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

Toyota - Essay Example Thailand is chosen as the global manufacturing base and other manufacturing bases in Asian countries will supply engines and other components. The vehicles developed in global manufacturing base of Thailand have a potential for export in 80 nations and regions. This will also make input costs much lower than in developed countries and increase the profit margin in case of an economic slowdown. In case of Chinese markets, manufacturing and marketing needs to be strengthened for viable growth. Full product lineup in different segments like compact, luxury SUV and luxury sedan vehicles has to be established. The manufacturing capacity needs to be revamped in this emerging market which will in turn increase the brand value of Toyota. Introduction of lexus and reorganization of sales channel is necessary to sustain growth in Japanese market. Further preparations are necessary to accomodate future changes in market structure and customer values. The merger and acquisition scenario also brings two of the major players Ford and Toyota together. Toyota management can negotiate a deal as Ford, the third largest manufacturer of cars, is mired in one of the worst financial crises in its history and Toyota is in its strongest position since it was founded 70 years ago. Development of a wide range of technologies and products with focus on market creation is the ultimate strategy for expansion. Leading edge technologies like nanotechnology, material technology and biotechnology will be the driving force for the next generation cutting edge technology for developing green and clean environment friendly, safe and user friendly interface for vehicles. The ecology and the emotion of customers will be taken care of in this strategic development. The laws, regulations and government policies regarding environmental protection, vehicle emissions, vehicle fuel economy , vehicle safety, outcome of

Airport Incident Management System Essay Example for Free

Airport Incident Management System Essay 1. Introduction Airport operations are growing in complexity day by day, and extend across multiple service providers at the airport – namely ground handlers, customs, immigration, retail tenants, air traffic control, security, baggage handlers, airlines consortiums and airlines. These agencies use the airport infrastructure in such a way that they meet their commitment to their customers in due time. These commitments put a lot of pressure on the airport infrastructure support staff to keep the systems up and running efficiently. Currently these services are handled manually at most of the Indian airports, so there are umpteen chances of these services to breakdown at most appropriate time when airport are supposed to meet their stated commitments with agencies. These incidents are very frequently occurring, particularly at the busy airports like Delhi and Hyderabad where pressure to meet timelines are heavy on airport infrastructure. Therefore there is a need for a technology solution to provide the flexible and proactive service delivery which guarantees the availability and usability of the infrastructure available at the airport to meet the commitments. This case study discusses a solution that raises the service level of the airport to its agencies and eventually creates a positive image in the minds of its users. This case study is based on this technical solution provided at one of the busy airport where the technical solution created, provides the right answer to different stakeholders at the airport. The context diagram [pic] Source Internet 2. Case Study Purpose The purpose of this case study is to highlight the technical solution provided to solve the problems arising due to the multiple agencies of the airport using the same airport infrastructure. 3. Case Study Methodology The methodology to arrive at the solution to the use of airport infrastructure problem was the extensive survey method and later on the software implementation methodology for implementing AR Systems (Incident Management Components). The Survey Method A questionnaire about the status of services provided by the current staff to the concerned agency department was circulated and feedback collected. The response feedback was consolidated and improvements discussed and applied. A need to streamlining the procedure or writing the standard procedure was felt and implemented in the short run. Visits by senior management staff to similar airport and studying the response to the tender floated by the airport led to the long term planning of implementing the software solution. 4. The technology strategy After the gruesome struggle to provide the required service 247 at the airport terminal building, a search for better technical solution that can cater to the current requirement and as well as give scope for future growth is always on. A team of experts were constituted to suggest the course of action which can address the airports infrastructure problem in the short run and simultaneously can find appropriate technology solutions to mitigate the problem as well as expand the extent of service at the airport for future projections. Short Term Planning – It was felt that in short run the airport operation must have the standard procedure which can be followed and improved with the experience of supporting the agencies of the airport. The performance of the support staff can also be measured and their skill enhanced to meet requirements of different support levels. Long term Planning – An appropriate IT solution must be developed or procured to record incidents / solutions and can use the learning/Knowledge for handling future incidents.

Migrants most important contribution to Australia, has been to the :: Economics

Migrants most important contribution to Australia, has been to the economy. Do you agree with this statement? Argue your case. Task: Write an essay addressing the following question: 'Migrants most important contribution to Australia, has been to the economy.' Do you agree with this statement? Argue your case. (5%) Migrants from all over the world have contributed to different parts of Australia since they began arriving here. I believe that the most important contribution has been to the economy, for a number of different reasons. In this essay, I am going to be looking at the English migrants and also at the Vietnamese migrants to see what contributions each group has made. Firstly, starting off with the English migrants, it is evident that since they came here on the First Fleet in 1788 they have boosted our population by a great deal, with 4000 people arriving in just the first five years. These people were not in fact migrants, but they were convicts sent here for crime such as theft, with people been sent here for small things such as stealing a handkerchief. These convicts began the population boost that Australia needed, and provoked people to come out here and start a new lifestyle. They were often described as 'economic refugees' as they were here to escape the poverty in their own country. So by the mid 1800's, Australia had a lot of migrants from overseas, especially England, who were increasing our economy by basically just being here, as it caused the general consumption of everything to go up and was therefore, costing our country money. In 1845, there was a massive mining boom in South Australia. Vast majorities of silver and lead were being found, which resulted in more people coming over here, and gave these people an opportunity to set themselves a lifestyle, as they could afford to build houses, find a job, and be able to look after themselves without having to fear poverty. When the Gold rushes began in 1851, more people ventured out here to try their luck at finding gold, and achieving a new lifestyle. In the 1860's the population increased yet again with another 44,000 people coming to Victoria, 22,000 to New South Wales, 49,000 to Queensland, and 15,000 to South Australia. When these people were added to the ones already here, we could see that the economy was increasing, and was consequently in a good position for the migrants to live in. In England, the migrants wanting to come out here were receiving support to help them, such as free passages to get here, or a cheap land offer once they arrived.

Cultural enrichment Essay

Last February 17, 2009, I went to the ISU Juried Student Exhibition which was located in the Center for Performing and Arts Gallery building. The juror of the exhibition was Mr. Ronald Leax, Halsey C. an Ives Professor of Art in Washington; University, St. Louis, MO. Most of the paintings that were being exhibited illustrate beauty and nature. I’ve noticed that most of the people that were there during the time of my visit appear uninterested with the art that was surrounding them. They barely noticed and appreciated art in its raw form because most were just busy eating and chatting. They practically didn’t understand why their teacher sent them to the gallery; I believe they just went there for the sake of the class credits that they are going to get. But they were also a few who knew what art and beauty was, they showed their appreciation by praising and scrutinizing the works in the gallery. Other people were also busy having their pictures taken beside the beautiful paintings. As for myself, I was really intrigued by the works and the masters behind those paintings. How I wished I could come up with such art pieces that to me seemed like it was done during the middle ages. It was also entertaining to watch how some paintings depicted things about religion and politics it shows that people are really concerned with the current events happening and are even able to express it through art. It was also fascinating to watch the paintings that were cross-over from realism to non-objectivism. Those kinds of paintings are the ones that entertain the naked eye without much thought provocation. Those paintings are the ones that caught my eye because it is relaxing and entertaining to look at them. At the end of the day, I just hope that more would learn to appreciate the beauty of art rather than be overly absorbed from school or from work. They should see that art is relaxing to the soul and to the mind so people who are stressed out could go to art exhibits to unwind and to refresh their souls.

