Keith Porter Is Gay Essays - Gay, Same-sex Sexuality,

Keith Porter Is Gay As they look over the world's painful panorama of war and terror, some people conclude that it is too late, that no amount of information or activity could possibly follow through on the critical work that has already begun. But those who take that pessimistic view understand neither Mr. Gay Keith Porter nor his current rung on the ladder to total power. What follows is a call to action for those of us who care -- a large enough number to improve the physical and spiritual quality of life for the population at present and for those yet to come. On the surface, it would seem merely that his position that we should abandon the institutionalized and revered concept of democracy is based upon a specious argument without any substantive basis. But the truth is that the real question here is not, Why does he want to create massive civil unrest?. The real question is rather, Where are the people who are willing to stand up and acknowledge that he is a card-carrying member of the Hypocrisy C lub? The complete answer to that question is a long, sad story. I've answered parts of that question in several of my previous letters, and I'll answer other parts in future ones. For now, I'll just say that he wants to goad paltry pamphleteers into hurling epithets at his enemies. Who does he think he is? I mean, I have a dream, a mission, a set path that I would like to travel down. Specifically, my goal is to tell him where he can stick it. Of course, I have to wonder where he got the idea that it is my view that all minorities are poor, stupid ghetto trash. This sits hard with me, because it is simply not true, and I've never written anything to imply that it is. If we don't soon tell Gay Keith to stop what he's doing, he will proceed with his hypocritical ramblings, considerably emboldened by our lack of resistance. We will have tacitly given Gay Keith our permission to do so. So far, this letter has merely identified the ways in which he believes that going through the motions of working is the same as working only because he has a need to believe that. Now, let me shift gears and start telling you about how he thinks that he is a bearer and agent of the Creator's purpose. However, he is unable to see any issue in a broad perspective or from more than one side. What Gay Keith fails to mention in his arguments is actually quite telling. For example, did you know that Gay Keith wants to detach individuals from traditional sources of strength and identity -- family, class, private associations? Or that the Gay Keith Porter Foundation's latest report on judgemental recidivism is filled with fabrications, half-truths, innuendo, and guilt by association? If I said that it is villainous to question his sophistries, I'd be a liar. But I'd be being totally honest if I said that all Gay Keith really wants is to hang onto the perks he's getting from the system. That's all he really cares about. People have pointed out to me that he makes assertions that strain credulity, but I still can't help but think that by refusing to act, by refusing to seek some structure in which the cacophony introduced by his crusades might be systematized, reconciled, and made rational, we are giving him the power to let us know exactly what our attitudes should be towards various types of people and behavior. Is there anyone else out there who's noticed that everything Gay Keith tells you is a lie? I ask because he has recently been going around claiming that cannibalism, wife-swapping, and the murder of infants and the elderly are acceptable behavior. You really have to tie your brain in knots to be gullible enough to believe that junk. He is an opportunist. That is, he is an ideological chameleon, without any real morality, without a soul. Just think: Whenever anyone states the obvious -- that the word on the street is that Gay Keith's apparatchiks are profoundly influenced by what Gay

You Can’t Turn a Whore into a Housewife Professor Ramos Blog

You Can’t Turn a Whore into a Housewife Have you ever been cheated on; or help another cheat on their significant other? I’m sure most people who read that will answer my question with a â€Å"yes†. We hear about cheating everywhere we go, and it always come down to the same three thoughts. First: Oh, I feel bad for the spouse. Second: What a terrible husband/wife for cheating on their spouse. Lastly, What a home-wrecking whore! Now, I believe that cheating is more then that. Do we ever analyze why someone may have cheated, or why someone may have been a â€Å"homewrecker†? Sandra Cisneros brings to light the mistresses’ point of view in her story â€Å"Never Marry a Mexican†. Her story is told in the first-person style by a woman named Clemencia. She is the mistress to her former high school teacher. It is revealed or rather, hinted at, that Clemencia was being taken advantage of instead of her taking advantage of her previous teacher. Clemencia does seem to be obsessed with this man, wh ose name is Drew. She eventually starts to sleep with his son many years down the line. Clemencia tells us that she knows what she does is wrong, but she does not care. She comes across as a little crazy, but in the end, she was just a broken woman. The story starts off with words of wisdom from Clemencia’s mother. She says, â€Å"never marry a Mexican† (Cisneros 68). Clemencia decides that she will never marry, she stats that she has â€Å"known men too intimately. I’ve witnessed their infidelities, and I’ve helped them to it†. This was her way of telling us she helps men cheat on their wives and that it is frequent. In the first bit of the story we learn a little bit about why she does this. She grew up in a â€Å"broken home† Her mother married her father when she was 17. Her father’s family was extremely disappointed with his decision, although she was Mexican, she was from north of the border. We learn that the relationship wasn’t as great as we would think it was. Her mother was a serial cheater and cheated on Clemencia’s father until the day he died. Clemencia knew what her mother was doing, and she seen it every step of the way. She holds a lot of anger and r esentment toward her mother for what she did, and I think it was part of the reason her and her mother had a bad relationship as she got older. Clemencia even stats that her mother â€Å"stopped being my mother† and that she was to worry about herself to be worried about her daughters (Cisneros 73). After her father died, her mother did seem â€Å"lost† in the sense of her losing the man she had been with for many years. Alas, this did not stop her from marrying the man she was cheating on her husband with. This man eventually moved into Clemencia’s father house and brought his 2 sons with him. This caused Clemencia to further spite what happened between her mother and father. Clemencia tells us a little bit about how her life went as she got older; she did move out at a fairly young age. She makes a living in any way possible, ultimately, she is an artist. She doesn’t have a steady career and considered herself to belong to no class. She is her own socio-economic class. It comes across that she feels superior or above other people. There is one instance that this shows especially well, she says that Drew is â€Å"nothing without me† She created him from nothing and can destroy him with ease. Her is just a small piece of her painting and she has recreated him. (Cisneros 75). She comes across that she thinks she is all powerful, but if we jump forward to the end of the book we know otherwise. Clemencia is talking to us saying that she doesn’t see any of Drews attributes in his son. She is attempting to get Drew’s son to â€Å"love her the way I love his father† (Cisneros 82). This shows us that Clemencia was secretly in lo ve with drew and very jealous of his wife. Could this be why Clemencia is the way she is? I believe Clemencia is the way she is, because she is a product of her environment growing up. In a study conducted by Ana Nogales, PHD. It was concluded that â€Å"55% of children what have parents who cheat end up being cheaters themselves† (Nogales). It was also concluded that â€Å"80% of the children changed their perspective on love and relationships† (Nogales). We know that Clemencia’s mother cheated on her dad for a long time. She seen this growing up and then once her dad died. Her mother married the man she was having an affair with. If the statistics hold true, Clemencia most likely had trust issues and did not see relationships as something that would â€Å"workout† In her relationship with Drew we can see that she was taken advantage of as a child. He seduced her while she was 17. From, here they had a lasting affair. This also showed Clemencia that people cheat frequently. I think that between her mother and Drew, Clemencia never had a fair c hance of having a real relationship. I feel it influenced her to want to be with married men because that was the only way she was able to feel in control. She wanted to be in control, so that she could not be hurt by another. We do see that Clemencia is not all there mentally as well. Near the end of her affair with Drew, she stuffed gummy bears into many places that his wife would find them. I think she secretly wanted Drew to get caught because she knew she was going to lose him. Therefore, she sought out his son many years down the line. She needed to feel â€Å"Drew† back in her life. She couldn’t do that exactly, so she found the next best thing. In conclusion I think Clemencia had a very rough life and her experiences growing up shaped her life in the future. She dealt with infidelity as a child and again as an adult. She was on both sides of the fence, so she decided to get off the fence and forge her own path. This was a path of no marriage and sleeping with married men whom she could feel in control of. Cisneros, Sandra. â€Å"Never Marry a Mexican† Woman Hollering Creek, Random House, 1991, pp. 68-83. Nogales, Ana â€Å"Parents who Cheat† Hci Publishing, 2009.

