The Changing role of women in Britain since 1900

Target 1: How useful is source A as evidence about attitudes towards suffragettes in 1908? Explain your answer using source and knowledge from your studies. The attitudes towards suffragettes in 1908 were mixed; everyone had their own opinions of them. Some people were very supportive on what they were doing and some of them had a very negative response. In source A there is a picture of a ‘suffragette demonstrations in London 1908'. Underneath the source the source it states â€Å"Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst leading a demonstration which 200,00 people are said to have attended.† This source does not give enough evidence to prove this statement. I explain why. In this picture it shows me the suffragettes having a peaceful demonstration they are smiling and at the same time getting what they want to say across, from my knowledge and understanding suffragettes were seen as violent and they were seen as a very confrontational group. In the source booklet under The WSPU- the suffragettes it tells me that In 1903 Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters formed a breakaway group called the Women's social and political union (WSPU), that was to campaign for the parliamentary vote for women on the same terms as it was granted to men, or would be in the future, their motto was â€Å"deeds not words† yet the photo paints a different picture. In source booklet source 6 under Suffragette tactics it tells me that in 1908 the suffragettes would start occasional attacks on properties such as breaking windows, etc. But yet again from source A I cannot see this. The source also states, â€Å"200,000 people are said to have attended† From source A it seems to me that at least only 1,000 people attended. In this source I can see only one policeman and he looks quite peaceful and undisturbed. If this were a demonstration where 200,000 people are said to have attended there would be hundreds of policemen on sight. This photo is very unreliable to its statement. The source says that Ms Pankhurst lead the campaign yet there is no proof to prove this. This is supposed to be a demonstration but from my understanding a demonstration is 1) an outward showing or feeling. 2) A public meeting or a march for political or moral response. 3) A show of military force. If this was a demonstration you would have seen exactly what they were demonstration from the use of banners and posters or even photos but I cannot see any of this. This photo (source A) is very unreliable and does not give enough evidence to represent that it was a suffragette demonstration in London 1908. This source is not useful evidence about suffragettes in 1908. Target 2:Source D and E are both from 1910, yet they give different views about the campaign to gain women the vote. Which is the most reliable source for investigating people's attitudes in 1910 towards the campaign? Source D is an article from the daily sketch (newspaper) in 1910. It is about a demonstration made by women in 1910. This article is anti-suffragette; it's against women for what they are doing. This article is about a suffragist attack on the House of Commons. The title â€Å"DISCRACEFUL SCENES†, and â€Å"120 arrests† gives you a dreadful view of the suffragettes. This source is also very negative against women because it puts them down. In the first passage it states â€Å"they caused even more violent scenes then before†. This gives you the impression that they were always violent and aggressive and that's all they were good for. Also in the first passage it states â€Å"It was a picture of shameless recklessness†. This makes the women look disgraceful and outrageous. In Passage two the first four lines say, † One campaigner sprawled in the mud to the obvious disgust of decent men and the obvious delight of others†. This gives me the idea that some people found it a revolting and thought they were shameful, but yet some people saw it a something very positive. This source is very negative towards the suffragettes and makes them appear violent and shameful. This really affected the way people viewed the suffragettes. Source E is in favour of the suffragettes and are for the vote for women. This source is a postcard issued by the suffragettes in 1910. This postcard shows what a women may be, such as a mayor, a mother a doctor or even a teacher and still not have vote, then goes on to show what a man may be, such as a convict a lunatic, unfit for service or even a drunkard but yet still get the vote. Women were put in a lower category then these types of men; Suffragettes saw this as an insult. However I feel that both Source D and Source E are very reliable for investigating people's attitudes towards the campaign, but I think the most common attitude towards the suffragettes at that time was Source D. Source D gives the most relevant information and is the most reliable source because these were the negative attitudes shown towards the suffragettes at this period of time. The community didn't like to see women behaving as men or behaving inappropriately it made them look bad. This source investigates the minority of people's attitudes towards suffragettes in 1910 but at the same time remains relevant for the investigation of people's attitudes towards suffragettes in 1910. Target 3: Without the First World War women would have not gained the right to vote in 1918†³ Do you agree or disagree with this interpretation? I agree with this interpretation. I believe that women would have never gained the vote without the First World War. So many men had gone of to war that the women were needed to fill their places this increased the number of women in the industry. The war made it adequate for women to work such jobs. People believed that women shouldn't be prohibited from doing work they are fit for. While the men were sent of to war, women showed how equally they worked to men, the leaders saw this as an opportunity to show what women were capable of, they showed how capable they were of doing what was seen as a man's jobs. The suffragettes broke the stereotype of how people viewed women, women were seen as housewives, they stayed home and cook and look after the kids. Men also thought that they didn't have the intelligence or intellect to do a â€Å"mans job†. In Source 27 on the source sheet written by E.S. Montague, Minister of munitions, in 1916 he states that: â€Å"Women of every station†¦. have proved themselves able to undertake work that before the war was regarded as solely the province of men†¦. Where is the man now who would deny women the civil rights which she has earned by her hard work?† Women were showing themselves how equally skilled they were to men, and that both sexes were equally alike. People started to see the women as people that played a likewise part in society as men and that they deserved the vote. People believed that the women earned their rights through their hard work. In Source 29 on page 68 it also state that: â€Å"†¦ Many women had witnessed the suffering and anguish of men of men as they had not seen in the previous wars and had also worked side by side with comrades and friends. It was inevitable that this would start to change mutual perceptions of and the granting of the votes at last (to women over thirty) seemed totally appropriate.† This gives me the impression that people did see the women working really due to the war and did all they could to gain the vote and the only resort and the most appropriate was to give them the vote. In Source 19; Page 66 we are shown a female tram driver it does not give us a date but it shows it shows us that women were enthusiastically involved in a man's role. This acts helped change the way people viewed suffragettes. Before most people attitudes were biased towards giving women the vote, but after the war people attitudes change and However in 1918 the barrier against women's suffrage was broken and a partial victory won, under the Representation of the People Act, women over 30 years of age were given the parliamentary vote if they were householders, the wives of householders, occupiers of property with an annual rent of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5 or more. About 8.5 million women were put under this new law. It was not until ten years later, however, that all women could vote on equal terms with men, at the age of 21 and over, the new bill becoming law on July 2, 1928.

