Jamaica Essays (2148 words) - Parishes Of Jamaica, Jamaica

Jamaica The country of Jamaica has an ideal location. Located just south of Cuba, it is the third largest island in the Caribbean Sea with 10,990 km?. Although the capital is Kingston, there are many other important centers of trade and business. The official language is English and the major religion is Protestantism. Transportation in Jamaica connects the entire country and movement thought out the island is very easy. There is a coastal highway traveling the whole coast. Air Jamaica and cruise ships make traveling to and from the island very easy. But despite all of the joys, there are very serious human-environmental interactions present. Mining on the island causes serve pollution and soil erosion. Most of the natural rainforest is destroyed. But the many beautiful beaches seem to make all of the worries disappear. I. History The history of Jamaica starts at about 1000 AD when a Tiano tribe called the Arawaks crossed the Caribbean Sea in canoes to settle on the island. The Arawaks lived in simple villages, relying on fishing and hunting for substance. They lived there peacefully for 500 years until Columbus landed at Discovery Bay in 1494. The contact with the Spanish was very traumatic to the Arawaks. Within 70 to 100 years of first contact, the entire Arawaks population was eliminated, leaving only a few artifacts behind. With the natural inhabitants gone, the Spanish had unlimited control over the island. Since the island had no rich abundant gold sources, it meant little to the Spanish Crown. Instead, Jamaica was used as a base in which to launch attacks on the rest of the Americas. The population of Jamaica, even its capital Santiago de la Vega (now Spanish Town) never grew very large and was easy to capture. The British, after failed to capture Hispaniola, needed a solid base in the Caribbean. So in 1655, Admirals Penn and Venables attacked the sparsely defended island of Jamaica. Having little importance to the Spanish at this point, the British had no trouble seizing the island and establishing Port Royal (near modern day Kingston) as the capital. This would turn out to be a pivotal moment in Jamaica's history. The British brought in large numbers of slaves to the area, needing thousands of hands to work the newly developing sugar plantations. In a short time, Jamaica turned into the "?jewels of the English crown'" (Essix). Many port cities back in England that serviced trade to Jamaica, as well as the slave traders and plantation owners all prospered during this time. The capital city of Jamaica was moved to modern day Kingston in 1703 when Port Royal was burned down 1838 saw great changes in Jamaica. That year the slaves were emancipated and the whole structure of society began to crumble. The slaves soon left the plantations to do substance farming. The tension between the plantations owners and the representatives from England began to grow. Several riots broke out and many plantations struggled to pay the wages of the workers. The riots continued until 1962 when Jamaica was granted political independence. A socialist government was soon elected, which led to immediate U.S. blockades. However, the 1980's began a period of a more conservative government for Jamaica. II. Population Jamaica is a sparsely populated country of 2,600,000 people. These 2.6 million people live on 10,990 km?, for a population density of about 1 acre per person. This gives Jamaica the distinction of being a developed countries and being not being overpopulated. However, in some places of Jamaica, especially along the coast, the cities are overcrowded. The largest city is Kingston with a population of 600,000 followed by Spanish Town, Portmore, Montego Bay and others (see graph 6). Still the largest percentage of people live in rural areas. However, many rural farmers are moving to the cities in search of work. Jamaica has many ethnic groups living with its boundaries. The largest group, about 75% of the population, are descendants of the slaves brought to Jamaica in the 1800's. Another large percentage of the population is composed of descendants of the European settlers from around the same time period. Over time, small percentages of people from East India and China have settled in Jamaica. The 1940's to 1970's saw a large emigration pattern out of Jamaica to the United States. As many as 465,000 Jamaicans left to help in the reconstruction of the States' economy after World War II. Since that time, no large scale immigration or emigration has occurred within the Jamaican population. The average male in Jamaica has a life

