Evaluate the Strategic Leadership of Michael O’leary

Is Michael O’Leary an asset or a liability to Ryanair? The case suggests that he is both. Students could debate the pros and cons of Michael O’Leary’s continued leadership of the company. The characteristics that have driven the company forward – his enthusiasm and energy, his strategic insight, his determination and mission orientation – can be carried too far. Is it all part of an integrated inseparable whole, so do you have to take the good with the bad? Is this where we may enter the realm of Sidney Finkelstein’s failure warning signs, when you have too much of a good thing? In fact, some schools of thought would value Michael O’Leary’s relentless energy and his thriving on adversity. It shows a lack of complacency – quite the opposite of what Finkelstein points out as a danger signal. The capacity to irritate may bring about conflict and change. Also, in Michael O’Leary’s favour, as Ryanair’s largest single shareholder, he literally ‘puts his money where his mouth is’. Another way of looking at Michael O’Leary’s leadership is whether he was the right person for the job during the change era, but does the company now require more of a ‘manager’ than a ‘leader’ during a consolidation era? In other words, this is a ‘horses for courses’ approach to the evaluation of O’Leary’s leadership. One may ask whether and/or for how much longer Michael O’Leary wants to stay in the job. Will he get bored and retire to his cattle farm, currently his hobby? There is a suggestion that he would not be happy to preside over a static comfortable situation. Or, would he be headhunted by another airline or by another business altogether? Students might consider whether they would headhunt Michael O’Leary, and why or why not. Chapter 10 discusses types of leaders, i. e. transformational versus transactional and types of leadership emphases and approaches. It is an interesting exercise to see how students would categorise Michael O’Leary. Perhaps what emerges is that he is difficult to categorise. What does this imply?

Consultancy Report Essay

As a subsidiary of one of the largest cosmetics organizations in the world, you are in a position to dramatically increase your potential and further capitalize on your brands recognition. My hope is that you will establish and maintain a broader, more diverse customer base and increase your overall profitability. Based on an in-depth analysis and research conducted on your organizations behalf, I have identified several problematic areas in need of immediate attention. The following document will serve to provide valuable information to address these issues accordingly. One such issue and perhaps one of the most crucial is that of the organization’s brand awareness levels in the United Kingdom. This is due in part to the fact that Mary Kay U.K. is not as widely recognized in the United Kingdom as it is in the Americas. I recommend increasing your presence to reach potential customers who would otherwise be unaware of your organization. We will seek to address the significant growth of new potential competitors while developing a means of competing effectively against already established competitors. You will learn of new methods in which to remain relevant and a viable global contender in the cosmetics industry. New products will serve to provide your organization with a competitive edge and differentiate your organization from all its competitors. New policies and changes in the organization’s infrastructure will increase employee satisfaction an important factor for employee retention. These enhancements to the organization’s current dealings can ultimately increase profitability, improve customer satisfaction levels, and increase employee productivity. As Mary Kay U.K. adopts these changes and once in effect, there will be a need to take on additional employees to tend to the day-to-day operations and supplementary qualified/experienced executive-level professionals, allowing for a more focused approach on the management aspects of the organization. Effective documentation of the organization’s financials will allow for more educated and informed decision-making procedures. Adequate fiscal records serve as effective management tool for predicting future success, identify problem areas and to make decisions that will assist in the organization’s overall effectiveness. In addition to significantly changing the inner workings of the organization in the United Kingdom, substantial changes to the organizations image and frontend interfaces may be required to assist with the issue of brand awareness. The organization must become a well-oiled machine internally as well as an aesthetically pleasing entity for potential customers, future investors and for those considering strategic business alliances. Creating a more convivial atmosphere with which your organization would then be associated will give these interested parties a respectable first impression. It is apparent that lacking presentation and unfocused management gives rise to the decrease or stagnation of profitability and employee retention. Changes to policy, organizational image, and infrastructure will not only prove beneficial but may in fact be necessary for the success of the organization and its future viability within the United Kingdom. In addition, there must be changes in customer behavior to increase the probability of the organization’s adoption. The organization needs to appeal to a broader customer base after shifting consumer views of cosmetics to match that of American consumers. Thus, by implementing novel, eye-catching, and feeling invoking imagery or advertisements, people will in turn be more inclined to purchase Mary Kay products. In order to be more successful, I recommend the transformation of current marketing strategies. Implementation of a marketing plan that encompasses the arguably successful word-of-mouth strategy in addition to overt and persistent adverts by way of social media will benefit the organization’s image. Because a constant stream of information pertaining to the actual products will allow the consumer to easily recall the information and develop a need for the product as presented by the advertisement. In addition, there must be a vested interest in appealing to the variety of potential consumers within the United Kingdom. Mary Kay U.K. would be wise to capitalize on United Kingdom’s ever-growing and diverse population, via the translation and representation of the multitude of languages spoken within the target areas of operation. This will allow for a more comfortable customer experience and personalized identification with the Mary Kay brand. Brand Awareness is at an all-time low as target populations fail to recognize the Mary Kay Brand. The organization must increase its visibility in the growing cosmetics market in the United Kingdom. This is possible with improved advertising and re-imagined brand association. Increased brand recognition will assist with declining profits. The proposals presented in this consultancy report, should Mary Kay U.K. opt to adopt them will serve to promote the organization’s business aptitude and increase overall profitability and effectiveness. My hope is that this educated and informed counsel will effectively navigate the organization into a state of increased viability and the optimization and growth of Mary Kay U.K. business operations and clientele. INTRODUCTION This consultancy report will serve to provide the Mary Kay U.K. Ltd. Subsidiary of Mary Kay Cosmetics with informed suggestions to increase the organization’s revenues and improving the day-to-day dealings of the organization from a management perspective. Following extensive research of the organization’s operations, I have prepared a comprehensive examination of the organization in its entirety. This research has been comprised of a thorough analysis of the organization’s fiscal and promotion facets. This report also takes into account the consumer aspect of the organization, and the organization’s image as viewed by the public. In addition, it will serve to demonstrate the manner in which the target audience does or fails to accept this image. Crucial organizational issues have been identified and addressed accordingly, supplemented with recommendations for minimizing or eliminating potentially negative effects. These suggestions may prove insightful for the achievement of further profitability and consumer satisfaction should the organization choose to implement any or all of the changes proposed in this report. The information provided in this report comes via thorough research and analytical dismantling of data and industry trends and its reassembling in the form of a well-formulated business plan. Suggestions provided will seek to address Mary Kay U.K.’s organizational structure, the organization’s inclination to incorporate a corporate social responsibility element, consumer satisfaction, employee turn-over rates, decreasing or non-existent profits, brand recognition and awareness among target consumers and product quality, to name the most imperative of organization’s issues. In all, if implemented, these changes could ensure a significant turnaround for the Mary Kay U.K. entity. Numbers will rise to the status of or potentially rival those of its American contemporary. The organization would hold a strong position before its global competitors and open the door for future business strategic affiliations. The organizational redesign will prove beneficial for Mary Kay’s United Kingdom division as an organization, for the consumers now receiving increased quality services, and for the leveling of the cosmetics industry in the United Kingdom. ANALYSIS OF CLIENT BUSINESS Company Description and History Mary Kay Inc. is one of the largest cosmetics companies in the world to date. Headquartered in Addison, Texas at 16251 Dallas Parkway Addison, TX 75001 in the United States, it has manufacturing plants located in Dallas, Texas, Hangzhou, China and La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland for its European market. Mary Kay Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Mary Kay Holding Corporation. Founded by Mary Kay Ash in 1963 and based on personally established values that guided her everyday life she sought to help women live the life of their dreams. Company values include integrity, honesty and a belief in the Golden Rule; â€Å"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.† The mission, to assist and provide the vehicle that would allow prospective independent beauty consultants to have their respective dreams come true via the distribution, promotion, and retailing of a handful of products. Mary Kay Inc. identifies itself as a â€Å"Generation Everything† organization, meaning it serves everyone from all walks of life and of all ages. The organization recently posted that its revenues are up to 3 billion due to sales in its 35 + markets globally. All made possible by its 25 million global independent sales force.

