A comparison of manned missions to space and robot missions essays

A comparison of manned missions to space and robot missions essays Since the Soviets put Sputnik into space, there have been many missions into space. Robots have done some missions and people have done others. Robots do not possess human judgment or the abilities necessary for solving problems. However, manned space missions are much more costly than robot missions and they have more risk. In space, there are lots of unpredicted variables and things that we do not expect to occur. Due to this, it is important to have manned space missions. Humans are capable of solving problems, whereas robots only know what theyve been programmed to do. Apollo thirteen would have been destroyed if it were a robot, but since it had a human crew on board, it survived. They were able to solve their problems because they were capable. Also, in space, it is necessary for on the spot judgment. Humans possess the capability make decisions, but robots can only do a limited amount of tasks. This is a large con to sending robots into space. On the other hand, manned missions are much more expensive than robots. A single flight of the space shuttle costs around $420 million dollars. In addition, manned shuttles need places to stay. The International Space Station has already cost $16 billion to build and the price is expected to reach over $40 billion. The expected price was $8 billion. Robots are much cheaper. The Mars Pathfinder cost only $265 million and it brought back lots of useful scientific data. Robots are more economical than manned space flights. Furthermore, manned space missions have greater risk than robot missions. As in the case of Apollo 1 and Apollo 13, accidents occurred on manned space missions. That puts peoples lives in danger as well as space shuttles. If a robot malfunctions or breaks somehow, not as much is lost. When astronauts are lost, new ones have to be trained and prepared for space flight. When a robot is destroyed, a new one can be made and any problems wi...