Macbeth Essays (587 words) - Characters In Macbeth, Free Essays

Macbeth Essays (587 words) - Characters In Macbeth, Free Essays Macbeth Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep (2, 2, 47) These are words speaking of an evil person. As much of the play Macbeth is about. The play starts with evil, the three witches burrying different wierd objects. As well as throughout the majority of the play, evil is the basis of all within this story. The blood in this story is evil. And I dont mean the blood which pours from a dying king. I mean blood in the sense of gore, and violence. The whole play it self is full of fights. The plot goes from a fight to a scence that plans a fight, to a fight, to a scene with more planning or reflection. Its a viscious cycle in this play. Its all violence. I suppose that would be ok if your making an action movie staring Arnold Schwarzeneger, but this is supposed to be a classic, a tragedy, the only tragedy was that it sucked. A playwrite such as Shakespeare wouldnt have wrote a play of just violence. He actually has good content in his plays. Although there is a bit of good content in this play. Theres just no transition of it within the play. It hardly makes any sense. All of this further makes me believe that there are scenes missing. The witches are pure evil as well. they are the ones who filled Macbeths head with all these visions of power. Which in turn transformed Macbeth into a psychotic killing machine. Before he met the witches, he was an innocent warrior, an honorable fighter of the king. But once the witches filled him with greed, he no longer was a loyalist of the king. He in a short period of time pulled a hundred and eighty degree turn and did the furthest thing from loyal he possibly could of done to the king, he killed him in his sleep. And if that isnt evil enough, he blamed it on two loyal, innocent gaurds, and slaughtered them on the spot. Lady Macbeth is as well pure evil. She is the persuassion behind Macbeth. He would never of murdered Duncan if Lady Macbeth hadnt persuaded him to. Macbeth was too full o the milk of human kindness. Perhaps Macbeth would have received the throne loyaly and honorably to begin with. Many times Macbeth had tried to back down from killing Duncan, but Lady Macbeth wouldnt of let that happen. She made fun of him, called him down. She did what was necessary to keep him from chickening out. Perhaps Macbeth did whatever she told him to because of sex. Lady Macbeth certainly is made out to be a very sexy woman in the play. She may have used her powers of sex to persuade her husband to perform the irreversible deeds. The murder of Duncan caused a chain effect on Macbeth, making it necessary (in Macbeths eyes) to kill Banquo, Macduffs wife and children, and all the other innocent casualties. Although there are many evil objects in this play, the most evil of them all is greed. No matter who was more influenced by this power, Lady Macbeth to become queen or Macbeth to become king, it caused this whole predicament. If Macbeth didnt care at all about becoming the king, he probably wouldnt have murdered Duncan to become king, and to later have his life fall apart. Throughout the play Macbeth, there were many very evil people, places, and things. The evil in in the play was a domino effect. Starting with the withches, and ending with Macduff taking Macbeths head. The evil, be it the witches, his wife, or greed, ended it with a blood bath of revenge.

Web accessibility and the Internet - Cultural Issues Essay - 1

Web accessibility and the Internet - Cultural Issues - Essay Example The general perception of the internet based information dissemination is often mixed. Some of them are of the view that these initiatives could bring significant benefits to the viewers while the other group are of the opinion that the internet medium could be very "annoying or intrusive" (Pacheco, 2008). Most of the commercial operators opinion that t he internet based operations would be the future gold mine. Also, the viewers feel that the medium of the internet gives them an unique opportunity to get any information in the most quicker and cost effective manner. The studies that explores the importance of views and reactions on the acceptability of internet and web content would certainly help to initiate steps to enhance the teachability of wen content. This exercise is inevitable considering the potential applications the internet have in all the vital domains of human interaction. The studies have been undertaken extensively to assess the qualitative features of the web content that primarily results in their acceptability. On the research undertaken to analyze the aforementioned factors considering the web advertisement as the core aspect have given significant information. The factors like the volume of the content, the type of graphical illustration, the gender and age of viewers, colour and type of fond and artwork are considered in the investigation. The opinion from one such researcher was on the impact that the animation pictures have on the viewers (Zhang, 2006). The researcher was of the opinion that the animation always created displeasure among the viewers as even if the viewer is not inclined to see them they were forced to observe the content. But on the aminated banners positioned on the internet sites it was observed that these had resulted in the quicker reaction times and faster recall than the

Historiography of Historains of a historical event Essay

Historiography of Historains of a historical event - Essay Example The more powerful amongst them built their own pyramids, some of them eliciting praises for the structures made with scientific and mathematical precision that defies human capabilities today. Egypt is based on five thousand years of history. This is where civilization began. The histories of Babylonia, Assyria, the Greeks and the Romans will be incomplete without Egypt. The Jewish, Christians and Islamic religions have their bases in Egypt. For over two thousand years, the mention of the name Egypt evoked strong feelings of recognition and respect. But the kingdom did fall into difficult times. Changes were occurring elsewhere and the monarchs who ruled in between could not face the onslaught of the marauding Hyksos. Also, internal strife led to civil wars. The obsession with the construction and maintenance of the pyramids was depleting the once-grand resources of Egypt. Gradually, the society that ventured out from its territories and established its power beyond its borders began to feel the effects of want. These factors combined to leave the majestic empire tottering and to its ultimate demise. The glory and tragedy is not limited to the political and militaristic prowess and its decline in Egypt. It is the overall scenario of disharmony and lethargy in the country that did it in. Strong external pressures and inner turmoil finally put paid to their vaunted positions on a number of occasions. However, Egypt kept rising after every fall. Nonetheless it was finally conquered by the Greeks and thereafter never rose again to their former glory. The story begins in 3200 B.C. with the unification of the Upper and Lower Egypt. This was the time when the 1st and 2nd dynasties consolidated the kingdom for the 3rd dynasty. The construction of the pyramids in Giza began with the 3rd dynasty. The history of Egypt is incomplete without the pyramids. The pyramids provide the fascination and weave the chain of events in the history of Egypt.

