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Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human Resource Management - Essay Example The process must begin with planning and preparing the entire infrastructure needed for the auditing process. This is important for identifying the existing levels of skills in the organization. Following this, the organization must strive to set skill targets against its long term goals and objectives. For this it needs to forecast the skill demands in the organization for various work processes in future. Comparing the target skill requirements against the existing skill levels in the organization reflects the actual measure of skill gaps. Shortfall in skill levels in the organization must be complimented with either training the existing employees to enhance their performance and productivity in the organization. The skill gap can also be met up by recruiting fresh candidates on new skill requirements as per the long term strategies of the organization (Pravin, 2010, p.123). Actions and documents for correct recruitment procedures The criterion for a strong recruitment procedure i n the organization is to recruit the right candidates in the organization and at the right time and position. The process must begin with writing the job description or the job specification. This is crucial to understand the exact needs and requirements of the job. The purpose, responsibilities and tasks associated with the job are the most crucial components of a proper job description. In this context the scope of the job is also important, i.e., expanding on the primary tasks and activities and importance of the job in the organization. This must be followed by the person specification or the detailing of skills, attributes and knowledge associated with the job. It is crucial to mention the types of experience needed in the job; the necessary competencies, education and requirements in the job. The person recruited must be evaluated on his future potential and prospects in the organization along with the present requirements. The next stage is to give consideration to the pay ra tes associated with the job. Factors like grades, scales, skills availability, market rates, and negotiated agreements must be considered. The organization must be careful about discrimination legislations. The final and the most crucial part are attracting the candidates. This can be done through internal recruitments, by providing promotional and training opportunities to existing employees. Recruitments can also be conducted through commercial recruitment agencies, in cases large scale candidates are required and internal hiring is not sufficient to meet the purpose. Using the internet as an active source of finding candidates can be extremely effective and useful as majority of the labour force attains recruitment information from the internet. It is also easy to access the talents across the globe through this medium. It can be mainly effective in technical and graduate level jobs as it can target a selected group of candidates with the requisite qualification and experience in stantly (Staffing.org, 2012). After deciding the channels of recruitment, it is important to design the advertisement for attracting candidates. This includes providing the various details for the position, contact number etc. Finally the candidates shortlisted through their

Monday, October 28, 2019

The title of the book I read was 1491 Essay Example for Free

The title of the book I read was 1491 Essay New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. It was written by Charles C. Mann. Other books by this author include Noahs Choice: The Future of Endangered Species and The Second Creation: Makers of the Revolution in Twentieth-Century Physics. 1491 is based around Native Americans and how they really lived before European settlers came to the Americas. This is a very interesting, as well as extremely informative book that gives unbiased and well-thought-out information about on the peoples about which that the author writes. about. I personally found this book to be a very good read. Charles Mann is a fantastic writer, and he makes everything about this book interesting. He knows how to put things so that he really grabs the readers attention and keeps you interested to learn more. He is very descriptive and words things in a way that is understandable for me, the reader. He also has a very extensive vocabulary, which makes the reading even more interesting. Mann also uses tons of information that he has gathered. He makes very good points to his topics, as well, and he makes these points very clear. Because of this, I did not find anything that I really disagreed with him on. The book mostly speaks of how much false information is widely believed in the world today about early Americans before Columbus and the Europeans settled in the New World. Many scholars in the past have made false assumptions on about the Native Americans because of their own ethnocentric opinions. For example, today most people view the early Americans as being very nature-oriented, but not very intelligent people who live in small, isolated tribes scattered across the country, who also never did anything to change their environment. However, these assumptions are not true. The Indians actually had a huge impact on their land, mostly for the better. They cleared land to plant more nut and fruit trees, they grew tons of crops, they even created maize. One group in particular, the Beni, was exceptional in the area of purposing land for their its benefit. They built huge mounds in an area that was constantly being flooded. By doing so, this allowed them to grow crops and trees on the mounds. They even made traps below the mounds to trap fish when the area did flood. Overall, I found the book to be very memorable. I really enjoyed reading this book and I will remember a lot of the information that it has taught me for a long time. I cant think of anything that I disagree with the author on, since Charles Mann does make very good points, and he is impressively convincing. I think that the information given in 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus will open the eyes of many people and teach a lot of people more about the history of the Native Americans. This is a very good and informative book that gives unbiased and trustworthy information about the early Americans before and after Europeans settled in the Americas.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Importance of George Wilson in The Great Gatsby Essay -- Great Gat

The Importance of George Wilson in The Great Gatsby   Ã‚  Ã‚   F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is a superbly written and an intrinsically captivating novel that deals with the decline of the American Dream and how vapid the upper class is. To illustrate and capture the essence of these themes, Fitzgerald uses characters Gatsby, who epitomizes the actual American Dream, and Daisy, who is based on the ideal girl. Yet, as these characters grasp the topics Fitzgerald wants to convey, there is something inherently like missing from the story as a whole. To fill this void, Fitzgerald utilizes minor characters as a means to move the plot along, develop characters further, and build upon the themes present in the novel. One such character is George Wilson.    George Wilson is the naà ¯ve husband to Myrtle Wilson, the woman having an affair with Tom Buchanan, who is the "brute of a man, a great, big, hulking physical specimen"(Fitzgerald 16) husband to Daisy Buchanan, the woman whom Jay Gatsby, the main character, is in love with: a very removed yet significant role in the story. Evidently playing the role of the common man, in a story revolving around wealth and possessions, George Wilson is the owner of an auto body shop and is described as a "spiritless man, anemic and faintly handsome"(29). Wilson's common man image helps to further develop the theme of Wilson is deeply in love with Myrtle to a point where he is paranoid of losing her. "`I've got my wife locked in up there,' explained Wilson calmly. `She's going to stay there till the day after tomorrow and then we're going to move away"(143).    Truly a character that centers on irony, Wilson's wife is indeed having an affair with Tom Buchanan. ... ...murder of Myrtle, neither of which he committed. After fulfilling his vengeance, George sees no need to continue his life and kills himself, as his only reason for living was his love for the late Myrtle. As well as being a climatic point in the plot, the murder of Gatsby concludes the prevalent theme of the decline of the American Dream.    George Wilson's role, however small it may be, in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is nonetheless clearly one of consequence and importance. Through Fitzgerald's use of Wilson, major characters, prevalent themes, and points in the plot are developed further. And, ultimately, through these characters that at first seem superficial to the story, Fitzgerald is able to weave a complex and charismatic novel.    Work Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. London: Penguin Books, 1990.      

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Probability: Playing Card and Vocational Training Essay

Q1). You draw a card at random from a standard deck of 52 cards. Neither you nor anyone else looked at the card you picked. You keep it face down. Your friend then picks a card at random from a remaining 51 cards. a) What is the probability that your card is ace of spades? 1/52 b) What is the probability that your friend’s card is ace of spades? (Hint: Construct the sample space for what your friend’s card can be.) 1/51 c) You turn over your card and it is 10 of diamonds. Now what is the probability that your friend’s card is the ace of spades? 1/51 Q2). Suppose that 25% of the population in your area is exposed to a television commercial of Ford Automotive, and 34% is exposed to Ford’s radio advertisements. Also it is known that 10% of the population is exposed to both means of advertising. If a person is randomly chosen out of the entire population in this area, what is the probability that he or she was exposed to at least one of the two modes of advertising? ANS: P(A) = 0.25 P(B) = 0.34 P(A^B) = 0.10. Probability that he/she was exposed to at least one mode of advertising = 0.25 + 0.34 + 0.1 = 69% Q3). A Firm has 550 employees, 380 of them have had at least some college education, and 412 of the employees underwent a vocational training program. Furthermore, 357 employees are both college educated and have had vocational training. If an employee is chosen at random, what is the probability that he or she is college educated or has had the vocational training or both? Q4). A bank loan officer knows that 12% of the bank’s mortgage holders lose their jobs and default on the loan in the course of 5 years. She also knows that 20% of the bank’s mortgage holders lose their jobs during this period. Given that one of her mortgage holders just lost his job, what is the probability that he will now default on the loan? Q5). A Recent survey conducted by Towers Perrin and published in the Financial Times showed that among 460 organizations in 13 European Countries, 93% have bonus plans, 55% have cafeteria-style benefits, and 70% employ home-based workers. If the types of benefits are independent, what is the probability that an organization selected at random will have at least one of the three types of benefits? P(A) = 0.93, P(B) = 0.55, P(C) = 0.70. P(Not A) = 1 – 0.93, P(Not B) = 1-0.55, P(Not C)= 1-0.70 P(Not A B C) = 0.07 * 0.45 * 0.30 = 0.01155 P(atleast 1 event occurring) = 1-0.01155 = 0.988.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Fast Food versus Homemade Food Essay

On the other hand, home-made food has less attraction than fast food. A reason for this is that home-made food needs lots of time until it gets ready. For instance, people should wait for several hours in order to have a ready home-made meal. Another reason is that home-made food is less convenient than fast food. For example, you may not find all the ingredients you need in one grocery, yet you have to look in several groceries until you find all the ingredients. Home-made food is much healthier than fast food, and therefore, people will enjoy eating their meals without thinking of health problems. In conclusion, both fast food and home-made food have significant divergence in preparation time, convenience and quality. Fast food might be better in saving time and being more convenient, while home-made food might be better in quality. I do believe that home-made food is much better than fast food, because people’s health is†¦ The questions by Dixit saab: 1. Chule Ki Roti is better or bread. 2. Fast Food is better or customs(regular ) food. , are most relevant in todays’s context. I prefer regular food but not fast food. Nutritious, hygenenic food is most important. Even in fast food if it is hygenic, nutritious it can be taken. Many a time we are forced to take fast food which is not so hygenic or nutritious ,because of the urgrncy , in place of the meals we take. The regular intake of fast foods in place of regular food is not suggestable which may kill apetite and person become weak. Inthe present day stressful jobs the person is consuming his physical, mental talents tocope with work schedules. Since body is also a machine we should give necessary inputs through food and required rest so that body functions smoothly. Occasional fast food is unaviodable. But one should take care of health by taking healthy food. Health is Wealth.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