To what extent can knowledge of tumour associated antigens be useful Essay

To what extent can knowledge of tumour associated antigens be useful in the management of cancer patients Illustrate your answe - Essay Example This research paper is focused on basic attempts of TAAs identification and the role they play for different types of tumors. TAAS vs Cancer The important role of tumor associated antigens (TAAs) can be explained in the following way: they are present in cancer cells and can cause a powerful antitumor immune response among patients with lung carcinoma or any other type of cancer. There are the following types of identified TAAs: MAGE and BAGE families, gp 100, SART-1, tyrosinase, MUC-1 and others (Akimov, 2004). They are used by immunotherapy for treating cancer. Nevertheless, there is no satisfactorily level of this kind of treatment (Danussi, Coslovi, Campa, Mucignat, Spessotto, Uggeri, Paoletti, Colombatti, 2009). Therefore, there is a need to focus more on identification of TAAs and available TAAs to target. There is an option to identify TAAS with the help of â€Å"serological analysis of recombinant c DNA expression libraries (SEREX), using tumor mRNA and autologous serum from a patients with NSCLC. SEREX analysis of a range of different human tumor types has identified a number of tumor antigens with diagnostic and therapeutic potential† (Akimov, 2004). Different approaches are being currently developed and it is of high importance for the modern researchers and scientists to identify relevance of TAAs in dealing with different types of cancer. ... MAGE-3 is the most broadly known CT antigen, which is the first and foremost target for cancer vaccines (Slovin, Ragupathi, Fernandez, Diani, Jefferson, Wilton, Kelly, Morris, Solit, Clausen, Livingston, Scher, 2007). On the basis of different researchers and laboratory experiments, the scientists are looking for a correlation between TAAs identification and assessment of patient’s cell’s response to TAA’s. Strategies for vaccine development have been correlated with identification and management of TAAs. Highly attractive targets for cancer vaccines are cancer testis (CT) antigens. These antigens are applicable for different forms of various human cancers. In accordance with current data, â€Å"MAGE antigens are expressed in about 40% of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases [8]. In summary, this analysis provided further insights in the immunogenicity of lung cancer with respect to antigen specific humoral and cellular immune responses† (Vonderheide, 2002). There is a clear tendency to find out universal antigens. The most serious preventive factor for a proper searching for TAAs is that different patients with different forms of cancer have not been treated by a so-called â€Å"universal† TAAs. Therefore, there is a need for universal tumor-associated antigens. Consequently, the modern scientists and researchers are focused on searching for a new type of TAAs dealing with different types of tumor. One of the most optimal methods is â€Å"epitope deduction†, which begins with a number of database analyses focused on appropriate gene products’ selection and further scanning of the deduced protein sequence for peptides, known as MHC binding motifs (Vonderheide, 2002). This method is independent from the existence of an innate anti-tumor T-cell

Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation - Essay Example Thus, it is in line with this that KFC should understand further everything about its strategy development. It should understand the necessary things it needs to know as product of its strategy process. Finally, it should be able to define and understand the specific contexts in which its strategy should be embedded. Global operation is one of the modern trends applied in modern operations strategy (Waters, 2006). This is the reason why Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation (KFC) had become so aggressive with its global expansion strategy. This strategy enabled KFC to become the world’s largest chicken restaurant chain and in general the third largest food chain in the world (Krug, 2004). In fact, it is known to have around 14,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries including China, Japan, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, South Africa, Malaysia, Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea and Philippines. Franchise and joint ventures are integrated with the whole business system of KFC in order to allow local business people to handle since they know better the external and internal environments of their respective markets. This paper tries to understand more about the strategic operation of KFC Corporation by incorporating various analytical concepts in strategic development and management. The entire analysis is placed in the context of international fast food industry. ... This paper tries to understand more about the strategic operation of KFC Corporation by incorporating various analytical concepts in strategic development and management. The entire analysis is placed in the context of international fast food industry. SWOT and Porter’s value chain SWOT technique SWOT stands for strength, weaknesses, opportunity and threats in which it is a simple management technique which draws information together prior to decision-making process (Murdock et al., 2003). A SWOT analysis is composed of understanding both internal and external factors within an organization prior to knowing its major advantages and disadvantages. It is a non-complex way of identifying specific details in the business operation in order to understand the extent in which an organisation holds its competitive advantage or knowing the necessary steps to be taken further for improvement of the operation. This technique is very relevant in the case of KFC especially among its strate gic planners because they will be given opportunity to outline the internal and external factors affecting the whole operation of the business. Shown in figure 1 below are internal and external factors within the present environment of KFC. This is a good evaluative technique prior to formulating effective strategies because the strategic planners in this case seek to understand both the internal and external factors affecting the business environment of KFC. Figure 1. SWOT Analysis KFC (Internal and external factors) Internal factors Strengths Weaknesses Product offering Brand image/good-tasting and highly accepted recipes Many substitute products in the market Competitive advantage High market share Not culturally

Strategic Marketing Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic Marketing Management - Case Study Example HP should consider the use of sales team strategy for the individual customers where personal selling can be implemented. Basically, personal selling is face to face presentation of a product or idea to a potential customer by a representative of the organization (Lancaster & Reynolds, 1999). Through this strategy, the sales people try to influence the prospective customers to buy the products offered by the company. The important point to note is that personal selling means that there is a personal interaction between the sales representative and the buyer in contrast to the other forms of marketing communication where the audience can be very large such that personal contact is not possible. The objective of personal selling is to educate the customers, provide product usage assistance as well as after sales service and support (Strydom, 2004).There are various advantages of using the sales team strategy by HP since this immensely contributes to the high level of customer attention given that it involves face to face communication. It is possible to customize the message to the customer and the sales team will be better positioned to persuade the potential buyers to buy the products offered by the organization. Feedback can be provided immediately and this enhances customer satisfaction since the customers can get the much-needed assistance from the sales team. The other advantage of the sales team strategy is that it can assist in developing a long term relationship with the customer. Essentially, the purpose of business is to make profits and this can be attainable if the organisation has a solid base of loyal customers who can also influence the other potential customers to buy the products offered by the organisation. 3. Country versus global coverage of accounts should not short change the customers since they can seek an alternative to but the same products from the other competitors. For instance, the global prices of the same products offered by the o rganisation should be uniform as there will be likely chances of distrust