The importance of Early Childhood professions Essay

The importance of Early Childhood professions - Essay Example Century-old studies of psychologists and researchers and theorists like Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson and Jean Piaget, served as catalysts to the evolution of professions that specifically cater to the needs of infants, toddlers and young children. In addition to the rise in the demand of professionals in childhood settings, there have been trainings and programs that were designed to meet the needs of such professionals in order to perform their jobs well. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is one of the organizations that cater to the needs of individuals seeking to be in an early childhood profession. It has seen the necessity of training children as early as infancy and has gathered people with a passion to reach out to parents and children. Its main objectives are to facilitate professional development of individuals working for and with young children of zero to eight years and to improve public understanding and support for high quality early ch ildhood programs (naeyc.org, 1993). For this reason, there arose a number of programs that were improved as the years passed, to adjust to the changing needs of families and children. Whether the programs offered were established by private or government entities, the main goal had been to provide quality assured services to both parents and children in the crucial learning stages of the children. Child care, a job understandably from the name itself, involves a professional in the care of children. This job often requires a full day schedule that is synchronized with the parents’ working schedules to enable them to do their own jobs. Facility licensures are given to child care centers, provided by state departments of human services as the regulating body. Following the requirements, centers should prepare their staff and qualify them through trainings on how to handle clients. However, since child care takes just common sense to perform one’s job, the trainings are n ot strictly implemented. Rather, applicants with no previous experience are hired and learn important lessons as they work from day to day. Nevertheless, institutions should have the initiative to hire trained staff or train their own employees to further the quality of their services. This will not only satisfy clients but will also make a lasting impression that could make the institution last. Ellen Frede emphasized the result of studies that have found that staff members with more formal schooling or specialized training are more attentive and nurturing in their behavior toward children (1995), which is sought by most parents. In the case of family child care homes, registration as required by law should be followed (naeyc.org). Child caregivers basically attend to he basic needs of the children. For instance, they should feed and let them rest at the right time. Bathing and clothing the children can also be a part of their duties and responsibilities when the circumstances dema nd so. During waking hours, it is the responsibility of the child care provider to ensure the child’s security especially during play. Another profession to look at in this particular setting is the early childhood education (ECE). It is assumed to promote children’s social and educational development. This program is not like the child care program which requires a full d

