Problem at State Farm Insurance

Problem at State Farm Insurance: there is too much mail sent to the clients. Despite the wonderful customer service and reputation that State Farm Insurance has, they are also known for mailing out an abundance of mail to their clients. Agencies receive regular client complaints that the mail sent is excessive and confusing. Unlike many insurance carriers that list all auto’s on the same policy, State Farm creates a policy for every home or vehicle insured creating individual mailers for each policy.For example, a household with five cars will get ten renewal letters in one year at minimum, if there are no changes to the policies. As part of the policy update process by the automated system, all changes made to a policy generate a mailer with a new copy of policy declaration page. This becomes problematic as clients resent vast amounts of letters and being to ignore them. In many cases the clients refuse to read the letters which contain very important information (such as a c ancelation notice or time sensitive requests for information) and their policies lapse.A recent example of this took place when an angry client named Kyle complained that he was not informed that his policy had canceled. When Kyle was told that State Farm mailed him several letters his response was: â€Å"I get so many letters from State Farm that I don’t even bother opening them! † This system I also useful and helps State Farm retain its clients by diligently reminding the clients of late payments to prevent cancellation obtain current policy holder information ensuring State Farm is collecting the correct premium.Automation also frees up time for State Farm employees to do more important tasks and saves the company money. If the problem of excess mail fixed and State Farm went paperless, State Farm would be considered a green company. The employees affected by the change would be the underwriters that could go paperless and become more efficient; however, the printe r maintenance people would be out of a job.

Gender Importance in Mary Seacole’s Experiences

Mary Seacole or Mary Jane Grant in her maiden name was a half-blooded Jamaican and a half-blooded Scottish born in the small island of Jamaica named Kingston in 1805.   She identified herself a Creole with a duskier color than the brunettes and was really proud of it despite of having a racial discrimination over blacks and black women during her time.   Being a soldier, Mary’s father unintentionally persuaded his daughter Mary to become a great lover of camp and camp-like attitude such as traveling, adventure, and the sense of being in a mission. Also, her mother who was once called a doctress being inclined in the art of medicine, specifically the Creole medicine which every Creole woman is expert, influenced Mary to follow her footsteps, that even at a very young age, Mary was fond of playing like a doctor and nurse her doll, giving it medicines to cure its illnesses.   Little did she know that it was destined to let her preferences in her childhood materialized in the future, and be valued not only in her country but in the neighboring continents as well.   It happened when Mary accepted the calling of fate after her husband Edwin Horatio Hamilton Seacole died. On her adventure from in and out of many places and phases of life as she narrates in her autobiographical book, she described and illustrated different lifestyle a woman could have while doing medical missions.   There she said she experienced meeting women of no distress whose affection with gold-seekers and gold itself in a potentially gold mining in Panama are elicited from worldly things.   She also encountered typical women such as a weeping widow that are victimized by war and hostilities in Crimea. She also remembered how women are treated slaves by white race such as Americans who’s claiming that they are no other than the superior ones.   Her description of seeing women fighting for equality, empowerment and freedom was also remarkable.   She also gave a first-hand account of her own experience in defending herself physically from terrible incidents, which made clear how a woman can be strong and tough in the midst of crisis.   Moreover, she provided the readers how mothers, wives and nurses gave their wholehearted self in taking care on the health of those children, husbands, soldiers, patients, wounded and sick during the epidemic and chaos. Like in any other institution in mid-nineteenth century, rivalries, insecurities and/or racial discrimination existed even on medical missions.   Florence Nightingale and her nursing group refused to accept Mary Seacole’s willingness to be a part of their team in the Crimean war.   Being rejected by a group of fellow medical white-skinned people, Mary felt insulted.   However, the incident was never a hindrance to her.   Instead, she traveled alone at her own expense and established her own niche healing the wounded and curing epidemics like yellow fever, dysentery, cholera, and diarrhea with the use of her own expertise in healing –herbal and the Creole medicine. Mary Seacole as the author of her autobiographical book relished the idea of properly recounting her blow by blow details in medical career without knowing that she was uplifting the image of blacks and black women in general.   More so, she was not purposely pinpointing races, regions or gender to put in an awkward representation in boosting the morale of the blacks and female gender.   One could analyze how Mary Seacole gave respect to the Englishmen especially to the members of army that are very dear to her, which some of them look up to her as a mother and called her â€Å"Mother Seacole†. She would never given the same respect should Mary did not touch the lives of these fellow men.   A dignified journalist writer William Howard Russell generously stated words like this: â€Å"I trust that England will not forget one who nursed her sick, who sought out her wounded to aid and succor them, and who performed the last offices for some of her illustrious dead†, which was included in Seacole’s book as its preface. As a final point, Mary could say that she triumphantly established a well-respected role of women in the society as she convinced the readers with this statement: â€Å"I tell you, reader, I have seen many a bold fellow's eyes moisten at such a season, when a woman's voice and a woman's care have brought to their minds recollections of those happy English homes which some of them never saw again; but many did, who will remember their woman-comrade upon the bleak and barren heights before Sebastopol.   Then their calling me â€Å"mother† was not, I think, altogether unmeaning.   I used to fancy that there was something homely in the word; and, reader, you cannot think how dear to them was the smallest thing that reminded them of home.† (Seacole, M. Wonderful Adventures of Mary Seacole in Many Lands. Chapter XIII: My Work in the Crimea.) R E F E R E N C E S Antonwu, E. (2006). About Mary Seacole. Retrieved November 22, 2007, from TWU: Gabriel, D. (2004). Great Jamaicans: Mary Seacole 1805 – 1881. Retrieved November 22, 2007, from Jamaica Primetime Web site: http://www.jamaicans.com/ articles/maryseac.shtml Kleeberg, K. G. (2007). Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands. Retrieved Novermber 21, 2007 Seacole, M. (1857). Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands. London: James Blackwood Paternoster Row. ; Seaton, H. J. (2002). Another Florence Nightingale? The Rediscovery of Mary Seacole. Retrieved Novem 21, 2007, from The Victorian Web: Literature, History ; Culture in the Age of Victoria Website: http://www.victorianweb.org/history/ crimea/seacole.html