Airborne Express in 2002 Essays

Airborne Express in 2002 Essays Airborne Express in 2002 Paper Airborne Express in 2002 Paper Statement of Purpose The group aims to identify the generic strategy Airborne Express is pursuing, whether such strategy is sound in the context of air express industry. The company’s strengths and weaknesses are evaluated with the opportunities and threats to identify the distinctive competency that it can adapt. Statement of the Problem The group endeavors to identify the strategy that Airborne Express can implement to its domestic and international operations. Assessing the strategic alliances the company made and the diversification of its services including logistic services is also part of the group’s objective. Alternative Courses of Action Lease Out Airport One solution that is viable to some of Airborne’s dilemmas is leasing out a portion of their airport to private aircrafts or to its competitors. As mentioned in the case, Airborne has seen a decrease in price of its package per customer area. Competition and the new methods of sending packages cause its profits to drop. Such lease can subsidize these falling rates. With the cost of building an airport well above $120 million, this would be an option for other air carriers to consider. Further, with the revenue brought by the leases, Airborne could build another runway so the leased part of the airport would not affect Airborne’s business. However, competitors might be hesitant in giving Airborne additional revenues. Accept DHL company acquisition Since Airborne lacks capital for its expansion in the international scene, the takeover of DHL can be a good approach to achieve global scope. Additional facilities abroad can be accessed as well in such merger. This will provide an opportunity for the merged company to compete with UPS and FedEx and can possibly obtain increased market share especially in the international scene. This might not be good for the ego of the new administration but, as recalled in their history, Airborne has previously experienced mergers that led to quite promising opportunities. Then again, new culture might be adopted (that of DHL) that will need lots of adjustments and changes. Yet, such predicament can be solved by giving Airborne a grace period to be prepared for the merger. Pursue International Strategic Alliances Logistics Services The alliance with Mitsui and Tonami is a good mean for extending Airborne’s services to the global perspective. Not only does it receive funds for aircraft financing but it can also be a good way for Airborne to penetrate other geographical areas. Airborne will not need much capital, yet, it will continue to depend on other carriers for space lease. Airborne can remedy this buy starting to fly their own aircrafts and pursue more alliances with other groups to obtain the minimum volume for their operations. They can use the company’s Free Trade Zone (FTZ) as their primary service. Caution, however, is taken as the alliance will depend on the stability of the member companies. If the partner companies experience trouble, the domino effect would likely be felt. Improve GDS and SDS services The trend of shifting from overnight premium express to low margin deferred services implies that people take advantage of cheaper delivery services. Airborne can market this service to have diversified product from its competitors. However, since the service is imitable, benefits from these services can not last long, unless Airborne will decrease its prices further (this can be easily coped with its competitors or can bleed Airborne with osses). Methods of Analysis SWOT Analysis The group facilitated a SWOT analysis to determine the internal and external factors that influenced the company with respect to its industry. Based from this analysis, the company strengths primarily lie with its cost advantage with its economies of scales and good aircraft maintenance and its generic strategy of adopting a cost based focus, giving them big corporate accounts as customers. The weakness focused on their capital insufficiency that hinders them to explore the opportunities of global expansion. The intense competition of FedEx and UPS threatens the company’s market share, along with the bargaining power of buyers, the rising fuel costs, and the weak volume growth in the industry. Industry Analysis Using Porter’s Five Forces Model of Industry Attractiveness, the group analyzed the condition of the industry where Airborne belongs. Our analysis shows that entry to this air express industry is hindered with high barrier such as large capital outlay, economies of scale, and brand identity. Intensive rivalry between UPS and FedEx creates lots of price war, which can be detrimental for new entrants. A greater bargaining power from customers is present (especially in the case of Airborne that focused on corporate accounts) as well as from their suppliers (higher fuel). The threats of faxes and emails as substitutes exist, though not that significant with the delivery of original copies. Overall, the air express is an unattractive industry and is just favorable for the existing giants and players in the industry. Financial Ratio Analysis Using the data from the companys Income Statement from 1997 – 2001 and in reference with its shipment revenue statistics, shipment volume statistics and workforce and productivity statistics, the group analyzed the operational efficiency of the company. The trend analysis showed that profitability has declined over the years due to increasing operating costs and declining volume growth of shipments. The company is faced with high bargaining power from corporate accounts though it can generate higher revenue per shipment with these accounts compared with other services it offers. Employee productivity increased in 2001. Total benefits paid to employees continued to increase in 2001 when there was a reduction in the number of employees for the year which suggests that the company may need to examine its compensation plan to boost productivity. The demand for a global air express service challenges the companys market for high-volume accounts. A strategy has to be created to retain their corporate accounts if the company wants to survive in the airline industry. Recommendation Merging with DHL would be the ideal strategy that Airborne will do. It’s a win-win situation for both companies since Airborne does not have international scope which DHL have while DHL has limited access to the US market in which Airborne possesses. The merger can give an opportunity to compete with UPS and FedEx and possibly increase the market share of the company. The opportunities for the global market are just too big to forego, and merging with DHL would give Airborne a good level to commence such activity. Conclusion The transportation industry will definitely take a new turn in the near future. The world has become a very small place that we are defined more by the time zones rather than the distance. This means that we are most likely to observe some large merges that will divide transportation market on larger shares. It is up to Airborne whether to take the challenge of globalization or continue to battle with the heated domestic market in the US. Extending Competitive Strategy (Strength VS Opportunities) 1. Extend inventory management and logistic services in the global market 2. Find more alliances with foreign countries 3. Advertise and offer services to other global corporations Building Competitive Strategy (Weakness VS Opportunities) 1. Agree in the merger with DHL. 2. Advertise its newly acquired planes to establish a trademark. 3. Lease the old airplanes use the proceeds to enhance the new aircrafts. 4. Borrow funds from the bank to proceed with global expansion. 5. Promote more the GDS. 6. Start flying their aircrafts internationally. Sustaining Competitive Strategy (Strengths VS Threats) 1. Maintain flexible time. 2. Do more research to reduce further fleet repairs. 3. Obtain more corporate accounts. . Lease out their airports to competitors or other companies. 5. Improve SDS and GDS services. Avoidance (Weakness Vs Threats) 1. Give in to corporate accounts and continue providing discounts. 2. Sell excess aircrafts INDUSTRY ANALYSIS Risk of entry by potential competitors A high entry barrier exists in the air express industry. Huge capital investment is needed to set up a network and supporting infrastructure. As such there is no brand loyalty, however all the major players are know for their reliability and for a new entrant to establish the same will take a lot of time. There wont be any cost advantage factor as the hub-and-spoke model, used in this industry, can be implemented by new entrants. Economies of scale will not be in favor of the new competitor as the initial volume would be low. Switching costs are not high in this industry. Rivalry among established companies This industry is highly consolidated with only 3 major players – somewhat an oligopoly. The industry is also characterized by numerous price wars between the 2 giants, namely, UPS and FedEx. Airborne and the rest of the companies generally follow the trends set by these two firms or fall out. The exit barriers to this industry are high. This is due to the investments in hubs, vans, jets and other capital extensive infrastructure. Bargaining power of buyers Businesses and individuals all fall under the customers category for this industry. For Airborne, big customers do get volume discounts and can negotiate prices with sales representatives. However smaller customers have to take what is being offered to them. The only say they have is that they can switch between the players, but due to intense competition, the prices offered are generally the same across the service band. Bargaining power of suppliers The inputs to this industry are fuel, planes, vans, customs, permits and others. The companies do liaison with relevant industries to prevent themselves from fuel hikes. Arrangements with various customs departments are also made to facilitate faster clearance of goods and packages. As such there is no threat from supplier side to this industry. Substitute Products Businesses can use fax; telex etc to send important documents. Emails can also be used for the same purpose. These provide them with low cost alternative to express mail. However the threat of substitution is limited, when it comes to sending originals. Substitutes from other industries are also limited. The company is adopting a cost-based focus, which enables Airborne to carve a market niche against UPS and FedEx on focusing on large corporate accounts. It improves the value added activities of Airborne and reduced cost of services further. However, UPS and FedEx may catch up with Airborne if they will too enter this kind of niche, giving Airborne another type of competition. The bargaining power of the buyers also reduced its revenues with the discounts demanded by the customers. FINANCIAL STATEMENT ANALYSIS Income Statement Analysis From the above data, it is apparent that profitability of Airborne Express Declined over the last five years. Almost 90% of the revenue generated by the company is from Domestic operations. Decreases in the profitability are results of weak volume growth, high fuel costs and strong competition from FedEx and UPS. Below are the components of Operating Expenses incurred by the company over the last five years as a percentage of total operating expenses: Major components of the cost of the company over the past five years are transportation purchased at 32. 89% of total cost and station and ground operations at 32. 47% of total cost followed by flight operations and maintenance at a percentage of 17. 09. The company incurs less labor costs. Shipment Revenue Statistics Analysis The table shows that Airborne Express generates more revenue on a per shipment basis in dealing with large clients. Airborne Express as a niche player, focuses on high-volume corporate accounts which enables it to significantly cut down on its costs. However on a per-pound basis, Airborne could charge only as much as $0. 94 on domestic high-volume transactions and $0. 77 on international freight transactions for 2001 because of the high-bargaining power of these customers. Shipment Volume Statistics Analysis Annual growth for second day service steadily increased from -11. 80% in 1997 to 15. 40% in 2001. The bulk of the shipments may be from overnight services but this has shown negative growth over the past years due to the use of e-mails which decreased the demand for the service. Shipments from high-volume accounts and international freight are more steady when compared to other services offered by the company although annual growth for these services are slow. Globalization, raises the opportunity for establishing an international service comparable to its domestic service. The company may work on this opportunity to retain its high-volume and international freight clients which generates higher revenue on a per shipment basis for the company. Work Force and Productivity Statistics Analysis Labor productivity measured by shipments per employee hour shows plays around 7%-8% over the past five years. Based on statistics, 1999 showed a decrease in productivity. In 2001 it showed an improvement. In 2001, employee hours decreased by 3. 74% compared with last year. Total compensation continued to increase in 2001 which shows that the increase in productivity may be due to additional incentives given to employees. However total shipments growth rate in 2001 decreased by 1. 60%. The company may need to look into its compensation plan as well in boosting productivity.