Coca Cola Organization

The Coca Cola Company, founded in 1886 in Atlanta, the United States, is the world’s largest nonalcoholic beverage company. Coca Cola currently owns and markets more than 500 beverage brands (Anonymous, 2010), including waters, sports and energy drinks, juices, tea and coffee, which are distributed in over 200 countries throughout the world.Along with Coca Cola, the company also owns Sprite, Fanta and Diet Coke, which are four of the world’s top five nonalcoholic beverage brands (Anonymous, 2010). As a company with a history of over 120 years, the Coca Cola Company now has an operating structure with seven operating segments and approximately 139,600 worldwide employees (Anonymous, 2010). Today, Coca Cola has subsidiaries around the world and has developed its own management and distribution system.The relative data and evidences shown in the following analysis will illustrate the effectiveness of the current structure model of Coca Cola and how managers of Coca Cola ap plied the hybrid structure to manage the subsidiaries in different regions efficiently and the strategy of decentralization to reduce the management cost and improve autonomy of these different departments. Furthermore, Coca Cola values its unique organizational culture and has set different mission, vision and values to guide the organization, the segments, and its teams.These invisible forces have been serving as the â€Å"Roadmap† for the company to achieve the long-term goals. In the second part of the report of the company culture, facts and stories mentioned would give examples and interpret how the â€Å"liability of a strong culture† could impact Coca Cola’s competitiveness and why it is so important for Coca Cola to understand customers’ needs in order to introduce more customer-orientated organizational culture rather than outcome-oriented culture. Organizational StructureCoca Cola is a typical complex organization by having seven operative unit s in geographic areas around the world, six functional departments being responsible for different tasks and a diversified labor force from different nations. Additionally, a combined characteristic of Mechanism and Organism is also one of most representative features of complexity. Under this structure, employees can not only improve their performance to the maximum level, but they also help the company expand global market and adapt the changing environment.The Coca Cola Company currently employs approximately 139,600 employees (Anonymous, 2010). According to a general organizational chart stemmed from the company’s website, the division of labor is based on diverse job designs which exist specific rules and regulations to direct employees and managers. There are at least 5 hierarchical levels in the corporate. At each level, for instance, one regional director supervises about 10 subordinates on average; therefore, the span of control is fairly wide.And based on the inform ation of its website, the geographic regions are broken down into the diverse units that are located round the world, which are mainly North America, Middle East, Asia, Europe, Eurasia, Latin America and finally Africa. And then, each subunit has its own organizational structure based on functional departmentalization. For example, in North America, its major departments are marketing, finance, and packaging, sales, and research and development administration.In addition to that, in terms of the division of the authority, originally, the company has a more centralized structure, which the decision is mainly made by a high-level management, and the communication is restricted due to the hierarchy of the authority. However, as Coca Cola encounters uncertain environments when it expands of its business, the organization realizes that it must meet the changing demands of its customers to win their business.Thus, Coca Cola began to push towards decentralization in the nineties and even m ore recently (Fox, 2007), which means that decisions are made on a more local level and communication can spread freely to quickly react to conspicuous market demands. Simultaneously, higher-level management can have the authority to take control of the overall strategies and concentrate on the company’s distal goal. The Coca Coca’s big success is not only due to its continuing effort on producing different beverage, but also its moderate organizational structure plays a salient role.Firstly, because the Coca Cola Company, based on the annual report, has over 400 products, the product structure seems to be too costly and unrealistic to implement. Therefore, the multidivisional structure is an appropriate structure and brings benefit for the company. A significant strength of this structure can allow the company to react to changing and uncertain environments while also maintaining a level of stability. Moreover, the specific decision and strategy can be made by regiona l managers to suit particular situation of one area without triggering some conflicts.For example, when one region wants to conduct a specific marketing promotional strategy which is not be appropriate for another region due to the diverse marketing environment, so decisions about specific marketing tactics are made closer to that region. And thirdly, within each region, the structure is mainly divided based on the functional departmentalization, and undoubtedly, communication among each functional unit’s members is free and efficient because of the same knowledge and expertise. Thus, the work and decision can be done more efficiently.Another big beauty of its structure is the mix of both centralization and decentralization to run the business. According to an article â€Å"Changes in the Organization of Work: An Empirical Assessment† stemmed from a journal of International Conference Proceedings, it concludes that a more decentralized hierarchy improves coordination a nd reduce monitoring costs. And eventually, since employees are guaranteed more flexibility from the workplaces, more job satisfaction can be acquired through more tasks autonomy and responsibilities.As a result, it will lead to complementarily effects, which productivity gains can arise. From this perspective, Coca Cola seems to get benefits from this structure change. On one hand, a centralized structure remained at top level is to help senior managers take control of power and provide a distal goal for the whole organization. On the other hand, pushing decentralization also works well in the local units. Because employees can perform tasks from beginning to the end, they can figure out problems and have opinions through the working process.And, additionally, under the decentralized structure, the communication is freely flowing. Employees are more encouraged to express opinions and provide recommendations for company’s operation at the weekly me eting, and gradually, a par ticipative and communicative environment is formed which leads to employees’ job satisfaction and organizational commitment. An article appeared in Business Europe (Bogomolny, 2004) had the following information: â€Å"According to Jon Chandler, director of communications for Europe, the responsibility for getting it right – and for profit – is firmly at the local level (p. ). † Obviously, productivity increased and company gets the profit in return via this structure. To sum up, it appears that the Coca Cola Company is pursuing for a hybrid structure, which take advantages of both mechanistic and organic structures, while trying to minimize negative effects of each. According to the research above, it seems that the organization works well after all the changes implemented. However, after the in-depth analysis of the organizational structure, one subtle recommendation can be addressed.According to â€Å"Committee on Management and Productivity†, i t is beneficial for all levels of company to put various customers’ needs into consideration when designing organizational structure So although the Coca-Cola possesses a hybrid structure, its structure does not adequately focus on the customer side. In order to delivering the best value to customers, a part of structure needs to serve the customers in terms of dividing them into different generations. The reason for this suggestion is that customers are picky and are facing abundant choices of beverage currently, and they also more care about their health. Jones, 2007) Thus, a more cautious decision will be made by customers while purchasing the beverage. Reasonably, if the Coca-Cola Company should focus more on customers to analyze their preference based on different segments, and provides adequate relevant training which guided the employees to deliver satisfied good and service to customers. Consequently, the company can produce the ideal beverage to reach the expectation of different generation, and may acquire a profitable benefit in return. Organizational CultureOne of the most important building blocks for the high success of the Coca Cola Company is its organizational culture. The culture of the Coca Cola Company is mission-driven: focused on refreshing the mind, inspiring optimism, and making a difference (thecoca-colacompany. com). This durable mission facilitates Coca Cola in creating innovation, people orientation, diversity and an aggressive culture since John Pemberton founded it in 1886. The Coca Cola Company has reached its current strong culture through decades’ effort.Employees share the common values that the company provides leadership, collaboration, integrity, accountability, passion, diversity, and quality (thecoca-colacompany. com). In 2004, the Coca Cola Company came to a reinvigorating stage. E. Neville Isdell was nominated as the new chairman of the board and CEO of the Coca Cola Company. Due to the health and wellness trend, increasing competition in the beverage industry and a series of top leadership changes, Coca Cola had been experiencing hugely decreasing soft drink sales.By engaging in an open dialogue about the company’s values and future development among 150 managers from worldwide divisions, a â€Å"new vision for the sustainable growth† has emerged (Andrew Martin, 2007). This new vision achieved an aggressive marketing strategy by refreshing the coke brand and laid particular stress on advertisement and product development (Andrew Martin, 2007). From the perspective of the dimensions of the culture, Coca Cola wants to be innovative while they are risk-averse. The company becomes more open and flexible since it gives its employees more rights.It remains aggressive at sales. Lastly, after the 2004 change, the company has become stable and gotten rid of its previous dysfunctional status (Andrew Martin, 2007). Ultimately, the company is measured by its stock value, which saw great increases through the rest of 2005 (see graph 1 in Appendix). In general, the current culture of Coca Cola Company is very effective. Based on the theory of organizational culture and effectiveness, a practical organizational culture has four fundamental traits: involvement, consistency, adaptability, and mission (Denision and Mishra, 1995).Two of these traits, involvement and consistency, are indicators of openness, flexibility and responsiveness, and are strong predictors of growth. After the changes in 2004, Coca Cola Company favors increasing face-to-face interaction, providing more constructive feedbacks and generating an ideas sharing atmosphere. All of those improvements and changes allow Coca Cola getting open and flexible. Additionally, due to organization focuses more on the opinions and thoughts from lower level of employees, and grants them power to make their own choices under certain level.The communication and awareness in Coca Cola increase from 65% to 76% (Di anne, 2008). Openness and flexibility contribute significantly to the vision of driving long-term sustainable growth by accelerating innovation and employee’s engagement and satisfaction. The other two traits, consistency and mission, are not only indicators of integration, direction and vision, but also are better predictors of profitability (Denision and Mishra, 1995). The culture of Coca Cola is guided by its enduring mission, which is to be the largest beverage company in the world since it was founded in 1886.This clear objective directs both employers and employees to create values and make differences for organization. Besides, the vision of Coca Cola, which is people, portfolio, profit, partners, planet, profit and productivity, declares that the employees need to achieve sustainable growth and great profits. Overall, the culture in Coca Cola Company properly reflects four traits, and fosters the effectiveness in the whole organization. What is more, both before and a fter the change, the company has been emphasized the aggressiveness on sales for a long time.It is easy to arouse some immoral competitions between the companies and the employees. But after the implementation of the â€Å"manifesto for change† policy (Gordon, 2008), which is aimed to improve environment responsibilities, self-discipline at corporate level and social responsibilities. Therefore, the ethic of the organization has been improved significantly, which makes the Coca Cola Company a better and more stable workplace. However, there are two shortcomings in the current culture. First, the Coca Cola Company has hesitated to reinvest and take risks.In 2005, the Coca Cola Company introduced 2 new products, the Coke Zero and the Diet Coke. Luckily, the Diet Coke took the Pepsi cola’s place and became the No. 2 soda in the US. Unfortunately, the company only improved its product based on its original products. Although Coca Cola has raised the new missions of carryin g out health and fitness, due to its resistance to change and one step slower than Pepsi, it has merely no effect. This is exactly the liability of strong culture—resistance to change. Considering the long run sustainable growth, the company should encourage innovation and all employees’ participation.At first, reduce barriers of information flows within the organization. Managers must make sure that people can access resources whenever they need. Secondly, reward employees for practical ideas. Management should not only provide premium to creativity ideas, but try to find out and stratify employees’ internal needs. Thirdly, participation can always help to overcome resistance to innovation. When employees actually involve into the organization, they would realize some flaws of existing products. And this will stimulate them to get fascinating thoughts and ideas.Lastly, it is necessary to get supports and encouragements from managers. Moreover, company can intro duce new members to speed up the change because new blood can always bring fresh visions into organization. Second, currently, the Coca Cola Company is outcome orientation and aggressive on sales. In order to match with its new culture, the company should better move towards the strong establishment of basic values and assumption. Therefore, the company can turn to other direction and explode a new dimension of culture for a better fit.First of all, pay more attention to the customers and employees by fulfilling the healthy ideas and assumptions penetrated to them level by level and gradually, they can harbor those views to establish a norm which is to chase a healthy lifestyle. Secondly, since the brand has already been highly recognizable, what the company needs to do next is to animate the brand. By taking actions of inventing some rituals and create more stories, it can also set up some employee orientations to share the work experiences and internalize the organization basic as sumptions.Moreover, the company needs to bring in more new members in order to better change the aggressive culture to a friendlier one. In conclusion, it is always difficult for companies to change their business culture, especially for Coca Cola, a large and stable organization with a hundred years of history. In order to keep growing and thriving, Coca Cola should try to look ahead and make internal changes to adapt to the outer environment. In fact, whether introducing new cultures or changing the current culture, managers should first let these values or beliefs infiltrate the organizational members’ minds.Only when these values and beliefs are commonly accepted by the organizational members, can they form a new culture. However, people’s values are hard to change. By increasing communication with employees, rewarding desirable behaviors, encouraging participation and offering necessary support, Coca Cola’s managers can avoid unnecessary losses. Moreover, p roper structure design can benefit large multinational corporations like Coca Cola by allocating resources and assigning personnel more efficiently and effectively.Decentralization of the organization’s structure offers more flexibility to Coca Cola’s local subsidiaries in different regions and can also reduce conflicts between departments. A hybrid structure requires Coca Cola to develop more understanding of customers’ needs, which is the most important force to push the organization forward. Overall, the analysis mentioned above illustrates that a strong business culture should always remain responsive to change, and a well-designed corporate structure is important for the organizational effectiveness. Reference Bogomolny, L. (2004). â€Å"Thirst for change. Canadian Business, Vol. 77 Culhane, D. (2008, February). Blog logs a culture change: Coca-Cola's short-term Blog Blast takes the pulse of employees on key company values. Communication world. Retrieved f rom http://www. entrepreneur. com/tradejournals/article/173021690. html Denison, R. D. , ; Mishra, K. A. (1995). Toward a Theory of Organizational Culture Effectiveness. DOI: 10. 1287/orsc. 6. 2. 204 Fox, A. (2007, November). Refreshing a beverage company’s culture. HR Magazine, Vol. 52, No. 11. Retrieved from http://www. shrm. org/Publications/hrmagazine/PastIssues/2007/Pages/200711. spx Foust, D. (2006, August 7). Queen of pop. BusinessWeek, Retrieved from http://www. businessweek. com/magazine/content/06_32/b3996401. htm Gordon, D. (2010). Manifesto For Change. Retrieved from http://www. scribd. com/doc/24111308/Manifesto-for-Change Macarthur, K. (2004, May 10). Hiring of Isdell is classic Coca-Cola. Advertising Age. 75, 3-68. Martin, A. (May 27, 2007). Coke Struggles to Keep Up With Nimble Rivals. Retrieved from http://www. nytimes. com/2007/05/27/business/yourmoney/27coke. html? pagewanted=1;sq;st=nyt;scp=87 Martin, B. Wilcox, S. ; Harris, R. 2000). Committee on Manageme nt and Productivity. Transportation Research Board, NW: Washington, DC. McKay, B. , ; Terhune, C. (2004). Bottled up — behind Coke's CEO travails: A long struggle over strategy; although profits are strong, rivals are gaining cachet; all-star board calls shots; search for a red bull fighter. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), A1. Radic. D. (2004). An Enterprise Odyssey. International Conference Proceedings. p. I. 27. Solar site index. (2007). Retrieved from http://www. solarnavigator. net/sponsorship/coca_cola_chairman_neville_isdell. tm The Coca Cola Company. (2011). Retrieved from http://www. 123HelpMe. com/view. asp? id=148943. The Coca Cola Company. (2010). Retrieved from: http://www. thecoca-colacompany. com/careers/unique_culture. html http://www. thecoca-colacompany. com/ourcompany/mission_vision_values. html The Coca Cola Company. (2010). Forward Looking Statements. Retrieved from http://www. thecoca-colacompany. com/investors/pdfs/10-K_2010/03_Coca-Cola_Item1. pd f Appendix Chart 1 Quarterly Stock Price Chart (2001-2010) Retrieved from http://www. thecoca-colacompany. com/