It’s a -(Man’s)-Woman’s World Professor Ramos Blog

It’s a -(Man’s)-Woman’s World Women in general are stereotyped in not only literature, but in film and music, making it even more frustrating when that woman is of color. Especially lately with the way American mentality has changed towards Mexican immigrants. Sandra Cisneros uses two short stories to represent main role models in Hispanic culture and how that has changed who these women became. Cisneros not only uses the two figures, La Llorona and La Malinche, to represent two women, Clemencia in â€Å"Never Marry a Mexican† and CleÏÅ'filas in â€Å"Woman Hollering Creek,† but she also transforms these roles to change the outcome of the original figures and their traditional happy endings. Cisneros metamorphosizes these women’s personalities to modernize them to a balanced, relatable scenario, so that these stories can enlighten a realistic representation of true women’s nature. In â€Å"Woman Hollering Creek,† Cisneros uses the protagonist CleÏÅ'filas to foretell a story of isolation by moving across the border to America. CleÏÅ'filas tells of her fantasies she has watched on telenovelas. Cisneros is quick to illustrate her naivety, how love can blind a person to red flags in toxic relationships. â€Å"She has to remind herself why she loves him,† showing how she tries to fit her life into the classic happily ever after scenario, even all the while her husbands abuse grew stronger and repetitive (Cisneros 49). CleÏÅ'filas tries to find excuses even though inside, she emotionally already acknowledges that something has to change. She was confused in her inner dialogue because in Hispanic culture, its taboo to be without a husband, she was scared to be judged for having children without the father. Again, Cisneros writes in â€Å"Never Marry a Mexican† to show Clemencia’s young naivety as well as she explains her affair, â€Å" I was honored that he’d done me the favor. I was that young† (76). Both these women experienced expectations of implemented Hispanic role models, but also Cisneros shows a change to these stories’ outcomes of betrayal and murder. Cisneros then remolds this naivety by expressing their awareness of these blurred fantasies with reality. Cisneros also uses certain stream of consciousness to express the complicated inner dialogue of this metamorphosis taking place. In â€Å"Never Marry a Mexican,† Cisneros writes about Clemencia’s affair with her teacher, â€Å"he took me under his wing and in his bed, this man, this teacher, your father† (76). Not only does this dialogue show her blurred perspective of boundaries, but it also offers the ultimate co-dependency these women experienced due to their naive perceptions. She shows this in â€Å"Woman Hollering Creek† as well, â€Å"this man, this father, this rival, this keeper, this lord, this master, this husband till kingdom come† (Cisneros 49). This style of writing that Cisneros uses shows the progression out of naive perspectives into strong women. CleÏÅ'filas has the happy ending instead by choosing to go home to her father and brothers. Clemencia healing after letting go of the satisfaction of telling Drew, her ex-lover of her mis deeds, causing her to regain her power as an individual. These role models, or these originally represented women, being La Llorona and La Malinche. La Llorona is a ‘weeping woman’ that lingers near bodies of water, looking for her dead children. The story begins with a woman, who is married to a rich man with two children. When their marriage falls apart, she sees him with another woman. Enraged she drowns her children but immediately regrets it. Now, for all eternity she visits bodies of water in search for her children (The Curse of La Llorona). CleÏÅ'filas represents La Llorona in the same way their marriages fell apart because of men’s infidelities; cheating, lying, and abusing. If, in the end, the doctor at her pregnancy checkup didn’t help her escape from that toxic situation, she may have had the same break in sanity. When CleÏÅ'filas in the beginning once wondered if the woman that the creek was named after was hollering from â€Å"pain or rage† (Cisneros 47). Her thinking how funny the name was at first, because she was naà ¯ve still. As her story progresses, she slowly caves into this solitude as she thinks, â€Å"La Llorona calling to her. She is sure of it†¦Listens. The day sky turning to night. The baby pulling up fistfuls of grass and laughing. La Llorona. Wonders if something as quiet as this drives a woman to darkness under the trees† (Cisneros 51). This thoughtful trance is induced after years of abuse has been endured, and her power already lost. Her mental state is almost possessed by this creek that she thinks is calling her. With this, Cisneros simultaneously creates a modern La Llorona, one with a happier ending, but also joins the protagonist CleÏÅ'filas side by side with La Llorona to show the better choices, escaping instead of staying to become murderous, that could be made. Instead of leading CleÏÅ'filas to murder herself and child, she led her to escape, and possibly create a new better life. La Malinche’s story, on the other hand, is a woman associated with betrayal and being the mother of Mexico. It’s said in folklore that La Malinche was a master of the two languages Spanish and Mayan, after her Aztec people sold her as a slave, and later as one of twenty wives, to the Spaniards. Because of her skills she often attended political meetings with the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes. Hernan Cortes rebuilt the Aztec Mayans into what is known as Mexico because La Malinche warns Cortes of an Aztec plot to destroy the Spanish Army, resulting in its failure and slaughter of her people. Which is why she’s associated with being a traitor and the mother of Mexico because of the Aztec empires rebirth as Mexico (La Malinche). As before, Cisneros uses Clemencia in â€Å"Never Marry a Mexican† to represent La Malinche. Clemencia abuses her power to use her ex-lovers’ son to impose revenge on her dead mother and post lover. She states that â€Å"my mothers’ memory is like†¦ if something already dead dried up and fell off, and I stopped missing where she used to be.† This goes to show that Clemencia disliked her mothers actions, of cheating on her father, causing resentment towards her. In that same way, La Malinche may have resented being sold as a slave by her own people. Yet, by Clemencia not resolving her issues with her mother, she inevitably became the mother she so disliked. One of the main things that bothered Clemencia was that her mother began to see another man, while her father was sick and dying. Still, Clemencia, as an adult, did something similar by sleeping with Drew, her ex-lover, on the night that his wife was giving birth. Clemencia felt betrayed by her mother, then by her lover who manipulated his place of power, and finally by herself by doing exactly what was done to her. In the story of La Malinche, she was first betrayed by her own people, being sold as a slave, and when her people betrayed political alliances with the conquistadors, then later she betrayed her people by fooling their plan, causing their slaughter. Yet, instead of ending Clemencia with a murder charge, she leads her to gain some power back by sleeping with her ex-lovers son and extinguishing her revenge. This may not be a traditional sparkles and glitter outcome, but its transformative nature did allow her to gain power without the complete annihilation of a mass of people. Both these women faced strong implications from traditional cultures, causing them to become the stronger version of themselves for the better. Cisneros uses tales of previous female Hispanic figures to not only grasp the need for more positive outcomes, but to also communicate the struggle of power dynamics in toxic relationships, and how certain choices can lead to happy endings that these women desire. Just not in the traditional sense of happy endings, for Clemencia to escape her abusive husband and CleÏÅ'filas to establish dominance over Drews abuse in power. Bradley, Laura. â€Å"The Curse of La Llorona: The Real Legend Behind the Horror Film.† The Curse of La Llorona: The Real Legend Behind the Horror Film, Vanity Fair, 19 Apr. 2019, vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/04/la-llorona-real-mexican-legend-curse-of-la-llorona-movie. Cisneros, Sandra. Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories. Random House, 1991, New york â€Å"La Malinche.† Spanish Conquest of Mexico Don Quijote, donquijote.org/mexicanculture/history/la-malinche/.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Edvard Munch, The Scream Essays

Edvard Munch, The Scream Essays Edvard Munch, The Scream Essay Edvard Munch, The Scream Essay not only animals and plants, but also societies, were called Social Darwinists. These people believe that Just as species, so some human societies-races, classes, nations-were destined to survive, while others were condemned to fade away (Textbook pg 797). The main Social Darwinist of the 19th century was Herbert Spencer. He came up with the expression survival of the fittest (Textbook pg 797). Spencer believed that society coddled the poor people too much. He believed that the poor were weak and deserved to die in order for the society to evolve. He felt that welfare and other such programs only delayed social evolution (Textbook pg 797). As Spencer became more popular, people started to develop a dislike for poor people. Social Darwinists also believed that white people were superior to people of color which helped support slavery (Textbook pg 797). II. A. Darwins Finches Charles Darwin (1809-1882) took a scientific expedition in the 1930s to the Galapagos Islands. On these islands Darwin studied finches that were different from the finches on the main land and also different from each other (Textbook 796). Darwin used these finches to illustrate his theory of natural selection. This continuous process occured because as some species are better adapted to an environment than others they are more likely to survive and, therefore, they are more likely to pass on their positive traits to their young (Textbook 796). Specifically, the main difference in these finches was their beaks. The beaks have changed over time to better suit their functions (Internet Source 2). For example, if a finch was in an environment where it had to crack nuts to get food, the finches that had harder beaks would survive and pass on their traits to their young. There are 13 types of these finches on the Galapagos islands and each has a different beak used for insects, seeds, buds, fruit, etc. (Internet Source 2). Darwins discovery of these finches and the natural selection process paved the way for Social Darwinism and for scientists to study evolution even more thoroughly. II. B. Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Garibaldi was a fiery Italian who was interested in bringing all Italians together. He was born in 1807 and died in 1882. Though the two were fighting the same war, Cavour and Garibaldi were rivals (Textbook pg 748). Despite Napoleons orders to stop fighting, Garibaldi rounded up roughly 1000 troops and set sail for Sicily in May 1860 (LN-2-21-03). The poorly armed red shirts were not expected to do well, but because of their passionate fighting spirits they waged war on the Bourbons. In August they had completely rolled over the Bourbons. Garibaldi became extremely popular and became 57,000 men strong (Textbook pg 748). Garibaldi and his men took the entire kingdom of Naples. Napoleon believed that Garibaldi had gone too far and ordered him to stop. Garibaldi knew that he was quite capable of taking Rome, but sent the word obedisco, which meant I obey, to Napoleon. Garbaldi was tired and decided to stop fighting (LN 2-21-03). III. A. The Schlieffen Plan The Germans believe that if they could concentrate on defeating France before Russia could step in then they would have a greater chance of winning the war. In 1905, the Schlieffen Plan was drafted. The plan consisted of devoting one-eighth of the German forces against Russia while the rest of their forces quickly defeated France in only six weeks (Textbook pg 848). The plan then called for the Germans to deal with Russia with France out of the way. The Schlieffen Plan was a race against time. The Germans knew that the Russians would take at least eight weeks to mobilize an effective army. They believed that if they could defeat France in the short time of six weeks then they would have enough time to reorganize and face Russia (Textbook pg 848). The plan was a gamble because the Germans would have to defeat France very quickly. As the Germans moved through Belgium into France the plan worked as it was supposed to. It was at the Marne River, however, that things changed (LN 3-17-03). The French launched an effective counterattack which stopped the Germans in their tracks. The Schlieffen Plan was unsuccessful and the war would now last longer than either side expected it to (LN 3-17-03). III. B. Article 231 of the Versailles Treaty The 231 article of the final Treaty of Versailles was a devestating one for Germany. This article stated that Germany and its allies were morally responsible for the war. Germany was also forced to pay the victors of the war back the money that they had spent on the war, a sum that was not officially established until 1921 (Textbook pg 871). This outrageuos price was what prolonged a compromise of peace on both sides and caused hyperinflation when finally agreed to. The German military was forced to drastically reduce. The army could only consist of 100,000 men and the navy had to reduced greatly aswell. Also, Germans were prohibited from manufacturing military machinery, poison gas, and other military products (Textbook pg 871). France benefited greatly from the victory over Germany. The provinces Alsace and Lorraine were taken back and the Rhineland was de-militarized so that no German military could be maintained there (LN-3-21-03). This was extremely important to France because in the event of and hostility between the two nations, France could easily take this land which is an important economical area to Germany (Textbook pg 871). Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles was considered a very harsh one by the German people. This Treaty would become very important in the future when it is violated by Adolf Hitler. IV. Hyperinflation of Germany in 1923 After losing the war, Germany was forced to pay a large amount of money to the victors of the war to cover their wartime costs. This caused major inflation of Germany. When Germany reacted to French occupation of the Ruhr it went into one of the worst hyperinflations the world has ever seen (Textbook pg 895). The German currency was pathetic. People had to carry huge amounts of bills to buy the most simple and inexpensive things. The Weimar democracy in Germany was blamed for agreeing to the Treaty of Versailles. Therefore, Weimar was blamed for the hyperinflation and done away with (Textbook pg 900). The people of Germany needed a powerful person with a strong will and that would promise to rebuild Germany. Their need for a savior blinded the German people and Adolf Hitler used this to his advantage. He took advantage of the German people by telling them what they wanted to hear. Therefore, through an indirect series of events, the hyperinflation of 1923 brought Hitler into power and all the tragedy and horror that came with him.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Learning traditional Chinese with the MoE dictionary

