Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Workplace Violence A Good Peacemaker At Work Essay

It seems to be happening more often in today s society, workplace violence. A disgruntled employee takes out their vengeance on co-workers or a company that has done them wrong. These attacks can included many things, often times though this means causing physical harm to someone else at the workplace. Looking around the Internet, there are many stories about workplace violence happenings all over the world. This paper will focus on two different cases of workplace violence. It will explain what happened in both cases and then it will give advice to the reader about what could be done to prevent the violence from occurring. Matthew 5:9 gives us insight into the importance of being peacemakers in our lives, â€Å"blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.† (New Revised Standard Version). It is the goal of this paper to give the reader considerations for helping to prevent workplace violence and become a better peacemaker at work. Patrick Henry Sherrill In 1986 former US Marine and Air National Guardsman, Patrick Henry Sherrill worked as a postal worker for more than a year and half. During that time, Sherrill was dealt with several times by managers about â€Å"misdirected mail†(Lamar Jr., 2001) and his constant tardiness. Eventually Sherrill had enough of the constant conversations with managers, and contacted the American Postal Service Union to file a complaint about, what he felt, was harassment by his managers. Before that complaint could be lookedShow MoreRelatedBaird Decision Model817 Words   |  3 Pagesexpected to do, that is a value I hold very high. When we look at the political dynamics in Washington, D.C., we note that in the most recent polls the U.S. Congress has achieved an 82 percent negative rating from the American public. Americans value hard work and accomplishments, and in truth neither of those values are apparent in the Congress. That is, only 12 percent of those polled belie ve that Congress is doing what voters sent them there to do. My values were formed by my father and mother, my olderRead MoreFamily System Theory : A Critical Evaluation Of The Textbook And Course Material3419 Words   |  14 Pagesfor family systems therapists that should be taken into consideration during the therapeutic process (Sauerheber, Nims Carter, 2013). During the therapeutic session the Bowen Family System therapist uses the Islamic tradition as a way to be a peacemaker for understanding the dynamics of the system when taking sides during the therapeutic session (Sauerheber, Nims Carter, 2013). A Bowen Family System therapist intends to understand and appreciate the family structure, and be prepared of any anxietyRead MoreThe Ethics of War and the War in Iraq Essay6365 Words   |  26 Pagesand wickedness of Man. The conduct of war involves the intentional killing of human beings and the destruction of property. War inevitably causes untold suffering. I do not think t hat any rational person can ever say without qualification that war is good. War is something that we would all rather do without. And as Christians it is our earnest hope that someday God, in his mercy and grace, will beat every sword into plowshares and eliminate war from the face of the earth. But that day has not yetRead MoreProject Mgmt296381 Words   |  1186 PagesBody of Knowledge (PMBOK). People at all levels in the organization assigned to work on projects will find the text useful not only in providing them with a rationale for the use of project management tools and techniques but also because of the insights they will gain on how to enhance their contributions to project success. Our emphasis is not only on how the management process works, but more importantly, on why it works. The concepts, principles, and techniques are universally applicable. That is

Monday, December 16, 2019

Stress Assessment Using Non Invasive Health And Social Care Essay Free Essays

Stress is a physiological and psychological response to endangering state of affairss. Rapid socio-economical disagreement due to technological advancement and desire to accomplish luxury has led to emphasize. Although emphasis has a psychological beginning, it affects several physiological signals in the human organic structure like EEG, Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, Galvanic Skin Response, Reaction Time, etc. We will write a custom essay sample on Stress Assessment Using Non Invasive Health And Social Care Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Hence there is a critical demand for stress appraisal. This paper reviews about experimental methods of emphasis appraisal utilizing EEG ( Electroencephalography ) and discusses approximately different methodological analysiss for patterning emphasis. Introduction The quickly increasing population with extremist betterment in engineering has increased cost of populating taking to feverish life style due to turning deadlines and demands in order to accomplish luxury life. This state of affairs has led to increasing emphasis degrees in people with turning demands for development of efficient stress appraisal systems. The term, emphasis, introduced by Selye, defined emphasis as â€Å" the non-specific response of the organic structure to any demand for alteration † . In general, emphasis is a â€Å" complex reaction form that frequently has psychological, cognitive and behavioural constituents † [ 1 ] . The emphasis can be measured and evaluated in footings of physiological psychological and physical responses. Questionnaires are normally used to deduce emphasis subjectively. Physiological alterations in the human organic structure can besides be used to measure emphasis. The biomarkers like Skin Temperature, Skin conductance, Blood force per unit area, Heart rate variableness, Respiration, EEG, EMG are used to mensurate emphasis. Previous researches have shown that these are efficient methods and produced acceptable truth rates. In this paper we merely see stress appraisal methods utilizing EEG. Harmonizing to present scenario, the Stress in America study consequences show that grownups continue to describe high degrees of emphasis, 75 % of grownups reported sing centrist to high degrees of emphasis in the past month and about half reported that their emphasis has increased in the past twelvemonth [ emphasis facts ] , The latest research by workspace supplier Regus shows that Indian workers are acquiring more stressed. The study reveals that work ( 51 % ) and personal fundss ( 50 % ) are the conducive factors for the increased emphasis degrees of the Indian work-force. [ hypertext transfer protocol: //articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-09-10/india/33735958_1_stress-levels-counterparts-in-larger-firms-indian-workers ] . The research findings reveal that pupils are sing function overload, function stagnancy and self-role distance. Male pupils see higher degrees of function stagnancy than female pupils. [ hypertext transfer protocol: //link.springer.com/article/10.1007 % 2Fs11218-006-9010-y? LI=true ] . Stress can besides hold impact on immune system and it creates terrible impact on cardiovascular systems, The chronic emphasis can do persons more vulnerable to infections and incurable diseases. [ nihms4008 ] . Organizations like American Institute of emphasis [ www.stress.org ] , Indian Psychiatric Society ( IPS ) , National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences ( Nimhans ) and International stress direction association [ hypertext transfer protocol: //www.isma.org.in/about-isma.aspx ] are at that place to assist persons to cover with emphasis and related diseases at the same time making consciousness about emphasis. Stress due to tenseness, anxiousness and exhilaration had high power of Beta set [ ] . An addition of Alpha set power will reflect to loosen up and witting conditions. Meanwhile, lessening of Alpha set power and addition of Beta set power will bespeak that the individuals are making intense activity such as replying scrutiny inquiries, making mental arithmetic and so on [ ] . Research workers have come out with the ratio of EEG Power Spectrum in term of Alpha and Beta band power on right hemisphere of human encephalon with left hemisphere of human encephalon to find the encephalon reconciliation ( symmetrical ) where the asymmetrical in encephalon activity may bespeak to some chronic wellness disease such as depression, mental weariness, and so on. The ratio is called FBA ( Frontal Brain Asymmetry ) Measuring emphasis They are many features associated with emphasis they are chiefly classified as hormonal instabilities, physical and physiological alterations these are the symptoms of emphasis. When is individual feels stressed increased sum of emphasis endocrines ( hydrocortisone and catecholamine ) are released. These endocrine degrees are measured utilizing invasive methods and performed by scientists and practicians. These measurings require drawn-out experimental processs. Besides under emphasis, alterations in bosom rate ( HR ) [ ] , blood force per unit area ( BP ) [ ] , student diameter ( PD ) [ ] , take a breathing pattern [ ] , voltaic tegument response ( GSR ) [ ] , emotion, voice modulation, organic structure pose [ ] , reaction clip [ ] , Brain moving ridges ( EEG ) [ ] are observed, these alterations can be acquired non-invasively. This paper deals with non-invasive methods of measuring emphasis utilizing Electroencephalography ( EEG ) . Stress appraisal has many important applications in personal, authorities, industry military operations like bettering athlete public presentation, planing course of study and games for instruction, better work productiveness, to mensurate emphasis in combatant pilots, auto drivers, computing machine users, ground forces, sawboness etc [ ] . Measuring emphasis utilizing EEG There is a strong relationship between encephalon activity and emphasis. Datas can be acquired from the encephalon through different methods like functional magnetic resonance imagination, antielectron emanation imaging ( PET ) Magneto encephalography ( MEG ) and electroencephalography ( EEG ) . functional magnetic resonance imaging has high spacial declaration but really low temporal declaration, whereas EEG and MEG have higher temporal declaration. EEG is widely used in stress research because of higher temporal declaration, low intrusive equipment and low cost. Fig. 1: Spatial and temporal declaration of assorted experimental techniques [ 8 ] EEG is an of import method for analyzing the transient kineticss of the human encephalon ‘s large-scale neural circuits. In EEG, electrodes are placed at the caput tegument to do a good contact with scalp and register the electrical potencies due to neural activity. EEG provides good experimental informations of variableness in mental position because of its high temporal declaration. EEG wave form ( amplitude and frequence ) depends on the witting degree of the individual. Table 1 summarizes that spectral analysis of EEG can be split into several frequence sets. Frequency bands Frequency scope ( Hz ) Amplitude scope ( A µV ) Activity Delta 0.5-4 20-200 Watchfulness or anxiousness Theta 4-8 10 Relaxation Alpha 8-13 20-200 Dream slumber or stage between consciousness and sleepiness Beta 13-30 5-10 Coma or deep slumber Potentials at the scalp scope from 20 to 100 A µV, which can be recorded by braces of electrodes attached to the scalp ( on both sides of the encephalon hemisphere ) . The wave forms are characterized by frequence, amplitude, form and sites of the scalp. Besides, age and province of watchfulness is besides relevant to analyse the wave forms [ ] . Activities in the right hemisphere of the encephalon dominate the activities in the left hemisphere of the encephalon during negative emotions [ ] , which suggests an country for stress sensing. Electroencephalogram signals are categorized by frequence and each class represents some province for a individual. Beta and alpha moving ridges represent witting provinces whereas theta and delta moving ridges signify unconscious provinces [ ] . Rapid beta moving ridge frequences ( from lessening in alpha moving ridge frequences ) are the chief features bespeaking emphasis [ ] . Alpha waves appear on both sides of the encephalon, but somewhat higher in amplitude on the non-dominant side, by and large observed in people who are right-handed [ ] . Band base on balls filtering can be used to take noise and obtain certain parts and characteristics of an EEG signal before analysis. EEG signals can be filtered utilizing a set base on balls filter with appropriate values for low and high base on balls filters, e.g. 30 Hz and 4 Hz severally. Appraisal Techniques Raw EEG signals are acquired and analyzed to pull out required information. The first measure in this procedure is preprocessing, the characteristics are extracted from processed signal and classified into stressed or non stressed Preprocessing Preprocessing is really of import for any EEG signal analysis since signals are really sensitive to artefacts ; these artefacts are non from encephalon they are either from proficient grounds or due to behavioural and physical activities. Others include power lines noise ( 50/60Hz ) , broken EEG electrodes or leads, electric resistance fluctuation, electromagnetic noise and eye blink and motion of eyes and so on. Power line noises can be eliminated by using a 50/60 Hz notch filter. Independent constituent analysis ( ICA ) is used for unsighted beginning separation to divide constituents that have statistical difference. ICA recovers N linearly mixed beginning signals s= { s1 ( T ) , aˆÂ ¦ , sN ( T ) } , after multiplying by A, an unknown matrix, x ( I ) = { x1 ( T ) , aˆÂ ¦ , xN ( T ) } =As ( I ) [ ] . Rejection method is used discard contaminated signal, this method has drawback of taking the whole contaminated signal alternatively of taking merely noise [ ] . Subtraction method is used to take noise from contaminated EEG signal, this method assumes natural EEG signal as a additive combination of original EEG signal and noise and it is used to take oculus motion artifacts [ ] , Amplitude threshold can besides be used by specifying negative and positive thresholds, informations out of this scope is considered as artifact [ ] . Similarly Min-Max threshold can besides be used which defines a lower limit or upper limit allowed amplitude difference for a peculiar clip length. Gradient Criterion is another method where artefact threshold is defined based on point-to-point alterations in electromotive force relation to intersample clip [ ] . And eventually Joint chance method used that finds the chance of happening of a given value of point in clip in a specific channel and section relation to planetary chance of happening of such value [ ] . Feature Extraction Techniques Feature extraction is the procedure of pull outing utile information from the signal. Features are features of a signal that are able to separate between different emotions. We use a common set of characteristic values for encephalon signals. Nonlinear steps have received the most attending in comparing with the steps mentioned before, for illustration clip sphere, frequence sphere and other additive characteristics. The nonlinear set of characteristics used include fractal dimension and correlativity dimension signals. Features are extracted for each electrode of EEG signals. There are many feature extraction techniques used in literature some of the techniques are Power spectral denseness [ ] , Short clip Fourier transforms [ ] , Fast Fourier transforms [ ] , Wavelet Transforms [ ] and so on. Short clip Fourier transform ( STFT ) is a often used characteristic extraction technique in which separation of stationary signals is performed into little fragments [ ] . Comparing with STFT, Fourier transform ( FT ) , in which a finite length signal is expressed as the amount of infinite continuance frequence constituents, does non supply the accurate location of an event in the frequence sphere along the clip graduated table. Furthermore, FT is non suited for non-stationary signals analysis. The drawback of STFT is its finite length window. Narrow length window can increase the clip declaration but reduces the frequence declaration [ ] . Equation ( 1 ) is the mathematical representation of STFT, where ten ( T ) is analyzed signal and tungsten ( . ) represents the clip window map. STFTx ( tungsten ) ( T, degree Fahrenheit ) =aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. ( 1 ) Fast Fourier transform is used in many of experiments [ ] . In the power spectral analysis from EEG informations, the signals are converted from clip sphere to frequence sphere. Spectral analysis divides the original signal into its frequence constituents, which can be expeditiously conducted by utilizing the fast Fourier transform ( FFT ) [ ] . Through the spectral analysis, we can individually analyze the four sets of EEG moving ridges with their specific frequences. Fourier transform is one of the techniques to make spectral analysis which is shown in Equation Ten ( K ) =aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ ( 2 ) Where ten ( n ) is the EEG informations, N is the entire figure of samples. Wavelet transform ( WT ) solves the declaration job of STFT. It replaces the sinusoidal constituent of FT by interlingual rendition and dilation of a window map called ripple [ ] . Ripples are ideally suited for the analysis of sudden short continuance signal alterations [ ] . Equation ( 3 ) provides mathematical representation of uninterrupted ripple transform ( CWT ) , which is the portion of WT. CWT ( a, B ) =aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. ( 3 ) Here a and B are scaling factors, star in the superior represents the complex conjugate of map which is called the ripple. It can be obtained by scaling the ripple at B clip and a scale shown in equation ( 4 ) aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . ( 4 ) Ratio of power spectral densenesss of the alpha and beta sets has been calculated and analyzed for emphasis [ ] . Results suggested that the ratios for alpha ( rI ± ) and beta ( rI? ) powers defined as given in Eqs. ( 5 ) and ( 6 ) severally were negatively correlated with selfreports. rI ±=aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. ( 5 ) rI?=aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. ( 6 ) where rI ± and rI? in the equations represent alpha sets on the right and left hemispheres of the encephalon. Beta sets, I? are likewise represented. Categorization Techniques After extraction of the coveted characteristics, In order to happen emphasis we use classifiers. A classifier is a system that divides some informations into different categories, and is able to larn the relationship between the characteristics and the province of emphasis. They are many types of classifiers used in the literature for stress appraisal. The categorization is performed utilizing many classifiers like additive discriminant analysis ( LDA ) [ ] , support vector machines ( SVM ) [ ] , nervous webs ( NN ) [ ] , Bayes regulation [ ] , and so on. How to cite Stress Assessment Using Non Invasive Health And Social Care Essay, Essay examples