Music 100 Concert Report Essay

Allegro, as the first movement is named, means to have a quick paced tempo. This movement starts with the first and second violins playing followed by the cello and viola, then finally the clarinet comes in over the rest of the musicians. This movement may be fast paced, but the tone of the movement is melancholy in some areas. The theme of the movement is played several times over. The theme of Allegro is the opening phrases where the first and second violins start, then add in the cello and viola, then the clarinet. This repeating phrase throughout the first movement helps create a pattern and a story. What is interesting in this movement is that the opening theme sets up the rest of the piece. Brahms changes the theme in each movement, but this original theme is still present in each movement after. The end of Allegro is built up into a large climax by using crescendo, a heavier and more violent bow stroke, and more rapid notes than are present in the rest of the piece. The Adagio, in contrast to the first movement, is slower paced and softer. The tone of this movement is in great contrast to the first as well. The mood is dark and full of anguish and despair, whereas in the first the mood was lighter. This mood is created by the difference in the style in which the musicians are playing. The clarinet in this movement plays lower notes that are sustained for long periods of time while the violin plays the melody over it. The first two movements of the piece are much lengthier than the last two movements. The third movement, Andantino, is faster than andante- which is a walking pace- but slower than moderato. The tempo marking andantino is more lively than andante. The third movement serves as a transition into the last movement. In this movement there is pizzicato, which is the plucking of the strings on a string instrument. The first and second violins, cello, and viola use this technique in this movement while  the clarinet plays the melody over them. The first violin adds in by playing on the string again, and then the rest of the strings add in playing using their bows instead of plucking the strings. The fourth movement, Con moto, is different from the previous movements because of the tone and style of this section, but it also revisits the original theme of the first movement, which ties all the movements together. The original theme is used as a framing device throughout the entire piece. Between each time the theme is played, there are different styles of other themes played. Some are mellower while others are more of a scherzo, which is a lively part within a larger work. This piece was preformed wonderfully by the GVSU Chamber Players. They played passionately and because of this, the audience could better understand the piece and what Brahms intended the audience to feel when they listened to his work. The players made great use of dynamics throughout the piece and they were very skilled in the different styles Brahms wrote into the music. I really enjoyed the concert and look forward to going to another soon.

Review of an academic research paper Literature

Of an academic research paper - Literature review Example The objectives and process behind developing effective simulation model have practical approach. The process is emphasizing not only on the participant personality but also on the designers personality which will help in model development. The author has explained the effectiveness of simulation in light of internal, external and educational validity. The subject most emphasized upon in this article is â€Å"educational validity† and the factors that influence its effectiveness. These factors are (a) simulation design, which emphasizes that simulation should be an accurate representative of the real world; and (b) implementation of simulation, which involves the involvement of participants (Stainton, Johnson & Borodzicz, 2010, p.707). The algorithmic validity and inaccurate representative of real world are the concerned issues. Although the simulation model is excellent, but if it cannot link up with real world scenarios, then such models are useless. Moreover, participants of the simulation should be self-motivated. The participant’s motivation can be assessed by the different motivation theories. So participant’s level of motivation is considered to be the moderating factor, which can increase the learning process. Along with participants, designer’s attribute carry an equivalent weight, while assessing simulation model for its learning effectiveness. Firstly, the designer of the model should be having respective expertise for which the simulation model is being made. Furthermore, designer should be unbiased while constructing the model. The research methodology framework for educational validity assessment has provided guidelines regarding problems that arise while building, implementing, and analyzing the simulation model. It includes formulation objectives, propositions, research designs, and instruments, which will then be analyzed; whether or not these instruments are good predictors of

New Policy Statements- HIPAA Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

New Policy Statements- HIPAA - Assignment Example ompletely secured and information were accessed and misused from the computers without having the need to operate the computer physically from which the data was supposed to be accessed. Developments in technology were making the business operations and way of working easier whereas, at the same time those developments assisted in manipulating ways and misusing the information for one’s own benefit (Pesante, 2008). The organization or company whose policies regarding information security need to be reviewed is in the business of insurance and deals with health insurance. The review is proposed in order to make certain that it fulfills the regulatory obligations and meet up to the obligations of the associated standards as well as regulations. The company comes under the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) according to which any information regarding health requires to be protected. Taking into account the federal standards, patients should be capable of accessing information in relation to their respective medical records (HIPAA, 2007). Based on the nature of business operations, the company complies with the guidelines of HIPAA, HITECH, GLBA and PCI-DSS. In spite of abiding by all the relevant regulations, the policy regarding accessing information by a fresh user and the prerequisite for passwords are becoming a grave concern for the supervisor of the company. Although the present policy of the company ensures high level of security but still it should structure a new policy. According to the new policy the request to access information by the new user along with the personal details and signature would be initially taken down. According to the policy, access would be provided only to the particular information or area specifically requested by the new user. There should be a time limit mentioned in the policy for accessing information by a new user and once the limit is over, the access should be automatically denied by the

Article's Critique 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Article's Critique 2 - Essay Example However, Anna M. Miller maintains a different perspective of the sustainability of the various alternatives base on the potential benefits and costs they would impose on the people. Nonetheless, the validity of the authors view on the much-required reforms in the health care sector at the time is debatable. The main purpose of Millers article ‘Health Care Reform: Clarifying the Concepts is to address the financial issues that relate to the health care reform. In the article, the author primarily describes the various options conceptualized by special interest groups and policymakers (Miller, 1993). Effecting a meaningful reform in the health care sector require a prudent consideration of the different financial strategies to implementing various reform options as discussed at length in the article. Most often, in the application of individual insights and the maintenance of mutual interest, we are prompted to perceive things differently. In connection with the reforms, it is the viewpoint of the author that the available financial reform strategies are oversimplified with an intention of exploring their basics. Maybe or maybe not. The issue of the options being oversimplified in the article is the authors belief that may not be the case for the neutral reader. The intricacy of th e strategies is maintained when the little distinction between the options is made, and we only find that it is difficult to tell the likely better direction one should take. Millers intention in writing the article was to reveal how challenging it was to implement the inevitable reforms in health care. The authors intention to contrast the push for basic reforms and incremental changes, as advocated for by different forces, can be established with ease. It is the authors belief that implementing any changes in the health sector required the political goodwill of the policymakers (Miller, 1993).

Healthcare Administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Healthcare Administration - Essay Example Also students can protect themselves from expensive medical treatment after emergency situations such as appendectomy by paying a low cost monthly rate. This is called catastrophic insurance and it will provide you all needed treatment. Also Affordable Care Act protects people at age under 65 providing them with tax credit subsidy opportunities. Therefore, all students that cannot cover the medical insurance by themselves can use some options that can help to improve their health after illness. Nowadays receiving the medical insurance in the United States became easier and more effective process. It can help to protect health and life of young adults as they will be sure that they will receive an appropriate treatment when needed. But it is quite important to develop, improve and extend insurance coverage all over the world. (Michael Cahill, 2013) 1. Michael Cahill.(2013). Health Care Reform For The College Student: How The Affordable Care Act Will Affect You. Collegexpress. Online . Retrieved from

Social Media and Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Social Media and Marketing - Essay Example 54; Zhivov, Scheepers & Stockdale, 2011, p. 1). Academic inquiries into the power of social media in communication has indicated a growing preference of social media as replacement of traditional forms of communication such as mobile telephone communication, the use of e-mails, letter writing, and some forms of internet-based communication. It might be necessary to appraise the power of social media in terms of the kind of synergies that have been brought into the discourse of marketing. The advantages range from the time factor, cost of operation, to convenience and other aspects of communication (Zarrella, 2009, p. 164; Zhivov, Scheepers & Stockdale, 2011). However, some experts have established that the effectiveness of social media is highly dependent on various factors such as timing and the target groups. Studies conducted on the use of social media have shown that there are demographic variations in the manner in which the virtual communities use the internet resource. Matters of age, race, gender, religion, personality, and others determine the demographic variables. These demographic variables determine the trends of usage, the kind of interests in the usage, and the levels of connections. Equally, the levels of education, social status, and geographical reasons have also been shown to affect the manner in which social media is used by different people. Exploiting the opportunities availed by social media for the purposes of communication and marketing requi re a balance of the various factors that relate to its usage. Some businesses have been able to harness the power of social media for effective marketing while others have faced various challenges in the process. According to some marketing experts, the type of business determines the appropriateness of the marketing strategy. However, studies have shown that both the service sector and the products sector have adopted social media marketing to enhance their reach to the client base. Social Media and Marketing Strategies Businesses across the world are increasingly turning to social media as an efficient and cost-effective marketing strategy (Tuten & Solomon, 2012, p. 91). Different businesses have developed varying strategies of using social media for the purposes of marketing. According to some communication experts, the type of reach of social media to vast audiences is determined by the way in which companies package the marketing message. The choice of language and use of graph ic illustrations have been shown as some of the ways that affect the effectiveness of social media marketing. The kind of language used in marketing determines the kind of audience that will be attracted by the advertisement (Tuten & Solomon, 2012). Social media has created a community that is defined by a special kind of language. The language varies from the standard forms in the sense that it defines the standard forms and structures of language. There is a casual sense in the language that enables some ease of communication among those who subscribe to it. The effectiveness of communication is highly dependent on the ability of the company to adopt this language and use it appropriately to achieve its marketing objectives. Marketing and advertisement often targets the conscious and subconscious minds of the target

