Medieval Armor

Jeff quickly realized the problem was going to turn even more complex. The 1992 medallion was ordered by 3,876 people; they planned on 4,500. The bed is $2,964. 30 and the chair is $687. 29 (with the 15% discount). Their neighbor paid the eight prudish men for their work on the docks. In our society, the average person changes jobs more often than ever before. As a result, most people are apt to do several job campaigns during their lifetime. Most jobs require applicants to submit a letter of application and a data sheet or resume. Both the data sheet and the resume give the prospective employer a summary of your background.A resume, however, is a more detailed account of your experiences and may be used when applying for a higher level job. The letter and data sheet are the means through which a potential employer first meets you. On the basis of these two documents a first impression is formed. A positive first impression usually will result in an invitation to a job interview. The refore, it is critical that a great deal of care be taken to ensure that the first impression made by these documents is a good one. Make sure that these documents are free of errors with accurate and proper information.Job interviews are used to give the potential employer a chance to screen you further to determine if you are qualified for the job and to see if you will fit in with the organization. You are expected to be on time to dress appropriately for the job interview. A conservative approach to dress is usually good advice to follow when choosing proper attire. During the interview you will need to sell yourself by emphasizing how your qualifications fit the position. We are glad that you decided to lease a two-bedroom condominium from Lakeview Condominium Association.As I indicated on the phone, you will need to send your $450 security deposit in order to reserve a unit. At the current time we do have two units that will be available for occupancy on the date you plan on m oving to Knoxville September 1. A triplicate copy of the lease agreement is enclosed for your signature. Please sign and return it to me along with the security deposit. We look forward having you as one of our tenants; you will enjoy living in a Lakeview Condominium. 1231 Woodlawn Drive Toledo, OH 43612-1712 April 5, 19—Mr. Jeffrey A.York Lakeview Condominium Association 599 Miller Road Knoxville, TN 37920-4119 Dear Mr. York: Thank you for sending the lease so quickly. My check for the $450 security deposit is enclosed along with the signed lease. I will pay the first month’s rent when I arrive in Knoxville. I do have a few questions that you can answer for me regarding the condominium complex. 1. Do you arrange to have the electricity transferred to my name, or do I need to contact the electric company? 2. To what address will my mail be delivered? 3. Is garbage disposal included with the rent? 4. Is storage space available outside the condominium?I am looking forwar d to receiving the information so I can take care of these arrangements before arriving in Knoxville on September 1 Sincerely, Jennifer A. Rose Enclosure July 6, 19—Claudia Simpkins, Office Manager DESKTOP PUBLISHING SEMINAR Attached is the brochure about the desktop publishing seminar will allow me to use more productively the desktop system that was purchased last spring. I will also be happy to share with others what I learn from the seminar. I will need to submit registration forms by July 25 to avoid a late registration fee. Maria Gibson, Document Processing Center Attachment

Quality management Essay

Dialogue 2: Identify two (2) thought leaders relative to quality management. Research each to determine their core ideas and contributions. Synthesize your thoughts about each into a one paragraph (per leader) that contains important and meaningful statements about each thought leader, their contributions, and the relevance of the contribution today regarding the work of project managers. Joseph M. Juran Dr. Juran devoted 70 years to his books, thoughts, and life work revolutionizing the philosophy of total quality management. His developed quality management ideas work around the quality trilogy of Quality Planning, Quality Improvement, and Quality Control. Through the Juran Institute, Dr. Juran has maintained the capability to continually broaden the experiential learning of economist, scientist, and engineers around his work. Dr. Juran’s teachings and guidance focus efforts on the customer and their needs, optimizes the product for those individuals, optimizes the processes involved, and ensures that the process will actually produce the product. Dr. Juran understood that the human component (the customer, the manager, the scientist, the engineer) was an integral piece of the quality process. His lessons contributed to the rise of the Japanese economy after his hands on workings with the Union of Japanese Scientist and Engineers. The push of information today has allowed th ese theories to flourish. Customer satisfaction is an ever pressing position for large and small businesses. Today’s managers would be hard pressed to understand the human factor, if individuals like Dr. Juran did not lay the ground work to focus efforts on the human factors. Genichi Taguchi Taguchi was a Japanese Textile Engineer that understood the processes and influences of small and large businesses. He realized there were variables within management’s control and others that we not. His major contributions/theories were the following: The Loss Function- an equation to quantify the decline of a customer’s perceived value of a product, as the quality declines; Orthogonal Arrays and Linear Graphs- tools to identify and isolate the items concerned when dealing with effective costs and time; Robustness- the identified course of developing products and processes that perform uniformly regardless of the uncontrollable forces.

Motivational Methods Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Motivational Methods Paper - Essay Example This essay principally has concern on the motivational techniques that managers apply when introducing change to their employees (Intuition Learning and Development). Herein is the importances of applying motivational techniques to the employees as well as to the organization. Further, the essay brings to light the impact of change to particular individuals. Finally, the essay introduces the best means of improving motivational techniques to impede negative results when aspiring to introduce change. Motivation refers to the desire of individuals to enable others be able to perform tasks in an expert manner. Downsizing departments refer to the task undertaken by managers to reduce the number of employees within various departments. The act of downsizing department has negative results on employees. First, it reduces employee morale since those left work under pressure, as they lack knowledge about who is the next individual to leave the department (Intuition Learning and Development). Secondly, it leads to poor quality of output due to decreased morale when performing assigned tasks. The positive outcome of managerial development depends on the ability of managers to apply the best techniques of motivation. Kusluvan 340 asserts that motivation is the source of both poor and improved employee performance. Intuition, Learning and Development denotes the three major motivational techniques of use by managers. The manner in which managers treat their subordinates are of great significance to the overall performance of employees. Managers should treat their employees as individuals with dignity and aspire to establish the best ways of enhancing employee performance. There are ways managers ought to take in when desiring to treat employees well. To begin with, managers should know what best motivates employees (Intuition Learning and Development). Having favorable knowledge about employee motivation needs results in less resistance when enacting changes within the

Answer the question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Answer the question - Assignment Example t for various purposes, the facet of information privacy has emerged as a critical concern to leverage utmost benefits out of this unique technological development i.e. the internet. A rudimental ethical debate has propagated wherein a number of critics and users have raised doubts whether they can use the medium of the internet to share their personal information or not. The wider reach of the internet in this regard has been acting as the key concerning factor due to which certain sections of ill-minded people have targeted the online medium to gain and manipulate personal information. The study intends to critically analyse that despite a pinnacle role played by the internet in daily lives of human beings, a profound ethical debate on information privacy has raised. The way in which this ethical debate has raised associated with the use of the internet will be highlighted in the study. In accordance with Temmel & et. al. (n.d.), technology has influenced the modern life of human beings. During daily life, human beings are dealing with several electronic devices and techniques. Especially, the internet has emerged as one of the most advanced innovations of science and technology, which has facilitated the modern civilisation to march towards a more lucid future. Thus, it can be evidently asserted that the internet can also influence our lifestyle in both ways such as good and bad aspects (Temmel & et. al., n. d.). According to the observation, it has been determined that the impact of the internet has changed the aspect of modern life enormously. In order to measure the advantages of the internet it can be highlighted that the internet has delivered several facilities to the human beings, which have not been ever-expected by human kind before. Due to enormous technological advancement, people can access the internet from their home for personal requirement and also can use the internet from workplace for professional uses. Due to the availability of the

This is a Strategic Management subject. The assessment is Strategic Assignment

This is a Strategic Management subject. The assessment is Strategic Audit. The Assignnment brief, example and marking guide will - Assignment Example In addition the business level strategies and the entry strategy that Thales will be adopting in China is also explained. Thales’ Business Thales Group is a French business group engaged in defense, aerospace, transportation and security markets. A small portion of Thales’ investments also go into its electrical systems building unit. Thales Group is present in more than 50 countries of the world having workforce of around 70,000 employees. Thales’ business’ size can be gauged by the fact that the company makes billion of Euros in revenues and is considered 475th largest business group amongst Fortune500 and is the 11th largest defense contractor (Thales Group, 2011). Competitive Landscape of Railway Transportation Industry in France Major railway transport operators in France are: Thalys Lyria Eurostar Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais Resear Ferre de France (State Owned) Environmental Scan of Railway Transportation Industry in China To carry out the scanning of an external environment in China’s railway transportation industry, Porter’s Five Forces Model will be used. This model assists in scanning the external environment for: Identifying rivalry within the industry. ... In this paper, Porter’s Five Forces model will be used to examine the external environment of China’s Railway Transportation Industry. Threat of New Entrants In China’s railway transportation industry, the threat of new entrant is low due to the high entry barriers. Usually it requires a mammoth amount of money to acquire license and enter into a railway transportation business (Wan & Liu, 2006). Not everyone can start a railway transportation business because it is a capital extensive decision which includes capital investments in fixed assets like machinery, railway tracks, platforms, engines, rail-cars, and land and auto-mechanic shops. Although, there is still need for railway tracks and transportation services in China due to its huge geography and increased travelers’ pressure, but the acquisition of license and cost of starting this business in the country is still very expensive. Moreover, the railway transport industry largely operates on economie s of scale where the average cost of taking passengers from one station to another decreases as the incoming number of passengers increase (Today Online, 2013). Threat from Substitutes China is amongst those nations of the world who believes on working hard and saving money for the future. The saving trend compels people in China to spend less on luxuries. But in recent 4 to 5 years, it has been noticed that this trend is on shift and Chinese people are looking for quicker travelling options. But still, the traditional Chinese still believes on travelling with cheaper and less time consuming travelling means (Wan & Liu, 2006). Due to the rapid development and financial strength of the Chinese families, they tend to buy cars.

