Comparing Women in House on Mango Street and Woman...

Ethnic Identity of Women in House on Mango Street and Woman Hollering Creek The novels The House on Mango Street (Cisneros 1984) and Woman Hollering Creek (Cisneros 1992) relate the new American through the eyes of Cisneros. The women in both novels are caught in the middle of their ethnic identity and their American identity, thus creating the New American. Cisneros moved between Mexico and the United States often while growing up, thus making her feel homeless and displaced (Jones and Jorgenson 109). The House on Mango Street characterizes a community of girls and women restricted in their movements within the barrio. The roles of these girls and women are translated through the eyes of a child. When women in the†¦show more content†¦Similar to Esperanza’s grandmother in The House on Mango Street, Rafaela in the vignette, Rafaela Who Drinks Coconut and Papaya Juice on Tuesdays desires freedom outside the barrio. While her husband is out playing dominoes, she is locked inside. Her husband believes she is too beautiful and is fearful that she will run away. Rafaela dreams of being at the dance hall down the street enjoying life with the other women (Cisneros 79-80). Furthermore, the desire to explore their American identity for freedom outside the barrio is also expressed in various vignettes. In addition to Rafaela, Marin is a vignette about a girl with the same name who is about to be sent back to Puerto Rico because of her beauty. She is not allowed outside until her aunt is home and then she is only allowed in the front yard. Marin loves makeup and dressing nicely. She would like to work where she could dress professionally, perhaps downtown. If she could work downtown, her possibilities are greater that she would meet someone, marry, and move in a big house far away (Cisneros 26-27). Thus, she would be out of the barrio. An additional reason to escape the barrio is abuse. In the vignette What Sally Said, Sally is a young girl abused by her father. He is in fear that possibly she will run away and shame the family like his own sisters did. He could continue to carry on the anger of his ownShow MoreRelatedSandra Cisneros and Hughes Analysis1575 Words   |  7 Pagesstory, â€Å"Woman Hollering Creek†, and poem, â€Å"I, Too† all backed up and supported by research done about the author. Born in Chicago Illinois, into a family of seven children, being the only daughter Sandra Cisneros is a Mexican American novelist and feminist writer. She has been one of the first Mexican American women to receive recognitions for her writing and has sold to date million of copies of her well known book, The House on Mango Street. Sandra Cisneros is an inspirational woman who writes

The Misfit, a Character beyond Redemption Free Essays

The Misfit, a Character beyond Redemption†() In Flannery O’ Connor’s short story â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find,† the Misfit is a character who is interpreted as the epitome of evil. He had just escaped the federal penitentiary, and, according to the Misfit, he was incarcerated for allegedly killing his own father. He encounters a family who has been involved in an accident. We will write a custom essay sample on The Misfit, a Character beyond Redemption or any similar topic only for you Order Now The play culminates with the Misfit shooting and brutally murdering the grandmother after she reaches out to him. Despite the conversation they both had about Christianity and the kindness and sympathy the grandmother showed the Misfit, he chooses to kill her; consequently, a character beyond redemption by choosing his will to do evil after all. Throughout the play, the Misfit portrays himself as a victim since he was sent to prison and punished for something he doesn’t comprehend. He explains that the doctor in prison told him what he had done was murdered his own father but he doesn’t believe it. By the way he speaks about his parents, calling them â€Å"finest people in the world,† and saying that God never made a finer woman than his mother and that his father had a heart pure of gold (O’Connor 399), it makes the reader doubtful to believe if he committed the crime or not, even though there is evidence of his actions; â€Å"However, some psychopaths would do anything to convince themselves that they did not commit a crime† (Aaron 1), but towards the end of the play one can find it harder to believe that the Misfit is actually innocent, regardless of whether he killed his own 2. ather. The most evident example for The Misfit’s guilt is how easily he ordered his accomplices to murder the family that it makes it look as if committing crimes is nothing unusual for him (Aaron 1). Furthermore, the Misfit is a character who symbolizes evil. During the play, one can deduce that he is a liberal character who is not conscious of his actions and doesnâ€⠄¢t see anything wrong in them. His way of not feeling any guilt of his actions, is to forget, this way any crime he commits won’t make him feel remorseful about it; for that same reason, when punished, he sees it unreasonable because he doesn’t believe that any crime deserves punishment, it is unjust and unfair and it just simply makes him feel miserable (Shmoop 1). The Misfit might know he did something wrong, but he doesn’t remember what it was, or better yet, he just doesn’t want to remember. This leads us to believe that he simply is a psychopath who enjoys killing because it is the only thing in his life that gives him any pleasure (Shmoop 1). He certainly doesn’t seem to accept what he was accused off and feel as if his actions didn’t deserved the punishment he received, â€Å"I never was a bad boy that I remember of, but somewhere along the line I done something wrong and got sent to the penitentiary. I was buried alive† (O’Connor 401). O’Connor uses the Misfit as a character beyond redemption. We all know he was not a good person; it is seen by how he rationalizes his actions, even the murder of innocent children. As human beings we are the only ones responsible for our choices and actions and have free will to do anything we desire. We are capable of doing good, but we are just as capable of doing evil. How to cite The Misfit, a Character beyond Redemption, Papers

Communication Styles free essay sample

The different communications styles are a big part of the reason for this. The four communication styles are Hidden, Closed, Blind and Open. Each one is unique and important to the workplace. Without the four communication styles, the workplace would never function correctly. The most important thing for a manager to understand is how to work with the communication styles in order to achieve the most productivity and success. The first communication style that I’ll discuss is hidden communication. According to Cheryl Hamilton in the book communicating for Results â€Å"Hidden style communicators are interested in people, are good listeners and are generally well liked† (Hamilton, 2011, p. 73). These qualities make a hidden communicator one of the most pleasant people to work around and the easiest to get along with. They provide a great and positive workplace for everyone around them. This doesn’t necessarily mean they are creating the best work environment for themselves though. We will write a custom essay sample on Communication Styles or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When a person spends so much of their time attempting to please others and keep harmony in the workplace, they suffer internally. This is a huge problem among hidden communicators. According to the book, â€Å"Hidden communicators are motivated by mistrust of people or by the desire for social acceptance or even both† (Hamilton, 2011, p. 73). This leads to internal conflict within them and can also lead to less than quality work performance. Management needs to be aware of how to handle hidden communicators. According to N. R. Laroche, â€Å"You must look for non-verbal signs because hidden communicators do not easily disclose information† (Laroche, 2008). This will allow for the best results in working and succeeding with hidden communicators. Closed Communication is next on the list. As mentioned above, closed communicators are not really the people person. The text says that closed communicators â€Å"Simply feel more comfortable working with things than with people. † They are good at jobs that require very little interaction with others (Hamilton, 2011, p. 70). You would not see a closed communicator working as in sales or any other job that requires interaction with the public. They cannot deal with groups or complaining from others. They tend to be considered anti-social by others but in reality, they are just keeping their safety net up in order to not be made into a fool. Sometimes closed communicators and hidden communicators will be confused with the other due to how both styles handle because both keep their own opinions and feelings hidden from the rest of the world. Overall a closed communicator rarely discloses information and rarely seeks feedback for others. As a manager, the best way to work with a closed communicator â€Å"Is by discussing with them in a one-on-one environment†Ã‚  (Hamilton, 2011, p. 71). Remembering not to put the closed communicator on the spot in front of co-workers is vital to success. The third communication style that we are going to discuss is the blind communicator. We have all seen this type of person at one point or another in our professional lives. They love themselves and their opinion. Hamilton says that â€Å"They thrive in situations win which they can demonstrate their expertise and experience. (Hamilton, 2011, p. 71). As a manager, the best way to handle an employee with a blind communication style is to actually work with their ideas. According to N. R. Laroche’s book A Primer to communicating as a Systems Analyst in Today’s World â€Å"A common technique used to work with blind communicators is piggy-backing on their ideas. Because people with this communication style are mostly subject matter experts, building on their strengths and ideas can be very beneficial while troubleshooting program bugs and problem solving†Ã‚  (Laroche, 2006). Blind communicators are typically very smart and tend to be experts in their field. Their ideas are usually better than many of the others presented. Their problem mainly lies in how they present the ideas and how they take criticism. The final Communication style is Open Communication. This style is great in a couple of ways. Open communicators are both productive and are accepting of feedback and disclosure from others. They care and they learn! This allows them to constantly grow as an employee. The only problem that Hamilton mentions about open communicators is â€Å"They may disclose too much too often and may ask for too much feedback† (Hamilton, 2011, p. 75). Open communicators may have problems in the workplace though depending on management. If they work with a manager with a closed style, they will struggle. Managers who are open communicators will in turn struggle when they have employees that are not. It is a delicate balancing act in the workplace. The best way for management to work with open communicators in order to achieve the best results is be open to negotiations and employee involvement. The best ways to deal with open communicator employees is as follows: share with them, place them in friendly environments, voluntarily give them constructive criticism and praise them. These will keep an open communicator happy and content. Management in general needs to know the four communication styles and they also need to identify their own in order to run a company successfully. Knowing the styles can also be useful during the hiring process. For example if you’re looking to hire a software engineer for your company, you’re not going to be overly concerned about how social and open they are. You want their skills and in a job like this, the engineer really won’t be spending much time working with the public. In this situation, a closed communicator would be a good fit. On the other hand if you’re hiring for the Human Relations Department (HR) you need someone with either an open communication style or the hidden communication style. They need to be able to deal with people as a whole. Once an employee or a manager has discovered their communication style, it is important that they become flexible in their work environment. They need to be willing to adjust slightly in order to be successful. Adapting or changing a style will require changes in your use of feedback, disclosure or both† (Hamilton, 2011, p. 82). Not understanding communication styles within the company can lead to problems and even tragedies. In 1986 the space shuttle Challenger exploded when it launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Although mechanical problems were the cause of the explosion, it was later noted that â€Å"Mangers at Marshall, a government contractor, did not communicate potentially serious problems with NASA but attempted to resolve them internally  (Rogers, 1986). Basically communication proved to be fatal in this case. Seven people lost their lives in a disaster that could have potentially been avoided if only communication between NASA and Marshall would have been better. Simply knowing how to communicate with one another in a company can truly make a difference in the atmosphere and moral. The most important thing for a manager to understand is how to work with the communication styles in order to achieve the most productivity and success.