Supply and demand in baseball Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Supply and demand in baseball - Essay Example Over the years, various studies show that participation in professional baseball games have steadily declined. There are many reasons attributed to this condition of reduction in demand for baseball as indicated by the lower ticket sales based on volume. One reason cited is that the ticket prices have risen sharply in the past 15 years. This is accompanied by increases in the price of related goods or complementary goods to baseball games live, including parking fees and food prices. (Wood, 2004) To illustrate this point, Chicago-based research company Team Marketing Research asserted that on the average, a family of four is estimated to spend about $153 for watching in big-league ballparks as at 2004. This figure represents nearly 3% increase from 2003. Similarly, Philadelphia Phillies fans are estimated to spend around $188 for a family of four. This is greater than a 25% jump from the cost in the previous year. (Wood, 2004) Apart from this, another reason mentioned is the change in the kind of spectators who are purchasing baseball tickets. It is seen that corporations and other businesses are buying in bulks to impress clients by giving away complimentary tickets. Note that these business entities would opt for the premium seats such as those located in blocks behind the home plate and in covered boxes. In this regard, baseball owners are able to jack up the price for seats in these locations as there is an assured demand for such. Moreover, as these owners attempt to recoup the increasing cost of doing business, they boost the ticket prices particularly for those in prime locations (Wood, 2004). For instance, team owners have to contend with the meteoric rise in their factors of production, especially labor. Wage is often perceived as the primary component of business cost that leads to the increase in price (Dornbusch, Fisher& Starkz, 2002). In professional baseball, it is seen that teams belonging to the top 25% of revenue-earners have experienced an increase of $28 million on the average between 1995 and 1999 alone (Bergen, 2000). As team owners are tied up with multi-year and multi-million dollar contracts with their players, they attempt to recover the substantial wage cost by increasing ticket prices. Given the above, it could be concluded that inflation has not only affected the basic goods but the baseball ticket prices as well. This could be better explained with the aid of the graph (Change in Demand for Baseball Game Tickets). Based on the graph, it is exhibited that the price of baseball tickets has increased form D0 to D1 due to the consistent demand of corporate buyers coupled with the increasing cost of operating a baseball team. In macroeconomic terms, the "inflation" that has affected baseball tickets may be classified as both cost-push and demand-pull. These means that the steady demand for baseball tickets as well as the rise in the cost of doing business (Samuelson & Nordhaus, 2002) has led to the hiking up of baseball ticket prices. However, as baseball fans, especially families, have been hit by inflation, thus increasing the

Montage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Montage - Essay Example In Chantal Akerman’s film, two outstanding instances of assemblages are evident; the interview with Akerman’s mother, Natalia, and the inclusion of a hierarchy of images where a car accident or kiss is positioned high than washing up. Inclusion of Natalia’s interview revealed how much people were speaking about women, and this presented a perfect ground for the production of the film. The long static shots were meant to ensure that the audience is always conscious of the character’s position, and the position of women in the society (Akerman N.pg). Moreover, the "hierarchy of images" places a kiss high than the chores that were stereotypically believed to be women’s not accidentally but intentionally to show the position of women in the society. The director wanted to illustrate that women’s works originates from oppression and what comes out of oppression is motivating (Akerman N.pg). The oppression that women were subjected to create a sens e of bitterness and togetherness in them, a factor that eventually empowers them to start fighting for their own liberation as depicted by Jeanne’s mother, a prostitute, when she fatally stubs a client on the 3rd day with a pair of scissors. A seditious element of Daisies is evident in its treasonous duplication, profane citation of intertexts from both low and high cultures and dissolute textual association in the realm of performing feminity. Through ridicule and parody, the director defiles the symbols of male supremacies and reputation while rendering the outrageous extravagances of its protagonists as heroic by montaging images from low and high cultures (Katarina 43). While one might argue that Daisies condemns the capitalist ideology through inclusion of excess food and eating that depicts conspicuous consumption, it also pampers women’s avaricious nature. For instance,

Summarized article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Summarized - Article Example These events are mentioned by the author as an anecdotal introduction to understanding the potential changes in international finance in the near future. This paper will offer a summary of the article highlighting the main ideas presented by the author (Forsyth). The author of this article describes how quantitative bond easing is likely to affect the interest rates in different regions. The author mentions the outstanding roles of the federal reserves in creating a balance of situations and eliminating concerns on the fear gauge. China, for example, has declared a lowered bank reserve requirement while the bank of England will follow suit soon. This will happen after America announces its trimming of monthly purchases of bonds. The author places emphasis on the critical role held by the US in the global financial scene. This is specifically because of the dollar, which has been used as a reserve for global currencies since the 1920s. In the past, there has been evidence that the US makes use of its â€Å"exorbitant† privileges and eventually exploits other nations. This is because the dollar still remains the center of global currency. It is both a reserve in store houses that serve other central banks and the primary currency used i n finance and trade internationally (Forsyth). The globe also relies on the dollar as the effective media when indulging I transactions and investments. The dollar has also been described as having made America’s banking and financial system very liquid and deep. Therefore, since only the US can produce the much needed dollars that control the global finances, it enjoys an exorbitant privilege. As the author outlines, there are the implications of such a privilege. An evident one is the fact that, the US can print dollars and use such in exchange for goods produced in other regions. The US can also indulge in cheap borrowing because borrowing is done in the currency it produces. Other

Nursing Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Nursing Practice - Essay Example The learning outcomes associated with this course are crucially linked to the integral understanding of clinical issues and practice. This paper, in turn, shall go a long way in reestablishing the norms that were to be established by the goals for this course. Understand the domain of every prong individually is of vital importance: As was mentioned earlier, knowledge of legal issues to the cause of clinical practice has now become imperative. Though universal laws for humanitarianism and morality remain constant for humans, yet there are certain legal implications that are different for certain countries and even states within countries. It must be understood by a practitioner, that the legal clauses are not a matter of burden, but actually, a facilitating and binding factor that ensures that the provision of health care would be unequivocal and just for all. The current face of health care is largely a product of the advancement made during and after the World Wars. However, despit e the magnitude and quality of work that was done at that time, the obvious constraint due to the war was that a systematic procedure for providing health care cannot be established. Much has changed since then, and the corporate face of the organizations in the changing world has brought about a new shape to the domain of clinical practice. With the inception of concepts like quality and the ISO standards, what the world of today has realized, is that documentation, for any system of work, is not only essential but is a must.

Software Engineering Testing tools Research Paper

Software Engineering Testing tools - Research Paper Example This research aims to evaluate and present software engineering testing tools. There are numerous software engineering testing tools available today. Many of these tools have come to be adopted and utilized as solutions to the rising demand for assurance of software quality in the software engineering industry. Within the past decade, there has been a steady increase in black-box testing techniques which are generally called model-based testing (MBT) techniques. This steady increase in black-box testing techniques may be due to the growing popularity of object orientation and modeling in software engineering. Model based testing is a general term used to indicate that a particular testing approach bases common testing tasks (like test result evaluation and test case generation) on a model of the application that is being tested. Engineering software is usually implemented in critical applications, and so improper testing can result in errors that may have severe outcomes that may cau se huge losses. In spite of the inherent limitations, software testing is an integral part of software development. It is usual for more than half of the software development time to be spent on testing the software, and this entails a critical process of selection. The Software engineering testing tools in use today are unreliable largely due to their misuse in development, as a result of poor selection Testing Purposes Testing of engineering software can be broadly deployed in various phases of the software development cycle. Testing of software involves a process of verification and validation of software programs or applications to ensure that the software is functioning as expected, and meets the technical and business requirements that the designers had in mind when designing and developing the software. Software testing is also aimed at identifying important errors, flaws or defects, in software programs that have to be corrected. (Hetzel, William C., 1988) During test planni ng it must be decided what to view as an important defect, through the reviewing of the design requirements and documents. In a broader view, we may start to question the utmost purpose of testing. Why do we need more effective testing methods anyway, since finding defects and removing the defects does not necessarily lead to better quality? The value to be derived from engineering software testing is that such tests go far beyond doing tests about the underlying code. Such activities also involve an examination of the functional behavior of

