive side. When these people reject him, the creature destroys everything in sight. "I was like a wild beast that had broken the toils, destroying the objects that obstructed me and ranging through the wood with a staglike swiftness"(121). The innocent Justine is accused of a murder, committed by the creature, and dies, therefore increasing Victor's feelings of guilt and his need for revenge. Victor makes it his mission to destroy the monster, who has been ruining his life. The monster threatens to be there with Victor on his wedding night. Vic tor interprets this as a threat against his own life, but instead finds his wife, Elizabeth, murdered. "She was there, lifeless and inanimate, thrown across the bed, her head hanging down and her pale and distorted features half covered by her hair"(179). The next paragraph discusses how loss of innocence was portrayed through setting. When Victor is seventeen, he leaves for the University of Ingolstadt, where he spends six years. He creates the monster in an old deserted house in this city. It is when he rejects the monster that he begins to lose innocence. "I did not dare return to the apartment which I inhabited, but felt impelled to hurry on, although drenched by the rain which poured from a black and comfortless sky"(44).

2001: A Space Odyssey :: 2001

2001: A Space Odyssey      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Three million B.C. The gunpowder for a smashing evolutionary hit was amassing for a long time, but the necessary spark came from an outside help, which soon set the whole world ablaze. From this heated inferno, came the most proficient species ever to grace the planet. And now man has to be prepared for what comes next. Arthur C. Clarke skillfully proves the point that 'truth is stranger than fiction' in his remarkable book - 2001: A Space Odyssey. He also carefully examines the point that in spite of their intelligence and curious mind, humans lack the capacity to be a complete species on their own. Without the assistance of concerned alien species humans would never had climbed the evolutionary ladder. Devoid of the outside help they wouldn't had escaped their self made prison, explored the enormity of the universe and known their place in it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If earth were a field and evolution a farmer then the leading and the healthiest crop in his field would be the human or homo sapiens. But this human race would never had flourished into an above average species without assistance from outer space friends. The aliens initialized the primary phase of the advancement process about three million years ago. They did this by means of a monolith, planted on earth on a fateful night. The monolith probed the ape-man's (Austrapethicas Erectus) mind, studied their reactions and finally evaluated their potential. By carefully conducted experiments the monolith altered the molecular makeup of the ape-man's brain making them smarter and providing them with the necessary skills needed to survive in the hostile world. The ape-man changed its shape and size evolving into a new and improved species. It was a slow, cumulative process, and at its end was man.   Therefore, without the assistance of helpful extra terres trial friends, ape-man would never had developed the dexterity to compete for life sustaining rations with rival species and would probably had suffered the same fate as the overgrown lizards. But evolutions success story has constructed tools that have become too hard for even him to handle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After centuries of enhancement, humans were transformed into a leading species, but he gradually turned into a plant that wraps around another plant for support and survival needs.