Whats Your Openion Example

Whats Your Openion Example Whats Your Openion – Article Example Food/agriculture and Population The increase in population is one of the key factors that have contributed to the decline inthe production of food. Although other factors such as bad weather, high cost of production and energy related costs have generally affected food production, the increase in population has put pressure on the major agricultural resources- water and land. The land OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2011-2020 reveals that agricultural land in many areas in highly constrained, and this has led to a decline in food production. Although some have argued that the use of modern technology and approaches to farming will guarantee increased food production, it is clear that the increase in population might render such technologies useless as there would be no land to farm. In a short YouTube video by GeoBeats News (www.youtube.com/watch?v=axfP6d60CEE), the idea of food scarcity amid the growing population is well covered. This short video shows that as the population continu es to increase, the production of the most staple foods such as rice, soybean and corn has significantly reduced. One of the fundamental problems faced by many societies today is the inability to produce more food without destroying natural habitats. There are two major issues that arise when food production and population are considered. First, as the population continues to grow, key natural resources such as forests are overexploited with the aim of producing more food, and this leads to other problems such as reduction in water supply. This then further complicates the problem. Secondly, as the population continues to increase, more people are moving into towns and cities. As a result, more people demand for food without having land to farm, and this further makes it difficult to produce enough food to serve the increasing population. GeoBeats News. "World Food Supply Is Lower Than Demand While Population Grows." YouTube. YouTube, 03 July 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. .

Sample Recommendation Letters for College Applicants

Sample Recommendation Letters for College Applicants Many colleges, universities, and business schools request recommendation letters as part of the application process. Choosing the person to ask for your recommendation is often your first challenge because you want an honest letter that will improve your chances of being accepted. Also, if you are the person writing a letter of recommendation, it may be difficult to know where to begin.   No matter which side youre on, reading through a few good letters of recommendation will certainly help. With these samples, you can make better decisions about whom to ask, what should be included, and take note of the best format for writing one. Every college applicant has a different situation and your relationship with  a student and recommender is also unique. For that reason, were going to look at a few different scenarios that can be adapted to fit your needs. Choosing the Right Person for a Recommendation A good recommendation letter  from a high school teacher,  college professor, or another academic reference  can really help an applicants  chances of acceptance. Other sources of recommendations might include a club president, employer, community director, coach, or mentor. The goal is to find someone who has had time to get to know you well.  A person who has worked closely with you or known you for a significant period of time will have more to say and be able to offer specific examples to back up their opinions. On the other hand, someone who doesnt know you very well may struggle to come up with supporting details. The result might be a vague reference that doesnt do anything to make you stand out as a candidate.   Selecting a letter writer from an advanced course, extra-curricular group, or volunteer experience is also a good idea. This shows that you are motivated and confident in your academic performance or willing to put in extra effort outside the typical classroom. Although there are a lot of different things that are considered during the college application process, previous academic performance and work ethic are among the most important.   Recommendation Letter From an AP Professor The following letter of recommendation was written for a college student who is also an undergraduate program applicant. The  letter writer  is  the students AP English professor, whose class other students may struggle with, so there are some extra benefits here.   What makes this letter stand out? As you read this letter, note how the letter writer specifically mentions the  students outstanding work ethic and  academic performance. He also discusses her leadership capability, her ability to multi-task, and her creativity. He even offers an example of her record of achievement- a novel project that she worked on with the rest of the class. Specific examples like this are a great way for the recommender to reinforce the main points of the letter.   To Whom It May Concern:Cheri Jackson is an extraordinary young woman. As her AP English Professor, I have seen many examples of her talent and have long been impressed by her diligence and work ethic. I understand that Cheri is applying to the Recommendation Letter From a Debate Coach This letter was written by a high school teacher for an  undergraduate business school applicant. The letter writer is very familiar with the student since they were both members of the schools debate team, an extra-curricular that demonstrates a drive in academics.   What makes this letter stand out?  Getting a letter  from someone who is familiar with your classroom behavior and academic ability can show admissions committees that you are dedicated to your education. It also demonstrates that you have made good impressions on those in the educational community. The content of this letter could be very beneficial to the applicant. The letter does a good job of demonstrating the applicants motivation and self-discipline. It also cites specific examples to support the recommendation. As you are reading this sample letter, take note of the required  format for recommendations. The letter contains short paragraphs and multiple line breaks for easy readability. It also contains the name of the person who wrote it as well as contact information, which helps makes the letter look legit. To Whom It May Concern:Jenna Breck was a student in my debate class and has also been on myRecommendation Letter From Volunteer Experience Many undergraduate business programs ask applicants to supply a recommendation letter from an employer or someone who knows how the applicant works. Not everyone has professional work experience, though. If you have never worked a 9 to 5 job, you can get a recommendation from a community leader or non-profit administrator. Though it is traditionally unpaid,  volunteer experience  is still a work experience.What makes this letter stand out? This sample letter demonstrates what a  recommendation from a non-profit administrator might look like. The letter writer emphasizes the students leadership and organizational skills, work ethic, and moral fiber. Although the letter doesnt touch on academics, it does tell the admissions committee who this student is as a person. Demonstrating personality can sometimes be just as important as showing good grades on a transcript. To Whom It May Concern:As the Director of the Bay Area Community Center, I work closely with many of the community