Economy of the Philippines Essay

The Economy of the Philippines is the 43rd largest in the world, according to 2011 World Bank statistics and it is also one of the emerging markets in the world.[24] According to the CIA Factbook, the estimated 2011 GDP (purchasing power parity) was 391.1 billion.[5] Goldman Sachs estimates that by the year 2050, it will be the 14th largest economy in the world, Goldman Sachs also included the Philippines in its list of the Next Eleven economies. HSBC projects the Philippine economy to become the 16th largest economy in the world, 5th largest economy in Asia and the largest economy in the South East Asian region by 2050.[25] Primary exports include semiconductors and electronic products, transport equipment, garments, copper products, petroleum products, coconut oil, and fruits. Major trading partners include the United States, Japan, China, Singapore, South Korea, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Germany, Taiwan, and Thailand. As a newly industrialized country, the Philippine economy has been transitioning from one based on agriculture to one based more on services and manufacturing. The Philippines is one of the Tiger Cub Economies in Southeast Asia together with Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Contents| Macroeconomic trends See also: Economy of Asia, Economic history of the Philippines (1973–1986), Post-EDSA macroeconomic history of the Philippines, and Economic Crisis and Response in the Philippines The Philippine economy has been growing steadily over decades and the International Monetary Fund in 2011 reported it as the 45th largest economy in the world. However its growth has been behind that of many of its Asian neighbors, the so-called Asian Tigers, nor is it a part of the Group of 20 nations. Instead it is often grouped in a second tier of emerging markets or of newly industrialized countries. Depending upon the analyst, this second tier can go by the name the Next Eleven or the Tiger Cub Economies. It has not suffered from the downturn in the world economy that began in 2007. A chart of selected statistics showing trends in the gross domestic product of the Philippines using data taken from the International Monetary Fund. Composition by sector As a newly industrialized country, the Philippines is still an economy with a large agricultural sector; however, services have come to dominate the economy.[citation needed] Much of the industrial sector is based on processing and assembly operations in the manufacturing of electronics and other high-tech components, usually from foreign multinational corporations. Filipinos who go aboard to work–-known as Overseas Filipino Workers or OFWs—are a significant contributor to the economy but are not reflected in the below sectoral discussion of the domestic economy. [edit] Agriculture The agriculture sector makes up 12% of the GDP and employs 33% of the workforce. The type of activity ranges from small subsistence farming and fishing to large commercial ventures with significant export focus, such as major multinational corporations like Dole Food Company and Del Monte Foods. The Philippines is the world’s largest producer of coconuts producing 19,500,000 tonnes in 2009. Coconut production in the Philippines is generally concentrated in medium-sized farms.[30] By 1995, the production of coconut in the Philippines had experienced a 6.5% annual growth and later surpassed Indonesia in total output in the world.[31] The Philippines is also the world’s largest producer of pineapples, with 2,198 thousand metric tons.[32] Rice Production in the Philippines is important to the food supply in the country and economy. The country is the 8th largest rice producer in the world, accounting for 2.8% of global rice production.[33] However, the country is also the w orld’s largest rice importer in 2010.[34] Rice is the most important food crop, a staple food in most of the country. It is produced extensively in Luzon, the Western Visayas, Southern Mindanao, and Central Mindanao. Shipbuilding and repair The Philippines is a major player in the global shipbuilding industry with shipyards in Subic, Cebu, General Santos City and Batangas.[35][36] It became the fourth largest shipbuilding nation in 2010.[37][38] Subic-made cargo vessels are now exported to countries where shipping operators are based. South Korea’s Hanjin started production in Subic in 2007 of the 20 ships ordered by German and Greek shipping operators.[39] The country’s shipyards are now building ships like bulk carriers, container ships and big passenger ferries. General Santos’ shipyard is mainly for ship repair and maintenance.[40] Being surrounded by waters, the country has abundant natural deep-sea ports ideal for development as production, construction and repair sites. On top of the current operating shipyards, two additional shipyards in Misamis Oriental and Cagayan province are being expanded to support future locators. It has a vast manpower pool of 60,000 certified welders that comprise the bulk of workers in shipbuilding. In the ship repair sector, the Navotas complex in Metro Manila is expected to accommodate 96 vessels for repair.[41] Â  Automotive The ABS used in Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Volvo cars are made in the Philippines. Ford,[42] Toyota,[43] Mitsubishi, Nissan and Honda are the most prominent automakers manufacturing cars in the country.[citation needed] Kia and Suzuki produce small cars in the country. Isuzu also produces SUVs in the country. Honda and Suzuki produce motorcycles in the country. A 2003 Canadian market research report predicted that further investments in this sector were expected to grow in the following years. Toyota sells the most vehicles in the country.[44] By 2011, China’s Chery Automobile company is going to build their assembly plant in Laguna, that will serve and export cars to other countries in the region if monthly sales would reach 1,000 units.[45] Â  Aerospace Aerospace products in the Philippines are mainly for the export market and include manufacturing parts for aircraft built by both Boeing and Airbus. British company MOOG, is the biggest aerospace manufacturer with base in Baguio in the Cordillera region. The company produces aircraft actuators in their manufacturing facility. Another British company British Aerospace is to open manufacturing facility in southern Philippines for the manufacture of galleys used in aircraft cabin.[46] In 2011, the total export output of aerospace products in the Philippines reached US $3 billion.[47] Electronics Intel has been in the Philippines for 28 years as a major producer of products, including the Pentium 4 processor. A Texas Instruments plant in Baguio has been operating for 20 years and is the largest producer of DSP chips in the world.[48] Texas Instruments’ Baguio plant produces all the chips used in Nokia cell phones and 80% of chips used in Ericsson cell phones in the world.[49] Until 2005, Toshiba laptops were produced in Santa Rosa, Laguna. Presently the Philippine plant’s focus is in the production of hard disk drives. Printer manufacturer Lexmark has a factory in Mactan in the Cebu region. Â  Mining and extraction The country is rich with mineral and geothermal energy resources. In 2003, it produced 1931 MW of electricity from geothermal sources (27% of total electricity production), second only to the United States,[50] and a recent discovery of natural gas reserves in the Malampaya oil fields off the island of Palawan is already being used to generate electricity in three gas-powered plants. Philippine gold, nickel, copper and chromite deposits are among the largest in the world. Other important minerals include silver, coal, gypsum, and sulphur. Significant deposits of clay, limestone, marble, silica, and phosphate exist. About 60% of total mining production are accounted for by non-metallic minerals, which contributed substantially to the industry’s steady output growth between 1993 and 1998, with the value of production growing 58%. In 1999, however, mineral production declined 16% to $793 million.[citation needed] Mineral exports have generally slowed since 1996. Led by copper cathodes, Philippine mineral exports amounted to $650 million in 2000, barely up from 1999 levels. Low metal prices, high production costs, lack of investment in infrastructure, and a challenge to the new mining law have contributed to the mining industry’s overall decline.[citation needed] The industry rebounded starting in late 2004 when the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of an important law permitting foreign ownership of Philippines mining companies.[citation needed] However, the DENR has yet to approve the revised Department Administrative Order (DAO) that will provide the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA), the specific part of the 1994 Mining Act that allows 100% foreign ownership of Philippines mines.[citation needed] Offshoring and outsourcing According to an IBM Global Location Trends Annual Report, as of December 2010[update] the Philippines has surpassed India as the world leader in business process outsourcing.[51][52] The majority of the top ten BPO firms of the United States operate in the Philippines.[citation needed] Total jobs in the industry grew to 100,000 and total revenues were placed at $960 million for 2005. In 2012, BPO sector employment ballooned to over 700,000 people and is contributing to a growing middle class. BPO facilities are located mainly in Metro Manila and Cebu City although other regional areas such as Baguio, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Clark Freeport Zone, Dagupan, Davao City, Legazpi, Dumaguete, Lipa, Iloilo City, and CamSur are now being promoted and developed for BPO operations. Call centers began in the Philippines as plain providers of email response and managing services and is now a major source of employment. Call center services include customer relations, ranging from travel services, technical support, education, customer care, financial services, online business to customer support, and online business to business support. Business process outsourcing (BPO) is regarded as one of the fastest growing industries in the world. The Philippines is also considered as location of choice due to its less expensive operational and labor costs and high proficiency in spoken English and highly educated labor pool. In 2011, the business process outsourcing industry in the Philippines generated 700 thousand jobs[53] and some US$11 billion in revenue,[54] 24 percent higher than 2010. By 2016, the industry is projected to reach US$27.4 billion in revenue with employment generation to almost double at 1.3 million workers.[55]

Character Analysis Of Shakespeare Romeo And Juliet English Literature Essay

Character Analysis Of Shakespeare Romeo And Juliet English Literature Essay Juliet, daughter of Lord and Lady Capulet is beautiful and begins the play by being naà ¯ve about love and marriage. As she enters her teenage life she appears innocent with a remarkable character. She feels affection for Romeo, the son of Montague’s, their greatest enemy. She goes into great lengths disobeying her parents and even forging her own death, just to be with Romeo Montague. At the Capulet party, Juliet meets with Romeo and she falls for him even though she had agreed to marry Parris. However, she is suspicious of his intentions as he is from an unfriendly family, Montague. To prove the sincerity of his love for her, she requests him to marry her. Juliet’s love for Romeo makes her to forgive him when he kills her cousin, Tybalt. She opts to marry Romeo even though it is risky than to marry Paris. Juliet also shows a new stage of maturity by forgiving her nurse’s disloyalty and breaks her parents bond as well as her nurse’s. Though suicide is c onsidered as a negative option in life matters, Juliet uses it to demonstrate the strength and dedication of her love for Romeo. Juliet loves: This is shown when Juliet decides to marry Romeo, a Montague, from family enemy. She agrees to marry him because of the undying affection she feels for him, even though, she was supposed to marry Parris. Also because of her coming from a noble family she lacks freedom to wander around the city unlike Romeo. At midnight she climbs over walls and also gets into midnight swordfights. This also demonstrates her courageousness. Because of her love, she forgives Romeo for killing her cousin. Although suicide is at all times an unconstructive choice, for Juliet it is her last demonstration of the power and dedication of her love for Romeo. Juliet is forgiving: She forgives her love Romeo who had killed her cousin Tybalt. Her courageousness is also seen when she entrusts her whole life to Romeo and not believing the worst reports about him when he ge ts into a fight with her cousin. She is also able to shut her confidant, her nurse out of her life when she turns her back to Romeo. The nurse is considered a comic and vulgar figure in the play. She makes lewd comments and lengthy speeches which help to provide breaks in the tension of the misfortunes happening. The nurse loves Juliet so much than her mother and goes beyond anything to make Juliet happy. She cared for Juliet her entire life. As a result, she accepts to be the mediator between Romeo and Juliet. She organizes a wedding night and helps the two to get married. However, she is unable to understand the reason for Juliet endangering her life for Romeo; she prefers her leaving a relationship that is not easy to maintain and marry Parris who has a soft life. To her, love is sexual and practical unlike Juliet refers to love as passionate and idealistic. The nurse’s advice to Juliet is considered as betrayal and costs their friendship. Due to this, Juliet decides to es cape than confiding in her closest advocate. Similar to everyone else in the play, the nurse faces failure and sorrow.

Improving Third Party Service Integration The Cloud, SAAS, BPO Essay

Improving Third Party Service Integration The Cloud, SAAS, BPO - Essay Example The paper tells that Software-as-a-Service is both an application delivery model and a business model. It allows business owners and other customers to access and use an application without owning it but on a pay-as-you-use basis. This renders the need for installation and running of the software on the client’s machine or infrastructure redundant. Integration of SaaS into the business by third parties is an important process that should be well understood and handled. There are several risks that are associated with the integration of third-party BPO and SaaS services into clients businesses. Integration is now becoming a critical concept as far as SaaS is concerned. Currently, SaaS has gained more widespread acceptance and in so doing, it is becoming a key component of the entire corporate software requirement. Therefore, all these key components or parts need to be able to integrate and be aware of each other. SaaS is both an application delivery and a business model thus g iving cloud service consumers the ability to access and use various applications on a pay-as-you-use basis without having to install it and run it on their own hardware. SaaS applications are accessed over the internet through a thin client or via a web browser. They are mostly based on subscriptions and all required support, upgrades, or any ongoing maintenance is provided by the vendors as services. In the event that the capabilities of the software application is to be improved, customized or changed, it is provided consistently to all the cloud service consumers utilizing that application. ... For software vendors, SaaS application model enables adequate protection of their intellectual property rights. They also have control of the operational environment of the software and are sure of a repeatable revenue stream through subscriptions. Cloud computing has various capabilities, promises, and opportunities; however, there are some management complexities and various risk elements that those adopting this cutting-edge technology are faced with. In order to understand and properly achieve improved third-party integration, it is imperative that issues such as Integrating network, storage, and computer services from one or more third-party vendors, beadequately addressed. Managing business continuity and security risks associated with adoption of cloud services from various third-party application vendors. Managing the lifecycle of a particular service in an environment of a distributed multiple provider so as to be able to meet SLAs (Service Level Agreements) with consumers E ffectively maintaining audit processes and governance across integrated clouds and datacenters. Switching or adopting new third-party cloud services This research paper looks at how to improve third-party integration as pertains to the SaaS architecture. First, we will establish the need for integrations; what risks are associated with integration. The paper will then analyze some emerging issues as far integration standards and requirements are concerned. This will be ideal in helping us draw out an integration requirements document for both BPO and SaaS. We will then address issues that will emerge in implementing SaaS solutions. This paper will finally address the implication of third-party integration on the overall SaaS architecture. It will also be of great