History Of Homelessness In America

History Of Homelessness In America Homelessness is a social problem that relates to the condition of people without a regular private house and shelter. People passing through social issue of homelessness are most often not capable to obtain and preserve standard, harmless, protected, and satisfactory accommodation, or lack fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence. There is no standard definition of homelessness and it differs from region to region, or among different entities or institutions in the same country or region. The scope of homeless is vary vast and it also comprise people whose prime night-time dwelling is in a homeless shelter, a warming center, a domestic violence shelter, cardboard boxes or other informal housing situation. In USA people also are covered under homeless record and are included in research studies who sleep in a public or private place not intended for use as an expected sleeping place for human beings. From different researches its predicted that almost 100 million people acros s globe were homeless in 2005. In western regions and areas of world the large majority of homeless are men (75-80%) (Culhane and Associates, 2012). History of Homelessness in America: Homelessness is not a contemporary issue it is predicted that it is found in American society in the early ages of 1640. In early history the homelessness was related to moral issue and obligation and people who were homeless visit town to town to prove their worth but in recent era it is more related to a social problem. People who are homeless are facing severe issue is contemporary world related to health and social initiatives. Homelessness can be caused from several perspectives. From different researches it is depicted that the most common caused behind homelessness are industrialization, wars, natural disasters, racial inequalities, medical problems, character flaws, etc. industrial revolution started in 1820s. This gives rise to migrations of people from rural areas to urban areas that give rise to the main causes of homelessness because of job searches and earn living standard. Violent crimes also started because of this migration and sudden rise in population. The policies at that time also lead to devastating issues relating death and mental illness because of homelessness. The major rise was faced in 1850s when most parents send their young children to remain independent because of rise in cost of living, this give rise to adults homelessness. The civil wars also give rise to homelessness in 1890s most people were homeless because of several causes from the civil war destructions. Another most important cause relates back to natural disasters i.e. Earthquake, fires, and Droughts caused in 1920s and 30s. The causes give rise to poverty and thus people lack support to build their houses. The income level drops because of increased population and unemployment which also moved society towards increase rate of homeless people. The financial crisis recently gives rise to more destructive situation that leads towards enhanced homelessness problem. The contemporary homelessness can be seen in surrounding that many children, youth, and old age people are hom eless (Culhane, 2008). Causes of Homelessness: Different researches are done to find the main causes that lead to homelessness. The causes can be categorized into three areas that are personal, structural, and homeless peoples own causes. Personal Issues: There are several personal and social factors that lead to homelessness. The common factors are outlined below: Individual factors: like drug abuse, character flaws, lacking qualifications, debts, no social support, poor health regarding mental and physical conditions, peer relations of bad company. Family factors: disputes and family conflicts, physical and sexual abuse while adulthood and family background of homelessness. Institutional factors: living in foster care, as prisoner, and employed in armed forces. Structural Issues: There are several social and economic problems that cause this homelessness. Some common causes are outlined below: Unemployment Poverty Lack of affordability Policies relating housing Structure of housing benefits Wide policy development relating hospitality and criminal issues Homeless People Views: The three main reasons identified through reviewing opinions of homeless people about their reasons of leaving home are family and peers pressures to leave them, relationship disputes and violence at home, loss of temporary dwelling (Dr. Lynn et al., 2006). Problems faced by Homeless People: There are several risks that are associated with people who are passing through state of homelessness. The problems can be categorized as basic and devastating. The problems are outlined below: Lacking personal security, silence, and privacy, especially for sleeping Lacking safekeeping of bedding, clothing and possessions, which may have to be carried at all times Lacking facilities for hygiene No place for cleaning and drying clothes Lacking affordability to acquire, prepare, and store food No social contacts because of no permanent location or mailing address Antagonism and lawful authorities against metropolitan poverty. Compact admittance to health care and dental services. Little or no access to education. Increased jeopardy of affliction from violence and abuse. Common denial or intolerance from other people. Loss of accustomed relationships and association with the mainstream Lacking qualification for employment. Reduced access to banking services because of lacking collateral Reduced access to communications technology (Echenberg Jensen, 2009). Assistance and Resources for Homeless People: Many researches relating homelessness and homeless people have diverted the attention of government and other institutions to support and fund the needs of the homeless people. Many countries run the assistance programs for the homeless people and provide them with food, shelter, and clothing and sometimes most augmented services. Many non-government organizations also run support programs with help of funding from volunteers. Social support is provided by homeless people to other homeless people. They run their own community and support one another in different needs. Formal assistant is also provided through government, religious organizations, charities, other ministries. Many organizations are working to provide income support through employment opportunities like street newspapers selling. Other income sources are through employing little works like playing music, performing magic and other arts. Many homeless people commit little crimes to be jailed to have food and shelter for some days (Foweler et al., 2009). Refuges for Homeless: There are many refuges that are used by homeless people to be used as temporary place for shelter and sleep. Some common refuges are outlined below: Sleeping bags Tent Cardboard box Abandoned buildings Cars and trucks Wagons and other public vehicles Parks, pavement, and bus stations Train tunnels etc. Proposed Solutions for Homeless: Housing First / Rapid Re-housing: Many governments are taking steps to eliminate the homelessness. The USA government asked almost every state and city to enhance the standard of living of homeless people. the 10 years plans are planned and are in process to be implemented to eliminate the homelessness and one of the results of this was a Housing first solution, also known as rapid re-housing. These policies facilitate quickly to get a homeless person permanent housing of some sort and the necessary support services to maintain and hold a new home. There are many impediments of this kind of program and there must be solutions to augment these programs to make such an initiative work successfully in the middle to long term. Supportive housing: Supportive housing is a related to provide the basic necessities to the homeless people. It is the combination of housing and services proposed in a cost-effective way to facilitate and support needy people live more stable and productive lives. Supportive housing provides special programs for those who are in most challenging situations. The audiences for this program are individuals and families confronted with homelessness and who also have very low incomes. It also has increases coverage and scope and therefore incorporates substance abuse, addiction or alcoholism, mental illness, HIV/AIDS, or other serious challenges to a standard and productive life. Pedestrian Villages: Many researchers are proposed several solutions to enhance the lives of homeless people. The most common solution proposed is relating notorious national solution for homelessness that would engross building nearly carefree Pedestrian Villages. This policy and solution is termed as the current Band-Aid approach to the problem. Example of this policy is Tiger Bay Village that was proposed to create caring society for homeless people. This policy states that this program and support would be better-quality for indulgence the psychological as well as psychiatric needs of both temporarily and permanently homeless adults. This policy was based on the cost-effective solution thus aimed to provide opportunities and support and cost less than the current approach. This policy also enhanced the homeless people living by moving them away from criminal acts to take shelter in prisons. Work opportunities are also provided and constitute construction and maintenance of the villages. It also focus es on the creation of work force agencies that help to make the villages financially and socially feasible and practical. Transitional housing: Transitional Housing endows with impermanent housing for the certain audience of the homeless population. The target group constitutes of working class of homeless people who are on verge of setting up to changeover their residents into enduring and inexpensive housing. It is not a temporary shelter house for homeless but typically a room or apartment in a habitation with support services. The intermediary time can be short ranging from 1 to 2 years and in that time the person must file for and get permanent housing and usually some gainful employment or income, even if Social Security or assistance. From time to time the transitional housing habitation program incriminates a room and board fee that can be a standard percentage of an individuals income. This fee is sometimes partially or fully refunded after the person acquires a permanent place to live in. In the USA centralized financial support for transitional housing programs was originally allocated in the McKinney act (Cohelen , 1997). Conclusions: The above study is based on the research work of other authors. The report started with the introduction to the homelessness relative to its broad meanings and is then proceed to the history, causes and underlying factors. The solutions are also provided to help states and countries to make remediation for the enhanced livings of homeless people and move them to productive life. The problem of homelessness is traced back to late history and is not a contemporary issue. There are several factors and underlying causes of homelessness out of which family conflicts and disruptions are rated as high. The issues that are faced by homeless people vary in range from more basic lacking facilities to higher levels of physical and mental destructions and illness. Many organizations along with governments are working to provide facilities and support the homeless people. Many volunteers are also working to augment the lives of homeless people by proving them with food, shelter, and clothing along with health facilities. Many support programs are also planned to support and facilitate the homeless people. Some common programs processed are housing fund and re-housing, transition housing support, and pedestrian villages.