Julius Caesar (Superstisions Analysis) :: essays research papers

"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice," proclaimed William Jennings Bryan. Many people believe in destiny and fate and a set-in-stone, unbreakable path for their lives. Caesar’s ego warps and distorts his interpretation of various superstitions in Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar. Although he believes in superstition and the supernatural, he selectively chooses his interpretation. Be it a dream, fortune-telling, or a common superstition, it always benefits Caesar, or it just isn’t true. Caesar’s distorted sense of self-superiority ultimately leads to his assassination. If he had listened to some of the ‘signs of the gods,’ his tragic fate may have been avoided. Caesar believes in some sort of fate and ultimate destiny. He believes that there is no escaping what ‘the gods’ have in store. â€Å"What can be avoided, whose ends is purposed by the might gods?† (Shakespeare, pg.. 77) says Caesar when he has to make a decision about going to the forum or not. His belief in fate sometimes contradicts his belief in superstition. On one hand, he states that no end can be avoided, and on another, he asks Antony to touch his wife for fertility, as if without Antony, that event would not be fated. His large ego blinds him from seeing the contradiction of his convictions. He also states, â€Å"It seems to me most strange that men should fear, seeing that death, a necessary end, Will come when it will come.† (Shakespeare, pg. 77) He believes that one’s fate is unavoidable. Caesar’s behavior changes whenever a superstition could benefit him. â€Å"Forget not in your speed Antonius, to touch Calphurnia. For our elders say, the barren, touched in this holy chase, shake off their sterile curse.† (Shakespeare, pg. 13) To try and rid his wife of the ‘sterile curse’ Caesar instructs Antony to touch her while he runs. Because this particular belief may benefit him and his family, Caesar accepts it as truth. Caesar’s reaction to Calphurnia’s nightmare of a fountain of Caesar spilling out blood and people rejoicing in it is complete non-belief. He cannot, for one moment, see the all-mighty Caesar being defeated, and his ego tells him that there is no way it will happen. Then, another interpretation comes into play that says that the dream can be interpreted to mean that the people will be rejoicing under Caesar’s rule, and he gladly accepts, â€Å"How foolish do your fears seem now, Calphurnia! †¦give me my robe, for I will go. Julius Caesar (Superstisions Analysis) :: essays research papers "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice," proclaimed William Jennings Bryan. Many people believe in destiny and fate and a set-in-stone, unbreakable path for their lives. Caesar’s ego warps and distorts his interpretation of various superstitions in Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar. Although he believes in superstition and the supernatural, he selectively chooses his interpretation. Be it a dream, fortune-telling, or a common superstition, it always benefits Caesar, or it just isn’t true. Caesar’s distorted sense of self-superiority ultimately leads to his assassination. If he had listened to some of the ‘signs of the gods,’ his tragic fate may have been avoided. Caesar believes in some sort of fate and ultimate destiny. He believes that there is no escaping what ‘the gods’ have in store. â€Å"What can be avoided, whose ends is purposed by the might gods?† (Shakespeare, pg.. 77) says Caesar when he has to make a decision about going to the forum or not. His belief in fate sometimes contradicts his belief in superstition. On one hand, he states that no end can be avoided, and on another, he asks Antony to touch his wife for fertility, as if without Antony, that event would not be fated. His large ego blinds him from seeing the contradiction of his convictions. He also states, â€Å"It seems to me most strange that men should fear, seeing that death, a necessary end, Will come when it will come.† (Shakespeare, pg. 77) He believes that one’s fate is unavoidable. Caesar’s behavior changes whenever a superstition could benefit him. â€Å"Forget not in your speed Antonius, to touch Calphurnia. For our elders say, the barren, touched in this holy chase, shake off their sterile curse.† (Shakespeare, pg. 13) To try and rid his wife of the ‘sterile curse’ Caesar instructs Antony to touch her while he runs. Because this particular belief may benefit him and his family, Caesar accepts it as truth. Caesar’s reaction to Calphurnia’s nightmare of a fountain of Caesar spilling out blood and people rejoicing in it is complete non-belief. He cannot, for one moment, see the all-mighty Caesar being defeated, and his ego tells him that there is no way it will happen. Then, another interpretation comes into play that says that the dream can be interpreted to mean that the people will be rejoicing under Caesar’s rule, and he gladly accepts, â€Å"How foolish do your fears seem now, Calphurnia! †¦give me my robe, for I will go.

Edward O. Wilson’s “Is Humanity Suicidal?” Essay

In the 1990s article, â€Å"Is Humanity Suicidal?†, Edward O. Wilson is concerned about the extinction of the human species. He believes that humanity’s harsh treatment of Earth will soon have excruciating consequences. Wilson also states that the increasing industrial world is having a very consequential affect on the global environment and that it may be too much for it to handle. He insists that â€Å"the human species is an environmental abnormality,† because human’s negative impact on the earth is likely to threaten the survival of the human species. Wilson asks â€Å"Who can safely measure the human capacity to overcome the perceived limits of the Earth?† The limits of the Earth’s natural resources and the Earth’s ability to sustain itself from humanity’s rough treatment is unknown. Wilson believes that there are two different perspectives for the future of the human species, which are exemptionalism and environmentalism. There are people who fail to recognize environmental issues for what they really are. These are the exemptionalists. They see these problems as very minor. Wilson believes that these people think that environmental problems will soon disappear with the growth and advancement of technology. He believes that these people are too caught up with their own lives and the present that they fail to think about what could be waiting for their ancestors in years to come. Then there are the environmentalists, in which Wilson has a strong belief in. Wilson believes that humanity cannot remake in the Earth in its original form. The increasing human efforts to remake the earth and control the global environment for human use is causing too much change in the environment that Earth soon my not be able to support the survival of the human race, therefore humanity’s intelligence can be somewhat of a weapon to there own survival. Wilson asks if population growth and human control over the environment proves that â€Å"humanity is suicidal†. Wilson argues that we are not destined to destroy ourselves by trying to control the environment, so therefore we are not suicidal. He believes that humanity is â€Å"smart enough and have time  enough to avoid an environmental catastrophe of civilization-threatening dimensions.† Wilson also holds the belief that in order to preserve our environment that we must realize that humans are not the only organisms in the ecosystem that helps keep the environment livable; every organism plays their part. With the constant reporting of the extinction of species because of our harsh treatment, the jobs that the different organisms have to our environment are now lost. He argues that the Earth is too complicated in order for one species to be bale to control it. Wilson concludes that we have around 50 to 100 years to straighten out our environment and to develop different values and ways of thinking. If the human’s negative impact on the Earth increases it will result in the fall of our global, industrial civilization.