Is My Writing Any Good

Is My Writing Any Good The following response resulted from someone who wrote me and asked the above question: Is my writing any good? Thats a huge burden to bear . . . to tell a struggling writer whether his/her work is good. What is GOOD anyway? Its so subjective. Books that sold hundreds of thousands of copies dont strike a chord with me. Then Ill read a story I didnt want to make or break this writers self-esteem. Who am I to make that call? So I sent this writer the following response, and thought I would likewise share it with you. Is your writing any good? This isnt a yes or no question. Youd like it to be that simple, but Im wont let you off that easily. I read most of one piece you submitted to me but couldnt read more (my time is limited and very precious to me), and I see an intense desire to write, and I see a storyteller, but I see some newbie flaws to work on. No writer starts off writing well. Nobody. No first draft is good. Nobodys. Even Stephen King has an editor that beats him up. I think the first question is whether or not you want it. Do you want to be a writer? If you do, then it doesnt matter what the writing is now. It matters where you want to take it. You set a course and go there. Read how-to books . . . change your work from what you learn.Attend conferences . . . change your work from what you learn.Join a critique group . . . change your work from what you learn.Enter contests . . . change your work from what you learn. I see dialogue that is a little stilted and some stiff emotion. I see a writer writing for himself instead of the reader. But thats normal when you are striking out, attempting to find your footing. What is it you want to do with your writing? Define that and head in that direction, willing to edit your work as many times as it takes, for as long as it takes to get it right. If you want to publish now, and want to make bank on what youve written now, then it appears you arent into writing for the right reason. Anybody can write. Only a few choose (note I said choose) to write well. And it is indeed a learned craft. So, from all the books you read in the genre you want to write in, you tell me. Is your writing good? If so, submit. If not, learn how to fix it. What do you think?

Davey crockett Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Davey crockett - Personal Statement Example There are several versions of Crockett and each baffles definition. When an individual is highly controversial it means that either he was very famous during his time, or was not at all! The main contention articulated by the author is to disprove the extraordinary achievements of Davy Crockett in the battlefront, the mythical hero of his times, the man who allegedly never surrendered and died a hero’s death battering the enemy with his broken rifle. While correcting this faulty version of death, the author, however has appreciation for his oratorical skills, extraordinary ability to tell stories and his contribution to American politics, even when the going was tough for him. The pages of the history related to Davy Crockett are undoubtedly daubed in bloodshed. He was born in Tennessee on August 17.1786 and for over 49 years he was an honored resident of the state. In those years he gained national status as a frontiersman. In the political front, he was West Tennessees representative in Congress but was defeated in the 1835 re-election. Crockett knew the art of eulogizing the self and he promoted himself as the undisputed hero and a great frontiersman. He built his image amongst the public with the astuteness of a seasoned politician. Every stage of his life was surrounded by controversies and the author has done a reasonably good job to construct his version of Crockett, on the basis of available evidence. His first task is to separate the man from the tales that have engulfed his life. He was a man of humble origins and drank heavily. He carried out his political responsibilities well and he was almost a Marxist by conviction as was an advocate for th e cause of the poor. He put his political career at stake by condemning the removal of Indians to west of the Mississippi. In 1825, Crockett was elected to the U.S. Congress, and he vehemently opposed many of the policies of President Andrew Jackson,

Econometric Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Econometric Analysis - Essay Example Its analysis has two principal purposes - to promote empirical content within particular economic theories and to subject such theories to potentially falsifying tests (Econometrics, Wikipedia, 2006). Taking the first, with the French data as example, it can be said that economic theory holds that consumption should be directly proportion to income while it should be inversely so to interest and unemployment rates. The available data should reflect this and thus provide empirical evidence of the theory's validity. The tests that the data will be subjected to will assist in this quest for empiric authenticity. Such tests should not only provide broad evidence of empiricism but should also assist in determining how much current variance there may be from theoretical reckoning and should thus provide reliable pointers as to why such variance is evident. It is, of course, incumbent upon theorists to interpret why there is variance, if evident after analysis, and this is done at the end o f the paper. To find empiric elements within the variables the first strategy adopted is to assume that a certain relation exists among the variables such that LCF (natural logarithm of real per capita consumption) is taken to be an endogenous variable series that is functionally dependent upon the other variable time series' - LYF (Natural logarithm of real per capita income), RF (real interest rate) and UF (unemployment rate). The following equation expresses a 'Population Linear Function' that is linear both in variables and parameters. The equation is as follows: LCFt = + LYFt + RFt + UFt + ut Here, , , and are the unknown parameters that are assumed to be linear, just as the variables LCF, LYF, RF and UF but this is still an assumption. This, together with the fact that the data has been acquired eccentrically, without due consideration for true series function, does not automatically relate parameters, also called estimators, statistically to their true corresponding values. Therefore, it is necessary to find certain other properties within the variables to enable this. This, however is not evident. Again, thus, some more assumptions have to be made such that, based on these second set of assumptions, certain statistical properties between the estimators and their true corresponding values can be assigned (OLS, Wikipedia, 2006; Estimators and Properties, 2006). This second set of assumptions is as follows. 1. The explanatory set of variables - LYF, RF and UF - is fixed. 2. For all n > 1, >0. Where, x stands for the variable and the mean of the series. This is true for all the variables. 3. =m>0. 4. Zero mean disturbance, E(u)=0. 5. Homoscedasticity: Var() = , is constant for all values of i. 6. Nonautocorrelation, Cov() = 0, where . 7. The error term 'u' has a Gaussian distribution such that, . (Assumptions based on: Estimators and Properties, 2006) A second equation, derived from the same data set and based linearly on the same set of assumption

Personnel management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Personnel management - Essay Example The main significance of diversity in any organization is that the employees can face many adversities and contingencies on a continuous basis. In a workplace where there is diversity, one can see that the employees have more empowerment and official rights. The main objective of an organization in attracting different employees is to enhance the team workability and talent pool. Moreover, the human resource department of an organization has more selection in recruiting employees if the workforce of the organization is supposed to be diverse and versatile. The workforce of an organization can be diverse in relation to many factors: gender, race, nationality, disability and education. Moreover, the organizations can reap more advantages and disadvantages from the employees if work diversity exists in a workplace. Practically, if we consider defining the concept of workplace diversity, it can be referred to as the inclusion of variety of people in an organization to receive full potentiality out of them. According to Edwards (2012), â€Å"When the workplace is diverse, it shows that your establishment is a true equal opportunity business that hires people with different backgrounds and races, instead of segregating, or discriminating against a certain individual†. The diversity in a workforce has a highlight of extracting potentiality from various human resources available throughout the world. This includes various types of people with different instincts who can contribute to the success and profitability of an organization. In America, the workforce diversity can be reflected in the employer’s option of hiring people aged from 25 to 64 in an attempt to get maximum potentiality and experience from the country’s manpower. In the same manner, it has been recently noticed that the recruitment of Hispanic/Latino employees has

Gadgets in everyday life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gadgets in everyday life - Essay Example There is a general assumption that young people who are street-smart does not perform well in schools. There are a lot of reasons why schools and colleges often overlook the intellectual potential of the street smarts. In fact certain trait like this one is regarded as anti-intellectual. We always tend to associate life and our mind with academic concerns, and too narrowly and exclusively with subjects. The trouble with this assumption lies with the fact that no such connection has ever been verified with the subject and educational depth in the context so as to establish the weight of a discussion that is likely to generate. Real intellectuals, give a list of thoughtful questions relating to it, however lightweight a context seems to be. Media studies provide an overview of the morality and realism in context to television. According to Gladen, â€Å"This [the above thesis] individualistic way of looking at media effects isn’t entirely new, especially in an individualistic c ulture like the United States, where social scientists for years have been obsessed with trying to draw links between individual behavior and the media† (Gladen). Over the decades, there has been a greater demand for simple pleasures and business companies are more focused to delivering products through customization. For example: to make sense of a particular episode, the viewer has to keep up with the entertainment program, by making attentive and cognitive inferences. This is referred to as the Sleeper Curve Culture, which is getting more cognitive demanding shows. The Sleeper Curve is referred by the author as â€Å"single most important new force altering the mental development of young people today, and I believe it is largely a force for good: enhancing our cognitive faculties, not dumbing them down.† (Johnson). In The New York Times Magazine, Steven Johnson argued that there has been an apparent paradigm shifting in the way television shows are being aired. It h as become more complicated over the decade. Stuart Elliott a journalist with The New York Times has claimed just this year that "the characters on the Fox television series Family Guy . . . pur ­posely offen[d] just about every group of people you could name" (Peacocke). There is a general assumption that mass traditions pursues a path of a steady turn down towards lowest common denominator principles, only because â€Å"masses† want dumb-simple pleasures and big media companies try to give the masses what they want. The Sleeper Curve as explained in one of the essays in â€Å"They Say, I Say† is a form of most debased form of mass entertainment. Video games and aggressive television play series turn out to be a form of entertainment. The Sleeper Curve is a new vigor changing the mental progress of young people today. The good part of this aspect to be incorporated in our own lives, mean enhancing the thoughtfulness and cognitive behavior thinking. It is assumed that shows which promote acts of smoking and violence are bad for viewership, while those shows portraying the thunder against teen pregnancy or intolerance have a positive role in our society. Judging a show on just morality standards, the popular culture of over fifty years is a story of decline, the morality of those stories has grown darker. â€Å"Judged by that morality-play standard, the story of popular culture over the past 50 years—if not 500—is a story of decline: the morals of the stories have grown darker and more ambiguous, and the antiheroes have multiplied.† (Johnson). Televised Intelligence can be defined to be the aspect in which consideration of certain cognitive capabilities are placed on the viewers for further acceptance of a â€Å"