Learning traditional Chinese with the MoE dictionary With access to the internet, students of Chinese have no lack of resources and tools to use, but sometimes it can be hard to find good resources for specifically for traditional characters. (Not sure about the difference between simplified and traditional Chinese? Read this!) While most resources provide both character sets, its obvious that many offer traditional characters as an after-thought or at least at lower priority than simplified characters. This means that the information about traditional characters less reliable and harder to access. Taiwans Ministry of Education Dictionaries to the rescue Fortunately, help is now available. Taiwans Ministry of Education has long provided various online dictionaries, but until recently, they were very hard to access and not well-adapted for the internet, making them less useful for foreign students. The current interface, however, is well-designed and easy to use. In this article, Im going to introduce some of all the available feature that are truly essential for students learning traditional characters. First though, heres a link to the main website: https://www.moedict.tw/ Note that theres also an app for Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, Android and iOS, which is very impressive. Its free, too, just, click the download links in the top-right corner! The main dictionary Searches on the front page will give you: Other search terms containing the query (left sidebar)Character with animated stroke order (click the character)Historical variants with animated stroke order (click æ ­ ·Ã¤ » £Ã¦â€º ¸Ã© «â€)Mark as favourite (click the star)Pronunciation (both Pinyin, Zhuyin and audio)Radical information (top right)Main reading with definitions sorted by word class (noun, verb, etc.)Additional readings with definitionsOther languages (usually Taiwanese, English, French and German) This is already very good for any dictionary, some functions are unique as far as I know (such as the historical animated stroke order). The only two problems for learners are that you need to have already reached a decent level to benefit from the Chinese-Chinese definitions and that the example sentences sometimes are historical and thus dont reflect modern usage. You dont want to uncritically add these to your spaced repetition program. Additional features The additional features are located in the navigation bar at the top of the page where it says Ã¥Å"‹è ªÅ¾Ã¨ ¾ ­Ã¥â€¦ ¸. For starters, you can access various kinds of idioms: æˆ Ã¨ ªÅ¾ (chà ©ngyÇ”), è « ºÃ¨ ªÅ¾ (ynyÇ”) and æ ­â€¡Ã¥ ¾Å'è ªÅ¾ (xiÄ“hà ²uyÇ”) by clicking 分é ¡Å¾Ã§ ´ ¢Ã¥ ¼â€¢ (fÄ“nlà ¨i suÇ’yÇ n) category index. The definitons are in Chinese, so this is again not suitable for beginners. There are also categories for loan-words (further divided into which kind of loanwords, which is hard to find elsewhere online). Further down, there are similar resources for Taiwanese and Hakka, but since this site is about learning Mandarin, they arent relevant right now. The last few menu entries are important, though, because they are some of the best resources available for Mainland and Taiwan differences in pronunciation, meaning and so on. Go down to å… ©Ã¥ ² ¸Ã¨ ©Å¾Ã¥â€¦ ¸ (liÇŽngn cà ­diÇŽn) two/both coasts (referring to Taiwan and Mainland China) dictionary and again use the category index. You now have: Ã¥ Å'Ã¥ ¯ ¦Ã§â€¢ °Ã¥   (tà ³ngshà ­ yà ¬mà ­ng) same thing, different names, listing words or phrases that mean the same thing, but are called different things on both sides of the Strait.   For example, internet (or network) is ç ¶ ²Ã¨ · ¯ (wÇŽnglà ¹) in Taiwan, but   ç ¶ ²Ã§ µ ¡ (wÇŽngluà ²) on the Mainland. Ã¥ Å'Ã¥  Ã§â€¢ °Ã¥ ¯ ¦ (tà ³ngmà ­ng yà ¬shà ­) same name, different things, listing words or phrases that look the same, but actually mean different things. For   instance, Ã¥Å"Ÿè ±â€  (tÇ”dà ²u) means potato on the Mainland, but peanut in Taiwan. è‡ ºÃ§  £Ã§â€ ¨Ã¨ ªÅ¾ (tiwÄ n yà ²ngyÇ”) Taiwanese usage lists words and phrases that are typically used in Taiwan, but not on the Mainland. Ã¥ ¤ §Ã©â„¢ ¸Ã§â€ ¨Ã¨ ªÅ¾ (dlà ¹ yà ²ngyÇ”) Mainland usage lists the opposite, i.e. language that is common on the Mainland but not in Taiwan. If you want to go back to check what you have looked-up before, just click the icon between Ã¥Å"‹è ªÅ¾Ã¨ ¾ ­Ã¥â€¦ ¸ and the cogwheels. Conclusion Overall, this dictionary easily beats any alternative when it comes to online information about traditional characters. The only drawback is that it isnt beginner friendly, but as a beginner, you can still find pronunciation and stroke order here. These are manually recorded, which means they are more reliable than any other online source. The example sentences arent perfect, but then again, there are no perfect dictionaries!

Saturday, October 19, 2019

The Impact of Changes on Safety and Cost of SABIC Dissertation

The Impact of Changes on Safety and Cost of SABIC - Dissertation Example According to Kumar. R. ( 1999 ) , the basic purpose of any research work is to understand and analyze the chosen research phenomenon . There are many methods of communication research methodologies like qualitative research , quantitative research , case studies and many more . These communication research methodologies try to acquire the actual scenario of the research phenomenon by methods of interviews and surveys . The qualitative methodology happens to be based on the interpretative paradigm , while the quantitative methodology follows the positivist paradigm of knowledge . This research has chosen the quantitative research methodology as one of the research approach . Another research methodology chosen for this research includes the case study method . According to McMurray et al. ( 2004 ) , when these two methods are used together , provides triangulation , which is expected to increase the validity and reliability of the research data collected . The strategy chosen for this research work comes under the two approaches , they are the quantitative method of data collection followed by statistical analysis and the case study approach which follows an empirical inquiry of a research phenomenon in real life situations . The quantitative method of data collection seems to follow the positivist paradigm that assumes that the participants are aware of the research concept and thus they intend to answer a defined set of questions in a predetermined scale . Here , the questions and the answers are defined by the researcher and the participant just chooses a specific option that suits his opinion . Thus the opinion of the participant in the research is generally limited to the set of answers and any other relative opinion of the participant seem to be suppressed . Â  

Friday, October 18, 2019

Police role descriptions in the media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Police role descriptions in the media - Essay Example Being a bank of almost all the police stories in the United States, this website serves as an accessible source for the most recent happenings which concerns police and their activities. Four stories will be chosen depicting these four police roles. An analysis will be offered whether this depicted role is real or not. During December 21, 2007, the Salt Lake Country Sheriff's Office boasted of seizing more than 400 pounds of exotic, African-based drug called "khat" which is reported to be sweeping the whole United States. The drug is typically chewed and similar with other illegal drugs, produces a feeling of euphoria inducing hypnosis, hyperactivity, hallucinations, violence, suicidal depression and physical exhaustion. Even though not as intense as cocaine, "khat" has the ability of reducing a person's motivation with continued use (Winslow and Reavy 2007). Even though the price of khat is expected to discourage consumption among the low and middle income classes, the police expect that it will be a phenomenal drug for young adults because of it can be chewed instead of being injected or smoked (Winslow and Reavy 2007). The effort of seizing the drugs is a way to combat the problems which is associated with drug addiction once a distribution network is set-up. It should be noted that khat is gaining popularity indicated by the presence of 25 tons of smuggled khat in the United States in 2006 (Winslow and Reavy 2007). In this story, the highlighted police role is crime fighter whereby the police act in order to fight the crime of drug smuggling, illegal drug trafficking, and the likelihood of drug abuse which can disrupt peace and order in the community. In this particular story, I believe that the media has no intention of romanticizing the story by clearly labeling police as a crime fighter. Since the story only talks about the seizure of khat and the likely effects of khat abuse, the role of the police as a crime fighter stated in here is real. I believe that police are really committed in combating drug smuggling, drug trafficking, and drug abuse because it being unable to stop them can post larger problems for them in the future. Social Servant The Associated Press releases a very heart-warming Christmas story of a policeman in Philadelphia. This story relates how transit officer Steven Rocher helps a woman deliver her baby while he is on his way to deliver presents to his mother's home. Hearing a woman scream for help while lying in this sidewalk, this transit officer immediately halted and responded to the woman's plea. Even though inexperienced in the task, he managed to deliver the baby and communicated his gladness that the baby is safe. After the delivery, Rocher also flagged down a colleague in order to bring the mother and the newborn baby to the nearest hospital (PA helps deliver 2007). This story recounts how an officer can be a social servant by going beyond his

Evaluating an International Human Resource Strategy (TESCO) Essay

Evaluating an International Human Resource Strategy (TESCO) - Essay Example Moreover, I would be discussing the entire chunk of international HR strategy into the following five major and broad categories, namely; In addition, I would be stressing out the major issues which the Tesco Plc representatives and it HR department would have to be catered with when extending and flourishing its activities into another region of world on the basis of contractual relationships with its new appointed joint venture partners. Furthermore, I would also be discussing and detailing out some of the other relevant aspects and areas related to Tesco plc, which would probably be including; Hence, the overall and comprehensive purpose of this report is the evaluation, recommendation and analysis of vital and relevant international HR strategies and issues with which Tesco Plc would be challenged when it plan out to take certain growth initiatives under is business circle with its foreign joint venture partner in the market area of China. Tesco PLC  is one of the largest and popular British  multinational  Company which is directly engaged and associated in the business of grocery and general nature merchandise retailer, having its headquarter in  Cheshunt, Hertfordshire in England, United Kingdom (Tescoplc.com, 2014). Furthermore, Tesco Plc is recognized as the second largest retailer all over the globe, after  Wal-Mart, when it comes to the measurement of its overall profits and revenues. Company is quite successful in establishing its chain of merchandise stores in more than 12 countries scattered all around the regions of Asia,  North America, Malaysia, Thailand, the  Republic of Ireland and Europe (Reuters, 2014). In addition, Tesco Plc is essentially considered as one of the grocery market leader in entire region of the UK, where it accumulates the overall market share of approximately 30% on aggregate basis in similar industry. Historically speaking, Tesco

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Research Methods Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Research Methods - Assignment Example However, though this is a great advantage for patient diagnosis, the risks associated with these practice for both the patients and the staffs who operates the radiology equipments have increased. The exposure of the patients to longer duration of fluoroscopy and higher doses of radiation are the major risks associated with the radiation modalities (Slechta, & Reagan, 2008 p302). Consequently, there is a greater need for the medical staff to adhere to the radiation protection and safety practices, to secure the patients, as well as the staffs themselves from the negative effects of radiation (Furlow, 2010 p440). Since most of the data was collected through the application of quantitative research designs, the information obtained is more reliable. However, the dependence on questionnaire as the instrument of data collection may not have given precise information regarding the area of study, as truthfulness of the information given cannot be easily verified. Thus, more use of interviews and observation, which allows the researcher to be in touch with the respondents, would be more appropriate for the

Health and Physical Education Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Health and Physical Education - Assignment Example (please circle) Individual Pairs Groups of ____6_______ Teams of____________ What do we do – what are the rules? How is the activity conducted? All groups divide into two groups of three, each going on the far side of one of the lines. Lining up, they take turns hopping like a kangaroo from one side of the play field across the line on the other side, releasing the next student to hop across to the other side. How do we include everyone? All children with the ability to hop would be able to participate, but should the class include a member who does not have the capacity to hop, the following modification can be made to the game: instead of hopping the game could be modified so that a ball is bounced as the child travels the distance or that they merely have to travel the distance, which at this point might be widened, passing an item from one person to the next in relay fashion. In this last form, any student that can move can participate, even, as an example, if they are in a wheelchair. How do we make it safe? Include the link to the most appropriate Curriculum Activity Risk Management Guidelines http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/healthy/ Go to this link and scroll down to sport. Select the category or activity that best represents your activities. You might need more than one category. http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/eppr/health/hlspr012/resources/trampolining.pdf While trampolining is a high risk and Kangaroo is a low risk, the same sort of use of the muscles exists, so some of the same risk factors will be included. Teaching the proper way to jump and how to hop from one point to the next would mitigate most of the risk in the game. Activity two:_____Bat and Ball Games____________________________________________ Organisation: How do we set up the activity? Set up a field similar to baseball with four bases at the corners of a diamond shape, but modified to be shorter distances for the age group that has been selected. Provide two fields of pl ay so that two teams of 6 each can be played at the same time. Two plastic bats and two plastic balls will be needed. How are students organised? (please circle) Individual Pairs Groups ________ Teams of___6_________ What do we do – what are the rules? How is the activity conducted? The modified rules of baseball are introduced with the introduction to running the bases after hitting the ball being at the core of the instruction. Children hit a tossed ball (instructors should pitch the ball) so that the opposing team runs to get the ball and then towards the bases. First one to get to the base is successful and the game continues. In other words, if the child who gets the ball beats the batter to the base, the batter is ‘out’. If the batter gets to the base first, they can continue forward from base to base as other hitters hit, each time over home plate counting as a score. The outfield does not exist in this modified version of the game. How do we include every one? Explain how you might modify this activity to ensure all students can participate. You are to imagine that your class has a child with cerebral palsy and think about the modifications that will be

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Research Methods Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Research Methods - Assignment Example However, though this is a great advantage for patient diagnosis, the risks associated with these practice for both the patients and the staffs who operates the radiology equipments have increased. The exposure of the patients to longer duration of fluoroscopy and higher doses of radiation are the major risks associated with the radiation modalities (Slechta, & Reagan, 2008 p302). Consequently, there is a greater need for the medical staff to adhere to the radiation protection and safety practices, to secure the patients, as well as the staffs themselves from the negative effects of radiation (Furlow, 2010 p440). Since most of the data was collected through the application of quantitative research designs, the information obtained is more reliable. However, the dependence on questionnaire as the instrument of data collection may not have given precise information regarding the area of study, as truthfulness of the information given cannot be easily verified. Thus, more use of interviews and observation, which allows the researcher to be in touch with the respondents, would be more appropriate for the