Gay Marriage Outline Essay

In early times, same-sex marriage was not considered taboo and in many cultures, it was encouraged. Random History (2011) explains that in the early civilizations of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, the union between couples of the same-sex was recognized by the kingdom. During Greek’s early years, attraction between a man and another man was normal and was considered an expression of love. â€Å"The main considerations in same-sex relationships in early history were often love, beauty, and excellence of character rather than gender† (Random History, 2011, p.1). Same-sex marriages were often believed to be more pure than a heterosexual marriage. Marriage was believed to be the union of two people based on love. A marriage consisting of two males or two females, if women had the right to get married, was not frowned upon. It was not until the rise of Christianity that a negative attitude towards same-sex marriage became introduced. The belief that marriage was based on pro creation and any relationship that was non-procreative began to increase in many societies. Random History’s 2011 research describes how Eastern religions varied in their views about homosexual marriages. Japanese Buddhism records the most tolerant attitude toward homosexuality, praising it for its mystery. Today, there are no religious or political limitations on homosexual behavior in Japan. Sexuality is considered a private matter and lacks any restrictions. â€Å"The sacred texts in the Hindu tradition, the Vedas, did not restrict homosexuality, but rather viewed it as perverse† (Random History, 2011, p.1). Other things, such as mixed race relationships were considered more offensive than homosexuality. Random History (2011) also explains how in the thirteenth century, the first laws banning sodomy were introduced and were strictly enforced. Through the next centuries, homosexual behavior became deviant and was punished. Due to the belief that homosexual behavior was wrong, the belief that heterosexual relationships were normal became popular among the majority of countries. By the nineteenth century, heterosexuality became the most believed standard for relationships. Although the debate for same-sex marriage became noticeably public in the late twentieth century, it was not until 1993 during a Hawaiian case, that the issue became national news. The ruling of the case stated that the restriction of marriage and its benefits to  opposite-sex couples were unconstitutional. â€Å"The Defense of Marriage Act, which was introduced in 1996, was almost a direct response to the Hawaiian case, declared that no state would be required to recognize a same-sex marriage from another state, and also defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman† (Axel-Lute, 2002, p.1). By that same year, a majority of states passed laws prohibiting same-sex marriage. Since then, states have defined their own definition of marriage. Despite the fact that the debate over same-sex marriage is relatively new in the United States, five states have made same-sex marriage legal, as well as Washington D.C. According to the Florida’s Domestic Partnership (2010), currently, there are only two states that recognize same-sex marriages, New York and California. In California, the marriage is only recognized if it was before proposition 8. Ballot Pedias 2008 research explains how proposition 8 is a statewide ballot proposition in California. The people of California voted for the illegalization of same-sex marriage. Though some people are against same-sex marriages for religious reasons, not allowing same-sex marriages is discrimination. Same-sex marriages should be legalized because the discrimination same-sex couples receive is emotionally traumatic, and unfair. The most influential reason against same-sex marriage is based on religion. Many people believe that procreation is the ideal reason for marriage. Their belief is that same-sex couples do not have the capability to produce children which is the basis for marriage. However, when two of the most influential religious icons dis cussed marriage, child bearing was not a reason for two people to get married. â€Å"It is highly significant that Jesus and Paul, while both referring to the creation story, never once mention procreation or physical sexual difference in their teaching about marriage† (Sullivan, 1997, p.79). Both men stressed how the quality of a relationship was the most important aspect for marriage. If marriage is reserved for having a child, then same-sex marriages are not an issue. â€Å"There are countless ways to ‘have’ a child. Not all of them amount to doing the same thing† (Meilander, 1996). Many same-sex couples employ artificial insemination to conceive a child. Liz Tracy’s 2011 article interviews Maria and Vivian, a lesbian couple who were married in New York last year. The two have a 21 year old daughter by artificial insemination. During a marriage ceremony, the church’s only engagement is to  give its blessing. â€Å"The church does not, in fact, marry anyone. People marry each other. The state, not the church, defines the nature of legal marriage† (Sullivan, 1997, p.68). Sullivan (1997) also states how the church has blessed fields when crops have been planted, MX missiles, new houses, and warships whose sole purpose is to kill and destroy. There is no reason the church should not bless a relationship in which two people vow to be faithful and love each other for all eternity. Supporters of same-sex marriage