Personal Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Personal Statement - Essay Example Now, I want to pursue a higher degree in the field of Global Product Development and Management to gain an in-depth understanding of all issues and concepts related to this field. My educational background has played a vital role in building my interest in pursuing a higher degree in this field. I want to become a successful manager with a good knowledge of global manufacturing and engineering design, and that can be possible if I study under the guidance of highly qualified professors of Cranfield University. Studying under the guidance of highly qualified teachers of Cranfield University would allow me to grow intellectually in a proper manner. I want to be skilled in managing product engineering and development considering internal and external business environments and market conditions. I possess almost all qualities of a successful manager, such as, creativity, intelligence, visionary outlook, assertiveness, integrity, openness, and effective communication skills. With my focus ed mind and properly planned ideas, I think my academic interest and passion would help me get admission in the MSc program being offered by the Cranfield University. Some of my core academic strengths and abilities include: In-depth understanding of different concepts of global product engineering and development Excellent interpersonal communication skills, and Passion to develop new products which can create their place in international markets.... I have no restriction in staying or working in UK as I am a spouse of a British Citizen and has obtained an ILR (indefinite Leave to Remain). Therefore, I would be able to flourish my business as much as I can while staying in the United Kingdom. However, the stepping-stone towards the achievement of my professional goals is my master’s degree. I need to do masters in order to get a detailed and up-to-date knowledge of global product development and management. Here, I would like to mention that I need some financial support to achieve my academic goals. I have come to know that Cranfield University offers a Manufacturing Masters scholarship with an associated Ford based project to a highly qualified student of the University. I believe that such a scholarship can help me a lot in achieving my academic goals. I am a self-motivated graduate seeking to undertake a full time Masters course in Global Product Development and Management. My previous academic record is the main proof of my interest in systems engineering. I possess the required level of qualification and experience for award of the scholarship. The School of Audio Engineering, Malaysia, has awarded me with a Diploma in Audio Engineering in1993. Moreover, the Ministry of Education, Malaysia, has awarded me with the Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Polytechnic Certificate in General Mechanical in 1993. I have also obtained a Higher National Diploma in Engineering in 1996 upon completion of a BTEC-approved program at Coventry Technical College. Following my interest in engineering, I took admission in Bachelor of Engineering program offered by the University of East London. I completed my graduation from the university in 1999 with good marks in all subject related to systems engineering.

Written report of Ma Wan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Written report of Ma Wan - Essay Example Although Ma Wan is a small island, it has proved to be a favourable destination for international and local tourists (Sewell & James, 1995). It has a number of leisure places such as the Ma Wan Park, Noah’s Ark Museum, Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach overseen by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Heritage Centre (Sewell & James, 1995). Ma Wan is an island and a relative small one and as such has a small number of inhabitants. One thing notable is the old abandoned houses that are found in sections of the island. The governments seem to have prompted an agenda of relocating some of the locals to ease population in this area. The reduction of the population had fallen to 800 in 2008 (You Lin Xu, 2011). Abandoned shops are visible, and schools too, one being the Kei Wai Primary School indicating that the locals had not been alienated to the outside world. Religion integration is well-bonded in Ma Wan. Noah’s Ark is also an important landmark in Ma Wan. It is based on the Biblical story about Noah. The presence of temples has been an indication of the preservation of Ma Wan’s religion. Presence of churches and temples places Ma Wan as a multi-religion region, and there has been a peaceful co-existence between these different groups. These indicates an important aspect of diversification around Ma Wan. Ma Wan transport has been significantly advanced, and the construction of Kap Shui Mun Bridge is an indication of this progress. However, though, the people of Ma Wan depend on water transport mainly to get to the mainland and also the tourists mainly use water transport as part of their leisure activities. Therefore, it is an indication that Ma Wan has limited connection of roads to the mainland of Hong Kong. As such, the locals offer transport services through boats. A harbour is also present in Ma Wan, and this has been as a result of the evacuation

Personal and Professional Health Care Communication Essay

Personal and Professional Health Care Communication - Essay Example Health care groups are deemed to be amongst the most effective preventive building block in any society. In health care institutions one of the most common things that we come across are community based projects that deal with many issues including substance abuse, reproduction health etc. In order to extract the maximum amount of benefit from these settings, effective health care communication need to be encouraged amongst the doctors, patients who are being treated, as well as various pharmaceutical companies which are producing drugs. Health communication is also very much relevant as it is through proper communication that people get to know of various health issues. It is a result of communication between health care professionals and the patients that both get to hands on to new information (Northouse & Northouse, 1998). The patient gets to know from the doctor about various medical conditions and how to deal with them. Whereas during such a process the doctors themselves often come across new medical cases and they can then use such cases to enhance their own knowledge and carry out further research. There is a deep link between proper and timely health care communication and health care outcomes / results. When there is no proper communication between the health care professionals and patients, no proper treatment can be carried out at all. To take a very simple case if the patient is himself unable to explain to the doctor correctly what problems he's facing, then the doctor would so not be able to prescribe him the correct medicine or be able to carry out the correct treatment and, therefore, the patient would have no visible health benefits. Patients need to be taught to open up the doctor completely and tell them the problems they're facing, without hesitating or thinking what the health care professionals might feel of them. It is only then that correct treatment could be carried out. Consequently, even doctors need to give proper time to patients and explain them how to deal with problem until and unless the patient's concept. Often times doctors need to put in an extra effort while explaining the problems to patients who are illiterate and lack medical knowledge, to those patients who have a problem understanding the doctor's language or they themselves are of another language. It is in such cases that miscommunication results the most. When multiple people are present in an interaction, the chances for misunderstanding and disagreements increase by a significant margin. Problems also occur when proper health care communication does not take place between the two parties. For instance, the doctor may advise a patient to stay in the hospital, whereas the patient might disregard the doctors advice and decide to go home. Such a scenario can lead to depression for the patient. All this could have been avoided if the patient had communicated properly with the doctor and asked him his rationale for asking him to stay back (Kavana gh and Kennedy, 1992). Therapeutic communication refers to the use of communication to bring out a beneficial result for the client / patient. The main aim of therapeutic communication is to bring about a betterment is the patient's ability to lead a proper and problem life. Further on, therapeutic communication develops connectivity between the client and a health care professional, and this is something that can never be replaced by technology as it lack emotions. Therapeutic

Maintaining Patient Safety Essay Example for Free

Maintaining Patient Safety Essay Maintaining Patient Safety When working in an acute care setting such as a hospital, safety is the number one priority. A safe environment greatly reduces the risk for illness or injury. It’s not only for the patient; it’s also for the healthcare provider. For a nurse, it begins when she/he meets the patient. She must assess the room and make sure there is no debris littered on the floor, that all IV tubing is untangled and not on the floor, and that the patient’s bed is down in the lowest position with both side rails up. One mistake that has been committed is having the patient’s bed in a high level in order to prevent back strain, but then remembering that they forgot the linens and leave the room with the patient basically â€Å"in the air†. The problem with this is that is the patient is drowsy, or groggy, or is incapable of walking and ends up rolling and falling off. The patient could also be of a different height and assume their feet will touch the floor and instead end up falling off the side of the bed. This is why before you leave a room you must make sure to lower the bed back to its original position, low. Although the bed has four side rails you can only keep two up at a time unless ordered by a physician for the patient’s safety, otherwise it is considered false imprisonment. In order to avoid this easily avoidable error we must remember to finish what we complete with the patient and then to lower the bed and make sure the side rails are raised. If by chance we forgot something outside of the patient’s room, stop and lower the bed, and when you return, raise it again. Without these cautionary details, a patient could fall and end up remaining hospitalized for an extended time.