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business law - Essay Example The judges have to judge the intention objectively. In all circumstances, a court has to ask whether in the circumstances a reasonable person would regard the agreement as it was intended to be binding. In any circumstance that a party in the case wants to prove for sure there was an intention to be legally bound, the party must present the evidence of the intention to the court and prove it beyond reasonable doubt. In the case Thomas v Thomas (1842) 2 QB 851, the case is about an action which was brought by a widow against the executor of her husband. The day that the husband died, he had stated that he clearly wanted his wife to get one of the houses for the rest of her life. He said that in front of his witnesses. After the husband died, his executors decided to attach a life interest in one of the houses. This was so if the wife agreed to pay one pound per rent and provided that she kept the house in good condition. After some time, the executor refused to totally complete the co nveyance as he had promised. It was ruled that the respect for the wishes of the testator was not sufficient for the consideration. In the case Ermogenous v Greek Orthodox Community of SA Inc (2002) 209 CLR 95, Ermogenous who was a Bishop made a claim to be paid money which he thought was a compensation for his service from the church he was serving, that is Greek Orthodox Community. In the first instance he succeeded in convincing the judges. But when the case was taken to Full Court of the Supreme Court of SA, the judges found that there was no intention of creating legal relations between the parties which were involved. In the case Placer Development Ltd v Commonwealth (1969) 121 CLR 353, High Court of Australia, P and D had an arrangement of forming a company. The operations of the company would involve the exportation and importation of timber. It was a rule by the Commonwealth that a subsidy to be paid on any timber for which the import duty was paid but not remitted on expor t. The court decided that there was no contract at all since the amount to be paid as subsidy by P and D was not specified. There was no implication that any reasonable subsidy was to be paid since there was no any standard by which subsidy was to be judged. Apply the law to the facts of the question in a detailed and logical manner As n agreement becomes enforceable by law when the two parties intend to be legally bound at the time they are making the agreement, there is a need of carrying out an objective assessment of the circumstances under which the agreement between Peter and Sally, and between Burt and Sally was made. The main question in this case is whether, in the circumstances, a reasonable person would regard the agreement between Sally and Peter and the agreement between Sally and Burt as enforceable contract. There is no sufficient evidence that there was a contract between Sally and Peter. This is because, in the first instance, Sally refused to reply the request of P eter to be sold the bicycle at $4000. Peter had requested for an immediate response. Given that Sally refused to reply immediately and she did so after some days, it therefore follows that there was no contract between Peter and Sally. Sally went ahead and delivered the bicycle to Peter without his consent, and he had

Monday, October 14, 2019

Context of Indigenous health Essay Example for Free

Context of Indigenous health Essay Historical context and social determinants of Indigenous health There is a clear relationship between the social disadvantages experienced by Indigenous people and their current health status [1]. These social disadvantages, directly related to dispossession and characterised by poverty and powerlessness, are reflected in measures of education, employment, and income. Before presenting the key indicators of Indigenous health status, it is important, therefore, to provide a brief summary of the context within which these indicators should be considered. The historical context of Indigenous health Indigenous peoples generally enjoyed better health in 1788 than most people living in Europe [2][3][4][5][6]. They did not suffer from smallpox, measles, influenza, tuberculosis, scarlet fever, venereal syphilis and gonorrhoea, diseases that were common in 18th century Europe. Indigenous people probably suffered from hepatitis B, some bacterial infections (including a non-venereal form of syphilis and yaws) and some intestinal parasites. Trauma is likely to have been a major cause of death, and anaemia, arthritis, periodontal disease, and tooth attrition are known to have occurred. The impact of these diseases at a population level was relatively small compared with the effects of the diseases that affected 18th century Europe. All of this changed after 1788 with the arrival of introduced illness, initially smallpox and sexually transmissible infections (gonorrhoea and venereal syphilis), and later tuberculosis, influenza, measles, scarlet fever, and whooping cough [3][4][7][8]. These diseases, particularly smallpox, caused considerable loss of life among Indigenous populations, but the impacts were not restricted to the immediate victims. The epidemic also affected the fabric of Indigenous societies through depopulation and social disruption. The impact of introduced diseases was almost certainly the major cause of death for Indigenous people, but direct conflict and occupation of Indigenous homelands also contributed substantially to Indigenous mortality [7][9][10]. The initial responses of Indigenous people to the arrival of the First Fleet were apparently quite peaceful. It didnt take long, however, before conflict started to occur initially over access to fish stocks and then over access to other resources as non-Indigenous people started to plant crops and introduce livestock. This pattern of conflict was almost certainly widespread as non-Indigenous people spread across the country. Conflict escalated in many places, in some instances resulting in overt massacres of Indigenous people. The 1838 massacre at Myall Creek (near Inverell, NSW) is the most infamous [11], but less well-known massacres occurred across Australia [10]. As Bruce Elder notes, as painful and shameful as they are, the massacres should be as much a part of Australian history as the First Fleet, the explorers, the gold rushes and the bushrangers ([10], p. vi). Prior to 1788, Indigenous people were able to define their own sense of being through control over all aspects of their lives, including ceremonies, spiritual practices, medicine, social relationships, management of land, law, and economic activities [12][13][14]. In addition to the impacts of introduced diseases and conflict, the spread of non-Indigenous peoples undermined the ability of Indigenous people to lead healthy lives by devaluing their culture, destroying their traditional food base, separating families, and dispossessing whole communities [3][4][7]. This loss of autonomy undermined social vitality, which, in turn, affected the capacity to meet challenges, including health challenges; a cycle of dispossession, demoralisation, and poor health was established. These impacts on Indigenous populations eventually forced colonial authorities to try to protect remaining Indigenous peoples. This pressure led to the establishment of Aboriginal protection boards, the first established in Vic by the Aboriginal Protection Act of 1869 [15]. A similar Act established the NSW Aborigines Protection Board in 1883, with the other colonies also enacting legislation to protect Indigenous populations within their boundaries. The protection provided under the provisions of the various Acts imposed enormous restrictions on the lives of many Indigenous people. These restrictions meant that, as late as 1961, in eastern Australia nearly one-third of all Australians recorded as being of Aboriginal descent lived in settlements ([16], p. 4). The provisions of the Acts were also used to justify the forced separation of Indigenous children from their families by compulsion, duress or undue influence ([15], p. 2). The National Inquiry into the separation of the children concluded that between one-in-three and one-in-ten Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and communities in the period from approximately 1910 until 1970 ([15], p. 31). It was the 1960s, at the earliest, when the various protection Acts were either repealed or became inoperative. The importance of contemporary social determinants and cultural concepts of Indigenous health The health disadvantages experienced by Indigenous people can be considered historical in origin [14], but perpetuation of the disadvantages owes much to contemporary structural and social factors, embodied in what have been termed the social determinants of health [1][17][18]. In broad terms, economic opportunity, physical infrastructure, and social conditions influence the health of individuals, communities, and societies as a whole. These factors are specifically manifest in measures such as education, employment, income, housing, access to services, social networks, connection with land, racism, and incarceration. On all these measures, Indigenous people suffer substantial disadvantage. For many Indigenous people, the ongoing effects of protection and the forced separation of children from their families compound other social disadvantages. It is also important in considering Indigenous health to understand how Indigenous people themselves conceptualise health. There was no separate term in Indigenous languages for health as it is understood in western society [19]. The traditional Indigenous perspective of health is holistic. It encompasses everything important in a persons life, including land, environment, physical body, community, relationships, and law. Health is the social, emotional, and cultural wellbeing of the whole community and the concept is therefore linked to the sense of being Indigenous. This conceptualisation of health has much in common with the social determinants model and has crucial implications for the simple application of biomedically-derived concepts as a means of improving Indigenous health. The reductionist, biomedical approach is undoubtedly useful in identifying and reducing disease in individuals, but its limitations in addressing population-wide health disadvantages, such as those experienced by Indigenous people, must be recognised. Indicators of Indigenous social disadvantage. The key measures in these areas for Indigenous people nationally include: Education According to 2011 Australian Census [20]: 92% of 5 year-old Indigenous children were attending an educational institution 1. 6% of the Indigenous population had not attended school compared with 0. 9% of the non-Indigenous population 29% of Indigenous people reported year 10 as their highest year of school completion; 25% had completed year 12, compared with 52% of non-Indigenous people 26% of Indigenous people reported having a post-school qualification, compared with 49% of non-Indigenous people 4. 6% of Indigenous people had attained a bachelor degree or higher, compared with 20% of non-Indigenous people. An ABS school report [21] revealed, in 2011: the apparent retention rate for Indigenous students from year 7/8 to year 10 was 99%, from year 7/8 to year 12 it was 49% for non-Indigenous students, the apparent retention rate from year 7/8 to year 10 was 101%; and from year 7/8 to year 12 it was 81%. The 2011 national report on schooling in Australia [22] showed: 76% of Indigenous students in year 3 and 66% in year 5 were at or above the national minimum standard for reading, compared with 95% and 93% respectively of all Australian students 80% of year 3 Indigenous students and 69% of year 5 Indigenous students were at or above the national minimum standard for persuasive writing, compared with 96% of all year 3 students and 94% of all year 5 students 72% of year 3 Indigenous students and 69% of year 5. Indigenous students were at or above the national minimum standard for spelling, compared with 94% of all year 3 students and 93% of all year 5 students 71% of year 3 Indigenous students and 65% of year 5 Indigenous students were at or above the national minimum standard for grammar and punctuation, compared with 94% of all year 3 students and 94% of all year 5 students 84% of Indigenous students in year 3 and 75% in year 5 were at or above the national minimum standard for numeracy, compared with 96% and 96% respectively of all Australian students. Employment According to the 2011 Australian Census [20]: 42% of Indigenous people aged 15 years or older were employed and 17% were unemployed. In comparison, 61% of non-Indigenous people aged 15 years or older were employed and 5% were unemployed the most common occupation classification of employed Indigenous people was labourer (18%) followed by community and personal service workers (17%). The most common occupation classification of employed non-Indigenous people was professional (22%). Income According to the 2011 Australian Census [20]: the mean equivalised gross household income for Indigenous persons was around $475 per week approximately 59% of that for non-Indigenous persons (around $800). Indigenous population Based on information collected as a part of the 2011 Census of Population and Housing, the ABS has estimated the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population at 669,736 people at 30 June 2011 [23]. The estimated population for NSW was the highest (208,364 Indigenous people), followed by Qld (188,892), WA (88,277), and the NT (68,901) (Table 1). The NT has the highest proportion of Indigenous people among its population (29. 8%) and Vic the lowest (0. 9%). Table 1: Estimated Indigenous population, by jurisdiction, Australia, 30 June 2011 JurisdictionIndigenous population (number)Proportion of Australian Indigenous population (%)Proportion of jurisdiction population (%) Source: ABS, 2012 [23] Notes: Preliminary estimates are subject to revision; population projections are expected to be finalised by 2014 Australian population includes Jervis Bay Territory, the Cocos (Keeling). Islands, and Christmas Island Proportions of jurisdiction population have used total population figures estimated from demographic information for June 2011 NSW208,36431. 12. 9 Vic47,3277. 10. 9 Qld188,89228. 24. 2 WA88,27713. 23. 8 SA37,3925. 62. 3 Tas24,1553. 64. 7 ACT6,1670. 91. 7 NT68,90110. 329. 8. Australia669,736100. 03. 0 There was a 21% increase in the number of Indigenous people counted in the 2011 Census compared with the 2006 Census2 [24]. The largest increases were in the ACT (34%), Vic (26%), NSW (25%) and Qld (22%). For all jurisdictions, the 55 years and over age-group showed the largest relative increase. There are two structural reasons contributing to the growth of the Indigenous population: the slightly higher fertility rates of Indigenous women compared with the rates of other Australian women (see Births and pregnancy outcome); and the significant numbers of Indigenous babies born to Indigenous fathers and non-Indigenous mothers. Two other factors are considered likely to have contributed to the increase in people identifying as Indigenous: changes in enumeration processes (i. e. more Indigenous people are being captured during the census process); and changes in identification (i. e. people who did not previously identify as Indigenous in the census have changed their response). Based on the 2011 Census, around 33% of Indigenous people lived in a capital city [25]. Detailed information about the geographic distribution of the Indigenous population for 2011 is not yet available, but figures from the 2006 Census indicated that the majority of Indigenous people lived in cities and towns [26]. Slightly more than one-half of the Indigenous population lived in areas classified as major cities or inner regional areas, compared with almost nine-tenths of the non-Indigenous population. (As well as these two classifications of remoteness in terms of access to goods and services and opportunities for social interaction, the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) has four other categories: outer regional, remote, very remote, and migratory [27]. ) Almost one-quarter of Indigenous people lived in areas classified as remote or very remote in relation to having very little access to goods, services and opportunities for social interaction ([28], p. 3). Less than 2% of non-Indigenous people lived in remote or very remote areas [26]. In terms of specific geographical areas, more than one-half (53%) of all Indigenous people counted in the 2011 Census lived in nine of the 57 Indigenous regions (based largely on the former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) regions) [25]. The three largest regions were in eastern Australia (Brisbane, NSW Central and the North Coast, and Sydney-Wollongong), which accounted for 29% of the total Indigenous population. According to the 2011 Census, around 90% of Indigenous people are Aboriginal, 6% are Torres Strait Islanders, and 4% people identified as being of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent [25]. Around 63% of Torres Strait Islander people3 lived in Qld; NSW was the only other state with a large number of Torres Strait Islander people. The Indigenous population is much younger overall than the non-Indigenous population (Figure 1) [23]. According to estimates from the 2011 Census, at June 2011 about 36% Indigenous people were aged less than 15 years, compared with 18% of non-Indigenous people. About 3. 4% of Indigenous people were aged 65 years or over, compared with 14% of non-Indigenous people. Figure 1. Population pyramid of Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations, 30 June 2011 Population pyramid of indigenous and non-indigenous populations, 2011 Source: ABS, 2012 [23] References Carson B, Dunbar T, Chenhall RD, Bailie R, eds. (2007) Social determinants of Indigenous health. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen and Unwin Jackson LR, Ward JE (1999) Aboriginal health: why is reconciliation necessary?. Medical Journal of Australia; 170(9): 437-440 Butlin NG (1993) Economics and the dreamtime : a hypothetical history. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press Campbell J (2002) Invisible invaders: smallpox and other diseases in Aboriginal Australia 1780-1880. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press Webb S (2009) Palaeopathology of Aboriginal Australians: health and disease across a hunter-gatherer continent. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Anderson W (2007). The colonial medicine of settler states: comparing histories of Indigenous health. Health and History; 9(2): 144-154 Butlin NG (1983) Our original aggression : Aboriginal populations of southeastern Australia, 1788-1850. Sydney: Allen Unwin Thomson N (1991) Tuberculosis among Aborigines. In: Proust AJ, ed. History of tuberculosis in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Canberra, ACT: Brolga Press: 61-67 Reynolds H (1982) The other side of the frontier: Aboriginal resistance to the European invasion of Australia. Ringwood, Victoria: Penguin Books Elder B (2003) Blood on the wattle: massacres and maltreatment of Aboriginal Australians since 1788. 3rd ed. Frenchs Forest, N. S. W: New Holland Harrison B (1978) The Myall Creek massacre. In: McBryde I, ed. Records of times past : ethnohistorical essays on the culture and ecology of the New England tribes. Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies: 17-51 Howitt R (2001) Rethinking resource management : justice, sustainability and Indigenous peoples. London: Routledge Hunter E (1993) Aboriginal health and history: power and prejudice in remote Australia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Saggers S, Gray D (1991) Aboriginal health and society: the traditional and contemporary Aboriginal struggle for better health. North Sydney: Allen and Unwin National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families (1997) Bringing them home: report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families. Retrieved 17 November 2011 from http://www. humanrights. gov. au/pdf/social_justice/bringing_them_home_report. pdf Long JPM (1970) Aboriginal settlements: a survey of institutional communities in eastern Australia. Canberra: Australian National University Press Marmot M (2004) The status syndrome: how social standing affects our health and longevity. New York: Holt Paperbacks Wilkinson R, Marmot M (2003) Social determinants of health: the solid facts. Denmark: World Health Organization National Aboriginal Health Strategy Working Party (1989) A national Aboriginal health strategy. Canberra: Department of Aboriginal Affairs Australian Bureau of Statistics (2012) Census of population and housing: characteristics of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2011. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011) Schools, Australia, 2010. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (2011) National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy: achievement in reading, persuasive writing, language conventions and numeracy: national report for 2011. Sydney: Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority Australian Bureau of Statistics (2012) Australian demographic statistics, March quarter 2012. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics Yap M, Biddle N (2012) Indigenous fertility and family formation: CAEPR Indigenous population project: 2011 census papers. Canberra: Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research Australian Bureau of Statistics (2012) Census of population and housing counts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2011. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics Australian Bureau of Statistics (2010) Population characteristics.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Effects of gambling