Synthesis of Polyelectrolyte Pani Membrane

Synthesis of Polyelectrolyte Pani Membrane SYNTHESIS OF POLYELECTROLYTE PAni MEMBRANE BYÂ  PHASE INVERSION AND ITS CHARACTERIZATIONS NURUL IZZATI IZNI BT MAT YUSOFF INTRODUCTION During the last few decades, the application of membrane based separation is the leading technology as one of the alternatives used in separating and removal of organic solvents. Moreover, it holds a significant commercial impact in several areas including water and wastewater treatment, chemical, food industries, pharmaceuticals, petrochemical related industries and bioseparation areas (Javed Alam et al., 2012). However, membrane-based separation processes are comparatively new in the field of separation which makes current membranes have limitations that hinder their wide used in aggressive solvents. The situation has led many studies in order to develop this membrane-based technology. Amongst the new generation of intrinsically conducting polymer, polyaniline (PAni) membranes have captured the intense attention of scientific community and one of the promising candidates. PAni is a polymer which poorly soluble in almost all solvents and has been widely known due to its conductive properties. Most important, it is easy to synthesize this polymer and it has an interesting doping and dedoping characteristics. However, the high yield of PAni demands several essential conditions. In order to obtain a higher quality polymer product, highly pured monomers, chemicals and solvents are needed. Besides, a strict control on polymerization conditions are needed since the small variation in the polymerization conditions might alter the nature of the product (Sadia Ameen et al., 2011). From the previous study, there are many research have been done in order to produce a stable and useful PAni membrane in nanofiltration. Most of the researches focused on synthesize, membrane fabrication and doping/dedoping of PAni membrane. However, the study on PAni membrane can be expand more instead of those previous research. The stability and performance of PAni membrane on polyelectrolyte coating should be done to further this study. Polyelectrolyte is a macromolecular species that upon being placed in water or any other ionizing solvent dissociates into a highly charged polymeric molecule (Reza Derakhshandeh et al., 2010). One of the methods of polyelectrolyte coating is layer by layer (LBL) coating. LBL is the simplest process being used by most of the researcher. There are numerous advantages of this method compared to other methods for thin film fabrication. The unique advantages of the method are that, both organic and inorganic can be incorporated into LBL thin films bes ides offers easier preparation and durable (unknown, yr). PROBLEM STATEMENTS There are numerous number of membranes have been develop by researchers. However, membranes nowadays have fixed physical-chemical properties which make separation by membranes very limited to the fixed selectivity of their constituent. Therefore, new membrane materials must be explored to cope with these limiting factors. Next generation of filtration membranes must be more selective and robust which requires low chemical and energy input (Sajjad Sedaghat, 2014). These properties must be considered to meet goals in applications since current membranes often problematic in cost. Membranes basically can be prepared from ceramic and polymeric materials. There are many studies shown that ceramic materials have several advantages over polymeric materials. As example, membrane from ceramic materials is highly stable in terms of chemical and thermal stability. Unfortunately, the market share of polymeric membranes is far greater than ceramic membranes as the polymeric materials are easier to process and less expensive (Khulbe et al., 2008). Instead of those materials, there are also membranes from inorganic materials that have been successfully applied in dehydration of tetrahydrofuran (THF). However, to produce an inorganic membrane requires a high cost rather than polymeric membrane beside their system design is more complex (Chapman et al., 2007). Therefore, membrane from polymeric material is a suitable candidate for the research since it meets the desired criteria. PAni as a polymeric material has been widely researched due to its conductive properties. To date, although PAni has been applied to a number of applications but there are still some deficiency. For instance, PAni membranes which applied to chemically crosslinked swell in THF although it retained their structure while too much thermal crosslinking gave membranes with no fluxes in any solvents at all. Furthermore, unsupported PAni membranes shrank during the process of thermal crosslinking which causing some trouble for large scale membrane productions where certain amount of bending or curling is required (Loh et al., 2008). An alternative to thermal or chemical crosslinking would be polyelectrolyte coating to make them more stable. OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study are: To produce phase inversion PAni membrane from chemical polymerization of PAni in APS solution. To introduce polyelectrolyte onto the synthesized membrane. To characterize the membrane morphological, physical, chemical, electrical and filtration properties. LITERATURE REVIEW METHODOLOGY Chemicals All chemicals and reagents will be used are analytical grade. AnalaR aniline, ammonium persulfate (APS), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), 4-methylpiperidine (4MP), poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) poly(allylamine hydrochloric) (PAH), hydrochloride acid (HCL) and lithium chloride (LiCl) PAni synthesis by chemical polymerization To produce an Aniline solution, 37.25 g of 0.4 mol Aniline will be added into a beaker containing 400 mL of 1.0 M HCl. The mixture is well mix. In another beaker, APS solution will be prepared by adding 91.26 g of 0.4 mol APS into 256 mL of 1.0 M HCL. To prevent the mixture from freezing at -15 oC, add 66.8 g and 39.68 g of LiCl into both beakers respectively. After finish the preparation of both solutions, mix them in a conical flask. The conical flask then will be put in an incubator shaker at temperature -15 oC and continuously shake for 48 h. During this period, a reaction occur which polymer filter cake will be produced. After 48 h, filter and wash with 1.5 L DI water to remove any left-over reactants. To deprotonate the emaraldine salt to its base form, the filter cake then is being place in a beaker contain 250 mL ammonia solution (33% w/v) in a beaker and will be mix by using incubator shaker for 12 h at room temperature. Next, the filter cake will be filter and will be wash with 1 L DI water. To remove any low weight PAni oligomers and decrease time drying, the filter cake will be wash again with 500 mL methanol before being dry under vacuum for 24 h. After drying, the dry Emeralidine Base (EB) powder will be pass through a 160 Â µm mesh sieve to remove remaining clusters. Then, the EB powder will be stored under argon at 4 oC until required (Chapman et al., 2007). Membrane production by phase inversion PAni membrane will be produce by wet phase inversion method. First of all, 4MP and NMP will be mix in a beaker to make up the solvent. Then EB powder will be add using a funnel and mix at speed 300 rpm for 12 h. After 12 h mixing, dope the solution by adding maleic acids and mix at speed 150 rpm for 12 h. The solution will turn from dark blue to dark green to indicate that acid doping is taken place. The solution is then left to stand for 4 h to remove air bubble. Next, cast the solution on a nonwoven polyester support fabric and immediately immersed in DI water at room temperature for 24 h. During the 24 h, DI water will be change once after 12 h (Loh et al., 2008). Polyelectrolyte coating Polyelectrolyte coating of PAni membrane will be done by dipping the membrane into an anionic and cationic solution. Anionic solution will be used in this research is PAA while PAH is for cationic solution. To prepare anionic solution, PAA will be dissolve in DI water and 5 M HCl will be used to adjust the pH to 3.5. For cationic solution, PAH also will be dissolve in DI water but to adjust the pH solution to 3.5, 5 M NaOH will be used. Next, PAni membrane will be immerse in PAA solution for 10 min followed by two DI water rinses for 2 and 1 min respectively. The PAni membrane then will be immerse in PAH solution for 10 min followed by two DI water rinses for 2 and 1 min respectively. These complete the first bilayer of polyelectrolyte coating. For the next layer, the steps before will be repeated again which is starting from immersing in anionic solution and then cationic solution. After finish the process, the membrane need to be wash with ammonia and let it to fully dry before bei ng proceed with characterization (Jinhua Dai et al., 2005 unknown, yr). Characterization of PAni membrane Flow chart Stock and reagent solutions preparation PAni synthesis by chemical polymerization Characterization of EB powder by using GPC Membrane production and casting Polyelectrolyte coating Characterization Analysis GANTT CHART MILESTONE Table 7.1 : Milestone EXPECTED OUTCOMES/COMMERCIALIZATIONS REFERENCES Chapman, P., Loh, X.X., Livingston, A.G., Li, K., Oliveira, T.A.C. (2007). Polyaniline Membranes for The Dehydration of Tetrahydrofuran by Pervaporation. Journal of Membrane Science, 309 (2008), pp. 102-111. Loh, X.X., Sairam, M., Bismarck, A., Steinke, J.H.G., Livingston, A.G., Li, K. (2008) Crosslinked Integrally Skinned Asymmetric Polyaniline Membranes for Use in Organic Solvents. Journal of Membrane Science, 326 (2009), pp. 635-642.