Should Yahoo have been forced to turn over Justin Ellsworth's email to Essay

Should Yahoo have been forced to turn over Justin Ellsworth's email to his Parents - Essay Example There is a view that the Yahoo management should have acted swiftly and handed over the email documents to the parents of the killed Marine soon after their asking without waiting for the court order. The argument that the Yahoo management should have been forced somehow to comply with the parents’ request without waiting for the court order does not stand logic as it would have itself violated its own privacy agreement in such a case. In declining to accept the parents’ request, Yahoo went purely by the deontological part of the ethics while ignoring the utilitarian part. Utilitarian theory of the ethics requires people to take into consideration the resulting consequences of a particular action (Grunig & White, 1992) on the people or events involved. Yahoo knows better that a utilitarian approach would sometimes lead to problems despite its positive effects. Yahoo must have carefully assessed the positive and Had Yahoo immediately handed over the email contents to the parents when they asked, they would have certainly felt happy and satisfied on that count. This is certainly a positive effect when viewed from the parents’ angle but it would have also produced its negative consequences for the Yahoo Management. In such a case, the company would have violated its own privacy policy of protecting the interests of its email users and attracted criticism. This was clear from the statement of the Yahoo spokeswoman Mary Osako who disclosed that they would abide by the court order and hand over the email contents to Justin’s parents indicating that they would never deviate from their well established privacy policy but would only act on the directions of a court of law (Chambers, 2005). Certainly, Yahoo followed the deontological theories of ethics which emphasize adherence to a stated policy and commitment to rules and regulations. The logic of the deontological

Discrimination and the Role of Business Research Paper

Discrimination and the Role of Business - Research Paper Example However, the commonness of the term in our societies, there has been no stable and neutral definition of the feud. In an attempt to define the term, Altman (2011) views discrimination as the means of treating groups of people in distantly different ways. Discrimination in the workplace occurs when an individual employer or employee treats one group of employees with less consideration than others. All the same, Altman (2011) admits that not all unequal handling of employees constitutes discrimination considering the fact that various people in an employment set up perform different kinds of duties. Employment discrimination practices as comprising issues like biased hiring of workers, selective promotion, unequal job assignment, unreasoned termination of ones duties and unfair compensation. Furthermore, discrimination can be defined as the use of ones power to induce legal and behavioral restrictions on the impoverished societal members to with a vision to maintaining the inequality and desires of particular individuals. In addition, discrimination refers to the unfair treatment of a particular society or group having different believes and views on concerning particular issues. Workplace place discrimination does not just result from the specific work place but the established social relations mostly influence it. The elements of social discriminations are influenced by the varying relationship between groups, which later dictates power and participation in various issues. The hostile existence between groups and social prejudice can lead to development of bullying and stereotyping among various employees in the working organization. Discrimination in an organization may also result as a way of reiterating against past discriminatory acts to previously low ranking employees. Discrimination takes various dimensions that include race, gender, age, ethnicity, or disability among other natures of discrimination. Discrimination classifies under two major forms that include direct and indirect discrimination. Direct discrimination involves the act of treating particular individuals in a disfavored manner with consideration to specific traits such as of gender, race, disability, nationality, disability, and culture (Altman 2011). Indirect discrimination on the other hand refers to the policies that tend to be transparent and fair from the outlook but appears opposite when critically investigated. Indirect discrimination can involve blockade of job applicants on the grounds of petty reasons such as age and unreasonable requirements. In most cases, indirect discrimination persists in organization since it is never for an individual to identify and disclose it on the open. Indirect discrimination have been problematic to certain individuals especially women and the disabled groups (Altman 2011). The general concept of discrimination involves unethical treatment of specific individuals in ways of harassment, bullying, and prejudices that finally ma y have negative impacts on the victims’ concentration. The impacts of discrimination are usually borne by the society as well as the organization in which the act is pursued. The gender form of discrimination has been problematic and with great influence to the society and job organization as well. Gender discrimination in the societies has seen women being viewed as the minority members of the particular families (Glucks 2011). Gender discrimin

What social, political, and economic reasons should Puerto Rico be an Term Paper

What social, political, and economic reasons should Puerto Rico be an Independent Nation - Term Paper Example An island with over ? of the population having difficulties with English will never fit in a country whose 97% of its population speaks fluent English. It would be easier for Puerto Rico be a sovereign country due to the cultural and linguistic concessions. A Spanish speaking island would not want to see its culture erode gradually the way Quebec has been torn from Canada (usefoundation.org 1). Being an overseas territory of the U.S, Puerto Rico has been exposed to penetration of American commodities, capital, customs, and laws. This is unequaled to any other Latin American state. Paradoxically, Puerto Ricans show strong cultural identity compared to other Caribbean people. There has been a widening rift between asserting a separate culture for the Islanders and the pushing for sovereignty. This has been manifested in music, beauty contests, sports among other areas. Puerto Rico is a representation of apparent paradox. It is stateless and has refused to assimilate into mainstream Ame rica. After over a hundred years of American occupation PuertoRico is Afro-Hispanic. Puerto Ricans consider it a postcolonial colony. They are people without a nation of their own since they live in a U.S territory that is not part of the U.S (Jorge Duany 425). Puerto Rico’s juridical definition is neither a sovereign republic nor a state. This creates contested, problematic, and ambiguous political status. It is a Paradox how this kind of in-between status strengthens rather instead of weakening Puerto Rican national identity. In opinion polls which have been conducted in Puerto Rico, over 60 percent of the population chooses Puerto Rico to be their nation, whereas about... There are many pros in Puerto Rican economics. Puerto Rico will be able to tax its own citizens and use the money to build and develop its infrastructure. There will be an open market for trading with the nations currently in alliance with United States. If it becomes a sovereign state, the island will enjoy low unemployment rates and a high per capita income. All the Puerto Ricans working in the U.S and other countries will come back to build their country. The relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States is directly responsible for the island having among the highest living standards of Caribbean, Central, and South America. However, Puerto Ricans who are American citizens by birth are still very far away from the same economic prosperity levels as the American citizens in the fifty states. The opportunity of achieving those standards is only if Puerto Ricans will govern themselves and improve the economic situation of their country

Breaking the Cultural Barrier to Medicine Essay

Breaking the Cultural Barrier to Medicine - Essay Example As a compliment to that effort, we need to address our state grants to achieve that goal. Our higher educational institutions need to address this problem by establishing new educational programs, increasing cultural competence, and recruiting for diversity. Health care cultural competency begins with communication. Communication is more than simply knowing the language. Health seeking behaviors are affected by cultural mores and University cultural educational programs should focus on acquiring skills that can elicit the patient's response and define the illness and treatment within their social context (Kirpalani et al. 2006 p.1116). This should also be applied to patients who have limited literacy as these patients usually have less awareness of disease management (Frist 2005 p.447). A grant to establish a course curriculum in diversity communication is a necessary first step to reducing the disparity in the health of our citizens. These skills moderate the patient's participation in medical decisions and treatment. Communication is more than simply learning the language and the medical terminology. Communication must be culture based. University educational programs that address cultural sensitivity to assure that the caregiver is adequately communicating within the patient's cultural context are imperative. Grants are required to establish a curriculum that would relate the attitudes that ethnic populations may have in respect to illness, medicine, and surgery. Failure to understand the cultural context of minority medicine can result in a perception of insensitivity. A patient who feels like they are being treated unfairly will be less prone to seek treatment. A course in cultural communication could alleviate many communication problems. Grants should also be directed towards diseases that have been identified as minority prevalent. The addition of a University course relating the strategies designed to reduce risk among minority populations is needed. Cardiovascular disease in the Arabic and Farsi speaking communities and Sickle-cell disease among African-Americans are two examples. Because studies have indicated that genetics are involved in some health related issues between racial and ethnic groups, training that focuses on recognition of the problem is essential (McBride 2005 p. 181). By recognizing ethnic trends in disease prevalence, caregivers can design programs for early intervention and develop appropriate pharmaceutical requirements. Medical school should also include training on the appropriate handling of the issue of death and dying within different cultures. Knowing the role of privacy and the perception of bad news can prolong patient survival. According to Misra-Hebert (2003), "People in many cultures believe that informing the patient of a terminal diagnosis may hasten death" (p.298). A cultural sensitivity to this issue would also include an awareness of the cultural issues that surround the care of the dying as well as the expression of grief. University medical schools require grants to initiate a curriculum that addresses death and dying in diverse cultures. Adequate cultural competency would necessitate the inclusion of the awareness of this issue. State grants should also

Overuse of Acronyms in Professional Writing Research Paper

Overuse of Acronyms in Professional Writing - Research Paper Example cronyms which may be seen in scientific literature include ACE for Angiostensin Coverting Enzyme, BUN for Blood Urea Nitrogen, and CAT for Computerized Axial Tomography. On the other hand, intialisms like ACTH for Adreno-CorticoTrophic Hormone, PTST for Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, and RT-CR for Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction are also frequently used in the same field. Acronyms are used in the highly technical world for the following purposes: However, acronyms may be overused in scientific writing to the point that the advantages are overshadowed by confusion (Ibrahim 27). This paper will examine the extent by which acronyms are being used in the scientific field with recommendations to prevent the overuse of acronyms in scientific writing Two studies were conducted to investigate the extent to which acronyms are overused in scientific literature: one by researchers Hong Yu, George Hripcsack, and Carol Friedman at Columbia University, and another by Dr. Everett Shocket, from the University of South Florida and the Bay Pines VA Medical Center. Using a computer program they developed, Yu, Hripcsack, and Friedman mapped acronyms in scientific journals to their respective long forms. Results revealed that only 25% of acronyms were defined in scientific articles. The remaining 75% of undefined acronyms were mapped to one of four online acronym databases. The study found that the acronyms had different meanings in each database (Yu, Hripesack, and Friedman 262). An acronym which stands for various meanings in the same field of expertise is a clear indication of irresponsible use and overuse of acronyms even in scholarly works. Findings of the study suggest that concerns about the prevalence of the overuse of acronyms are founded. The fact that an automated intervention to help readers match an acronym in a scientific journal to its correct long form had not been very successful implies the gravity of the problem on the overuse of