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Hospitality Event Planning

Question: Discuss about theHospitality for Event Planning. Answer: Introduction The notion of Tourism and the hospitality services does share similar characteristics and they also are related with comparable set of activities and they even be related sometimes. As recommended by numerous authors and scholars the tourism and hospitality sector is prepared up of various sub sectors they are: Restaurants; Hotels, night clubs Pubs, and bars; travel services; events, membership clubs; gambling; tourist services; holiday parks; tourist attractions and many more. Hospitality industry is solely concerned with providing superior quality of hospitality services to their customers including tourist and travellers. A customer or traveller and tourist must be treated with maximum priority ensuring positive response to every service they are being provided with. Customers or travellers do have a tendency to be very fickle minded and considering the level of competition that persists within the hospitality industry, it is of great significance that tourism organisations must e nsure they are putting maximum effort in order for providing best in class hospitality services. Definitions The genre of Tourism and Hospitality has been defined as A wide class of various sections inside the distinct service trade, which involves lodging, event planning, transportation, cruise line and theme parks, along with supplementary fields inside the business of tourism (Flemster, 2009). Tourism has also been defined to be, A short-term and temporary movement of people to various destinations to various locations that are remote (Chaudhary, 2009). Tourism has also been defined to be, Terms of significant and precise activities that have been selected by individual choices and that have been undertaken outside of the homely environment, tourism might or might not include overnight stays from home (Zahra and Hooper, 2012). Some authors and scholars have also carved out the commercial perspective and defined the notion as, Hospitality is solely concerned with providing best in class hospitality services to travellers and tourists, which eventually would help in achieving enormous profits (Murthy, 2008). Main Body Analysis Commercial action that reveals contemporary day hospitality likes as big hotels and foodstuff and drinks outlets were also exposed in different region of the world. According to the market survey it can be observed that by 400BC business hospitality or commercial hospitality sector was very important and essential to get merchants, businessman and travellers to the countries as a valuable foundation and resources of profits. In investigating commercial hospitality its apparent that the division was previously divided and separated from home hospitality services (Flemster, 2009). There was a noteworthy amount of food, drink and housing operations, which engrossed tourists, providedthe requirements of traders and that was essential for business. Commercial hospitality was obtainable for those who had no association or link to personal hospitality or were insufficiently advantaged to obtain hospitality of the country. As a result, commercial hospitality was disgraceful compared to other variety of hospitality sector. According to the home hospitality it can be observed that people welcome the guest from the heart and they provide them all level of comfort which they can provide. According to the home hospitality services it can be said that different location and different region people has their own culture and taste (Chaudhary, 2009). According to the different culture and taste the people can transform their hospitality services. There is an association; there is a key disparity between the idea of hospitality services and the commercial hospitality industry: it exists in the cash included and the host visitor relationship. There is a connection; there is a prime disparity among the design and plan of hospitality industries and the commercial hospitality business: it survives in the motto incorporated in the midst of the host tourist association. Commercial hospitality have a exact kind of connection amongst administrator and tourist in which the administrator comprehends what may convince the tourist and recover their support and success at the time being competent to express this supervision perfectly (Marianne Tromp and Jan Blomme, 2014). While home hospitality services depend on the connection of empathy, dealing cordiality depends on a monetary skill. Along these lines an alternating sort of administrator visitor association survives contained by commercial hospitality, as consumers have to pay to exploit the offices available to them, and as a result the administrator has an obligation to offer the most excellent management that deals with the problems and requirements of the tourist (Zahra and Hooper, 2012). It is subsequently; the money requisite in the administrator visitor association that commercial hospitality business is establish in its individual exact space. According to the geographical change the culture of hospitality services might change and to make an effective home based hospitality services the individual requires proper knowledge and understanding regarding the various culture of the world. For an example India is a diverse culture country. To make a home hospitality service the people requires understanding the surroundings and places of the home to provide people that kind of cultural hospitality service to make them satisfied. To compare the home hospitality services and commercial hospitality services it can be said that commercial hospitality services is just an extensive part of home hospitality services (Zahra, 2012). To make a commercial hospitality services the basic idea comes from the welcomes of our relatives in home and their happiness and comfort to stay (Molz and Gibson, 2007). The basic philosophy of any kind of hospitality services is to provide satisfaction and friendliness towards the customers. There are several differences in the relaxation activities and amenities for home hospitality and commercial hospitality services. Private or home based hospitality includes the sustaining thought processes of the individuals who serve drinks, cook, engross, and make quaint little inns a sheltered domain. Inside this area the demonstration of companionship is exhibited through the arrangement of nourishment, drink and settlement. Companionship not just makes a typical tie between those included in d ividing hospitality additionally makes an ethical obligation regarding the visitor who has gotten the friendliness, to give back where its due and host another event. In this manner, inside home hospitality the part of the host is taken thus without thought for money related reimbursement (Russo, 2012). Values, for example, family relationship, social obligation of consideration and neighborliness, began from cordiality in the home and are found inside parts of social and business accommodation. To some degree home hospitality shapes the desire of social and commercial hospitality in this manner; an association exists between the three areas. According to the hospitality industry the comparison between home and commercial hospitality sector is a very interesting factor. The prime objectives of both hospitality sectors are same to provide effective and superior quality of services towards the visitors to attract more visitors in their business and gain some revenue (Seneviratne, 2007). The basic difference between this two hospitality industry is one is basically concentrates on revenue and profit and the other one is depends on friendliness and relationship building. In my home I can manage to learn hospitality services from my parents and grandparents To deliver the hospitality services within home my parents and grandparents delivers the hospitality services to the others and they solely take all the decisions regarding the changes and quality of the accommodation and foods (Chen, 2011). On the other hand to make an effective commercial hospitality services I need to divide the proper management staffs according to the different division of hospitality like food, accommodation, transport etc. In the food division the waiters are delivering the hospitality services to the people where as the whole quality measurement of the food is depends on the chief of the restaurant. To measure the satisfaction and dissatisfaction factors in the home hospitality and commercial hospitality it wholly depends on the visitors (Lieberman and Nissen, 2005). If the tourist or the visitors believes that commercial hospitality sector performs a well action with minimum cost them it will give them satisfaction where as if they dont get the proper welcome or accommodation and food facilities from the home hospitality then it could be dissatisfaction factor for the travelers. Hospitality industry has always been a significant contributor to the economic condition of any nation, hence it is necessary for the hospitality industry players to be effective in order for ensuring their individual survival and sustenance thoroughly. The sole purpose of hospitality organisations must always be concentrating upon providing the best in class services to their customers and clients as the hospitality industry is filled with numerous players and competitors that pose direct threat to the existence of each other (Moore and Doherty, 2011). And the only way it is possible for ensuring individual survival and sustenance is by providing best in class and stand out services to their customers and clients, which will result in customer satisfaction leading to customer loyalty and enhanced profit margin. Conclusion According to the above study it can be concluded that, the comprehension of hospitality exercises can be isolated into three spatial spaces; social, commercial and private or home based. Verifiably business accommodation was seen as basically being a generic budgetary buy and sells process, on the other hand, changes extra period and how the joining of every spatial gap has upgraded commercial hospitality progress. The primary distinction among home based hospitality services and commercial hospitality services is the principle of the administrator tourist association. References Flemster, F. (2009). From Home to Second Home: Emotional Dilemmas on Norwegian Smallholdings. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 9(4), pp.406-423. Marianne Tromp, D. and Jan Blomme, R. (2014). Leadership style and negative work-home interference in the hospitality industry. Int J Contemp Hospitality Mngt, 26(1), pp.85-106. Molz, J. and Gibson, S. (2007). Mobilizing hospitality. Aldershot, England: Ashgate. Russo, M. (2012). Home, domesticity and hospitality: A theoretical reflection. Hospitality Society, 2(3), pp.309-320. Seneviratne, M. (2007). A practical approach to water conservation for commercial and industrial facilities. Amsterdam: Elsevier/Butterworth-Heinemann. Zahra, A. (2012). Navigating interdisciplinary inhospitableness: The homehospitality interface. Hospitality Society, 2(3), pp.243-250. Zahra, A. and Hooper, S. (2012). Mothers perceptions of their children pursuing work in the home and hospitality. Hospitality Society, 2(3), pp.293-308. Chaudhary, J. (2009). Career in hospatility [i.e. hospitality], travel tourism industry. Panchkula, H.R.: Better Books. Chen, J. (2011). Advances in hospitality and leisure. Bingley, U.K.: Emerald. Lieberman, K. and Nissen, B. (2005). Ethics in the hospitality and tourism industry. Lansing, Mich.: Educational Institute, American Hotel Lodging Association. Moore, D. and Doherty, A. (2011). United States travel and tourism industry. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Nova Science Publisher's, Inc. Murthy, E. (2008). Management of tourism hospitality industry. Jaipur, India: ABD Publishers.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Macbeth And Justice Essays - Characters In Macbeth,