Rapid dissemination of images has had an impact on artists Essay

Rapid dissemination of images has had an impact on artists - Essay Example Artists who are not affiliated with any major companies find comfort in the Internet as an effective channel to distribute their labor of love to a particular niche (Poole and Le-Phat Ho 5). Pool and Le-Phat Ho mention that a survey in England reveals that art enthusiasts â€Å"explore† art materials online than those who are not interested at all (5). With this idea, it is significant to discuss postmodern artists and the impacts of digital technology to their works. Shepard Fairey. He is the man behind Studio Number One and is the well-known publisher of Swindle Magazine (Heller and Talarico 117). More than the common affiliations, Fairey bleeds art, as he started making artworks for shirts and later on to another medium since he was in college. His designs are of course authentic, making them in balance between quantity and quality (Heller and Talarico 117). In one of his artworks, Fairey expressed his stance over the rapid dissemination of the images of artworks with the advent of digital technologies. Particularly, he criticized existing laws concerning copyrights of artists to their artworks (Taylor 172). Fairey campaigned for a copyright law to be passed in the United States that is applicable in the present era. Fairey’s campaign is a manifestation of artists’ â€Å"anxiety† over copyright infringement (Taylor 172; Sullivan 41). The present media culture suggests it being an â€Å"open-source† of anything that can be stored and retrieved in there (Boomen et al. 271). Fairey fought for artists’ rights over their own work. He understood that there must be some acknowledgement of originality among breakthrough artists in the digital field. With this in mind, Fairey understands â€Å"new spatial heterotopias,† which suggest that there is actually a difficulty in delineating space and physical landscape in art (Boomen et al. 272). Sherrie Levine. Rephotography is her

Writing activities Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Writing activities - Article Example I agree with Pinker that the current political systems, technologies, and cultural changes have made the modern world less violent, and that these changes can be improved to reduce violence further; however, we cannot be complacent and we should continue resolving existing violence across the globe that persist because of greed for power and wealth and diverse prejudices and discriminations against different sectors/groups of society. I agree with Pinker that we live in a less violent time than in the past because the government is an effective form of authority in managing social and economic affairs. First, Pinker is right that having a centralized government enabled people to be more at peace with one another because an institution is managing diverse aspects of social affairs. He calls this centralization as the â€Å"consolidation of a patchwork of feudal territories into large kingdoms with centralized authority and an infrastructure of commerce† (190-191). If people feel safe to move around and to focus on developing their livelihoods, they are less likely to feel threatened and more likely to have social and economic stability. Second, the government organizes and facilitates trade and commerce, which is important to peace. The government creates laws and guidelines for businesses to promote economic progress and to protect economic interests. If anyone violates these laws and guidelines, the gover nment is the one who will punish the former. People do not need to do anything violent to protect their sources of income. Having a centralized government is essential to managing social and economic affairs for the interests of the collective. Apart from leading and supervising social and economic activities that promote peace, the government is a more reliable bringer of justice than when people used to do it on their own or through using militias. Definitely, the government is not perfect on this regard and many criminals go

PC Reflective Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

PC Reflective - Assignment Example He revealed that his family and close associates have been shocked initially but later they reconciled themselves with the situation. Laurie Strike actually desires euthanasia which means â€Å"the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit† There are many form of euthanasia like: The American Medical Association opposes the concept of euthanasia and held the view that a physician assisted death is harmful not only for the ethics of medical profession but for the patient also. The association negates the idea of abandoning the incurable patients instead more love and affection should be shown to these patients to lessen their miseries. Like AMA, many medical practitioners in Australia have the view that medicines are meant to cure the diseases of patients and the concept of euthanasia is quite opposite to it. In euthanasia, medicines are used to snatch the life of a living being. Pope Benedict XVI declares it a grave sin. Besides, he also declares abortion as a kind of euthanasia, when a mother chose abortion to avoid abdominal pains. He stated, â€Å"The deliberate decision to deprive an innocent human being of his life is always morally evil and can never be licit†. He asked the family members of patients who were suffering with the incurable diseases to come forward and help the patients with love and care; in this way the family system would also be strengthened. The National Catholic Bioethics Center declares life as a beautiful gift of God and said, â€Å"God did not make death, nor does He rejoice in the destruction of the living† (Wisdom 1:13). They are saying that human life is precious and any effort to temper with it will be immoral and grave sin. Roman Church also has the same views on euthanasia and terms this concept as morally wrong. According to BBC, â€Å"The Roman Church does not accept that human beings have the right to die. Human

School segregation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

School segregation - Essay Example By the 1970's attention focused on trying to desegregate elementary and high schools. Here a problem arose, for if schools were blind to race, then the racial mixture of the student body should parallel the racial percentages of the community. Consequently, as school districts might not necessarily be segregated, they could easily be a larger percentage of a certain ethnicity, schools were hardly heterogeneous. If nothing else, wealthier communities frequently had, if not necessarily better education, then certainly more access to updated teaching supplies. To overcome this inequality, federal and local governments promoted "court-ordered busing", known as "forced busing" by detractors. This essentially distributed students sometimes miles away from their home, and frequently by several much closer schools, in order to create a balanced integration over the widest number of school districts. This program met with varying levels of success, yet remained effective through the '70's up until the late '90's. The desegregation is said to have peaked with the federal overturning of mandatory busing in 1991, directly due to a large migration of Caucasians to suburbs, the creation of magnet and charter schools, and larger enrollment in private schools. While magnet and charter schools can draw students to otherwise minority oriented neighborhoods, their degree of integration ultimately boils down to the selection process. The Harvard Civil Rights Project claims that the largest focus of segregated schools is now in the Midwest, with schools in the Northeast following behind them. Re-segregation has been addressed most recently because of proposed laws in Omaha, Nebraska, which would divide the school districts into three segregations: black, white, and latino. Ernie Chambers, Nebraska's only African American State Senator, claims that the proposed law, which would go into effect in 2008, would "let minority-led school boards run the schools that educate minority children since white-run schools have failed to improve black and Latino graduation rates and reduce dropouts nationwide" The law would simultaneously erase the integration busing has established, which has returned to racially predominant segregations since the end of busing, according to Jonathan Kozol author of Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America. His statistics indicate that by the academic year 2000-200 1,in 87 percent of public school enrollment in Chicago was black or Hispanic while less than 10 percent of children in the schools were white. Other cities revealed similar trends: Philadelphia and Cleveland were 78 % black or Hispanic, 84% in Los Angeles, 88% in Baltimore, and nearly 75% in New York City, respectively. John Jackson, education director for the NAACP, interprets the busing reversal this way: "The implications are the same as in the '50s: Minority students in high poverty areas are not getting a quality education." Why should the public be concerned by school integration Firstly, because segregated schools perpetuate inequalities in learning abilities and widen the gaps in academic success for children of different race. The UCLA School of Public Policy and Social Research finds that "Test scores, college attendance rates, and employment outcomes have been found to improve for students from integrated schools

The Dimensions of Interprofessional Practice (Reflective commentary) Essay

The Dimensions of Interprofessional Practice (Reflective commentary) - Essay Example Therefore, we requested the services of her health care service provider so that we could have necessary details. I was assigned with the task of gathering her medical history while Mrs. Weber was being provided with preliminary treatment which included necessary dressing to cover and heal her wound. Considering the history of Mrs. Weber, I called social worker handling Mrs. Weber’s case and also two specialists from falls clinic so that necessary input can be received regarding patient’s current life style, Osteoarthritis problem and fear for walking. For drafting a reflection of this event, Gibbs’ framework for reflection is being used (Oxford Brookes University, 2012). Although there are various methods available for reflective writing but Gibb’s framework provides a highly synchronized and systematic approach to elaborate, discuss and evaluate the event in the light of practical experiences and theoretical approaches. 2. Feelings Being a nurse, it beca me my responsibility to ensure that all the members of this inter-professional team that included a social worker who was Mrs. Weber’s caretaker, two specialists from falls clinic and my attending, remain in complete contact. ... 2010). This idea was a reflection of directives provided by NSF Standards 2001 by DoH. According to these standards, necessary interventions should be introduced to ensure that elderly patients are enabled of living their life in a healthy manner. Furthermore, it was important that impacts of illness and disability must be reduced and all the other barriers to healthy life must be mitigated. According to Mrs. Weber’s caretaker, she didn’t use any external mobilization support. She was taking medication from local community doctor as well as some unregistered homeopathic doctor. This intake of medicine from multiple sources made me suspicious about her medicine intake and her present health condition. 3. Evaluation Careful analysis of patient’s case revealed that Mrs. Weber had a hypotension problem that was accelerated by polypharmacy as she was taking medicines from NHS representatives and a local homeopathic doctor simultaneously (Hovard and Avery, 2004). Exces sive intake of diuretic resulted in high blood pressure leading to repetitive falls (Lewiecki and Watts, 2009). Furthermore, due to these falls, she had developed a fear of mobilization. An interesting input was given by the psychiatrist of falls clinic. According to him, diuretics increase the extent of urination. Since Mrs. Weber finds it difficult to move independently and does not use any sanitary pads, she urinates in her bed or other places resulting in low self-esteem. The social worker responsible for Mrs. Weber’s care added that Mrs. Weber prefers to remain isolated from the family, community and external contact. Due to these multiple factors, Mrs. Weber has become a patient of

State the Problem Essay Example for Free

State the Problem Essay Two entrepreneurs, Rabie and Harary, started a company around a product that sprouted hair from a small humanlike head. They called this product Earth Buddy and the sales jumped pretty quickly. Sales at first started through Toronto-area flower shops and gift stores but as demand increased they were able to start selling Earth Buddy at Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, K-Mart and similar stores. The production process had few steps but was affected by the weather. With hot weather, the process was delayed two hours. Summer is forecasted to come, which means it will be getting hot soon. This will slow production when demand is increasing. It is Ben’s task to find a solution so that these hot days do not increase process time. Analyze the Problem The problem lies in the process of making the product. There are seven steps in making the product and each one has a limited capacity. Personal should be placed in the task where they can be most effective. Ever process has a bottleneck and in this case it is the Filing step. The Filing step, with the current amount of employees, can only produce 40 units per hour. It is said that there is usually about 250 heads in the filling area but sometimes it is a larger amount. This is because all the other steps have at least a production capacity of 75 units per hour and some even have up to 225 units per hour. Filling is the bottleneck and it causing delays. Conclusion/Suggestions There are two suggestions for Earth Buddy to solve its problems. The first solution is to increase personal in the Filling stage. This will increase the capacity, which will increase production. Hiring more personal is the best option to stop the delays. The second solution is to making the productions areas temperature-controlled rooms. This way it does not matter how hot it is outside because the weather will not affect the product. This will stop the two-hour delays from ever occurring again. There is also a proposition in which facility can be expanded, but this is not a good idea. The product is going off the shelves right now but competition is soon to rise because it is a very simple process. Investing a lot of money in a new facility can  become a failure. The solutions are increase production and get temperature-controlled rooms.