Discussion 5 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Discussion 5 - Assignment Example Your book Chapters 8 and 9 discuss several ways to test the soundness of an argument. Now it is your turn to apply the tests. Go to a website that provides political opinion, such as the Huffington Post. Find a brief article that contains a clear argument. Evaluate the argument for its soundness. Link the article at the end of your response by copying its Web address. Answer: The author highlights the point that congress needs a pay raise so people who arent wealthy can serve by referring to a series of arguments by Rep. Alcee Hasting, such as â€Å"the current system doesnt offer enough incentives for less-affluent citizens to enter public service†. The aforementioned argument with unstated premises can be converted into the following syllogism: Testing the statements for validity by Venn diagram and rules method indicates that the argument is logically valid. However, the evidence presented in support of the premises is rather vague and ambiguous. The annual salary of Congress members is much higher than the median household income in United States. The truth in the prediction that, â€Å"20 years out, the only people that will be able to serve in this institution will be people who are wealthy†, is untestable and probably fallacious. In support of the claim, only three staff members had left and that too ‘suspiciously’. The argument is valid logically, but it lacks soundness because of weak and vague evidence in support of the claims (Valencia, 2015; Moore & Parker, 2015). Valencia, J. (2015, May 19). Rep. Alcee Hastings: Congress needs a pay raise so people who arent wealthy can serve. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from

Applied Criminal Justice Ethics Essay Example for Free

Applied Criminal Justice Ethics Essay My interviewee was Commander Hamry, of the Milton police department in Washington. When interviewing Commander Hamry, I found the following to be his impressions of the police force in general: Why are ethics and character so important in the field of law enforcement? Because we represent everything we believe in, not only in local and state law, but the Constitution of the United States. We are part law enforcement, lawyer, priest, counselor, mother/father figure etcat any given moment. We have a nano-second to decide whether or not to shoot whereas everyone else has months/years to decide if that action was proper or not. Due to an elevated level of training and discipline, we are held to a higher standard. This includes: morals, ethics, actions/decisions which the public has entrusted its care to us which go back to the issues when the tea was first thrown into the harbor. Do the interviewees feel that police are more ethical today, or were they more ethical ten years ago? Due to immediate access of public information and technology, the magnification of the microscope has been increased. However, that is something that evolves with public perception, the legal system, etc where something that was common place and ethical 100 years ago would not be considered today. People are basically good and the basic Judeo/Christian principle upon which our system is founded has remained, for the most part, unchanged. Why do police officers become involved in misconduct? To over simplify the answer, because they are human. They make mistakes like anyone else or experience temptations in which they cannot or choose not to handle. No different than the clerk who pockets a dollar when no one is looking. Do the interviewees feel that there is enough training offered in ethics at the police academy level? If not, why is that? Ethics are like character building and/or common sense. It evolves with experience and upbringing. How would you teach common sense or character? However, a strong emphasis IS placed on ethics in the law enforcement academies, but the basic concept and belief in such values has to be present to start with. Those that dont develop the concept strong enough should be weeded out during the background phase of the hiring process. People can change and develop a stronger sense of ethics (I believe) as to the examples set by those they are influenced by or choose to be influenced by. Should ethics training be offered as an ongoing process for law enforcement officers? Yes, and I believe it will remain an integral part of the basic academy program. Do the interviewees feel that education and/or training in ethics would reduce incidents of police corruption? Yes and No. The elevated awareness may make them think about it more. But it is also a lifestyle and belief in the basic system that we work within. This is no different than being asked to go out and enforce laws that we do not either believe in, or question. We dont make the laws, we merely enforce those that the people have asked to be on the books and thus should act the same. Being within law enforcement is like living in a fish bowl. You are always under the scrutiny of the public perception on and off duty. You are judged by how your kids act in school, to how you look or what you do when you go to town.