Patagonia Case Study free essay sample

Patagonia is a high-end outdoor apparel company founded in 1972 by Yvon Chouinard, a self-described ‘dirtbag’. The company remains private. Has experienced strong growth to date (6% sales growth Y-oY) while maintaining its commitment to sustainability and the environment Industry includes Columbia Sportswear, The North Face (VF Corp. ), and many general retailers Strategy Business Model: Customers: median age of 38 years old, average household income of $160K Products (% revenue): Sportswear (47%), Technical Outerwear (30%), Technical Knits (12%), and Hard Goods (6%). High quality, priced 20% higher than other outdoor apparel. ‘Ironclad Guarantee’ to repair, refund, or replace any product that does not fully satisfy customers Financials: 50%-55% gross margin on goods sold. High environmental and social standards for suppliers, though selectivity also leads to lower product defect rates Sales (% sales): Wholesale (44%), Retail (33%), Catalog + Internet (23%) – fewer distributors than competitors; retail stores and catalog play important role in communicating brand connecting to customers Marketing: environmental / social stance often attracted free media attention; careful conscious effort to not exploit position for monetary gain Culture: strong culture, family-friendly workplace, environmental perks for employees, low employee turnover Questions In spring 2010, Patagonia was in the process of implementing a new, radical environmental initiative called â€Å"Product Lifecycle Initiative† (PLI). We will write a custom essay sample on Patagonia Case Study or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This initiative represented a holistic commitment to lengthen the lifecycle of each product and reduce landfill waste. It constituted Patagonia’s efforts to take responsibility for the products it made, â€Å"from birth to death and then beyond death, back to rebirth. † The initiative consisted of a mutual contract between the company and its customers to â€Å"reduce, repair, reuse, and recycle† the apparel that they consumed. This case invites you to  understand a unique approach to creating and capturing value, assess its sustainability, and evaluate innovative ways to compete. 1. Evaluate Patagonia’s strategy: how does Patagonia create and capture value? Patagonia sells high quality products to outdoor enthusiasts – its products are cutting edge in terms of the materials used (and the value they generate for the customer), as are their manufacturing methods. Patagonia embeds environmental sustainability into its production methods, allowing it to meet its own mission while appealing to customers who share those values. Also see above outline. 2. How important to Patagonia’s strategy is its stated mission: â€Å"Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis†? Each of the three parts of the mission statement guide Patagonia day to day business decisions: Build the best product: high RD spend ($3M annually), focus on innovation, ambassador model for testing and feedback Cause no unnecessary harm: environmentally friendly manufacturing techniques, supplier selectivity and environmental standards, raw materials sourcing (e.g. organic cotton), Footprint Chronicles to analyze impact, energy efficient buildings and recycling processes Use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis: 1% of revenue donated to environmental causes, sharing of sustainability processes with other companies / competitors, grants and other campaigns (see Exhibit 10) 3. What is your assessment of Patagonia’s product lifecycle initiative (Reduce, Repair, Reuse, and Recycle)? Will it be a success? Evaluating PLI hinges on the definition of success: how heavily the company weighs achieving its annual growth targets against achieving its sustainability mission. The innovative program will likely be a success in raising awareness on over-consumption, but Patagonia will need to focus on aggressively growing its customer base (vs. repeat sales to existing customers) in order to achieve targets. Patagonia may also want to find ways to monetize the online swap market they create to supplement some of the potential lost revenue from individuals who buy second hand (membership fee, repair fee, flat fee on each swap, charge other retailers for access, etc. ). In the long-term the second-hand buyers may become future Patagonia customers, who at present cannot afford the high-end new products, creating a new customer acquisition vehicle.

Stiochiometry of a Precipitaiton Reaction Essays

Stiochiometry of a Precipitaiton Reaction Essays Stiochiometry of a Precipitaiton Reaction Essay Stiochiometry of a Precipitaiton Reaction Essay Abstract: The objective of this lab is to calculate the theoretical, actual, and percent yield of the product from a precipitation reaction. It is also to learn concepts of solubility and the formation of a precipitate. The Experiment and Observation: Weigh out your 1. 0g of CaCl2-2H20 and put it into the 100mL beaker, add your 25mL of distilled water and stir to form the calcium chloride solution. Next, use stoichiometry to determine how much Na2CO3 and put it into a small paper cup. Then add the 25mL of distilled water to make the sodium carbonate solution. Mix the two solutions in the beaker and a precipitate of calcium carbonate will form instantly. Next, set up your filtration assembly. After the filtration assembly is ready, swirl the contents of the beaker to dislodge any precipitate from the sides. Then, pour the content of the beaker into the filter paper-lined funnel carefully. Afterwards you will need to measure out 2 to 5mL of distilled water into a graduated cylinder. Pour it down the sides of the beaker, swirl, and pour into the filter paper-lined funnel. Once all the liquid has drained from the funnel, lay the filter paper containing the precipitate on folded layers of paper towels and set it somewhere to air-dry. Once the filter paper and the precipitated calcium carbonate are completely dry, weigh them, subtract the original weight of the empty filter paper, and record the net weight of the calcium carbonate. That is your actual yield of calcium carbonate. Then, you can calculate the percent yield, using your theoretical yield and actual yield. Be sure to clean up properly, rinse any remaining chemicals down the sink and throw paper cups and towels in the garbage. Clean and dry all equipment you used. The following results will be observed: 1g CaCl*2H? O*(1moleCaCl? *2H? O/147g CaCl*2H? O)*(1mol Na? CO? /1mol CaCl? *2H? O)*160g Na? CO? /1mo lNa? CO? = 1g of CaCl? *2H? O and . 72 Na? CO? Which will provide a Ca CO? Theoretical yield as : 1 g CaCl22H2O x 1 mole CaCl22H2O x 1 mol CaC03 x 100 g CaC03 =. 68 g CaCO? 147 g CaCl22H2O 1 mol CaCl22H2O 1 mol CaC03 Then double check our work: 0. 72 g Na2C03 x 1 mol Na2C03 x 1 mol CaC03 x 100 g CaC03 =. 68g CaCO? 106 g Na2C03 1 mol Na2C03 1 mol CaC03 Questions A. From your balanced equation what is the theoretical yield of your product? o. 68 g CaCO? B. According to your data table, what is the actual yield of the product? .7G C. What is the percent yield? 97% D. A perfect percent yield would be 100%. Based on your results, comment on your degree of accuracy and suggest possible sources of error. The results were off by 3% It could be from the weight to a slight change in the amount of solution. As an example some of the solution could have spilled during measuring and weighing. E. How could these errors be reduced in the future? The errors could be reduced by watching the product more closely and ensuring the scale is accurate prior to use. F. Part A- 1g CaCl? *1mol CaCl? =. 00901 mols 110. 984 .00901*110. 984/1=. 999 g CaCl? First we convert grams into mols. Then we calculate the mols into grams based on the mass of the product. Part B- . 00042 excess reagent in still remaining in solution G. The limiting reactiant is salicylic acid. The theoretical yield is . 113moles. The percent yield is 88. 9 %

Connecting Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Victoria

Connecting Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Victoria Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Victoria are the two longest-serving monarchs in British history. Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901, established many of the precedents that Elizabeth has honored since she was crowned in 1952. How are the two powerful queens related? What are their family ties? Queen Victoria When she was born on May 24, 1819, few people thought Alexandra Victoria would one day be queen. Her father, Prince Edward, was the fourth in line to succeed his father, the reigning King George III. In 1818, he wed Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, a widowed German princess with two children. Their only child, Victoria, was born the following year. On Jan. 23, 1820, Edward died, making Victoria fourth in line. Just days later, on Jan. 29, King George III died, to be succeeded by his son George IV. When he died in 1830, the next in line, Frederick, had already passed away, so the crown went William, Victorias youngest uncle. King William IV ruled until he died with no direct heirs in 1837, just days after Victoria, the heir-apparent, turned 18. She was crowned on June 28, 1838. Victorias Family Conventions of the time were that the queen must have a king and consort, and her maternal uncle had been trying to match her with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Aug. 26, 1819 to Dec. 14, 1861), a German prince who was also related to her. After a short courtship, the two were wed on Feb. 10, 1840. Before Alberts death in 1861, the two had nine children. One of them, Edward VII, became the king of Great Britain. Her other children would marry into the royal families of Germany, Sweden, Romania, Russia, and Denmark. Queen Elizabeth II   Elizabeth Alexandra Mary of the House of Windsor was born on  April 21, 1926 to the Duke and Duchess of York. Elizabeth, known as Lilibet as a child, had one younger sister, Margaret (Aug. 21, 1930 to Feb. 9, 2002). When she was born, Elizabeth was third in line to her grandfathers throne, behind her father and his older brother, Edward, the Prince of Wales. When King George V, son of Edward VII, died in 1936, the crown went to Elizabeths uncle Edward, but he abdicated in order to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American. Elizabeths father became King George VI. His death on Feb. 6, 1952 cleared the way for Elizabeth to succeed him, and become Britains first queen since Queen Victoria. Elizabeths Family Elizabeth and her future husband, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark (June 10, 1921) met a few times as children. They were married on Nov. 20, 1947. Philip, who had renounced his foreign titles, took the surname Mountbatten and became Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Together, he and Elizabeth have four children. Her eldest, Prince Charles, is first in line to succeed Queen Elizabeth II, and his sons, Princes William and Harry, are second and third in line.   The Lineages of Elizabeth and Philip The royal families of Europe frequently intermarried, both to maintain their royal bloodlines and to preserve some balance of power between the various empires. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are both related to Queen Victoria. Elizabeth is a direct descendent of Queen Victoria, her great-great-grandmother. Working backwards in time, the tie can be traced: Elizabeths father was  George VI  (1895 to 1952). He married  Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon  (1900 to 2002) in 1925, and they had two daughters, Elizabeth II, and Princess Margaret.George VIs father was  George V  (1865 to 1936), Elizabeths grandfather. He married Mary of Teck (1867 to 1953) in 1893, a German princess raised in England.George Vs father was  Edward VII  (1841 to 1910).  Elizabeths great-grandfather. He married Alexandra of Denmark (1844 to 1925), a Danish princess.Edward VIIs mother was  Queen Victoria  (1819 to 1901), Elizabeths great-great-grandmother. She married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1840. Elizabeths husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is one of Queen Victorias great-great-grandsons: Philips mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg  (1885 to 1969), married his father, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (1882 to 1944), in 1903.Princess Alices mother was Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine  (1863 to 1950), Philips maternal grandmother. Princess Victoria was married to Prince Louis of Battenberg (1854 to 1921) in 1884.Princess Victoria of Hesse and by the Rhine was the daughter of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom  (1843 to 1878), Philips great-grandmother. This Princess Alice was married to Louis IV (1837 to 1892), Grand Duke of Hesse and by the Rhine.Princess Alices mother was Queen Victoria, Philips great-great-grandmother. Further Comparisons Until 2015, Queen Victoria had been the longest-ruling monarch in the history of England, the U.K., or Great Britain. Queen Elizabeth surpassed that record of 63 years and 216 days, on Sept. 9, 2015. Both queens married princes of their own choice, quite apparently love matches, who were willing to support their reigning monarch wives. Both were committed to their duties as monarch. Though Victoria withdrew for a period when mourning her husbands rather early and unexpected death, she was an active monarch, even in ill health, until her death. As of this writing, Elizabeth, too, has been similarly active. Both inherited the crown somewhat unexpectedly. Victorias father, who predeceased her, had three older brothers ahead of him in succession, none of whom had children who survived to inherit the honor.  Elizabeths father became king only when his older brother, King Edward, abdicated when he wouldnt have been able to marry the woman he chose and remain king. Victoria and Elizabeth both celebrated Diamond Jubilees. But after 50 years on the throne, Victoria was in ill health and had only a few years left to live. Elizabeth, by comparison, continues to maintain a public schedule after a half-century of rule. At Victorias jubilee celebration in 1897, Great Britain could rightfully claim to be the most dominant empire on earth, with colonies the world over. Twenty-first-century Britain, by comparison, is a much-diminished power, having relinquished nearly all of its empire.

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 12

Marketing - Essay Example Eventually, the product got to the stage of market development where the parent company described its target market, the market share, the sales, planned value proposition, and their profit goals. Finally, McDonald carried out a business analysis on the product through a review of its profit projections, costs, and sales to define if it fits into their company objectives. After this stage, the product was pushed to the product development, where they created McLobster. They consulted specialists in seafood. Finally, McDonald performed their test marketing by bringing McLobster, as well as its marketing program, into the real market conditions. At this point, they offered McLobster to its target market at particular locations. Test marketing for a company like McDonald is quite easy since they experimented with a product like McLobster at their own restaurants by carrying out local and small promotions and offering it under â€Å"NEW† on the menu. However, McLobster was not profitable enough for McDonalds to commercialize it, although, it is given as a seasonal product (Mills 35). Cited as one of the most notorious brand missteps of all, it was launched buy Coca Cola in the mid-80s in an attempt to stay ahead of its competitors during the famous â€Å"cola wars†. It was introduced in a way that made regular coke drinkers feel like they did not matter to the company, which led to a product boycott (Haig 23). This cola was introduced in the early in 90s and had no lime/lemon flavor unlike other clear and carbonated drinks, although it also did not possess the usual flavor prevalent in colas either. The soda, despite an expensive and glitzy media campaign, failed to catch. They lost millions trying to guess at straws and have not fully recovered yet (Haig 40). This error has informed most competitors not to change acceptable norms like cola colors. This burger was launched by McDonalds at a cost estimated

Status of Women in South Africa Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Status of Women in South Africa - Term Paper Example The progressive constitution of South Africa guarantees equality for women, access to socio economic rights e.g. fair labour practices, land, housing and health as well as right to freedom from violence. Unfortunately, some of these rights are not a certainty for many women as the country has failed to put into practice and deliver on the policies that give consequence.Poverty and inequality in South Africa, is closely related to race, gender and class. According to the World Bank, the level of poverty is defined by the lack of ability to achieve a minimum standard of living, which is measured in terms of basic consumption needs or the income necessary to satisfy those needs.It has been estimated that 60% of black South Africans remain poor and live in deteriorating socio economic conditions. The unemployment rate in South Africa increased from 33% to 36.2% in the 3 years to 1999, of which 56% of the unemployed were women and the remaining 44% were men. Seven years later, in 2006, ac cording to the Household Survey, of the unemployed, more were women (31.8%) than men (23.8%). The survey also showed that the highest unemployment rate of 41.8% was among black African women.There was another survey done in 2006, the General Household Survey, indicated that 37% refers to households headed by women, and those headed by black African women tally up to 31.9%. From all these statistics, the Institute for Democracy in South Africa indicates that 80% of households headed by women have no wage earners.