Effects of gambling GAMBLING During peoples life, they develop empirical knowledge about many things. Knowing is the power that everyone has to decide which information is right or wrong to face big challenges and succeed when taking the decisions. All possibilities in this life might be good within the constraints; however, when people take themselves to an abusive level of necessity, it becomes dangerous for them and all those surround them. Gambling has a number of negative effects that distinguish it from other challenging activities; some of these issues are: addictions, family problems and bankruptcy. Firstly, gambling is apparently an entertainment industry where many end up being innocent victims of addictions such as alcoholism and lies. Society should be able to resolve its problems without depending on external agents, but people have point breaks. Because casinos provide free alcohol to their customers, they could easily get alcohol problems; while gamblers spend money on their bets, they are drinking alcohol. For example, if you are not a consumer of alcohol in exercise, it does easier to enter the spirit world, but those who are heavy drinkers it increases their addiction. Furthermore, compulsive gamblers usually tell lies because they seek to hide their gamble habits; they begin to distort their actions to their partners, friends and even at work. For instance, sometimes bettors gamble in secret, or they do not tell how much time or money they spend; instead, they often create stories to try to justify their activities. Gamblers believe on fake hopes that they will surpri se themselves with a big win some day. Compulsive Gambling can be addicted to the adventure of the risk. An addictive gambler is anxious of winning and will tend to play with games that involve other players, so they can feel the adrenaline rush. In addition, gambling brings family problems because gaming causes emotional issues, and it has an impact on children. Whether bettors have just discovered a gambling problem, or they have been living with it for a period; they may feel destroyed by the magnitude of the problem. For example, if gamblers have feelings of desperation, they feel like their assumptions are consumed by the problem they are dealing. They might handle that they need to separate from their couple at least for a period of time. Emotions of this nature are common when they are approaching the complex issues that emerge as a result of a gambling problem. Moreover, being a person with gambling issues at home can affect children in many ways. For example, gamblers spend less time with their families is due to they invest a lot of time in casinos; therefore, children think that they parents do not love them anymore. These troubles can leave a family feeling frustrated and even worse if the gamblers are fighting ov er money. It can frighten the relationship. If the family is the core of the society, gambling for any reason could harm the family members because in the family people acquire respect for a moral values in the society. Another negative effect of gambling is a financial crisis; many gamblers accumulate thousands of dollars of debt without knowing. Borrowing money and selling personal items to gamble are signs of aggravated indebtedness. First, Acquiring money from banks and credit cards with the hopes that they can win back their losses is just a way to create long term financial issues for both players and family. For example, while Antonys wife is fast asleep, Antony spends hours in front of the computer gambling online; authorizing automatic withdraws from his bank accounts and credit cards. They are behind on bills, and the couple gets threatening calls from collection agents on past loans. Thus, his annoyed wife finds that the online gambling losses are the cause that add up to hundreds of dollars a month. Gamblers often say that they do not know where the money is going if they really do not spend too much. Second, Family investments usually are diminished because the gambler seeks more and mo re resources with which to gamble. For example, a gambler who manages the family finances could liquidate the all familys properties such as: houses, cars, etc theses possessions may be faded or lost. Consequently, individual beliefs might change when they face beyond their limit, trying to get back their losses. In conclusion, the effects of compulsive gambling are almost immediately overwhelming; gambling can result in uncontrolled cravings, family troubles and economic crisis. Because some people have a low self-esteem they believe that they are not in control of their actions and emotions. Leaders thoughts are developed on these false ideas; hence, gambling seeks to control gamblers life. Gambling can leave players with devastating effects; as a result, governments can find many solutions the problem associated with gambling. For example, taking an allowance of the gambling revenues and putting it towards rehabilitation programs would be a very positive charity from gambling. For these reasons, governments should find a way to make gambling safer. Academic Written Communication Level 4 3 Cause effect draft 2 Gambling Ricardo Estrada March 1st 2010 ELS 5880547 Helene Bindseil Conestoga College, Kitchener, Ontario

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Ethical Issues in Secured Communications Essay -- Communication Ethics

Ethical Issues in Secured Communications 1. Introduction The outstanding growth of network technologies in the past decade have contributed to millions of new applications and industries. Literally millions of companies around the world were created to serve this huge growth. Even though many of those companies did not survive until the present time, most of the applications did survive and they are still widely used among consumers of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds. Most of the widely used applications are not secured. I will define what is meant by a secured communication later in the paper. However, this paper is more concerned in the way people use these applications in terms of identity. Many applications allow users to participate in specific discussion groups or web activities as anonymous. Anonymity might not be a problem in open chatting rooms for example, but what about banking applications or email or even instant messaging. Email and instant messaging software are free to use and provided by respective companies such as Microsoft and Yahoo. Those services do not require a real identity to be used and many people use these services as anonymous. The opposite of being anonymous is to be verified, and in order for someone to be verified on the internet, he/she has to be authenticated. Authentication ensures that the person using a specific application is whomever he/she claims to be. This paper will look in detail on how authentication can be achieved on the web and why it is necessary. Then I will focus on the notion of anonymity and identity. Then we will see who supports anonymity on the web and why. Then we will see who stands against it and why. A controversial example will be given and ... ... [2] 2000 B.C. Intell. Prop. & Tech. F. 041901 - Herman T. Tavani, â€Å"Privacy and the Internet† [3] 1999 B.C. Intell. Prop. & Tech. F. 060506 - Dr. Ronald J. Kizior, â€Å"Lurking on the Internet† [4] 1999 B.C. Intell. Prop. & Tech. F. 060507 - Adam White Scoville, â€Å"Text is Self: The Merger of Property and Identity† [5] W. Stallings, "Cryptography and Network Security: Principles and Practice", Prentice Hall, 2002, Ch. 14 [6] E. Shaefer, "MATH 178/196 class notes", Santa Clara University, Computer Science and Mathematics department [7] http://www.penet.fi/press-english.html [8] http://legacy.eos.ncsu.edu/eos/info/computer_ethics/privacy/anonymity/ [9] http://www.niksula.cs.hut.fi/~eklund/Opinnot/netsec.html [10] N. Ling," Data Compression 1 class notes", Santa Clara University, Computer Engineering Department [11] Anonymity on the web FAQ