Mock Variable Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mock Variable - Assignment Example Sales volume defines cumulative sales that a retail consultant realizes in a two-week period. Every product has a sales price and the prices of all products that a consultant sells will be aggregated to determine each consultant’s sales volume. Leadership potential defines perceived ability to influence others towards desired objectives. In the study, the ability will be with respect to supervisors’ influence on the consultants and the consultants’ influence on buyers. Leadership style defines a person’s dominant leadership behavior. Even though an individual may have traits that define more than one leadership style, there will always be a dominant style at a time. Three leadership styles that the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire measures will be considered and these are transformational leadership, transactional leadership, and passive-avoidant leadership styles (Anderson, Nilson, and Rhodes, 2009). Sales volume will be measured from observed value of products that a consultant sells based on sales price. The variable will be measured on a ratio scale that is suitable for both descriptive and inferential statistics. Leadership potential will be measured through a pre-developed questionnaire, Leadership Practices Inventory, and using ratio scale (Kouzes, Posner, and Biech, 2010). The quantitative scope of the data means possible use of descriptive and inferential statistics for analysis. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire will be used to measure leadership style on an ordinal scale. This is because of an assumption of relative effectiveness of the leadership styles on the consultants’ effectiveness. Analysis of variance for difference in levels of effectiveness is therefore the suitable inferential statistic. Like age, level of education will be measured through a questionnaire to which participants will respond. It will be measured on an

E-book Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

E-book - Essay Example The researchers employed survey type of data gathering. E-mail questionnaires were sent which facilitated the survey of researches in the academic and research environment, specifically in the Indian Institute of Science and Technology about their use of e-books on their line of work. This helped the researchers gather the pertinent information on the completion of the research. The survey was done on July 2004 and was drafted according to the objectives drawn by the researchers which gave birth to 27 questions. Of the 101 questionnaires that were completed, 85 (84.15 percent) were from students, 16 (15.84 percent) were from staff. Of the surveyed respondents, 37 were able to use the free trial offer between June and July 2004. This data represents 36.63 percent of the 101 respondents and 1.66 staff as a whole. Meanwhile, the results showed that 29.40 percent or 60 of the 101 had used e-books at least once. Simply put, the responses gathered from the data gathering procedure show that the students are more inclined in this kind of technology more than the faculty members and staff.

Appraising the Secretaries at Sweetwater University Essay Example for Free

Appraising the Secretaries at Sweetwater University Essay 1.What is computer? -Computer is an electronic device that is designed to work with Information.The term ‘computer is derived from the Latin term ‘computare’, this means to calculate.Computer can not do anything without a Program.it represents the decimal numbers through a string of binary digits. Computer is an advanced electronic device that takes raw data as input from the user and processes these data under the control of set of instructions (called program) and gives the result (output) and saves output for the future use. It can process both numerical and non-numerical (arithmetic and logical) calculations. 2.Four functions of computer -The four basic functions of a computer are input, processing, output and storage. Input is the information which is entered into the computer. Processing is performing operations on or manipulating data. Output is the result of the data processing. Storage refers to devices that can retain the data when the computer is deactivated. 3.Computer system -A system of interconnected computers that share a central storage system and various peripheral devices such as a printers, scanners, or routers. Each computer connected to the system can operate independently, but has the ability to communicate with other external devices and computers. 4.Classifications of computer according to 3 devices (1) Micro computers: These computers use a microprocessor chip and this chip is used instead of CPU means that this microprocessor chip works as a CPU. These computers are also called personal computers. Two major types of these computers are laptop or Desktop computers. Only one user uses these computers at time thats why they are also known as personal computers. (2) Mini Computers: These are powerful computer. These computers come into existence in 1960s at that time mainframe computer was very costly. Mini computers were available in cheap prices, so users start using it. (3) Mainframe Computer: It as a very powerful and large computer. You can get  idea of its power as it can handle processing of many users at a time. Terminals are used to connect a user to this computer and users submit there task through mainframe. Terminal is a device which has keyboard and a screen. By using terminal users put inputs into the computer and get the output through screen. (4) Super Computers: As the name super computer specifies that these are most powerful computers even than mainframe. Actually, when we optimize a mainframe computer then we get super computer. 5. History of computer The word ‘computer’ originally implied a person, who, under instructions from a mathematician, performed mechanical calculations. Mechanical calculating devices such as the abacus were often put to use to aid this process. At the end of the Middle Ages, mathematics and engineering in Europe received a considerable boost, thus leading to the invention of numerous mechanical calculating devices. The technology for clockwork was developed by the early 17th century. The period between the early 19th century and early 20th century saw the development of a number of technologies which would be vital for the development of the digital computer later on. Some examples are the punched card and the valve. Charles Babbage was the first person to design a fully programmable computer as early as 1837. However, he was unable to actually construct his computer due to a variety of reasons. Analog computers were increasingly used in the first half of the 20th century for a number of scientific computing needs. However, they became obsolete after the development of the digital computer. The first digital computer was the Atanasoff Berry Computer . It used a binary system of arithmetic, parallel processing, a separation of memory and computing functions and regenerative memory. Binary math and electronic circuits – both of which are used in today’s computers – were first used in the Atanasoff Berry Computer. In the 1930’s and 1940’s, newer and more efficient computers were continuously developed. Gradually, they came to possess the key features which are present in modern day computers – digital electronics and flexibility of programming. Among the more important machines to be developed during this time, the American ENIAC was prominent. It was a general purpose machine, but had an inflexible architecture. Later a far superior technique known as the stored program architecture was  developed. It is the foundation from which all modern computers are derived. Throughout the 1950’s, computer design [http://www.online-computers.info] was primarily valve driven. This was later replaced by transistor-driven design in the 1960’s. Transistor-based computers were smaller, faster and cheaper, and hence commercially viable. Integrated circuit technology, adopted in the 1970’s enabled computer production costs to hit a new low, so that even individuals could afford them. That was the birth of the personal computer, as it is known today. 6.Examples of Input,Output Devices: *Manual- Abacus,Slide rule,Leibiniz’z Calculator,Napier’s bones,Pascal calculator,Babbage’s Analytical engine *Electronic-Unversal automatic computer,Electronic delayed storage automatic calculator,Electronic discrete variable automatic computer,Electronic numerical integrator and calculator,Atanossof-Berry computer *Electromechanical-Automatic sequence controlled calculator,Jacquard’s Loom, Hollerith’s punched-card machine

Economic recession Essay Example for Free

Economic recession Essay Economic recession is a period of economic decline; it means that there is a drop in the stock market, and an increase in unemployment but also a decline in the housing market. It also means that in Tourism, the residents of UK will have to will choose to holiday at home as the http://www. independent. co. uk infers ‘’ Grounded by the diminishing value of the pound and fears about the recession, record numbers of Britons will choose to holiday at home this summer. ‘’ Source http://www. independent. co. uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/its-an-ill-wind-uk-tourism-finds-recession-is-so-bracing-1522542. html Additionally, the research by Visit Britain, the tourism authority, has shown that 74 % of people are trying to reduce their holiday spending, and are spending more time planning their trips to maximize value, a cottage in Britain where you can just pack the car up and take all your own food suggests that youve got greater control. However reducing the holiday spending is not the major problem, as there has been a big change in visits to Britain official figures have revealed that the number of tourists who visited the UK from overseas in 2009 suffered a 7% decline on the previous year to 29.57 million. The data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also showed that the number of UK residents who made trips abroad fell 15% last year to 58. 53 million. But visitors to the UK spent around ? 16. 48 billion, or 1% more last year than they did in 2008, a contrast to UK residents expenses while abroad, which amounted to ? 31. 85 billion a 14% fall on figures from 2008. The recession also had an impact on the number of trips UK residents took abroad last year. The figure fell 16% to 38. 44 million, while business trips were down 22% and visits to friends and relatives (VFR) abroad fell 7%. By contrast, more foreigners visited the UK on holiday, with the numbers rising 3% last year, although the overall total suffered with business trips falling 20%. The ONS also recorded a fall of 10% in the number of VFR trips to the UK last year. Records also reveal that UK residents took 21% fewer trips to North America last year and 15% fewer trips to Europe. Source http://www. statistics. gov. uk/hub/index. html Source http://uk. reuters. com/article/2009/07/16/us-britain-travel-idUKTRE56F3FX20090716 QUALITY OF GOOD AND SERVICES Most visitors that come to United Kingdom have clear expectations about what they must pay for, but most of all; they are hoping that the quality of what they pay for is worth their money. The concept of value for money is closely related to price but also involves other quality criteria. The English Tourism Council’s has set up star rating that let the visitors to be informed before they book accommodation to recognise quality and to differentiate levels of facilities and services which as potential guests they can expect, so that it can help them to match their needs and ensure they are not disappointed. The star rating gives an overall judgement of quality including comfort, space, facilities, and cleanliness, and can be used by both domestic and inbound tourits. One star indicates that the place is acceptable overall of quality. There is also adequate provision of furniture, furnishings, and fittings. Hotels that have only one star are usually small, and privately owned. Dinner may not be offered. Two star hotels are also usually small, and privately owned, including resort hotels, and commercial hotels. Accommodation offers a good degree of space and convenience. Furnishings may be simple but are well maintained in all the bedrooms. Breakfast is offered daily to residents and their guests. Dinner is available at least five nights per week. Three star hotels indicates that it is a more formal style of hotel with a greater range of facilities and services such as colour television, telephones, radios, desk etc. There are also public areas including lounge seating, restaurants or bars. Dinner will be provided seven nights per week and light snack lunches are available in the bar or lounge, together with a wide range of drinks. Additionally, there’s also laundry service available. Four star hotels infers that there is a luxury quality with services to match, for example, there is a selection of catering options all offering cuisine and service of the highest international quality. There is also highly trained, professional staff providing exceptional levels of anticipatory service. Source http://www. britainexpress. com/oxford-hotels/star-ratings. htm EXCHANGE RATES The value of one currency against another currency is known as the foreign exchange rate. Exchange rates are an important factor in determining patterns of holiday taking, as any rise in the value of the pound will encourage outbound tourism, particularly if it involves the leading destinations countries. The value of the pound, or sterling, against another currency affects the cost of coming here for inbound tourists. It can affect negatively if it is more expensive to visit UK, but also can affect positively it is cheaper to visit UK. It is more likely that the appeal to tourist will increase when sterling is weak, as they will get more pounds for their money. Conversely, if sterling is strong, overseas visitors get less pounds in exchange for their money and are less likely to want to come here. In recent years sterling has been very strong against the dollar, or the dollar has been weak against sterling – which amounts to the same thing. This has meant that it has been relatively cheap for UK outbound tourists to visit the United States and more expensive for Americans to come to the UK. As VisitBritain. org have suggested that due to the dollar being weak against sterling, America perceived United Kingdom, as an expensive place to visit – the cost of accommodation, transport, and food has been highlighted by Americans as being really high priced. If the pas is riding high against most other currencies, it allows the British to budget for their holidays abroad with unusual freedom of choice, because the UK holidaymakers get much more for their money. For example, the rate of exchange with the Spanish peseta, the French franc, and the US dollar influences over 60 % of the holidays taken abroad by the British. The exchange rates depend on the strength or the weakness of sterling but they are also affected by the internal strength of currencies in main destination countries like France or Spain. At the moment the strenght of the pound sterling against other currencies looks as following Source  http://fx-rate.net/