Environmental protection Essay Example for Free

Environmental protection Essay Environmental protection has become a major concern for society. Admittedly, with the rapid development of economy, our environment is faced with new challenges. People increasingly attach importance to the protection. So it has been common that teachers and students discuss environmental protection in class. City planners take environmental problems into consideration as well. Factories are no exception. They begin to try reducing pollution to meet the needs of environmental protection instead of the short-term interest. The main reasons are listed as follows: firstly, the serious air and water pollution affects everyone. In addition, only by making joint efforts to protect our environment can cities survive. Last but not least, businesses to make a profit pay more attention to environmental protection for their interest in the long run. From the picture above, we can see even the communication between parents and son rely on the Internet. With the rapid development of advanced science and technology, people increasingly make full use of the Internet to communicate with each other instead of face-to-face contact. As far as I am concerned, electronic communication only partly replace face-to-face contact. Admittedly, the Internet’s being put into use widely is the inevitable result of social development. It is indispensable to our daily communication. In addition, there is no denying that the electronic communication does save plenty of time for us, we can communicate easily beyond the limit of time and place. But every cion has its two sides. People are meeting increasingly on the Internet, on television screens. Undoubtedly, it is not beneficial to the deepen the emotions and between people. We cannot express our feelings fully without face-to-face contact as well. Some body language like a hug of comfort or a kiss of love will never be express through the electronic communication. Therefore, though the electronic communication bring convenience to us, to some degree, electronic communication can never replace face-to-face contact. My View on Traffic Accidents In recent years, plenty of news about people injured or killed by cars on roads can be heard , which shows us that traffic accidents have been risen. But why are there so many such terrible events? As far as I am concerned, to begin with, it is the result of more cars are running on the roads with the development of economy. Increasing accidents follow the increasing cars. In addition, there is no denying that the road conditions sometimes cant meet  the requirement of cars. But I think the most important one point is the lack of the safety awareness. And when being drunk, most people insist driving .As we all know, quite a lot of traffic accidents are due to the drivers who drive cars after drinking. Drunk drivers mind is vague, and they cant control themselves and the car well, so they can easily get into trouble out of consciousness.

Toys :: essays research papers

Toys"R"Us INTRODUCTION In this assignment I have chosen to focus on explaining what kind of company Toys"R"Us is, giving a brief, short summary of the firms history, their corporate responsibilities, what their competitive advantages are and how they implement their strategies through retailing and merchandise. I also found it relevant to explain the market situation in the toy-industry and what the trends are, for understanding what other difficulties that are important to consider in order to survive. SHORT HISTORY In 1948, a company which totally dedicated themselves to children and their needs, was formed by Charles Lazarus in Washington DC. This was a perfect timing in relation to the post-war baby boom period, the demand for accessories for children was high, and the main purpose for the company was to carry furniture for babies. After some time, he heard customers saying phrases like "I need a toy for my baby", so he began selling toys aswell. Mr.Lanzarus tried to give his customers what they wanted he understood early that this was the best way to keep his customers. In 1957, he opened his first toy supermarket, and with specialized retailing and the off-price positioning, he revolutionized the concepts in the pre-mall and discount days. After this success, he sold his business to Interstate, which later went bankrupt. Mr.Lazarus rejoined the company and made it profitable, and in 1978 it became a public company; Toys"R"Us,Inc. DIVISION OF THE COMPANY Today, Toys"R"Us is a $11 billion dollar company and they have over 1500 stores over the whole world. The company is divided into six different divisions: Toys"R"Us US Strongly focuses on strengthening the shopping experience by providing better service and better merchandise. There are around 680 locations of Toys R Us in the US. Toys"R"Us International Is licensed, franchised and operated through over 570 locations in 29 countries outside the US Kids"R"Us Consists of more than 375 locations where children ´s clothing and toys are all under one roof, and oughts to offer all of the latest fashions and of course high quality merchandise. Imaginarium Toysrus.com Developed in alliance with Amazon.com in order to offer an online shopping service. Babies"R"Us Offers everything parents need for their babies, like furniture, bedding, car seats etc. All products can be purchased under one roof By organizing their organization into these different divisions, it gives them a competitive advantage because it makes it easier to focus in the certain areas. These divisions are very different from each other, and needs specialization in all the different aspects.