The 19th Century Novel Essay -- English Literature

The 19th Century Novel A Novel is defined as a long story about fictitious characters, written in prose as opposed to poetry. Novels were first written in the 18th Century so by the 19th Century, the novel, often in serialised form was an established form of entertainment which was also helped by the increased adult literacy rate over the whole of the 1800s. The idea of the novel had changed from being purely for the amusement of women to being available to a wider audience, covering a wider variety of issues. It was also over this century that it began to be increasingly acceptable, if not usual to write novels with an underlying moral tone, particularly towards social standards among the lower classes. Another theme of many 19th Century novels was the creation and depiction of strong and great female characters, many through the new generation of female writers. Walter Scott, born in Scotland in 1771 was famous for his escapist literature such as ‘Waverley’ (1814) and ‘Ivanhoe’ (1819), both of these escapist in their setting further back in the past (1745 and Norman Times respectively). Scott had been a poet until he turned to novel writing having been outsold by Lord Byron's poetry. ‘Ivanhoe’, a historical romance is credited as being meticulously researched and seemed to make the novel genre acceptable for men. He attracted a wide range of people through setting it in Scotland and delving into the past, capturing early Victorian’s imaginations with his eight hundred year old characters, seeking refuge in the past and firing their imaginations. ‘Ivanhoe’ famously sold ten thousand copies within its first two weeks and led to a gothic revival, most famously Sir Charles Barry’s Houses of Parliament i... ...long struggle. Both ‘Jude the Obscure’ and ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ were highly criticised at his time of writing, the brutality of his stories shocking the Victorian Public. However, he remains popular due to the strength of his stories and characters. Beyond the six authors that I have touched upon, the 19th Century literature collection is vast, many surviving and others falling into obscurity. Although the early 20th Century writers felt revolutionary in their casting off of the old Victorian novel style, I feel that the 19th Century Novelists were equally revolutionary in what they did for the novel. They created similar novel genres to what exists today and entertained and often shocked an uptight century. They introduced the art of observance and intricacy to the novel form and have formed the basis for the inspiration of novelists ever since.