Why women suffer disadvantage in the employment relationship

Why women suffer disadvantage in the employment relationship The essay will concentrate on the phenomenon of an occupational gender segregation that women continue to suffer in the labour market in Britain. Firstly this essay will look at some statistics surrounding women in the employment. Secondly, the paper will consider theories that try to explain the occupational segregation by sex. The essay will examined the neo-classical economic theories of human capital and rational choice. Moreover, the paper will evaluate if these theories stands up as an argument to reason the occupational gender segregation. Then the concept of patriarchy which is at the centre of feminist theory will be presented and appraised in connection with understanding the cause of occupational sex segregation. The last theory to be assessed in relation to disadvantage experienced by women in the labour market will be the idea of preference theory based on Catherine Hakims study. Despite over forty years since first Equal Opportunities legislation has been introduced, labour market in the United Kingdom is marked by the sexual segregation in occupations that women so often experience. Labour Market Statistics( 2010) highlights that 42.8% of female employees work in part-time jobs to compare with 11.9% of their male counterparts and 74.4% of all employees in part-time jobs are women; thus part-time jobs tend to be seen as womens work. This generates financial consequences for women. Recent survey by Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (2009, p.5) illustrates that the full time gender pay gap is at 16.4% and the part time gender pay gap is at 13.2%. The Equal Opportunities Commission (2006) estimated that the gender pay gap would lose a woman working on full-time basis a cumulative amount of  £330,000, or  £210,000 after taxes over her life. Labour Force Survey (2006, p.5) also points out that women predominantly work in service occupations whereby men most ly work in management occupations and in professions that require high level of knowledge and skills. The neo-classical economic theories of human capital and rational choice represent a prominent proposition that attempts to clarify the reasons behind occupational sex segmentation. (Blackburn et al., 2002, p.515) The rational theory suggests that employees and employers behave sensibly in the labour market. Thus, people decide to invest in their qualifications and gain work experience in order to obtain the highest level of income possible after assessing the level and quality of their human capital and existing constrains to enter particular occupation (Anker, 1997, p.317). Furthermore, employers look for the highest return possible by increasing productivity and reducing costs. However, the rationality of employers actions may cause unequal treatment of women in employment sphere (Kirton and Greene, 2005, p.55). According to human capital theory, women entering labour market offer lower level of knowledge and skills, and less suitable qualifications that employers are looking for compare to men partly due to inequality women experience within education system (Haggerty and Johnson, 1995 p.212 and 216) and partly because women are predominant child carers and are solely responsible for home activities (Anker, 1997, p.317). Moreover, women obtain lower level of work experience than their male counterparts due to temporary or permanent exit from the labour market to look after their youngsters and households (Kirton and Greene, 2005, p.55). Neo-classical theories indicate that house duties make women often to opt for a part-time work, a full-time job that does not require much effort and energy (Blackburn et al., 2002, p.517). Therefore, female workers are often regarded by employers as less committed and less professional (Epstein et al., 1999 in Hardill and Watson, 2000, pp.21-22). In accordance with Polacheks theory, women usually select occupations that do not carry severe penalties for short-term breaks that women take to care for their children and homes (England, 1982, p.363). Furthermore, the employers often link female employees with higher indirect costs, which the most known is maternity leave. It is said that women are more likely to be late or absent at work than men, possibly due to home responsibilities (Kirton and Greene, 2005, p.57). The women are often associated with high level of turnover as they often quit their jobs after childbirth or in some cases after getting married (Anker, 1997, p.317).Thus, according to Becker (1971 in Anker, 1997, p.320), employers are rational when they abstain to employ women in order to avoid higher indirect costs. Despite of neo-classical theories contribution to explaining occupational sex segregation, there are some issues when these theories are the only one considered. Evidences have indicated that womens participation in employment has risen in Britain since 70s (Kirton and Greene, 2005, p.60). Labour market statistics (November 2010, p.3) indicates that recent women employment rate stands at 65.7% compare with just 56 % in 1971(Office for National Statistics 2009).An introduction of house appliances such as washing machines, cookers and microwaves has decreased significantly the time required to perform certain house activities in recent decades (Bowden and Offer, 1994, p.728). Moreover, recently more women are force to work to sustain themselves and their children due to a higher proportion of single parent households (Buvini, 1995 in Kirton and Greene, 2005, p.60). Census (2001) statistics have indicated that 90.5 %of households in England and Wales are headed by single women. These ch anges indicate that women have increased their work experience and in this way they have enhanced their human capital (Kirton and Greene, 2005, p.60). Considering the human capital theory these changes should enable women to enter occupations. However, women still face barriers to enter those occupations (Anker, 1997, p.320), and the reason for that is not explained by the economic theories. In accordance with economic theories, lower level of income achieved by women is fair as their level of human capital is much lower than that of the male workers. However, pay inequality between men and women is much higher than would be anticipated based on human capital reasoning (Treiman and Hartmann, 1981; World Bank, 1994 in Blackburn et al., 2002, p.517). Furthermore, womens pay inequality is not only bounded to women with children. There are many professions which also badly reward single women. Although rational choice theory explains that there is a belief that all women will have children, recent researches have highlighted that more and more women are fully dedicated to their careers and decide to have no children on their own (Browne 2000; Franks 1999 in Blackburn et al., 2002, p.519). When looking at indirect costs, they are perceived to be higher for female employees than their male counterparts; however, the evidence has shown that the rate of absenteeism and turnover is very similar for both genders (Anker, 1997, p.319). The argument of human capital theory that women traditionally choose professions that are not costly when suspended for a short-time (Watts and Rich, 1993, p.60) is disapproved by England (1982). The evidence England has put forward indicates that professions with a high rate of women do not necessary carry lower penalties for short-term breaks from work than professions with lower rate of women (England, 1982, p.365). The neo-classical theories arguments applied alone offers just limited explanation for occupational sex segregation. Kirton and Greene (2005, p.62) have put forward questions that the economic theories do not explain; why do certain social groups on average come to the labour market with lower levels of education and in what are seen as less relevant subjects? Why is housework and childcare and elder care almost always the sole responsibility of women? The gender theory concept of patriarchy should fill the gaps that exist in economic theories discussed earlier. According to Hartmann (1976, p.152-3), occupational gender segregation is a result of the phenomenon of patriarchy. This concept is concerned with a social situation where women are in subordinate position and are dominated, exploited, and undermined by powerful men (Bender L., 1988, pp.5-6); thus it seems to be intended as an explanation of vertical segregation (Blackburn et al., 2002, p.521). Women around the world are generally perceived to be housewives, and men to be main breadwinners in households. This might explain why women are solely accountable for most of the house activities and childcare (Anker, 1997, p. 324). Due to patriarchal system, women joining labour market are affected by their free house work; their incomes are perceived as extra money added to a primary incomes of their husbands. This in turn stimulates the gender pay gap that exists in the United Ki ngdom (Kirton and Greene, 2005, p.64). The fact that women occupy subordinate positions and perform house duties solely might explain why women enter the labour market with lower levels of education and are more likely to obtain qualifications that are less relevant to the labour market as it is believed that women have a lower desire for qualifications that are appropriate to labour market (Anker, 1997, p.324). Although the patriarchy theory is indented to comprehend the concept of occupational sex segregation, many scholars have highlighted some limitations when considered separately. Walbys claim that men have usually been successful in excluding women from the better work (1986,p.248) is disputed by evidences seen in the British society where many women work in better professions, and have better working and living conditions than many of their male counterparts (Blackburn et al.2002, p.521) The patriarchy theory reasoning is also looking bad when we take into consideration recent developments in the labour market, where shrinking of the male trades (such as mining, steel and docking) and the expansion of the service sector has favoured women more than men. The evidences have shown that in some parts of UK women account for most then 50% of the entire workforce (Browne, 2000 in Blackburn et al., 2002, p.521). The preference theory is a connection between gender theory of patriarchy and Goldbergs (1973, 1979, and 1993) biological theories. Hakim (1996 in Crompton and Harris, 998b, p.144) argues that men are more ruthless and ambitious than women due to higher testosterone levels in their organism. She presents the evidence which indicates that male labour market dominance is strongly supported by both genders. Furthermore, Hakim believes that women are not the same and they differ in relation to their family and work commitments (Blackburn et al., 2002, p.523).Their choices between job and home are not limited by any significant restrictions (Hakim in McRae, 2003, p.318) but are based purely on their preferences. Hakim (2002, p.434) assigns women to three groups. The first group involves the work-centred females who are highly committed to their jobs. The second group are the home-centred women. Women belonging to this group are devoted to their families and prefer to stay at home (Blackbu rn, 2001, p.523). The third group includes the adaptive women who juggle job and home or women who have no idea where their careers are going (McRae, 2003, p. 318). Hakim (1996, p.211) suggests that male solidarity wins because women dither, because they are swayed by the dominant male voice and also because women are divided in their preferences and interests. Thus, the interplay between womens differences, an argument of patriarchy theory of male domination and womens diverse priorities explains the womens employment position in Britain (Crompton and Harris, 1998b, p.144). Hakim (2002, p.435-7) suggests that only small proportion of women are fully concentrated on their careers or families. Large majority of females integrate family and work without fully committing to either (Hakim, 2002, p.434). This view is supported by evidences that have shown that only 10% of first-time mothers remain in full-time work where 90% of mothers mix periods of full-time and part-time work or leave the labour market permanently (McRae, 2003, p.322-3) However, preference theory also has some deficiencies. Blackburn et al. (2002, p.525) disagree with an argument that womens choices are not limited by any constraints. They point out that concerns such as possible income and childcare costs have a great impact on women choices that might be far from their preferred choice. McRae (2003, p.333) suggests that the evidences introduced in her paper shows that women are not as diverse as suggested by Hakim in their choices in regards to their work and family lifestyle but they are different in their capacities to act on those preferences. These evidences are clashing with an assumption of preference theory about female heterogeneity. This concluding part of the essay offer some general conclusions about the applicability of the theories analysed in this paper for the reason behind the occupational gender segregation in Britain presented by statistical data. Discussed in the paper theories of neo-classical, patriarchy and preference have been very useful to understanding why women experience disadvantage in the labour market. They have offered different and sometimes contrasting arguments. Thus, the main argument of human capital theory is that women are disadvantaged due to their lower level of education and work experience which is a product of inequality in a schooling system and sole responsibilities for home and children. Contrary to human capital theory, preference theory has argued that women choose to be committed or uncommitted to their work careers and there are no major constrains to prohibit women from joining the labour market. On the other hand the concept of patriarchy has highlighted that male domi nation over women in societies is the main reason behind occupational gender segregation. Despite their great value to comprehend the cause of occupational segregation by sex, all of these theories are flawed to same degree and neither should be considered separately. To fully understand the reason for women disadvantage in the employment relationship, there is a need to bring neo-classical, patriarchy and preference theories together.