Friday, October 11, 2019

Global effects Essay

Easier to communicate throughout the boundaries Easier to travel Cultural interchange International Trade Better and cheaper products Improvement of new technologies The cheaper products increases the purchase power The transport of the products is easier and faster Globalization creates a political and an economical union, which facilitates the agreement between the countries Delocalization creates unemployment in developed countries Non-controlled circulation of money (free market)Â  no ethics. The businessmen and the big companies are the only winners in globalization Exploitation of the workers in the developing countries incl. children Money problems can easily be spread The mix of cultures can lead to racism, xenophobia, intolerance and loss of national identity Small companies have to go out of business because they cant compete with the multinationals As a result the gap between the poor and the rich people increases 2 In which world you will live in 15 years Our motto Join our forces in the European Union! Positive opinions No more borders. We can pass freely Cheaper, faster and easier transport. The communication there will be faster and cheaper too People will know more about others their languages, culture and habits Thanks to European Parliament guaranteed common laws and human rights for each country Europe will have created their common social system with common guaranteed minimal wage, so that we can mitigate a part of the injustice created the different live standards in every european country Negative opinions There will be more discriminations, because the mix of cultures will increase and people are afraid of what they dont know Every country could lose own cultural identity, habits and traditions Our future depends on us and on our politicians. Without the support of the politicians we cant create a positive future. 3 GLOBALIZATION What can we do as citizens to make the world a better place DAILY BEHAVIOR POLITICAL ACTIONS Making sure people get informed also in alternative ways and taking this information critical The EU have to make sure there are clean water supplies for everybody The EU can try to donate not only money, but also tools which should be directly given to the countries in need Improve education Reduce emission of co2 Promote integration of immigrants Buy guaranteed organic products Try to buy fair trade products whenever possible Recycle everything possible Use cleaner fuels Help the third world as much as possible Dont hesitate to take every opportunity possible to meet new people from different cultures Dont overuse natural resources 4 The role of the EU and globalization Strong countries have to help weak countries. The EU should counter-balance the USA and other emerging global powers The EU has a big responsibility being a model to other countries. The EU has to promote cultural equality, but preserving our identity. The EU can promote our intercultural exchanges. The union makes the force. The EU must globalize Human Rights. The EU must preserve the peace. The EU has to protect the jobs of the EU citizens. The EU must control pollution made by big companies 1. International Business Globalization By Mukesh Mishra Kathmandu, Nepal 2. Topics for the discussion Introduction Agent/Facilitator of Globalization Positive effects of Globalization Negative effects of Globalization 3. Globalizaion Integration of National economies with international Economy. The closer integration of the economies of the world as a result of the reduction of transportation and communication costs and the reduction of manmade barriers to the movements of goods, services and capital throughout the world. Globalization refers to the shift toward a more integrated and interdependent world economy. 4. Globalizaion Globalization of Market refers to the merging of historically distinct and separate national markets into one huge global marketplace. Falling barriers to cross- border trade have made it easier to sell internationally. Globalization of production refers to the sourcing of goods and services from locations around the globe to take advantage of national differences in the cost and quality of factors of production (such as labor, energy, land and capital ) 5. Globalization Advocates of Globalization see not only the increases in incomes but also the spread of democratic values. Opponents of the globalization worry not just about the loss of jobs but about loss of local culture. 6. Agent/Facilitator of Globalization World Trade Organization (WTO) Rule based international Organization deals with free and fair trade among member nations. Currently, there are 153 members in WTO Established in 1995, successor of General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade (GATT) GATT was formed in 1947. 7. Agent/Facilitator of Globalization United Nations (UN)- Although the UN is perhaps best known for its peacekeeping role, one of the organization’s central mandates is the promotion of higher standards of living, full employment, and conditions of economic and social progress and development all issues that are central to the creation of a vibrant global economy. Agent/Facilitator of Globalization World Bank World Bank is taken as a lending institution, development agency, think tank, forum for international governmental politics and economic diplomacy. Formed in 1944 as International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). From 1970’s bank started the process called ‘Structural Adjustment’ program, under which infrastructure, telecommunications and some social services are privatized, labour, the civil service and judiciary are revamped. Other facets are lowering deficits and tariff barrier, opening the economy to short term capital flows. In return IMF and World Bank provides assistance to the economies. It offers highly leveraged loan to poor countries. 9. Agent/Facilitator of Globalization International Monetary fund (IMF) Its an organization that oversees the global financial system by following the macroeconomic policies of its member countries, in particular those with an impact on exchange rates and the balance of payments. Designer of Structural Adjustment Program. IMF is often seen as the lender of last resort to nation state whose economies are in turmoil and currencies are losing value against those of other nations 10. Agent/Facilitator of Globalization Regional Economic Integration Free Trade Area (FTA)- A free trade area occurs when a group of countries agree to eliminate tariffs between themselves but maintain their own external tariff on imports from the rest of the world. The north American free trade area (NAFTA), South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) are FTA’s. A regional Economic integration agreement is the next step to Regional Economic Agreement (RTA), it can include the free movement of capital as well as goods and services, a common currency and a common economic policy. European Union. 11. Effects of Globalization Industrial- Movement of material and goods between and within national boundaries. International Trade in manufactured goods increased more than 100 times (from $95 billion to $12 trillion) in the 50 years since 1955. Financial- It is the world where $1. 2 billion in foreign exchange transactions are made everyday. Current economic crisis is the example of financial integration Economic- Four Indians were among the world’s top 10 richest in 2008, worth a combined $160 billion. In 2007, China had 415,000 millionaires and India 123,000. 300 million Indians lifted up from poverty during 1991 to 2008. On the global scale, health becomes a commodity. In developing nations under the demands of Structural Adjustment Programs, health systems are fragmented and privatized Political- China and India are emerging as a political power. Their rapid economic growth provided them space in global arena. The most popular language is Mandarin (845 million speakers) followed by Spanish (329 million speakers) and English (328 million speakers). About 35% of the world’s mail, telexes, and cables are in English. Approximately 40% of the world’s radio programs are in English. About 50% of all Internet traffic uses English. 13. Effects of Globalization WHO estimates that up to 500,000 people are on planes at any one time, in 2008. The IOM estimates there are more than 200 million migrants around the world today. Newly available data show that remittance flows to developing countries reached $328 billion in 2008. Around 2. 5 millions people are working abroad. Remittance inflow per year is around 209 bn. 14. Effects of Globalization Farmers are loosing market due to cheaper (subsidized) products coming from outside, mainly in developing nations Globalization has led to exploitation of labor. Prisoners and child workers are used to work in inhumane conditions. Job insecurity, Increased job competition has led to reduction in wages and consequently lower standards of living. 15. Effects of Globalization Companies have set up industries causing pollution in countries with poor regulation of pollution The benefits of globalization is not universal. The rich are getting richer and the poor are becoming poorer. 20 percent of rich people utilizing 80 percent of resources. 16. Effects of Globalization Poorer countries suffering disadvantages : The main export of poorer countries is usually agricultural goods. Larger countries often subsidies their farmers (like the EU Common Agricultural Policy), which lowers the market price for the poor farmer’s crops compared to what it would be under free trade.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Social Mobility vs Structural Mobility vs Exchange Mobility

Social mobility refers to change in an individual's social class position either between their own and their parents' social class or over the course of their working career. Social mobility has taken place between my grandmother, my mother, and me. My grandmother did not finish high school and she became an apartment manager. My mom finished high school and was able to start her own cleaning business. I am currently attending college and I work for a nonprofit organization as a disability services professional.My mom experienced upward social mobility. My grandmother managed an apartment complex for most of her life. My mom was more successful than her mother. My mom finished school and went on to start and run her own cleaning business. I am currently on my way up the success ladder to experience upward social mobility. I am currently attending college for business administration. When I am finished, I hope to be a successful business woman. Within the past three generations of my family, we have not experienced any downward social mobility.My mom was able to be more successful than her mother and I plan to be more successful than my mother. Structural mobility refers to change in society that allows large numbers of people to move up or down the class ladder. Structural mobility has also taken place between my grandmother, my mother, and me. My mother moved up the social class ladder because she was more successful than her mother. Because she was more successful, she had a broader social class of friends. I also moved upward on the social class ladder.With today’s society, it is much harder to find a social class to fit in to. I have been fortunate enough to have a numerous variety of friends from different social classes because I attend college, and because of my work profession. Exchange mobility occurs when large numbers of people move up and down the social class ladder, but, on balance, the proportions of the social classes remain about the sam e. Right now, I do not think that my family is experiencing exchange mobility.It seems that our social classes are not balancing out. Since my mother moved up the ladder and I am also moving up the ladder; that means my families current social class’s ratio is 2:1. If I have a daughter later on in life, she will become the fourth generation of my family. If my daughter was unable to be as successful as I am, that would mean that she would move down the social class ladder. This would make our family experience exchange mobility because our social class’s ratio would then be 2:2.