Southwest’s Competititve Advantage

STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT METRICS ASSIGNMENT-1 SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CASE STUDY QUESTIONS 1. How does Southwest Airlines get its competitive advantage? 2. How does Southwest Airlines execute its strategy? 1. How does Southwest Airlines get its competitive advantage? Southwest Airlines uses a Cost Leadership Strategy, however most pricing strategists would agree that having a low price does not, in itself, constitute a competitive advantage. In fact, thinking that low prices are always a good strategy for competition is deeply misguided.However, at times, targeting low prices can lead to a strategic focus which delivers tremendous results. Modern competitive strategy will often examine firms from a resource-based view. According to this lens, competitive advantage derives from leveraging an inimitable resource to deliver value at a lower cost than the competitors. Price is a completely imitable resource. Any company can match the prices of its competitor if it so chooses. H ence, arguing that a low price is a strategic resource, or that it leads to a competitive advantage in and of itself, is illogical.Southwest Airlines has used the target pricing and utilized a marketing orientation since its infancy in 1971, even though these concepts were not fully defined back then. First, starting with the customers and the value they sought, Southwest Airlines initial target was customers traveling between cities in Texas, specifically between Dallas and Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, San Antonio and Houston. While Texas is larger than many countries, it isn’t so large that people can’t drive from city to city.Hence initially, the most comparable alternative to Southwest, and therefore its prime competition, wasn’t other airlines. Instead, it was the car. In uncovering the car as the competing alternative, Southwest was able to also identify the target price of its offering. Second, to compete with the car, Southwest Airlines had to price their service relatively similar to the cost of car travel. With this target in mind, they chose $20. While $20 is lower than the government allowable tax deduction for travel, it is also significantly higher than the price of gas alone to drive between these cities.Thus, at this $20 price, Southwest Airlines could be confident that it would capture many of the travelers that would have driven and convert them into short-hop air travelers. Third, the product was redefined to serve customers at this low price profitably. Consider what was removed from air travel and what was included instead. The table below enumerates the key points Points 1 Removed Reduced reservations flexibility: Reservations primarily made directly Southwest Airlines as they eschewed working with travel agents.No connections between airlines: Southwest Airlines would not transfer baggage between flights. Included or Added Simplicity in Pricing: Flat rate of $20 per leg of the journey. Also reduced the cost of pr ice management, as no yield management system was needed initially. Higher convenience in terms of on-time arrivals: With a simplified fight route between lesser used airports, Southwest was able to operate more reliably. Higher convenience in flight frequency: With point to point flights, Southwest could offer service between Houston and Dallas with the same plane roughly every 2. hours. 2 3 No long-haul flights: Southwest Airlines customers could only take Southwest between a city-pair, not across the country or even across state lines initially. This greatly reduced cost of compliance with CAB rulings, as Southwest’s operations were not subject to interstate commerce rulings. 4 No in-flight meals: Southwest Airlines only offered peanuts and beverages. Fun: Friendly flight attendants provided jokes, costumes, and made flying comfortable with warm and caring service. Faster boarding times leading to faster flight turnarounds.More seats: With one class of service, Southwest A irlines could put 137 seats in a 737 versus 128 in a United Airlines 737. 5 6 No seat assignments: First come, first seated. No first class: One-class service. 7 Does not fly into major airports: or uses Use of underutilized airports that are less major airports concentrates on point close to metropolitan cities: reduced to point connections costs, punctuality Use of multiple aircraft types Frequent flyer program does not use miles earned Uses fuel efficient 737s: reduces maintenance and training costs Based on number of trips flown: reduced operating costs 9 From this list, we see a number of items which an airline would usually use to define superior value removed from Southwest Airlines offer. A Southwest customer couldn’t be treated to first class, couldn’t get food, couldn’t book them as part of a larger trip, couldn’t book with them through an agent, and couldn’t even preselect their seat. All of these features were exactly what defined a com petitive airline at the time. And, all of these features added cost.Instead, Southwest Airlines selected a specific target customer — a Texan traveling between cities in Texas — and then determined what it would take to satisfy that customer. ? ? ? That customer was far more interested in travel efficiency than travel class. That customer would be glad to forgo a meal, especially in exchange for a friendly flight attendant and a Dr. Pepper. That customer was trading off driving for flying, and needed flexibility in booking rather than navigating through the decisions and planning related to yield management.This service described does not meet the wants of every customer that could have flown Southwest Airlines, but it does describe those of the target customer. And, given the choice of mediocrely satisfying everyone at a high cost or highly satisfying a select few at a low but profitable price, Southwest Airlines rightly chose the latter. As a result of tightly defini ng the value sought by customers (efficient and flexible travel), and the price ($20), Southwest was able to meet the needs and surpass the expectations of their target customer.Moreover, it was able to do this at a significantly lower cost than a standard airline. So can low prices deliver a competitive advantage? NO, not alone. But target pricing, where the price and benefits demanded by customer leads to a strategic focus that drives a redefinition of the product and service, can deliver a winning competitive advantage. One where a customer need is met at a cost below the price the target market is willing to pay. BALANCED SCORECARD FOR SWA 2. How does Southwest Airlines execute its strategy?Southwest Airlines is probably one of the most striking examples of a company that (a) Defined a very clear and simple key business purpose, (b) Chose the right business model to support the business purpose, and (c) Consistently demonstrates the core values and behaviors derived from that ke y business purpose. The brand promise of Southwest Airlines is: ‘Dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit'.Every single employee of the company is aligned with this brand promise and in spite of the current economic turmoil in the airline industrySouthwest's performance isamong the best in the industry. Staff morale is exceptionally high. In 1971, Rollin King and Herb Kelleher started an airline service with one simple notion: â€Å"If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline†.Southwest currently has the lowest operating-cost structure in the US domestic airline industry and consistently offers the lowest and most of all simplest fares. Southwest holds the best cumulative customer satisfaction record for the past 18 years. In December 2008, the airline had 35,499 employees and generated total operating revenues of $11 billion (2007 = $ 9. 8 billion, 2001 = $ 5. 3 billion) from a passenger load factor of 71. 2% with a fleet of 537 Boeing 737’s.Its stock exchange symbol is ‘LUV’, representing Southwest’s home at Dallas Love Field, as well as the theme of its employee and customer relationships. The major success to their continued success seems due to their low-cost model and competitors being aware that they cannot match Southwest Airlines’ low prices. Southwest Airlines has the reputation of being able to force a competitor into bankruptcy. It is believed, however, that it was not just the choice of its business model that made Southwest Airlines such a successful company; it is the way they execute their business model through perfect strategic alignment.Southwest Airlines succeeded in defining a very simple yet clear key business purpose; the fact that they aim for being â€Å"the only short haul, low fare, high frequency, point-to-point carrier in America† leaves very little room for interpretation. What makes Southwest Airlines’ key business purpose such a powerful one however, is not just the very clear definition of their ‘raison d’ etre’, but certainly also what the company and its leaders do with it.Their simple but effective key business purpose is the main guiding principle for Southwest Airlines’ strategic goals, business strategy, organizational infrastructure, and last – but certainly not least – their company culture. The organization of Southwest Airlines is best described as an upside-down pyramid – an organization very much in line with the way they want to do business. The upper management is at the bottom and supports the front line employees, who are the experts.Front line employees play a major role in the yearly business planning and operational budget which for a great part is done bottom-up rather than top-down. This is the fruit of co-founder Herb Kelleher's unorthodox leadership style, in which management decisions are made by everyone in the organization, not just the head executives. The company does not put much emphasis on structure; instead, employees are encouraged to think freely without constraints such as titles or official mandates. The reason for Southwest Airline's success is due to their clear key business purpose and core values, and due to the way in hich they consistently execute their business model (a combination of ‘disruptive innovation’ and ‘customer intimacy’) in line with their key business purpose and core values. ? ? ? The Southwest Airlines fleet consists solely of Boeing 737s It offers only economy seats (there is no business or first class). Southwest Airlines also do not offer in-flight meals, only peanuts and other snacks. Southwest is simple and direct at the goal of their service ; â€Å"A primarily short-haul airline that flies directly from city to city, with just one type of plane – the Boeing 737 – and the lowest costs†.With a simple goal, Southwest has excised many of the ‘luxuries’ that competitors offer, such as luxury seats; this is made evident by their decision to enforce a rule for passengers who cannot fit into the seats to purchase an additional seat. This rather unpopular move – whereas other airlines would have suggested a more luxury class seat – is simple in its purpose – get passengers from point A to point B with a minimum of frills, but with a friendly smile and great personal service.While Southwest Airlines offer no frills, they do meet and exceed customer expectations when it comes to personal service. They base their model on the motto â€Å"If employees are happy, satisfied, dedicated, and energetic, they'll take real good care of the customers. When the customers are happy, the y come back. And that makes the shareholders happy†. Southwest invests in very good relations with all their employees. Employees are either of independent labor unions or have flexible contracts which allow employees to work longer hours (adapting the business model to the key business purpose)