Health and Safety in the Workplace Essay Example for Free

Health and Safety in the Workplace Essay * The wiring can be temperamental, the hot water system is often not working and the canteen is in a basement room with no external lighting or windows. There are only 3 toilets in the building and these are also situated on the lower ground floor, near to the canteen. The Workplace (Health, Safety Welfare) Regulations 1992 state that in reference to lighting; â€Å"Every workplace shall have suitable and sufficient lighting. Where it is practicable, the lighting shall be by natural light. Suitable and sufficient emergency lighting shall be provided. † To mend the lighting issue in the canteen, sufficient lighting would need to be provided maintained otherwise the company would be breaching these regulations. These regulations also state that in regards to temperature in the workplace; â€Å"should be reasonable for indoor workplaces. There should be a sufficient number of thermometers provided to allow checking of temperature.† With the hot water system failing to function at all times it is required; the temperature should be monitored carefully should ideally be replaced with one that is reliable. The toilets in the canteen area will need to be well lit as well, but also very well ventilated with a high quantity of fresh air. The Workplace (Health, Safety Welfare) Regulations 1992 state that three bathrooms are required for between 26– 50 employees, if there are more employees then additional WC facilities will be required. Also, There must be hot and cold water, soap, and either electric hand dryers or towels provided. The Electricity at Work Act 1989 states that within the work place, those responsible must; â€Å"Have their electrical systems constructed in a way that prevents danger. This includes testing all new equipment to ensure that it is safe. Maintain their electrical systems correctly to prevent danger. Have repaired or closed any electrical system that causes danger.† The electrical system is temperamental will need to be repaired in some areas perhaps replaced to keep up to the standards that The Electricity at Work Act 1989 requires. * The lift has been out of service for some considerable time and the computers are constantly breaking down. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 states that any equipment provided must be maintained and kept in good working order† therefore the computers the lift are not meeting these regulations as they are continuously breaking down or in the case of the lift, not working at all. They must either be replaced or repaired so that they are available for use by all people within the building. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 also say, with regards to the lift, that where manual handling is unavoidable, they should be mechanised with the use of trolleys, lifts and hoists. So if any lifting tasks were to occur, the lift should be available to use as it is already in place. * None of the air conditioning units are working and none of the windows open. All files that need to be kept are stored under the stairs on each of the different floors. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 say that a minimum temperature of 16 °C should be maintained in an area of normal physical activity there should be a good number of thermometers positioned at above 0.5m off the ground to display the room temperature. There is no maximum temperature for a workplace however these regulations state that the workplace should be comfortable and reasonable. The Workplace (Health, Safety Welfare) Regulations 1992 also say that â€Å"the supply of fresh air should not normally be below 5-8 litres per second, per occupant† so the fact that the air conditioning units don’t function the windows do not open breach these regulations entirely should be repaired or replaced immediately. With the files of the company being stored under the stairs, the company could well be breaching the rules of The Data Protection Act 1998 which states that information stored about people cannot be accessed by a third party without their knowledge. The inadequate storage below each of the stairs is not secure therefore anyone within the building could access them. The Statutory duties of employers and employees relating to health, safety and welfare as set out by the government says that the employer must explicitly provide arrangements for ensuring safe means of handling, use, storage and transport of articles and substances. All files being stored under the stairs does definitely not provide a safe means of storing documents so an alternative organisational system should be used for the company’s files. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 also sets out to â€Å"protect people at work† â€Å"to protect people not at work from those who are†, the files could pose a trip hazard to employees people visiting the building, another reason for an alternative storage system to be implemented. * The offices are cleaned on a weekly basis, but all the cleaning products are kept in the canteen near the emergency exit. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) is the law that requires employers to control substances that are hazardous to health[1] not storing the cleaning products safely securely if they contain any harmful ingredients (which many cleaning products do) breaches the regulations set out. You can prevent or reduce workers exposure to hazardous substances by: * finding out what the health hazards are; * deciding how to prevent harm to health (risk assessment[2]); * providing control measures to reduce harm to health; * making sure they are used ; * keeping all control measures in good working order; * providing information, instruction and training for employees and others; * providing monitoring and health surveillance in appropriate cases; * planning for emergencies. If the cleaning products have always been stored by the emergency exit, then the company are in breach of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 as they have failed to identify that there is a risk to its employees have obviously failed to conduct a thorough risk assessment. With the cleaning products obstructing the emergency exit, The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 states that â€Å"clear fire instructions should be displayed in all buildings; escape routes should be clearly signposted and free from obstruction†. The cleaning products being stored there are a direct violation of this they should be removed then stored safely securely. * The majority of photocopiers are out of action on each of the floors; this means that all staff have to go to the 5th floor to get good quality copies. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 states that any equipment provided must be maintained and kept in good working order†, the unusable photocopiers breach these regulations must be repaired or replaced. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 state â€Å"to avoid the need for employees to undertake any manual handling operations at work which involve a risk of their being injured†. Under the Regulations, a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of all manual handling operations should be carried out to quantify the risks and put suitable guidance and support in place to make sure risks are kept to a minimum. The employer is also expected to train staff where necessary in the correct way to manually lift and handle objects. The employer has done neither, so to prevent accidents occurring, the employer should implement these immediately. * On your first day at the new office, one of the receptionists, who is due to go on maternity leave in the next two weeks; falls down the stairs (after having done a large amount of photocopying) and breaks her leg, her arm and her collarbone. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (MHOR)[3] requires an employer to carry out a risk assessment on all manual handling tasks that pose an injury risk. If the employer had assessed this properly, a system or alternative way of moving the photocopied documents could have been developed, or perhaps another member of staff could have taken on this responsibility. The employer’s duty is to avoid manual handling as far as reasonably practicable if there is a possibility of injury. If this cannot be done then they must take steps to reduce the risk of injury as far as reasonably practicable. With the lift being available but closed due to a fault, the employer is not utilizing the available mechanisms as the lift has not been repaired. This puts any employee carrying any large object(s) at risk of injury the lift will need to be repaired with adequate alternative carrying methods for employees who are unable to do so. Also, The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 says that rest facilities must be provided for pregnant women and nursing mothers, this may not be relevant to the woman falling down the stairs, however if this has not been provided for her, it could have contributed if she was tired unable to find a place to rest or not allowed to take time to rest.