Grapes of Wrath Jim Casy The Silent Philosopher :: essays papers

Grapes of Wrath Jim Casy The Silent Philosopher Jim Casy: The Silent Philosopher It is a widely accepted theory, in numerous areas of study, that a whole is the sum of its parts. It has also been acknowledged that the reaction formed by a combination of forces is greater than the sum of the individual forces. Such a synergistic principle has become a strong motive behind many incidents in history, in which individuals have assembled into a group to become an increasingly powerful and influential force. This is the case in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, in which thousands of farmers are affected by the economical, climatic, and agricultural crises of the 1930’s and forced to migrate to the promising valleys of California. As these migrants make their long, arduous journey across the deserts of America, they are faced with numerous predicaments, most of which place them on the brink of survival. In the end, they learn that it is their love for one another and their togetherness that will allow them to complete the journey and fulfill their lon g-lived dreams. As the story progresses, a marked growth becomes evident among each character as they make the transition from an â€Å"I† level of thinking to a â€Å"we† level of thinking. One such character is the itinerant preacher, Jim Casy. Although his actions are not directly influential to the story’s plot, it is his philosophies and outlooks on life and religion that affect the events, as well as the other characters, in the story. Perhaps the most significant theme interpreted from the journey of the Joad family is that of the shift from the â€Å"I† to the †we† mentality. This concept results mainly from the mutual relationships formed between the migrants and their willingness to help one another. As the migrants progress on their journey, their concern for the well being of others overshadows their concerns for themselves. Their actions become completely altruistic and intended to protect the functionality of the migrant force as a whole. They readily make sacrifices to one another and work to create mutual bonds that help one another survive. Another aspect of the â€Å"I† to â€Å"we† transition is that of the togetherness of the migrant families and the unions formed between them. As the migrants begin to face the all the same hardships and dilemmas, they begin to organize and function as a single unit. The individuals among this unit are capable of helping one another a nd advancing the progress off the whole unit.

External and Internal Environmental Analysis Essay

External and internal environmental analysis is a critical component for an organization seeking to achieve its goals. The follow information within this paper presents a complete external environmental and an internal competitive environmental scan for JetBlue Airways. The information provided identifies and analyzes the most important external environmental factor in the remote, industry, and external operating environments. When addressing external environment it speaks to a set of forces and conditions outside the organization that can influence its performance. The most common forces include political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal (or PESTEL). The paper will further identify and analyze the key internal strengths and weaknesses of JetBlue Airways. When addressing the internal environment it speaks to the key factors and forces within the organization affecting its operation. The internal strength and weaknesses will cover an assessment of the JetBlue Airway’s resources, their competitive position and possibilities within. Lastly the following will analyze the structure of JetBlue and how this affects organizational performance. External Environmental Factors For JetBlue external environmental factors cover political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal. The most important external environmental factors in the remote, industry, and external operating environment of JetBlue can be expanded through opportunities and threats. Opportunities encompass expansion, such as increasing routes and destinations within the U.S. Global expansion falls within expansion as well, while JetBlue has many successful partnerships with international airlines there is further potential abroad. Threats include fuel costs, advanced technology, and government relations. Fuel costs and advanced technology are almost synonymous. The increasing price of fuel in turn  increases operational costs. Advanced technology is a key factor in this space as well given new planes for example, have the technology to utilize less fuel in flight. Governmental regulations and legalities are another key threat for JetBlue. Airline regulations can increase expenses and potentially create inefficiency in operations in order to meet regulation requirements. Additionally, restrictions related to international trade, tax policy, and competition can thwart expansion efforts. Internal Strengths and Weaknesses JetBlue is a pro at utilizing its resources and structure. As such, JetBlue has proven to be efficient in its internal environment. Out of the physical and human aspects of the internal environment JetBlue focuses on human as the key factor. JetBlue views its employees and their skills as the key to a successful structure by emphasizing elements of loyalty, satisfaction, service quality, productivity, capability, and output quality. JetBlue reflects a culture of employees that understand how to retain customers and can perform under various situations with an equally varied consumer base. In addition to human capital, JetBlue uses physical assets to set them apart from the rest. The airline fleet of JetBlue is very precisely selected. From its new Airbus A321 to its Airbus 320, JetBlue prides itself on comfort and luxury. Other perks offered by JetBlue include lower priced airfare compared to that of its competitors and in-flight entertainment options that succeed its competition. Internal weaknesses include a smaller base of destinations compared to its competitors, which could be viewed as a product of their smaller planes and perhaps weaker brand recognition given its newness in the airline market. The weakness can be strengthened with expanding their location/market base. Competitive Position Major players in the U.S. airline industry include Delta Air Lines, United Continental, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and JetBlue Airways. In 2013 many consolidations reduced the number of top players, such as U.S. Airways with American West, Northwest with Delta, United with Continental, AirTrans with Southwest, and American with U.S. Airways. Those carries, including JetBlue and Alaska, account for more than 90% of the U.S. market share (Cederholm, 2013). With the number of competitors in times of low or  moderate industry growth, the competition increases as each one tries to woo the consumer base. JetBlue is still the new kid so it is hard to say if its resources are inimitable. JetBlue’s low cost operations are interrelated to other activities in the organization like human resource management and technology development. If JetBlue were to reinforce competencies, with its efficient low-cost operations, it can find a sustainable competitive advantage making it a non-imitable organization. JetBlue’s competitive advantage is built off of differentiation and cost leadership. Differentiation comes with a strong brand image. JetBlue provides this image through its customer service and various in-flight features such as increased legroom and entertainment options per seat. JetBlue achieves cost leadership through efficient operations. JetBlue’s new planes minimize fuel costs and increases revenue per flight. Not offering in flight meals allows for quick turnarounds and overall reduced costs. The differentiation strategy and its features do risk ease of imitation or differentiate ones brand past the point of consumer support. If JetBlue continues to employ a combination of these strategies it will have an increased approach in outperforming its rivals. Superior performance will come through combined low-cost services with a differentiated offering as JetBlue does. As JetBlue moves onward, the extent to which it can maintain the integration of low-cost and differentiation will determine whether its competitive advantage is sustainable. Structure The structure of JetBlue is likely very simple compared to its counterparts. The highest of quality in customer service, one style of plane, a focus on environment, all this reflects its culture. With the human aspect being their highest priority they put a lot of thought into how they hire, train, set expectations, and monitor their employee base. JetBlue trains employees, provides compensation (likely more giving than the competitors), and equally provides empowerment among its employee base. JetBlue Airways seeks to hire and train great people (human focus), develop purpose, vision, and values. JetBlue operates on a strong organizational culture, where one listens to its customers and employees, cultivates leadership, and provided incentive. Summary The airline industry is exposed to upturns and downturns with economy trends. With that a growing economy creates a greater demand for air travel, whereas a decrease in the economy means reduced demand and intensified competition. JetBlue has managed to maintain a quality brand as a newer airline, in the face of some significant challenges, such as the tragedy of 9/11. JetBlue Airways new planes, competitively low fares, non-unionized labor, thus far an effective business model, and strong emphasis on the human element, it remains to provide a foothold in them market as a solid competitor regardless of its external threats and internal weaknesses. References Cederholm, T. (2013, September 3). Overview: External factors that influence the airline industry. Retrieved May 31, 2015, from http://marketrealist.com/2014/09/must-know-external-factors-influencing-airline-industry/ JetBlue | Airline Tickets, Flights, and Airfare. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2015, from http://www.jetblue.com