Financial regulation in United Kingdom

Financial regulation in United Kingdom Introduction What policy-maker should do to improve the system of financial regulation to achieve its objectives more effectively becomes a hot topic especially after the financial crisis 2008. More and more people begin to pay attention to financial regulation. According to a survey from FSA in 2009, the spontaneous awareness of financial regulation amongst people living in Great Britain aged 16 was 21% and it is the highest level since the survey began[1]. This essay will analyse financial regulation in United Kingdom into three perspectives; the first part will explain how the system of financial regulation operates in the United Kingdom. Then, the reasons why financial services industry should be supervised by regulation such as FSA, and new challenges in this system in response to the financial crisis 2008 will be discussed in second part, final part will be some problems with the current system in my point of view to better protect the economy and consumer. The financial regulation system in United Kingdom First of all, a brief review of the history in the late 20th century of financial regulation system in United Kingdom may be necessary and useful to establish a better background and deeper understanding. Londons financial district is known as The City for many years, until the end of 1970s there was no specific banking law in the UK, however, prompted by the secondary banking crisis in 1972, the Banking Act 1979 was promulgated and assigned formal responsibility for supervision of the UK banks (Heffernan 2007)[2]. The evolution of the UKs financial sector since the early 1980s can be thought of as the gradual confluence of three previously quite separate streams. These are the primary banking sector, monitored and supervised by the Bank of England; the organized markets in the City, and the rest of the financial sector, including building societies and insurance companies and licensed securities dealers, each of these steams exhibited significant differences in the style and nature of regulation, especially in the balance between statutory and self-regulation(Blair)[3]. As the consequence of the Stock Exchanges Big Bang, which means a series of financial reforms to encourage greater competition, the aim of Financial Services Act (1986) was to protect investors. One year after, the Bank Act 1987 was amended to the Banking Act 1979, this Act established a new Board of Bank Supervision, which assists the Bank of England in regulating other banks. The closure of BCCI (1991) and the bankruptcy of Barings (1995) exposed the problems of the supervisory abilities of the Bank of England and the drawbacks of the self-regulation (Heffernan, 2007)[4]. On 20 May 1997, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the reform of financial services regulation. In this resolution, banking supervision and investment services regulation were merged into the Securities and Investments Board (SIB), which changed its name to the Financial Services Authority in October 1997. Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 made the FSA became the sole regulator of all United Kingdom financial institutions. Since that time, FSA took the responsibility for all aspects of financial regulation progressively. According to the Financial Services and Markets Act, several other organisations responsibilities were transferred to the FSA, such as Building Societies Commission, Friendly Societies Commission, and Investment Management Regulatory Organisation. FSA superv ises the financial services industry as an independent non-governmental body, given statutory powers by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000; We are a company limited by guarantee and financed by the financial services industry. The Treasury appoints the FSA Board, which currently consists of a Chairman, a Chief Executive Officer, two Managing Directors, and ten non-executive directors (including a lead non-executive member, the Deputy Chairman). This Board sets our overall policy, but day-to-day decisions and management of the staff are the responsibility of the Executive. FSA has four statutory objectives, maintaining confidence in the financial system, promoting public understanding of the financial system, securing the appropriate degree of protection for consumers; and reducing the extent to which it is possible for a business to be used for a purpose connected with financial crime (FSA, 2005)[5]. According to Heffernan (2007)[6], FSA tries to make a balance between risk and competition. RTO (risk to our objectives) approach is used widely to manage the risk in firms that supervised by the FSA (except the telecommunications and utilities sectors, etc), RTO also gives a score of probability of a certain firm to be a target for preventing the FSA from achieving its four statutory objectives. The score is easily calculated through: Impact score = (impact of the problem) * (probability of the problem arising) Each firm will be scored from A (very high risk) to D (low risk), and the score will also indicate the strength of supervision that FSA implements in a firm. Being a member of EU, UK financial regulation is influenced by EUs regulation in financial service industry, which is Financial Service Action Plan. An article named The EU Financial Services Action Plan: A Guide[7](2003), which prepared by HM Treasure, the Financial Services Authority and the Bank of England, introduced that UK financial law was effectively determined by the FSAP. It means that any UK financial regulation should not be conflict contradictory, and the UK authorities should be keen to ensure that the UK financial sector, corporate sector and consumer groups are consulted on, and fully understand the impact of, FSAP measures. European Commission uses FSAP to improve EU financial markets to be a Single Market, FSAP aims to fill gaps and eliminate remaining barriers among all EU members. Furthermore, in order to make EU financial services worked more effectively, Lamfalussy process was launched by EU Committee. It is a four-level, regulatory approach for adoption. Trying to consider the relationship between FSA and FSAP, the article also addressed that the FSA not only has extreme influence in UKs financial services, but also make its own contributions in EU, HM Treasury, the FSA and the Bank play key roles in identifying, influencing, promoting and overseeing the UKs interests in financial services in the EU. Promoting public understanding of the financial system and ensuring an appropriate degree of protection for consumers are objectives of FSA which also inform in EU. Why we need financial services industry to be regulated A brief history of UK financial regulation, which was introduced at the beginning of this article, may be a part of the whole picture. However, there are other extremely important reasons that hastened the coming of a type of financial regulation represented by FSA. At first, it is still necessary to review an important feature, which is self-regulation, in the development of the FSA. Self-regulation has proved to be an effective and reasonably efficient system for the British securities industry until very recently[8] (Rider). However, just like the historical review that illustrated above, with the upward rising of scandals and the dramatic change in security market, the foundation of the monopoly of self-regulation mechanism was challenged before the emergence of the super-regulator. Although FSA 1986 seemed that make a balance between statutory framework and self-regulation, the financial regulation system was still largely depended on self-regulation. The issue of mis-selling pensions has the most impact to make the government to make the final decision to end the self-regulation. Public confidence was significantly lost in personal pensions at that time and the truth that SIB lack adequate enforcement powers to take regulatory actions prec ipitated the process of giving financial service industry a statutory regulation system. After FSMA 2000, FSAs enforcement is safeguarded and the whole financial system in United Kingdom has leaned to be supervised in statutory way rather than self-regulated. The economic rationale for regulation will be examined as follow. According to an article, The Economic Rationale for Financial Regulation[9], written by David Llewelyn (1999), he analyses several reasons why there is a demand for a systematic regulation in economic world. Firstly, there are potential systemic risks in financial industry especially in banking industry. The main systemic risk is bank run, and worse still; this can leads to a solvent bank becoming insolvent since the limitation of most bank assets to be marketable, and due to asymmetric information problems, bank assets cannot be sold at par as potential buyers, these will add a high risk premium in the purchase price. Therefore, for the sake of depositors and banking institutions, a type for regulation on the bases of systemic risk is necessary. Secondly, market is not perfectly competitive. The main reason of market imperfection is that not all the investors can get adequate information of a certain market which they are engaging in, and this will impose costs on the consumer. Consequently, regulation plays a significant role to make sure the process of information disclosure and reinforce an effective market environment. In the article, he also explained the economies of scale in monitoring. Because of the nature of financial contracts between financial firms and their customers there is a need for continuous monitoring of the behaviour of financial firms. Regulatory agencies should monitor the financial firms in the name of consumers, since regulatory agencies are more effective and cost less in monitoring financial firms. After financial crisis 2008 Almost all of the financial regulation agency aim to maintain the stability of the financial market and consumers confidence; however, the change of real market circumstance seems faster than policy-makers precautionary measures. According to a speech, The financial crisis and the future of financial regulation[10] from Adair Turner, the Chairman of the FSA, he explained the main reason why this extreme crisis happened is the interaction between macroeconomic imbalances and the fast development in financial market which happened last ten years. In his speech, since the decline of the real risk free rates of interest, such as government bonds, credit extension was got a chance of dramatic growth especially in residential industry with deteriorated credit standards. Moreover, a desire to find a substitute for government bonds among investors who want to gain as much as possible spread above the risk-free rate was exploded. Sophisticated investment banks created a new kind of securitized credit instruments and it boomed so quickly, but unfortunately, like Lord Turner said: Not all innovation is equally useful, it collapsed since the investors became irrational. To reduce the adverse impact in economy, rebuild th e investor confidence and avoid future crisis, he pointed several strategies that regulators may concentrate on improving the regulation system. He argued that financial system should modify originate and distribute model which refer to securitized credit model easier to be understood, and more transparent to end investors. He also suggested that a new regime for capital adequacy and liquidity is necessary to lower the possibility of future crisis. In the end of his speech, he emphasized that financial regulation should always ensure that financial activities are regulated on the basis of their economic substance instead of their legal form. In the Turner Review[11] published by FSA in March 2009, there are more specific approaches about banking supervision that FSA plans to change and introduce. All the recommends can be highly summarized to be seven key measures as follow: Increasing the quantity and quality of bank capital. Significant increases in trading book capital: and the need for fundamental review. Avoiding procyclicality in Basel 2 implementation. Creating counter-cyclical capital buffers. Offsetting procyclicaality in published accounts. A gross leverage ratio backstop. Containing liquidity risks: in individual banks and at the systemic level. (FSA, 2009) After the financial crisis happened, FSA has been undertaking massive actions to improve regulation system. For example, according to FSA Annual Report 2008/09[12], the Banking Act 2009 is mainly able to resolve default problem and strengthen financial stability; as a result, a new bank insolvency procedure was introduced. A statement from FSA about Banking Act 2009 from FSA in July 2009 claimed that the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) can not only pay compensation to eligible customers of a financial firm if that firm including deposit takers is unable, or likely to be unable, to pay claims against it but also can also be required to contribute to the costs arising from the actions taken under the SRR.[13] In addition, FSA increased the general depositor protection limit from  £35,000 to  £50,000 per person per deposit-taking institution which will cover most of retail deposits in October 2008. In the aspect of supervising firms capital adequacy, FSA made efforts to let firms which have most impact know essential controls and standards by Dear CEO letter. Closely cooperated with EU and global regulation, FSA played an important role in G20 London Summit in April 2009, which focused on the future priorities for global financial regulation, and Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. Many recommendations, which became detailed international agreements, were from FSA. According to FSA Business Plan 2009/10[14], the FSA will intensively focus on the competence of Significant Influence Functions (SIF) individuals in high-impact firms. The Plan announced five core improvements that FSA will be focus on, which included an upgraded Training and Competence (TC) scheme for relationship-management supervisors, a new tenure policy (it will provide a framework for the minimum and maximum time a supervisor should manage a firm). My view in current UKs financial supervisory system During the accumulation of the knowledge of the history about the development of UKs financial regulation and the causes of financial crisis 2008, I find it is a process that the financial regulation continuously suits the changeable financial services industry, financial regulations solutions seem behind a certain innovations in financial market which has already begun cause negative effects in the whole economy. Financial crisis 2008 is evidence to prove that if financial regulation does not detect potential problems in a certain financial innovation and does not make adjustment promptly, a new crisis would be inevitably and it would cost a lot to correct the system along the right track. Therefore, an important lesson from crisis 2008 is financial regulation should always pay close attention to the moving direction of the market and fully analyses a financial innovation. A suggestion in my point of view is that financial regulation may has legislative to investigate and estimate p otential risk within a new financial product before it begin it to sell, and this procedure may require close cooperation with related financial institution. On the other hand, financial crisis 2008 make regulators intensively focus on risk-based analysis especially in banking or like-banking institutions, but it should not equal to discourage financial innovation. Almost all the financial derivatives contain risk, while, as long as regulators estimate it appropriately, these new financial products that contained huge intelligence can benefit consumers. Conclusion Being a single financial regulator in United Kingdom, Financial Services Authority has powers which was given by Financial Services and Market Act (FSMA) to supervise Britain financial industry. Demand for such kind of regulation can be observed in history and economic perspectives. Financial crisis 2008 as a prelude to FSA reinforces its system, supervision in banking industry become more intensively. The crisis also gave regulators a lesson that it is necessary to establish a balance between surpluses and deficits on the global level in the long-term, in addition, prudential analysis should be in a more effective way in order to reduce systematic risk. Finally, not just FSA, but all the other financial regulations should cooperate closely to build a more stable global financial system and avoid future crisis. Word Count: 2564/2500 Reference: Consumer awareness of the FSA and financial regulation, Consumer Research 80, FSA, 2009 Heffernan, S. (2007). Modern banking. John Wiley Sons, Ltd, pp.200-242 Blair et al, Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, pp. 1-16 Heffernan, S. (2007). Modern banking. John Wiley Sons, Ltd, pp. 231-232 FSA, 2005, http://www.fsa.gov.uk/Pages/About/Who/History/index.shtml Heffernan, S. (2007). Modern banking. John Wiley Sons, Ltd, pp. 235-237 THE EU FINANCIAL SERVICES ACTION PLAN: A GUIDE, 31 July 2003, http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/other/fsap_guide.pdf Rider, Abrams and Ashe, Guide to Financial Services Regulation, pp. 1-26 The Economic Rationale for Financial Regulation, FSA Occasional Paper Series 1, April 1999, http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/occpapers/OP01.pdf The financial crisis and the future of financial regulation, Speech by Adair Turner, The Economists Inaugural City Lecture, 21 January 2009 The Turner Review: A regulatory response to the global banking crisis, FSA, March 2009, http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/other/turner_review.pdf FSA Annual Report 2008/09, http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Library/Corporate/Annual/ar08_09.shtml Policy Statement 09/11, Banking and compensation reform, FSA, http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/policy/ps09_11.pdf FSA Business Plan 2009/10, http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Library/Corporate/Plan/bp2009.shtml Consumer awareness of the FSA and financial regulation, Consumer Research 80, FSA, 2009 Heffernan, S. (2007). Modern banking. John Wiley Sons, Ltd, pp.200-242 Blair et al, Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, pp. 1-16 Heffernan, S. (2007). Modern banking. John Wiley Sons, Ltd, pp. 231-232 FSA, 2005, http://www.fsa.gov.uk/Pages/About/Who/History/index.shtml Heffernan, S. (2007). Modern banking. John Wiley Sons, Ltd, pp. 235-237 THE EU FINANCIAL SERVICES ACTION PLAN: A GUIDE, 31 July 2003, http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/other/fsap_guide.pdf Rider, Abrams and Ashe, Guide to Financial Services Regulation, pp. 1-26 The Economic Rationale for Financial Regulation, FSA Occasional Paper Series 1, April 1999, http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/occpapers/OP01.pdf The financial crisis and the future of financial regulation, Speech by Adair Turner, The Economists Inaugural City Lecture, 21 January 2009 The Turner Review: A regulatory response to the global banking crisis, FSA, March 2009, http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/other/turner_review.pdf FSA Annual Report 2008/09, http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Library/Corporate/Annual/ar08_09.shtml Policy Statement 09/11, Banking and compensation reform, FSA, http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/policy/ps09_11.pdf FSA Business Plan 2009/10, http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Library/Corporate/Plan/bp2009.shtml