Air Asia Strategic Report Essay

Introduction Definition A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts. To make up for revenue lost in decreased ticket prices, the airline may charge for extras like food, priority boarding, seat allocating, and baggage etc. The term originated within the airline industry referring to airlines with a lower operating cost structure than their competitors. While the term is often applied to any carrier with low ticket prices and limited services, regardless of their operating models, low-cost carriers should not be confused with regional airlines that operate short flights without service, or with full-service airlines offering some reduced fares. In due course, some airlines have actively sought to market and advertise themselves as low-cost, budget, or discount airlines while maintaining products usually associated with traditional mainline carrier’s services which often result in increased operational complexity. Among these products which tend to increase complexity to reduce efficiency are preferred or assigned seating, catering other items rather than basic beverages, differentiated premium cabins, satellite or ground based wi-fi internet, and in-flight audio video entertainment. As such by advertising themselves as low-cost, this branch and category of airlines seek to gain a competitive marketing advantage over other similarly priced air transportation carrier’s products; even though in actuality fare prices for the passenger may be parallel to that of other airlines. History While tour and package operators have been offering lower-priced, lower frilled traveling for a large part of modern airline history, not until during the post Vietnam War era did this business model really escalate and take off. Through various ticket consolidators, charter airlines and innovators in low frills airline business such as Channel Airways and Court Line, the traveling public had been conditioned to want to travel to new and increasingly further away and exotic locations on vacation, rather than short-haul trips to nearby beach resorts or resorts. The first low-cost airline was Southwest Airlines which started flying in 1971.[8] The first airline offering no-frills transatlantic service was Freddie Laker’s Laker Airways, which operated its famous â€Å"Skytrain† service between London and New York City during the late 1970s. The service was suspended after Laker’s competitors, British Airways and Pan Am, were able to price Skytrain out of the market. In the United States, airline carriers such as America West Airlines which commenced operations after 1978, soon realized a cost of available seat mile advantage in relation to the traditional and established, legacy airlines such as Trans World Airlines and American Airlines. Often this CASM advantage has been attributed, solely to the lower labor costs of the newly hired and lower pay grade workers of new start up carriers, such as People Express Airlines, ValuJet, Midway Airlines, and their like. However, these lower costs, can also be attributed to the less complex aircraft fleets, and less complex route networks these new carriers began operations with, as well as the vastly less costly and freshly trained labor force. To combat the new round of low cost and start up entrants into the very competitive and deregulated United States airline industry, the mainline major carriers and network legacy carriers strategically developed no frills divisions within the main airlines brand and corporate structures. Among these were Metro Jet and Continental Lite. These so-called airlines within an airline however, proved to be very short lived, for the most part and a financial burden which were quickly disposed off when economic rationalization or competitive pressures subsided. Story of Air Asia Air Asia, as the second Malaysian National Airline, provides a totally different type of service in line with the nation’s aspirations to benefit all citizens and worldwide travellers. Such service takes the form of a no frills – low airfares flight offering, 40%-60% lower than what is currently offered in this part of Asia. Their vision is â€Å"Now Everyone Can Fly† and their mission is to provide ‘Affordable Airfares’ without any compromise to Flight Safety Standards. Air Asia is Asia’s largest low-fare, no-frills airline and a pioneer of low-cost travel in Asia. Air Asia group operates scheduled domestic and international flights to over 400 destinations spanning 25 countries. Its main hub is the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). Its affiliate airlines Thai Air Asia, Indonesia Air Asia, Air Asia Philippines and Air Asia Japan have hubs in Suvarnabhumi Airport, Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, Clark International Airport and Narita International Airport respectively. AirAsia’s registered office is in Petaling Jaya, Selangor while its head office is at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Air Asia was established in 1993 and began operations on 18 November 1996. It was originally founded by a government-owned conglomerate, DRB-Hicom. On 2 December 2001 the heavily-indebted airline was bought by former Time Warner executive Tony Fernandes’s company Tune Air Sdn Bhd for the token sum of one ringgit (about USD 0.26 at the time) with USD 11 million (MYR 40 million) worth of debts. Fernandes turned the company around, producing a profit in 2002 and launching new routes from its hub in Kuala Lumpur, undercutting former monopoly operator Malaysia Airlines with promotional fares as low as MYR 1 (USD 0.27). AirAsia operates with the world’s lowest unit cost of USD 0.023/ASK and a passenger break-even load factor of 52%. It has hedged 100% of its fuel requirements for the next three years, achieves an aircraft turnaround time of 25 minutes, has a crew productivity level that is triple that of Malaysia Airlines, and achieves an average aircraft utilization rate of 13 hours a day.[10] All scheduled Air Asia departures from Kuala Lumpur use the Low cost carrier terminal. AirAsia had abolished its fuel surcharges on November 2008, but, due to rising oil prices, the fuel surcharge was re-introduced in May 2011. Tony Fernandes Fernandes was born on 30th April 1964 into a family that had no prior knowledge or experience of business; his father was a physician from Goa (India) and his mother was a music teacher of Malaccan-Portuguese descent. In other words, Fernandes came from an Indian-Malaysian family of professionals; the new middle class that emerged in Malaysia from the 1960s. Like many other middle class families, the Fernandes had sufficient wealth to send Fernandes to study in England. Fernandes, at the age of 12, went to London in 1976 to study at Epsom College and attended the London School of Economics in which he graduated in 1987 with a degree in accounting. In total, he spent some 11 years in London, a painful separation from his parents who could not afford to pay for his flights back to Malaysia. It was this experience, according to Brown that gave him an insight into the benefits of perhaps developing cheap international carriers. However, at this stage his career path did not take him into the airline business. Upon graduation from the London School of Economics Fernandes took the normal route of working in accounting jobs. Fernandes worked briefly at Virgin Communications, a television division of the Virgin Group of companies. What did Fernandes learn from Virgin? The main benefit was the experience of working in a global company, acquiring insights into the running of an international business, and developing an impressive resume which worked in his favour in being appointed to the position of Senior Financial Analyst at Warner Music International. in London. At Warner, Fernandes showed strong business acumen. He started in 1989 as Senior Financial Analyst, and by 2001, when he resigned from Warner, he was the Vice President, ASEAN region. Within 12 years at Warner he was promoted four times that is on average he was promoted every three years. Fernandes’ time at Warner Music was significant because it was during this period that Fernandes matured and transformed himself from being a mere accountant into a strategist with an analytical mind. Fernandes’ ability to think strategically, and understand his environment from a macro perspective, was the reason why Fernandes felt compelled not to be part of Warner’s ill-fated merger with America Online Inc. in 2001. This incident was said to be the catalyst for Fernandes’ decision to switch careers after 12 years with Warner and begin his journey with Air Asia. It was through Datuk Pahamin A. Rejab, the former secretary-general of the Malaysian Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry that Fernandes came to meet with then Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in October 2001. Instead of starting from scratch, Mahathir advised Fernandes to buy an existing airline instead. Air Asia, the heavily-indebted subsidiary of the Malaysian government-owned conglomerate, DRB-Hicom, was quickly losing money. Fernandes mortgaged his home and used his personal savings to acquire the company, comprising two ageing Boeing 737-300 jets and US$11 million (RM40 million) worth of debts, for one ringgit (about 26 US cents), and transformed it into an industry player. Coming just after the September 11 attacks of 2001, everyone thought that Fernandes had gone â€Å"crazy†, predicting that the company would fail miserably. Yet, just one year after his takeover, Air Asia had broken even and cleared all its debts. Its initial public offering (IPO) in November 2004 was oversubscribed by 130 per cent. Fernandes says his timing was in fact perfect after 11 September 2001, aircraft leasing costs fell 40%. Also, airline lay-offs meant experienced staffs were readily available. He believed Malaysian travelers would embrace a cut-rate air service that would save them time and money, especially in a tight economy. That was why he copied one of the world’s most successful no-frills carriers, Ireland’s Ryanair (which is in turn modeled after Southwest Airlines in the United States). Fernandes estimates about 50 per cent of the travellers on Asia’s budget airlines are first-time flyers. Before AirAsia, he estimated that only six per cent of Malaysians had ever travelled in a plane. Strategies Adopted to Compete with Rivals 1. Single Class No Frills Service As with most low-cost airlines, Air Asia operated a single class-service, without frills and at substantially lower prices: passengers are not allocated seats, do not receive meals, entertainment, amenities (i.e. pillows or blanks), loyalty program points, or access to airport lounges. Air Asia’s aircraft are designed to minimize wear and tear, cleaning time and cost. This reduced cleaning and maintenance expenses, loading and unloading times and costs, and allowed quicker turnarounds between flights, improving process efficiencies and resulted in lower costs all around. 2. High Aircraft Utilization & Efficient Operations Compared with other airlines, Air Asia’s usage of its aircraft and staff is more efficient. Such (high) efficiency and utilization means that the overhead and fixed costs associated with an aircraft are lower on a per flight basis. For example, seating configurations to Air Asia’s Boeing 737-300 aircraft were maximized, having 16 more seats than the standard configuration adopted by full-service competitors. In addition, Air Asia’s aircraft (i.e. point-to-point services kept flights to no more than 4 hours, minimizing turnaround time), and employees (i.e. encouraged to perform multiple roles), were used more effectively and intensively than competitors. Its point-to-point services enabled Air Asia to operate its aircraft an average of approximately 13 hours/day. It was 2.5 hours more efficient then full-services airlines, which only managed to use their aircraft for an average 10.5 hours/day. Furthermore, the average turnaround time for Air Asia’s aircraft is lesser (e.g. 25 minutes), as compared to full-service airlines (e.g. 45-120 minutes). 3. Single Aircraft Type Operating a single aircraft type enabled Air Asia to have substantial cost savings: maintenance was simplified and cheaper, the spare parts inventory was minimized, infrastructure and equipment needs were reduced, staff and training needs were lowered (i.e. easy for pilot dispatch), and better purchase terms could be negotiated. For instance, its large purchase of A-320s would make Air Asia one of the relatively few low cost airlines operating this aircraft. With fuel accounting for almost 50% of the total operating costs for the airline, the A-320s would provide an important cost saving of lower fuel usage by about 12%; increasing the airline’s profitability. 4. Low Fixed Cost Air Asia achieved low fixed costs through successful negotiations for low lease rates for its aircraft, low rates for its long-term maintenance contracts, and low airport fees. This enabled Air Asia to reduce its overheads and investments in equipments substantially in the absence of fringe services. As a result of its successful negotiations, Air Asia’s contractual lease charges per aircraft decreased by more than 60% over the years. Aircraft maintenance contract costs were also reported to be substantially lower than other airlines, giving Air Asia a competitive advantage, which was further compounded by its young fleet. Furthermore, the airline’s high safety and maintenance standards allowed Air Asia to procure rates that were favorable on its insurance policies. 5. Low Distribution Costs By utilizing information technology (i.e. being the first airline in Southeast Asia to utilize e-ticketing, bypassing traditional travel agents), Air Asia achieved low distribution costs by eliminating the need for large and expensive booking/reservation systems, and agents’ commissions. This saved the airline the cost of issuing physical ticket (i.e. estimated at US$10 per ticket). 6. Minimizing Personnel Expenses As a high portion of costs was the salaries and benefits for its employees, Air Asia implemented flexible work rules, streamlining administrative functions, which allowed employees to perform multiple roles within a simple and flat organizational structure. Having employees perform multiple roles enabled Air Asia to deploy fewer employees per aircraft (i.e. ratio of 106 per aircraft versus 110 employees or more for competitors), saving on overhead costs and maximizing employees’ productivity, as process efficiencies are improved. Air Asia’s employees were not unionized, hence its rumination policy focused on maximizing efficiency and productivity, whilst keeping staff costs at levels consistent with low-cost carrier industry standards. Although salaries offered to employees were below that of rivals, all employees were offered a wide range of incentives (i.e. productivity and performance-based bonuses, share offers, and stock options). In addition, rather than an hourly pay scale for its pilots, Air Asia adopted a sector pay policy: pilots were provided incentives to enhance flight operation efficacies by keeping flight and operating times to a minimum, and to cover as many flight sectors as possible within a day. The absence of in-flight services made it possible for the airline to reduce the number of cabin crew per light, saving on employee cost. 7. Maximizing Media Coverage Being a leader among budget airlines in Southeast Asia, Air Asia received regular coverage from media outlets. Air Asia managed to promote brand awareness without incurring high sales and marketing expenses. In all of his media appearances, Air Asia Group CEO Tony Fernandes always appeared wearing a red Air Asia baseball cap and his statements reinforcing Air Asia’s positioning to offer low prices generating media attention for the airline. However, Air Asia also invested heavily where required Air Asia’s major sponsorship for Manchester United, involved global sponsorship and advertising, and promoted the brand beyond its traditional regions. This exposed to the airline to eyeballs around the world. The sponsorship generated awareness for the airline amongst foreign travelers. This is especially important as a lot of tourists frequent south east Asia at different parts of the year whether it be for business or pleasure. 8. Use of Secondary Airports Air Asia, as with most low-cost airlines, usually operated out of secondary airports which allowed Air Asia to charge lower fares, as operation costs were lower. Landing, parking, and ground handling fees were lower, with more slots for landings and takeoffs. 9. Low fare of Indonesia-Malaysia trip The fare for a Jakarta-Johor Baru trip costs Rp 100,000 whereas the fare is Rp 150,000 for a Bandung-Kuala Lumpur flight, and Rp 300,000 for a Surabaya-Kuala Lumpur trip. But this is nothing when compared to the airfare of a Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur air ticket from Malaysia Airlines available at travel agents for as much as Rp 1.4 million. Meanwhile, Lion Air on the same route, charged Rp 1.05 million. The low fare provided by Air Asia helps it open the Indonesia market. Due to this huge difference in the priced we can see how Air Asia has opened and monopolised the Indonesian market for itself. 10. Low fare of Singapore-Bangkok service Air Asia will increase its services between Singapore & Bangkok by introducing a 2nd daily flight to its existing schedule. This recent development came barely a month after Thai Air Asia operations started its first international flight to Singapore in early February this year. Air Asia is offering its guests promotional fares to/from Singapore- Bangkok from SGD$23.99 (Rs.1055). It is much lower than the lowest fare SGD$56 (Rs.2461) offered by full-service carrier. This difference is crucial for Air Asia as Singapore is the Asia Pacific headquarters for many multinational corporations and therefore business travel would be inevitable. 