Macbeth And Justice Even though people in retributive justice feel satisfaction, the perpetrator can also suffer. William Shakespeare's powerful Macbeth shows the deterioration of an honourable and respectable general, Macbeth, who becomes a tragic hero after temptations from the witches and his wife to perform murders. Macbeth soliloquies enable the audience to experience the conflict within Macbeth and thus, gain an understanding of the reasons for his behavior and decisions. As a result, the tremendous reversal of Macbeth's fortunes in the end leaves the audience filled not with pity, but also awe, at the realization that people can suffer greatly. Macbeth's soliloquies before the murder of Duncan shows the vigorous internal struggle of himself, as his conscience is fighting against his evil minds. Also, they shows Macbeth has brought his own downfall upon himself. The audience will then feel pity about Macbeth's deterioration brought by himself when witnessing his choice of following the evil. Macbeth is a courageous and honourable general in Scotland. His success in the battle against the invaders of Scotland gains respect from the King Duncan and his fellow soldiers. However, the demonic forces, symbolized by three witches, temptates Macbeth. The witches hail Macbeth as the Thane of Glamis and Cawdor who will be king and hail Banquo, who is a nobleman of Scotland and Macbeth's friend, as one who will become the father of a line of kings. Macbeth ambition deep in his heart starts growing at that time. In Act I, scene iii, when Macbeth is thinking about the fulfillment of the two prophecies given by the witches before, "My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes my single state of man"(I, iii, 139- 140) In this soliloquy, Macbeth reflects his idea about the "two truths" told by the witches. He is ambitious to become king, as he reacts nervously when the witches mention his fate. The very idea of murder "shakes his single state of man". However, at this! point, he is loyal to the king, and he rejects the idea of murder, "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir."(I, iii, 143-144) The predictions by the witches may have strengthened the criminal intentions that he had probably never yet dared to express clearly, even to himself. He is not alliance with crime, he is neutral, but obviously temptation is working upon him. Yet, he might overcome the promptings of his evil ambition by an effort. After the battle, Macbeth is greeted with effusive thanks by Duncan. Duncan then announces that he will make Malcolm heir to the throne. In Act I, scene iv, Macbeth in his aside states that this announcement is a bar to his ambition and calls upon darkness to cover what he wishes to be done: That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o'erleap, for in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires: The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be which the eye fears, when it is done, to see (I, iv, 49-54) As Duncan makes the announcement, Macbeth starts wondering if murder is the only way in which he can achieve the kingship. His ambition overcomes his finer nature. He calls upon the stars to hide their light, indicating that his "black" desires comes out, and he thinks it is too evil to be seen. Macbeth's image of the eyes' winking upon the work of the hand is expressive both of his intense aversion to the deed and of his intense desire to get what the deed will accomplish. At the same time his "let that be" marks the point at which his fascinated contemplation of the thought of murdering Duncan becomes a resolution, although he will waver from it. The opposition between eye and hand is indicative of the civil war within him. In Act I, scene iv, shortly after Duncan's arrival to Macbeth's castle, Macbeth gives voice to his feeling concerning the rashness and the awfulness of the projected murder: If it were done when ?tis done, then ?twere well it were done quickly. If th' assassination could trammel up the consequence, and catch, with his surcease, success; that but this blow might be the be-ball and the end-all -- here. But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, we'd jump the life to come. But in these cases we still have judgment here. (I, vii, 1--8) At this point, Macbeth's character has fallen to the point where he

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

A Quick Tour of Jupiters Moons

A Quick Tour of Jupiters Moons Meet the Moons of Jupiter The planet Jupiter  is the largest world in the solar system. It has at least 67 known moons and a thin dusty ring. Its four largest moons are called the Galileans, after astronomer ​Galileo Galilei, who discovered them in 1610. The individual moon names are Callisto, Europa, ​Ganymede, and Io, and come from Greek mythology. Although astronomers studied them extensively from the ground, it wasnt until the first spacecraft explorations of the Jupiter system that we knew how strange these little worlds are. The first spacecraft to image them were the Voyager probes in 1979. Since then, these four worlds  have been explored by the Galileo, Cassini and New Horizons missions, which provided extremely good views of these little moons. The Hubble Space Telescope has also studied and imaged Jupiter and the Galileans many times. The Juno mission to Jupiter, which arrived in summer 2016, will provide more images of these tiny worlds as it orbits around the giant planet taking images and data.   Explore the Galileans Io is the closest moon to Jupiter and, at 2,263 miles across, is the second smallest of the Galilean satellites. It is often called the â€Å"Pizza Moon† because its colorful surface looks like a pizza pie. Planetary scientists found out it was a volcanic world in 1979  when the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft flew by and captured the first up-close images. Io has more than 400 volcanoes that spew out sulfur and sulfur dioxide across the surface, to  give it that colorful look. Because these volcanoes are constantly repaving Io, planetary scientists say that its surface is  geologically young.   Europa is the smallest of the Galilean moons. It measures only 1,972 miles across  and is made mostly of rock. Europa’s surface is a thick layer of ice, and underneath it,  there may be a salty ocean of water about  60 miles deep. Occasionally Europa  sends plumes of water out  into fountains that tower more than 100 miles above the surface. Those plumes have been seen in data sent back by Hubble Space Telescope.  Europa is often mentioned as a place that could be habitable for some forms of life. It has an energy source, as well as organic material that could aid in the formation of life, plus plenty of water. Whether it is or not remains an open question. Astronomers have long talked about sending missions to Europa to search for evidence of life. Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system, measuring 3,273 miles across. It’s made mostly of rock and has a layer of salt water more than 120 miles below the cratered and crusty surface. Ganymede’s landscape is divided between two types of landforms: very old cratered regions which are dark-colored, and younger areas containing grooves and ridges. Planetary scientists found a very thin atmosphere on Ganymede, and it’s the only moon known so far that has its own magnetic field. Callisto is the third-largest moon in the solar system and, at 2,995 miles in diameter, is nearly the same size as the planet Mercury (which is just over 3,031 miles across). It’s the most distant of the four Galilean moons. Callisto’s surface tells us that it was bombarded throughout its history. Its 60-mile thick surface is covered with craters. That suggests the icy crust is very old and hasn’t been resurfaced through ice volcanism. There may be a subsurface water ocean on Callisto, but conditions for life to arise there are less favorable than for neighboring Europa.   Finding Jupiters Moons From Your Back Yard Whenever Jupiter is visible in the nighttime sky, try to find the Galilean moons. Jupiter itself is quite bright, and its moons will look like tiny dots on either side of it. Under good dark skies, they can be seen through a pair of binoculars.  A good backyard-type telescope  will give a better view, and for the avid stargazer, a larger telescope will show the moons AND features in Jupiter’s colorful clouds.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Using Spanish Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns

Using Spanish Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns Perhaps the most difficult aspect of grammar for most Spanish students when learning how to use pronouns is learning how to use and distinguish between direct-object and indirect-object pronouns. Direct-object and indirect-object pronouns have similar functions, and the pronouns themselves are the same in the first-person and second-person familiar forms. Direct vs. Indirect Objects First of all, some definition of terms is in order. Direct-object pronouns are those pronouns that represent the nouns directly acted upon by the verb. Indirect-object pronouns stand for the noun that is the recipient of the verbs action. In both English and Spanish, a verb may have no object (e.g., I live, vivo), a direct object only (e.g., I killed the fly, matà © la mosca), or both direct and indirect objects (e.g., I gave her the ring, le di el anillo). The construction of an indirect object without a direct object isnt used in English, but it can be done in Spanish (e.g., le es difà ­cil, it is difficult for him.) In the third example, the direct object of the verb is the ring (el anillo), because it is what was given. The indirect object is her, (or le) because the person is the recipient of the giving. Another way of looking at indirect objects in Spanish is that they could be replaced by a prepositional pronoun or sometimes para prepositional pronoun. In the example sentence, we could say di el anillo a ella and mean the same thing (just as we could say in English, I gave the ring to her). In Spanish, unlike English, a noun cant be an indirect object; it must be used as the object of a preposition. For example, we could say I gave Sally the ring in English, but in Spanish the preposition a is needed, le di el anillo a Sally. As in this example, it is common, although not strictly required, to include both the pronoun le and the named indirect object.) Similarly, note also that in Spanish the indirect object pronoun must refer to a person or animal. In English, we use the same pronouns for both direct and indirect objects. In Spanish, both types of object pronouns are the same except in the third person. The third-person singular direct object pronouns are lo (masculine) and la (feminine), while in the plural, they are los and las. But the indirect object pronouns are le and les in the singular and the plural, respectively. No distinction is made according to gender. The other object pronouns in Spanish are me (first-person singular), te (second-person familiar singular), nos (first-person plural) and os (second-person familiar plural). Following in chart form are the object pronouns in Spanish. The direct objects are shown in the second and third columns, the indirect objects in the fourth and fifth columns. me me Ella me ve (she sees me). me Ella me dio el dinero (she gave me the money). you (familiar) te Ella te ve. te Ella te dio el dinero. him, her, it, you (formal) lo (masculine)la (feminine) Ella lo/la ve. le Ella le dio el dinero. us nos Ella nos ve. nos Ella nos dio el dinero. you (familiar plural) os Ella os ve. os Ella os dio el dinero. them, you (plural formal) los (masculine)las (feminine) Ella los/las ve. les Ella les dio el dinero. More About Using Object Pronouns Here are some other details of using these pronouns you should know: El leà ­smo: In some parts of Spain, le and les are used as direct-object pronouns to refer to masculine human beings instead of lo and los, respectively. Youre not likely to run into this usage, known as el leà ­smo, in Latin America. Se: To avoid alliteration, when le or les as an indirect-object pronoun precedes the direct-object pronoun lo, los, la or las, se is used instead of le or les. Quiero drselo, I want to give it to him (or her or you). Se lo darà ©, I will give it to him (or her or you). Placement of object pronouns after verbs: Object pronouns are placed after infinitives (the unconjugated form of the verb that ends in -ar, -er or -ir), gerunds (the form of the verb that ends in -ando or -endo, generally equivalent to the -ing ending in English), and the affirmative imperative. Quiero abrirla, I want to open it. No estoy abrià ©ndola, I am not opening it. brela, open it. Note that where the pronunciation requires it, a written accent needs to be added to the verb. Placement of object pronouns before verbs: Object pronouns are placed before verb forms except those listed above, in other words, before nearly all the conjugated forms. Quiero que la abras, I want you to open it. No la abro, I am not opening it. No la abras, dont open it. Order of object pronouns: When both direct-object and indirect-object pronouns are objects of the same verb, the indirect object comes before the direct object. Me lo dar, he will give it to me. Quiero drtelo, I want to give it to you. Obviously, there are quite a few rules to learn! But youll find as you read and listen to Spanish that the rules will become a natural part of your understanding of the language.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Depositions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Depositions - Essay Example Through evaluation of witness, conflicting testimonies can be compared with each other where the most credible testimony can be determined. Also, through evaluation of testimony, the extent of a testimony’s usefulness can be determined by the court such making relevant only those where the witness has practical experience and direct knowledge of the event that is material to the court. Through evaluation, the court can disregard second hand information or hearsays which are not material in the litigation of a case. This method of evaluation of witness and his or her testimony is not perfect but it is the best that has been tried so far. Establishing the credibility of the witness enables the court to know if the witness is truthful. Second, the testimony of the witness is cross examined and only limited to those that are relevant to the case removing all second hand information, hearsay or opinion which will defeat the impartiality of the

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Reading Comment and Question on The History of Communication Media by Assignment

Reading Comment and Question on The History of Communication Media by Friedrich Kittler - Assignment Example The main guideline to technological advancement in media is reduction and elimination of the need to meet in order to communicate (Kittler, n.d). Communication in the past was based on the capability to read and inscribe but with the latest technologies it relies on the application of computer skills  (Kittler, n.d). The quality of communication today is guided by the ability to employ the latest technologies in communication correctly. Advancements such as the move from the olden pictographs that were done on clay tablets to the current broadband communication clearly show the great improvement in media technology. All media tools have improved in terms of information collected, Storage capability and speed of transmission. Technology has made places connect, and the limitations of time and distance have been wiped out. Despite having landmark positive changes, the latest media are exposed to the threat of a limited shelf life due to its fragility. Pictographs that were produced over 5000 years ago remain intact while newspapers that were manufactured just a year ago have already crumbled (Winthrop-Young, 2011, p.77). Information stored in DVDs and cassettes is easily lost due to the vulnerability of such media tools. Despite offering many solutions, the latest technologies in media, therefore, pose a risk of destroying cultural heritage. Digital technologies produce information for instant, but one time use as opposed to olden methods that produced information to be used over

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Human Physical Appearance Essay Example for Free

Human Physical Appearance Essay The appearances of people is like their cover, that? s why it? s so important, because it? s what can be seen, the first thing you note in a person, and like it or not, it tells a lot. It? s like a book, most of the time it? s judged by it? s front page, the right thing would be to read the review where you can know the details of it? s content, but what do you notice first? That why I compare the human appearance with a book, and I affirm that you can? t know a person only by the way they look, because it?  s not always what it seems, wearing designers clothes not necessarily shows your economic status and you can? t know a person only by their physical appearance, because this can be modified by a very important factor, self-esteem According to the Pequeno Larousse Ilustrado (1976), Appearance is â€Å" the outside look of a person or thing†. In another words is peoples physics, but there are situations in which the person can be criticized by this, specially during the teenage, that are the years of physical and mental development, but the physical part is commonly judged. Are we really conscious of what we say about other people? , I? m not saying it? s wrong, because the physical appearance is important, but is it all?. The appearance are not always what they look like, and even more in the teenage, the psychiatrist Felix Loracca says that we are modeling are personality in function of what others expect from us. For example, psychologists say that women tend to want to be accepted, not so much for their personality but for them to feel prettier. Young men present a similar case, now that they pay a lot of attention to their physical appearance, without neglecting their clothes, their hair, etc. The way each and every one of the teenagers practice their personal care for their appearance changes from one to another, but basically the aim is the same one, â€Å"try to look good†. Teenagers not only change their clothes, but their response, their expressions, their vocabulary and recreative activities. The way they dress and the physical appearance become very important, it can be a way to express solidarity with their friends, or as a way to declare their growing independence from their families. Another important aspect to consider is that clothing not necessarily proves your economical status, and this is more discussable nowadays, because material things don’t tell who you really are, a good example of this is Mahatma Gandhi, who despite of everything he owned economically speaking, acted like the most humble person in the world. People use to go for others clothing. Physical appearance influence, but is not determinant when we meet someone, and you can’t determine their economy, or their education by this, because everybody can have any kind of clothes or material objects without mattering the cost of these, there is who say â€Å"fashion, what suits you† and people can dress according with what they feel comfortable with without caring what other people think about them. Elton Mayo says that human relationships are majorly based in ties that exist between the members of society, thanks to communication, that can have many ways: principally visual, linguistically, affective and by specially created languages for the development of complex societies, that’s why he affirms that there is some importance in the physical appearance. One of the human needs is to relate with other living creatures, like Maslow shows in his hierarchical pyramid, in the affiliation is the friendship, or the creation of relations with other people. But in any moment he affirms the importance of the physical appearance. The changes in how we look to others are related with our self-esteem and not to our auto-perception, that’s why any change in our physical appearance can affect our present ME status, if we don’t have the ability to accept and adapt to these changes, in the same way this affects directly in our emotional status. In conclusion, physical appearances are an important part of people presence, but they are not determinant in the way to judge them, for what we saw previously. They exist an infinity of questions that we can make as thinking beings, that we lead us to much more questions, but it all ends in ourselves, the answer is in each one of us, you decide what to base in, how to act with others and how you want them to see you, but without losing your own personality.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Essay --