Emirates Airlines Essay

1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Aim It is vital to review the progress of business, particularly in a circumstance of rapidly changing contexts. In this regard, there are core attempts that International management needs to do in reviewing business performance. In order to respond to change effectively, the company must access its efficiency in current development direction. They need to identify their competitive advantages, position themselves and find out how competitive they are in the marketplace. As a result, management must redefine their business goals and set new strategic objectives to sustain as a Global leader in a dynamic environment. 1.2 Scope This report uses, The Emergence & Rise and Rise of Emirates Airline As a Global airline using the Emirates Airline case study. 1.3 Company Background Emirates started in 1980s as a small corporation but with big dream. In the start they reduced their services to Dubai. Emirate’s is a government own company and started off with the capital of $10 million; they started off with two planes both of them were leased from Pakistan international Airlines. It was established after Gulf Air, a regional airline then owned by Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Tim Clark, the  president of emirates, says that his airline represents the future of mass air travel. In the time economic downfall when all companies were struggling to sustain themselves, even at that time Emirates was well enough to attract customer, raised fares and consistently turned a profits. Emirates earned $925 million his last six months, which was raised up from $205 million in the previous year. To attract and sustain their customer they have put glamour in their planes, notable innovations included the introduction of in-flight personal video sys tems for passengers in all classes, telecommunications in all three classes and an in-flight fax facility. Emirates also acquired an exclusive-use terminal In Dubai airport. From its humblest startup, Emirates flew its first routes out of Dubai with just two aircraft—a leased Boeing 737 and Airbus 300 B4 in 1985 (Stanik, Smith, Erakovic, 2007). Emirates pursues its focused differentiation in a legacy airline of luxury, hi-tech, excellent quality. It has been successful and is now the Gulf’s largest carrier, one of the world’s five best airlines, and expects to become the world’s largest airline by 2015 (Hugh, 2007). Emirates one of the leading airline of the world having 15 A380s alone and expecting to add 75 more is the most successful airline. Has grown into the world’s largest airline by passenger miles flown. The reasons for its success are the competitive advantage of low cost and high quality enabled Emirates to become the leader. According to the competitors the success of Emirates is because of the support of the rulers of Dubai but Emirates do not accept this claim and they believe Emirates is a separate business unit. Until 2009 Dubai was the largest and most prosperous emirate under the UAE. However the financial crunch that led to Dubai’s bankruptcy and heavy debt has affected all nationally owned companies. The Emirates airline is no exception. However, the global economic recession has enormous impact on business. Obviously such an economic downturn affects business sustainability in several aspects such as market demand, customers’ changing preferences and behavior, financial deficits, internal resources etc. Economic recovery is uncertain. It is important that management is aware of the short-term effect and its potential medium impact on the business. Emirates must take its core competences, competitive advantages to overcome such a situation and map out strategic objectives to sustain as worlds best Global airline in the future. It has been affected nominally and a lot of  extra strategic implications were called for and like rest of Dubai, Emirates is riding this crunch. Emirates is still one of the most popular airlines in the world and it has bounced back strongly displaying strong profits The success story of Emirates Airline is a phenomenon in terms of stable growth, continuous innovation and significant global expansion. Emirates have drawn out worthy lessons to establish as a Global airline. This report will attempt to look at the competitive environment of Emirates and the macro-environmental factors affecting the airline industry. 2 Findings 2.1 Research Methodology A macro environment dissection has been spotted to audit different outside impacts on business and shed lights on future patterns that may influence the business. Dissection of Porter’s five powers will help comprehend industry rivalry and blueprint impacts on improvement of business sectors and business. Utilizing this model helps the organization manufacture a method to keep in front of these impacts. Further, the spotlight is on dissecting the earth. In inspecting the business execution and organization’s methods set up, key assets, a SWOT is fundamental. This is carried out in an exertion to assist vital administration survey how to gain by business qualities, minimize the impacts of shortcomings, benefit as much as possible from any open doors and lesson the effect of any dangers. Emirates are most likely not an ease aerial shuttle. Throughout its starting development stage, throughout the mid to late 1990’s, Emirates figured out how to secure an administration separation that was profoundly prevalent and is currently an industry standard. It was Emirates that began the utilization of an individual TV set fit behind the seat. This was popular to the point that it helped their deals massively and even gave them a solid brand picture of being individuals benevolent. Along these lines their methodology throughout that stage was to be buyer neighborly and to produce a decent brand picture. As Emirates developed, once their brand picture was secured and there was a solid Emirates vicinity in the business sector, the center of the system was to acquire piece of the overall industry at the cost of contenders. This was  to be fulfilled with most extreme scaling conceivable. This method was in fit with the necessities of the business as expressed above in the report. With the decrease in the premium travelers fragment and the proceeding with decrease circulating everywhere freight part in the current financial year, Emirates is currently starting to concentrate on the economy class travelers. This vital movement is sure and is in accordance with the current achievement considers in the business. A speedy take a gander at the movement volume of carriers is justified. As it can be inferred from the figures above, which are of 2009 travel statistics, low cost airlines like Ryan Air and EasyJet have managed to take a great chunk of passenger volume. Emirates is good compared to carriers in the Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern region but its volume is still less than some of the Anglo-European carriers. 2.2 External Environment 2.2.1 Macro Environment Analysis 2.2.1.2 Economic forces For air transport industry, interest for travel depends gigantically on financial conditions. Pride, Elliot, Rundle-Thiele, Waller, Paladino & Ferrell, (2006, p. 61) battle that â€Å"current monetary conditions and changes in the economy have a wide effect on accomplishment of associations’ promoting methodologies†. Emirates developed and created its business in The United Arab Emirates, which has a solid economy (World Fact Book, 2009). The businesses where it chose to work in are additionally influential economies of stable development (Appendix 1 shows nation GDP). Unquestionably, stable monetary development is a springboard to accomplishment of a carrier’s improvement because of expanding request in air goes by high-pay individuals for business and relaxation. Emirates recorded an expand in traveller amounts of more than 15 for every penny yearly (Stanik, et al, 2007). Late financial downturn has critical effect on the business. Air travel request has fallen significantly. A few real aerial shuttles will cut  household and global limit further in 2009 because of a falloff of about 25 – 30% throughout the last quarter of 2008 (New York News, 2009). Bisignani (2009) contends that the state of the aerial shuttle industry today is troubling. Request has weakened considerably all the more quickly in the monetary lull. IATA, which speaks to 230 aerial shuttles including British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates and United Airlines, likewise raised its gauge of universal air transport misfortunes in 2008 to $8.5 billion, from its past $8 billion evaluation, as indicated by Bisignani (2009). The business is in serious consideration (Roy Morgan, 2009). The test is the way to survive past the current emergence. 2.2.1.3 Political forces Air go between nations is by arranged understandings (Dervaes, 1998). Flying regulations between governments affect incredibly on the accomplishment of an aerial shuttle’s operations. Weismen (1990) concurs most governments have strict regulations on outside transporters to work certain courses in their nations of origin to ensure the national or assigned aerial shuttle. On account of Emirates Airlines, nonetheless, Dubai is an unprotected business. Its open skies approach helped Emirates to turn into a bearer that can contend with the world’s biggest aerial transports (Stanik et al, 2007). Emirates have developed in scale and stature not through protectionism yet through rivalry – rivalry with the continually developing number of global transporters that exploit Dubai’s open-skies approach (Stanik et al, 2007). Emirates has delighted in the profits of worldwide pieces of the pie from entering global ends, for example, America, New Zealand and Australia because of late concessions to full movement rights from the two legislatures (Stanik et al, 2007). Flying deregulation has helped carriers to create for open course entrance, passageway of air transporters, focused admissions, administration recurrence (Goetz and Sutton, 1997). Further liberalization in the business is unstoppably expanding. Thus, the playfield rivalry gets to be more exceptional. 2.2.1.4 Social and cultural Social and Cultural factors have impacts on improvement procedures. Both residential and global markets where Emirates works have society differences. Dubai, Australia, Canada, U.s.a and U.k are multi-social nations. Profits originate from a mixed bag of buyers’ patterns in agreement  to their qualities, mentality, training, religion and lifestyles. As a truth, stable incomers make occasions every year. An alternate sample shows, in U.s.a, seventy five percent of high-pay individuals take an air excursion every year (Hanlon, 1999). It is genuine in European nations where most individuals have a solid interest to go on yearly occasions. Emirates has focal points working in ends of the line where the pattern of air travel is socially enhanced.(stanik et al, 2007). Emirates has delighted in the profits of worldwide pieces of the overall industry from entering global goals, for example, America, New Zealand and Australia because of late concessions to full movement rights from the two administrations (Stanik et al, 2007). Avionics deregulation has supported aerial transports to produce for open course section, passageway of air bearers, focused tolls, administration recurrence (Goetz and Sutton, 1997). Further liberalization in the business is unstoppably expanding. Subsequently, the playfield rivalry gets to be more extreme. 2.2.1.5 Technological forces Most recent engineering is a win driver in air transport industry. The requirement for innovative advances to turn into the first mover in the business will make the focal point of picking up a greater amount of the lucrative business market (Oum, Park and Zhang, 1999). Emirates is completely mindful of this rule in maintained speculations in most recent engineering seeking after its separation in the 5-star standard carrier. Emirates’ present request book remains at 244 flying machines of the most up to date Boeing and Airbus, with an aggregate estimation of pretty nearly Us$60 billion. It is now the most youthful and will be a standout amongst the most present day armadas in overall business avionics (Emirates, n.d.). It means to be a pioneer in innovative advances, Emirates marked in-flight cell telephone scope concurrence with Aero Mobile, creating the utilization of cellular telephones locally available (M2 Communications Ltd., 2006). For a long time, Emirates has been honored various grants, for example, the world’s aerial shuttle of mechanical advances, Best Global Airline Website, Best in-flight Entertainment, Best IT designer in-flight excitement and so on. (Emirates, n.d). 2.2.1.6 Sustainability Emirates states that high fuel costs and expanding lack of regular assets are  confronting makers to make more diminutive, more eco-accommodating vehicles. Further, an unnatural weather change and environmental change have debased nature’s turf and the carrier business has been a component to a more quickly developing wellspring of nursery gas outflows (Emirates, 2008). For a long time, aerial shuttles have countered weight from tree huggers with disavowals and advertising about their green certifications (Emirates 2008). Lately, aerial transports are striving to create biofuel for their planes. It is high time that aerial shuttles need to enter a natural association with airplane developers for eco-accommodating airplanes, quieter takeoffs and landings, considerably lessening ecological effects. 2.2.1.7 Success 1. Minimal Differentiation in both administration and in operations 2. Positive connections and relationship managent with suppliers. 3. Very thoroughly out scale and Extent of operations.  4. Ensure marketing through word –of –mouth through excellent service 5. Utilise the best techniques to get a slight edge. 2.2.2 Industry Environment Analysis Porter’s Five Forces This will give a snapshot of the industry competition level (Thompson et al, 2007). 2.2.2.1Threat of new entrants: Emirates is most likely not a minimal effort carrier. Throughout its introductory development stage, throughout the mid to late 1990’s, Emirates figured out how to get an administration separation that was exceptionally prominent and is presently an industry standard. It was Emirates that began the utilization of an individual TV set fit behind the seat. This was popular to the point that it helped their deals immensely and even gave them a solid brand picture of being individuals well disposed. In this way their procedure throughout that stage was to be buyer well disposed and to produce a decent brand picture. As Emirates developed, once their brand picture was secured and there was a solid Emirates vicinity in the business, the center of the methodology was  to get piece of the overall industry at the cost of contenders. This was to be finished with greatest scaling conceivable. This methodology was in fit with the prerequisites of the business as expressed above in the report. With the decrease in the premium travellers fragment and the proceeding with decrease circulating everywhere freight division in the current financial year, Emirates is currently starting to concentrate on the economy class travellers. This key movement is certain and is in accordance with the current achievement considers in the business. A fast take a gander at the activity volume of aerial shuttles is justified. 2.2.2.2 Rivalry among established companies: Emirates rival Air France-KLM and Lufthansa, the two biggest transporters in Europe; with Cathay Pacific in Asia Pacific locale; and with United Airlines in the Americas (Hoovers, 2008). These entrenched system transporters work inside the same objectives, for example, NZ, UK, Hong Kong and America. The opposition is forceful as the worldwide business is seeing boosting development of ease carriers (Hofmann, 2007). 2.2.2.3 Bargaining power of buyers: Rivalry between organizations is powerful. Emirates may confront a risk now and in future when clients these days have a capability to make requests on their items, in term of lower costs, higher administration or item quality. In this manner, Emirates is unrealistic to display high rates of turnover about whether because of value diminishing, and putting all the more in item development (Hill et al., 2007). Bargaining power of suppliers: Boeing and Airbus are the two overwhelming flying machine makers for the world’s carriers. Requests by all aerial shuttles for the most recent airplanes are put to both of them. As a vast purchaser, Emirates still need to face the risk of paying higher costs or even conveyance delays. In addition, Emirates depends such a great amount of on these suppliers as obliged items are separated while the suppliers have high mastery. 2.2.2.4 Substitute products: Most carriers offer results of comparative peculiarities: low value, great quality and fantastic administration. In the locale, for instance, other immediate substitute items to Emirates are Qantas, Cathay Pacific, and Singapore Airlines. In this manner, Emirates will encounter challenges when most players get aggressive enough to dispatch new items internationally. A case is Virgin Blue, which propelled V-Australia for Trans-Pacific administrations in 2008 (Virgin Blue, n.d). Clients profit from a more extensive decision at their results of less expensive cost yet higher quality. 2.2.2. 5 Strategic Groups There are obviously strategic groups existing in the industry in similar markets. Examples are named: Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Air France-KLM and Lufthansa. These major players offer similar products in terms of luxury passenger package, young flyers, in-flight entertainment etc. This signifies that Emirates is aggressively competing with others. 2.2.2.6 Key Success Factors Cost competitiveness: This is crucial for a capital-serious industry, for example, aerial transports (Oum, Yu, 1999). It is basic that great directors can run operation costs at least level to build most elevated benefits. To adjust absolute operation costs, the administration must take care of the issue on expense slicing in methodology to keep gainfulness (ANZ, 1990). Economies of Scale: Emirates is entrenched with solid system unions over worldwide ends. Then again, Emirates has persistently put resources into its armada and reveled in high productivity (allude to Appendix 3). This implies the organization can expand limit while still equipped to keep up altered expenses contrasted and different players. Emirates can have admittance to worldwide markets with more noteworthy topographical scope. Therefore, this makes a high obstruction to different contestants because of high expenses and extent of business. Brand loyalty and product quality: Emirates has built up its brand and image significantly within the last two decades. More customers have become loyal and chosen Emirates when travelling from the Middle East and Europe or NZ (Stanik et al, 2007) because of high quality, product innovation and excellent service. Appropriate strategy: Emirates are differentiated as a legacy airline where advanced technology, staff skills and ancillary services are the main drivers for success. Therefore, Emirates is aware of the need for continuous innovations, not only in fleet and staff expansion but also in premium services. Emirates has been renowned for technology development and skilled staff of multi-culture backgrounds (Stanik et al, 2007). 2.2.2.7Nature of customers and market segments Market segmentation has been obviously defined: legacy airlines, low-cost and budget airlines. As a luxury and legacy airline, Emirates has determined its focused differentiation, targeting at sophisticated customers and business travelers. As its logo says: â€Å"Step aboard an interactive tour of all the elements that make up the Emirates difference, on and off the ground†¦ excellent service, outstanding comfort and superior technology† (Emirates, n d.). Industry markets have become apparently segmented. Boosting budget airlines have attracted passengers and created higher competition when customers become more price-sensitive. This requires Emirates to re-consider strategic development direction. 