Philosophy( ethical interview) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Philosophy( ethical interview) - Essay Example She is a humanitarian as well as an environmentalist. She recycles every week and is usually inclined to bring in stray cats and dogs when she spots them along the street. Jenny’s L.P.N. position brings her to the aid of many elderly individuals who are incontinent and unable to manage the basics of personal care. Certain aspects of her job place her in a position of having to change diapers or clean up messes involving bodily fluids. This is a task which would cause even the strongest of stomachs. When asked how she is able to stomach such tasks, she says that she is reminded of her elderly grandparents who require similar levels of care. She recalls how they came from such terrible events in history and yet continued on with their lives disallowing the events of the Holocaust from keeping them from living their lives and from being productive human beings. She is so proud of this legacy, that she gleans a sense of perseverance from their attitude. She also tends to see many of her elderly patients as individuals who have been through most of what life has had to offer; and that those individuals deserve our respect and care. Because of this p hilosophy, Jenny is motivated to care for these elderly patients in a way that honors them in a manner of dignity and respect. Jenny tends to work more with elderly citizens at her hospital position more so than with middle age individuals or children. This is a job that many in the nursing field would rather not do. There is certainly a difference between changing the diaper of an infant and the diaper of an elderly person. Because of her feelings on the elderly and her love and respect of them; she is very enthusiastic about being able to care for them on a day to day basis. She often finds herself having to feed them or assist them with their meals and snacks. This is an opportunity she says, to allow them to open up and talk. Sadly, Jenny says

Analysis of the Film Dr. Strangelove Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analysis of the Film Dr. Strangelove - Essay Example In this essay I analyze the movie based on the various points of criticism that it faced. Mockery of nuclear warfare and its seriousness When analyzing a film it is important to take into account the content and the period, which brought the idea about. Despite strong criticism than Stanley Kubrick made a mockery out of nuclear warfare and over simplified the entire process of war and the politics of it. It is hard to ignore that the political climate at the time leaned dangerously towards the concept of â€Å"accidental war† which was the crux of Peter George’s novel. Though the actual scenario is far from the truth and not a possibility the concept did create doubts in the minds of people. America at the time of the release was going through conflicting times and the people were divided in their opinion of the Government policies. President Kennedy was in the process of signing a treaty with the Soviet Union premier Nikita Khrushchev that called for the ban of atmosph eric nuclear testing. It may be an obsolete thought now, but in 1964, the imagery, however, lighthearted of a power hungry Brigadier general who actually made a war happen seemed convincing. Was the issue of an imminent nuclear war really a laughing matter for Stanley Kubrick? I do not think so. One major factor that I will attribute to all of his films is the amount of research and thought that he put into the art of filmmaking. Stanley Kubrick was in no way in the industry for want of nothing better to do. His movies have always made an impact on people and had a clear-cut message to send across. The film was the result of an in-depth analysis of the nuclear war and its danger. He put this strong message across very effectively with the use of satire and his excellent casting. Peter sellers gave a stellar performance in all of his 3 roles as Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, President Mirkin Muffley and, the paraplegic scientist Dr. Strangelove himself. Sterling Hayden, George C Scot t and Slim Pickens played the roles of General Jack D. Ripper, General Turgidson and the crazily lunatic power hungry Major Kong respectively, to perfection. Simplistic approach to a complex situation. There is nothing simple about the movie. The only thing that can be considered simplistic is the analysis hinted at. The movie blatantly points out that military and political powers used war as a tool to give vent to their personal repressions, very obviously hinting towards how men with sexual tensions in their personal life tend to use war as a tool to show their manliness. In this respect the film itself offers no solution to the situation. It is not clear whether Kubrick set out to expose the current climate or propose any solution to it. It was a very subjective and biased analysis of the nations’ foreign policies. If Kubrick’s intention was just to ridicule the situation and expose the callousness in which the powers treated the matter, he more than succeeded. And he did so by taking quite a few liberties and creative licenses. A classic example is the scene where the President intervenes in the scuffle between the Soviet ambassador and General Turgidson by saying "Gentlemen, no fighting in the War Room!† A classic attempt at fantastic comedy tinged with irony earmarked the concept behind the movie. It markedly pointed towards the unthinking and extremely detached view in which people in power viewed war as a whole. The movie no doubt is a gross exaggeration

Company development Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Company development - Case Study Example Even though it is legal to use television commercials for political campaigns, television advertisements in this country are heavily regulated by the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission (FCC, 2012; FTC, 2012). To avoid legal or technical problems, television commercial production companies should be familiar with the technical standards implemented with regards to products, claims, and contents (Cheap TV Spots, 2012). For instance, the advertising of cigarettes on television is totally restricted or banned in the United States. Therefore, television commercial production companies in the United States should observe and up-date themselves with the on-going changes with regards to television commercial restrictions. Likewise, television commercial production companies are obliged to observe the laws on IPR. The U.S. economy is still under recovery. Therefore, television commercial production companies may encounter delay in the payments for their service. Eventually, this will negatively affect the companies’ cash flow. To maintain their competency in the market, television commercial production companies should cut down their fixed monthly operating cost without sacrificing the quality of their television commercial videos. There are social implications with regards to the production of television commercials. To avoid offending the viewers, television commercial production companies should avoid producing offensive commercial programs that can adversely affect its reputation. With regards to technology, television programs in the United States is accessible through on-air broadcast, unencrypted satellite, cable services, direct broadcast satellite, or internet protocol television (FCC, 2010). On the other hand, television advertisers are using various technologies such as video software, hard ware, digital cameras, digital video cameras, etc. Since the capital requirement in putting up this kind of business is low,