Change Management: Carrefour Group

Change Management: Carrefour Group Background to the organization Carrefour is a multinational company which has its retail stores almost all over the world. In the recent past it has expanded the business in the Asian Market. In the year 1995, this company had total of seven stores in Asia but in year 2004, this total went up to 126 stores which was a huge gain for the company. One of the best features of the company was that it was not affected by the economic crisis that happened and this was the biggest reason that company came up with its plan in UAE. Carrefour is an infrastructure group and the real estate was the section which was very much affected by the economic downfall but the company had enough capability to face the risk that it did not get affected (United Arab Emirates: Carrefour expands its services in retail sector). Carrefour is the second largest retail group in the entire world. Carrefour entered into UAE in the year 1995 and till now it has 11 big retail stores around UAE. And soon it will be a famous hypermarket at Dubai Sports City at Emirates Road in Dubai. The company provides as much as 6800 to 14000 sq m of area for a hypermarket in UAE. CEO: Josà ©-Luis Duran (Fortune Globe 500, 2007) Employees: 456,295 Address: 26 Quai Michelet, Levallois-Perret 92695, France (main office) Phone: 33-1-5563-3900 Website: www.carrefour.com Present Rank: 32nd in the World SWOT Analysis Strengths and Weaknesses (Internally COntrolled factors) Strengths One of the major strategic successes of the company is that Carrefour has collaboration with one of the most successful infrastructure company in the world, MAF of Abu Dhabi. This gives the company strength to the company to improve the internal built. The internal reason for the company to collaborate with MAF in UAE because of the restrictions that UAE government put on the foreign companies to start up a business in the country. In order to get the ease, this collaboration has occurred. As far as the industry average in the country in the field of real estate is seen, Carrefour is far above the industry average and the main reason is that it got unaffected at the time of economic crisis. The company is in a phase of a continuous success for the past fourteen years which is easily reflected in the financial ratios of the company which shows a continuous betterment for the past several years. The human resource management of the company is also very strong and it shows the increasing betterment in the performance matrix of the company. This gives the internal support to the company especially in the case of recruitment process. Companys standing at present is at the 32nd place which is really a remarkable success and strength for Carrefour and gives it a motivation to improve its ranking further. Due to the fact that most of the investments done by the company are huge, hence company takes a collaboration of government subsidiaries in UAE which prevent any hindrance in the future. The marketing department of the company is very highly appreciated because of the fact that the company has a huge brand value all around the world and after the success of Hypermarket at Dubai Sports City; it is going to be better and better. The financial department of the company and the research and development section are simultaneously doing a great job of understanding the financial situation of the people living in UAE and accordingly plan the investment. Hypermarket is the best suited for this purpose. Weaknesses The collaboration with MAF is absolutely very helpful for Carrefour in UAE but along with the strengths there are several weaknesses associated with this collaboration. The company does not have full freedom to take the decisions and especially the financial decision. The only area where the company can take the 100 percent decision is the operational department but otherwise there would be several restrictions posed by the collaborated companies. One of the biggest weakness can be that around three fourth of the total profit of the company is in the hands of MAF which means that the investment point of view is really weak because if any person would like to be the part of stakeholder of Carrefour, he would have to worry. There are several social concerns of the company like increasing Emiratization with in the company which means that there is a specific percentage that they have to give to the national employees. This may reduce the output of the company. It is true that economic crisis has not affected Carrefour but under the rules made by the government, there are several restrictions posed on the company which stops the company in its fast expansion. Opportunities and Threats (Externally COntrolled Factors) Opportunities There are several opportunities for the company to expand its business in UAE. The most important factor is its demography. The culture and social aspect of the country is absolutely support the advancement and enhancement of whatever the company is doing. There are several malls and several other locations which are suiting the infrastructure of Carrefour. The financial crisis in 2008 had made the situation worst for the country in the real estate structure. There are several companies which are still lagging because of that crisis. It gives a big opportunity for Carrefour to rapidly enhance the business so that there could be better prospects in the future. Dubai Sports City itself is one of the best opportunities for Carrefour group because of royal crowd and enthusiasm. Threats Of course, if there are so many opportunities for the company in UAE, then threat have to be there. The biggest threat that the company will seek is huge competition in the market. However, it would be lesser because of economic crisis of 2008 but still companies like EMAAR give Carrefour a healthy competition in the country. That too, when the company is foreign based and its major shares are not owned by the company itself. Change Identification This part of the projects deals with the different types of problems related to the identification of changes in the organization: Identification of different kind of changes which can exist Identification for the reason for such changes Identification of scopes and goals for such changes Identification of present part of the changes and comparison with the future prospects Kind of changes This project deals with the parts of the changes which have occurred in Carrefour with its collaboration with MAF in UAE to expand the business. There are several kinds of changes which company has undergone in order to commit this partnership with MAF. Several types of changes which company has seen because of this collaboration are as follows: Change in the working atmosphere in UAE Change in the policies of the company Change in the human resource activities of the company Changes in the process of implementation of work Changes in the roles and responsibilities of employees of the company Changes in the owner ship of the company In order to start for the working progress of Hypermarket in the Dubai Sports City, Carrefour went into collaboration with MAF which has brought about several changes in the organization and its working. This collaboration has affected the atmosphere of the entire organization. Being a French organization, Carrefour has absolutely a different culture and different atmosphere which prevails in the company but entering into UAE was an absolute change for the company. The change in the working process of the company is very high as it does not match to the working standards of Carrefour in other countries. There are several changes in the policies and processes and especially the ownership has a great effect because of such collaboration Reason for changes There are different reasons which have led to the growth of such changes in the organizational structure and its working process. The main of them all is ors collaboration with MAF. Entering into UAE for a foreign based company is not an easy job to do until unless company do not have any partner who is national of UAE and that too with a partnership of more than 50 percent shares of the company. Hence, company entered into the UAE market with its collaboration in MAF for making Hypermarket in the Dubai Sports City. Another reason for changes could be a sense of an easy capture to the market because of its collaboration with MAF because MAF is very well known Construction Company in UAE. Everyone in the country knows this company; it would be very much beneficial for Carrefour to enter into business in UAE having collaborated with MAF. Changes in the scope of the company Carrefour has undergone a change at the entire organizational level. There are some special areas where the company has seen a number of changes. These areas where company has seen a number of changes are as follows: Changes in the types of employees Working process of the company Levels of Departments Business process units Level of systems Above are the main areas which have undergone changes for Carrefour because of the collaboration with MAF. It was quite obvious for these areas to undergo changes because of the reason that there is a huge difference in the culture and the atmosphere of both the companies is entirely difference. One is a France based company and another is a UAE based company. Goals for Changes There are several goals which have been identified to connect them with the changes: Collaboration between Carrefour and MAF For fulfillment of law and order in UAE To benefit the name of MAF to seek the competitive advantage To make people of UAE know about the company Enhance the business Where are you now? GAP Analysis GAP Analysis basically deals with highlighting the difference between the implemented strategies and the expected strategies. There can be two different types of gap may be there, namely Knowledge Gap and Strategic Gap. The exact meaning of Gap analysis is to analyze the difference between the present situations of the company and the future prospects of the company. At the starting, it is necessary to analyze the present condition of the company and in the next situation, the future condition of the company is taken care of. Present and the future condition of the company are necessary to analyze because it gives an indication about the performance of the company. There are different types of analysis takes place in the GAP Analysis of any company. Comparison of organizational performance Comparison of marketing potential of the company Comparison of Business relationships of the company Comparison of operational activities of the company The following diagram shows the gap analysis of Carrefour. Fundamentals Applied for Changes (Kurt Lewin 3 step model) Unfreezing: This corresponds for Carrefour to getting itself ready for desired changes that it going to get in by making collaboration with MAF in UAE. Changes: This corresponds to present situation where the changes are being untaken by the company and making it happening for the customers and the staff. Freezing: This corresponds to the final approval of the changed strategies by Carrefour. Present situation of the company Carrefour is a widely known organization which operates in various countries. It sees different types of organizational culture wherever it starts its operation. This would happen in all the places and same in the case in performing operation in UAE. The culture of UAE is varied. Here, majority of the population is expatriates, which means that in this country there are people from different parts of the world. This is one of the biggest problems that the company is facing. Actually, this is not a problem but it is a concern which is so important to be taken care of by the company. Another concern with Carrefour is the restrictions which are imposed by the culture and the local government of the country on the company. These restrictions stop the company from taking various decisions due to the fact that company has a major share holding with MAF. The root of all such concerns of the company is the strict law which is followed in UAE and high number of expatriates coming in the country. But in another way, for business of Carrefour, this is profitable as well. There are some challenges associated with the present scenario of operational and all around management of Carrefour in UAE. There are several restrictions posed by the government on the foreign based companies to start up businesses in UAE. This is the biggest challenge that the company face and this needs to be soon addressed. Where do you want to be? Future State of the company This will describe the state of the company after little time (at least 5 years after the collaboration between MAF and Carrefour). The future of the company is supposed to be more in favor of MAF rather than Carrefour. The main reason behind this is that the majority of the shares of the company are held by MAF which accounts for more than 50 percent ownership of the company which means that in case of profit to the company, there will be more profit for MAF rather than Carrefour. The future prospects for the company in future are obviously growing as hypermarket in Dubai Sports City is one of the rare infrastructural buildings which are there in the city. This makes this a special place for the local population and the tourist to roam around. But the only problem which the company will have to face is that huge percentage of partnership is taken by MAF which means that huge percentage of profit will go to MAF. Another future prospect which can be helpful in generating more profit is that there is no tax charged by the government which allows the company generate more revenues and earn more money. The organizational culture in the future will be more or what same as the company has its organizational culture in Dubai at present. The organizational culture would be very much diversified. Reason being there are people coming from all over the world to this country. Around 80 percent of the total population of UAE comprises of expatriates. This means that staff in the organization will be of diversified culture. There