2.3 Internal Analysis This section will explore Emirates’ key resources in an effort to identify its SWOT and outlines how the business’s value chain is structured; what strategies it has pursued and how competitive it is, compared to competitors. Strengths Advanced engineering and consistent development Developed base restrictive terminal, nearby air terminal ground administrations, lounges Large and young fleet Stable fund ability; Competence of strategic management, know-how Skilled staff of diverse cultures Brand loyalty and good will Absolute cost advantages: low home-base work expense fuel subsidies, free neighborhood taxes Economies of scale Scope of business, in term of established value chain Weaknesses Lack of nearby gifted work, just about depended on expats Finance intensely depended on oil send out, potentially bringing about budgetary deficiency when oil value drops. Cost-concentrated business due to highly diversified value chain Home government subsidies Local economy dependence. Opportunities Higher global market expansion and entrance due to expanding deregulation and liberalization Gaining promoting profits of large size and network spread when being of consolidation Reducing competition on duopolistic routes Possible entry into low cost market penetration due to absolute cost advantages and economies of scale Threats Low-cost revolution: more intense competition Unstoppable deregulation and liberalization Consolidation and concentration within alliances Fuel price fluctuation, Uncertain recovery of economic crisis Environmental constraints: climate change, global warming, shortage of resources, air pollution 2.3.1 Tangible resources In light of latest technology and excellent service strategies, Emirates is in the forefront of the industry, owning the most modern fleet of 113 aircrafts, global markets of 100 destinations in 62 countries, over 12,800  highly-skilled staff of more than 100 nationalities and significant market share (see Appendix 3). It is undeniable that these resources are vital to Emirates’ success. Emirates has highly developed infrastructure such as home-base airport, exclusive terminal, supporting services. Further, the company’s finance is highly stable. All of these contribute to competitive advantages over competitors. 2.3.2 Intangible values: Management’s competence Staff’s skills and know-how together with strong dedication are crucial to success (Stanik et al, 2007). These can be proved through how they survived and made profits after the 9/11 event which was a crisis in the industry while other airlines announced bankruptcy or losses. Emirates was cautious about not creating over-capacity and appropriate launch of new products when and where demand and profitability are high (Stanik et al, 2007). Emirates succeeded in expanding into NZ in 2003 when this new destination saw 29 international airlines offering services to the country. This know-how and core competences can not be copied. Thus, Emirates owns a great value of its goodwill, established throughout its life. Absolute cost advantages Emirates actually obtained advantages from Dubai’s ultra-efficient airport, tax-free environment and especially low-labor costs, less than 20 per cent of its total costs while competitors struggled with that up to 35 to 40 per cent (Stanik et al, 2007). Brand Image By establishing brand associations with high- profile international events through sponsorships. Currently, some prominent sponsorships are: FIFA World Cup, Rugby Union World Cup 2011, ICC World Cup 2011, Cricket Australia, Emirates Team New Zealand, 15 international golf tournaments, horse- racing events such as the Melbourne Cup, the Singapore Derby and the Dubai World Cup, car racing, tennis, arts, culture and AFL (Collingwood) Brand loyalty Emirates has built up its brand significantly within the last two decades. More customers have become loyal and chosen Emirates when travelling from the Middle East and Europe to New Zealand and Australia (Stanik et al, 2007) in terms of high product quality, product innovation and excellent service. Economies of Scale As outlined in ‘Key Success Factors’ 2.3.3 Established Value Chain Emirates is renowned for a huge range of properties, diversified business, contributing to its full operations. Most operations are owned and run by Emirates. Dubai International Airport has exclusive Emirates Terminal 3 (Emirates, n d.). Emirates adopts vertical integration into its core business structure, incorporating diversified properties. This resembles itself through manufacturing, marketing and technology. Emirates directly operates check-in, service desks, boarding and lounge services, baggage and handling and airport push-backs (Emirates, n d.). In addition, Emirates hotels & resorts; Emirates sky cargo; Emirates aviation college for pilot and staff training; Emirates engineering centre for repair, maintenance and training; Emirates catering, incorporate business support (Emirates, n d.). These activities make up smooth operations for the airline’s success. Obviously, Emirates has a great potential to create added value through vertical integration in the value chain, defined by Hill et al (2007). As stated, there are many Emirates-branded subsidiaries and partner companies that operate in conjunction with the business. On the basis of this assessment, Emirates outweighs competitive advantages over competitors, in terms of productivity, cost efficiency and entrepreneurial management. 2.3.4 Key strategies employed Reviewing the company’s business-level strategies, its focused differentiation as a 5-star standard airline, underlines product development in terms of luxury, excellent quality and service. Emirates has proven to be a successful company exploiting this market segment with high profitability. Considering its capabilities, competences, competitive advantages and economies of scale, Emirates has decided to expand global markets on its own. Explaining to the direction of not joining a major alliance, Maurice Flanagan, Vice-Chairman, answered the company had examined and could not see any business case for it (Stanik et al, 2007). Explicitly, this indicates how strategic the management are as they consider possible impact of entering major alliances with strong competitors of similar-level economies of scale, operating within the markets and channels. Taking into consideration that it is well-established and can compete with other major players with its own competitive advantages and core competences. Emirates avoids giving away its know-how, technology and other resource values to potential competitors (Hill, et al., 2007). This becomes an example of excellent strategic management. Emirates is in stable growth stage of the industry lifecycle. The company’s strategies have been appropriate. Thus, Emirates grew at an average annual rate of 25% – one of the 20 biggest and the five most profitable airlines in the world in 2004 (Stanik et al, 2007). Appendix 3 shows revenues and profitability. 2.4 Organizational Culture at Emirates Culture is very important for emirates because emirates have employees with 32 different nationalities. It is a challenge for emirates as a company to manage this and it is a need to create a same and collaborative organizational culture. Emirates efforts for management to align and create a unified vision let alone culture, there was no unified identity and individuals were acting and reacting as individuals and hot as a cohesive force. Emirates needed a cohesive force that provided an exclusive type of service in line with the emirates philosophy, to complete their task to open its flagship property of hotels and resorts within a deadline. 3 Force Field Analysis Force Field Analysis Restraining Forces Driving Forces Restraining Forces 1. Different cultures 2. Different nationalities 3. Different backgrounds 4. Different experience and want to work 5. Work in a comfortable in which they are used to 6. Loss of status 7. Personal beliefs 8. People and Feelings Driving Forces 1. Desire to work well 2. Clear communications 3. Managers want a fully operational hotel in 4 weeks and will need to encourage 4. Persuade staff to change and develop new culture 5. Vision 6. Team work 7. Communication 8. Team work 9. Change management 10. Winning 4 Success of Emirates managing culture change Emirates use different methods and techniques for change are as follows: Culture Change Process By changing and keeping a culture use the DCP (Directive Communication Psychology) change in the organization 1. Top management committed to result without their egos. In that case management should show their commitment towards productivity 2. Try to discover different factors that are difficulty of the people, in addition to earn more money. Real issues noticeable for example impression the lack of respect between the managers and the subordinates. In addition many of them believed that their contribution was important but no body pay attention to their work. There was previously open policy from the senior management to resolve that type  of problems but nobody used it. Top management discussed that they can accepted and for immediate implementation of new programs. 3. Discover who has the positive and negative influence. In this case identified total number of positive and negative influencer. 4. Apply the DC Revolution strategy by separating the total into 2 groups. This method includes five 1 day experiential guidance, every by 1 day on spot apply and spreading of skill gained at the workshop. The process included the psychological tools on how individuals could attain their own personal emotional and life goals through their work and related their own victory as a purpose of successfully cooperating with others. In an experiential atmosphere, key influencers become alert of the effects they have had on their environment and how that has affected their lives and success. They take responsibility for their world and no longer charge others for their problems. 5. Tackle the emotional issues found in the innovation procedure this is done through creating Guiding principles that they take out from their communications with others in the organization. They expand into the delegates for the group. 6. Contain trainers on site to support in the distribution of information and put into practice into the work processes. Every key influencer works with 5 others to implement what they have find out and those 5 then work with 3 to 5 others. In core, the key influencers become the consultants and the trainers simply assist these â€Å"internal consultants† to be effective 7. Include a half-day show and appearance where the entire organization attends. The key influencers perform scenes from their work environment that all can relate to and how the difficulties are overcome with the new knowledge that everyone has attained through the program. Key influencers also present amend proposed by them and the other staff to senior management 8. Top management accepts the initiatives proposed, Because they have fallen within the guidelines that were preset by the top management in the discovery process step 2. To set this commitment, the revolutionaries prepare their Revolutionary statement of belief on a large board where everyone signs it including top management in the acceptance of the new  culture they have created 9. Grip revolutionary elections where the corporate revolutionaries choose a leader from their peers. The elections also include general and 2 reserves for each general. The purpose, to keep the revolt going by having a representative that actions the revolution initiatives and organizes the revolutionaries to implementation. They also are accountable to make sure that top management doesn’t get too â€Å"busy† in the short term to apply the guiding principles that will make the big difference in the long term. The revolution leaders are elected era and part of their accountable to maintain the honesty of the guiding principles across the organization. Consulsion 27 years after its start, Emirates has established itself as a pioneer in the airline industry and has set a benchmark for other airlines to follow.Connecting100 Destinations across 6 continents, it has emerged as one of the leading airlines in terms of fleet size, income, international passengers carried and quality of service in a relatively short span of time. With a fleet of 144 aircraft and 204 aircraft on order which include 90 Airbus A380 aircraft, Emirates has been one of the few bright spots for the sluggish aviation industry and seems well on course to achieve its aim of connecting any two destinations in the world with one stop at its hub in Dubai. When dubai`s flag carieer is born, the major airline serving Middle East cities, Dubai and other was Gulf Air, an airline which owns by the governments of Bahrain, Qutar,Abu Dhabi and Oman. However, In October 1985, Gulf Air reduced its flights to Dubai owing to the government’s Open Skies policy. Gulf Air feared that its flights to Dubai merely served as a regional feeder for bigger international airlines and the Government of Dubai refused to grant it protection from foreign competition. This step prompted the Dubai government to consider launching its own airline. Six months after a feasibility study was conducted, Emirates was officially launched. The airline started off with a fleet of 2 leased aircraft and an fledging capital of $10 million, which was not considered a significant capital to run an airline even back in 1985. The government also announced that the airline would not receive any further government funding. Few would  have given the airline a chance back in 1985. However, by 1988, Emirates had already added 12 destinations and was well on target to add many more. By the early 1990s, Emirates had established itself as one of the fastest growing airlines and was carrying over 2 million passengers annually, a figure that grew to 27.5 million in 2009. It had become increasingly evident that Emirates was a tremendous success story of the aviation industry. One factor that distinguishes Emirates from other airlines is its strong financial performance. It has registered a loss only once in its 27 year history. Despite significant expansion and investment in infrastructure, Emirates’ bottom line has been largely robust. Within 8 years of its launch, Emirates’ revenue stood at $500 million and by 1998, operating revenues had crossed the $1 billion mark. The airline announced a net profit of around AED 3.5 billion ($951.6 million) for the fiscal year 2009-2010. Despite significant economic hardships faced by the aviation industry at large, Emirates has proved to be highly profitable. Over the years, the airline has been able to build a strong brand and has developed a loyal customer base. A sizable chunk of its success can be attributed to the emergence of its hub city, Dubai as a global tourist and financial hub. As the number of tourists to the city has increased significantly over the past decade, a large number of them hav e preferred to travel by Emirates. The airline also offers attractive holiday packages and hotel stays at the Burj Khalifa to lure passengers. Emirates is often seen as a symbol of Dubai’s progress and this has also been acknowledged by Sheikh Ahmad bin Saeed Al Makhtoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of The Emirates Group, the parent company of the airline. In an interview with Gulf News, a Dubai newspaper, Sheikh Ahmad said, â€Å"Together with Dubai, Emirates has grown and prospered. Working in tandem, the city and the airline have defied expectations, building an international business and leisure destination, alongside a highly successful and profitable airline.† Emirates has also raised the bar for its competitors as far as quality of service is concerned. The airline is credited to be the first airline to introduce personal in-flight entertainment systems after it installed video systems for all seats in all classes in 1992. Emirates is also one of the few airlines that allows passengers to use cell phones to make in-flight calls. Emirates’ success also stems from its ability to offer a wide range of non-stop flights from  its hub in Dubai to destinations such as New York, Los Angeles, Sydney and Sao Paulo. Currently, it operates the most number of ultra-long-haul flights with seven flights. It also offers more seats on intercontinental routes than Air France and British Airways combined. This is a rather staggering statistic given that Emirates does not have a large home market compared to other European airlines. Another key feature of Emirates’ global presence is its continuous zeal to expand operations as adds more destinations to its already vast global network. The Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger airplane, has been a focal point of this expansion strategy. Emirates has been the largest buyer of the A380. Its $11.5 billion order for 32 A380 aircraft at the 2010 Berlin Air Show which raised its total order for the aircraft to 90 is ample testimony of its expansion plans. In addition, it also placed a $9.1 billion order for 30 Boeing 777 aircraft, which can seat over 300 passengers, at the 2010 Farnborough Air Show. The airline sees international aviation being dominated by large aircraft in the future as passengers’ preferences become more inclined towards non-stop commercial flights. It thus aims to be equipped with the capacity to handle this demand well in advance. However, the path ahead for Emirates is not entirely turbulent-free. Competitors have become increasingly wary of the airline’s progress and have often accused it of benefitting from government subsidies, a claim that Emirates has constantly denied. This accusation has prompted the airline to publish audited financial statements on its website. International carriers argue that they are unable to compete with Emirates on a level playing field. European carriers, in particular, fear that Emirates’ penchant to connect cities with long-haul flights may reduce the importance of European hubs. Lufthansa has been lobbying the German government to restrict landing rights offered to Emirates. Similarly, Canada has also restricted the carrier’s landing rights in Toronto and has refused to approve flights to Vancouver. Meanwhile, Emirates has said that international fears are unfounded and considers these recent developments to be a ploy to hinder its growth and expansion. Given, the large number of orders placed with Airbus and Boeing, Emirates will not want to be left with excess capacity when the orders are fulfilled. It can ill afford to underutilize its fleet of large aircraft and its future success will be partially dependent on the effective utilization of its capacity. Though  geo-political and economic challenges remain, Emirates seems well poised to take further leaps in the industry and consolidate its position as a leading airline. References ANZ McCaughan and Forsyth, P. 1990, Australian Airlines: Implications of Deregulation and Privatisation, Monograph Bisignani, G 2009 World’s airlines seen losing billions this year, news, retrieved 20/04/2009, Borenstein, S., â€Å"The Evolution of U.S. Airline Competition,† Journal of Economic Perspectives 6, 45-73 (1992). Brueckner, J.K. and P.T. Spiller, â€Å"Economies of Traffic Density in the Deregulated Airline Industry,† Journal of Law and Economics 37, 379-415 (1994). Brueckner, J.K., â€Å"The Economics of International Codesharing: An Analysis of Airline Alliances,† International Journal of Industrial Organization 19, 1475-1498 (2001). Cathay Pacific Airlines, n.d. Fact sheet, retrieved 18/04/2009, Doganis, R 2005, Current Challenges and the Future Shape of the Airline Industry, Airline Industry Conference Agenda – Seminar Notes, Imperial College, London. Doganis, R 2001, the Airline Business in the 21st Century, Routledge, UK. Emirates Airlines, n.d. Emirates’ Story; Fleet; Chauffeur Drive; Emirates’ Experience, Emirates News, retrieved: 20/04/2009, Hanlon, P. 1999, Global Airlines: competition in a transnational industry, 2ndedn. Butterworth Heinemann, Linacre House, Oxford. Hill, C. Jones, G. Galvin, P. and Haidar A., 2007, Strategic Management An Integrated Approach, 2nd edn, John Wiley & Son Australia, Ltd. Milton Qld. Hofmann, 2007, Airlines implement strategies to compete with low cost carriers, website news, retrieved 20/04/2009, < www.euromonitor.com> Hoovers, 2008, Industry news, retrieved 21/04/2009, Howard, S 2008, Corporate Responsibility and the Financial Crisis, Video, Commentary & Research, retrieved 20/04/2009, < http://vcr.csrwire.com/node/12017> M2 Communications Ltd., 2006, AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION Oum, T.H. Park, J.H and Zhang A. 1999, Globalization and Strategic Alliances: The case of the airline industry, Elsevier Science Ltd. Oxford, OX5 1GB Oum, T.H. Yu, C. Park, 1999, Winning Airlines, Productivity and Cost Competitiveness of the World’s Major Airlines, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Massachusetts, U.S.A Qantas Report, 2007, retrieved 20/04/2009, Stanik, A. Smith, P. Erakovic, E. (2007) â€Å"Emirates Airlines Expansion into New Zealand† in Hill et al, Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach, Wiley: Milton QLD Web Case Study Thompson, AA, Strickland, AJ and Gamble, JE 2007, Crafting and Executing Strategy, 15th edn, McGraw-Hill, New York NY 10020. Virgin Blue Airlines, n.d. Virgin Blue’s history, retrieved 16/04/2009, United Nations World Tourism Organization website, 2009, Facts & Figures, retrieved 22/04/2009, World Fact Book website, 2009, retrieved: 19/04/2009, Www.Scbrid .com for the Refrence and http://www.theconsul.org/ for conclusion.