Climate change which is attributed to global warming caused by fossil fuels is, perhaps, one of the most important concerns in the world. Owing to the tremendous increase in polluting gaseous which are sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) and greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide (CO2) developing countries, such as UK, are working on new technologies to meet the limits that have been established under Kyoto protocol (Roskilly, A.P., Nanda, S.K., Wang, Y.D., Chirkowski, J., 2007; Center for Electromechanics, 2014; Fernandez Soto, J.L., Garay Seijo, R., Fraguela Formoso, J.A., Gregorio Iglesias, G., Carral Zouce, L., 2010; Jayaram, V., Agrawal, H., Welch, W.A., Miller, J.W. & Cocker, D.R., 2011) . Although land transportation, such as cars, trains and trucks, contributes to emitted gaseous, marine vessels play a significant role in air pollution. According to Fernandez Soto et al., 2010, approximately 42% of the European Union’s (EU) domestic transportation and 90 % of trade with non-European countries are done by sea. The EU is trying to encourage the use of marine vessels for transportation of goods to reduce the polluting gaseous and greenhouse gas emissions over land transportation. Even though the regulations of emitted gaseous by the legislation of Annex VI of the MARPOL, Fernandez Soto et al., 2010 claimed that emissions from marine vessels, SOx, NOx and PM, would increase by 40%, 50% and 55%, respectively, by 2020. Apart from the destructive effects of fossil fuels on environment, high costs and limited reserves of them force ship owners and transportation companies to seek for alternative sources (Roskilly et al., 2007). Fernandez Soto et. al., 2010 assessed the types of alternative en... ...al., 2007). Both a heating line preventing condensation and a conditioning unit keeping the temperature of the gas below 40 0C and the saturation level is correct are essential. The whole exhaust computation system is shown in Fig. 5 (Roskilly et al., 2007).The analysis of trial fuel Lloyds Register FOBAS fuel analysis service examined the biodiesel from recycled cooking fat and vegetable oil and fossil diesel for elemental constitution and other properties and prepared a robust report shown in Table 3 (Roskilly et al., 2007). Table 3. The analysis results of fuels The experimental procedures for the trails Roskilly et al., 2007 followed the ISO 8178 test procedure and the test cycle E5 used for marine crafts less than 24 m in length to receive a standardized set of data. Besides, to calculate specific exhaust emissions the weighting factor is used (Table 4).

Monday, November 11, 2019

6 Feet of Country Essay

Question: Analyse how the growth or breakdown of a character relationship or individual in a text (or texts) you have studied? Analyse the deterioting relationship between the narrator and his wife Lerice. â€Å"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.† Within the text â€Å"Six Feet of the Country† by Nadine Gordimer, we are given insight into a deterioting relationship. The negative narrator and his wife’s relationship is slowly crumbling due his lack of interest with her. The tension and flaws of their relationship become apparent during the climatic event of the illegal immigrants death. This moment is a defining point of their relationship, and displays how the manifestation of their small arguments has pulled them apart. The narrator of â€Å"Six Feet of Country† is an introverted, self-fish and pessimistic man. He is unhappy and disappointed with his marriage, and he cannot come to terms with it.  "You seem to rattle about so much within a marriage like ours,† suggesting that him and his wife encounter many problems, due to opposing views. Throughout the first few lines we become well aware that the narrator extremely dislikes his wife. He continually makes degrading remarks and this displays his utter disrespect that he has for her. Majority of his cruel taunts are about her physical appearance and how she has failed in life as an actress. He describes her hands as â€Å"hard as dog’s pads.† Implying that she could never be an actress because she wasn’t glamorous enough and was never going to be the kind of lady who wore â€Å"red paint and diamond rings.† It would be fair to say that he finds the physical appearance of his wife disappointing. This idea is reinforced when he negatively comments about her â€Å"uncombed hair†. This remark about her appearance displays his misogynistic behaviour. His cynical and negative remarks reveal the narrators inner thoughts, that his wife is the problem. She has let herself go and is therefore no longer pretty. His pessimistic attitude towards immediately objectifies her, as if she was a toy he no longer wanted. My assumption would be that th is man was having a midlife crisis and wanted a younger, pretty and glamorous woman. His jealousy and his repulsion towards his wife is shown through the quote, â€Å"some pretty girl and her young husband.† He is in denial about his age, but also the overall appearance of his wife. His behaviour towards his wife reflects our current society and the societal pressure on females to look good. His expectation of how his wife should look and behave draws a  parallel to the expectation of how the media portrays the perfect women. This pressure and false sense of perfection, allows males to have a deluded expectation of how women should look. A â€Å"Lucerne field brilliant as window dresser’s grass,† seems like the perfect location for rekindling a dying romance. The farm was brought as escape from the busy bustling city life Johannesburg. The narrator and his wife were both convinced that the farms would â€Å"change something† within themselves. They collectively viewed the farm as fresh start. The narrator was praying to hear a â€Å"deep satisfying silence†, hoping that the arguing would stop. The farm started out as a symbol or peace and serenity; however it didn’t manage to help the bickering couple’s problems. The narrator doesn’t enjoy the farm, and spends â€Å"only evening and weekends† at the farm. He †Å"avoids† parts of the farm because it â€Å"sickens† him. He likes the calm life of living in the country and being away from the tension within the city, yet he views the farm as a financial burden. The narrator begins to describe a bull, â€Å"little, stocky mean-eyed bull, lustful but bored.† This description of the bull draws a parallel to the narrator, how he is lustful for something pretty which is wife can never omit to and he’s bored with what he has. He expected his wife to settle down into Chekhovian sadness than pursue her dream of being an actress. However she became encapsulated with the farm and the narrator finds her â€Å"earthy enthusiasms† irritating. He wants her to be a lady whom he can show off, eye candy. Yet she continues to disappoint him, and the farm becomes a symbol or regret to the narrator. Their view of buying something in order to solve their problems and then not being satisfied links us back to our consumerism society. How we are constantly seeking instant gratification, as a constellation prize for our problems. However we forget the common phrase, â€Å"Money can’t buy you happiness.† Unexpected circumstances c an define a relationship, either bringing people closer or destroying any remnants of a relationship. The narrator employs servants from Rhodesia in order to look after his farm; however he does not accept them as his workers and calls them â€Å"Lerice’s farm boys.† We learn throughout this short story that the narrator is an extremely racist man. This is shown through his condescending attitude towards his workers â€Å"poor devils have nothing much to fear.† He finds his wife and the farm boys equally irritating. A defining factor within their marriage is when one of the farm boys illegal immigrant  brother, dies of phenomena. This event displays the contrast in personalities and moral code of the narrator and his wife. The narrator disregards the boy’s death, shows his lack of ethics and morals. In contrast to his dehumanized ways, his wife on the other hand is extremely compassionate towards the ‘poor’ boy and his family. The narrator immediately calls the authority and this begins a series of small arguments between him and his wife. First off he sleeps in another room, and â€Å"she is hurt and humiliated at† him for â€Å"not wanting her†. However she begins to whine and whinge, when he doesn’t tell Petrus that he cannot have his brother’s body back to bury. Then she gives him the silent treatment, and he makes a very snide remark about how â€Å"she is the kind of woman who doesn’t mind if she looks plain, or odd.† The narr ator feels pressured, because he has to deal with all the â€Å"dirty business† despite it not being his fault. He consistently reminds his wife that it’s not his problem to get the body back, and he does not owe his workers anything. His wife continues to pursue him, and eventually he agrees to get the body back. His lack of compassion is expressed when he doesn’t offer to pay a measly 20 pounds, which he could easily cover. He instead criticizes the farm boys and servants for wasting their lives savings on a dead body. At this point the wife has given up arguing with her husband, and begins to slowly fade out of his life. This moment of tension, displays the dynamics of their deterioting relationship, and how certain events can either bring people closer or cause further tension. The narrator defines himself as being superior to his wife and the farm boys. This concept relates back to Nadine Gordimer’s theme of racism and sex prejudice within South Africa. The narrator is disconnected from his emotions and morals, especially when one of the Servants brothers dies. In this moment we see the contrast in characters between the wife and the husband and how neither appreciate nor like each other. Both of them are trapped in a monotonous relationship and both of them regret marrying each other. It would appear that their relationship and foundation for their marriage was not built off respect for one another, and that is why everything that was running smooth didn’t last very long.a

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Computer Games †Good or Bad

Before we decide whether or not computer/video games are bad, there are many facts and opinions to consider. For example, many people feel that these games are too violent and that they cause an undervelopment in the frontal lobe. Others feel that games are helpful and educational. There is also a health concern. According to Professor Ryuta Kawashima, â€Å"The importance of this discovery cannot be underestimated. There is a problem we will have with a new generation of children – who play computer games – that we have never seen before.The implications are very serious for an increasingly violent society and these students will be doing more and more bad things if they are playing games and not doing other things like reading aloud or learning arithmetic. † I do not agree with this statement fully, though I can understand that it does occur in some cases. I love playing computer and video games. When I was younger I used to play a James Bond game with my frien ds. We also played Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. I used to love those games, and I remember making them â€Å"turn off the blood† because I ddin’t like that side to it.I still play video games, and though they may include shooting, fighting and other violence, you don’t see me beating up somebody because of a video game. I do know that there are some bad people in the world who have hurt someone because they were influenced by violent games. Another concern is the underdevelopment of the frontal lobe. As written by Tracy McVeigh, education editor, â€Å"Whenever you use self control to refrain from lashing out or doing something you should not, the frontal lobe is hard at work. Children often do things they shouldn’t because their frontal lobes are underdeveloped.The more work done to theicken the fibres connecting the neurons in this part of the brain, the better the child’s ability will be to control their behaviour. The more the area is sti mulated, the more these fibres will thicken. † I think I agree with this statement, becasue I have seen the behaviour of the people around me, they seem out of control sometimes. They speak before they think, they fight constantly and are always in other people’s faces. One guy states â€Å"I’m not going to argue that violent entertainment is harmless.I think it has helped inspire some people to real-life violence. I am going to argue that it’s helped hundreds of people for every one it’s hurt, and that it can help far more if we learn to use it well. I am going to argue that our fear of ‘youth violence’ isn’t well-founded on reality and that the fear can do more harm than the reality. We act as though our highest priority is to prevent our children fron growing up into murderous thugs – but modern kids are far more likely to grow up too passive, too distrustful of themselves, too easily manipulated†.I agree more wi th him than Professor Kawashima, because I don’t find that video games influence EVERYONE to be violent. I feel that they release anger by hurting fictional characters on a screen rathern than real-life people and animals. Professor Angela McFarlane says â€Å"Adventure, quest and simulation type games have a lot of benefit – they’re quite complex and create a context in which children can develop important skills†¦We’re not advocating arcate, shot-the-baddie type games†¦Now that’s interesting when the stereotype is that children play on the computer exclusively on their own.Teachers and parents then broke that down into skills of negotiation, planning, strategic thinking and decision-making. † I feel that if television can teach us, so can video games. Video and computer games can cause health problems. In every instruction book for games there are warnings. Some people suffer from a condition called Photosensitive Epilepsy. As sa id by Professor Graham Harding, â€Å"Photosensitive epilepsy is best defined as a tendency to recurrent convulsions, precipitated either by flashing lights or patterns. † I have only ever had one fit in my life, when I was younger.I was diagnosed with occipital epilepsy. I’ve always played video games and hadn’t had a problem. We got a PS2 (PlayStation 2) for Christmas last eyar, and while I was playing I felt dizzy. This occured with every game on PS2 except Buzz, though it’s a quiz game and doesn’t have all those flashy graphics. I can play on the Computer, my Nintendo DS and my GameCube without a problem, it seems to just be the PS2. I agree that video games can cause health problems, though if you do everything you need to (e. g. not playing a certain game, having a break etc. you should be alright. Computer games – are they good or bad? In my opinion, I think that they are enjoyable, though they aren’t for some people. Those peo ple who can be so cruel as to murder an innocent kitten or beat up a person due to these games are the reasons why there are doubts about computer and video games. Computer games are both good and bad. Good because they are enjoyable and can be educational, though bad because they cause some violence. Just remember, more people kill in the name of God than violent computer games.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Tootsie essays