are several steps which have to be done frequently by Carrefour. These steps are as follows: Company should well regulate its collaboration with MAF so that it can easily operate in the country Company should think of expanding the business and should keep an eye on the total earnings so that it can generate maximum possible profit Company should hire people with in the country and also should call some of the higher authorities from some of the different branches of Carrefour so that it can sustain the culture of the company in the internal matters at least. Company should formulate the strategies according to the marketing potential in the country and according to the diversified public of UAE but along with that company should also keep an eye on the laws, rules and regulations given by UAE. Company should formulate the strategies with in the company in such a manner which would help it to succeed in the plans and should help to generate more and more revenue. Readiness of the organization to undergo the changes This is one of the best possible reasons which could account for change management in the company. Carrefour, being one of the biggest organizations in real estate and infrastructure entered into the business for making hypermarket at Dubai Sports City by collaborating with MAF. There are several changes that company had to face in order to implement their business plan in the country. The biggest change that company had come up with is the organizational culture in the country which is very much different from any other country in the world. There are several restrictions on the business activities imposed on the company by the local government of UAE. The company is ready to adopt these changes in order to generate profit. It might be possible that company do not suit with such an atmosphere of organizational culture but the company is ready to accept the changes because it knows that UAE gives the best possible prospect for their business. Deliverable: To Identify whether the company is ready to adopt the changes Implementation Team Leader: Board of Directors Implementation Sponsor: Strategic Management Team PEOPLE READINESS Action Required When Completed Business Unit / Product Group Actions Were the contracts of business unit notified? Yes Were these contracts briefly explained to the team members? Yes Has the priority of business management unit set? Yes Training Has the identification of training team done? Yes Has the analysis of training been done? Yes Is the Training Information Sheet available? Yes Has the training provider been established? Yes Has all the training details provided by the coordinator? Yes Will the criterions are according to the training rollout? Yes SYSTEMS READINESS Action Required When Completed Information Communications Technology (ICT) Have tools of audit been configured? Yes Content Action Required When Completed Have the procedure published? Yes Is documentation for the procedure necessary? Yes Business Application Does deliverable require software assistance? Yes Does the distribution require any support model? Yes Have IT Business Unit been notified for support? Yes Particulars of the changes (Road Map for Changes) The main objectives which are covered in this part of the plan are: Alternative, methodologies, solutions and different ranges of actions and plans are considered especially or implementation of change Consideration of risk involved in the implementation of plan Consideration of cost to be estimated for the change to be implemented Kotlers 8-Step Change Model Following 8 steps will be used for making a road map for changes in Carrefour for its collaboration with MAF: There is a need to create urgency Formation of a powerful collaboration which the company ahs already done Company has a perfect vision which can lead to changes Communication will be done supporting this vision It is necessary for the company to remove obstacles coming in between Short term profit will be made Changes will be applied for every sector The entire organizational culture will experience the changes How will you get there? There are several changes which will be required by the organization to adopt the business sense according to the culture in the country: There are two types of strategies which will help the company to come up with the changes. These are: Rational This is quite natural that organizational structure of the company has to be changed. It requires changes according to the diversified culture of UAE. New system of workgroup and the human resource is necessary in the company so as to run the business properly in UAE. The main reason behind this is that this will be the first hypermarket in the country which means that the industry and exposure for the company is going to be new. Highly sophisticated system will be required by the company for the process because of the hugeness of the market exposure for the company in UAE Non Rational There will be change in the relationships as well. Carrefour needs to build good relationships with MAF and government of Dubai so as to get the best out of their business techniques in the country. The culture will accept the changes which will be made by Carrefour in UAE. Reason being these changes will be made according to the culture of UAE. Process Change It is required for the company to have process change as well. Process change is necessary. If it would have been a brand of some eatables, clothes, then it would have required that process should have maintained as it is every where but this is an infrastructure company. The structure of the building, shops in the hypermarket and every thing else which is a part of process in the companys operational activities need to be changed according to the destination (change management). Hence all the processes of Carrefour need to be differentiated according to the need in Dubai Sports City. There are some important process changes required by the company: Management process Recruitment process Operational process People Change In order to make changes it might be possible that job roles of the people and their responsibilities change. The biggest problem with the people change result in the de recruitment of some very intelligent people from the company so as to follow the rules and regulations of the company. Roles and responsibilities of the employees will be affected because they will be enforced to follow different prospect Knowledge and training will be entirely different, especially it would required by the employee to learn Arabic in order to work at the ground level Work practices will be entirely be different as a result of the change because these work practices would clearly adopt the culture of UAE. Third party relationships will also be built. This could be done mainly because of the relationships of MAF in the country. The relationships will be built with several agents of MAF. Carrefour will come in contact with these agent companies and will create third party relationships in the market. Information Sharing During the change in the process of Carrefour, there is some information which needs to be shared among the partners of the business. Carrefour and MAF are the two organizations who have collaborated to make hypermarket in Dubai Sports City. There is certain information which has been shared between the two organizations. These are: Financial Information (this needs to be very much critical because MAF has a huge sharing Hypermarket) Some parts of the operational information There are some policies of Carrefour which have changed due to the information sharing. These policies could be: Policies for the implementation of financial plan Policies for fixing up of prices There are several methods which are used for sharing information. These methods are: Direct Conversation In direct conversation There are some processes needed in order to manage the knowledge about the project. These processes are: Knowledge sharing process Internal Managerial Process Cost of Change Financial support is also needed to manage the changes. There are different types of cost which will be required in order to manage the organization. These costs are as follows: Cost of training the new employees in the organization Cost of integration with MAF ( all the legal formalities are included in that) Opportunity cost will also be included. This opportunity cost will be based on the opportunity of the organization to build up a hypermarket in any other country There are different modes of financial support available with the company. These are: Borrowing the money from an external source Issues shares in the share market Investment by the company itself Selling the fixed assets of the company Risk Assessment During the implementation process, it is highly possible that company will be affected by several risks. It is very much necessary that these risks are to be eliminated in order to carry out the work in a smooth manner. Risks that might be involved with the implementation of the project are as follows: Change could lead to incur losses Planning may not be effective Scope for change may not be there It is necessary to minimize the risks as well and hence following steps could be taken. In order to keep the project very much viable for the changes. It is necessary that changes are done with proper planning and keeping in view the culture with the country. For example in UAE, there is a diversified culture and hence accordingly changes should be implemented It could be possible that planning may not work well and hence alternatives should be made so that if one plan fails, company immediately can apply the other one In the case when changes are not adapted by the country and its people then obviously company should keep going with the old policies and old culture. Risk Assessment Matrix Change could lead to incur losses Likelihood Consequences Insignificant Minor Moderate Major Catastrophic Almost certain Likely Possible Unlikely Rare Planning may not be effective Likelihood Consequences Insignificant Minor Moderate Major Catastrophic Almost certain Likely Possible Unlikely Rare Scope for change may not be there Likelihood Consequences Insignificant Minor Moderate Major Catastrophic Almost certain Likely Possible Unlikely Rare Risk Assessment Table Risk no Date of occurrence Risk Description Low Medium High Mitigation action taken Approval of commencement Date 1 Change could lead to incur losses Communication Plan Made 31 August, 2010 4 Planning may not be effective Periodic Review Made 31 August, 2010 2 Scope for change may not be there Periodic Review Made 31 August, 2010 Change Approach (Developing a Critique) Main objectives of this section are: This section finds out the stakeholder of the company and their role in the company What are the barriers that come in between the growth Roles and responsibilities of change management team Stakeholder Analysis Stakeholder is the one on whose stake the company is running. There are different stakeholders of Carrefour in UAE. Strategic management team Project leader Mangers Employees Customer The below stakeholder pyramid will give an indication about the role and the responsibilities of these stakeholder in the working of the company. There are different types of roles and responsibilities described by the below pyramid like driving, active participation, advocacy, willingness and understanding. Resistance to change It is necessary that every individual working in the company is resistance to change. It is required by the organizational growth and its survival. There are some important reasons which lead to resistance among the employees of the organization: This could the feedback given by the employees This could be several inputs given by the supervisor of the company This could be results of the audit Several decisions taken on the issues of various teams Resistance Assessment Survey is taken into care for resolving all the issues related to change. This survey is attached in the appendices Change Management Team Change Management Team is vital for the organization of various activities regarding progress of change in the company. For Carrefour, a committee is formed which analysis the effect of changes which have occurred due to collaboration with MAF in UAE (Majid Al Futtaim Hypermarkets ). There are several roles and responsibilities of this committee which are there for them in order to make the change management not liable for the company. Some of the important decisions taken by the change management team of the company are as follows: Change management team performs gap analysis between the present and future trend of the company. The present trend of the company is researched and the future trend of the company are estimated which means that company a possible gap between the two trends is analyzed by the company so that it can give suggestion for the changes to take place It works for devising the project plan of the company It works for the resistance management plan of the company It works for implementation of changes It see the results of the changes which are implemented on the company and accordingly give the suggestions and the review about the research It works on upgrading the action plans and the change management plan if any flaw is found in the plan (How to write an action plan) Strategies for Implementation There are several strategies implemented for the implementation of the change plan of the company. These strategies are as follows: Action Plan: Action Plan helps in analyzing the overall achievement of the company. The main objective of this is the change management plan and all measures are taken on the basis of percentage of the completed plan Communication Plan: Communication Plan is one of the most important plans of the company because it works for establishing communication between one team member to any other team member of the company Communication Plan Audience Key Communication Delivery Medium Date Length of session (if applicable) Location Leaders of each team, Managers of each Department Action Plan Various meeting, e-mails,etc. 31st August 2010 N/A HO Agents (senders) Operational manager, project