Factors Affecting Air Transport Industry Communication

Factors Affecting Air Transport Industry Communication Air Transport Industry Communication There are many factors which affect communication within individual air transport companies and other organisations they interface to in the course of normal business operations. In many cases, the only common contact point for the great numbers of staff working within the industry is the airport which they work in. Even this contact opportunity is not true of many mobile staff such as cabin crew who operate in a transient mode across many airports in the course of normal business. Organisation Air travel is accomplished by a wide diversity of organisations; include air traffic controllers, baggage handlers, security staff, aircrew, customs, catering, fuel provision, engineering, freight handling, ticketing, public announcements, and a host of other functions which are required to operate the businesses. This factor in itself makes organisational communication extremely difficult. Compounded to this is the ever-growing move towards airports becoming places hosting retail outlets with their own set of requirements in terms of types of staff, operational activity and objectives. Cultural Workers in the air travel industry come from a wide variety of educational and ethnic backgrounds, which is made more complex by the skills and level of responsibilities held by individuals. For example, an airline pilot or air traffic controller has had significantly more training and responsibility for adherence to operating instructions than a person in the catering supply business. Such wide levels of education and cultural background are factors which make common communication methods relatively inefficient. 24 Hour Operation With so many organisations and types of staff involved, communication is further complicated by working hour’s patterns. Flight crew are transient visitors through airports and while they spend many hours together in the course of their duties, their opportunities to interact with ground staff of all kinds are very limited. Support service personnel, such as engineering, baggage handling and other staff who perform vital functions in the smooth operation of air travel vital have virtually no contact with flight crew. Mobility Many airport workers are required to be mobile, not simply flight cabin staff. Ground crew, coach transport, runway and taxi-way patrol staff among others, are all mobile and rely mostly on mobile radio communication to stay in touch with those who direct their activities. This, however, does not lend itself to communication between the various groups, resulting in few opportunities to either meet with or gain understanding of the concerns and goals of other personnel. Competition Air travel companies are engaged in fierce competition for customers and revenue. This factor tends to discourage sharing of information and acts as an inhibiting factor to industry-wide communication. Fear of loss of information on future sales initiatives or financially sensitive aspects make for a climate of unwillingness to share plans and objectives, which is a natural part of competitive business but is a negative factor for the promotion of common industry-wide communication. Compensating factors Individual company newsletters and internal staff communications, either paper or electronic mail, are one of the ways in which internal communication may be improved. One suggestion for improved communication might be a wider use of organised events such as ‘away-days’ utilised by many large companies to encourage better understanding of people’s roles in organisation and promote a sense of common purpose. Removal of staff from the ever-present pressures which accompany the work environment to a different location where they are not constantly interrupted can have the benefit of making them think about the whole enterprise as opposed to being focussed on their own constricted view of the workplace. Individual parts of the air travel industry have already formed their own groups which span company boundaries and aim to share information and promote improvements in various aspects such as safety, training and other commonly shared concerns. The concept of the ‘suggestion box’ has tended to be overtaken by the idea of offering employees various types of incentives for suggested improvements in methods of working or cost saving. Passenger Communication Most passenger communication takes the form of display screens showing flight timings and details including gate numbers, possible delays, and cancellations. This is supplemented by announcements on public tannoy, but in a global community, few airports can offer the variety of language expertise to cover all passengers. Information points assist in improving passenger experience but are mainly focussed on directions to facilities such as surface transport, hotels and directions within the airport Individual airlines are poorly supplied with customer service points where specific queries or issues travellers may have with their travel. Common Purpose Unlike large corporations, there is no concept of being one organisation with common goals, values and objectives among the diverse grouping which forms the air transport industry. This makes pursuit of a common set of goals virtually impossible. Technical Communication Improved air traffic management technology, both in terms of handling flight and ground movements would be a factor which could lead to improvements in safety, collision avoidance, reduction in fuel costs and better adherence to scheduled flight times. Improvements in air to ground communication technologies would assist in reducing the effects of misunderstanding and potential error which can cause delays and confusion. Noise Especially for ground operations, noise is a problem. Staffs is normally issued with ear protectors, and rely on hand signals, assisted by electronic boards or signalling paddles to indicate their instructions to other airline staff. Improvements in head set communications devices could lead to improvements in this area. In-flight Communications Passengers in most flights have the benefit of clear and audible information supplied from the flight deck about general conditions of the flight, time of arrival and any delays encountered, although this tends to be at the discretion of the captain. This compares well with the many railway station information systems which are often limited to electronic bards and the announcements are often inaudible due to background noise. In summary there are many challenges inherent in communication both within individual companies and in the wider industry but there are a range of actions which can be adopted from other business sectors which can improve the situation. Problems and Solutions Growth The general public shows increasing desire to fly to more destinations, for both leisure and business. Globalisation of businesses increases, requiring staff fly to meetings, conferences and other events. Increased disposable income and short and long haul vacation breaks have become increasingly attractive. Countries of Eastern Europe are opening up free markets and become more integrated in the European Union, providing opportunities for more destinations.  [1] Growth prospects exist in rapidly developing countries like India and China. The last decade has seen an approximate 100% rise in air freight. Air transport has increased 500% in the last 30 years. Competition Among airlines is competition fierce, with various offers used to tempt passenger numbers. Prime routes like long-distance business travel offer the best profit margins today, but business travel is unlikely to grow at the rate of economy class. Lower landing fees at ‘out-of town’ airports reduce costs, but have a negative effect on customer perception due to distance from intended destinations Low cost versus national airlines is an example, and Easyjet which first operated a commercial flight on 10th November 1995 has since grown to become one of the leading players in this type of travel within Europe.  [2] Countries with large distances between population centres, such as Australia, predict growing demand. High population density countries, such as the UK, have underdeveloped, road/rail infrastructures, compared with European neighbours. The uptake of high-speed rail transport between major cities would negatively impact air travel. This has been suggested in the UK as a means of reducing traffic and pollution. The Magnetic Suspension (MAGLEV) very high-speed train was first proposed back in 1966.  [3] Speeds of over 500 Km per hour have been achieved on test tracks and while no rail transport currently operates at this speed, if fully developed could compete directly with short haul flights. Terrorism Threat of terrorism has led to increasing security and growing expense, together with passenger disruption. The impact of 9/11 on air travel was massive. The European Aviation Association in Brussels noted that between September 11 and November 4th there was a drop in North Atlantic traffic of 35% and European traffic by 10% for major European airlines. Recent events in the UK reported in the news media resulted in dramatic changes in security practices and passenger freedom While this effect is likely to be transient, there is always the danger that a significant event will occur again. This impact may be reduced by ramping up public relations exercises making the public more aware that flying remains the safest form of travel. Public Relations The air travel industry is very effective at marketing seats on flights. This positive factor has boosted sales and assisted growth. The industry as a whole in not successful in handling negative publicity associated with flight delays, strikes, response to terrorist threats and similar events. British Airways Authority performance in defending the chaos which followed the recent security clampdown at major UK airports was an example of inept public relations leading to loss of confidence.  [4] The industry could benefit from improved self image. A good example was provided by the British Airways publicity on their web page entitled â€Å"Air transport and climate change†, aimed at countering negative publicity surrounding issues of public concern.  [5] Runways Ongoing investment in new airplanes of differing types has some manufacturers developing very large carrying hundreds of passengers, while others opt for smaller planes which can be more flexible in use. The latest Boeing jet currently has a restricted number of runways it can land and runway construction can take years to complete. Traffic Density This is evident in major hub airports, such as JFK, Chicago, Heathrow, Charles de Gaulle, Schipol etc. There are safety considerations relative to take-off and landing numbers which permitted at any one airport or flight corridor. Capacity problems will limit the ability to handle additional passenger numbers in crowded airports and may stunt growth in prime destinations of choice. This may be countered by rescheduling some regular services to alternate airports with offers of price reduction. Environment Pressure from the environmental lobby is increasing to curb emissions. Not confined to groups such as Friends of the Earth, but governments, European laws, and the increasing acceptance by the general public that global warming is a reality requiring action. This negative effect is forcing industry to develop improvements in fuel efficiency and lower emissions to comply with increasingly tougher legislation. This could be countered by investment in engine design, careful routing of flight paths and use of more modern aircraft which are quieter and more efficient in fuel consumption. Timings Restrictions are imposed on when flights may take place in many airports. Some locations handle traffic 24 hours per day, but many restrict hours of operation on grounds of noise pollution. This negatively affects overall air traffic costs. To counter this, emphasis could be placed on publicity showing that airport expansion brings increasing employment, in construction, and later in operation of the facility. T Fuel The high price of aviation fuel has impacted on costs of operation. This may have little impact on business or first class travel, but rising prices for low-cost airlines will see their profit margins squeezed and their rapid growth slowed. Links Modern airports now have express rail connections and frequent coach services. Investment in this off-airport transportation is a positive growth enabler. The negative side is that new road and rail links take time and are often under control of national or local government agencies. To counter the tendency for this to constrain expansion, the industry needs to influence and educate such decision-making bodies on the long-term benefits of such investments. Bookings The upward trend in seat bookings utilising websites helps to lower airline administrative costs and is increasingly an attractive option both for private and company business travel departments. The implication is that the industry will increasingly be dependent on information technology to process bookings on a 7 x 24 hour basis. This represents a move from labour intensive bookings and check-in activities to increased reliance on technology. This dependence carries implications for security of passenger’s personal data including credit card details. Emphasis is on the reduction of disclosure or misuse of sensitive information. Stringent requirements apply to handling, protection, storage and disclosure of such data.  [6] Legislation Many factors of a legislative nature impact air travel. Ryanair obtained discounts from in terms if low landing costs at underutilised airports, as a cost reducing measure, but in 2004 the European Commission required Ryanair to repay 4 million Euros it had obtained from Brussels Charleroi Airport. In the UK, the Department for Transport produced a white Paper on ‘The future of Air Transport’ which sets a framework for regions and possible developments. The paper also focuses on impact assessment of new building, emissions and the environment, noise, and public transport access. These factors, if implemented in a bureaucratic fashion, have the impact of restricting growth.  [7] Health and safety legislation affects travel in terms passenger comfort and working conditions of aviation staff. The Civil Aviation (Working Time) regulations, 2004 apply within the European Union and impose working time limits. Health and safety executives across many countries are taking note of such issues as transport and fuelling of planes, engineering, catering and baggage handling risks.  [8] The negative impact of these factors and may be countered by lobbying for informed professionals in the industry, providing consultation with bodies developing such directives. Volatility Mergers have become very commonplace in the air travel industry, particularly in the aftermath of 9/11, when a number of carriers suffered dramatic downturns in passenger numbers. In the 1980’s and 1990’s there were significant downturns in air travel, especially in the USA, where mergers, takeovers and bankruptcy of carriers were frequent. The air travel industry across all continents remains subject to such factors which can impact share prices. Aids to overcome this are flexible and well-managed business objectives, which can rapidly adjust to conditions.  [9] Agreements Air travel agreements have moved on from the concept of ‘flag carriers’ and restrictions on flights and landing rights. The European Community has extended air transport agreements between EC member states and a number of other countries. Involved countries, either in negotiation or compete, include New Zealand, Morocco, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Russia, Ukraine and South Eastern European states. This will be of benefit by expanding both freight and consumer markets. An EC press release in 2006 outlined the background to these agreements citing the role of air transport in generating employment, revenues and other benefits.  [10] In summary the industry faces many challenges but growth looks positive, if managed with modern business techniques. References Aviation Week, 2006, ‘New Central European LCC’s expand rapidly’ BBC and ITV news August 2006 Department of Transport, 2003, ‘The Future of Air Transport and the Civil Aviation Bill’ European Commission Press Release 2006, IP/06/810 Heppenheimer, T.A., 1995, ‘Turbulent Skies – The History of Commercial Aviation’ ISO/IEC 17799:2000 Information technology –Code of practice for information security management Jones, L 2005, ‘easyJet’, Aurum Press Limited Taylor, A, 1992, Hi-Tech Trains UK Health and Safety Executive Special Transport Sectors Unit www.britishairways.com/travel/crglobalwarm/public Footnotes [1] Aviation Week, 2006, ‘New Central European LCC’s expand rapidly’ [2] Jones L 2005, ‘easyJet’ [3] Taylor, A, 1992, Hi-Tech Trains [4] BBC and ITV news August 2006 [5] www.britishairways.com/travel/crglobalwarm/public [6] ISO/IEC 17799:2000 Information technology –Code of practice for information security management [7] Department of Transport , 2003, ‘The Future of Air Transport and the Civil Aviation Bill’ [8] UK Health and Safety Executive Special Transport Sectors Unit [9] Heppenheimer, T.A., 1995, ‘Turbulent Skies – The History of Commercial Aviation’ [10] European Commission Press Release 2006, IP/06/810