Manchester Airport Essay Example

Manchester Airport Essay Example Manchester Airport Essay Manchester Airport Essay The purpose of this report is to detail the key external environment issues surrounding Manchester Airport and how the Marketing Manger and the Operations Manager can attempt to influence or control these. The external environment is considered to be a far environment, therefore can neither be controlled nor influenced. This environment consists of Social, Legal, Technological, Economical and Political factors. For Manchester Airport these are: 1. Social – Demographics, Seasons, environmental issues. 2. Legal – Legislations. 3. Economic – Boom/bust cycle, interest rates, taxation and Government expenditure. . Political – The Government and legislation. 5. Technological – Information technology. Fig 1, Current environmental issues Social: The social factors include population factors of age, occupation, lifestyle and wealth distribution. These can all have major impacts on businesses. Age population can determine whether people will travel close to home or further away, as younger people have families, which means there is a budget attached to their spending. Older people tend not to have a young family to cater for and have a larger disposable income. Occupation determines a person’s lifestyle through their earnings and thus their wealth distribution. Seasons affect the travel industry as most people prefer to travel in the summer for the warmth; therefore it is seen as a peak period for Manchester Airport. Environment issues arise as the Airport wishes to be seen as caring for the local area to boost popularity. Therefore concern over pollution must be regarded as a priority. Legal: Legal factors for the Airport include legislations on security, noise, air pollution and waste management by the Government and EU Directives. This does has implications on operations through the cost involved. For example, the EU Directive on the maximum weekly working hour of 48 hours per employee and waste management, resulting in overall performance being influenced. Economic: The Economic factors of the boom/bust cycle are the affects of the 8 year cycle of national economies going into recession. This means production shrinks, so jobs are lost and people have less disposable income to spend. Interest rates rising tend to reduce demand as mortgage and credit charges rise. Taxation increases (or expenditure cuts) mean there will be less money for consumers to spend resulting in a shrink in demand. Expenditure increases (or reductions in taxation) result in more money for the economy and rise in demand. Political: Politically the Airport needs to respond to the prevailing political climate and adjust the marketing policy accordingly. EU laws are hard to influence or control, but Politicians can be influenced by lobbying over their laws. Security laws must be followed to ensure the safety of customers. This does bring high expenditure as stated in Flying to the Future, B202 DVD. Technological: Technologically Information Technology is vital to the smooth running and communications of the Airport at all levels. The system needs to function well, be reliable and staff need to be fully trained in this, which brings more cost. Fig 2, Micro- and Macro-environmental forces diagram, Essentials of Marketing, Third Edition by Jim Blythe. The macro-environment issues can have a huge impact on the company and its micro-environment and it tends to be difficult to influence. This is why the Airports policy should be seen as operating within a rapidly changing environment and must monitor and react to any changes to ensure goals are met. Marketing managers should be reactive to macro-environment factors. To do this effectively they need to analyse where they are by using a SLEPT situational analysis to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the Airport and opportunities and threats from the external environment. Once this has been established they need to analyse the firm’s position within the environment and itself with a SWOT situational analysis. Social: Demography lifestyle analysis affects the way customers are targeted, so being aware of current patterns helps the Airport to target the right people. For example, shifts in the birth rate cause distortions in the market thus allowing opportunities to target sales to a specific age group. Seasons affect when people whish to holiday and therefore create peak and off peak periods. This allows marketing to adjust fares etc accordingly and market more effectively. Being environmentally active and aware brings good publicity as a caring company, which is what Manchester Airport wants. The Company value as stated in the internet site is â€Å"Social Commitment – we are a responsible neighbour and invest in our community. † The Airports Environment Plan states that â€Å"it is important that this growth takes place In tandem with a stringent framework dealing with controls on environmental impacts†. Technological: The internet is an opportunity for advertising and direct marketing. Manchester Airport’s internet site uses this advantage to its full potential by including all relevant information for passengers to view. The main computer system used by the Airport for security checking of staff and passengers and all communications is working well, reliable and staff are fully trained internally by Manchester Airport Ventures, who run the training centre. Ventures now also train outside bodies which generate more capital for the Airport. The Company value, from the internet site, states that â€Å"Integrity we strive to be better every day and take steps to make it happen. Costs – we spend money on the things that really matter. † Legal: The Airport is required by law to protect its customers, the airlines. It chooses to protect the passengers for the airlines. This ensures the safety of everyone on site and thus a good working relationship between all parties. Environment laws bring cost. But this is required by the Government and also brings good publicity, as the Airport is seen to be actively caring for the environment and local area. Economic: The boom/bust cycle occurs approximately every 8 years, in which national economies have a recession. This brings production numbers to recede, loss of jobs and purchases are then reduced. Increased expenditure, or reduced taxation would mean more money in the economy and people will want and need travel and holidays. Taxation increase or expenditure cuts would bring less money and a loss in demand. It is essential to anticipate this management of demand in the economy. Political: Government policies cause shifts in emphasis and can disrupt the Airport operations. Being aware how to adapt the Airport policies to include these is essential to ensure continued running of all areas within the Airport. Government legislations can be influenced by lobbying. EU laws are difficult to control and influence. All of the above external factors will also impact on the operations of the Airport. The political and social environment has effect on operations through standards of welfare, health and safety at work. Operations Managers will need to ensure changes required are planned and controlled so the output conforms to requirements. A strategic plan for structural decisions, long, medium and short, can then be devised. The dynamic state of operations and the environment make it essential that there is feedback on progress. This enables changes to be made so the operation can work appropriately. This is control. The process of operations strategy looks at how operations policies, plans and principles are decided and developed. The overall objective for this will be: 1. Quality. This is key to improving performance against objectives. Manchester Airport achieves this through having a skilled workforce, technology and excellent communications. 