believe the bill to allow same-sex marriage should be crafted in a specific way that will help win votes from people of faith. â€Å"The measure would not force religious organizations to grant marriages to same-sex couples, a move that would make the government benefits of marriage equal for gay and straight couples but still allow the sacrament of marriage to be defined by churches† (Groeninger, 2012, p.2). If the bill was written and carried out in a certain way, the church would not have any association with same-sex couples getting married because the process would be carried out in a courtroom. The American gay rights movement, which became heated in the 1970’s, defined marriage as oppressive, sexist, and a heterosexual institution, according to the National Organization of Women’s 2012 studies. By the government prohibiting same-sex couples from getting married, they are denying them rights that every other American has. â€Å"Marriage is a unique legal status conferred by and recognized by governments all over the world. It brings with it a host of reciprocal obligations, rights and protections† (National Organization of Women, 2012, p, 1). There are numerous rights and responsibilities that are associated with marriage. Same-sex couples are being discriminated against because they are not allowed any of these rights. The National Organization of Women’s 2012 research details many of the 1,138 federal rights, protections and responsibilities that come along with marriage, which same-sex couples are denied. Social Security benefits upon death, disability or retirement of spouse, as well as benefits for minor children, workers’ compensation protections for the family of a worker injured on the job, exemptions from estate taxes when a spouse dies, exemptions from federal income taxes on spouse’s health insurance are all denied to same-sex couples. The discrimination and denial of marriage and its benefits of same-sex couples can be emotionally traumatic at times. â€Å"Because literally hundreds  of important legal, economic, practical, and social benefits and protections flow directly from marriage, the exclusion from this central social institution wreaks real harm on real life same-sex couples everyday† (Sullivan, 1997, p. 129). Same-sex couples are denied the right t o make decisions regarding their partner’s health or medical treatment. Sullivan (1997) also explains how same-sex couples are not allowed to adopt their partner’s children or how lesbian mothers are often denied custody of their children. One of the most common arguments against same-sex marriage is society’s image of the ideal family. â€Å"The public acceptance of homosexuality subverts the stability and self-understanding of the heterosexual family† (Sullivan, 1997, p.146). Conservatives believe that the ideal family includes one father and one mother. Both of the parents influence their children in a certain way. Many believe that a same-sex couple cannot raise a child properly because the child is not raised with both fatherly and motherly qualities. However, Sullivan (2012) also discusses how even though some parents may be disappointed that their child will not produce a grandchild, they would still prefer to see their child find someone to love and live with and share his or her life with. If a child is surrounded by two parents who love them, they will develop and grow as any other child would. Many states have legalized civil unions since 2000. Although civil unions provide legal protection to same-sex couples, they are only recognized at the state level. Many believe legalizing same-sex marriage is not an urgent issue because civil unions are becoming legal in more states. â€Å"Giving same-sex couples the right to visit a loved one in the hospital, make end of life decisions and inherit property through civil unions was considered the middle ground† (Groeninger, 2012, p.1). There is a vast amount of differences in a marriage and civil union. Debatepedia’s 2011 research explains how civil unions are separate and unequal because people in a heterosexual relationship have access to civil unions, yet same-sex couples do not have access to marriage. Civil unions are unequal because they are not recognized state to state. A same-sex couple in a civil union is denied the all of the rights that come with marriage. Also, civil unions do not receive any federal benef it. â€Å"Because the federal government does not respect civil unions, a couple with a civil union will be in a kind of limbo with regard to governmental functions  performed by both state and federal governments, such as taxation, pension protections, provision of insurance for families, and means-tested programs like Medicaid† (National Organization of Women, 2012, p.1). The debate over same-sex marriage will forever rage until it becomes legalized. Same-sex relationships have been a part of history since the ancient times. Not allowing same-sex marriage is discrimination. Couples are denied financial benefits heterosexual couples receive. Same-sex marriage should be legalized so couples will have the right to make decisions regarding their partner’s health and medical treatment as well as allowing them to adopt one another’s children. Designing the bill a certain way will enable to church to stay uninvolved, since religious reasons are the most common reason fo r people being against same-sex marriage. Legalizing same-sex marriages will create equality for all people in a relationship and defeat the injustice among same-sex couples.