The Different Types Of Custodial Sentences

The Different Types Of Custodial Sentences For this report, I have decided to focus on the effectiveness of the use of non-custodial sentences and to explore how certain types of punishment may be the reason why some criminals re-offend. Observations Of the twenty cases I witnessed, almost three-quarters of them resulted in a community order sentence or fine, with a quarter either resulting in a conditional discharge, warrant of committal or extended sentence. It appeared that the cases were dealt with subjectively; whereby individuals circumstances were taken into account before delivering a suitable sentence. For example, in one case, a young woman pleaded guilty to possession of a Class A drug, which breached her suspended sentence. As she had attended two-hundred and thirteen hours of rehabilitation (out of a possible two-hundred and fifty), had otherwise not breached her sentence and her cravings had significantly reduced over the eighteen months of her sentence, the Magistrates decided to remove her suspended sentence and offered her a six-month conditional discharge instead. In light of the theories of punishment, particularly the Self-Regulatory Penalty, I did not see how giving the defendant a conditional discharge was deemed to be a punishment. According to Braithwaite (1989), this is referred to as denunciation; whereby an otherwise upright citizen who has breached their contract with the local community is seen to be enough to shame and reintegrate them with that community. (Worrall and Hoy, 2005: 5). However, this was the defendants second offence and the self-regulatory penalty theory fails to explain why some individuals offend. On the contrary, the breach was for a drug abuse problem which, understandably, is difficult to control and therefore can be said to justify her actions. Additionally, the defendant showed signs of remorse and disappointment as her charges were read out. Her solicitor explained, in the facts of the case, that she had earnestly handed over the drugs to the police when asked to do so. Magistrates have reported that generally female defendants areà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦widely perceived to be less threatening in their behaviour and appearance, and so more deserving of compassion. (Evans and Jamieson, 2008; 119) But is this softening towards female convicts a cause for concern? In a study conducted, three Magistrates disagreed, arguing that for a woman to be brought to court was in itself a n indication of the seriousness of her conduct. (Evans and Jamieson, 2008; 119) Alternatively, the number of financial penalties given to the defendants compared with the number of community sentences given was almost equivalent. By simply imposing a fine, it hits them where it hurts-in the pocket, but is not always seen as holding the offender sufficiently accountable for their breach of contract with the community. (Young, 1989 quoted in Worrall and Hoy, 2005: 5) The paying of a fine does not constitute the same emotions of guilt or infliction of pain that would result from a punishment. In order to determine whether these sanctions are working effectively, the government and probation services need to monitor the rate of re-convictions. Studies have shown that the rate of males and females re-offending has decreased from 43.7 to 39.0 from the years 2002-2006  [1]. This reflects that the use of community penalties is having a positive effect on offenders behaviour. However, the rates of reconvictions are not reliable as they do not include offences that have not resulted in a conviction and only cover the post-two year period from the individuals previous conviction. (Davies, Croall and Tyrer: 2010; 845) Further data has shown that the likelihood of convicts reoffending is greater if the individual already has a history of previous convictions. The trends in the data show that it is often very difficult to control the behaviour or alter the attitudes of particular individuals who live the so-called life of crime. In addition to this, the chances of an individual re-offending are often influenced and affected by extraneous factors such as; age, sex, previous history of offending, types of offence, as well as the sen tence imposed. (Davies, Croall and Tyrer, 2010; 486) Thirteen of the twenty cases I witnessed were offences made by working class males between the ages of 21 and 50, with the other offences made by working class females between the ages of 32 and 45. The majority of the cases involved criminal acts of theft, violence, drug abuse and breaches of previous sentences. Having predicted that the majority of offences would be made by young males, I noted that whilst it was young men that were more frequently convicted than women, for first-time offences, the majority of them re-offended. According to Worrall and Hoy (2005; 110) Predisposing hazards, based on research, suggest that re-offending is more likely to occur in young men whose first conviction was at an early age or who have a large number of previous convictions with no recent break in the pattern. Contrastingly, the least likely to reoffend are older women with late first convictions or few previous convictions with a long gap since the last conviction. It also appears that the se riousness of the present offence holds no weight on the likelihood of reoffending. This leads me on to discuss the theory of individual deterrence. This form of punishment stems from the branch of justification known as Reductivism (Walker, 1972). This form of justification serves punishment as a preventative measure for future criminal intent thereby helping to reduce crime. However studies have indicated that quite contrary to what the theory of individual deterrence suggests- that offenders who suffer more severe or punitive penalties (including penalties specifically aimed at deterrence) are more (not less) likely to reoffend.'(West, 1982: 109; Brody, 1976: 14-16; Lipsey, 1995: 74 quoted in Cavadino and Dignan 2007: 37) Therefore, if punishment, in general, is not having the desired effect on offenders, the justice system needs to consider the personal factors and elements, relevant, which may be influencing the behaviour of offenders. Conclusion As a prospective lawyer and current law student, this experience has enhanced my understanding and awareness of current issues within the criminal justice system. Theoretically the methods of punishment in place, so far, appear to be working but in practice, are not working effectively enough. The number of individuals re-offending may have reduced but the number of people committing first-time offences has increased. Probation services need to find alternative methods of eradicating criminal behaviour, attitude and intent in order to prevent reoffending.