2. Speed. The Airport has to ensure time is taken into account, as there are many people travelling through areas at one time. There are fire regulations on the number of people allowed in one area to consider. And, as stated in the DVD, Flying to the Future, if an area is overcrowded, passengers will become uncomfortable and stop spending in the retail outlets. 3. Dependability. This is how the Airport keeps its promises to its customers. So ensuring all systems are functioning well to keep all operations running on time is essential to enable passengers to move through the building. 4. Flexibility. Being flexible to seasons in the year enables the Airport to change the balance of the range of services to meet the needs of the Airport on a whole. This then ensure a cost effective operation is running smoothly. 5. Cost. This ensures finances are being used within budgets and appropriately. This can be achieved by reduced overheads, multi purpose equipment and facilities. Four variables are important to ensure the way the Airport operates. These key environmental factors are volume, variation, variety and customer contact. The operations should be designed so that it matches these features of its environment closely. Volume: The Airport has a high volume in the way that it has to repeatedly deliver its service. The use of technology by the Airport results in high output from an efficient process. Variation: Manchester Airport provides the correct level of capacity to meet the pattern of volume demands. Variety: The ability to be flexible is essential. The Airport has proved this since changing the way security is organised within the Airport Terminals. This high variety does need a lot of planning and control, which bring more overhead costs. Customer contact: The Airport has taken the service option of Front Office and Back Office. This ensures effective and efficient gains of planning and control. The above four factors will enable effective and efficient running of operations by determining how complex the task of managing the operation is. Once the above has been undertaken, the Systems Approach should be used to analyse operations. This will enable the Operations Manager to envisage the impact any operational changes will have on other areas linked. Three key ideas are involved in the systems approach, which are: 1. Environmental influences; it is important to identify the processes of the operation and design these in the most effective manner. 2. Control; information is gathered and compared with the Airport standard. This enables Management to proactively manage operations ensuring all predetermined standards are met. 3. Structure decisions; the hard system method should be followed here, as most problems surrounding operations within the Airport will have agreement from all, as there are guidelines to follow in this business. Fig , Operations Management in Context, by Galloway, Rowbotham and Azhashemi. All the above information on the effects of environmental issues in the Marketing and Operations areas and how to address them, have been detailed. Management should now be able to effectively incorporate the above into day to day work and filter it through to team members. Business graduate skills outcome. Example of how Block 1 case studies have contributed to my skills development. Self-assessment of current level of skill – high/medium/low; any actions to be taken. Learn from non-text as well as text-based materials enhancing your general study skills. 1. The text books and block books were very good to work with. 2. Case studies helped me to have a better understanding of how a subject worked. 3. I absorbed information from the DVD/CD after watching it repeatedly. 1. I enjoyed working with the text books, but I am still finding it hard to get into the study mode. It is maybe my age, but entering back into the world of business learning is proving harder than I anticipated. 2. Low. I need to create more time to learn the art of skim reading before re- reading chapters. 3. Medium. The need to take better notes to safe time must be learnt. I did not enjoy the Listening to the CD, I found it hard to take information in that way. I must re read the study skills information. Demonstrate thinking skills (holistic, integrative, critical) and show deeper understanding of some technically detailed topics. . My note taking initially took up too much time as I was writing down every item from pages I thought was important. 2. The block information as a whole has been a good starter for me entering into the first term of my degree. It has been hard, but eventually the information is starting to be understood by myself and applied. 3. I have found that I am no w using items learnt through this block in my working life at the Council. 1. Medium. I now highlight text in the book and make small notes at the side. I find this has sped the learning process up for me, which helps with the time limit. I still need to make time to re – read chapters after the first read. 2. Low. I still need to find more time to just sit and read all the information and let it sink in. I shall also try and give myself longer to complete self assessments and case studies. 3. Low – Medium. I am not using it as often as I would like. This is down to confidence issues, as I do not want to enter into a conversation/debate that I still do not fully understand. Use examples and analyse case studies to enhance understanding, support conclusions and illustrate issues concerning business functions in organisational contexts. I have found the B202 beginning difficult, but with the use of case studies and examples it has made the work easier to do. This is because it helps to explain the subjects to you through examples etc. Low. I need to study for more than 15 hours a week, as I am needing more time for information to sink in. This is until I find my feet with the course and find the balance between family, work and study. Bibliography. J Blythe, 2005, Essentials of Marketing, Third Edition, Essex, Pearsons Education Limited. L Galloway, F Rowbotham, M Azhashemi, 2005, Reprint, Burlington, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. M Hinton, J Holloway, Other Members of OU Course Team, Block 1 Introduction: Business Functions in Context, 2006, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Manchester Airport website, manchesterairport. co. uk/manweb. nsf accessed from November 28th until December 10th 2007. Flying to the Future, DVD, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Reference list Manchester Airport web site, Our Company Values, ttp://www. manchesterairport. co. uk/manweb. nsf/Content/OurCompanyValues. Manchester Airport website, Environmental Plan, manchesterairport. co. uk/manweb. nsf/Content/Environment