The Crisis at Three Mile Island essays

The Crisis at Three Mile Island essays In Middletown, PA, a quiet rural community, sits the nuclear power plant at Three Mile Island, better known as TMI. It was at this station that the worst commercial nuclear accident in the country's history occurred. Early in the morning of March 28, 1979, during routine operations a false reading on a valve caused the hot nuclear core of the reactor to be without water to cool it. The operators also wrongly thought the cooling system was full. The opposite was true. The core began to melt and build up of hydrogen took place in the building that housed it. The fear was that the nuclear core would melt through the floor and contaminate all the groundwater for miles around. Also, it was feared that the hydrogen would spark an explosion which would devastate the area. Government officials struggled all day on March 28th and 29th to size up the scope of the accident. The governor ordered all pre-school children and pregnant women to be evacuated from areas in proximity to the plant. Through careful analysis, the operators and government experts were able to bring the reactor to a cold, stable, but unstable condition. By April 4th, the people who were evacuated began to return. However, life for the plant and the industry that spawned it was forever changed. Protests abounded as the cleanup began. Officials wanted to vent what they claimed were small amounts of radioactive gas. There was also strong opposition to the transport of nuclear waste from the site. A plant that had once hosted tours and ran an observation site was now off limits and patrolled by armed security forces. The value of land in the area plummeted as peopled feared contamination. Today this issue still rages within the scientific community. Government scientists claim there was no significant environmental or genetic damage to the area of its residents. Conversely, groups such as the Union of Concerned Scientist point to private studies showing an increase in...

A critical reading of the western, referring to Jim Kitses Notes on the Western

A critical reading of the western, referring to Jim Kitses Notes on the Western By 1960, the production of Westerns in Hollywood had entered a decline from which it never recovered. Although for a time in the mid sixties the supply was augmented from an unexpected source, as the Italians found new ways to inject life into a dying genre. This was witnessed in the "spaghetti" westerns of Sergio Leone such as The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly(1968), but this proved to be a short lived phenomenon, and by the seventies, Hollywood was struggling to produce a bare score of westerns per year. In the eighties, with production declining still, the death of the genre was produced on all sides. By the nineties, the western girded itself for one last stand, witnessed in the frontier western of Dances With Wolves(1991) and the revenge western Unforgiven(1995), which director Clint Eastwood attempted by sheer effort to get the genre back on its feet. However the predicted full scale revival failed to materialise.English: A Japanese poster for Akira Kurosawa's Se...We can specula te on the reasons for this decline. Edward Buscombe, who has written profusely on the western, believes the decline of the studio system resulted in the decline of the staple Western form, the B film, during the 1950s. More recently he goes on to say, the change in production patterns means now catering for the changing demographics of the cinema audience, the majority of whom are now too young for a genre that always venerated age. The younger audience is attracted to other genres- horror, science fiction- that offer many traditional satisfactions of the western without the dated historical baggage that now seems increasingly irrelevant in the 21st century. The changing attitudes of society, especially in terms of sexuality and ethnic difference, have left the classic Western marooned in its nineteenth century values.The death of the Western genre mirrors the...