Transfer of Personal Data to a Third Country :: Safe Harbor Agreement Human Rights Essays

Transfer of Personal Data to a Third Country I. Introduction 1.) An old issue, growing in importance Searching the web, one can see that privacy on the Internet is a big issue. Countless US or EU based human rights initiatives are fighting for the right to privacy. What is the reason for this? Although concerns about consumers' ability to protect their privacy have been in existence for decades, the Internet makes the issue more delicate: Businesses have access to a larger audience, which allows them to collect more data from more people. Furthermore, collection of more specific behavioural information is possible attaching cookies to a hard drive, reporting which websites someone enters.[1] In addition, data collection and storage having become much easier, faster and cheaper, cost concerns do not limit data-collection practices.[2] At the same time, the market for information about consumers and consumer behaviour is continuously growing, side by side with the expansion of e-commerce. 2.) Definition of the issue Privacy can be defined as "the right of the individual to be protected against intrusion into his personal life or affairs, or those of his family, by direct physical means or by publication of information."[3] This paper will focus purely on information privacy, also known as "data protection", which means the rules governing the collection and handling of personal data such as a person's name, address, phone number, family status, social security or other identification number or even medical, financial or government records. Data protection concerns the process of gathering, storing, analysis and distribution of personal data. Privacy issues can be divided into relations with the public sector and with the private sector.[4] In this paper, I will concentrate on the private sector, especially relevant because of the growing importance of e-commerce. 3.) Fundamentally different approaches in the US and the EU Europe and the US have very different approaches to data protection and privacy. In 250 years, nations on each side of the Atlantic have evolved their democracies into distinct forms of society and market economy. Differences in culture, policies and society are the consequence. a.) Government Interference vs. Self-Regulation As discussed in seminar one, there is an ongoing dispute regarding the approach in choosing an apt legal framework for the public and transnational sphere of cyberspace: Some scholars want governments to interfere as little as possible, others see the need for a unified legal framework. It seems that, concerning the privacy issue, the EU has chosen the latter option, by imposing a comprehensive, general law governing the collection, use and dissemination of data by public and private sector, whose enforcement is assured by an oversight body. The US tends to rely on sectoral laws, and on self-regulation for the