Tootsie essays Interpersonal communication is the communication that occurs simultaneously with another person in an attempt to mutually influence one another, usually for the purpose of managing relationships. Dustin Hoffman encountered and altered his interpersonal communication skills while playing the character of Michael Dorsey in the film Tootsie. Tootsie examines a gender bending, cross-dressing male in the mid 1980s. This movie was a script for its time as well as the future as its ideas on relationships between men and women still hold in todays society. Tootsie stars Dustin Hoffman as a talented but troublesome actor, unemployable due to his reputation. Out of desperation, he dresses up as "Dorothy" to win a role as a woman on a daytime soap. He continues his charade of the sexes for a full year. Michael faces many interpersonal relationships throughout the film between himself as a male along with what it means and feels like to be a woman. Michael faced stages of relationship building as a male and as a woman, in some cases with the same person. Michael was turning a friendship into more of an intimate relationship with a fellow actor (Teri Garr). Michael reached the intimacy stage with his new love however, as Dorothy, Garr despised him/her. Garr watched Dorothy enter Michaels apartment leaving Garr with a hostile and uneasy feeling on Dorothys intentions with her new man. In a chance encounter, I believe Garr and Dorothy would reach the turmoil stage quickly. Garr was able to hold two very different relationships with both characters. Michael and Dorothy conformed unknowingly to societies views of the loving man and the man stealing woman in turn changing Garrs reaction to each. Dorothys nonverbal and verbal communication changed dramatically from her original form as Michael. Dorothy used her small, frail and grandma like appearance to her advantage to create ...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Argument Paper Fast Food

Zinczenko is saying that common sense would say it is personal responsibility to be an active eater and know what you are putting in your mouth. In discussions of fast-food obesity, one controversial issue has been the lack of the nutritional facts. On the one hand people should do research before they eat instead of blaming fast-food places. On the other hand the nutritional facts should be placed on the food itself. In my opinion, personal responsibility should be taken for what you eat because fast-food places are not forcing you to eat their food. For instance common sense says something that is dunked in grease and cooked in five minutes cannot be good for you. Becoming obese from fast-food is the result of no self-control. Grease in itself contains many calories and causes many problems with blood pressure, cholesterol and type two diabetes. Zinczenko states, â€Å"Today According to the National Institutes of Health, type 2 diabetes accounts for at least 30 percent of all new childhood cases of diabetes on this country† (Zinczenko 154). Type 2 diabetes is obesity related and a serious disease. Poulin 2 Common sense tells you eating two meals a day, in a fast-food restaurant, will cause you to gain weight. This unhealthy weight gain tells people that there is a problem to the way they are eating and it is not the washer shrinking their jeans. Instead of walking into McDonalds kids can walk into Subway and try a sandwich that is healthier and cost about the same as the huge meals they can get at McDonalds. There are healthier alternatives that re just as fast and taste as good as burger joints. Although I grant that many people might say there is no way of knowing how many calories are in fast-food meal has because of the lack of nutritional labels, labels are readily available on fast-food websites. The labels would not change the fact that it is personal responsibility to know that something that has been smothered in grease has no nutritional value. On the one hand, I agree with people that labels should be put on fast-food explaining what is in the food. But on the other hand, I still insist that people should do the research if labels are the main concern of nutritional values. Just because people have labels explaining the fat content does not mean they will stop eating the food. This is where personal responsibility needs to come into play. When people find out what really is in the food and the content of fat people need to be active and make the right decision to not add fast-food into their daily diets. Self-control is a huge factor here and people need to take charge, putting themselves in charge of a healthy lifestyle. In the end it is only the consumer who can control what they consume not the companies and blame cannot be put on that one party. Proponents of fast-food restaurants causing obesity are right to argue that the food causes you to gain weight when you eat it regularly, it is cheap, it is easily accessible, and it is catered to children. But they exaggerate when they claim that fast-food is the number one reason for child obesity in the United States. Poulin 3 You can argue that children who sit in front of video games and computers all day long are a huge contributing factor to the obesity rate. Their lack of activity can cause pounds to pile on and that has nothing to do with McDonalds Fast-food. For instance fast-food has always made me feel sick to my stomach. My common sense would tell me that as good as it does taste my body does not like fast-food. When I was younger I gained a lot of weight because I would eat at McDonalds every chance I got. I was unaware that I could be making better choices and choose not to eat it. Kids today are uneducated on how to make healthier choices and live healthier lives with the influences of fast-food. Zinczenko states, â€Å"But most of the teenagers who live, as I once did, on a fast-food diet won’t turn their lives around: They’ve crossed under the golden arches to a likely fate of lifetime obesity† (Zinczenko 154). If the country believes that fast-food is the cause of childhood obesity then why do we still continue to eat it? People need to realize labels are not put on the food because if people really knew what was in the food they would not continue to eat it. Again that is where common sense should tell you that you should not eat fast-food. Although at a first glance People, including young and old, might say that fast-food is the cause of being obese. But on a closer inspection it is really the individuals fault. For example people are so quick to blame fast-food restaurants for making them obese that they jump right to suing the corporation, but are they actually doing something about the obesity. Zinczenko mentions in his article how one meal can contain â€Å"up around 1,040 calories which is half of the government’s recommended daily calorie intake. And that doesn’t take into account the 450-calorie super-size Coke† (Zinczenko 155). The calorie intake should tell anyone that eating this way and especially eating this way twice a day is extremely unhealthy and fattening. People need Poulin 4 to speak up and demand labels. Zinczenko says, â€Å"They would do well to protect themselves, and their customers, by providing the nutrition information people need to make informed choices about their products. Without such warnings, we’ll see more sick, obese children and angrier, litigious parents† (Zinczenko 155). Parents need to be more active in their children’s lives and teach them about healthy life styles that way in the future generations can be much healthier. In conclusion people need to take personal responsibility for their own weight and stop forcing the blame on fast-food corporations. Common sense should tell you that greasy food is not good for you and that it has no nutritional value. Many people can say that labels are the cause of obesity because they are uniformed about what they are eating. Labels are readily available at any fast-food chain and on their websites. People need to speak up and come up with a solution to this issue rather than be part of the problem. Common sense also says that if it is cooked in grease it is a good chance it is covered in fat. People are responsible for their own lives and they need to stop blaming others for their short comings. Ultimately what is at stake here is a healthier generation.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

History of the Japanese in North America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History of the Japanese in North America - Essay Example People from Japan began migrating to the U.S. in significant numbers following the political, cultural, and social changes stemming from the 1868 Meiji Restoration. Particularly after the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Japanese immigrants were sought by industrialists to replace the Chinese immigrants. In 1907, the "Gentlemen's Agreement" between the governments of Japan and the U.S. ended immigration of Japanese workers (i.e., men), but permitted the immigration of spouses of Japanese immigrants already in the U.S. The Immigration Act of 1924 banned the immigration of all but a token few Japanese. The ban on immigration produced unusually well-defined generational groups within the Japanese American community. Initially, there was an immigrant generation, the Issei, and their U.S.-born children, the Nisei. The Issei were exclusively those who had immigrated before 1924. Because no new immigrants were permitted, all Japanese Americans born after 1924 were--by definition--born in the U.S. This generation, the Nisei, became a distinct cohort from the Issei generation in terms of age, citizenship, and language ability, in addition to the usual generational differences. Institutional and interpersonal racism led many of the Nisei to marry other Nisei, resulting in a third distinct generation of Japanese Americans, the Sansei. Significant Japanese immigration did not occur until the Immigration Act of 1965 ended 40 years of bans against immigration from Japan and other countries. The Naturalization Act of 1790 restricted naturalized U.S. citizenship to "free white persons," which excluded the Issei from citizenship. As a result, the

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Ethical Consumption - attitudes, behavior, ethical consumption Essay

Ethical Consumption - attitudes, behavior, ethical consumption literature - Essay Example Thus due to the growing importance of ethical consumption it has become crucial for marketers to understand the meaning and the relation between ethical attitudes and behaviour. Ethical behaviour denotes the characteristics of honesty, dignity, diversity and equality in interpersonal and professional approaches (Darley & et. at., 2001). On the contrary, ethical attitude suggests the principles or morality of a human being (Cowan, 2006).In the backdrop of this, the essay intends to explain why attitudes may not always help to predict behaviour and why the attitude-behaviour gap might be so prevalent throughout the ethical consumption literature in particular. During the discussion the initial object is to define the theory of reasoned action. It can be asserted as a model of guessing the behavioural aim. In accordance with General liberal arts (2014), it can be asserted as person’s attitude always leads to a particular behaviour for a certain outcome. Theory of reasoned action relates with reflecting relationship between attitude and actual behaviour. According to this theory behaviour and intention for behaviour is the dependent variables, whereas attitude towards the behaviour and subject norms are independent variables (General Liberal Arts, 2014). A person’s intention to perform a particular behaviour is measured by the behavioural intention. It has been observed that attitudes and norms are not measured equally in predicting behaviour. Instead, it depends upon the individual person and the situation (Vallerand & et. at., 1991). These factors can put different effects on behavioural intention. Correspondingly, these fac tors are identified below. According to the theory of reasoned action, attitude is an outcome of collection of beliefs regarding a particular behaviour based on the evaluation of these beliefs. It can be best understand through an example. Correspondingly, it can be asserted