Enzymes Essay example -- essays research papers

The structure of the enzyme is mainly dependent on the active site and variable groups. Extreme temperatures or extreme pHs can alter the structure of an enzyme. Enzymes function to lower the activation energy to break the bonds. They achieve this by putting stress and pressure on the bonds or creating a microenvironment for the substrate. Enzymes are regulated by inhibitors or activators and can be inhibited by the products of the reaction, called feedback inhibition. Enzymes are catalytic proteins; therefore they change the rate of a reaction without being consumed. This means that once and enzyme does its job it can still perform the same function as it did before. Organic catalysts change the rate of a reaction without being permanently changed. Enzymes are polypeptides that are made up of amino acids. Enzyme variable groups that are exposed are the places in which biological processes take place. These side chains, commonly called "R groups," make up the active site and catalyze the conversion of the substrate to make a product. These side chains are often called variable groups because they are often what determines the kind of enzyme it is, therefore determining what substrates it will bond with. A change in temperature or a fluctuation in pH can alter the enzyme’s structure. Anent temperature the alteration of the enzymes occurs when the temperature is very high and the enzyme denatures and is unable to perform the desired task. The temperature is so high that the active site of the enzyme changes and it is unable to bond with substrates. The pH at which different enzymes denature differs from enzyme to enzyme. Similar to too high a temperature, if a specific enzyme is at a pH at which the active site changes, the enzyme is unable to function. This illustrates how the structure of an enzyme is vital to its proper functioning. Allosteric enzymes differ in structure than the previous enzymes addressed. The extreme temperature and pH rules, however, still apply. Most allosteric enzymes are composed of two or more sub units, each having its own active site. The allosteric enzymes are constantly changing between two conformational states, active and inactive states anent functioning. This oscillation helps in the regulation of the enzymes. Enzymes function as organic catalysts, meaning that they are organic molecules (proteins) that change ... ...r to the allosteric site while the enzyme is in the inactive form will impede the ability of the enzyme to function. Cooperativity is when a substrate binds to the active site of an allosteric enzyme thus leaving the enzyme in active form and aiding in the binding of other enzymes to the other active sites of the enzymes. Feedback inhibition occurs when a metabolic pathway is turned off by the end product of the reaction. For example, the end product of a specific reaction may be an allosteric inhibitor to the specific enzyme that makes the product; this prevents the enzyme to make more products when they are not needed. As the product accumulates the product slows down the synthesis or products. In conclusion, the structure of the enzyme is mainly dependent on the active site and variable groups. Extreme temperatures or extreme pHs can alter the structure of an enzyme. Enzymes function to lower the activation energy to break the bonds. They achieve this by putting stress and pressure on the bonds or creating a microenvironment for the substrate. Enzymes are regulated by inhibitors or activators and can be inhibited by the products of the reaction, called feedback inhibition. Enzymes Essay example -- essays research papers The structure of the enzyme is mainly dependent on the active site and variable groups. Extreme temperatures or extreme pHs can alter the structure of an enzyme. Enzymes function to lower the activation energy to break the bonds. They achieve this by putting stress and pressure on the bonds or creating a microenvironment for the substrate. Enzymes are regulated by inhibitors or activators and can be inhibited by the products of the reaction, called feedback inhibition. Enzymes are catalytic proteins; therefore they change the rate of a reaction without being consumed. This means that once and enzyme does its job it can still perform the same function as it did before. Organic catalysts change the rate of a reaction without being permanently changed. Enzymes are polypeptides that are made up of amino acids. Enzyme variable groups that are exposed are the places in which biological processes take place. These side chains, commonly called "R groups," make up the active site and catalyze the conversion of the substrate to make a product. These side chains are often called variable groups because they are often what determines the kind of enzyme it is, therefore determining what substrates it will bond with. A change in temperature or a fluctuation in pH can alter the enzyme’s structure. Anent temperature the alteration of the enzymes occurs when the temperature is very high and the enzyme denatures and is unable to perform the desired task. The temperature is so high that the active site of the enzyme changes and it is unable to bond with substrates. The pH at which different enzymes denature differs from enzyme to enzyme. Similar to too high a temperature, if a specific enzyme is at a pH at which the active site changes, the enzyme is unable to function. This illustrates how the structure of an enzyme is vital to its proper functioning. Allosteric enzymes differ in structure than the previous enzymes addressed. The extreme temperature and pH rules, however, still apply. Most allosteric enzymes are composed of two or more sub units, each having its own active site. The allosteric enzymes are constantly changing between two conformational states, active and inactive states anent functioning. This oscillation helps in the regulation of the enzymes. Enzymes function as organic catalysts, meaning that they are organic molecules (proteins) that change ... ...r to the allosteric site while the enzyme is in the inactive form will impede the ability of the enzyme to function. Cooperativity is when a substrate binds to the active site of an allosteric enzyme thus leaving the enzyme in active form and aiding in the binding of other enzymes to the other active sites of the enzymes. Feedback inhibition occurs when a metabolic pathway is turned off by the end product of the reaction. For example, the end product of a specific reaction may be an allosteric inhibitor to the specific enzyme that makes the product; this prevents the enzyme to make more products when they are not needed. As the product accumulates the product slows down the synthesis or products. In conclusion, the structure of the enzyme is mainly dependent on the active site and variable groups. Extreme temperatures or extreme pHs can alter the structure of an enzyme. Enzymes function to lower the activation energy to break the bonds. They achieve this by putting stress and pressure on the bonds or creating a microenvironment for the substrate. Enzymes are regulated by inhibitors or activators and can be inhibited by the products of the reaction, called feedback inhibition.