Airline Distribution Systems in 2013 Essay

Web based commerce and internet technology have dramatically transformed the airline industry throughout the past thirteen years. The internet has enabled travelers to bypass the traditional distribution pattern of travel agencies and enabled airlines to sell more directly to passengers (European Commission, 2006). Since the mid-1990s there have been some major changes to the airline ticket distribution industry which were both a result of internet technologies (GAO, 2003). Major U. S. Airlines claimed a net operating loss of nearly $10 billion in 2002 and had paid over $7 billion to distribute tickets to consumers (GAO, 2013). These distribution expenses include booking fees to global distributions system to the amount of hundreds of millions of dollars (GAO, 2003). Airlines would receive a set booking fee each time an airline ticket was purchased through a travel agent by the global distribution system used by the travel agent (GAO, 2003). Due to most U. S. carriers being largely dependent on each of the global distribution systems for distributing tickets to different travel agent and consumers and consumers having to subscribe and pay fees to each, there are concerns that the global distributions systems may exercise market ower over them (GAO, 2013). Market power would allow global distribution systems to charge high, noncompetitive fees to airlines and in turn, these costs may be passed on to consumers (GAO, 2013). Environment Two major changes have occurred in the airline ticket distribution industry since the 1990s that have produced cost savings for some major U. S. airlines (GAO, 2013). The airlines have developed less expensive internet ticketing sites that bypass global distribution systems and their fees and encourage consumers to book directly rather than through travel agencies (GAO, 2013). Between the years 1999 and 2002 the average percentage of tickets booked on-line either from airlines or travel agencies grew from 7% to 30% (GAO, 2013). (See Appendix A). The next effort to reduce costs that airlines made was the cutting the amount of commissions they would pay to travel agencies (GAO, 2013). These attempts have still not eliminated the dependence airlines have on global distribution systems. In the report made by the U. S.  Government Accountability Office (GAO), they were unable to determine the exact relationship between global distribution system booking fees and related costs and were not able to reach any conclusions towards the potential exercise of market power by global distribution systems in the airline ticket distribution industry (GAO, 2013). Despite these reports there have still been numerous complaints from airlines that the companies who distribute airline flight and fare information are stifling competition and violating federal anti-trust laws (Koenig, 2011). Government reports help airlines because they investigate claims which are made that could possibly violate anti-trust laws and act as a middleman to solve disputes. Travelport and Sabre are two large global distribution systems which have had investigations against them (Koenig, 2011). A third company, Amadeus, is another global distribution system and the three of them make up for all of the distribution systems in the U. S. (Koenig, 2011). The justice department has clearly stepped into the mix by investigating claims of monopoly power and anti-trust. Only announcements of such investigations have taken place with no more real information being handed to the public. American and US Airways have both filed lawsuits against the global distribution giant, Sabre (Koenig, 2011). Sabre was actually created by American Airlines but later spun off as a separate company (Koenig, 2011). American also sued Travelport for using monopoly tactics and burying their flight information (Koenig, 2011). With Travelport accounting for nearly $2. billion of American’s ticket sales last year, it is hard to see where the complaint lies yet American is intent of wrongdoing and is asking for government assistance through lawsuits (Koenig, 2011). Government institutions try to protect consumers and smaller companies in tourism by imposing anti-discrimination and anti-trust regulation to ensure that real information is presented and competition levels remain satisfactory (Beatrice, Cezar, & Alexandra, 2013). Industry Airlines and independent travel agencies were amongst the first to take advantage of the marketing and sales opportunities the internet provided (Borenstein, & Rose, 2013). Airlines saw the internet as a way to bypass the traditional sales channel of travel agents in order to gain control of lower costing electronic ticketing methods (Borenstein, & Rose, 2013). The internet provided an alternative for airlines and lowered their fears of sales being blocked by ticketing agencies (Borenstein, & Rose, 2013). Domestic airlines in Mumbai, India are attempting to not follow the conventional fixed commission system (Cuckoo, 2005). The issue of commission reduction has caused a huge stand-off between travel agents and international airlines (Cuckoo, 2005). Legacy airlines let by flag carrier Air-India announced in May, 2005 that they would cut commissions from 9% to 5% (Cuckoo, 2005). British Airways joined in with this plan and other European and Southeast Asian carriers were expected to follow suit (Cuckoo, 2005). Travel agents are planning to fight the commission cuts through the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) (Cuckoo, 2005). Just as many U. S. Carriers have claimed fear of, agents in India announced a plan to boycott Air-India and to stop selling their airline tickets in the event of commissions being cut (Cuckoo, 2005). Low-cost carriers have an advantage to the internet because they can start off with new models of distribution whereas legacy carriers have been using agents for decades and it is hard for them to step out (Cuckoo, 2005). Air Decan is a low-cost airline in India that sells 35% of its tickets online and has been knowingly boycotted by agents because it offers a lower price, usually around 5% less, to consumers who book directly from them (Cuckoo, 2005). An International low-cost airline, Air-Arabia, will not pay any commissions to travel agents with its India flights (Cuckoo, 2005). Air-India’s low-cost subsidiary, Air-India Express will also have their passengers pay handling fees instead of the airlines (Cuckoo, 2005). Another Airline to consider is Frontier who makes their lowest fares available on both their own website and on the big online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Priceline and Expedia (Perkins, 2012). There is a difference however, when passengers purchase from any other site or agency other than Frontier, they only earn half of the amount of frequent flyer miles, do not get advanced seating, and will face higher fees for various changes (Perkins, 2012). Marketing Strategy and Situational Analysis Some may find it peculiar that companies are now battling other companies that they themselves created. The three major GDS systems that control most airline ticket distribution worldwide, Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport provide OTAs with fare information and transact sales (Perkins, 2012). OTAs are used by most airlines in order to sell their tickets along with their own websites. In addition to providing airfares OTAs also provide hotel accommodations, rental cars, and most other popular travel services (Perkins, 2012). Airlines now want to avoid fees which were once accumulated through the use of agents and GDSs charge them anywhere between $5 and $12 to book a flight while a transaction through their own system probably costs less than $1 (Perkins, 2012). Now that the internet source is available and extremely efficient the airlines want to gain control back of their customers in order to be able to sell them additional services (Perkins, 2012). On their own sites they could have the ability to present upgraded options such as a bundled no-fee fare packages and can provide passengers with the ability to book semi-premium economy seats (Perkins, 2012). Airlines also want to avoid the easiness of price comparisons passengers have with OTAs in order to maximize their profits once again. The problem, as stated earlier in this paper, is that GDSs account for more than half of their business and to cut them out of the transaction stream completely would be extremely difficult (Perkins, 2012). Airlines are also signed into long-term GDS contracts that require that they provide the same fares to GDS that they have available on their website (Perkins, 2012). A third problem is that large buyers and managers of business travel are extremely dependents on GDS for various reasons such as fare, price, and other information that is required to control travel costs (Perkins, 2012). Attempts to move completely from GDS systems by most airlines have been unsuccessful but many have been able to find ways to shun them. Southwest is one who has managed to have their own system entirely because if you want to fly Southwest, you have to go to Southwest (Perkins, 2012). Allegiant and Spirit also provide only limited participation with GDS (Perkins, 2012). Others get around the contractual agreement of having the same fares available by offering discount promotional codes for direct bookings (Perkins, 2012). With the advantages of control of ticket distribution for the airlines stated and the various strategies used by each airline along with their strengths discussed, let us now look at the weaknesses of these distribution systems. The main weakness is that with the amount of passengers that do use OTAs, there’s a chance they will not use airlines that are not on these sites due to their popularity. Passengers want to be able to compare prices and OTAs provide just that. Passengers may not be willing to research fares on their own and may only go to their preferred airline if OTAs aren’t available. Airlines win if they are the airline of choice but if they aren’t they could be losing potential customers. Commercial Websites This study will look at two individual airlines and their websites and discuss how successful they are. According to Google Trends, the internet is the number one source for both business and leisure travel and roughly 83% of personal travelers use it as well as 77% of business travelers (The Economist, 2009). The two airlines in this review will be United Airlines and Southwest Airlines. Commercial websites need to consider what customers experience when searching for information, evaluating alternative products, and purchasing them (Peter, & Donnelly, 2013). We will be reviewing these three basic areas of which web site designers should consider for each United and Continental Airlines. With information search, there needs to be ease of navigation, fast page downloads, effective search features, and frequent product updates (Peter, & Donnelly, 2013). When evaluating alternatives, designers need to consider the ease of product comparisons, product descriptions, ease of contacting customer service representatives, and a status of the availability of items (Peter, & Donnelly, 2013). With the purchase evaluation, designers need to consider security and privacy issues, the checkout process, payment options, delivery options, and the ordering instructions (Peter, & Donnelly, 2013). United Airlines makes navigation simple by placing their flight search table right on the home page. They also include a section for members to sign in, passengers to print their boarding pass, check a flight status, and to change or view reservations right on the home page. These are some of their most used services which are placed right in plain sight on their home page making the information users are looking for easily obtainable. When searching for a flight the speed of the page downloads is quite fast especially considering that a query is being made and information has to be sorted. The results of the search used for this study came back fast and with more information than even requested. The site included many additional options to narrow the search down and was very up to date. When a search for a flight is made the results make it easy to compare similar flights available and even points to the direction of which options could/would give passengers a lower fare. The descriptions are accurate, clear, and comprehensive enough for customers to make informed decisions when choosing a flight. Customer service can easily be reached by clicking on the top right corner of the screen no matter what page of the site you are on. When a search is made unavailable flights or booked flights are not even visible making it easy for customers to view the availability of their options. When considering the purchase made on a web site, it is clear that United has all of the issues covered from security and privacy issues to ordering instructions. United airlines guides customers from the start of their home page all the way to the end purchase with ease. The steps are clear and the purchase can be made in a reasonable amount of time. Customers have various payment options such as credit card, PayPal, or buy it now as well. Southwest Airlines uses a more simplified homepage yet still has the flight search on their home screen to allow for ease of navigation. On top of providing ease of navigation they also use their home page to advertise promotions. The speed of pages downloads is quick, the returned information was effective, and the flight schedules were all up to date on Southwest’s site. They also provided multiple flights to choose from that incorporated a variety of different prices. The promotions continued through the flight selection process as well going on to add discounts if a hotel were to be booked as well. Flight comparisons and descriptions were easy to compare and were accurate, clear, and comprehensive enough to allow consumers to make informed decisions. Something I was surprised to find about the site was that the customer service phone number was not extremely easy to locate. Customers have to click through about 3 pages before a number is given and that is after they find the tiny help icon at the top of the screen. The status of availability is done the same whereas unavailable seating or options are not even displayed to customers. Southwest covers issues of security and privacy all the way to ordering instructions. Southwest Airlines guides customers from the start of their home page all the way to the end purchase with ease. The steps are clear and the purchase can be made in a reasonable amount of time. Customers have various payment options such as credit card, PayPal, or buy it now as well. Comparing the two directly, Southwest’s homepage is more simple and easier for consumers to take in whereas United has an abundant amount of options to choose from. They are both however, very effective and successful commercial websites and follow all of the guidelines mentioned above from the text with the exception of a number for customer service being more difficult to find on Southwest’s website (Peter, & Donnelly, 2013).