Active Directory Hierarchy Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Active Directory Hierarchy - Coursework Example There will be three organizational units in the active directory namely, Agents, Accounting and Management. Additionally, there will be one central hub site that has the major organization infrastructure and accounting systems and the central management. There will be 10 sites for the 10 agents working for the company. The Active directory diagram is shown below in figure The company will have three user groups namely: Agents, accountants and Managers belonging to each organizational unit in the organization. The users will include the ten agents who are members of the agent's group, the Accountant who is a member of the accountant's group and the manager belonging to the Managers group.The server in the organization will have 2 hyper-v machines that have individual dedicated Network Interface Cards (NIC). The main server shall provide DNS and the DHCP to all the clients.  

Evaluation and Comparison of Two Super Bowling Ads Puppy Love by Essay

Evaluation and Comparison of Two Super Bowling Ads Puppy Love by Budweiser Beer - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the ad titled â€Å"Puppy Love† has been rated second in the â€Å"10 most effective commercials† among the ads broadcast during the Super Bowl 2014. The clip of the ad narrates the story of a runaway pup that befriends a Clydesdale horse and a strong bonding develops between them. The main theme of the ad is the â€Å"connection animals share† and their love for one another and is part of the production company, Bud Light’s innovative campaign titled â€Å"The Perfect Beer for Whatever Happens†. The researcher states that the puppy’s mischief during his stay makes his owner handover him to a new adopter, who takes away the puppy in his car and the puppy calls out to the horses grazing on the meadow. The Clydesdale horse chases the car and the other horses appear before the car, blocking its path. The puppy walks away with the horses, its master pets him and finally, he returns to the company o f his favorite horse. The present research has identified that Budweiser is a pale lager beer, introduced into the market in 1876 and is a popular brand in the US with high rates of selling in other 80 markets across the world. The target audience for the ad is people in the range of 20 to 60 years, including both genders. The ad’s story will appeal to the target audience and the short but interesting clip has good visuals and music that will grab and retain the viewers’ attention.

Active Directory Hierarchy Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Active Directory Hierarchy - Coursework Example There will be three organizational units in the active directory namely, Agents, Accounting and Management. Additionally, there will be one central hub site that has the major organization infrastructure and accounting systems and the central management. There will be 10 sites for the 10 agents working for the company. The Active directory diagram is shown below in figure The company will have three user groups namely: Agents, accountants and Managers belonging to each organizational unit in the organization. The users will include the ten agents who are members of the agent's group, the Accountant who is a member of the accountant's group and the manager belonging to the Managers group.The server in the organization will have 2 hyper-v machines that have individual dedicated Network Interface Cards (NIC). The main server shall provide DNS and the DHCP to all the clients.  

Comparing Plans and Programs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Comparing Plans and Programs - Essay Example For benefits, one must be registered in their reporting system. It offers various health plan choices to convene beneficiary needs and offers two dental plans and other special programs. Both have similarities in their customer base. They use the same federal strategies and have similar rules.For Tricare eligibility one must be retired military and enrolled in DEERS. For CHAMPVA one cannot be retired military, and there is no DEERS enrollment (Moisoi 2010). TRICARE has no disability criteria for eligibility while CHAMPVA veterans must be fully disabled, or died while on duty. Tricare members do not receive medical services by veteran affairs doctors while CHAMPVA veterans and dependents can receive medical care through veteran affairs medical facilities. Managed care models provide quality medical services within a budget to an enrolled population. An example is the Staff Model, where physicians are salaried employees of a Health Maintenance Organization. Medical services are only open to HMO members.The physicians adopt the principles of managed care and the system tries to reinforce high quality and cost effective care with administrative supports. Procedures for implementing insurance plans include: Supervisor training that increases awareness of behavior problems and open channels of communication between staff and managers and Employee orientation that educates employees to understand their benefits and assists them in taking the first step toward benefit utilization. Utilization Review is the process of appraising the medical requirement and employment of resources for care. The principles enhance good ethical conduct, confidentiality of information and data. They ensure that members maintain a level of competency through continuing education. In the managed care referral process medical groups provide training for clinical area staff for new contracts or major changes in