Free Essays - Anne Frank :: Anne Frank

The Franks were your general German family and Anne was your general German girl. This family of four lived in Germany, Mr. Frank was an average business man, Mrs. Frank was an average mother and Margot and Anne were average students. The one thing that made them different in the eyes of Hitler, was the fact that they were Jewish. Once Hitler rose to power, the Franks fled to Holland, where the hoped to be safe from the Jewish-blood thirsty Nazis, they went on with their normal lives, until once again Hitler took over. This caused the Franks to flee again, only this time they would be in hiding. A plan was devised; the Franks would stay in an abandoned section of the Kraler office building, along with another family of three: the Van Daans. The Franks set off for their new "home" before the Van Daans. They had to carry with them things that would last for as far as they knew, years. Anne took with her two vests, three pairs of pants, a dress and skirt, jacket, summer coat, shoes, two pairs of stockings, a cap and a scarf. During the journey through the streets, non-jews looked at them with pity and sorrow, they knew that there was nothing they could do to help them, no rides, no food, no help period. Once they arrived to what they called, the "Secret Annexe" they set their things in their rooms. Anne decorated her wall with all of her favorite actors and actresses. About a week later the Van Daans joined them, Mrs. Van Daan brought with her, her "chamber" Mr. Van Daan brought a folding tea table and Peter brought his cat Mouschi. Each of them had their own individual personality, Mr. Van Daan, was pretty mellow with most of the Franks, especially Margot, but often had a word or two to say about Anne, he didn't like her constant chattering. Mrs. Van Daan was loud and flirtatious, constantly pestering people and never willing to do her part of the work around the Annexe. Then there's Peter, the quiet, dull and boring one. At first Anne cannot stand Peter's laziness, but she later grows quite fond of him. As time goes on, they each get to know each other a little better, Miep brings them news from the outside world as often as she can along with some small amounts of rations. Free Essays - Anne Frank :: Anne Frank The Franks were your general German family and Anne was your general German girl. This family of four lived in Germany, Mr. Frank was an average business man, Mrs. Frank was an average mother and Margot and Anne were average students. The one thing that made them different in the eyes of Hitler, was the fact that they were Jewish. Once Hitler rose to power, the Franks fled to Holland, where the hoped to be safe from the Jewish-blood thirsty Nazis, they went on with their normal lives, until once again Hitler took over. This caused the Franks to flee again, only this time they would be in hiding. A plan was devised; the Franks would stay in an abandoned section of the Kraler office building, along with another family of three: the Van Daans. The Franks set off for their new "home" before the Van Daans. They had to carry with them things that would last for as far as they knew, years. Anne took with her two vests, three pairs of pants, a dress and skirt, jacket, summer coat, shoes, two pairs of stockings, a cap and a scarf. During the journey through the streets, non-jews looked at them with pity and sorrow, they knew that there was nothing they could do to help them, no rides, no food, no help period. Once they arrived to what they called, the "Secret Annexe" they set their things in their rooms. Anne decorated her wall with all of her favorite actors and actresses. About a week later the Van Daans joined them, Mrs. Van Daan brought with her, her "chamber" Mr. Van Daan brought a folding tea table and Peter brought his cat Mouschi. Each of them had their own individual personality, Mr. Van Daan, was pretty mellow with most of the Franks, especially Margot, but often had a word or two to say about Anne, he didn't like her constant chattering. Mrs. Van Daan was loud and flirtatious, constantly pestering people and never willing to do her part of the work around the Annexe. Then there's Peter, the quiet, dull and boring one. At first Anne cannot stand Peter's laziness, but she later grows quite fond of him. As time goes on, they each get to know each other a little better, Miep brings them news from the outside world as often as she can along with some small amounts of rations.

Flattery in Pride and Prejudice Essay example -- Pride and Prejudice

Flattery in Pride and Prejudice Since its composition in 1797, Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice has enjoyed two centuries of literary esteem not because of its witty dialogue or its tantalizing plot, but because of its universal themes that allow modern readers to identify with early Victorian life. Although the novel focuses on the etiquette of courtship, related social rituals are also prevalent throughout the story. William Collins, a rector in Pride and Prejudice, uses excessive flattery to persuade people to look upon him favorably. He even lavishly praises himself to enhance his self-esteem. While the sycophant's peculiar behavior is comical at first glance, its emphasis in the story portends a greater social meaning that is illuminated upon evaluation of his flattery with relevance to the plot. In Pride and Prejudice, Austin suggests through Collins' mannerisms that one flatters others to enlist their future support and one flatters oneself to ensure individual prosperity. Pertaining to others, Austin endows Collins with a motive of personal gain and later removes that objective, establishing a strong correlation between flattery and selfish advantage. As the legal heir to the Bennet family's estate once its patriarch dies, Collins offers unwarranted praise along with his hand in marriage to one of the daughters. Apart from flattering the family to marry one of its girls, his profuse compliments also extend to his wealthy benefactress and also, of course, to himself. However, Collins' compliments toward the family end after he fails to marry on... ...lattery may have academic influence, she allows Collins to smother praise on anything that might prove advantageous to his affluence, from which one may surmise that flattery contributes to personal prosperity in any form. This truth becomes readily apparent upon contrasting Collins' behavior in situations wherein he may or may not have something to gain through flattery. Of course, this mundane reiteration about flattery must be particularly monotonous to a reader who has already demonstrated a profound grasp of literature by deftly maneuvering through and deliberating upon mistakes previous to this point, so it is for that intelligent and sophisticated reader that this paper ends abruptly. Work Cited Austin, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Norwalk: The Easton Press, 1997.

Compare and Contrast Grandparents’ Importance Essay

â€Å"Few can bring the warmth we can find in their embrace, and little more is needed to bring love than the smile on their face. They’ve a supply of precious stories, yet they’ve time to wipe a tear, or give us reasons to make us laugh. They grow more precious through the years. I believe that God sent us Grandparents, as our legacy from above, to share the moments of our life as extra measures of His love. †(www. the parentsday. com) Some kids really don’t realize how much they lose when they don’t spend enough time with their grandparents. Grandparents are extremely unique people who should truly be idolized, there aren’t many people like them who: will always care, will love unconditionally, and have lived through very tough times that most teens couldn’t understand. One of the most important reasons why grandparents should be idolized is that, grandparents are the type of people that will always care about their family. Census figures released recently quantify what experts have long noted as a growing phenomenon: The number of children being raised by grandparents–4. million–is at an all-time high, surpassing the population of children in foster care (Haynes V, Dion, www. grandparents. com). The growing number of grandkids being raised by their grandparents just shows how much grandparents truly care about their family. There is a reason elderly people always ask you if you’re hungry, or cold, or if anything is wrong too, grandparents don’t want their grandkids to suffer in the slightest bit. They want to make sure all is well. Another reason grandparents should be idolized is, there aren’t many people in the world that, no matter what you do wrong, will love you as if nothing at all had happened. Unconditional love isn’t a very common thing to come across, but grandparents tend to have it for each and every one of their grandchildren. Going to grandma and grandpa’s house normally means getting a face stuffed with junk food, getting little gifts just because, and getting called all those cute little nicknames that they give the grandkids. Most people will agree with this if they have a grandparent and will say that it is because they just want to show their love for them. Grand kids can do no wrong in a grandparent’s eyes, at least that’s what they say. It must take a lot of strength to push every little, bad thing someone has done, and just forgive them completely like nothing ever happened. Because of all the technology that exists, people in today’s times have it pretty easy compared to when grandparents were teenagers. They had to put up with more than people do now. About 7 million people served on active duty during the Korean War Era making them veterans of war. 997,000 people also served during WWII; 347,000 during the Vietnam War; and 291,000 during all three wars (www. vnf. org, Office of Veteran Affairs). These statistics prove that there is a large chance that an individual’s grandparents participated in at least one, if not more than one, of these wars. Besides the war, there is also the fact that there was way less technology back then. There were no televisions, no iPods, no cellphones, and no video games. They actually had to entertain themselves by using imagination, going outside, and not being lazy, which is very rare in today’s society. Most kids wouldn’t even know what to do with themselves if they didn’t have all the precious technology they do, and for that reason alone, people should look up to their grandparents. As a consequence of people not recognizing these amazing characteristics grandparents have, grandparents tend to taken advantage of. People need to spend more time with their grandparents to make them know they are appreciated. Grandparents don’t expect anything in return for their love, but try to make the feeling mutual. Everyone deserves a lot of love. Doing something as simple as taking them to lunch will surely brighten their day. Just take a minute and think about a grandparents impact on a child’s life, it truly is great. Anyone can see that grandkids should look up to their grandparents, there aren’t many people like them that will love you no matter what, will care for you, and have been in situations far more difficult than people deal with today. Because of all these things, grandkids should spend more time with them and love them as much as they possibly can back. It takes a lot to care and love and live through, what we consider bad and boring times, and come out, still a completely remarkable kind of individual that people can look up to. Grandparents always care about their grandchildren, even if the grandchildren deny it, grandparents love and care for them, no matter what happens. Grand parents are like parents, minus all of the fighting and the screaming. As Rudolph Giuliani said, â€Å"What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And most importantly, cookies. †