Designing an efficient balloon car Essay Example

Designing an efficient balloon car Essay Example Designing an efficient balloon car Paper Designing an efficient balloon car Paper In creating our balloon car, we used many physics principals to change the designs until we had a well performing car. The different principals helped us to change certain aspects of our car so that every part worked well together. The principal that with every action there is an equal and opposite reaction is what we used for the thrust of our car. We based our wheels on what ones caused the least friction. We used the fact that vertical motion has no affect on horizontal motion to determine how to orient our balloon on the car. These different pieces of the car working together help it perform well. For the thrust of our car, we used a balloon attached to a PVC pipe. This pipe allowed us to let the air out of the balloon more quickly. It also helped us to direct the air straight back from the balloon. The more air we were able to release, the more negative horizontal acceleration we could have. However much acceleration there is in the negative is how much there will be in the positive because of Newton’s Third Law of Motion. The more air that is released in the negative will push the car forward faster. We needed the car to go 1 meter in 3. 5 seconds, and it needs to cover 10 meters. We tried different sized pipes and straws until we found a good balance between speed and distance. Friction between the wheels and the ground was a big concern. We tried a bunch of different wheels to see which ones rolled the best. We settled on using CDs for the wheels since they had enough friction that they could grip the ground, but not too much that it slowed the car down. We also had to worry about the friction of the axles spinning. When we would have the wheels spinning on the ends of a stationary axle, they slowed down too easily. We then used a dowel rod through a straw so that the wheels would spin at the same time. The whole axle spinning worked better than trying to get the wheels to spin freely because the wheels could get more easily caught on something than just a smooth wooden rod rubbing against the plastic straw. One of the major changes we kept making was the design of the body. We originally had a triangular body, but when we attached the balloon to it, the balloon was angled upward. Since horizontal motion has nothing to do with vertical motion, we knew any air going upward wasn’t pushing the car forward. So we changed the body to a flat surface so that we could have the air going straight out behind the car and use the majority of the thrust to move the car forward. Putting all these different aspects together helped us to build an effective car. For the thrust, we used Newton’s Third Law to design it. We tested our wheels based on how much friction was created. Because vertical motion has no affect on the horizontal motion, we knew all the thrust had to be horizontal, so we knew how to orient our balloon on the car. The principles of physics helped us to build an efficient balloon car that has the speed and stamina desired.

Answer Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Answer Questions - Essay Example The East outdid the Romans of the West. The art produced in this era lacked religious connotations. Animal style that was characterized by animal ornamentations, Carolingian art was characterized by sophisticated design, and Romanesque art had leaf embellishments, vaults and curves (Cavendish, 2006).  Next was the Gothic art  that was more developed with detailed paintings and sculptures (Cavendish, 2006). Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is one that epitomizes the renaissance period while Chris Ofili’s No Woman, No Cry is of the new era.  Mona Lisa Foundation (2012) argues that Mona Lisa covered renaissance art characteristics such as sculptures and paintings while No Woman, No Cry is a tribute to Stephen Lawrence (Ofili, 1998). What primarily distinguishes Renaissance art from the Medieval art is Renaissance art encompassed sculptures, drawings and paintings that demonstrated the worth of nature and people. Early Renaissance transited to High Renaissance through finer developments in the techniques of art (Sider, 2007). Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is an unforgettable art while Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam seems to have taken a struggle. Italian Renaissance was rich is culture while Northern Renaissance focused on Protestant Reformation (Sider, 2007). The Vitruvian Man plays the role of reflecting the principle that the human body is symmetrical to the universe (Da Vinci, 1492). The drawing is done symmetrically with the figure in a square. Montanes’ (1603) The Merciful Christ explains the nature of Christ. The drawing shows Christ on the cross. Bernin’s (1623-34) St. Peters Baldachin is characterized by detailed design and sophistication. Veneziano’s (1324) The Coronation of the Virgin is governed by medieval aspects such as painting styles. The cultural and political saw the differences in the works as the artists were moving with the times. Iwan was used to mark entry to a royal reception passage while Ijele is a mask used in

Criminal Law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Criminal Law - Coursework Example f reckless mens rea as well as evaluate Herring’s viewpoint with regard to, whether the current provisions in law are satisfactory in as far as reckless mens rea is concerned. Legally, recklessness implies the taking unwarranted risk. The term has brought about numerous debates with regard to the best test to determine it. In course of development of criminal law two main tests have been introduced; subjective and objective tests. R v Cunningham [1957] 2 QB 396 formed the base of testing recklessness. The case introduced subjective test. This means that the defendant’s ability to gauge the risk at hand is questioned as well as the actual action taken that result in the risk. In this regard, Cunningham recklessness seeks to find out whether the person was in a position to foresee the risk involved but then went ahead with actions despite the ability to foresee risks1. The subjective test was carried out in many other cases but was reviewed under the M.P.C v Caldwell [1982] AC 341. This case introduced the objective test which introduced the notion of, Failure of the defendant to take notice of a risk that was obvious and one which any reasonable person should have seen2. Introduction of Caldwell recklessness brought squabbles since it conflicted with Cunningham recklessness. It eventually turned out that both tests had weakness. The problem of subjective test is that it is based on the accused individual’s perception with regard to the matter at hand. The prosecution is thus tasked with proving that the accused person was able to foresee the risk but went ahead to engage in the act. However, it is not easy to prove a person’s state of mind. This test meant that whenever an accused person could prove inability to foresee the risk, acquittal was the only option. On the other hand, Objective (Caldwell recklessness) was also unfair because it led to convictions of many accused persons who, genuinely, were not able to foresee any risk. This aspect was