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines is current leader among many airline carriers in todays highly competitive transportation industry. In order to maintain such a strong hold on the airline industry, Southwest Airlines utilizes an intense and highly systematic set of marketing strategies. Most of their strategies are centered on offering its consumers low-cost tickets and free baggage checks to fly most anywhere in the United States. Customers can be rest assured that Southwest Airlines will continue to do whatever it can to provide low-cost services. Some of the key issues that will be discussed will include Southwests free baggage policy, its marketing mix strategies, its segmentation principles, as well as a SWOT analysis. Marketing is a vital part of any business and is an integral component of selling any product or service. Whether the business is a small mom and pop operation or a world industry leader, marketing is a part of the business. Southwest Airlines makes total use out of its best resources and abilities to build on its key marketing practices. According to research by Chan, one of Southwests main strategies is that it strives to treat its employees fairly and engages in profit sharing so that their employees collectively own about 10% of the company. Southwest Airlines has a high employee retention rate of at least 92.3% and maintains an enthusiastic work force. Southwests operational strategy is based on six pillars, namely limited passenger service, frequent, reliable departures, short-haul, point-to-point routes between mid-sized cities and secondary airports, very low ticket prices, lean, heavily productive ground and gate crews, and high aircraft utilization. Some of these key factor s, as well as attention to excellence in management competence have launched this company to great success. Because there are many ways to fulfill the needs of the customer, a straight-forward approach is to consider the four Ps of the marketing mix. This paper will examine the marketing mix and give examples of the marketing mix as it pertains to Southwest Airlines. The four elements of the marketing mix are product, place, promotion and price. As in the Product category, segmentation has defined some of the price points. Price (the amount a customer pays) is determined by market share, competition, operational costs, brand or product identity and the customers perceived value of the product. Pricing may increase or decrease with frequency and pricing strategies must be planned and worked daily. The global recession of the last two years has clouded some of the traditional differences, as some resort and upscale brands have discounted heavily to the point where the lower priced properties cannot effectively compete. Hotels should have learned the lessons of the airlines and not just compete based on being the lowest cost. The anger of flyers today for being charged extra for almost everything has opened the way for certain carriers to expand and others to enter what were previously lucrative and exclusive markets. The associates of each of those airlines have major differences as well in how and what to communicate to their travelers. Cash flow is an obvious critical factor and reasonable discounts on a logical basis are often good business practices. Southwest Airlines in the US has been consistently one of the most profitable carriers in the past 20 years and, at times, is the lowest fare provider. A non-technical look at their pricing strategies from only a consumers view will show how they track, demand, and adjust prices accordingly, even in the economic downturn. They are not always the lowest fare in a given market on a given day, but their overall satisfaction ratings demonstrate their ongoing and continued success. Consumers will always remain sensitive for fair prices, discount options and special offers, but competing on price as the major component for success is not viable or logical for long-term . As a Promotion category, southwest is one of many airlines that are increasingly interested in finding more contemporary avenues for advertising. Although, they are still lagging behind other airlines, they are discovering the importance of social media in promotion. Social media sites like twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and even blogging allows Southwest the ability to get the online community to learn more about its low-costs prices and services. As a place category, Southwest Airlines is the fourth largest airline in the US. It flies 64 million passengers per year to 64 cities in 34 states. Southwest Airlines operates a fleet of 388 aircraft of the Boeing 737 type, ranging from the 737-200 to the Next Generation 737-700. Although Southwest Airlines is mainly a point-to-point carrier, there is an increasing amount of transfer traffic on their routes. Major hubs in SWAs network include Las Vegas (185 daily departures), Phoenix (183), and Baltimore/Washington (161). In 2009, Southwest partnered with Coastal Vision 3000, a Northwest Florida business group, in an attempt to position Northwest Florida as one of Americas premier beach destinations. This partnership is working hard to stimulate job growth, economic progress, and provide travelers more options for flying into areas with popular beach destinations. Southwest Airlines, along with Jet Blue, Frontier, and Airtran, are currently leading in low-cost air fare pricing and are continuing to profit while other airlines such as United, US Airways and Delta are suffering economic setbacks (Chan, 2007). Based on this research, Southwest Airlines has not been forced to decrease their flights or lay off many employees even with the ramifications of the events of September 11th on many airline industries. The airline successfully maintained a $2 billion cash reserve prior to September 11th and continues to strive and survive during difficult economic times. Part of its enduring success is associated with effective marketing strategies as well as long-term overall strategies. According to further research by Chan, Southwests primary focus is the creation of a tailored set of best-fit activities. It still carries on much of it philosophies from 30 years ago by offering low cost without the fancy gimmicks offered by other airlines. Southwest has never participated in an in flight meal service or assigned seats and still maintains those same practices in order to keep costs low. Also, according to Chan, Southwest has something known as a linear route structure. The airline uses this method to fly only one specific kind of airplane so that it can stay in high-density markets only. This strategy benefits the airline by allowing it to maintain a strong competitive advantage and high profits. Controversy Over Carry-on Baggage Within the last several years, the discussion of legislation regarding industry-wide standardization on limitations for carry-on baggage has been widely debated throughout the US airline industry. While a number of airline industry-based groups have advocated standardization on the number, size, and weight of bags that would be allowed onto an aircraft, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has yet to take any serious action to this point. As a result, the debate over carry-on baggage restrictions still exists and causes unnecessary confusion and difficulty for both the airlines themselves as well as their passengers. As the number of airline passengers has increased in recent years, the number of passengers electing to bring their luggage on board a plane instead of checking their bags has also increased. Some passengers feel that checking their bags will lead to loss, damage, or theft. Others find waiting in check-in lines too time-consuming and opt to check-in at their gate. As a result overhead bins and storage compartments on flights are often overcrowded. These overcrowded bins lead to approximately 4,500 injuries annually in the United States according to Air Safety Week, an industry newsletter. These injuries result from baggage that falls on passengers when bins are opened after arrival or when bins accidentally opening during rough transit. Southwest holds the notable status of being the only country-wide carrier to not charge passengers for second checked bags. Over the past few months, all the Legacy Airlines and most of the low-cost carriers have added a charge for second bags, and American Airlines made an announcement on May 21, 2008 concerning a $15 fee for a first checked baggage, this created a huge uproar. Southwest chief executive Gary Kelly stated that, Its not what customers want, nobody wants to be nickeled and dimed. Other airlines jumped on similar bandwagons by imposing a $25-each-way fee for the second bag checked. (Maxon, 2008) Research by Maxon also noted that Southwest is imposing some fees, on January 29, 2008 is began initiating a $25 fee each way for the second bag checked. According to this research other airlines are also charging for transporting pets, travel by unaccompanied minors, shipping checked items such as antlers and ski gear or getting better seats. Theres no telling how long Southwest will stick with its passenger-friendly fee policy, but during this tough economy, Southwest managed to be the only profitable airline in the first quarter of 2008 and recently ranked as the top U.S. airline in a major customer satisfaction survey. What does it take to succeed in a business as troubled as the airline business? It takes a unique strategic point of view, a long-term commitment to that strategy, and a personality in the marketplace that customers find interesting, engaging, and compelling. That is why Southwest Airlines continues to fly high relative to the competition. In 2009, it was the only major carrier to turn a profit. In 37 years of operation, it has never lost money. Today, it is in the remarkable position of charging some of the lowest fares, paying relatively high wages (unlike its rivals, it has never used bankruptcy court to redo union contracts), and generating the best returns. Unusual, to be sure, but thats what happens when you combine a unique strategy with an engaged and upbeat workforceand you always look for customer-oriented ways to differentiate yourself. Last year, as the other big carriers generated $2 billion in checked-baggage fees, Southwest not only refused to charge for checked bags, but unveiled a hilarious ad campaign to tweak its rivals for doing so. SWOT Analysis Strengths: Most of Southwests strengths are the same reasons why the airline has captured a comparative advantage in the airline industry. Southwest has been able to maintain a low cost approach to flights that has appealed to the budget minded consumer. It is the first airline to â€Å"offer reasonably priced travel packages with low frills and excellent customer service.† (Broughton, 2010) One strategy that Southwest uses to keep their costs low is to purchase only Boeing airplanes. This approach reduces repair costs and provides bulk discounts on purchases. Southwest has made itself very attractive to consumers by offering many customer oriented programs. It is the first airline that offered discounts on flights to senior citizens. In addition, it made the check-in process more efficient by initiating ticketless travel. With the â€Å"no seat assignment† policy, the process of boarding flights is not only time effective but also more cost effective then their competi tors. Southwest Airlines is also the only airline that offers credit on frequent flyer miles based on the number of trips taken with the airline instead of miles traveled. Another customer oriented program that Southwest has adopted is the â€Å"Bags Fly Free Campaign† and a new early bird check-in program that they are hopeful will have a revenue potential generating approximately $18 million dollars. â€Å"The carrier also generated approximately $10 million in revenues from its new pet fare, unaccompanied minor service charges, and excess/heavy baggage fees.† (Gittel, 2009) With more than 3,200 daily flights and 35,000 employees nationwide, Southwest Weaknesses: Although Southwest Airlines has consistently turned a profit that does not mean that they are exempt from weaknesses. Weaknesses refer to the organizational impediments that Southwest must consider when making operational decisions. Southwest does not offer international flights. This decision limits Southwest flight locations to within the continental United States. This weakness over time may become a barrier to increasing sales, as it is shutting out consumers that need to fly internationally. Southwests inability to utilize online booking agents is another weakness that the airline should reconsider. Companies such as Priceline.com and Expedia.com would be able to increase the airlines ticket sales and thus be better able to meet their load capacity. Load capacity is a serious concern to Southwest Airlines, as it represents the total number of passengers required to meet their breakeven point. Southwest Airlines does not use chat communications such as email in its op erations. Electronic forms of communication would provide the airline with a more direct and quicker way to interact with employees and customers. Opportunities: Southwest Airlines has many opportunities which will help them to grow and stay productive. In the past, new technology developments have been one of the many driving forces which enabled growth for Southwest. Applying new technology to make the travel experience more enticing is an opportunity that Southwest continues to pursue. Research and development to advance procedures and services within the industry would help the airline maintain its competitive edge by allowing the airline to introduce new products or services. Southwest should also focus on increasing their ability to advertise on the internet in order to reach a broader range of consumers. Currently, Southwest is planning on extending flights to further destinations. A long term consideration for Southwest Airlines is to expand their flights internationally and to other national markets. The airline is also planning to increase the frequency of 65 flights while decreasing the frequency of 10 flights for a total net gain of 52. In addition, they are considering expanding services to include leisure or business classes. Finally, Southwest has initiated a labor reduction by â€Å"launching a voluntary early-out program to better align staffing with the carriers capacity levels. The company expects annual savings in subsequent years from the program to exceed the cost of the program† (Unknown, 2010) and with these savings Southwest can invest in other opportunities to maintain its success. Threats: The threats that Southwest Airlines are faced with are situations, events or conditions that are faced by all airlines within the entire airline industry. One of the biggest threats that Southwest has had to face since 9/11 is the decline in the number of travelers for leisure. Many travelers since the terrorist attacks of 9/11 have opted to travel by car instead of flying out of fear. Since 9/11 there have been numerous terrorist attempts on airplanes. The most recent one was Christmas day 2009. In order for Southwest to continue to grow and survive in the airline market they must continue to communicate to their customers their dedication to the security of their passengers. In addition, Southwest must stand by their commitment by increasing airport security, which has and will continue to increase their costs on an annual basis. Another threat that the airline industry must contend with is the governments ability to create and execute new regulations that will affect airlines such as Southwest. Many of these regulations can increase operating costs. One such regulation includes restrictions on the types of aircraft used and limits on the number of operations. The biggest threat to the airline industry is the fluctuation in gas and oil prices. Southwest has managed to establish fuel hedging contracts in the past which has given them the advantage over their competitors. However, these contracts are expiring and if Southwest cannot successfully renegotiate these contracts, they run the risk of subjecting themselves to higher fuel costs. This could have a negative impact on not only their future customer fares but also their profits as well. To date, they have revised their fuel hedge portfolio to include derivative contracts in place for approximately 50% of their estimated 2010 fuel consumption. This revision has lowered their first quarter 2010 expected hedging premium costs by $30 million, which is $15 million lower than the fourth quarter 2009 costs. Market Segmentation Market segmentation is among the most powerful weapons in the marketing arsenal. Joyce Rogge the vice president of marketing for Southwest states that, Our goal is to become the preferred airline in each city that we serve.†. Southwest is consciously focusing on targeting various customer bases. The companys campaign has concentrated on attracting the African American demographic that remains prevalent in as many as 24 of 59 regions that Southwest Airlines serves. (Churchill, 2001) Southwest decided to partner with BETs (Black Entertainment Television) Black College Football Classic Coverage, ESPN, and National Football League games to target the male 25-54 demographic. The airline has used these avenues as well as partnerships with Pizza Hut and Disney as part of their increasing advertising budget to target key demographic markets. With respect to the psychographic category, Southwest is meeting the cost conscious needs of flyers. Airline carriers like Delta, United, and American have battled for higher margins by indulging the price-insensitive business traveler, thereby effectively leaving behind a large number of consumers who hunt for bargains. As competing airlines have continued to increase costs to cater to customers who require plush seats, better wines, and airport lounges, Southwest found the need to appeal to the comparatively undemanding flyer who absolutely had to travel but was not willing to pay the high fees charged by other carriers. Southwest has entered into a variety of intended geographic markets to include openings in Florida, Baltimore, and even Long Island where there is a shuttle service to Boston. In other words, Southwest arrives where customers are, rather than spending time and effort to build traffic. This and other tactics have attributed to 23 years of profits for Southwest. (Haas, 2010) Although, segmentation is a great way to uncover growth markets, current segmentation practices often blind companies to market disruption-the most valuable kind of innovation. CONCLUSION Southwest has long been regarded as a benchmark in its industry for operational excellence. Southwest Airlines is a fine example of a company that is committed to its core competencies and efficient operations to drive its low cost structure, outstanding delivery of customer service, and innovative HR management practices. It has the lowest costs and strongest balance sheet in its industry. This airline might face many challenges in the future such as an increase in labor costs, fuel costs and competition from other low cost carriers. However, it still has the comparative advantage within the airline industry. Southwests competitors will not be able to grow as quickly as Southwest. In order for the competition to grow at a faster rate they would have to operate at a cost equal or lower than Southwest. Southwest Airlines has taken all of the above factors into consideration in an effort to maintain itself as one of the top contenders in an ever changing industry. References: Chan, B. (2007, August). Why is Southwest Airlines one of the Best Low Cost Airlines? Retrieved from http://fishtrain.com/2007/08/21 Maxon, T. (2008, June). New Southwest Airlines ad campaign targets other airline fees. The Dallas Moring News. Retrieved from http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/053108dnbusairnickel.3633d88 Southwest Airlines Announces Service from Northwest Floridas New International Airport Near Panama City Beach, Florida. Southwest News Release. Retrieved from http://www.southwest.com/swamedia/pfnPressRelease.html?int=HOMEWNEW03CTYPFN Churchill, R. (2001, April). Southwest Airlines Powering a Sales Liftoff-Southwest Airlines Co. advertising targets African-Americans-Brief Article-Statistical Data Included. Brandweek. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BDW/is_14_42/ai_72981547 Gittell, Jody. The Southwest Airlines Way: Using the Power of Relationships to Achieve High Performance. McGraw-Hill Trade. December 19, 2009. Harvey, G., Turnbull, P. (2010). On the Go: walking the high road at a low cost airline. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 21(2), 230. Retrieved March 11, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global Jackson, W., Jackson, M. (1 July). Southwest Airlines: The Next Fight Begins. Journal of the International Academy for Case Studies,65-81. Retrieved March 11, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global. Russell, Matthew, Southwest Airlines: An Industry Leader, February 2010, http://www.associatedcontent.com. Smooth Landing Research Associates, Southwest Airlines, Cornell Universitys Johnson Graduate School of Management, 1997. Southwest Airlines Press Release, Southwest Airlines Reports Fourth Quarter Profit and 37th Consecutive Year of Profitability, January 2010, http://phx.corporate-