Birth of a Nation: Art or Propaganda Essay

Mankind, engaging in war, driven by whatever instincts guide him, seeks to keep the defeats and victories of battle in his memory and on his conscience. To accomplish this men have used paint and canvas, ink and paper, or instrument and song in their effort to communicate the tragedy and glory of war. Never, before the career of D. W. Griffith had anyone attempted to bring the subject to film. The result of his efforts, weaknesses aside, mark a change in attitude towards film as a media. Perhaps audiences previously going to a picture expected emotional manipulation. After all, years before the film Birth of a nation, makers of film employed techniques to evoke pathos from viewers; whether through the use of a sobbing mother, a frightened child or what have you. In this respect the film was not a ground-breaker; However, through its effective use of devices such as symbolism, foreshadowing and allusions, as well as building on and arguably perfecting film techniques such as continuity editing, intercutting and close-ups, he transformed film from mere entertainment to art and propaganda. To present and explore a theme, symbolism is used everywhere in literature. Whether the image is subtle or obvious it is regardless a sign of considerable calculation and effort. In Birth of a nation Griffith places symbols everywhere, in doing this he merges literary devices of written works with his own visual works. For instance, the parched corn symbol in the scene where the southern army is eating symbolizes their desperation in the face of defeat. This imagery proves that Griffith wasn’t just presenting actors and a plot, he intended to dig far deeper than that, into the realm of a clever storyteller. Another example of his unique style is the use of foreshadowing, another literary device now commonly employed in film. The most prominent example of this is the scene where two gentlemen are talking, and as the camera pans down, we see a puppy struggling with a kitten. This is another strong example of symbolism; however, even more importantly it foreshadows the coming war. It is expertly placed to add to the building tension between sides which the audience already knows results in confrontation. Its placement reflects Griffiths desire to advance the complexity and diversity of film beyond entertainment to higher levels in society. To manipulate his audience’s emotions, he first had to draw them into the story and in turn into the stories underlying theme. He accomplished this by using numerous virgin film tools, much as an artist uses his own tools to create a believable painting. Among these tools he uses panoramas to illustrate setting, to paint, if you will – a moving picture. To show the swell of heated gunfire on a crowded battlefield i. e. the scene of the battle of Petersburg, or to bring across image of the delicate beauty of his native southern land to those who had never been there or seen a picture of it. This was the substance that transformed film into a genuine art form. Once he had the attention and anticipation of the audience, as well as their almost guaranteed acceptance of his word, he merely had to feed them a easily grasped, recognizable message to sway their emotions his way. This method of classic propaganda was used to fuel the audience’s already considerable ill-founded hatred of blacks. It comes in the form of a rebel black group who terrorizes the Cameron family, the film’s main characters. By placing blacks in this position it isn’t difficult to imagine the reaction of an average theatre goer. The film spawned riots, fired up racism, built stronger the negative stereotypes of blacks. It portrayed them as lazy, as illustrated in the black parliament, where a man rests his bare feet on a desk, alluding to uselessness in the employment environment. More horrifyingly than that it portrayed them as ultimately evil with the seizing of the Cameron’s home and the attempted rape of one of their daughters. The obvious bias presented, although appalling, demonstrates just how effective Griffith was at utilizing film not with the intention to merely entertain, but to spread propaganda and affect the perceptions of society itself. Griffith exploited his audience, he turned them against minorities and themselves. The film Birth of a nation exemplifies ignorance and hate at its worst. Although it stands for something that today is looked on as morally wrong, it proves by this very reaction that the film is not just mere entertainment, but something with a far more serious purpose. Since Griffith was the first to accomplish something of this nature, Birth of a nation therefore marks the transformation of film from pure entertainment into art and propaganda.

Prison Term Armed Robbery Essay

As you know all robberies are felonies and with the use of weapons brings tougher penalties towards the crime committed by the individual. While all robberies are considered to be violent crimes certain states took the initiative to raise the punishment when a violator uses a weapon of choice to rob. This means the person that is robbing you is more at risk of serving a greater prison sentence if he is caught and convicted. For the most part, many people do not realize that 40% of all robberies that are committed are strong armed robbery. Strong arm robbery is known as taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear. In this paper, I will be giving a recommendation on a bill from the state legislator which involves criminals who commit arm robbery and I will not recommended the sentence to be doubled for the maximum prison term for anyone convicted of armed robbery. Robberies can happen at any time and any place unexpectedly. And it really does not matter how it’s done. The victim should always satisfy the robber by giving what the robber wants at the time of the attack without any hassle or lip. There are so many ways and places for a robber to attack. Even though a robbery could take less than one minute to attack the victim it is still a very wise idea that the victim does not create any hassle. Most robberies that take place involve one robber and one victim. When robber’s attack, they usually like to hit areas that are private rather than public. And if it is a public place, the robber will make sure that there will be more than one or two escape routes for a fast get away. Most regular people think that all robberies take place in a bank, stores, gas stations, or restaurants that stay open late. However, most robberies take place in the street dealing directly with the target/person, which is another example of strong arm robbery if a weapon is involved. This is when a person who uses force or fear against the victim to get what they wa nt. Is robbery a violent crime? I believe it is. According to the 2006 FBI Uniform Crime Report, they say â€Å"the weapon of choice for robbers is a firearm at a high of 42.2% and knives or cutting instruments are second on the list at 8.6%. Strong arm tactics like punching, pushing, kicking or threats are used mainly on the street and that is at 39.9%.† While being robbed, robbers like to use force on their victims and also like to showcase their weapons. Robbers like to use weapons because it is a  quicker method of getting what they need. And by doing so it increases the sentence of the perpetrator to a higher class sentence of strong armed robbery if caught. Also, let’s keep in mind, robbers are scared too when in the attack mode and have been known to hurt the victim when an attack is happening. This can also be another reason why the sentence should be increased to double maximum sentence due to the fact of unintentionally harmful acts you propose on the victim while using a weapon. And also, most of all, rob beries are pre-meditated when time of committing this violent act upon victims. There are different ways on how to commit armed robbery. Some of those ways are using a gun to rob a person, being wolf packed by a crowd of people/gang, using a knife or metal objects to rob the victim just so they can get what they want. By using an object and showing it off to the victim will allow a faster and easier attack at the time of the robbery. By doing so it will help speed up the process on getting what they want from the victim and still uphold a scheduled robbery under a minute. As far as my recommendation about armed robbery and if it should uphold a double maximum sentence, I will have to vote no. My reason is because armed robbery should already have a sentence attached on the type of robbery the attacker committed. Just because the attacker robs someone does not mean they should have to serve a double maximum sentence when caught. Whatever the sentence is now by law should be the sentence the attacker has to serve in jail. Unless the attacker harms the victim in any way, then more penalties/punishment should apply to their criminal charge when being sentenced. I think this double maximum sentence should be more for the murder cases and child molestations/rape cases we have committed today. Those are more important crimes we should be looking at and for us to throw these type of punishment in those directions. We know that robbery is a common crime. We all know this crime will happen over and over again. But, we as the people and the law should make this crime more punishable by maybe adding a year more to the sentence when armed robbery is committed. It should be not a double maximum crime. Although, this crime is harsh, unpredictable, and dangerous for a victim to face when attacked. Looking through the eyes of a criminal advisor, no I do not think this crime should uphold double maximum sentence for armed robbery. I think the crime should be based on what the crime is and what has happened during the crime when it  was committed for more severe punishment. I know armed robbery is a serious crime and we all want to put a stop to it, but putting a double maximum sentence is going overboard. The reason I am against this bill and for it not to pass it is because I think the punishment is already set in our law guidelines. If anything, the punishment should be increase by a year so the attacker will know that this crime is serous when caught in the act of arm robbery and plus it will give them a little more time to think about not robbing someone else while back on the street. Let’s keep in mind most robberies are pre-meditated and by increasing the punishment one year might put into perspective that this crime should not be committed. We all as a whole want this crime to stop, and by pushing for this bill for double maximum sentence should be held off for the time being. This bill is a good guster for the future of double the maximum sentence for those who commit armed robbery if we do not come up with any other solutions that is more suitable for this crime. But for now, let us explore other ways for this crime to be more punishable than to fill up our jails with people that committed armed robbery serving double maximum sentences. This is my recommendation towards the bill.