Amsterdam Tourism Marketing Condition Tourism Essay

Amsterdam Tourism Marketing Condition Tourism Essay Amsterdam has long been regarded as diversified, international city. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, in 2008, 4.5 million visitors stayed over in Amsterdam. The city break markets significance and economic value is increasingly being acknowledged by city managers and administrators (Dunne, 2007). Domestic tourists constantly account for about 20% of Amsterdam tourist arrivals, followed by 18% of U.K tourists and 11% U.S tourists  [1]  . In 2009, due to the economic recession, during the first six months of 2009 the number of bed nights of international guests continued to decrease, with the UK (-23%), Spain (-20%) and the US (-9%)  [2]  . The significant change in 2009 tourism was the increase of Spain tourists and tourists from BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China). This indicated that no matter within or outside Europe, even during economic recession, the market potential would be worth exploring in the future. What makes a potential tourist come to Amsterdam? Before they start the trip, they have a perception of this city, which refers to destination image. The importance of the tourist destinations image is universally acknowledged, since it affects the individuals subjective perception and consequent behaviour and destination choice (Chon, 1990; Echtner Ritchie, 1991). That is to say, destination image motivates people travelling. Hall and OSullivan (1996) proposed that the creation of a destination image is based on three elements: (a) Returning tourists through word-of-mouth reporting, (b) Media reporting and image-making and (c) Government policies and interests. Supported by Seddighi et al. (2001), stated that perceptions about country image are formed through advertising and promotion, news accounts, conversation with friends and relatives, travel agents and past experiences (2001, p.182), suggesting that the attractiveness of destination needs an informative city image. In the three elements mentioned above, returning tourists reporting and media reporting are important factors in motivating people visiting Amsterdam. Amsterdam has various types of recreational areas that serve different types of tourists. Comparing with Berlin, Paris and Rome, Amsterdam has its language advantage. Amsterdam inhabitants speak fluent Nederlands and sufficient English. This creates an accommodating and friendly tourist environment. Whats more, the general hygiene of Amsterdam is well maintained. This city is relaxing and has no specific religion restrains. As a result, word-of-mouth would be generally good. The second factor, media reporting and image-making, is the part that can be improved. And the improvement will make significant difference in motivating more people coming to Amsterdam. It has a lot to do with target marketing. The city image of Amsterdam is diversified. On one hand, it could be a good thing: any types of tourists will find that this city fit them. However, it makes Amsterdam an optional place to visit. If potential tourists are not fully motivated to come to Amsterdam, they can easily change their destination to Paris or Madrid. It is important for Amsterdam to have specific image to target tourist groups. As to government policies, Amsterdam has a stable and safe social environment. Despite marijuana and prostitution are legal in this city, the crime rate holds medium to low comparing with other EU cities. And these two factors are attracting a lot of curious tourists and generating money from them. The local government of Amsterdam is making an effort to promote tourism. It is obvious this city welcomes tourist, for instance, the spread of tourist information office and tickets centres, English introductions in major tram lines to entertainment area. So this element can be regarded as accomplished. 2. Tourist Segmentation and Motivation 2.1 Demographic Breakdowns Collectively, previous studies have demonstrated that tourists with different cultural backgrounds may show differences in their motivations, preferred tourism resources, and behavioural characteristics (Chen et al. 2000). According to the factsheet 2009 of Amsterdam, the main travellers are from EU countries (76%). The geographic category is: The Netherlands, U.K, U.S, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, rest of Europe, Asia, rest of America, Africa and Oceania. Since tourism is a price sensitive industry, the demographic should include income. Educational background and age are also parts of tourist profile. 2.2 Subjective Culture Groups Hofstede (1980) found that people from different societies varied in terms of four subjective cultural aspects, including power distance, masculinity-femininity, individualism-collectivism, and uncertainty avoidance. Power distance refers to the degree to which cultures encourage or maintain status differences between power holders. Masculinity-femininity refers to the relative emphasis on achievement which characterizes gender distinctions in some national cultures. Individualism means ones identity is by determined by personal choices and achievement. Collectivism has to do with ones identity is determined by the character of the collective groups to which one is attached. Uncertainty avoidance has to do with the degree to which societies and cultures develop ways to deal with the anxiety and stress of uncertainty (Kim, 1999). Previous research showed that western and Asian culture has distinctive difference with respect to four subjective cultural aspects (Enright, 1994; Dann, 1981). Power distance is bigger in Asian countries than in western countries. This implies the way people wanted to be accommodated differs when the culture background changes. Gender and religion issue could arise by travellers from Middle Eastern countries, for example, gender-separated prayer room would be appreciated by Muslims, while people from Japan and China probably would not pay much attention to it. Whats more, individualism is more appreciated in western countries while collectivism is an idea that commonly shared by Asian countries. The implication would be different focus when advertising Amsterdam. In western countries, DIY booklet of city tour would be more popular. In Asian countries, group easy access would satisfy potential travellers. People from different subjective cultural groups tend to link themselves with preferred city image of Amsterdam. So the city image of Amsterdam should have a different focus on media in different countries. 2.3 Motivation Factors Motivation has been referred to as psychological/biological/social needs and wants, including internal (or emotional) and external forces (Dann, 1981). In the context of tourist motivation, internal force is the desire to go travelling; external forces could be public holiday, attractive city experience, budget,etc. Motivation based segmentation helps marketers determine why visitors are consuming a product or service, and suggests the means by which visitors desires can be met (Oh et al., 1995). Therefore, tourist motivation studies are useful in developing product, promotion, and segmentation strategies. Analysis of tourist motivation attempts to extend the theoretical and empirical evidence on the causal relationship among the push and pull motivations, satisfaction, and destination loyalty (Yoon and Uysal, 2005). According to Uysal Hagan (1993), these forces describe how individuals are pushed by 6 motivation variables into making travel decisions and how they are pulled or attracted by destination attributes. Push factors are defined as origin-related and refer the intangible, intrinsic desires of the individual traveler, such as desire to escape, rest and relaxation, adventure, health and prestige. Pull factors are defined mainly related to the attractiveness of a given destination and tangible characteristics such as beaches, accommodation and recreation facilities and cultural and historical resources (Uysal Hagan, 1993). Goossens (2000) describes push and pull factors of tourist behavior as, two sides of the same motivational coin (2000, p. 302) and further posits that the psychological concept, emotion, connects both sides with needs functioning as a pushing motivation and benefits as a pulling motivation. More specifically, Kozak (2002) has categorized motivation push and pull factors into four subcategories: culture, pleasure-seeking/fantasy, relaxation, physical (2002, p.226). These four factors can be used in measuring tourist motivation. While Kay (2009) categorized motives as: social consumption, novelty, learn local culture and relaxation. These two categories shared similarity and have differences. 3. Marketing implication The travel market is often divided into four types of markets: personal business travel, government or corporate business travel, visiting friends and family, and leisure travel. Market segmentation is based on the profiles of target groups and measuring the attractiveness of the market (Zhang et al. 2007). In this paper, the main focus will be on leisure travel, because three types mentioned above are not sensitive to marketing strategies. They can be regarded as more fixed travel pattern on a fixed schedule and destination. 4. Theoretical Framework Motivations: 1. Relaxation 2. Social consumption 3. Pleasure-seeking/Novelty 4. Local culture Marketing implication of leisure travel to Amsterdam Subjective Culture Groups

A Place Of Your Own :: essays papers

A Place Of Your Own Reading chapter 36 of The Malling of America, of William Kowinski, I see a man who does not like how America is progressing in time. He believes that we are heading towards a time when everyone will be preprogrammed to be hard-core consumers and the world is going to be dominated by money. In chapter 36 of his book, he explicitly blames the mall as being the cause and proponent of this change. I agree with Mr. Kowinski’s ideas of the changing world, but I do not agree that the shopping malls are to blame for the changes. The malls purpose is to produce a profit for the investors. If shopping centers were not profitable then it would not be there. Unlike Kowinski’s views of the mall, I see a place where people, especially young adults, congregate in a safe environment. The mall offers working opportunity to young adults. Opportunities where someone with no experience and qualifications can work. I believe it can be quite hard for a young adult to obtain a job where there are many responsibilities and the requirements are experience and knowledge. I disagree with Kowinski’s that the benefits of a job in the mall are overrated. With a job at the mall, young adults learn to set goals. Even thought these goals might be little goals, but the little goals also have many lessons that shape members of our society. Kowinski writes about a young girl who works at an establishment in the food court of some mall. Kowinski underestimates the influence of the perfect curl on top of the ice-cream cones. The girl learns to take pride in what she does. Not the pride in a perfect curl but pride in the fact that she has accomplished a goal that has thought here perfection, alertness. And some of these lessons might help her in the future. The mall also provid es job for young adults who need the paycheck for living and/or education. A study by the International Council of Shopping Centers found that there are many teenagers in shopping malls and the mall is a place where teenagers like to go. The International Council encouraged the teenage presence because ‘the vast majority support the same set of values as does shopping center management.