SIA Airlines Essay Example for Free

SIA Airlines Essay QUESTION:The industry analysis is necessary in the strategic marketing planning in order to identify the opportunities and threats in the competitive environment. Choose the airlines as an industry to apply the Michael Porters five forces model and discuss how one established airline like SIA should respond to the competitive environment, after analyzing the industry. SIA is internationally recognised as one of the worlds leading carriers. The company had recognised that in this highly competitive market, any advantage gained by one airline over others will be short-lived, and ideas that are new will become commonplace in a matter of months. As such, SIA noted the importance of having to always stay at the forefront both in service and technology. This strategy of SIA focuses primarily not on reducing costs, but on enhancing quality or service and preventing any customer problem from arising. SIA has succeeded most uniquely with this type of strategy in the airline industry, a strategy commonly employed in service businesses that command premium prices with high margins, businesses in which there are a high degree of repeat business, with word-of-mouth praise by customers as one of the most important marketing channel. Internally, three cost items account for half of SIAs operating cost: fuel, aircraft depreciation and wages. There is little that can be done with respect to fuel cost except for judicious hedging. As for aircraft cost, SIA is universally acknowledged as being second to none in securing the best prices and purchase terms from aircraft and engine manufacturers. That leaves wages. The airlines fixed wages amount to less than $800 million a year, roughly one tenth of total operating expenditure, a modest proportion indeed. Variable wages comprise the rest, consisting mainly of profit-based bonuses and crew allowances based on actual hours of flying by pilots and cabin attendants. The recent wage cuts were a result not of lavish recruitment or over-indulgent pay rises in the past, but of the cumulative damage wrought by terrorism, war and SARS, and the need to stay competitive as other carriers undergo major restructuring of their cost structures. Externally, the industry analysis has a direct effect on a companys strategic competitiveness and above-average returns. While companies, in this case, our very own SIA, cannot directly control the elements of the general environment, it can influence and will be influenced by factors in the airline industry and competitor environments. The intensity of competition in the airline industry and its profit potential are a function of Michael Porters five forces model of competition: the treats posed by new entrants, the power of suppliers, the power of buyers, product substitutes, and the intensity of rivalry among competitors. Studying these forces allows SIA to find a position in the airline industry where it can buffer itself from the power of the forces in order to increase its ability to earn above-average returns. Threats posed by new entrantsNew entrants to an industry typically bring to it new capacity, a desire to gain market share, and substantial resources (Wheelen and Hunger, 7th Ed, pg 61). New entrants to an industry can raise the level of intensity of the competitiveness among companies, thereby reducing its attractiveness. The threat of new entrants largely depends on the barriers to entry obstructions that make it difficult for a company to enter an industry (Wheelen and Hunger, 7th Ed, pg 62). High entry barriers exist in some industries (e.g. shipbuilding) whereas other industries are very easy to enter (e.g. estate agency, restaurants). Key barriers to entry include the need to gain economies of scale quickly, the need to gain technology, large capital and investment requirements, high customer switching costs, lack of access to industry distribution channels, the likelihood of retaliation from existing industry players, and potential saturation of the market. Despite all the numerous barriers to entry, new companies sometimes enter industries with higher quality products, lower prices and substantial marketing resources. It is the management strategists job to identify such threats from potential new competitors and to monitor the new rivals strategies, so as to counterattack as needed, and to capitalise on existing strengths and opportunities. Budget airlines such as Air Asia have been emerging in recent times which represent the emerging point-to-point budget model symbolized by Southwest, JetBlue, EasyGroup and RyanAir. With the economy still on its way to recovery, travellers are still reluctant to spend. The low carrier model works best in short-haul point-to-point market where price is extremely important and the deciding factor is price. The advantage of the low-cost model is that it fits well with current consumer demand as budget flights are cheap and offer more attractive deals to such travellers. One important factor for the emerging budget airline is that travellers main concern is to reach a destination. There is always a group of travellers with just this simple need to be satisfied. Those travellers have no need for in-flight or ground-level services. In face of growing competition, SIA would be launching their very own budget carrier called Tiger Airways. I believe that this is a good strategic move by SIA to tackle the threat from the new budget airlines that are entering the industry currently. Power of suppliersSuppliers are the businesses that supply materials other products into the industry (Wheelen and Hunger, 7th Ed, pg 64). Suppliers can affect an industry through their ability to raise prices or reduce quantity of supply. The cost of items bought from suppliers (e.g. raw materials, components) can have a significant impact on a companys profitability. The bargaining power of suppliers affects the intensity of competition in an industry especially when there are a large numbers of suppliers, when there are only a few good substitute raw materials, or when the cost of switching raw materials is costly. If suppliers have high bargaining power over a company, then in theory the companys industry is less attractive. Companies should pursue backward vertical integration to gain control or ownership of suppliers. This strategy is effective when suppliers are unreliable, too costly, or not capable of meeting a companys needs on  consistent basis. Companies can negotiate more favourably with suppliers when backward vertical integration is a commonly used strategy among rival companies in an industry. Boeing and Airbus dominate the whole airline industry because they are the two major suppliers of aircrafts. There are no satisfactory substitute products available to airline companies as aircrafts are the only form of commercial air transport. Airlines are not a significant customer group for the two suppliers because they can supply aircrafts to governments/military as well. Boeings and Airbuss aircrafts are critical to the airline companys marketplace success because aircrafts are the most important resource in the airline industry. This in turn leads to high bargaining power of Boeing and Airbus they can increase prices and reduce the quality of their aircrafts, without any retaliation by any airlines including SIA. However, another major supplier of SIA is Singapore Airport Terminal Services (SATS), which provides ground-handling and in-flight catering services at Changi Airport. It is a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines (SIA) and now has about 80 per cent market share. It is a fine example of vertical integration undertaken by SIA to gain ownership of supplies. SIA was also very successful with other airline-related companies such as SIA Engineering Company which are now large groups of companies based all over Asia, with profits around the $200 million level, a significant proportion contributed by associate companies. Power of buyersBuyers are the people or organisations that create demand in an industry (Wheelen and Hunger, 7th Ed, pg 64). When the buyers are concentrated or large, or buy in big volume, their bargaining power represents a force affecting the intensity of competition in an industry. Buyers affect an industry through their ability to force down prices, bargain for higher quality or more services, and play competitors against each other. The bargaining power of buyers is higher when the products being purchased are standard or undifferentiated. Whenever the bargaining power of buyer is substantial, rival companies may offer extended warranties or special services to gain customers loyalty. Air travellers and transportation companies purchase a large portion of the airline industrys total service. The sale of tickets to air travellers and cargo space to transportation companies account for a significant portion of the airline companys annual revenues. Buyer groups experience low switching costs as they can choose one airline company over another, depending on which offers better deals. When there are low switching costs, competitors can attract travellers through pricing and service offerings. As such, buyer groups have high buying bargaining power companies in the airline industry have to be more focused on the needs and desires of their customers in order to better serve and satisfy them. SIAs KrisFlyer gives its members more rewards and privilege that come with travelling so as to gain customer loyalty and to entice repeated sales. This is just one, but excellent, way of better serving and satisfying travellers who have considerable power. Product substitutesSubstitutes are products that appear to be different but can satisfy the same need as another product (Wheelen and Hunger, 7th Ed, pg 63). In many industries, companies are in close competition with producers of substitute products in other industries. For example, tea can be considered as a substitute for coffee. According to Porter, substitutes limit the potential returns of an industry by placing a ceiling on the prices companies in the industry can profitably charge (Wheelen and Hunger, 7th Ed, pg 64). In other words, it means that the presence of substitutes put a ceiling on the price to be charged before the consumers will switch to the substitute product. The presence of substitute products lowers the industry attractiveness and profitability because of the limited price levels. The competitive strength of substitutes is best measured by the market share those products obtain and those companies plans for increased capacity and market penetrationSubstitutes to aircrafts include sea and land transports which are much cheaper alternatives. However, they pose no serious threats to the airline company because air transport is still considered as the faster and most effective way to reach a destination. Nevertheless, with rapid advancements in technology, new and better modes of  transport may gradually emerge as better alternatives to aircrafts. In view of this, airlines such as SIA should keep developing strategies to differentiate itself along dimensions that travellers and transportation companies value, so as to reduce any substitutes attractiveness. The intensity of rivalry among competitorsThere are many airline companies in the industry. As a result, intense rivalries are common. The companies are generally aware of competitors actions, often choosing to respond to them. Due to the 911 incident and SARS, the airline industry has been experiencing slow growth which makes rivalry even more intense as companies battle to increase their market shares by attracting competitors customersSome airline companies are viewed as having few differentiated features or capabilities. Rivalry intensifies when a number of airline companies offer the same level of service. In view of this, travellers will then make the decision based on price. What SIA can do to counter the intense rivalry is to take competitive actions and competitive responses in efforts to be successful. The most important thing is of course to differentiate itself from competitors offerings in ways that travellers and transportation companies value and in which SIA has a competitive advantage. ConclusionAs can be seen from the above industry analysis, with threats posed by budget airlines; high bargaining power of Boeing and Airbus; high bargaining power of air travellers and transportation companies; and lastly, intense rivalry among competitors in the airline industry; SIA has to continuously improve itself in order to stay competitive in the airline industry. In fact, the company is doing that very well. It has been fast in reacting to the changes in the industry environment, as evident from their current strategies of introducing a budget airline, cutting costs, focusing attention on business class travellers and implementing long haul flights. Following such moves, will SIA then be able to continue staying ahead of competitors and be ensured of its position as one of the worlds leading carriers for many years to come? The answer remains to be seen. References Thomas L. Wheelen and J David Hunger (2000) Strategic Management And Business Policy 7th Edition Prentice Hall InternationalFred R. David (2001), Strategic Management Concepts And Cases 8th Edition. Prentice Hall InternationalMary Coulter and Stephens P. Robbins (1999) Management 6thEdition, Prentice Hall InternationalJ. David Hunger and Thomas L. Wheelen (2003) Essentials of strategic management, Prentice Hall InternationalCharles W.L. Hill and Gareth R. Jones (2002) Strategic management : an integrated approach 2nd Edition, Houghton MifflinPhilip Kotler (2003) Marketing Management 11th Edition, Prentice Hall International