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Week 2 Discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Week 2 Discussion Questions - Essay Example The teams are defined in order to support the business processes which are of significance as concerns to the relevance of the scope of the project that they are under. The resource pool structure is based on the construction of teams from similar kinds of resource. The elements that are different within these team structures are that two of them are people-centric while the last one depends heavily on the availability of resources. The project team structure is related with the project manager’s authority since he will then be able to have a better idea as to how things will be conducted within the domain that he is working under. The boundary of the project upon which the project manager has completed hold upon is indeed the project scope. It is a fact that there are some outputs of project scope as well, which are indeed the time and costs associated. Therefore project scope takes into consideration what will be included and what must remain excluded from the domains of the project. Scope changes with the passage of time. The components of the project scope include the justification for the project, the specification and description of the product that is sought, the project deliverables and indeed the objectives of the project. These components define the real essence of a project and hence the project scope is closely linked with it as well. The components will eventually define the basis of project scope which is important. 3. What does each of the letters in the SMART acronym stand for? In your own words, describe what each piece of the SMART acronym means? Why is the SMART acronym an important part of developing requirements for the project? SMART is an acronym used for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound activities within the project management domains. By specific, one means that the project objectives need to be significant, simple and stretching all at the same time. The

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Air Asias Corporate and Business Strategies