Rates of Reaction :: GCSE Chemistry Coursework Investigation

How does temperature affect the rate of reaction between sodium thiosulphate and hydrochloric acid? Temperature and Rate of Reaction Question How does temperature affect the rate of reaction between sodium thiosulphate and hydrochloric acid? sodium thiosulphate + hydrochloric acid sodium chloride +water + sulphur dioxide + sulphur Na2S2O3(aq) + 2HCl(aq) 2NaCl(aq) + H2O(l) + SO2(aq) + S(s) Prediction I predict that the higher the temperature, the more quickly reaction will occur. This is because with heat, the particles of sodium thiosulphate and hydrochloric acid have more energy. This causes them to move around more. It works like this for all substances, not just those two. Chemical reactions require collisions, and if particles are moving around more quickly they are obviously more likely to collide. It is just like in a crowded street. If the people are moving quickly it is more likely that they will bump into each other then if they are moving slowly. It is in this way that particles of solutions react. I found out from preliminary research that the particle theory explains that chemical reactions require a collision between the particles of the reactants, at a certain velocity and angle. If this angle or velocity is not achieved, the substances will not react together. I also found out that the factors that affect the rate of a reaction are the surface area of the solid reactant (if there is a solid reactant), the concentration of the aqueous reactant(s), the presence of catalysts and temperature. In this experiment we are only interested in temperature. Where temperature is not high enough to provide energy for the particles to move at a high enough speed, the particles will just not react, or rather, not as many particles will be able to react together in a certain amount of time. At 0-10Â °C, I predict that the reaction will take a very long time to react. The reason I say this is because although the particles will be moving around, they will not be moving at a high enough velocity. For chemical reactions to occur, the particles must be travelling at a particular speed, and this requires energy. At this temperature I do not think that it will give the particles enough energy to convert into movement. Between 11-40Â °C (this includes 3 temperature intervals - 11-20Â °C, 21-30Â °C and 31-40Â °C), I predict that the reaction will occur more quickly than that of 0-10Â °C. I think the reaction rate will decrease dramatically at this temperature. I predict this because there is more heat to provide energy to the particles of the reactants. This energy causes the particles (of sodium thiosulphate and hydrochloric acid) to

The Lord Of The Flies: The Hunts :: essays research papers

A running theme in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is the hunts and their progression, as well as symbolic meaning it possesses as the hunts continue. The hunts always ultimately revert back to an evil and primitive nature. The cycle of man’s rise to power, or righteousness, and his inevitable fall from grace is an important point that Golding proves again and again. Lord of the Flies, is a story of a group of boys of different backgrounds who are marooned on an unknown island when their plane crashes. As the boys try to organize and formulate a plan to get rescued, they begin to separate and as a result of a decision a band of savage tribal hunters is formed. Eventually the boys almost entirely shake off civilized behavior. Jack has always been an ill-natued boy even from the start of the book when he told Piggy to "Shut up, Fatty." (p.23). Dispite Jack’s unpleasent personality, his lack of courage and his conscience preventing him from killing the first pig they encountered. "They knew very well why he hadn’t; because of the enormity of the knife decending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood." (p.34) When Jack was chosen to keep the fire going, he decides to get meat instead of tending to the fire. His pursuit for killing a pig is symbollizing a sexual desire built into human nature. While he was out pursuing the pig, the fire went out. This symbollized the fact that Jack's sexual desires led him away from hope and deeper into despair. Jack represents a Satan like, deathly force. The blood that he wallows in is a further representation of deathliness. After his first kill, "Jack transferred the knife to his left hand and smudged blood over his forehead as he pushed down the plastered hair," he unconsciously imitates the ritual of the tribal initiation of the hunter, whose face is covered with the blood of his first kill. Jack then successfully convinces many big'uns and little'uns to come along with him and join a tribe of savages. These savages have face-paint on, which makes them anonymous. This anonimity allows for each tribe member to do things he would not have normally done because of the fear of being judged by society. They basically had no shame left. So they went out, killed a pig, acted as if they were raping it, and cut off its head.