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare as a Tragedy Essay -- Papers

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare as a Tragedy "Romeo and Juliet" is considered by most people to be Shakespeare's most tragic work. Two young people die for their love for each other - what can be more purer, romantic and tragic than that. But is it as simple as that? What does actually make the play so tragic? Before we can discuss the tragic aspects of Romeo and Juliet, we must first understand the meaning of the term 'tragedy'. The Chambers Dictionary defines tragedy as" a type of drama dealing with tragic events and often involving the fall of an honourable, worthy and important protagonist, often with elevated action and language; a play of this type; the art of such drama; any piece of literature, music, etc ending with disaster for the protagonist; a disaster, any sad story or turn of events; any event involving killing". Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy by the definition in the dictionary. Both lead roles, Romeo and Juliet, die in the play, therefore making it tragic. However there are many more factors which are typical of Shakespeare' tragedies which occur, and some factors which make the play less tragic. Juliet is a more tragic figure because she has no real control over her life at all. The arrival of Romeo and their subsequent love affair gives her an alternative to a life controlled by her father and his choice of husband for her - she could run away and live a romantic life with Romeo. At the end both Romeo and Paris are dead so even if she survived there would be no future for Juliet. Main characters in Shakespeare's plays are often quite innocent and are swept along by other events happening at the time, for e... ...nciliation with her father. Her union with Romeo has lost Juliet her family whatever the outcome. 'Romeo and Juliet' was written as a tragedy, and is still seen as such over four hundred years later. A modern day audience may react differently to some aspects of the play - the treatment of women and the age of Juliet, for example. In our society, Juliet would still be considered a child and Romeo would be in as much trouble for his marriage to underage Juliet as he would be for the murder of Tybalt. Yet, despite that, our sympathies are with the young couple who were not responsible for the feud between their parents but who had to suffer the consequences. The tragedy is inevitable from the beginning. From the moment Romeo first sees Juliet and they share their first kiss they hurtle headlong towards their death.