Motivation In The Case Of Technocraft Commerce Essay

Motivation In The Case Of Technocraft Commerce Essay Motivation is a reflection of the reasons why people do things. All behavior has a specific purpose (often several). Motivation can be considered to compromise an individuals effort, persistence and the direction of that effort. It is the degree to which an individual wants and chooses to engage in certain specified behavior. Notably in case study, Technocraft , there was an intrinsic motivation, employees were just motivated by salary, promotion, condition of work etc. It focuses primarily on motivation of the individual in the workplace. It explores the influence of organizational change, communication and conflict on personal motivation. Additionally, concepts such as intrinsic, extrinsic, rewards, personal needs and environmental stimulation are discussed.Thus, motivation had some affect in employees but they are negatively influenced in terms of different factors of an organization. Determination: Construction and culture of the formal organization: The construction or the structure of Technocraft contemplates management model with its functional relationships. The workers in this organization were closely prescribed or were in possession, or we can rather say negative command. This is a mechanistic organization and recurring in nature. According to Drennan 1992-93 culture is how things are done around here. It is what typical of the organization, the habits prevailing attitudes, the grown up pattern of accepted and expected behavior. Like wise, in Technocraft, it matches to role culture because it has gained a combination of size, departmentalization and ordering of activities. Generally, Mr. George, the chairman of the company can be taken as an example that was harsh and gives orders. The culture of the organization needs to be given, importance as the opportunities to learn. 4.2 Management and leadership style: Management is the process of getting things done effectively and efficiently through other people so as in their company. Mr. George Newell, the company chairman managed or organized his employees in a different way. It can be matched with MCGregors theory X because most of the employees did not enjoyed working for Technocraft and just motivated by money but the workers can be categorized or stereotyped in intrinsic motivation ready for challenging job, appreciation and recognition. 4.3 characters: 4.3.1 George Newell: He is the chairman of the company. He views his workers in a negative way and he doesnt recognize his employees. He is an exploitative- autocratic ruler. It matches with contingency style of leadership style rather than trait theory because he does not possess charismatic behavior, self-confidence etc. as we can see he brought Helen, management consultant to solve the problem. Employees were discouraged by his behavior because he promised to give reward for their heroic deeds and efforts but he felt proud by distributing the t- shirts to all the employees. He did not possess a degree of power, influence, responsibility and accountability which should be used in the pursuit of effective leadership performance. One of the Georges problems in the company was high labor turnover and his opinion was that the women had prompted this. As we know, motivation influences in individuals to succeed but he judges performances on the activities of the organization. Likewise, he reprimanded the employees who were late from the lunch, he could have warned them, may be he used this coercive power and this showed the low morale, seniority and distances. He also did the job rotation because he was not satisfied by the Maggies efforts, (the wiring department supervisor). 4.3.2 Helen Mckiernan: (management consultant) She was a management consultant and a very calm nature person. She was brought by the companys chairman to provide a solution of the problem. She mainly focused on the nature of the wiring job because the recruitment procedures were unduly lax. Helen kept in mind that the reason for the job satisfaction might be through informal situations and social side of the work. She analyzed the likes and dislikes of the workers and she found that the chairman was completely wrong about the labor turnover. 4.3.3 Elena and Veronica: (wirers) Both of them were wirers in Technocraft. They had a problem due to inexperience and fear of making a mistake and the problem caused directly from their slow work rate and they need some experienced wirers to correct them. In my opinion, they are in need of on-the job training. 4.3.4 Maggie Francis: (supervisor) Maggie Francis, the wiring department supervisor, who was given responsibility for bringing two women, i.e: Elen and Veronica, up to speed within a specific time. Maggies leadership style fits or matches with her supervising role. She was more understanding in nature. As a theme throughout this book of organization behavior, by Ian Brooks, organization change is particularly worthy of consideration in any discussion of leadership and it matches with consideration category of Blake and Mounton 1964, she was defensive and she was in a job rotation by the company chairman in place of Robert because she was too soft to the employees. 4.3.5. Robert Houlden 🙠 Line Manager) On the basis of Blake and Mounton 1964, managerial grid, in this study there was a concern for production, autocratic and task oriented. He was appointed by chairman to sort out the shirkers in the hope of raising productivity in upcoming future. 4.4 Perception: George style of leadership was like autocratic towards the women. It is some what like coercive power. Although the staff possesses no confidence in their ability, they are in need of a positive motivation. New comers i.e.: Elen and Veronica were in a learning phase. There was no respect for Maggies job as well as womens in the work place. The women were reprimanded by the chairman who could be done in a polite way as well. 4.5 Motivation and shopfloor: The management of conflict in organizations affects the motivation of individuals and groups. According to Schmidt (1974), following empirical research conducted among management executions in USA, revealed both positive and negative effects of conflict. Maggies as a supervisor, the autocratic style of had adverse affect due to the sudden change in leadership.i.e.from wiring department supervisor to packing. Research indicates that conflict can stimulate creative thinking and can inspire people to confront long term problem and explore new approaches. It may also encourage reflection and help people clarify their views and heighten their interest in the task at hand and also test peoples abilities. However, negative effects of conflict can lead to dissatisfaction, demotivation and reduced performance. Schmidt (1974) found that certain people felt defeated by conflict and the consequences would be contactless and leads to suspicion. 5.0 Recommendation: What I can recommend is that the culture of the organization needs to be improved. Combining the two incident, there is a change in the level of output. The women were believed that they are matched with VH Vroom expectancy theory. In the 1st incident, there was a change in job design to fasten up the speed of the employees. He could have said in a polite way to the workers after they returned from their lunch break. This can be a good style of autocratic leader, and some how matches with McGregors X theory and coercive power as well. Finally, in my point of view, the management should be more systematic so that the workers would perform their activities more efficiently and effectively. 5.1 Reconstructing the work force: Reconstructing the shop floor is done for encouraging competition between workers. A group leader role could motivate the work force but Helen, management consultant investigated number of workers about the likes and dislikes of the company and the answers was negative management. So , the managerial practice at technocraft convinced her that the shop floor labor turnover was not only incorrect but actually a part of the problem. However, for better number of employees in the work place, the team should be encouraged and motivated. 5.2 Leadership Style: As in the technocraft everyones complain is towards management. George needs to enhance the considerations of the worker and to think of his employees. I think he lacks the ability to influence a group towards achieving certain objectives. Leadership and responsibility of mangagement should be open and consultative style. It should be implemented on the workers so that they would be motivated by the help of different programme. According to continuum tunnerbaum and Schmidt leadership style there should not tell and sells but there consults and joins in a democratic way. In the company, it matches with autocratic style which sub-ordinates could not use their respective freedom. 5.3 motivating the work force: George should bear in mind or adopt a consultative style which motivates its members, aiming the specific goals. The first two level of needs, salary and job security should be fulfilled by the management inorder to motivate the workforce. It would be the informal group which already exists. It also depends upon Georges perception for the feedback and support. In his opinion, unemployment are well below national average and many women are living with husbands who earned a decent living wage or salary. According to Maslow hierarchical needs, the lower level needs should take precedent, if they were not fulfilled. However, a link between job satisfaction and absenteeism, staff turnover, and the incidence both physical and mental health problems (Schneider, 1984). Furthermore, the model is highly ethnocentric. Finally, applying their theory to the workplace is fraught with difficulties although this theory is intended to be managerial or organizational tool. 5.4 Job Design: According to Herzberg, two factor theory, one of situation matches with the one theory among two:i.e; hygiene and motivators, which is hygiene factors. These methods should help in to participate in decision making. Herzbergs vertical theory has two sides: Dissatisfaction and 2. Extreme satisfaction with the environment, job and the work place. Like wise, the workers at Technocraft also faced the extreme dissatisfaction towards their job and relationship with supervisor was worse. Organization failed to provide adequate hygiene factors which as results, high level of conflict, absenteeism, labor turnover and low general morale was emerged. 5.5 Rewards: There is a difference in the distribution of rewards and the people differ due to the perception. The first is to discover the activities of the shopfloor staff. If there are specific objectives then Management must give response or feedback for the work done. During the productivity drive, George established a program called employee- morale boosting and the program succeeded. Thus, he promised to the employees that they would be rewarded for their efforts but the employees were distressed because there was no bonus payment except few t-shirts with the company logo. As a result, many of the employees resigned and this was the problem aroused in Technocraft which is labor turnover.it also can be compared with goal setting theory of locke. He firstly concentrated on objectives and he doesnt give the rewards. By the behavior of George what we can draw the outline is that he was in lack of morale, unsuitable in the post and the harsh leader. 6.0 Conclusion: In every change effort and programme someone loses or gains. Attention should be pursued for all gainers and losers as well. All change processes and program requires whole -hearted organization, commitment, support with adequate level of resource and time. They key issue for organization to adopt attitudes of flexibility, dynamism, responsiveness and positiveness and the drive is to maximize output and change in resource. So, I have compared this company Technocraft in many different theories. Likewise, in Technocraft, power is ultimately in the hand of single person. Chairman appreciates and consults with the problem of the company. A well planned theme that has been drawn up is loyalty and dedication by the employees and the autocracy by the top level of management. Above all, the role of managers and supervisors must change from the operation of systems and procedures to the development of expertise skills, knowledge and qualities in their people.

Golden Days of Placerville :: essays research papers

Approximately forty-five miles east of Sacramento, California, is the friendly town of Placerville, which marks a major â€Å"Gold Rush† historical landmark in the United States. In the early days of this small gold mining boomtown, Placerville was known as â€Å"Hangtown.† If you come into town, you will see the sign of Placerville, and underneath it you will see its nickname reading, â€Å"Old Hangtown.† Nooses can be seen all over town, on police cars, on historical landmark signs – even at the firehouse and on the Placerville City Seal. Placerville has a great deal of history behind its name. Many people who pass through the town, or even those that live there, don’t realize the history behind the town. There are different accounts on how Placerville attained the name of Hangtown, but the most famous is an episode that occurred one January night in 1849. A gambler named Lopez hit it rich at a local saloon. After he retired for the evening, several robbers tried to overpower him. Lopez fought back like a tiger, and with the help of others, the robbers were captured and beaten like pià ±atas. Three of the robbers had been wanted for previous robberies, as well as for murder at a gold camp on the Stanislaus River. A thirty-minute trial was held for the robbers and after a unanimous â€Å"guilty† verdict, the crowd called out, â€Å"Hang 'em! Hang 'em!† The most historic location in Placerville is the 147-year-old Hangman’s Tree Saloon. On the outside wall of the building is a weathered dummy in jeans, cowboy boots, and pink flannel shirt that dangles lifelessly from a wood block. Inside the saloon, where a noose swings on a fake tree, it is said that the hangman’s ghost lingers there. What used to be Elstner’s Hay Yard is where the original tree used to stand, from which the people originally hung. The dummy still hangs from that same location to this day. Actually, Hangtown conducted only a small number of hangings. Just one year later, in 1850, Hangtown was renamed Placerville and was named after the placer deposits of placer gold found in the river bed between Spanish Ravine and the town plaza. The town of Placerville began with the Gold Rush in California in the 1840’s. Gold was discovered in the tailrace at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, which is about ten miles from Old Hangtown, in 1848.