Rising Fuel Cost in the Airline Industry

Running Head: Rising Fuel Costs and the Airline Industry Rising Fuel Costs and the Airline Industry Of all the changes that we have seen in the economy, fuel has to be at the top of the list as an item whose pricing affects more than just the price we see at the pump. In addition to increased prices at the gas pump, we have also seen products, services, and virtually every item sold increase due to the high cost of fuel. Although fuel prices have dropped today versus what they were in the third and fourth quarter of 2008, businesses had to make quick decisions as to how they were going to handle the rising cost so that they could still return a profit. One of the industries that the increasing price of fuel has made a large impact on is the airline industry. Four of the top airlines: Southwest, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines have all had to institute changes within their organization to minimize the impact of rising fuel costs on their bottom line. Southwest Airlines Last summer, when the price of crude oil increased at an astronomical rate, Southwest Airlines was praised as the airline that would make it through the crises. For years, Southwest used fuel hedging to keep their costs down (Reed, 2008). Fuel hedging consists of a future contract, and in this case, means that Southwest agrees today to pay a certain price per gallon for fuel in the future (Reed, 2008). When barrels of oil began increasing, Southwest was basically â€Å"locked-in† with their fuel pricing. That meant that they did not have the same sense of urgency that other airlines had at that moment in time. Southwest could still charge the same low rates, and not have to plan on making any drastic changes. Southwest began fuel hedging over 14 years ago (Reed, 2008), and was profitable by doing so. The executives of the company at that time developed a strategy many years ago that had paid off for them for quite some time. However, by the end of 2008, when crude oil began dropping, Southwest was at the other end of the spectrum. They were now paying more for fuel than the current price of fuel. This caused Southwest, for the first time in 17 years, to post a loss for the quarter (Fuel contracts 2008). However, Southwest still did not start charging customers for additional items as other airlines began doing. Currently, on their website, they still boast â€Å"Low Fares†¦no hidden fees† (Southwest, 2009). Instead, Southwest opted to make other changes to their organization. These changes went into effect before the oil prices starting dropping. Southwest decided to hedge only 10% of their fuel, in contrast to hedging approximately 75% of their fuel (Cochran, 2009). Although touted as some that Southwest knows what they are doing (Cochran, 2009), it must also be noted that Herb Keller, the former CEO of Southwest, retired last summer. It is difficult to determine at this point if Southwest is as creative, and that is the reason they have dropped their fuel hedging, or if the new leadership is reluctant to take the risks that the former CEO was willing to take and institute into the corporation. It is also difficult to determine if the new CEO is possibly at the eighth stage of Kotter’s model, and trying to anchor new approaches to the Southwest culture (Kotter, 1996). Only time will tell if the CEO’s new approaches will be successful. American Airlines When oil price increased sharply in the summer of 2008, American Airlines was the first major airline to start charging for the first piece of baggage (Johnsson, 2009). According to American Airlines CEO Gerard Arpey (2008), â€Å"Our company and industry simply cannot afford to sit by hoping for industry and market conditions to improve† (Maynard, 2008). Because American was the first to institute these fees, some saw the move as something that could backfire on American, and called the move â€Å"stupid† (Maynard 2008). However, within weeks after American started charging fees, many other airlines followed suit. As of today, although fuel costs have dropped, the baggage fees are still in effect at both American and other major airlines. American Airlines, during this volatile time, took a risk and instituted a non-traditional idea (Kotter, 1996). This move increased their baggage revenue by $94. 1 million dollars in the quarter that they began charging fees. In addition to baggage fees, American also made additional changes in their business. From mid April to mid May in 2008, American Airlines raised their fare rates 14 times to offset the higher costs they were encountering Maynard, 2008). Announcements were also made that additional efforts to reduce losses, such as cutting approximately 300 flights, and retiring approximately 75 aircraft were also taking place (Maynard, 2008). However, despite all of these changes, and generating additional revenue, American Airlines still posted a loss of $341 Million in the last quarter of 2008, and lost another $375 Million in the first quarter of 200 9 (Bigger Q1 loss, 2009). Although the loss was large, it was still better than analysts expected (Bigger Q1 loss, 2009). However, no company can continue posting losses without a major overhaul of change occurring. Although American Airlines appears to be the airline that steps out of their comfort zone and makes changes, they still are not making money. Businesses simply cannot afford to stay in business if they do not make money; therefore, it is important the American Airlines move up their somewhat complacency level, move out of their comfort zone, and arrive at a plan that will boost their bottom line to a profit. Delta Airlines Last year, when oil prices jumped, Delta did not begin charging fees for the first bag. However, they allowed a passenger’s first bag at no charge, but charged fifty (50) dollars each way for the second bag checked. This double in price (from the original $25), along with higher fees for the third, fourth, and up pieces of luggage was a move to help defray the fuel costs (Delta doubles, 2008). In addition, another move made by Delta to help defray the fuel costs was charging Sky Miles or World Perks fliers a $25 to $100 fuel surcharge (Delta doubles, 2008). With fuel costs still increasing, Delta felt that they still had to make additional changes to cover the rising costs. Their fare increase had not been successful because it prevented them from staying competitive (Airlines upping fees, 2008) in the market. Therefore, Delta decided instead to charge frequent fliers, in addition to the $25 phone reservation fee, another $25 fee if the flight included another airline partner (Airlines upping fees, 2008). At this time, Delta also increased their charges for pets, oversized baggage fees, and unaccompanied minor fees (Airlines upping fees, 2008). Delta also announced last year that in 2009 they would reduce capacity six to eight percent, and ask for voluntary job cuts (Trubey, 2008). The interesting information concerning Delta was the fact that after they purchased Northwest Airlines, they lowered or dropped some of their fees. Reservations made over the phone fees was lowered, and curb side administrative fees were dropped (Delta to charge, 2008). Delta Airlines is optimistic that the merger of Delta and Northwest, along with decreased fuel costs, will allow them to post a profit in 2009. Although Delta did not jump on the bandwagon initially with baggage fees, they did change their business plan very quickly in March 2008 (Grantham, 2008). They did not wait around to see what would happen, and quickly arrived at a plan as to how they were going to handle the increase in fuel costs. Delta raised their fares, and also cut unprofitable flights from their schedules. Early in 2008, when fuel prices began increasing, the CEO of Delta remarked that Delta needed â€Å"to ramp up changes to its operations to deal with rising costs (Grantham, 2008)†. The CEO seemed to understand the urgency of the situation, and also had the power, as the CEO, to make those changes. The CEO also announced that they (Delta) would share with the employees the changes that the company was going to make, and how they would make them without the sacrifice of the employees (Grantham, 2008). This move, in my opinion, showed that the CEO had a process for change, and was communicating this to the employees. With the price of fuel increasing so rapidly, it is apparent that most likely employees were nervous about losing their jobs. By the CEO communicating the vision of the change to the employees, it most likely kept the rumor mill down, and got employees to focus on the change itself, instead of unfounded fears. Another move made by Delta to decrease their fuel cost was slowing the flight speed of planes approximately twenty (20) miles per hour. On a flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta, this would add an additional 6 minutes to the flying time. This small difference would not be noticeable to the customer, but would save gallons of fuel, which in turn would save thousands of dollars. Delta also replaced seats and carts with lighter equipment, and was also studying the concept of replacing manuals by electronic means (Chapman, 2008). Over 1. million gallons of fuel per year has been estimated to be saved by making these changes (Chapman, 2008). Delta appears to be very proactive on all of their changes that need to take place within their organization in order to turn a profit. United Airlines When the price of fuel increased last year, United Airlines made their changes in another form. United decided to lay off employees in an effort to maximize the profits on their bottom line. In June 2008 , United announced that it would lay off approximately 1500 employees, remove 100 airplanes from their fleet, and also eliminated one of their divisions (United Airlines, 2008). 00 of the 1500 employees were offered voluntary retirement packages, and certain contingencies must have been met for an employee to be eligible (United Airlines, 2008). This layoff was simply the â€Å"first† of layoffs, as by the end of 2008, United had laid off 2500, or approximately 30% of their employees (United Airlines posts, 2009). After posting a loss in the fourth quarter of 2008, United announced another layoff of approximately 1000 employees by the end of 2009 (United Airlines posts, 2009). This layoff was attributed to the corporation fuel-hedging in 2008 (United Airlines posts, 2009). United made a gamble that fuel would continue to rise, and when fuel prices dropped, they were locked in at higher rates. (United Airlines posts, 2009). This fuel hedging strategy actually backfired on the company, as when fuel prices dropped, the company was paying higher prices. Fuel hedging almost appears to be a gamble that a corporation is taking, and with the price of oil jumping back and forth so rapidly, it is difficult to understand the company’s objective hedging. It is almost as if they copied Southwest’s process, yet it backfired on them. United also jumped on the bandwagon and began charging for the first piece of luggage in September 2008 and also increased the price of the second piece of luggage from $25 to $50 (United Airlines raises fee, 2008). Although this scenario may not be accurate, it is almost as if United Airlines has a hard time going through their own processes and create any kind of plan or urgency levels, and relies on other companies changes to help them get through their own problems. Although United appeared to follow lead in 2008, they have just announced a new â€Å"fat fee† for overweight passengers (Passengers requiring, n. . ). Perhaps the most humorous part about this is that even on United’s website they have stated that this policy was implemented to â€Å"align themselves with other major airlines seating policies (Passengers requiring, n. d. )†. Conclusion When fuel made its dramatic jump in 2008, many of the airlines scrambled to come up with a plan to help offset t he increase. It appears that all were not successful, as in 2009, many are still operating at a loss, and still trying to make changes to their operations. Southwest appears to lead the pack with making the most significant successful changes. Although Southwest did lose money for the first time, they attributed their loss to the fuel hedging. As mentioned earlier, organizations can not continue to lose money, and if the airline industry does not devise a plan with significant changes, and successfully implement these changes, we may either see a bail out from the government, or see airline after airline file for bankruptcy. Perhaps the other major airlines should take a closer look at Southwest’s eagerness to make and implement changes into their company, and apply that to their own organization. Works Cited Chapman, Mary (2008, June 11). To save fuel, airlines find no speck too small. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from The New York Times Web site: http://www. nytimes. com/2008/06/11/business/11air. html? _r=1 Cochran, Jason (2009, Jan 5). Southwest Airlines: Straightening up and flying right. Retrieved April 14, 2009, from Wallet Pop Web site: http://www. walletpop. com/blog/2009/01/05/southwest-airlines-straightening-up-and-flying-right? icid=sphere_blogsmith_inpage_bloggingstocks Grantham, Russell (2008, March 14). Delta to make changes in response to rising fuel costs. Retrieved April 19, 2009, from AJC Web site: http://www. ajc. com/business/content/business/delta/stories/2008/03/14/delta_0315. html Johnsson, J (2009, March 2). U. S. airlines losing less luggage. Retrieved April 19, 2009, from Chicago Tribune Web site: http://archives. chicagotribune. com/2009/mar/02/travel/chi-mon-lost-baggage-uaua-amr-mar02 Maxon, Terry (2008. 12,28). Southwest Airlines adjusts fuel-hedging strategy. Dallas Morning News, Retrieved April 14, 2009, from http://www. dallasnews. om/sharedcontent/dws/bus/industries/airlines/stories/122408dnbusssouthwest. 399369b. html (n. d. ) Passengers requiring extra space. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from United Airlines Web site: http://www. united. com/page/article/0,6722,52985,00. html Reed, Dan (2008, July 24). Can fuel hedging keep Southwest in the money. USA Today, Retrieved April 14, 2009, from http://www. usatoday. com/money/industries/travel/2008-07-23-southwest-jet-f uel_N. htm Reed, Dan (2008, May 21). American Airlines to cut about 300 flights. Retrieved April 19, 2009, from USA Today Web site: http://www. satoday. com/travel/flights/2008-05-21-american-airlines-capacity-cuts_N. htm Trubey, J. S (2008, December 9). Delta president: carrier to turn profit in '09. Retrieved April 19, 2009, from The Business Review Web site: http://albany. bizjournals. com/albany/stories/2008/12/08/daily19. html (2008, April 2). Airlines upping fees to follow fuel costs. Retrieved April 19, 2009, from CBS News Web site: http://www. cbsnews. com/stories/2008/04/02/travel/main3988490. shtml (2009, April 20). Bigger Q1 loss for American Airlines but still better than expected. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from Travel blackboard Web site: http://www. etravelblackboard. com/showarticle. asp? id=91065=130 (2008, June 9). United Airlines, Continental Airlines cutting jobs due to ATF price increase. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from DWS Aviation Web site: http://www. dancewithshadows. com/aviation/united-airlines-continental-airlines-cutting-jobs-due-to-atf-price-rise/ (2008, July 30). Delta doubles luggage fee. Retrieved April 19, 2009, from The Seattle Times Web site: http://seattletimes. nwsource. com/html/businesstechnology/2008080585_deltafees