Air Asias Corporate and Business Strategies Air Asia is a low cost air carrier that charges the lowest fares per kilometre in the world. A PESTLE analysis indicated that liberalisation of the air market has improved international market access and supported the growth in the number of airlines and passengers in East Asia. A five forces analysis indicates that the airline industry is highly competitive, with a high threat of new entries and of substitutes in the domestic travel market. Air Asia is positioned at the low cost end of the spectrum of competitors that fly internationally. A SWOT analysis indicated that Air Asia has strengths in management, operational efficiency and marketing, but has weaknesses in staffing, customer care, and attractiveness to business travellers. The airline has been successful because it has taken an entrepreneurial and innovative approach to the market, leveraging its competencies to create automated ticketing processes and to reduce other operational costs. The airline should consider expanding into Europe and western Asia using Abu Dhabi as a hub, which would require additional aircraft or joint ventures with other low cost carriers. The firm should also consider introducing business class flights that charge a higher price, but provide the services including convenient scheduling that can attract the business segment of the airline market in East Asia. 1.0 Introduction Air Asia is a low-cost air carrier providing service between its main hub in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia and destinations in East Asia. The airline also provides service to Abu Dhabi and London. Air Asia has adopted a generic strategy of cost leadership by reducing the cost of operations and passing the savings through to customers with very low ticket prices. The firm was founded in 1996 as a low cost domestic airline, and was purchased by Tony Fernandes in 2001. The firm was re-launched as a no-frills airline in 2001 with three aircraft. Air Asia entered the low-cost international market in 2003. The firm currently has revenues of $60 billion and provides services to 60 million customers a year. Air Asia is the first low cost airline to have formed a joint venture for the procurement of aircraft with a competitor, JetStar, which is based in Singapore (Quantas, 2010, 1). The airline currently has interlocking ownership through the Shin Corporation which holds a major equity position in b oth Air Asia and Thai Air Asia. The airline also holds a minority equity position of 30% of JetStar, which is a low cost Australian airline. 2.0 Environmental and Industry Analysis A PESTLE analysis provides an assessment of the industry environment, which is necessary to create a context for the airline industry analysis (Grant, 2008 p. 68). A Porters five forces analysis provides an indication of the competitive forces influencing rivalry in the airline industry. 2.1 PESTLE Analysis The PESTLE analysis is a qualitative evaluation of the political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental forces affecting the airline industry. The focus of the analysis is on the East Asian region, which is the primary market for Air Asia. Political: The trend is toward liberalisation of the airline markets in East Asia to allow airlines access to markets without the need for a specific bilateral agreement concerning air transportation between nations. An ASEAN open skies agreement, the Roadmap for Integration of Air Travel Services (2004) was ratified by member nations in 2007 and will be fully implemented by 2015. Nations in the region such as India and China that are not members of ASEAN are also liberalising air transportation regulations (OConnell Williams, 2006, p. 362). Economic: The rate of economic growth in the ASEAN nations is variable, with the ASEAN member nations experiencing a growth rate of only 1.5% in 2009 because of the global economic crisis. In contrast Chinas GDP grew at 8.9% in 2009 while Indias GDP grew at 6.8%. Economic growth in 2010 and beyond in the region is likely to be strong because East Asia has largely recovered from the global recession. Social: The social trend in East Asia is towards increased consumption including transportation consumption because of the economic growth in the region. Globalisation has also increased the propensity to travel in East Asia for both business and recreational purposes. The population in the region is also growing rapidly. Another social trend is the increased use of personal computing devices, which intersects with the technology drivers in the airline industry. Technological: The air transportation industry is technology-driven, with information technology used to enhance marketing and engineering technology used to improve safety. Airlines use information technology systems such as internet ticket sales, paperless tickets and automated check in systems to improve customer care while reducing cost of operations (Buhalis OConnor, 2005, p. 12). These systems are also used to maximise load capacity by controlling scheduling and use of aircraft. Legal: The nations in East Asia have various ownership and anti-competition laws that affect the ability of airlines to merge or to acquire an airline (Hsu Chang, 2005, p. 558). In addition some nations in the region have laws that affect the ability and the nature of joint venture agreements between domestic and foreign airlines. Environmental: The PESTLE analysis suggests that the implementation of the Open Skies agreement can increase access to markets for air carriers although the various national laws concerning ownership may hamper the use of a merger and acquisition strategy for expansion. The analysis also suggests that airlines implementing new technologies to improve customer care may enjoy a competitive advantage. The growing population and affluence in the region will produce greater demand for air transportation in the long run. 2.2 Five Forces Analysis The five forces analysis is an industry-based assessment of the factors driving competition to support the development of strategy (Peng, 2009, p. 35) (see Appendix A). If the competition in the industry is high, there is less likelihood that a firm in the industry such as Air Asia will gain competitive advantage through a strategic initiative. Buyer Power: Buyer power in the airline industry is weak because of fragmentation of buyers and the large numbers of potential buyers. The propensity of air travel in East Asia is relatively low compared to the global average of 2.0 trips per year, with India at .1 and China at .3 (OConnell Williams, 2006, p. 362). At the same time, the large size of the East Asian market results in sufficient travel to support a growing airline market. Buyer power is somewhat strengthened by low switching costs in the industry, with buyers able to chose among many different competing airlines. Buyers can be segmented into business travellers and recreational travellers with different price sensitivities. Business travellers value flight schedule and convenience in an airline with price often a secondary consideration. In contrast, recreational travellers are more sensitive to price and the cost of the airfare relative to the total cost of recreation (Talluri van Ryzan, 2004, p. 17). Supplier Power: Suppliers in the airline industry consist of aircraft manufacturers, producers of fuel, and airports, with the power of these groups moderate. The manufacturers of aircraft have moderate bargaining power because of the high cost to airlines for switching aircraft types because of the need to carry additional parts inventory. Aircraft manufacturers, however, pose no threat of credible integration. The producers of fuel have relatively strong bargaining power because oil prices are established by global markets with airline consumption representing only a small portion of oil industry sales. Airports have moderate bargaining power through their ability to provide airlines with gates and ground services. Although airlines changing airports in a destination region face high switching costs, the increased development of regional airports intended to reduce congestion at major airports reduces the bargaining power of airports because of gate fee competition (Hooper, 2002, p . 293). Threat of Substitutes: The threat of substitutes is high in domestic markets because consumers in East Asia prefer rail and road transportation that is less expensive than air travel whenever possible despite the increase in time for travel (OConnell Williams, 2006, p. 362). The threat of substitutes in international travel within the region is low because of the absence of viable substitutes. Overall, the threat of substitutes in the industry is moderate. Threat of Entry: The threat of entry is high in the industry. Although the cost of aircraft is high, a new firm can enter the market with only a few aircraft as Air Asia did in 2001. The liberalisation of the market environment is eliminating barriers to entry in the form of governmental restrictions on airline routes. As a result, a threat of entry also exists from established airlines from other regions seeking to expand routes in the East Asian region. Competitive Rivalry: Competitive rivalry is high in the industry because of a diversity of rivals, high cost of fixed assets and operations, low switching costs, and low levels of product differentiation. Many airlines compete in the East Asian market, each of which has different strategies and different brand reputations. As a result, price rivalry is characteristic of the industry. Aircraft are expensive to purchase and operate, with a high load capacity necessary to cover costs. Passengers can switch airlines at a relatively low cost despite the use of incentive programmes by some airlines to increase customer loyalty. While air transportation can be differentiated based on the level of amenities available to passengers, the fundamental attribute of transportation service is similar in all airlines. The five forces analysis suggests that the primary threat in the industry comes from competition among rivals, which is intensified by the possibility that new airlines will enter the East Asian markets. The analysis also suggests that opportunities may exist for smaller airlines to form strategic partnerships with other airlines to expand the schedule and destination options for passengers at a cost less than the amount necessary for direct investment in aircraft and terminal gate facilities. In the low cost segment of the industry, taking advantage of this opportunity would require Air Asia to adopt a strategy that restructured in the industry (Cockburn, Henderson, Stern, 2000, p. 1127). 2.3 Competitors and Competitor Groups Competitors in the airline industry can be divided into the two main groups of full service airlines and low cost airlines. Full service airlines are large firms that have been in the industry for an extended period of time, with many of these airlines enjoying a monopoly or quasi monopoly on certain national routes prior to the gradual liberalisation of the airline industry in the ASEAN market, with full liberalisation taking place by 2015. These major airlines often use a hub-and-spoke routing system in which short-haul feeder flights bring passengers to a hub airport for transfer to other aircraft for long-haul flights or for other short-haul flights to reach their final destination (Burghouwt and Veldhuis, 2006, p. 107). Airlines in this competitor group use a differentiation generic strategy based on frequent flight scheduling and use of airports conveniently located with respect to major urban centres, with a wider range of services justifying higher ticket prices. They also ha ve a wider range of destinations including transcontinental flights. Competitors in this group include Singapore Airlines, Air China, Malaysian Air, and Thai Airways International. The low cost group of competitors focus on flights taking passengers directly from the point of origin to their final destination, although transfers may be necessary to consolidate passengers and maximize capacity utilisation. Airlines in this competitor group are regional airlines with destinations limited to East Asia. There are numerous competitors in this group including Jet Star, Tiger, Value Air, Firefly, and Maswings. Appendix B shows the positioning of firms in the two competitor groups. 2.4 Developmental Stage of Market and Industry The air transportation market in the East Asian region is in the growth stage of development, which is characterised by a rapid rate of increase in sales (Inglada, Rey, Cote-Millan, 2006, p. 9). The economic growth in the region is allowing more individuals to afford air transportation, particularly for tourism. In addition, the increased commerce with the ASEAN region and with China as a result of the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement that was gradually implemented between 2004 and 2010 is producing higher commercial and business demand for air transportation between Southeast Asia and China (Wong Chan, 2004, p. 509). The low cost segment of the airline industry in East Asia can be viewed as at the point of emerging from the market penetration phase of growth. The low cost airline industry is comparatively new in East Asia, with independent airlines entering this market segment in 2001 (OConnell Williams, 2005, p. 260). Many of the firms in this segment of the industry can be considered prospectors using the Miles and Snow typology because they adopt strategies to use entrepreneurial skills for developing new types of services and have strong marketing competencies (Wratschko, 2009, p. 71). In contrast, the major air carrier segment of the industry can be considered mature, but undergoing a period of transformation because of the elimination to governmental regulations that had given many of these airlines a competitive advantage in routes and airport access. These airlines can be considered as defenders because they focus on retaining market share despite the instability in the market created by new market entrants such as low-cost airlines. 3.0 Resources and Capabilities In the resource-based theory of the firm, the resources and capabilities of the firm should be the foundation of the firms strategy. To use this approach, the firm assesses its resources, determines the capabilities that can provide it with competitive advantage, select a strategy that matches resources and capabilities with opportunities, and identify resource gaps that have to be filled (Grant, 1991, p. 115). A SWOT analysis can be used to identify the resources and capabilities of Air Asia and the way the firm can use these resources to take advantage of opportunities and counter threats (see Appendix C). A value chain analysis can provide an assessment of the areas in which Air Asia can add the most value for customers, which a gap analysis identifies the resources that Air Asia must acquire to implement a selected strategies. 3.1 Swot Analysis Strengths: Air Asia has a strong management team, with operations managed by an ex-Ryanair director with extensive experience in controlling expenses in a low cost airline (OConnell Williams, 2005, p. 264). The airline has a good technology infrastructure that supports very low cost of operations from its use of technology to automate customer processing and to maximise load on flights. The company also has strengths in operational cost containment through very low staff levels, lack of amenities on flights, and standardisation of aircraft which reduces expense for maintenance and parts inventory. Only 8% of the airlines passengers are business travellers, indicating that the cost leadership strategy has been successful in attracting the recreation segment of the market (OConnell Williams, 2005, p. 268). Another strength of the firm is its marketing competency, which has effectively designed and promoted a service targeted to the underserved low-cost no frills segment of the market . The airline has a breakeven load factor of only 52% and the worlds lowest airline unit cost of $.23 per passenger kilometre (OConnell Williams, 2005, p. 265). The airline also has a strong brand reputation in the market for offering low fares. The airline also has strong information technology competencies. Weaknesses: Air Asia has weaknesses in human resources, poor customer care in resolving complaints, and limited ability to attract business travellers. Because of its low cost approach to operations, the airline has lower staff levels than competitors. The lower staffing creates issues such as delays in turnaround time that result in delays in departures, with inadequate communications and support for delayed passengers. The airlines business model also reduces its ability to attract the business market that values flight scheduling, on time flights, and convenience. Air Asia uses only the A320 aircraft, which has a range of only 4,800 km with a full passenger load, which limits the destinations that the airline can serve (Airbus, 2010). Opportunities: Opportunities for Air Asia are providing expanded service in the growing East Asian airline market, opening new intercontinental routes, and forming joint ventures or other strategic alliances with competitors in markets not currently served by the airline. A significant overlooked opportunity in the region is the potential of tourism from Northeast Asia to Southeast Asia (Winter, 2007, p. 28). Smaller airlines can gain greater access to markets in the region through joint ventures and strategic alliances that allows airlines to code share, which involves transporting passengers using aircraft from two or more airlines. Threats: The primary threat for Air Asia is an increase in competition with some airlines adopting a similar operating model to Air Asia which reduces differentiation. A threat to the business model comes from cultural differences such as the preference of Indonesians to use heavy luggage that must be stowed in cargo compartments (The Low Cost, 2009). Another threat comes from the regulations in some nations setting minimum fares and airport usage limitations, which are not covered by the ASEAN Open Skies agreement. The airline is vulnerable to the threat of an increase in fuel prices and the possibility of disruptions to travel caused by terrorist attacks. The SWOT analysis indicates that Air Asias strengths in management, operational efficiency, marketing, and brand reputation would allow it to take advantage of the opportunities presented in the region from growth and tourism potential. These strengths could also support efforts to develop more intercontinental routes and joint ventures with competitors. The weaknesses of the airline in limited human resources and poor customer care could inhibit growth unless they are addressed. The weakness of insufficient staffing increases the firms vulnerability to the effect of cultural differences. At the same time, the firms strengths can help overcome the threats posed by increased competition. The airlines difficulty with attracting business passengers because of its business model may ultimately have a negative effect on its market share as business travel in the region increases. 3.3 Value Chain Analysis The value chain analysis disaggregates the activities of the firm to determine which activities add the most value to customers (Grant, 2008, p. 145). The inbound logistics segment of the chain involves purchase or leasing of aircraft, fuel, and gate space at airports, which add some value through reducing overhead and by providing convenient or desirable routes. The airline adds significant value to the customer in its operations, which has reduced costs to allow the fares to be the lowest in the world. This segment of the value chain, however, does not add value for customers who desire amenities or assistance from airline staff because of insufficient support from the human resources management function. Outbound logistics in the context of an airline involves factors such as airport turnaround time, which are related to operations. Marketing and sales also adds significant value to operations by the airlines ability to leverage its technology support function for internet ticket sales, paperless tickets and automated check-in. Because of the difficulties that the firm has with customer care and complaints, the after sales service segment reduces value for the customer. Based on this analysis, Air Asia adds primary value for customers in the operational and marketing segments of the value chain. 3.3 Gap Analysis Gap analysis involves determining the discrepancies between the current resources of the firm and the resources necessary to achieve the desired future state (Grant, 2008, p. 162). The generic future state for Air Asia is continued growth in its primary market in East Asia and expansion into secondary markets. To increase its share of the market in East Asia, Air Asia requires additional aircraft, additional staff, and additional access to airport gates. The airline has 78 planes available including aircraft owned by the firm and aircraft available through joint ventures, all of which are A320 models. Because these planes operate near capacity, additional aircraft would have to be acquired for expansion. To expand into intercontinental markets, the airline would also need larger aircraft with longer range. The firm would also require additional human resources to meet the operational and customer care needs with expansion, particularly to attract business customers. The analysis sugg ests that the firm does not have sufficient depth and breadth of resources to support expansion and must acquire additional resources. 3.4 Technical and Landscape Fitness of Air Asia Air Asia has high technical fitness, but only moderately high landscape fitness. Air Asia has developed and implemented a proprietary yield management system, computer reservation system, and enterprise resource planning system. In addition, the firm makes extensive use of a front-end internet interface with its backend computer systems to support online internet ticket purchases and paperless tickets. The technology systems are flexible enough to respond to any change in customer requirements, and have been a factor in promoting the acceptance of paperless tickets in Malaysia (Sulaiman, Ng, Mohezar, 2008, p. 149). Air Asia has been successful in attracting the low-cost segment of the market, but may not have sufficient flexibility to respond to a change in the environment such as a surge in business demand or a dramatic decrease in demand because of terrorist attack or high fuel prices. 3.5 Competitive Scenarios A likely competitive scenario is an increase in competition in the low cost segment of the East Asian airline market from new entrants and low cost subsidiaries of established major carriers. A FAR analysis of the scenario suggests that other carriers will adopt some of the functions used by Air Asia such as paperless ticketing, reduced staff level, and no amenities to become cost competitive. The assets required for these airlines to adopt this business model are generally available with their existing fleets of medium range aircraft. The risk posed by this scenario is Air Asias loss of competitive positioning as the lowest cost carrier in the market. 4.0 Conclusion The most likely reason for Air Asias success has been its willingness to risk using innovative strategies to reduce costs while maintaining profitability. The firm was a pioneer in the use of internet reservation and paperless tickets in the market, with its marketing overcoming any passenger reluctance to use the electronic systems. It has also adopted the innovative strategy in the low cost segment of the market of forming joint ventures with competitors to gain entry into new markets and to reduce operational costs. 4.1 Recommendations Air Asia should expand into the intercontinental market by using Abu Dhabi as a hub for routes in western Asia, North Africa, and Europe. From the Abu Dhabi hub, the airline could offer flights to India and Southeast Asia. The business model would continue to follow the cost leadership generic strategy. To implement this strategy, the airline would have to expand the size of its fleet, with the possibility of adding some wide body aircraft designed for long haul flights in addition to A320s. Funding could be obtained from a seasoned equity offering, with the airlines historic performance supporting the offering. The airline could also form code sharing relationships with low cost airlines in Europe and western Asia. This strategy would offset some of the airlines vulnerability from additional competitors using a low cost business model entering the East Asian market. Air Asia should offer some flights designated as business class that provide a wider range of services for business travellers at a higher price than its normal flights. This strategy would be intended to attract a higher percentage of business travellers. Implementing this strategy would require modified A320s to provide passengers with additional seating space and may require additional staff for customer care. The business class aircraft would have priority in operations for scheduling and turnaround to ensure that they remained on time. The airline would use its marketing competencies to differentiate between low cost fares and business class fares. This strategy would address the problem of low market share in the business segment of the market and diversify the market base if competition in the low cost segment increases.