A New View on Writing :: Essays Papers

A New View on Writing As long as I can remember, I have always been opposed to writing. All through my school career, I have written mediocre papers just to get by. Every time I would hear a teacher say that we had a writing assignment in the near future, I would immediately plan the short cut, the easy way out. My senior year began as no exception. During my senior year at Schuylkill Haven High School my English teacher was a colorful, middle-aged woman named Ann Barton. She was without contest the most personable teacher I have ever had the pleasure of learning under. She actually cared how her student’s lives were going and would give sound experienced advice. She loved to teach and that passion was obvious to everyone who knew her. As my senior year progressed, Mrs. Barton and I became very close. She had noticed that as the year waned, I seemed to be more and more wary of graduation. Always able to sniff out the truth, of course she was right on. Everyday that passed I lamented every aspect of my life to come: college, family, careers, everything. Then the final week of school arrived, and even for Mrs. Barton an unexpected thing happened. My fellow seniors and I were sitting in her room before class discussing how we were going to manage yet another English class when Mrs. Barton walked in with her usual intense and disturbed look. She said in her heavy Scottish accent, â€Å"I’m done with class. I’m tired of this bloody school†. â€Å"It’s your decision. What do you want to do?† We looked one to the other for a moment, but no one had any idea what we should do. Then finally she said, â€Å"If no one decides than I will.† Immediately the plan became the appreciation of the beautiful day. We were all going out to compose an outdoor journal. Everyone sighed and slowly trudged toward the door. As I headed in the same direction Mrs. Barton stopped me and explained how she would love to read my views on graduation and my future, and that this would be a perfect opportunity to release my burdens by writing of the tensions I had been facing.

There Is No Frigate Like a Book

In the poem â€Å"There is no Frigate like a Book†, Emily Dickinson uses words with particular connotations to give her poem a more rich and meaningful aspect. Her belief that literature is powerful enough to allow one’s mind to distance itself from reality and its immediate surroundings is enforced in the poem throughout her use of words like â€Å"frigate† â€Å"traverse† which connate a sense of journey or adventure.Dickinson compares books to means of transportation to emphasize this idea of the power of imagination. â€Å"There is no Frigate like a Book; To take us Lands away† Here the word â€Å"frigate† though its literal meaning is a warship, is used to connote a sense of adventure and exploration while â€Å"land† gives off an intriguing idea of exotic and unknown. By selecting these words and comparing them to books Dickinson expresses how powerful literature is over one’s mind for it to can take us to distant places.T he poem follows by expressing the spirituality and joyfulness that can be found in literature â€Å"Nor any Coursers like a Page; Of prancing poetry† Dickinson substitutes â€Å"coursers† for horses in this passage to conveys a stronger emphasize of majestic, beautiful and elegant also describing poetry as â€Å"prancing† thus giving it a sense of spiritual, harmony and energetic. The connotations implied by these words and their comparison to poetry in this line help imply the beauty that Dickinson beliefs to find in literatureIn the following line Dickinson reminds us how books are able to touch anyone no matter from what stratus they come from. â€Å"This Traverse may the oppress may the poorest take; Without oppress of Toll† Here â€Å"traverse† which literal term means to travel through is used to express a sense of danger and mystery, while â€Å"oppress† connotes a sense of a powerlessness, something that holds us back or keeps us dow n and â€Å"toll† suggest a meaning of a limit or burden that one must suffer through.The words in this passage work together to give the idea off the idea of the troubles that goes with traveling by comparing it to books, Dickinson is able to show how literature can do take us away without any of these burdens. In the last lines Dickinson again reinstates her idea how powerful books are, in that they can take us away. â€Å"How Frugal is the Chariot; That bears the Human soul. † By comparing books to a chariot she gives books a more magical, romanticizes tone for â€Å"chariot† connotes a sense of fantasy and fairytale, Dickinson uses â€Å"frugal† to describe the how economical book are while implying a aspect of moral goodness to them.Her use of â€Å"bear† in this passage also suggests the importance of the human soul for bearing something connotes an idea of carrying something with great significance or meaning this works with the final word à ¢â‚¬Å"soul† for soul connotes an idea of beauty and one’s whole self by using soul instead of mind Dickinson emphasizes how literature is able to take its readers and transport them not just mentally but also emotionally and spiritually into a completely different world.Dickinson uses connotation powerfully in her poem to give it a more elegant and magical feel to it, by carefully selecting her words Dickinson’s focuses more on their connotations than their denotations to give the poem the sense of power and adventure she wants to express about literature.

Childhood Obesity in America

Childhood Obesity in America Ashford University English Composition II ENG 122 Professor Harmon June 4, 2012 Childhood Obesity in America Childhood obesity is an important issue because of the shocking magnitude that this disease has reached in the past few years. Compared to other threats to children's health, childhood obesity has begun to rise tremendously. Certain genetic factors paired with changing lifestyles and cultures have produced children who are generally not as healthy as people were just a few decades ago.According to Berg (2004), 15% of American children are overweight – three times as many as thirty years ago – and another 15% are at risk for overweight. The treatment and prevention of childhood obesity are considered the responsibility of individual children and their parents. Parents of obese children are left in a difficult position of fearing for the social and health consequences of their child's obesity, and fighting a losing battle against the po werful presence of the media and constant exposure to unhealthy foods.It has been said that breastfeeding protects children from being obese or overweight; many people believe that â€Å"establishing healthy dietary behaviors must begin early in childhood. Mothers need education and support in healthy feeding and mealtime practices as part of a multi strategy response that targets early feeding as one potentially modifiable approach† (Horodynski, Baker, Coleman, Auld, & Lindau, 2011, p. 582. ) Whether breastfeeding is protecting against the increase of children who are overweight and obese remains a topic of dispute.Although a number of evidence indicates that breastfeeding lowers the risk of obesity, these results are by no means final. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2012) states, in the United States, while 75% of mothers start out breastfeeding, only 13% of babies are exclusively breastfed at the end of 6 months. Does that mean that at the age of 6 months c hildren are already falling into the category of being overweight? Many studies have been done, one in particular where â€Å"nearly 300,000 participants, showed that breastfeeding consistently reduced risks for overweight and obesity.The greatest protection is seen when breastfeeding is exclusive (no formula or solid foods) and continues for more than three months† (California WIC Association, 2006, p. 2. ) The California WIC Association states that there are several possible reasons for the protective effect of breastfeeding against obesity, they are: ? Breastfed infants may be better at self-regulating their intake. Mothers can’t see how much milk their child is drinking, so they must rely on their infant’s behavior, not an empty bottle, to signal when their infant is full. Thus, breastfed babies might be better able to eat only as much as they need. Breastfed infants are more likely than formula-fed infants to try and to accept new foods. Acceptance of new f oods is important because a healthy diet should include a wide variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Because breast milk contains flavors from foods eaten by the mother, breastfed infants are exposed to a variety of tastes very early in life. In contrast, infant formula always tastes the same. ? Breastfeeding has different effects than formula feeding on infants’ metabolism and on hormones such as insulin, which tells the body to store fat.Formula-fed infants tend to be fatter than breastfed infants at 12 months of age. Other studies have shown that breast milk is more digestible then formula and that is why breastfeeding is better. According to Eiger (1999), in recent year’s nutritionists have voiced concern about overly high levels of protein in the American diet. Since cow's milk contains about twice as much protein as human milk, formula-fed babies usually receive more protein than they need (much of it in the form of the less digestible casein).The s tools of formula-fed babies are so bulky because the babies cannot absorb so much protein, and excrete the excess in their stool, whereas breast-fed babies absorb virtually 100% of the protein in human milk. According to the CDC, â€Å" reports that the percentage of young people in the U. S. considered overweight has more than tripled since 1980. There has been a corresponding rise in the incidence of type 2 diabetes, a disease linked to overweight and obesity and once seen only rarely in children and teens. It is now widely accepted that being breastfed elps protect babies from becoming overweight or obese later in life† (WEBMD, 2006, para. 5. ) Although there have been several researches and studies done, there is still no proof that breastfeeding can help reduce the risk of childhood obesity. A year later more research was done with roughly 35,000 participants. The conclusion to that research was that there was no link at all to breastfeeding and childhood obesity. Althou gh breastfeeding protects a child from many things very early in life, it does not seem to protect against obesity through adolescence to adulthood.Boyels (2007) states that breastfeeding is certainly encouraged, and has many positive consequences for both mother and child. But it should not be promoted as a solution for either the childhood or adult obesity epidemic. Because of the lack of information linking breastfeeding to obesity, it is now said that the cause for obese and overweight children is lack of physical activity, lack of healthy foods in schools, advertising of unhealthy foods on television and billboards, limited access to healthy affordable foods, and limited access to safe places for children to play.Childhood obesity became a very important issue many years ago when the number of obese children rose. It has been said that, â€Å"among children and adolescents ages 2 to 19, obesity tripled between 1980 and 2002 and more currently when First Lady Michelle Obama unv eiled the White House Child Obesity Task Force action plan: Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation. In the view of most doctors, these statistics are cause for concern because obesity is generally associated with increased risks for many diseases as well as premature death† (â€Å"Obesity Epidemic†, 2010, para. . ) All of these health risks can be avoided if parents would communicate with their children about what they should and should not be eating. Children learn from their parents about what to eat and why it is important to eat certain foods. Breastfeeding is important to form a bond between mother and child, there have been many studies done to try and prove that breastfeeding a baby will help reduce the risk of obesity but all have come up with different results.There are several solutions to this epidemic, parent need to talk with their children about what foods are good foods and what bad foods are, fruits are always a good choice and some thing that children love. Allot all children to a certain amount of TV time, 1 to 2 hours max, too much television is bad and allows them to just sit around doing nothing. Allow children to run around and play, inside or outside, exercise is a good thing. Many children do not get enough exercise which contributes to obesity. Look into healthier foods at schools and child care centers.This is where children spend a majority of their time. It is important that they have good, healthy foods to choose from. Lastly give children water instead of sugary drinks. Along with the recommendation previously listed and many listed online, there are many ways to help with the prevention of obesity. Berg (2004) stated that the seven sound and simple guidelines for raising healthy weight children are: 1. Normalize activity 2. Normalize eating 3. Balance sound nutrition 4. Feel good about oneself 5. Communicate feelings 6. Feel good about others . Balance the dimensions of wellness Following seven s imple guidelines can help reduce overweight and obese children from becoming overweight and obese adults. Although obesity impacts lot’s of people’s lives in today’s society, seeing people pass away from a preventable disease like obesity, in a world full of motivation and exercise is heart breaking. Living a healthy, fulfilling life style is important to a person’s well being. All parents need to work together to decrease the number of obese children before this epidemic gets worse.Obesity in children is a very serious issue and should not be taken lightly; many people do not take this issue as serious as they should be. Whether it is breastfeeding a baby or feeding a child the right foods, adults need to fulfill their jobs as parents towards their children. That means being a good role model for all children at all times. Children need to be taught and shown how to live a healthy lifestyle so they do not have to worry about having any health conditions now or in the future. The only people that can help these children are their parents.Every day the number of obese children increases, it is a sad but true statement. But by following the appropriate steps and working together with children, the childhood obesity rate will slowly but surely go down. A child’s health should be the number one priority in every family’s life. It is important to eat properly and exercise, a child’s life could depend on it. When it comes down to it, breast-feeding could have a slight effect against obesity and that is supported by the epidemics evidence, but all of the research and data are still controversial.Since breastfeeding has many benefits, no bad effects, and has no cost, it may signify a new and efficient way to satisfy the dramatically rising occurrence of obesity in the United States and elsewhere. However, its effects against childhood obesity still have to be confirmed and clarified. Till then it is the parent’s responsibility to communicate and educate their children. References Berg, F. M. (2004). Underage & Overweight: America’s Childhood Obesity Crisis – What Every Family Needs to Know. Eating Disorders, 497-499. oi: 10. 1080/10640260500297333 Boyles, S. (2007). Breastfeeding and Later Obesity. Retrieved from http://www. webmd. com/parenting/baby/news/20070424/breastfeeding-and-later-obesity California WIC Association. (2006). www. calwic. org Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). www. cdc. gov/obesity/childhood/problem. html Eiger, E. S. , & Olds, S. W. (1999). The Complete Book of Breastfeeding. New York, NY: Workman Publishing Co. , Inc.. Horodynski, M. A. , Baker, S. , Coleman, G. , Auld, G. , & Lindau, J. (2011).The Healthy Toddlers Trial Protocol: An Intervention to Reduce Risk Factors for Childhood Obesity in Economically and Edcationally Disadvantaged Populations. BMC Public Health, 11(1), 581-587. doi: 10. 1186/1471-2458-11-581 Obesity Epidemic. (2010 ). In Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices.. Retrieved from http://www. credoreference. com/entry/sharpecw/obesity_epidemic U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n. d. ). aspe. hhs. gov/health/reports/child_obesity/ – 26k WEBMD. (2006). http://www. webmd. com/parenting/baby/news/20060926/breastfed-babies-less-overweight