Being there

Jerzy Kosinskis Being in that location is the story of find out Gardener, a world with limited kind and social potential, that raised by his environment to the level of fame. Referred to as a blank rapscallion person, he is, at the same time, seen by his immediate environment as quite a a personality mainly because of his outside(prenominal) qualities he has a beautiful verbalise, is manly and well-groomed. Not only the parthattan society, in which Chance finds himself aft(prenominal) being dish by a car knows zip fastener close to Gardiners past the referee is in like manner faced with the same puzzle.The opening chapter provides only some information some the protagonists enclosed action in the grey soldierys kinfolk, his passion for tending and his life macrocosm, which is only formed by the pictures seen on television. We shake to know that the Old Man furnish Chance as a kid when his mother died, that his name is Chance because he was born by chance, that due to his mental disability inherited from his mother he could neither read nor write. The only flock that Chance initially communicates with are the Old Man, who fifty-fiftytually dies, and the maid Louise.Louise is presently laboured to return to Jamaica due to an illness and a new maid comes to substitute her. Chance the Gardener seems to lead a happy life while watching TV or working in the garden the only activities that form his view of reality at the onset of the narration. However, when the Old Man dies he is forced to leave the house as no will is remainingover by the deceased and no put down of Chance as either a resident or employee can be found in the Old Mans documents. It remains a puzzle for both the lawyer who comes to handle the solid ground and the reader why Chance was left out of the records.For all that, this riddle step to the fores to allot as a good shot for creating suspense in the account of the haceks changed life style after(prenomina l) the accident. With no social and family connections whatsoever Gardiner becomes the centralize of attention among the educated high household society of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Rand. He soon meets the US President and a reckon of political and corporate figures, and becomes a voiceless candidate for one of the vacant pose on the board of the First American Financial Corporation (35).The developments that follow appear hilarious as none of the persons Gardiner gets present with is aware of his physical disabilities. Two aspects that except his ordained image are his fire in television and love for gardening. The first-class honours degree helps him think of proper ways to dissemble in social situations and the latter is a basis for the only factual noesis he can refer to when active in discussions about American economy. For instance, when engaging in conversations with Mrs. Rand Chance resorted to repeating to her move of her own sentences, a practice he had observed on TV.In this fashion he encouraged her to continue and elaborate (24). Also, during a meal Chance ignored the vino because On TV, wine put lot in a state they could non control (26). Later, when invited to participate in a TV show, Gardiner could experience the making of a program personally Chance was astounded that television could portray itself cameras watched themselves (37). Similarly, his story about seasons and growth in the garden during his coming together with the President led to his being recognized as an expert in the heavens of economics.Towards the end of the novel the suspense is even greater when the President keeps demanding that his administration provides him with soil information about Chance. However, they are ineffectual to find out anything substantial. Mass media is also concerned about the lack of such information. However, Chances future looks positive especially with the death of Benjamin Rand. Mrs. Rand is very much in love with Gardiner and truly hopes he will stay with her after her husbands death. Gardiner appears to also adjudge acquired a certain image in the populace eye, which will not be easily shattered in fictional character politicians find out who he truly is.On numerous occasions Gardiner was very graphic about his disabilities to write and read, but the humans interpret it in its own way, the homesick thinking way. The latter is, ultimately, the problem of the public and the American society in its wider implications that interpreted Gardiners words the way it wished to. whole kit and caboodle Cited Kosinski, Jerzy. Being There Groningen Wolters-Noordhoff, 1996 Brothers Judd Daily. Ed. 23 Sep. 2000 htttp//www. brothersjudd. com /index. cfm/fuseaction/reviews. elaborate/book_id/294/Being%20There. htm