George Bush :: essays research papers

With a victory on November 1st, George Walker Bush earned the chance to pursue the domestic and foreign issues that he had been planning on accomplishing in his first term. With large amounts of ambitions comes large amounts of opposition unfortunately, and Bush faces an unfaltering Democratic blockade in the way of his programs. David Sanger in his article discusses and explains the Bush agenda for the next four years. Bush wished to continue his success in Iraq with elections for the public. Thankfully those elections were a resounding success. Now Bush is ready to tackle other issues in the middle east while repairing our relations with Europe. On the domestic front, Bush's main objective is the enacting of private social security accounts which will help the money of our younger generation grow and fill the void of a rapidly aging social security system. Bush went through the loss of some cabinet members in his transition to another four years, but has filled those spots with ne w staff that is ready to tackle the issues at hand.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bush has a lot on his platter when it comes to proposals in his next term. Already he is trying his best to help Lebanon rid themselves of Syrian influence, having talks with Iran to discuss their nuclear program, and bringing North Korea back to the table for more talks. That would seem like enough work for one man, but George Bush is also pursuing a strategy of rejuvenating aging American programs such as social security. Some may say that Bush faces some roadblocks in his next term, yet the only problems that he faces come from Democrats that are playing the game of partisan politics. If Bush and company can make the case to the public and get them on board, then the public will force the Democrats to move on the issues.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bush has moved quickly to get new members into the cabinet because he is eager to get new blood into the federal government and shoot to new heights. Some critics say that Bush is trying to replace the members quickly so that he doesn't look bad, that is not true. The shuffle-ups are good for the Bush team. Colin Powell's departure is a welcome change for Bush it would seem. Powell and Bush for the most part were not a great team.

Lily’s Reflections in Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse Essay

Lily’s Reflections in Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse Embodying the spirit of the female artist, Lily Briscoe in To the Lighthouse examines critical issues pertaining to her role in Virginia Woolf’s novel. In Part Three of the novel, Mrs. Ramsay’s legacy plays an especially important role in Lily’s thinking processes. Flowing experimentally like the sea that day, Lily’s thoughts encompass the novel’s themes of the passage of time, the role of the woman, and the role of the artist. Though time can break down physical matter, its prodding cannot disperse vivid memories. In the beginning of Part Three, Lily feels that Mrs. Ramsay’s death signals the deadening of emotions over time, for she can feel â€Å"nothing, nothing – nothing that she [can] express at all† (125). Lily feels that without Mrs. Ramsay’s art of bringing people together, everything becomes â€Å"aimless†, â€Å"chaotic† and â€Å"unreal† (126). Lily echoes Mr. Ramsay’s sentiments of having â€Å"perished† and wishes Mrs. Ramsay were in charge of the household again (126). Although Lily is a friend of the Ramsays, she is deeply affected by the unravelling of the Ramsay’s family life and remarks, â€Å"The empty places. Such were some of the parts, but how bring them together?† (126). Lily is able to solve this dilemma at the end of the story; however, for the moment, she can only imagine Mrs. Ramsay saying â€Å"life sta nd still here,† for this is the older woman’s way of turning a moment into something permanent (138). Later in her mind’s eye, Lily sees Mrs. Ramsay through William’s eyes and thinks â€Å"beauty had this penalty – it came too readily, came too completely. It stilled life – froze it. One forgot the little agitations; the flush, the pallor, some queer distortion, some light or s... ...izes it on the canvas. Lily is no longer a passive woman confused about her artistic abilities. Time’s passage is inevitable, but Lily learns that she can match wits with time by using her artistic talents. Mrs. Ramsay had shown Lily that time can be stopped with beauty, but Lily opts for a more realistic capture of time with artwork that transcends all ages. As a female artist, Lily dashes Mrs. Ramsay’s hopes as well as overcomes the societal expectations for her to become married. Not only does Lily redefines what it means to be a woman, she also renews the image of the artist. Intertwining her reflections on time, womanhood, and artistry, Lily emerges as a more mature person in the end of Woolf’s novel To the Lighthouse. Work Cited Woolf, Virginia, To the Lighthouse. Edited by Susan Dick. Oxford, United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishers 1992.

Theatre in the Community Essay examples -- Drama

Theatre in the Community Britain in 1979 was a place of great change and division. Although the country had united in the election of Margaret Thatcher as the first Conservative woman Prime minister by the early 1980’s one could say that the country was spiralling into a state of decline. This was largely due to the disarray of the previous Labour government and the implementation of the Conservative government’s robust style of economic management. All spheres of social and cultural life were to be judged on their economic terms and values. This is particularly true within the Arts. In ‘Politics of Performance’ Baz Kershaw describes how, â€Å"Private enterprise was to replace public dependency, so cuts in government, expenditure, including that on the arts, were inevitable.† This stems back largely to the ideological principals of conservatism. Conservatism believes in the self reliant role of the individual. It strongly allows for the expansion of public enterprise and thus frowns upon state intervention and avoids assistance towards public dependency. Therefore, where it was seen that some areas of public life, such as the arts, were â€Å"financially draining†, cuts were made where necessary to ensure that funds were spent more wisely, largely towards benefiting enterprise. A culmination of activities throughout the 1980’s meant that the arts were one of the key areas of public life that were disregarded in favour of prioritised events. This is effectively where the arts began to suffer. Although some mainstream theatre was funded by the GLC (Greater London Council), many alternative theatre groups were seen as unnecessary and as they often highlighted social issues, such as homosexuality, that were seen as taboo, they were generally avoided when it came to the distribution of funding. This can clearly be seen in Kershaw’s, ‘Politics of Performance’, where Kershaw states, â€Å"The divisions in British society were also reflected in the growing distance between the top and bottom of the theatrical pyramid during the 1980’s. In 1982 the Royal Shakespeare Company had moved into the huge concrete edifice of the Barbican in the City of London. The following year, a government- ordered investigation into the RSC (the Pristley report) concluded that counter to government suspicions- the company was efficient but under funded to the ... ...iece was heavily influenced by the needs of a local disability group. Community theatres range in size from small groups led by single individuals performing in borrowed spaces, to large year round companies with elaborate well equipped theatres of their own. Many community theatres are successful non-profit businesses with a large active membership and, in some cases, a full time professional staff. As the performers and other artists are also involved in other aspects of their community, non-professional theatre can develop a broad base of support and attendance among those who might not normally support the professional arts. Community theatre is in fact well documented as being the most widely attended venue for theatre in America and Australia. Community theatre is often seen as adding to the social capital of a community, in that it develops skills and community spirit for those involved. Furthermore, it can also create a place for debate, self-expression and interactivity that is important for the health of a community. When this can involve people with learning disabilities, for example, it can disarm prejudices that people encounter on a daily basis. Theatre in the Community Essay examples -- Drama Theatre in the Community Britain in 1979 was a place of great change and division. Although the country had united in the election of Margaret Thatcher as the first Conservative woman Prime minister by the early 1980’s one could say that the country was spiralling into a state of decline. This was largely due to the disarray of the previous Labour government and the implementation of the Conservative government’s robust style of economic management. All spheres of social and cultural life were to be judged on their economic terms and values. This is particularly true within the Arts. In ‘Politics of Performance’ Baz Kershaw describes how, â€Å"Private enterprise was to replace public dependency, so cuts in government, expenditure, including that on the arts, were inevitable.† This stems back largely to the ideological principals of conservatism. Conservatism believes in the self reliant role of the individual. It strongly allows for the expansion of public enterprise and thus frowns upon state intervention and avoids assistance towards public dependency. Therefore, where it was seen that some areas of public life, such as the arts, were â€Å"financially draining†, cuts were made where necessary to ensure that funds were spent more wisely, largely towards benefiting enterprise. A culmination of activities throughout the 1980’s meant that the arts were one of the key areas of public life that were disregarded in favour of prioritised events. This is effectively where the arts began to suffer. Although some mainstream theatre was funded by the GLC (Greater London Council), many alternative theatre groups were seen as unnecessary and as they often highlighted social issues, such as homosexuality, that were seen as taboo, they were generally avoided when it came to the distribution of funding. This can clearly be seen in Kershaw’s, ‘Politics of Performance’, where Kershaw states, â€Å"The divisions in British society were also reflected in the growing distance between the top and bottom of the theatrical pyramid during the 1980’s. In 1982 the Royal Shakespeare Company had moved into the huge concrete edifice of the Barbican in the City of London. The following year, a government- ordered investigation into the RSC (the Pristley report) concluded that counter to government suspicions- the company was efficient but under funded to the ... ...iece was heavily influenced by the needs of a local disability group. Community theatres range in size from small groups led by single individuals performing in borrowed spaces, to large year round companies with elaborate well equipped theatres of their own. Many community theatres are successful non-profit businesses with a large active membership and, in some cases, a full time professional staff. As the performers and other artists are also involved in other aspects of their community, non-professional theatre can develop a broad base of support and attendance among those who might not normally support the professional arts. Community theatre is in fact well documented as being the most widely attended venue for theatre in America and Australia. Community theatre is often seen as adding to the social capital of a community, in that it develops skills and community spirit for those involved. Furthermore, it can also create a place for debate, self-expression and interactivity that is important for the health of a community. When this can involve people with learning disabilities, for example, it can disarm prejudices that people encounter on a daily basis.