Effects of Academic Dishonesty on Higher Education Essay

Academic dishonesty is a vice that is plaguing higher education in today’s society. While lecturers and exam invigilators always seem to be a step behind in catching the culprits, the techniques being invented by the students to beat the system can almost be viewed with grim fascination. The emphasis that has been put on higher education when it comes to job status has totally skewed the moral compass of students and people who were of â€Å"respected character† in their high schools are usually at pains when explaining why the chose to cheat; this is usually after they are caught. The challenges being presented to the young boys and girls in our corridors of higher learning can be tackled the same way these students made the grades in high school. It’s all about commitment and hard work. (Anderman et al, 2007) Reasons for Cheating Students will cheat if they are not adequately prepared or if they believe regardless of their understanding of the course content, they are just not going to pass. Looking at the first reason, failure to adequately prepare for a CAT or an exam yet one has been given all the material can only be blamed on one’s negligence. On the second reason, the students may have reason to believe that there will be a disconnect between the questions being asked and the material they have studied. They could base their suspicions on the previous practices of these particular lecturer or they just do not have faith on the content they have been taught. This rarely happens but what students do not understand is it is not the lecturer’s role to â€Å"spoon-feed† them in the entire course outline. One of the expectations society has on graduates is that one should at least be able to conduct a research independently. Part of the content would therefore not be given in class and the lecturer will expect the students to conduct their own fact-finding missions. Therefore, one should not vilify a lecturer for asking a question that one wasn’t familiar with before looking at the course outline. (Callahan, 2004) Plagiarism, Fabrication and Deception The kind of cheating looked at above focuses on exam-based mode of evaluations. Research work conducted by students or even university faculty has not been spared this vice either. This kind of cheating is characterized by plagiarism, fabrication and deception. Plagiarism is the most common especially with undergraduate students. The internet has proved to be quite resourceful with information about pretty much anything being just a mouse click away. Stiff penalties like being expelled or suspended from the university do exist but there are still a few brave souls who believe they can get away with it. When one moves to the post-graduate and doctorate levels, cases of plagiarism are quite minimal. Having one’s name tarnished with plagiarism is a tag that will follow you for the rest of your career. (Bowman, 2004, p 25) The few cases of academic dishonesty reported usually arise from intentionally presenting false data. Research work is a time consuming process that can take months and even years. It can be quite unfortunate if at the end of your research, the experimental results do not match your hypothesis. Occasionally, some people prefer to fabricate their results instead of repeating the entire process or admitting that their research was inconclusive. You might get away with it if the experts in that particular field are few but the fall-out that would follow when you are discovered has proven to be the greatest deterrent. (Bowman, 2004) Studies in the Unites States show that â€Å"70% of students in high school have cheated† (Anderman et al, 2007) meaning that this vice was not suddenly acquired when these students joined university. It has moved to a point where when students are caught cheating, they are probably mad at themselves because they were caught instead of having remorse. The likelihood that you might actually be caught should be the greatest deterrent to cheating; not the penalty received after you are caught. You will only worry about the penalty if you are not sure whether you will get away with it. (Anderman et al, 2007) Effects on Higher Education Cheating has a negative effect on higher education in that the entire credibility of the system is questioned. Take for instance a student who actively cheated during his time at a particular business school somehow sneaks through the cracks in the system and is employed in the job market. Research has shown a majority of people caught practicing unsound business practices like embezzling of funds most likely participated in academic dishonesty during their time in university. The embarrassment such a person will bring to their learning institution is immeasurable. Furthermore, the credibility of students who passed through this business school will also be brought into question. It is fair to say that a looted business enterprise will think twice before employing someone from that disgraced business school. Majority of universities rely on grants and research funds to run their expensive programs. While funds from local authorities, student fees or even the federal government might be enough to run some programs, a large majority of courses rely on huge cash returns that research programs produce. All this can change if the entire higher education system is brought into disrepute due to widespread cases of cheating. Currently, few universities dare to admit that the problem is more widespread than it is reported. They are aware of the vice and admit to it being prevalent mostly in the undergraduate level. Today, the cost of hiring a university to perform a research on your behalf is a luxury enjoyed by companies or institutions that can afford the high costs. The justification for these high costs is attributed to the level of skill required to conduct this research; and this skills can only be found at our institutions of higher learning. This house of cards could probably come tumbling down if the current levels of academic dishonesty continue persisting. The research work will continue but the revenue being generated will decline. Interested parties will argue that the widespread cases of cheating in your university do not justify the excessive research fees being charged. (Callahan, 2004, p 72) Most academic scholars will never admit it but the prestige that comes with obtaining qualifications from a recognized institution of higher learning played a part when they decided to pursue higher education. Rock stars and established sportsmen and women keep returning to universities to finish their degree courses regardless of the amount of wealth they have amassed. It’s not like getting a degree guarantees you a better life insurance package or longer life expectancy; it is what the degree represents. Ironically, cheaters also realize this. A university degree is a rubberstamp of knowledge in today’s society. Some siblings have complained that their fellow brothers or sisters are held in higher regard by their parents or relatives just because they attended a university (a prestigious one). Is this system fair? Yes it is because being selected to join a university and successfully completing one’s course is not an easy affair. I believe those who have managed this feat deserve every accolade they receive. All this good is however eroded by cases of academic dishonesty. Such people end up tarnishing the names of the institutions plus the people who will pass through its corridors long after they are gone. There is a class system in every society and a large majority of them are segregated by wealth accrued or the level of education attained. Without getting into the pros and cons of a society divided by class, the reality is in every society there will have to be leaders and followers; you cannot have both. A person’s education status has been a barometer for today’s leader. Changing this due to some inept practices of some students who were caught with crib notes does seem far-fetched but is plausible if the problem becomes endemic. (Bowman, 2004, p 26) Conclusion At its current â€Å"manageable levels† academic dishonesty needs to be wiped out since it does affect the morale of students who have chosen to walk the straight path yet they are lagging behind their counterparts who are cheating. The prestige of higher education will be preserved only if its members respect its ideals and principles. Unfortunately, it is these same members who are destroying the system but the buck still stops with them in repairing the tarnished image. (Callahan, 2004, p 78) References Anderman E M, Murdock T B (2007) Psychology of Academic Cheating. Amsterdam; Boston, Elsevier Academic Press, pp 15-18 Bowman V, ed. (2004) The plagiarism plague: A resource guide and CD-ROM tutorial for educators and librarians, New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, pp 25-26 Callahan, D (2004) The cheating culture: Why more Americans are doing wrong to get Ahead, Orlando, FL: Harcourt. Hayden & West Stacks, pp 69-78