Assignment 2: Case 3-3, Easycar.Com

Assignment 2: Case 3-3, easyCar. com 1. In Western Europe, the rental car industry is made up of many companies competing against each other, but only a handful of companies are actually dominant. According to the text, in most countries, the companies that were dominant were national or regional companies rather than companies that had a strong international presence. Many smaller companies also operated in each different country but generally only operated in a few locations. The rental car industry in Europe can be split into two segments: a business segment and a leisure segment. The text says that the business segment wasn’t very price conscious, whereas the leisure segment was very price conscious. These characteristics can influence how service is delivered in this industry because it’s difficult for a company to enter a new market if they aren’t a national or regional company and aren’t aware of what each segment wants in that market. 2. To keep prices low, easyCar only stocked one type of vehicle at each of its locations, so they didn’t have to buy multiple types of vehicle for each location. When it came to choosing where to put locations, they stayed away from the price airport spaces to avoid higher leasing costs. They also kept their physical locations to a minimum. They usually rented out space in an already existing parking garage and employees worked out of a small cubicle within the garage. Each location generally had about 150 cars, however, since their vehicles were rented 90 percent of the time, they only needed 15-20 spaces to keep the cars that weren’t rented out at the time. This kept the cost down significantly because they didn’t need to keep space for all 150 of their cars. These are just a few examples of how easyCar kept their costs down. 3. I would say that the level of quality that easyCar provided its customers was decent, but people can’t necessarily expect the best from a company that has such low prices. The thing that really got me was the fact that they gave people their vehicles with a relatively low fuel tank. Also, the fact that customers had to take a shuttle to get to the rental car area wouldn’t necessarily be a popular choice. The car was also to be cleaned thoroughly before returned and although it’s always good practice to do a quick cleanup of a rental car, not many companies require a customer to get the car detailed inside and out. These policies don’t really make me eager to use them when I’m looking for a rental car, despite the lower price. 4. EasyCar could be a viable competitor to taxis, buses and trains because of their cheap prices. In some cities, taxis are pretty expensive so if easyCar’s prices are lower, then they would likely be an option that people would choose instead. Buses and trains in Europe aren’t that expensive and trains especially can get a customer to a place they need to be pretty fast, so I’m not sure easyCar would be as much competition for them. 5. By offering cheaper prices for people who make reservations on easyCar. com, the company seemed to be looking at competing with the dominant companies. Their advertising line of â€Å"the best reason to use easyCar. com can be found at hertz. nl† would indicate that their website is better and easier to use than Hertz. To compete with companies like Hertz, they need to have lower prices but they need to have better service.

Exceptional Women Eleanor of Aquitaine and Hildegard of Bingen essays

Exceptional Women Eleanor of Aquitaine and Hildegard of Bingen essays Norman Cantor (1999) has noted that the lives of medieval women were as diverse as those of men, and that women in this era contributed to all the major movements that spelled success for an emerging European civilization. Nevertheless, women in the Middle Ages were, regardless of their position, status or birth, regarded as legitimately inferior to men and as of necessity submissive to their fathers and husbands and brothers (Weir, 2000). Even in the case of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine - wife to two kinds and mother of two more - a misstep could result in imprisonment at the behest of a husband (Cantor, 1994; Kaufman, 2002). Other women such as St. Hildegard of Bingen, who chose the religious over the secular life, may have experienced a slightly greater degree of autonomy than even a queen such a Eleanor. In both cases, however, the privileged status of these two women ensured that they would live longer, healthier, and more productive lives (including lives of the intellect) than their less well-placed peers Ordinary women in the Middle Ages could be roughly divided into three or four groups. Women born into the ruling or noble families could count on some education and also on being used as bartering chips in their families' quest for power and status. Women of the merchant classes were less free and less privileged, while women of the peasant class lived lives that were short, harsh and subservient. Women who elected to choose the religious life - or had it chosen for them by their fathers or other relatives - had many privileges as well, but limited freedom of activity (Labarge, 1986). In almost all cases, women were very much subject to the rule and domination of their male relatives before marriage or husbands after marriage; if they chose the abbey or the cloister, they accepted the rule of the Church. Even an important abbess such as Hildegard of Bingen wa...

Natural Mosquito Repellents

Natural Mosquito Repellents When I was pregnant, I wanted to avoid using toxic chemical insect repellents, yet the mosquitoes seemed to find me tastier than ever. My solution at that time was to wear what I called my DEET sheet, which was an old cotton sheet that had been sprayed with S.C. Johnsons Off! Deep Woods formula. While this was highly effective, it wasnt practical for use around kids, so I did research into safer, natural mosquito repellents. I learned that many so-called natural mosquito repellents dont repel mosquitoes (e.g., ultrasonic electronic devices), but some are backed by reputable research and really work. Key Takeaways The two ways to repel mosquitoes are to attract them away from you or to repel them directly.Mosquitoes are often repelled by plant essential oils, especially lemon eucalyptus oil.Even the best repellent may be compromised by a reaction with sunscreen, dilution in water, absorption into the skin, or evaporation into the air. Its important to re-apply repellent to maintain its effectiveness. Mosquitoes have complex methods of detecting hosts and different types of mosquitoes react to different stimuli. Most mosquitoes are active at dawn and dusk, but there are also mosquitoes that seek hosts during the day. You can avoid being bitten by making sure you arent attracting mosquitoes, using attractants to lure mosquitoes elsewhere, using a repellent, and avoiding actions that diminish the effectiveness of the repellent. Mosquito Attractants Use this list of items and activities that attract mosquitoes as a list of things to avoid or that can be used as bait to lure mosquitoes away from you. Dark ClothingMany mosquitoes use vision to locate hosts from a distance. Dark clothes and foliage are initial attractants.Carbon DioxideYou give off more carbon dioxide when you are hot or have been exercising. A burning candle or other fire is another source of carbon dioxide.Lactic AcidYou release more lactic acid when you have been exercising or after eating certain foods (e.g., salty foods, high-potassium foods).Floral or Fruity FragrancesIn addition to perfumes, hair products, and scented sunscreens, watch for the subtle floral fragrance from fabric softeners and dryer sheets.Skin TemperatureThe exact temperature depends on the type of mosquito. Many mosquitoes are attracted to the slightly cooler temperatures of the extremities.MoistureMosquitoes are attracted by perspiration because of the chemicals it contains and also because it increases the humidity around your body. Even small amounts of water (e.g., moist plants or mud puddles) will draw mosquitoes. Standing water also a llows mosquitoes to reproduce. Blood TypePerson with type O blood are more attractive to mosquitoes than those with A, B, or AB blood. This blood type is rare, but if you have a friend or family member with type O blood, mosquitoes (and the Red Cross) like them better than they like you. Natural Mosquito Repellents Its very easy to make your own natural mosquito repellent. These natural products will effectively repel mosquitoes, but they require more frequent reapplication (at least every 2 hours) and higher concentrations than DEET. Because of the differences between types of mosquitoes, products that contain multiple repellents tend to be more effective than those containing a single ingredient. As you can see, natural repellents tend to be volatile plant oils. Citronella OilLemon Eucalyptus OilCinnamon OilCastor OilRosemary OilLemongrass OilCedar OilPeppermint OilClove OilGeranium OilCatnip OilTobaccoNeem OilBirch Tree BarkPossibly Oils from Verbena, Pennyroyal, Lavender, Pine, Cajeput, Basil, Thyme, Allspice, Soybean, and Garlic Another plant-derived substance, pyrethrum, is an insecticide. Pyrethrum comes from the flowers of the daisy Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium. Things that Lower Repellent Effectiveness Despite your best efforts, you may be unintentionally sabotaging your repellents effectiveness. Mosquito repellent doesnt play nicely with: Many SunscreensDilution From Rain, Perspiration, or SwimmingAbsorption Into the SkinEvaporation From Wind or High Temperatures Keep in mind that natural does not automatically imply safe. Many people are sensitive to plant oils. Some natural insect repellents are actually toxic. Therefore, although natural repellents provide an alternative to synthetic chemicals, please remember to follow the manufacturers instructions when using these products. Source M. S. Fradin; J. F. Day (2002). Comparative Efficacy of Insect Repellents against Mosquito Bites. N Engl J Med. 347 (1): 13–18. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa011699