11. Political connections Air Asia holds 49% of Thai Air Asia with 1% being held by a Thai individual. The remaining 50% is held by Shin Corp. which is owned by the family of Thailand’s Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra. Shin Corp. with its dominance of the Thai information and technology sector supports Air Asia’s Internet and mobile phone bookings facilities. Shin Corp. allows subscribers of the Shin mobile phone flagship, Advanced Information Service, to reserve tickets through its short-messaging service (SMS). This is a huge competitive boost to the airline in this part of the world. Not only does Shin Corp have the financial muscle to aid Air Asia if need be but also help them from a strategic point of view. Overall it’s a win win situation for Air Asia. This allows Air Asia to dominate the Thai market. 12. Malaysian government support The Malaysian government supported the establishment of Air Asia in 2001 to help boost the under-used Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Air Asia’s flights from Senai are meant to develop Johor into a transport hub to rival Singapore. Air Asia, therefore, can provide an alternative route to travel to Bangkok, by using Senai Airport in Johor Bahru, in southern Malaysia. Although this is strategically advantageous to the Malaysian government in terms of revenue generated from the use of the airport, Air Asia stands to benefit as well due to its dominance of the low cost market. Visitors coming from the west may one day prefer Kuala Lumpur to Singapore as a transit hub. The opportunity is huge as the ultimate destination i.e. Bangkok attracts tourists and business travelers all year round. 13. Political Connections Thai AirAsia is a join venture established by AirAsia with Shin Corp. Shin Corp. is owned by the family of Thailand’s Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, and about 900 million baht will be invested in Thai Air Asia over a five-year period. Shin Corp. oversees the finance and administration of Thai Air Asia while Air Asia shoulders the responsibility for marketing and operations. Shin Corp. has financial strength and supports AirAsia to grow. 14. Low cost Philosophy To reinforce its low-cost structure, Air Asia instilled a low-cost culture, emphasizing on cost avoidance. For example, emphasis was placed on the elimination of avoidable expanses such as tag costing (despite reach tag costing less than US$0.05), turning off cabin lights at appropriate times, and not overheating in-flight ovens. Such cost saving measures enabled Air Asia to achieve costs per average seat kilometer of US$0.0213 (the lowest for any airline in the world), with its margins of 38% (before taxes, interests, depreciation, and amortization) being the highest in the world in 2004. Therefore, in conclusion, by eliminating the provision of costly in-flight services, flying a standard fleet, selling tickets to passengers, and minimizing labour, facilities and overhead costs, Air Asia has managed to achieve a successful low-cost structure, which enables it to charge lower prices to achieve high passenger loads, market share, and profitability. Overcoming Challenges to Survive 1. Indonesian Habit Preferences of Indonesian passengers are quite different from the concept of cheap air travel without extra service for the passengers (free snacks and drinks), and also their reluctance to bring light baggage. Air Asia prefers passengers with very light and minimum baggage. If this is the case, it may not before long face difficulties. Indonesian domestic airline companies are able to provide value-added extras like food and beverages as part of their service to the passengers, although at a relatively higher cost. Air Asia will have to overcome this challenge if it wishes to maintain its position in the Indonesian market. Air Asia must be flexible with its strategy and possibly tailor it to the needs of the concerned market in order to gain an advantage. 2. Singapore government rejection Initially, AirAsia wanted to start flights from the southern state of Johor, near Singapore. It was hoping to attract passengers by running a convenient bus service to the city-state. However, Singapore quickly quashed that idea. The Singapore government said it would not approve a bus link for Air Asia because it was not ‘in her national interest’, reflecting fears that Singapore’s Changi airport would lose business to Johor’s new Senai airport. This means Air Asia cannot abandon the use of Changi airport, and therefore has to incur a higher cost. This is because Air Asia suffers due to delays faced at Changi airport. AirAsia finds it stuck between big planes, circling to wait for a slot to open up, which means extra fuel costs. Moreover, the SGD$21 (Rs.923) departure and security tax of Changi is too high for Air Asia’s low-cost operation. Air Asia had asked the Singapore government to waive the fees, however, a request that was not only rejected but also criticized. Besides Singapore – Bangkok, Air Asia now provides an alternative route to travel to Bangkok, by using Senai Airport in Johor Bahru, in southern Malaysia. Seeking to cater to the different markets, fares for Johor Bahru- Bangkok are generally 20 % lower in comparison to Singapore – Bangkok. AirAsia currently operate daily flights to Bangkok from Johor Bahru. However, the choice proved unpopular, as the route failed to attract Singaporeans because of the additional cost and inconvenience of having to travel in and out of Malaysia by road. All these affect Air Asia external growth. If it is to flourish in this lucrative part of the world Air Asia has to face the competition and adapt to the ground realities of the South East Asian countries. 3. Minimum air-fare rates Air Asia faces challenges finding open takeoff and landing slots at opportune times, and Thailand’s regulation that sets minimum air-fare rates. Although Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said the current minimum air-fare regulations will be scrapped to open up the market, he couldn’t name a date when this will be done. This seems to be favoritism toward Thai Airways International’s domestic operations, and affects Thai Air Asia to compete in the Thailand market. 4. Asia’s middle class growth Low cost airlines are anticipated to have greater potential in Asia as there are many Asian cities with a population above one million people each as well as a rising middle class population. This growth of middle class in Asia provides a huge market potential for Air Asia to grow. However, as the market is becoming larger, more airlines or new comers would like to get a piece of the action. For example, budget airlines, it is estimated, will capture at least 25% of Asia’s air travel market within next 10 years and a lot of that will be new, not diverted, traffic. Therefore, AirAsia will face more competitions at the same time. Besides the low cost airlines, Air Asia still needs to compete with the conventional carriers. Although extra passengers of the low cost airlines will be coming from the new demand to be created by the low fares, the growth may not be entirely ‘stolen’ from big flag carriers. 5. Actions of Changi International Airport(Singapore) and others The growth of low cost airlines in south-east Asia has a significant effect on which airports will dominate the regional aviation market. Low cost airlines are seen as helping funnel more passengers to airport hubs. Therefore, there is a realization among regional governments that they need smashing airports and feisty carriers or they are going to miss out big time. Therefore, these governments are more willing to support low cost airlines. For example, the Malaysian government supported the establishment of Air Asia in 2001 to help boost the under-used Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and Thai premier’s Shin Corp. forms a join venture with AirAsia that would benefit Bangkok’s new airport and create a new hub at Chiang Mai. Therefore, under this situation, it helps AirAsia grow in Asia. Moreover, as there is a growth of several south-east Asian airports, this poses a challenge to the status of Singapore’s Changi airport as a regional aviation hub. These airports include Johor’s new Senai airport in southern Malaysia and Bangkok’s new Suvarnabhumi airport. To maintain Changi’s position as the air hub in the region, Singapore is proposing a budget airline terminal at Changi and lower passenger taxes to attract low cost airlines. This helps AirAsia grow and lower the cost. 6. Actions of existing airlines The existing airlines in south-east Asia have several actions to compete with AirAsia, for example, some have launched a low cost airline to fight with Air Asia. Singapore Airlines launched a low cost airline subsidiary, Tiger Airways, in the second half of 2003, only months after the scheduled launch of ValuAir set up by one of its former executives. Orient Thai Airlines launched a new low cost airline subsidiary, One-To-Go. One-To-Go operates with a fleet of six Boeing 757-200s and match any fares that Thai Air Asia offers. They also have the frequency and capacity to offer to their 13 domestic destinations. They also have, during the past two years, worked to improve operational efficiency, slashing unprofitable domestic routes, increasing flights on busy routes, strengthening yield management and controlling costs. All these make Air Asia face a huge competition. Conclusion Air Asia Low cost airlines are anticipated to have greater potential in Asia as there are many Asian cities with a population above one million people each as well as a rising middle class population. It is time for AirAsia to exploit the potentials of affordable air travel by Asia’s growing middle class. Besides starting services to the Pearl River Delta in south China Air Asia can expand its services to the coastal cities in China. Besides the growth of Asian middle class, the liberalization of aviation sector of India is another reason for Air Asia to open more Asian market. The Indian government has liberalized the aviation sector long dominated by the national carriers. Now, only a few low cost airlines, e.g. Indigo, Go Air and Spice Jet have launched their services there. Moreover, the national carriers, Indian Airlines or Air India, despite their domination of the Indian skies, do not seem to be much interested in operating low-cost services. Air Asia has recently announced its arrival in India by tying with industrial giants Tata Group who incidentally pioneered aviation in the country. Air Asia should put more effort to set up a pan-Asian low cost airline with Virgin Blue, which is a low cost carrier of Virgin Group serving Australia and New Zealand mainly. Virgin Blue has suggested it may extend services to south-east Asia. Therefore, setting up a join venture with Virgin Blue can help AirAsia to grow in Asia even further, and help Virgin Blue to extend services to south-east Asia. This partnership could bring synergy between the two airlines and carry the same advantages for Air Asia as with its partnership with Shin Corp. in Thailand. A study by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation confirms that Asia continues to offer attractive conditions for the air transportation industry. With thirteen out of world’s top twenty-five major urban centres located in the Asia Pacific region and a rapidly increasing urbanization trends, the Asian air travel market is bound to continue to grow. Urbanization is highlighted as one of the key drivers for the growth in air travel. It is estimated that Asia would account for 30% of the world market by 2019, or one third of growth between now and then. Low Cost Carriers in Asia Over the last few years, lost cost carriers in Asia have been rapidly expanding and steadily eating into the market share of full service carriers. This trend shows no signs of abating as the region’s LCCs (low cost carriers) continue to order new aircraft at ferocious rates. By global standards, Asian LCCs are relatively small, but their growth profile is more extreme. For example, Air Asia has nearly 300 aircraft on order and India’s Indigo has more than 200, Lion Air (a low-cost, but full service airline not listed in this ranking) has well over 100 in the pipeline, each with international intentions, including plans for cross-border joint ventures. As the definition of LCC becomes more blurred, data in this area need to be looked at with some care – thus for example, Virgin Blue/Virgin Australia would no longer describe itself as a low-cost carrier, having evolved its product, while Lion Air displays many of the low-cost characteristics. Low-cost operations still account for only a small proportion of the region’s aviation activity relative to other regions. But this lower quantum should be viewed against the fact that most of the international LCC operations are confronted by bilateral constraints, in fact making the near-20% level impressive. [pic] The overall market in Asia is also growing much faster than other regions. The total Asian passenger market is expected to grow at a rate of about 10% per annum, reaching about 900 million passengers (excluding China) by 2020. As LCCs continue to increase their share of this market, by about two percentage points per annum, they are poised to grow at rate of about 20% per annum. The 20% figure is feasible based on current order books and fleet plans. The LCC growth rate in Asia could even accelerate in the latter portion of this decade and early portion of next decade based on orders recently placed for new narrow body aircraft. Asian LCCs account for a remarkable 65% (488 of 753) of the Airbus A320neos acquired by airline customers worldwide since Airbus launched the A320neo programme late last year (this figure includes MOUs and orders and is of the end of Jun-2011). Leasing companies have also so far committed to 276 A320neos, a large portion of which are expected to be placed with fast growing Asian LCCs. Not a single Asian full service carrier has yet ordered the A320neo (Garuda’s A320neo order is for its low-cost carrier unit Citilink). As Airbus has already sold all delivery slots for the A320neo until late 2018, the growth gap between Asia’s low-cost and full-service carriers on short/ medium-haul routes is likely to accelerate. The A320neo is scheduled to enter service in the fourth quarter of 2015, giving its operators a 15% improvement in fuel burn compared with the current-generation A320. As a result, Asia’s low-cost carriers which have acquired the A320neo will be able to further reduce their already world-leading unit costs. This will widen the competitive advantage LCCs already enjoy and push down fares within Asia further, allowing LCCs to potentially capture all the growth in short-haul markets. Asian full service carriers continue to place orders but these are predominantly for wide body aircraft which will be used on intercontinental routes. Within Asia, full service carriers are stuck in a position where ceding more market share to low-cost carriers is inevitable. It is possible that low-cost carriers could even control 50% of capacity within Asia sometime in the next decade. [pic] At the same time Asia could overtake Europe and North America as the largest LCC market. This would not surprise Asia’s largest low-cost carrier group, Air Asia. The group already expects to grow its fleet to about 500 A320 equivalent aircraft, which would make it the second largest low-cost carrier group in the world after Southwest. Even the 200 A320neos ordered in Jun-2011 may be insufficient to meet Air Asia’s growth requirements. The company is now committed to adding aircraft at a fairly conservative rate of 13 to 20 per year during 2012-2020. Air Asia Group CEO Tony Fernandes has said the group will be able to support 36 deliveries per year once the pending IPOs at its Indonesian and Thai affiliates are completed. The region’s appetite for low fares remains largely unsatisfied. This is evident in the widening load factor gap between LCCs and full service carriers. Load factors at several Asian flag carriers have slipped in recent months into the 70% range, while most low-cost carriers are experiencing loads well above 80% and in some cases even above 90%. All three of the big Asian low-cost carrier groups – Air Asia, Jetstar and Tiger – are currently expanding at rates exceeding 20% per annum. Some low-cost carriers have seen their profits slip this year as it can be difficult for LCCs to pass on rising fuel costs through fare increases. But LCCs have focused on improving ancillary revenues and load factors, allowing them to offset most of the increase in fuel costs. As long as fuel remains at or below its current level, Asia’s low-cost carriers should have a very profitable 2011 and outperform many of the region’s larger full service carriers, in the process again expanding market share. While it is hard to predict profits over the long term, the outlook for low-cost carriers in Asia is generally rosy and their rapid growth is expected to generally be profitable. Bibliography The information for this project has been obtained from the following sources: 1) Airline Leader 2) Wikipedia 3) Linkedin 4) Mayasian Journal of Media Studies 5) IBS Center for Management Research 6) Berg Consulting