Employment and religious rights of employees

Employment and religious rights of employees Employers ought to respect and accommodate employees’ right to worship, to the extent that the worship does not â€Å"cause hardship in the conduct of the employer’s business† (Smith, n.d.). In some cases, employer’s business activities are restricted, in order to accommodate employees’ religious practices. Even though courts are not required to verify an employee’s bona fide religious beliefs, several contentious cases have created the need for the courts to determine whether employees’ claim constitutes a bona fide religious belief.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Employment and religious rights of employees specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The U.S. Supreme Court fails to express a clear decision on the need to establish a prima facie case, due to complexities that might arise. However, EEOC has a provision on the need to establish a prima facie case, based on Ã¢â‚¬Ë œTitle VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’ (Evans, 2007). Through this Act, EEOC clearly states that â€Å"An employee establishes a prima facie case of religious discrimination by showing that the employee has a bona fide religious belief that conflicts with an employment requirement, the employee informed the employer of this belief and that the employee was disciplined for failing to comply with the conflicting employment requirement† (Smith, n.d.). These elements are evident in U.S. Postal Service v Hoffman case. In the U.S. Postal Service v Hoffman case, Mr. Hoffman’s claim indicates that the U.S. Postal Service violates his right to observe holy Sabbath, as the corporation requires him to work on Sundays. Being a Roman Catholic, Mr. Hoffman claims that he rightly deserves to be allowed to abstain from work on Sundays, since it is his day of worship. Mr. Hoffman’s argument is based on Roman Catholics belief that Sunday is a Sabbath, a day in which people ought to abstain from work. In this case, Mr. Hoffman required the U.S. Postal Service to alter its shifts system to accommodate his religious beliefs. Thus, Mr. Hoffman argues that the corporation ought to exempt him from work on Sundays. Initially, the high court had ruled in favor of the U.S. Postal Service, since the Corporation had argued that Mr. Hoffman had not established a prima facie case. The Corporation argued that abstaining from work on Sundays does not constitute bona fide religious belief amongst the Roman Catholics. However, Mr. Hoffman’s appeal to EEOC overturned the high court ruling. In its ruling, EEOC determined that the U.S. Postal Services was at fault, since it based its argument on its own interpretation of the basic tenets of Roman Catholic. The EEOC ruled that Mr. Hoffman had established a prima facie case, in which he had clearly persuaded the EEOC that working on Sundays conflicted with his bona fide religious beliefs (EEOC, 2008).Advertis ing Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More EEOC further faults the U.S. Postal Service’s initial argument, on the basis that the Corporation ignored the fact that observance of Sabbath constituted Mr. Hoffman’s personal religious beliefs, which are closely associated with the basic tenets of Roman Catholicism. Therefore, Mr. Hoffman â€Å"had met his burden of presenting a prima facie case of discrimination† (Smith, n.d.). The U.S. Postal Service v Hoffman is a model case in which an employer’s activities are restricted in respect to an employee’s religion. By ruling in favor of Mr. Hoffman, EEOC directed the U.S. Postal Services to alter the shifts program and exempt him from work on Sundays, which would allow him to observe his Sabbath. EEOC’s ruling shows that employers have a duty to respect employees’ freedom of worship, especial ly in cases where employees’ religion does not pose any harm to an organization’s activities. Reference List EEOC. (2008). Section 12: religious discrimination. Web. Evans, J. (2007). Religious accommodation in the workplace: can we strike a balance? Web. Smith, D. (n.d.). Workplace religious freedom: what is an employer’s duty to accommodate? A review of recent cases. Employment and Labor Law Journal. Web.