Information Management, Knowledge Management and Organizations Essay

Information Management, Knowledge Management and Organizations - Essay Example However, as Blaise Pascal said," We must learn our limits. We are all something, but none of us are everything." Therefore integrating the knowledge base of the entire length and breadth of the organization and the ability to utilize this collective knowledge and make it available becomes important. Knowledge management is a relatively newer concept and has been received with as much enthusiasm as well as skepticism. However, its awareness has been continually increasing. Knowledge management is the complete system of finding knowledge or creating it, storing it and using it appropriately. Although Knowledge Management is often associated with the information and technology industry, it undeniably exists in all kinds of jobs and all occupations. Argyris (1977) defines organizational learning as the process of "detection and correction of errors." In his view, organizations learn through individuals acting as agents for them: "The individuals' learning activities, in turn, are facilitated or inhibited by an ecological system of factors that may be called an organizational learning system" (p. 117). ... A learning organization needs to address a number of issues in order that it meets its targets. It addition to working with its employees as a team as well as individuals, it also needs to behave a complete management buy-in and commitment to the process. This is emphasized in the Knowledge management forum by Thomas Brextel as "Knowledge management is the management of the organization towards the continuous renewal of the organizational knowledge base - this means e.g. creation of supportive organizational structures, facilitation of organizational members, putting IT-instruments with emphasis on teamwork and diffusion of knowledge (as e.g. groupware) into place." Organizational knowledge is the sum of all the knowledge accumulated gradually over time by all its employees, collected and shared. This also means that it depends on personal knowledge as well as inclination to share that knowledge with others. "Characteristics of the work or problem situation determine the ways that information is used and assessed to be helpful (or otherwise)." (Knowing Organization, Chun Wee Choo) This is especially true that when employees are singled out for promotions and incentives based on their knowledge, the urge to share it with others becomes lesser. To counter this management should promote an environment where the employees who share tips that prove to be beneficial to organization are recognized and rewarded. In an article in CIO.com, the author also expresses a similar view that, "Linking KM directly to job performance, creating a safe climate for people to share ideas and recognizing people who contribute to the KM effort (especially those people w hose

Sponsorship generates significant marketing advantage for the sponsor Literature review

Sponsorship generates significant marketing advantage for the sponsor while it provides strong financial base for the events success - Literature review Example It is often regarded as brand messaging application that communicates standard messages across non-traditional as well as traditional media. Various promotional techniques are encompassed within this approach so as to deliver appropriate messages to end customers. Through this integrated platform a synergy is established amongst all communication channels. The concept of integrated marketing communications was originally framed by American Association of Advertising. Promotional measures which are incorporated by a firm helps to achieve set marketing campaign objectives. IMC can also be stated as a framework that defines wide array of marketing strategic roles such as advertising, public relations, sales promotions, etc. In modern world apart from maintaining desired level of quality in products or services it is also essential to enhance clarity in brand messages. The diverse set of techniques when effectively combined with communications plan enhances consistency, impact and overal l clarity. IMC or integrated marketing communication has evolved due to some shifts. The shift has occurred from low accountability, traditional, mass media to a high accountability, specialized and interactive media. In all form of business activities integration is an essential component. For instance in marketing activities, integration enables business stakeholders to work in coordination with one another. The benefits of this innovative approach can be further determined on basis of search marketing, accessibility and convenience, aggregation of information and services, social media and mobile growth. There are different marketing communication tools and sponsorship is to be focused on in this study. In present scenario sponsorship is not only beneficial for sponsors in terms of spreading brand awareness but even serves as a strong financial base for the events taking place. It is an advertising tool that is implemented in order to bring in

Ballet and Modern Dance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ballet and Modern Dance - Essay Example Several cultures around the world have also been introduced into the dance in an attempt to make it more understandable in their own context. The dance style was introduced in France by Catherine de Medici when she got married to the king of France and it was mainly performed in the royal courts. Some of the initial costumes for the dance included masks, pantaloons, various ornaments, headdresses as well as other designed outfits (Anderson, 2008). The dance steps were composed of slides, slight hops, curtsies, gentle moves and promenades. The shoes commonly used for the dance in the early times were made up of small heels to increase ease of movement. Currently, there exist three main styles of ballet namely contemporary ballet, classical ballet and neoclassical ballet. Classical ballet is a form that is deeply entrenched on the ancient ballet techniques and vocabularies. The neoclassical version deviates from the classical ballet in the sense that it has non-traditional feats as well as unusually fast moving tempos. The contemporary style is composed of the classical ballet techniques and the modern dance methods. The modern dance began in the 19th century and extended to the early 20th century in the U.S.A and Germany. This dance style was established as a means of responding directly to ballet performances through the refusal of its codified motions and the narrative forms. The modern dance consists of a wide range of styles which were defined by the various artists who took part in it. In ballet, the movements commonly known as line take various forms which include diagonal, horizontal and vertical. The vertical lines in which the dances make slight sequential jumps indicate elegance, grandeur as well as strength while the diagonal lines are signs of movements. In modern dance the lines normally adopted by the dances is horizontal line which indicates calm, placidity as well as repose. Repetition which is common phenomena in all