Kfc in China Essay

Is Tony Wang correct in assuming that China is an ideal market for KFC? Should KFC be pursuing the Chinese market at the present time? Considering China as a strategic location was based from a SWOT analysis. Availability of Supply (Strength) There is ready access of quality poultry in the major metropolitan areas such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing. Poultry industry is one of the top priority categories in China’s agriculture modernization and it is highly encourage by the government. Thus, the company can ensure a reliable supply of high quality chicken. Low Competitive Pressure (Strength) Potential competitors such as MacDonald’s face major barriers to enter the China market due to poor beef supply while KFC, aside from availability of high quality chicken supply, has the clear advantage since its main product-chicken- is eaten almost everywhere in the world. Furthermore, chicken is already familiar in China and even much cheaper. Company’s Control Measures (Strength) KFC s control mechanisms are designed to ensure standard levels of quality, service and cleanliness (QSC) at all of the restaurant’s chain stores. This fits the positive image in Asia of American fast food restaurants as famous, air-conditioned, and hygienic. Product Consumption (Strength) Chicken has long been regarded as a kind of nutritious food, which is especially good for the patients, the elders and children. An increase in health conscious consumers also raises the consumption of chicken. Moreover, chicken is a more popular meal than hamburgers in most Asian countries and KFC has the opportunity to offer an American style experience that is different from most other food establishments. Drawing Area (Opportunity) In late 1978, China began implementing economic reforms to modernize its economy by lessening the government’s control of the economy. This reform referred as a socialist market economy boosted the national wealth and the consequent increase in individual’s income has led to steady changes in Chinese consumer patterns prevalent in pre-Mao era. As the world’s most populous nation with over 1 billion inhabitants, the potential size and growth for KFC makes the Chinese market very attractive. Not to mention, the possibility of establishing the first Western style fast-food operation in China as a historic opportunity for the company. Scarce Human Resources (Weakness) Managerial resources are precious because of the scarcity of Chinese-speaking KFC managers. There are also possible conflicts between KFC-appointed managers and local employees. Lack of Local connections (Weakness) Pioneering in the fast-food field would find KFC very difficult to form local and personal networks between businesses and government agencies, which are crucial in providing access to the local market and domestic suppliers and eventually, to the company’s success. Entering into a relatively unknown market, KFC, as a new entrant will have to get in touch with the local business customs and laws as well as with knowledge of culture and language. Quality of Government (Threat) A communist government with strict foreign investment laws rules China. Setting up here requires heavy investment expenses and high levels of resource commitment. The risk of domestication measures may be imposed by the host government, often leading to major financial losses for the foreign investor. Overcoming Threats and Weaknesses KFC has three options of entering the China market thru, namely: Franchising, Wholly owned subsidiary and Joint venture. The traditional franchising strategy, in markets where political risk and cultural unfamiliarity exists, certainly would reduce financial risks. However, KFC had already encountered problems in the past with the aligning of corporate planning with the franchisee’s short-term focus on profitability. In addition, KFC will be pioneering in the fast-food service and thus needs to be highly sensitive to cultural demands. In such case, franchising is not feasible. On the other hand, a wholly owned subsidiary would rely upon total control over competitive advantages and ensures complete operational and strategic control. It also involves high financial risk and little country-level flexibility and responsiveness. This option is not recommended. Entering into a joint venture is highly recommended. Such an international business strategy will attempt to solve many logistics problems such as access to good quality chicken and other supplies, ease the access to Chinese market, share risk with a local entity, utilize ways to cut bureaucratic red-tape and finally, serve as a sign of commitment to the host government increasing goodwill. In addition, due to the complexity of many barriers to entry into China, a potential partner with sufficient contacts or networks with the government officials may smoothen the process of setting-up operations in the country. The potential joint-venture partner should be large, well established, provide excellent distribution channels and have personal network access to government officials. It is recommended that a partner be found by backward integration- that is, a good domestic supplier of poultry. In order to ensure total commitment, the set-up of the joint venture should be with KFC as the dominant partner. This way, cost, quality and strategic control measures are maintained. By building on each partner’s core competencies, knowledge, and efficiencies, a mutually beneficial synergy effect could be achieved as a result of joint venture activities. For instance, the local partner can learn from KFC how to produce a better product at a lower cost and further expand on its new competitive positioning. KFC, on the other hand, can maintain quality supply, which is critical to its success. RECOMMENDATION: The Chinese market represents a great opportunity for KFC where Tony Wang is correct in his assumptions. By finding an appropriate domestic business partner via backward integration, it is possible to further build on opportunities and significantly reduce risk throughout financial sharing, cultural sensitivity and favorable treatment from the host government. KFC should start pursuing this strategy at the present time and develop a coherent international strategy linking the China operations with the other markets. Which of the three cities being investigated should the company choose if it decides to enter China? The capital city, Beijing, is recommended as the preferred location for KFC’s entry into the Chinese market. Beijing is the center for most political activities and provides the necessary access to government agencies and business regulatory bodies. Also, it has a large population of nearly 9 million inhabitants. The numerous universities located in the city contributes to more affluent and educated people that may make them more open to foreign ideas including Western fast-food. More importantly, plenty of Western tourists are attracted to Beijing’s many tourist attractions, increasing the potential for generating foreign currency sales. Furthermore, supplies of poultry are readily available. Beijing can serve as the initial platform of KFC’s operations and later expand into other potential areas such as Shanghai and Guangzhou. One or two initial outlets should be set-up to get an insight of how KFC will be perceived in the Chinese capital. Both dine-in and take-out facilities much in line with most KFC’s international operations ought to be offered in large, clean and well-serviced outlets to cater for the customers with above-average disposable incomes. In order to serve large numbers of customers due to the sheer size of the population, the right cultural fit of the business restaurants must be highly functional and effective. Special menu-substitutions may also have to be facilitated to cater to consumers taste for traditional Chinese meals. Lessons Learned Capitalizing on Strengths and Opportunities In the initial period of KFC’s entry into China market, few of Chinese onsumers were really impressed with the food itself since the country is known to have the best culinary culture in the world. Instead, they were more fascinated with the eating experience: the encounter with friendly employees, quick service, spotless floors climate-controlled and brightly-lit dining areas, and smiling Colonel Sanders standing in front of the main gate. Having experienced the initial surprises brought by a never-seen western lifestyle, Chinese consumers have gradually calmed down and their consumption attitudes towards foreign products are getting more reasonable. Since Chinese people are more concerned with the nutrition and tastes of the fast food, KFC taken advantage of McDonald’s. By offering poultry food that is more acceptable to Chinese people compared with beef, have taken consumers needs and competition with other brands into account. Knowing the market The most prominent success of KFC in China is not only the outcome of KFC’s persistent tenets â€Å"quality, service and cleanliness† but also the achievements of its keen perception of cross-cultural marketing and its understanding of Chinese culture. Based on its scrutiny and adoption of Chinese traditional culinary arts, KFC has developed a series of products that are specially designed for the tastes of Chinese consumers. Moreover, in purpose of maintaining its image of a U. S. brand and keeping consistent with its globalization strategy, most of KFC s Chinese side dishes are defined as short-term products and would be replaced by new products. KFC’s product strategies are categorized into two aspects: 1)To meet consumers desire for novelty by introducing western style products like Mexican Chicken Warp and New Orleans Barbeque Wings. This means can satisfy young consumers who are more open and acceptable to the foreign flavors. 2)To cater to consumers taste for traditional Chinese meal by offering Chinese style fast food from time to time, say, Old Beijing Chicken Roll, a wrap modeled after the way Peking duck is served, but with fried chicken inside and accompanied with green onions and hoi sin sauce, and Sichuan Spicy Chicken which absorbs the spicy flavor of Sichuan dish. This measure can attract older consumers who are fond of Chinese food and in need of the convenience of fast food service as well.