Free Essays on Another Step Towards Proving Evolution

Breaking news shows that researchers may have discovered the mutation that caused early humans to evolve from apes. Biologists and plastic surgeons at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia were the first to report the discovery of this mutation. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, these scientists believe that this mutation formed a gene that led to smaller, weaker jaws and bigger brains. A mutation is a change in an organism’s genetic material. Because of the smaller jaws, the structure of the skull changed, leading to the ability of growth in the brain that was capable of doing more. Dr. Hensall Stedman of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine stated that the brain has tripled in size since the mutation. They estimated that the mutation occurred about 2.4 million years ago in the grasslands of East Africa, and based their calculations on the belief that genetic mutations occur at a constant rate. It was around th is time when humans featured rounder skulls, flatter faces, smaller teeth, and weaker jaws. People at this time also began making their food with tools. Researchers have looked at fossil records to determine this time of change. Jaws have been a focus of evolutionary research since Charles Darwin. His theory of evolution by natural selection includes the ideas of genetic variation, environmental pressures, and lots of offspring. He was born in Shrewsbury, England on February 12, 1802 and died on April 19, 1882. Darwin was one of the originators of the idea of natural selection and was the first of the evolutionary biologists. He came out with a book called The Origin of the Species in 1859 where he explained his take on evolution by natural selection. This book is recognized as the leading work in natural philosophy and the history of mankind. This introduced much controversy which still exists today. His theory of natural selection works as follows. Variations occ... Free Essays on Another Step Towards Proving Evolution Free Essays on Another Step Towards Proving Evolution Breaking news shows that researchers may have discovered the mutation that caused early humans to evolve from apes. Biologists and plastic surgeons at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia were the first to report the discovery of this mutation. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, these scientists believe that this mutation formed a gene that led to smaller, weaker jaws and bigger brains. A mutation is a change in an organism’s genetic material. Because of the smaller jaws, the structure of the skull changed, leading to the ability of growth in the brain that was capable of doing more. Dr. Hensall Stedman of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine stated that the brain has tripled in size since the mutation. They estimated that the mutation occurred about 2.4 million years ago in the grasslands of East Africa, and based their calculations on the belief that genetic mutations occur at a constant rate. It was around th is time when humans featured rounder skulls, flatter faces, smaller teeth, and weaker jaws. People at this time also began making their food with tools. Researchers have looked at fossil records to determine this time of change. Jaws have been a focus of evolutionary research since Charles Darwin. His theory of evolution by natural selection includes the ideas of genetic variation, environmental pressures, and lots of offspring. He was born in Shrewsbury, England on February 12, 1802 and died on April 19, 1882. Darwin was one of the originators of the idea of natural selection and was the first of the evolutionary biologists. He came out with a book called The Origin of the Species in 1859 where he explained his take on evolution by natural selection. This book is recognized as the leading work in natural philosophy and the history of mankind. This introduced much controversy which still exists today. His theory of natural selection works as follows. Variations occ...

LoNGPestel Analysis of the US automobile industry ( only passanger Essay

LoNGPestel Analysis of the US automobile industry ( only passanger cars ) - Essay Example Its very imperative to constantly asses the business environment so as to keep up with competition, be updated on current developments in the industry as well as understanding the external and internal factors that affect the business (Greacen & Chou 2005). Business environment is identified as the external factors influencing the decisions made by a business and they way the business will operate there after. These factors are very critical to development of an industry and any business analyses set to investigated them should be done so in a systematic way so as to ensure the whole process in cost effective and that relevant information is obtained (Leumar 2008). One is able to concentrate on the industry’s environmental factors like the customers, competitors, the government, and suppliers. In general, it’s pertinent to note that the profit that a firm gets comes from the ways in which a market is made to be perfect. The prices that clients are willing to pay for the goods should not actually surpass the cost of producing the goods (Leumar 2008). PESTEL analysis is one of such means by which companies use to assess their performance in relation to the business environment so that changes can be made whenever possible to increase profitability (Capon 2006). The PESTEL analysis is sometimes extended to include local national and global aspects and hence denoted as LoNGPESTEL analysis. These are some of the factors that are analysed in assessing the business environment particularly the macro environment factors that are likely to affect management’s decisions about the organisation. PESTEL is an acronym of Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal factors that influence organizations decision process (Greacen & Chou 2005). The changes in taxation policy, introduction of trade barriers, establishment

Perceptions of Crime in the Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Perceptions of Crime in the Media - Essay Example The murder of a six-year-old girl, JonBenet Ramsey, in 1996 received great attention with the media taking a close follow up with each new unfolding. The occurrence of such crimes receives great attention from many people most of whom rely on the media for information regarding the case. As such, the media is compelled to take a keen interest in the cases simultaneously ensuring that no important unfolding is left out. Additionally, the media is always on the lookout for seemingly newsworthy stories that will receive great attention from the public. Taking a look at the JonBenet case, it seems to have all the desirable ingredients to spark people’s attention. The death of a six-year-old girl by strangling is not an ordinary day to day scenario hence there lies many questions about the incident. With this increased public interest in the case, the media could not be left out as it sought to report on the case development. However, in the course of reporting on such sensitive ca ses, the media is seemingly negligent of the wellbeing of the victims. This is especially from the perspective where the media is seemingly negligent of the implications of the statements used to describe the case. For example, in JonBenet’s case, the media gave an implication that JonBenet’s family was responsible for the murder. The media reported on the growing suspicions of the parents and this took a quick turn for the family from victims to villains. The public suddenly took a different stand from sympathizing with the parents to thinking of them as the perpetrators. This sudden twist was greatly fueled by the media’s efforts to report on each unfolding oblivious of the implications presented by giving sensitive information. The Ramsey’s tried to prove their innocence in the media for a long period of time but the suspicions were seemingly far from over.