Important Characteristics Of The Wigig Technology Computer Science Essay

Important Characteristics Of The Wigig Technology Computer Science Essay Wireless Gigabit is an up-and-coming technology expected to enable wireless connectivity of up to 7Gbps in data, display and audio applications. The organization sponsoring this technology is the Wireless Gigabit Alliance. Features of Wigig: Some of the important characteristics of the Wigig technology are listed below: Wigig is capable of providing a wireless network which its speed is up to 7Gbps, while the fastest current 802.11n has theoretically the highest speeds up to 600Mbps. WiGig is operated at 60GHz which allows a wider channel and supports super-fast transfer speeds. It can transfer data between 1Gbps to 7Gbps, 60 times more than Wi-Fi. Wigig can be able to support the Tri band devices. WiGig is a multi-gigabit communication technology which is an ideal standard for the use of streaming HD video so it can display full 1080 pixels of the PC to the TV via a wireless network. How does Wigig works: Wigig will primarily be used within a single room to provide wireless connectivity between home entertainment equipment. It will enable very fast data transfers and streaming media which is 10 times faster than the old wireless technologies, in addition to wireless connections for cameras, laptops. Deliverables Technical Issues Current and future expectations of WiGig deployment. Types of challenges or difficulties are there related to WiGig implementations. Kinds of organisations might need these new standards. Security Issues Discuss and analyse the security issues that might arise due to wide deployment of WiGig Alliance. (802.11 security issue and the Galois/Counter Mode of the AES encryption algorithm) Discuss and analyse cross layer security framework in Wireless LAN deployment. Is that framework will improve security in WLAN or not. Technical Issues Current Wigig deployment The industry standard relevant to Wigig is IEEE 802.11ad. Draft 1.0 of the specification was published in Jan 2011. Per the draft standard, signals will occupy the unlicensed 60 GHZ frequency band and all 802.11 ad-compliant devices will provide backward compatibility with 802.11 standard. As a result, tri-band devices will operate at 2.4, 5.0 and 60 GHz. The Wigig specification includes main features to maximize performance, minimize implementation complexity and cost, enable backward compatibility with existing Wi-Fi and provide advanced security. Key features include: Support for data transmission rates up to 7 Gbps. Wigig operates at 60 GHz band that means it has much more spectrum available, the channels are much wider, enabling multi-gigabit data rates. Wigig defines 4 channels, each 2.16 GHz wide which is 50 times wider than the channels available in 802.11n. Seamless switching between 2.4/5/60 GHz bands Based on IEEE 802.11, Wigig provides native Wi-Fi support and enables devices which has tri-band radios to be able to transparently switch between 802.11 network operating in any frequency band including 2.4/5/60 GHz Support for beamforming, a technology which maximize the signal strength and enable robust communication at distances beyond 10 meters. WiGig is integrated a technology, called Beamforming. It allows the radio beam is shot to the right target with the best performance; minimize waste in the process of transmission. Thus, WiGig uses energy more efficient than traditional Wi-Fi connection. Beamforming employs directional antennas to reduce interference and focus the signal between two devices into a concentrated beam. This allows faster data transmission over longer distances. Beamforming is defined within the PHY and MAC layers. During the beamforming process, two devices establish communication and then fine-tune their antenna settings to improve the quality of directional communication until there is enough capacity for the desired data transmission. The devices can quickly establish a new communications pathway using beams that reflect off walls when an obstacle blocks the line of sight between two devices or if someone walks between them. http://genk2.vcmedia.vn/N0WoyYblO3QdmZFKPMtKnadHAHTevz/Image/2012/04/2_6a565.jpg Advanced security using the Galois/Counter Mode of the AES encryption algorithm. AES-GCM is an authenticated encryption algorithm designed to provide both authentication and privacy. Developed by David A McGrew and John Viega, it uses universal hashing over a binary Galois field to provide authenticated encryption. GCM was designed originally as a way of supporting very high data rates, since it can take advantage of pipelining and parallel processing techniques to bypass the normal limits imposed by feedback MAC algorithms. This allows authenticated encryption at data rates of many ten of Gbps, permitting high grade encryption and authentication on system which previously could not be fully protected. Different types of layers take part in the working of the wireless gigabit technology, physical layer (PHY) deals with all the devices of low and high power and maintain the status of communication. Protocol adaption layers (PALs) are being developed to support specific system interfaces including data buses for PC peripherals and display interfaces for HDTVs, monitors and projectors. Supplements and extends the 802.11 Medium Access Control(MAC) layer and is backward compatible with the IEEE 80211 standard Power Management Wigig devices can take advantage of a new scheduled access mode to reduce power consumption. Two devices communicating with each other via a directional link may schedule the periods during which they communicate; in between those periods, they can sleep to save power. 802.11 ad draft standard is compared to other wireless technology http://images-news.easyvn.net/upload/2011/12/08/article/cong-nghe-khong-day-60-ghz-cho-docking-usb-hdmi_3.jpg Wigig in future WGA has announced the launch of a new wireless connection standard, Wigig 1.1 ready for certification. The Wigig 1.1 is added 2 new PALs specifications, the Wigig Display Extension (WDE) and Wigig Serial Extension (WSE) to supplement the previously published Wigig Bus Extension (WBE) and MAC/PHY specifications. Structure of Wigig Wigig is defined in 2 layers based on IEEE 802.11. They are Physical and Medium Access Control layers. These layers enable native support for IP networking over 60Ghz band. They make simpler and less expensive to produce devices that can communicate over both Wigig and existing Wi-Fi using tri-band radios (2.4GHz, 5GHz and 60 GHz). http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2390/5791077356_c2146fb4f0.jpg Physical Layer The physical layer of the 802.11 ad standardized 2 wireless data exchange techniques: Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) Single carrier (SC) The 802.11ad divides the 60GHz band into four 2.16 GHz wide channels. Data rates of up to 7 Gbits/s are possible using OFDM with different modulation schemes. A single channel version for low power operation is available and can deliver a speed up to 4.6 Gbits/s. These wide channels enable WIgig to support applications that require extremely fast communication, such as uncompressed video transmission. The PHY in 802.11ad is split into Physical Layer Convergence Protocol (PLCP) and the Physical Medium Dependent (PMD) sub layers. The PLCP parses data units transmitted/received using various 802.11 media access techniques. The PMD performs the data transmission/reception and modulation/demodulation directly accessing air under the guidance of the PLCP. The 802.11 ad MAC layer to great extend is affected by the nature of the media. For instance, it implements a relatively complex for the second layer fragmentation of PDUs. Medium Access Control (MAC) layer Wigig shares MAC layer with existing 802.11 networks enables session switching between 802.11 networks operating in the 2.4 GHz, 5GHz and 60 GHz bands, resulting in uninterrupted wireless data communications. The 802.11 ad MAC layer has been extended to include beamforming support and address the 60 GHz specific aspects of channel access, synchronization, association and authentication. Protocol Adaption Layer (PALs) PAL is a layer added to network transmissions to help adapt to older standards. It allows wireless implementations of key computer and consumer electronics interfaces over 60GHz Wigig networks. The version 1.0 A/V and I/O protocol adaption layer (PAL) specifications have been developed to support specific system interfaces including extensions for PC peripherals and display interfaces for HDTVs, monitors and projectors. The Wigig Bus Extension (WBE) Define high-performance wireless implementations of widely used computer interfaces over 60GHz. Enable multi-gigabit wireless connectivity between any two devices, such as connection to storage and other high-speed peripherals The Wigig Display Extension (WDE) Support wireless transmission of audio/visual data Enable wireless DisplayPort and other display interfaces that include the High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection 2.0 feature. Offers key A/V applications, such as the transmission of lightly compressed or uncompressed video from a computer or digital camera to an HDTV, monitor or projector. http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/2195/fig2m.jpg Modulation Coding Scheme (MCS) The specification supports two types of modulation and coding schemes, which provide different benefits. Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) supports communication over longer distances with greater delay spreads, providing more flexibility in handling obstacles and reflected signals. The single carrier, suited to lower applications, achieves a data rate up to 4.6 Gbits/s, while OFDM enables 7 Gbits/s. Usage Models Wigig has a high compatibility and is used for many purposes. Wigig can act as an alternative method which is used for replacing old connectivity standards such as: USB, DisplayPort, PCIe and HDMI. In addition, it is backward compatible with most devices which using 802.11 connectivity in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. The main function of Wigig is to connect home entertainment devices together tablets, smartphones, PC, TV and more. http://images-news.easyvn.net/upload/2011/12/08/article/cong-nghe-khong-day-60-ghz-cho-docking-usb-hdmi_2.jpg Challenges or difficulties are there related to WiGig implementations. The biggest technical challenge is that these networks will operate in much higher frequencies, around 60 GHz. The higher the frequency is, the greater the propagation loss over distance. Another challenge is 60 GHz radio are absorbed by wood, bricks, human body and particularly paint are far more opaque to 60 GHz waves. Thus, Wigig is most suitable for in-room applications. Attenuation of various materials by frequency Besides that, the beamforming of compliant equipment needs to be within line of sight of receiving devices in order to work well. Even a person stepping between two communicating devices can break the signal. With these weaknesses, they will prevent Wigig from being implemented popularly in the future. Moreover, most today devices only support 802.11 a/g/n; it will take time to replace all these devices with new devices which support 802.11ad standard. Kinds of organisations might need these new standards WiGig is a multi-gigabit communication technology which is an ideal standard for the use of streaming HD video so it can display full 1080 pixels of the PC to the TV via a wireless network. In addition, its speed is up to 7 Gbps which is very useful for so many organizations such as: Multimedia organization (newspapers, advertisement, movie) Financial organization (Bank, office, tax) Education organization (TAFE, university) Medical organization (Hospital) IT organization (Intel, Dell, Apple etc.) Government Military Security Issues Due to Wigig is based on IEEE 802.11 standards; it has the same security issues with 802.11 a/b/g/n. Easy to access Wireless LANs are easy to find. To enable clients to find them, networks must transmit Beacon frames with network parameters. The information needed to join a network is also the information needed to launch an attack on a network. Beacon frames a not processed by any privacy functions, which means that your 802.11 network and its parameters are available for anybody with an 802.11 card. Attackers with high-gain antennas can find networks from nearby roads or buildings and may launch attacks without having physical access to your facility. Solution: Enforce Strong Access Control Ensuring that wireless networks are subject to strong access control can mitigate the risk of wireless network deployment. Networks should place access points outside of security perimeter devices such as firewalls, and administrators should consider using VPNs to provide access to the corporate network. Strong user authentication should be deployed, preferably using new products based on the IEEE 802.1x standard. 802.1x defines new frame types for user-based authentication and leverages existing enterprise user databases, such as RADIUS. Rogue Access Points Easy access to wireless LANs is coupled with easy deployment. When combined, these two characteristics can cause headaches for network administrators and security officers. Any user can run to a nearby computer store, purchase an access point, and connect it to the corporate network without authorization. Rogue access deployed by end users poses great security risks. End users are not security experts, and may not be aware of the risks posed by wireless LANs. Many deployments that have been logged and mapped by war drivers do not have any security features enabled, and a significant fraction have no changes from the default configuration. Solution: Regular Site Audits Like any other network technology, wireless networks require vigilance on the part of security administrators. The obvious way to find unauthorized networks is to do the same thing that attackers do: use an antenna and look for them so that you find unauthorized networks before attackers exploit them. Physical site audits should be conducted as frequently as possible. Unauthorized Use of Service Several war drivers have published results indicating that a clear majority of access points are put in service with only minimal modifications to their default configuration. Unauthorized users may not necessarily obey your service providers terms of service, and it may only take one spammer to cause your ISP to revoke your connectivity. Solution: Design and Audit for Strong Authentication The obvious defence against unauthorized use is to prevent unauthorized users from accessing the network. Strong, cryptographically protected authentication is a precondition for authorization because access privileges are based on user identity. VPN solutions deployed to protect traffic in transit across the radio link provide strong authentication. MAC Spoofing and Session Hijacking 802.11 networks do not authenticate frames. Every frame has a source address, but there is no guarantee that the station sending the frame actually put the frame in the air. Just as on traditional Ethernet networks, there is no protection against forgery of frame source addresses. Attackers can use spoofed frames to redirect traffic and corrupt ARP tables. At a much simpler level, attackers can observe the MAC addresses of stations in use on the network and adopt those addresses for malicious transmissions. Attackers can use spoofed frames in active attacks as well. In addition to hijacking sessions, attackers can exploit the lack of authentication of access points. Access points are identified by their broadcasts of Beacon frames. Any station which claims to be an access point and broadcasts the right service set identifier (SSID, also commonly called a network name) will appear to be part of an authorized network. Attackers can, however, easily pretend to be an access point because nothing in 802.11 requires an access point to prove it really is an access point. At that point, the attacker could potentially steal credentials and use them to gain access to the network through a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack. Solution: Adopt Strong Protocols and Use Them Using methods based on Transport Layer Security (TLS), access points will need to prove their identity before clients provide authentication credentials, and credentials are protected by strong cryptography for transmission over the air. Session hijacking can be prevented only by using a strong cryptographic protocol such as IPsec. Using strong VPN protocols which require the use of strong user authentication with 802.1x. Traffic Analysis and Eavesdropping 802.11 provides no protection against attacks which passively observe traffic. The main risk is that 802.11 does not provide a way to secure data in transit against eavesdropping. Frame headers are always in the clear and are visible to anybody with a wireless network analyser. Security against eavesdropping was supposed to be provided by Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). However, it protects only the initial association with the network and user data frames. Management and control frames are not encrypted or authenticated by WEP, leaving an attacker wide latitude to disrupt transmissions with spoofed frames. Solution: Perform Risk Analysis When addressing the threat of eavesdropping, the key decision is to balance the threat of using only WEP against the complexity of deploying a more proven solution. If wireless LAN is being used for sensitive data, WEP may very well be insufficient for your needs. Strong cryptographic solutions like SSH, SSL, and IPsec were designed to transmit data securely over public channels and have proven resistant to attack over many years, and will almost certainly provide a higher level of security. Key Problems with WEP Repeat in key stream which allows easy decryption of data for a moderately sophisticated adversary. Weak implementation of the RC4 algorithm leads to an efficient attack that allows key recovery Subject to brute force attacks (Short Keys) Easily compromised keys (Shared keys/No Key management) Message modification is possible No user authentication occurs Subject to Man in the Middle attacks WPA Benefits Improved Cryptography Strong Network access control Will Support 802.1x, EAP, EAP-TLS, Radius, and Pre-Placed Keys Key Management Replay Protection Provides for data and header integrity Flaws While (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) TKIP (a message integrity check algorithm is to verify the integrity of the packets) Michael significantly improve WEP security, design limitations result in cryptographic weaknesses. Limitations of Michael to retrieve the keystream from short packets to use for re-injection and spoofing. WPA2 Benefits Strong Cryptography Support for Legacy Equipment Strong Network Access Control Will Support 802.1x, EAP, EAP-TLS, Radius, and Pre-Placed Keys Key Management Replay Protection Provides for data and Header Integrity Roaming Support Security issue There is a flaw that was discovered. It is called WPS (wireless protected setup); it is the little initial setup that most new/newer routers come with. The WPS is a button which we need to hit when we want to initially set up connection. That is the security flaw thats used now to crack wpa/wpa2. There is a free program to exploit this flaw (reaver) and it has about a 100% success rate in cracking wpa/wpa2. Galois/Counter Mode (GCM) GCM is a block cipher mode of operation providing both confidentiality and data origin authentication. It was designed by McGrew and Viega. Benefits Support communication speeds of 10 Gbps Provides strong encryption based on the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) Be able to implement in hardware for performance and efficiency Security Issues GCM provides no message authentication There are some security issues if GCM mode is used incorrectly. GCM is not suited for use with short tag lengths or a very long message. The user should monitor and limit the number of unsuccessful verification attempts for each key. It is strongly recommended to use all 16 bytes for the tag, and generally no less than 8 bytes. The same length of tag must always be used for a given key. The initialization vector (IV) must be unique for each operation for a given key. Security is destroyed for all text encrypted with the same key if the IV is used for different plaintext. Using 12 bytes randomly generated IV is ok and so is a counter that is controlled over so that it can never be repeated. Cross layer security framework in Wireless LAN deployment Cross-layer design appears to be a suitable approach for future contributions in the framework of WLANs able to address emerging issues related to ever-higher performance, energy consumption, mobility. The single layer security is often inefficient and inadequate for provisioning secure data transmission in WLAN. In generally, the security of a network is determined by the security it has over all the layers. Thus, the cross-layer security framework needs to be proposed in WLAN. The security framework may support many components like intrusion detection system, Trust framework and adapted link layer communication protocol. In order to carry out practical cross-layer security framework in WLAN, we need to follow: Component based security: Security measures must be provided to all the components of a protocol stack as well as to the entire network. The developers should focus on securing the entire network. Robust, simple and flexible designs: Security mechanisms should construct a trustworthy system out of untrustworthy components and have the capability to detect and function when need arises. This should also support scalability. Various types of active and passive attacks have been recorded in WLAN A denial of service (DoS) attack: In DoS attack, a malicious node could prevent another node to go back to sleep mode which in turn causes battery depletion. Eavesdropping and invasion: If no sound security measures are taken, invasion becomes fairly an easy task due to wireless communication. An adversary could easily extract useful information from the unattended nodes. Hence, a malicious user could join the network undetected by impersonating as some other legitimate node, to have access to secret data, disrupt the network operations, or trace the activity of any node in the network. Physical node tampering leading to node compromising. Forced battery exhaustion of a node. Radio jamming at the physical layer. There are some types of cross-layer security Cross-layer security design for intrusion detection All approaches pertaining to intrusion detection schemes have been focused on routing and MAC protocols. The existing secure protocols or intrusion detection schemes are normally presented for one protocol layer. So, the effect of these schemes is sandwiched to attacks to a particular layer. They are seldom effective to attacks from different protocol layers; however, security concerns may arise in all protocol layers. It is necessary to have a cross-layer based detection framework that consolidates various schemes in various protocol layers. Cross-layer security design for power efficiency As previously mentioned, energy conservation is one of the primary concerns for sensor networks design, so it should be considered across protocol layers from the beginning stage through subsequent stages of the design to achieve the trade-off between energy consumption, network performance and complexity, and maximize the longevity of the entire network. Our cross-layer approach can achieve this while providing network security provisioning. For instance, the carrier detection is responsible for DoS attacks. A detrimental or malicious node can exploit then interplays in MAC layer to frequently request for channels. This not only prohibits other nodes from connecting with the destination, but also can deplete its battery energy due to frequent responses. To overcome this issue, the information can be collected from other layers and the detrimental node can be recognized and then be limited or isolated. Conclusion After analysing the security risks of WLAN and investigating the advantages of cross-layer security framework, I believe that the cross-layer design is a unique candidate to improve security in WLAN. Summary Wigig or 802.11ad based on the 802.11 standard is a new wireless technology which provides data rates up to 7Gbps over the unlicensed 60 GHz. It will primarily be used within a single room to provide wireless connectivity between home entertainment equipment. It will enable very fast data transfers and streaming media which is 10 times faster than the old wireless technologies. However, Wigig still has some challenges which are the limitation of propagation loss and distance. That is why it can primarily be used within a room or an office. But Wireless Gigabit Alliance claimed that Wigig can be used beyond 10 meters by using beamforming technology in the near future.