Salvia Divinorum

Salvia Divinorum is a hallucinogenic Mexican herb known as â€Å"diviner’s mint† in the US and is typically a natural substance that has the ability to cause intense hallucinations â€Å"out of body† experiences, and a short-term memory loss. Although this substance is legal in the United States despite of the herb’s hallucinogenic properties, this stuff is generally not considered as therapeutic despite of the notion that it was also used for curing by the Mazatic, and is more likely to be use as recreational drugs by adolescents because of mind altering properties of this substance. Because of these properties, Salvia Divinorum should be classified as a potential source of restricted drugs along with Marijuana or the Cannabis sativa and products derived from this herb should be considered as restricted drugs. A mysterious plant that is both puzzling and perplexing, this herb was described botanically by Carl Epling and Carlos D. Jativa in 1962 through the help of two Americans, Albert Hofman a chemist, and Gordon Wasson, an ethno mycologist investigating Mazatic rituals (Clebsh & Barner p. 06). Growing only in the territory lived in by the Mazatic Indians of Oaxaca, Mexico; the Maztic Indians use this plant along with other ingredients for their hallucinogenic properties â€Å"in divinatory rituals† (p. 106). According to Clebsch and Barner, It was reported that if this salvia was ingested â€Å"it would produce an illusory experience† (p. 106). Apparently, this stuff when ingested produces strange feelings that could be similar to the effects of p articular drugs such as Marijuana and other prohibited drugs. Daniel J. Siebert pointed out that the effect of taking Salvinorin A(an encapsulated product from salvia divinorum), includes seeing visions of people, objects, and places, and with doses above one mg user will experience out body experiences and may get up or move around with no clear awareness of their actions or behavior (p. 55). Furthermore, during the most intense phase of the experience, Siebert noted that user of this substance speak nonsense and even laugh hysterically. Siebert summarized the feelings experiences that could be had by any taking substance derived from salvia divinorum as follows: User sees objects such as yellow plaid French fries, a drawer and even ferries wheel; a visions of various dimensional objects; body loss and even identity; uncontrollable hysterical laughter; and different feelings of motion, or being twisted or pulled by forces of some kind (p. 55). From this feelings and experiences resulting from the use of salvia divinorum there is a considerable evidence that this substance could produce drugs that with effect similar or might even harmful than the effect of marijuana. The irony is that this drug is not restricted in the United States thus companies promoting drugs derived from this herb are free to promote these types of substances on the internet sites targeting younger adults and adolescents. According to information released by DEA, Drug Diversion Program entitled â€Å"Drugs of Chemical Concern: Salvia Divinorum† this substance is being smoked and its effect are described by users similar to other restricted drugs (WWW. Streetdrugs. org). Based on new pharmacological findings and the description of users of this substance, salvia divinorum should be classified as potential source of restricted drugs and that government authorities should closely monitor and act decisively against the liberal use of this substance. Just like other restricted substance that causes potential harm to the user when taken liberally, this substance are prone to abuse and may also cause potential harm to the users. While, there seems to be no clear physical benefit on the use of this stuff aside from the notion of relaxation, the abnormal behavior of the person when at the peak of experience of this drugs, is a clear indication of the potential harm this substance may cause on the users. Work Cited Clebsch, Betsy & Barner, Carol D. The New Books of Salvias USA: Timber Press, 2003 â€Å"Salvia Divinorum† WWW. Streetdrugs.org http://www.streetdrugs.org/salvia2.htm Siebert, Daniel Salvia divinorum and Salvinorin A: new pharmacological findings Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd., 1994 http://www.sagewisdom.org/siebertjep94.pdf

The Civil Service Examinations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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CIS Management Information System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CIS Management Information System - Essay Example rights, including intellectual property is often classified as criminal offence in statutory terms and is liable for persecution as it would negatively impact on the rightful owner of the property. Copyright laws are specifically designed to protect ownership of content and any form of reproduction of that content without prior permission from the owner is deemed illegal. In the outlined case above, this is the main problem which is of concern where piracy is reigning supreme as a result of the system used that makes it possible for musical files to be shared amongst individuals without the owners’ consent. The main cause of the problem is online file-sharing service that is available on the internet where individuals can download digitized music files from other users free of charge. For instance in the above case, Napster popularized this service where it provided software on its website that could be used to locate any music file on the computers of other online Napster members that could be copied for free. Whilst Napster itself did not store any musical file, it acted as a go between the user and the supplier which resulted in huge numbers of people signing in for the service as it gave the provision of downloading music and even copying it to their CDs free of charge. Likewise, other services such as Kazaa, WinMix, Morpheus and Grokster were developed after the demise of Napster. These services distributed software to various users that enabled them to locate computers with musical files of their choice and downloading without paying. So basically in this regard, the different software that was developed and distributed online allowed users to enjoy the benefit of downloading and copying music for free without the permission of the owners and producers. However, the main impact of piracy in this case has been the tremendous decline in music sales by the recording companies as a result of the rush for free music that could also be accessed online with

Mergers& Acquisitions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mergers& Acquisitions - Essay Example The US airline industry had previously been dominated by nine companies that created a stiff competition in the market. However, the move to merge the American airlines and the US airways has altered the situation. The main reason that led to the merger is the desire both companies to gain competitive advantage over their competitors (Thomas, 2013). The size of a company determines their convincing power. Large companies have a likelihood of attracting customers and shareholders, and hence the company will be more competitive. The two companies also came together in order to heighten their sales. With the many numbers of competitors, the companies hoped that coming together would increase their sales. The two companies intended to expand rapidly since more resources, and labor had been brought together (Daily Mail Reporter, 2013). The merger of the two airlines  will ensure that the company will control approximately 20% of the market share since 80% of the market share is controll ed by the four large airlines (Reed, 2014). Merging the two companies reduced the risks and hence the new company is in a position to diversify its operations (Reed, 2014). The airline industry has a lot of risks, and the managers decided to come together in order to spread and cushion the risk. The merger provided a large pool of finances which would allow the two companies increase their economies of scale and thereby maximize their profits (Reed, 2014). The elected overall managing director stated out that their move was not only to fight competition but also to meet the large financial demands in the industry. He also said that the move would increase their networks, and their customers would have a variety of choices in terms of traveling time. The merger brought about both positive and negative results to the two companies. The new company (American Airlines) gained an advantage since its costs

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JULIAN OF NORWICH & MICHAEL HARNER Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

JULIAN OF NORWICH & MICHAEL HARNER - Assignment Example So while Julian talks about Christ being â€Å"the foundation, he is the substance, he is the teacher, he is the end†, Harner talks about the matter of fact aspects of the tsentsak and non-drug forms of shamanism in ordinary, factual language (Harner 57-68; Julian of Norwich 43). Both sources narrate forms of spiritual quests, and a common element in both is a sense that both are honest and sincere in their quests and in the way they tried to make sense of their experiences and visions. This is important because both are narrating extremely subjective experiences whose validity cannot be experienced or confirmed by an external party, but only felt as genuine and believable from an intuitive point of view. The integrity of the narrators can make or break the narratives. One gets a sense of the integrity of Harner’s narratives especially with regard to the subjective experience of ayahuasca, confirmed by a blind shaman for instance. For Julian, her reputation and the internal consistency of her message attest to the sincerity and the genuineness of her narratives and religious insights (Harner; Julian of Norwich). Julian contextualizes her sufferings in the context of Christ’s own suffering and death, couched in language tied to compassion and love. She learns from a desire to suffer the bodily pains and sufferings of Christ also of the internal reality of the compassion that exists in men as a spark too of the divine in men, of the Christ in men. Her key insights are with regard to the love of God shown through the Christ’s own passion, so that she and all who love God and desire to follow the will of God may experience that love as well (Julian of Norwich). The sacred drink ingested by Harner is ayahuasca. When he ingested this he had visions of another dimension, including that of a creature that is reptile-like, who reveals to him an inner reality tied to the nature of man’s past, of the way man had evolved