International Terrorism A Closer Look Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International Terrorism A Closer Look - Essay Example The European Union has a plan in place to combat terrorism. The bombings in London and Madrid highlighted the European Union’s vulnerability. Their law enforcement agencies now work in a coordinated effort to identify probable terrorist activity. Cross-border prosecutions are now coordinated between member states. The European Union has brought together representatives of member state intelligence services to work on coordinating internal and external intelligence gathering and dissemination. This sharing of intelligence can be used as an effective tool in counter-terrorism.Since 9-11 of 2001 terrorism has moved into the international spotlight. The majority of terrorist groups consist of Islamic extremists who, because of social and economic deprivation have grown to hate anything other than what they believe in. These terrorists are well funded (by Osama Bin Ladin for example) and well trained to provide a terroristic threat on a global scale. With attacks in the United Stat es, Great Britain, and Spain the global reach of terrorism has been felt. Countering and containing terrorism is now a global concern that has been addressed by the United Nations Security Council. The Security Council has provided guidance that consists of a strategic plan to combat terrorism. Member States have been provided with a plan that was drafted to specifically address terrorism and provide a uniform approach to counter-terrorism. The United Nations does not view terrorism as a religious issue but as a public safety and security issue. ... Left-wing terrorists focus on restoring socialism by attacking democratic reforms. Examples of this type of terrorism include the Red Army and the German Red Brigades. Lastly, right-wing terrorists are focused on destroying liberal democracies and attack vulnerable targets to kill as many people as possible to make their point. Timothy McVeigh (the Oklahoma City bomber) and the FBI standoff at Ruby Ridge are examples of this type of terrorist. This type of terrorist harbors a deep seated hatred for the U.S. Government and the actions of law enforcement and Federal agents. In fact, Timothy McVeigh reportedly planned the Oklahoma City Bombing as a response to the actions of Federal agents at David Koresh's Waco compound. The terrorists that seem to be in the news the most are the religious terrorists that are fighting a jihad (holy war) against anyone who does not believe in what they believe in. Typically these terrorists are Islamic and follow Islamic law. These terrorists are considered Islamic extremists. One example of their extremism is their subjugation of women. They believe that women are property, don't require schooling, and should dress extremely conservative (Bhurkas). Many of the women in families following strict Islamic law are the victims of 'honor killings'. The report of any impropriety by a woman (even if its only a rumor) requires the family to kill the woman by stoning. Usually the killing is done by brothers, uncles or even the father of the victim. The use of suicide bombers to terrorize a population is used widely in the Middle East and South West Asia. Bombers are drafted by the promises of martyrdom. They believe that if the attack the enemy and die in the process they will go to

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

Research paper - Essay Example A good swimming technique relies on the efficiency of one’s power transfer process by overcoming drag. Moreover, deriving maximum energy output from the effort put in is mainly the essence for swimmers to improve their performance in competitive swimming. The discussion provides a detailed technical analysis of swimming strokes – freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly, along with a review of the biomechanical principles related to each of those strokes. Furthermore, suggestions of drills or exercises for improving the favorite stroke of backstroke, based on the technical and biomechanical aspects, will also be critiqued. The basic swimming strokes of Freestyle, Backstroke, and Butterfly stroke are taken for analysis focusing on its biomechanics and technical aspects. Freestyle is generally the fastest and most popular stroke, with front crawl being the most commonly chosen among swimmers. That is, although swimmers or in particular ones in competition can choose whatever stroke they wish during the freestyle, mostly they choose front crawl which involves the swimmer circling his/her arms forward in alternation even while kicking their foots up and down. Next, the Backstroke, or otherwise the elementary backstroke is perfect for recreational and competitive arena. In this swimming stroke, the individual lies right on his back in the supine position on water and the strokes are done with one arm at a time. Last, the butterfly stroke is done on the breast, by moving both the arms and is accompanied by the dolphin kick. Unlike the other strokes, butterfly stroke is quite difficult and requires adequate practice with proper technique and strong muscle coordination. Freestyle, being the fastest stroke, would clearly improve one’s speed in swimming and this stroke is quite essential for lifeguard practices. As above-mentioned, it is characterized by stroking of the arms alternatively over the water surface, accompanied with alternating flutter kick in an