Is Claudius Presented by Shakespeare as a Tragic Villain Without Any Redeeming Features? Essay

As the King, Shakespeare presents Claudius as an able ruler who is trying to prove his worthiness to his court. This is apparent in Act 1, Scene 2 in Claudius’ opening speech. Claudius can be seen as being sincere in this speech as he mentions the death of his brother: ‘bear our hearts in grief’ (page 15) and he also states that the country is ‘contracted in one brow of woe’ (page 15). His language could be interpreted as heartfelt in his opening speech as he feels genuine sorrow over his brother’s death. This is a redeeming feature as he appears to feel love towards his brother for mentioning him as he takes his place as King. The language Shakespeare uses in Claudius’ opening speech is dismissive about the threat that Denmark may face from Norway due to Fortinbras: ‘So much for him’ (page 17). This is because he wants to display his confidence as a leader and to calm the listeners. This contributes to Claudius’ redeeming features as he appears to be considerate towards the feelings of those within the court. He does not wish to worry them and therefore comes across as an able leader. It may be interpreted that Claudius is inferior to his predecessor and is trying to provide the court with the reassurance that he can follow on from the previous King. Hamlet states that Claudius is ‘no more like my father/Than I to Hercules’ (page 25). This imagery that Shakespeare uses shows the previous King as a stern warrior in the mold of classical Greek heroes. In contrast, Claudius is a corrupt politician whose weapon is his ability to manipulate others through his skillful use of language. Shakespeare structures juxtaposition between the setting of Act one, Scene ne and Act one, Scene two in order to show a contrast in the reality and the dream in Claudius’ mind. Act one, Scene one takes place outside the castle at the dead of night. This pathetic fallacy creates a foreboding and intense atmosphere, almost predicting the appearance of the Ghost. The Ghost represents the harsh reality that Claudius has to face and the reason for his feelings of guilt. Act one, Scene two contrasts with the previous scene as it takes place inside the castle, with Claudius at the centre. This is Claudius’ dream situation, that he is King of Denmark with Gertrude as his Queen. The dramatic change in setting between scenes makes Claudius appear more oblivious to the consequences of his actions, as he is now centre of attention as King. This disillusion that Claudius appears to be in may deter the audience, as he cannot accept the effect of his actions. Unlike the majority of speeches throughout the play, Claudius’ opening speech deviates from iambic pentameter. This reflects the disorder that Claudius has created because of the murder. Court life would ordinarily have order and tranquillity and the structure of Claudius’ speech does not reflect this. However, it can be seen that Claudius is trying to restore order through his speech as he settles the court over the threat of Fortinbras: ‘So much for him’ (page 17). However, this is unlikely as Claudius’ actions led to the destruction of many other characters and does not restore order. The fact that the speech itself does not fit in with the typical Shakespearean structure of iambic pentameter, could reflect that Claudius himself does not fit in as the King of Denmark as he disrupts the divine hierarchy. Claudius disrupts the Chain of Being, a hierarchy derived from Aristotle and Plato; this would have been followed during the Elizabethan time period. At the top of the chain are God and the angels; whilst at the bottom are plants and rocks. Claudius disrupts the hierarchy as he takes the place of the previous King by marrying the Queen and not being next in line to the throne: ‘†¦for which I did the murder/My crown, mine own ambition, and my Queen’ (page 165). This can be interpreted as a villainous act that was committed purely for the gain of Claudius. Such an act would be typical of a tragic villain as his acts lead to the downfall of the other characters. For example, Claudius’ actions lead to Hamlet receiving a visit from the Ghost and therefore feigning his madness in order to, eventually, avenge his fathers’ death. However, it is possible that Claudius is not a typical tragic villain. Claudius appears to feel guilt for murdering his brother, which is clear from his soliloquy in Act three, Scene three: ‘My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent’ (page 163). His attempted prayer proves he cannot be wholly evil if he seeks forgiveness for his sins. He does this although he is not a religious man: ‘Bow stubborn knees’ (page 165), which suggests he feels deep guilt and resentment over his actions for him to turn to religion for forgiveness. This is not typical of tragic villains, who tend not to be religious or feel any resentment for their behaviour. This could show that Claudius wishes to be saved from going to hell after his death, which would not be a typical concern of a Shakespearean villain. Claudius also creates peace with the other characters. For example, in his opening speech in Act one, Scene two, he is trying not to worry the court about the potential threat of Fortinbras, and in Act four, Scene five, Claudius tries to calm Laertes’ rage rather than encourage him to kill Hamlet. Such actions would not be typical of Shakespearean tragic villains, such as Iago from ‘Othello’. Iago feels no guilt for his actions against Cassio, Othello and Desdemona and is aware of the pain he is inflicting onto others. His actions against Othello also appear purposeless as it is never revealed why he dislikes him and wants him to suffer so much. Claudius is unlike Iago as he does feel guilt and his actions are indeed purposeful. Whereas most of the other important men in ‘Hamlet’ are preoccupied with ideas of justice, revenge, and moral balance, Claudius’ actions are focused on maintaining his power. Although Claudius is Hamlet’s antagonist, he does have a number of redeeming features. He appears to have genuine affection for Gertrude, as one of the reasons for the murder of the King was to marry her: ‘My crown†¦and my Queen’ (page 165). This also comes across in Act five, Scene two, as when Gertrude is about to drink the poisoned wine, he tells her ‘do not drink’ (page 281). Claudius is aware of the affection Gertrude feels for Hamlet and when trying to be rid of him, considers her feelings: ‘That as the star moves not but in his sphere/I could not but by her. ’ (page 223). The imagery that Shakespeare uses is very unlike Claudius’ character and more similar to Gertrude’s. The imagery of spheres, that at the time where believed to revolve around the Earth containing heavenly bodies, shows that Claudius has love for Gertrude and could not live without her. Claudius also appears to care for Hamlet to some extent. He appears to be concerned for Hamlet’s well-being, as he brings in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in order to work out the cause of his ‘transformation’ (page 77). However, some may argue this is just an excuse for Claudius to discover whether or not Hamlet may know the truth of his father’s death. He thinks Hamlet’s madness is ‘More than his father’s death’ (page 77) and therefore wants to uncover the reason behind it. It can be seen that Hamlet’s madness is feigned and he does this purposely to see if Claudius is becoming suspicious of his actions. For example, in Act three, Scene two after witnessing Claudius’ outburst when the Player King is killed, Claudius demands for the lights: ‘Give me some light – away! ’ (page 153). This could be seen as an expression of emotion as Claudius feels tremendous guilt over his brother’s death or as a way of not allowing anyone else to gain suspicion in him through the play. Other interpretations of Claudius that the audience receive are from the other characters. Shakespeare presents grotesque and vile imagery used by Hamlet and the Ghost to describe Claudius. When Hamlet sees the Ghost in Act one, Scene five, the Ghost uses imagery of disease and corruption to describe Claudius and his actions: ‘Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast’ (page 51). Shakespeare uses the word ‘beast’ in reference to a cuckold. In Elizabethan times, if a woman were to have an affair, the husband would be known as a cuckold with horns to represent their foolishness in â€Å"losing† their wives. This imagery contrasts with the audience’s first interpretation of Claudius where Shakespeare presents him as a competent leader. This is the only alternate view that the reader receives in the play as both Hamlet and the Ghost have reason for hating Claudius. The view that Shakespeare gives them will have been fogged by their hatred of him and not give a fair representation of Claudius’ character. To conclude, Claudius is not a typical tragic villain due to his feelings of guilt and his consideration of others. The representation the reader receives from other characters is not a fair interpretation due to their abhorrence of him. Bibliography Heinemann Advanced Shakespeare – ‘Hamlet’ sparknotes. com sirbacon. org – F. C. Hunt interpretation

Parker and Nichols in Las Vegas

Parker woke to the sharp sound of his phone ringing. â€Å"Hey are you up because you have to drop your sister to the airport' his dad's voice sounded harsh through the receiver. Parker glanced at his alarm. â€Å"Oh my God!† he yelled, â€Å"it is 11.15, everyone get up now!† He quickly jumped out of bed, ran into the shower and half an hour later, everyone toppled into the car. â€Å"Mum's right,† groaned Natalia â€Å"you are a waste of time, both of you!† â€Å"Shut up!† commented an annoyed Parker, â€Å"We will be there on time. It's not that far.† Natalia hurried through customs and her brothers waved her off. They watched her plane take off and gasped in horror. On the side of the plane was written, ‘Las Vegas'! Nichols shook Parker's shoulder. â€Å"Oh my God!† he yelled, ‘we have sent her on the wrong plane!† â€Å"What shall we do?† cried Parker shaking in disbelief. â€Å"Ok, calm down and breathe,† soothed Nichols, â€Å"I am sure that the air hostess will have checked her ticket and sent her back† They waited for a further ten minutes and then with no more patience, marched up to the departure desk. â€Å"Excuse me, Ma'am,† asked Nichols politely, â€Å"we have sent our sister on the wrong plane. Has she got off yet?† After three hours Parker and Nichols were climbing the walls in desperation. As they worriedly checked their watch, the air hostess came hurrying over and said, â€Å"Your seats are ready. You have been booked and the plane is leaving in ten minutes.† The boys sighed in relief; they would have to follow their sister hoping she would be waiting at MC Carran International Airport, in Vegas. The flight was long and tiring and both boys could not rest because of their worries. All they could do was worry about Natalia and wait for the plane to land. The pilot announced, â€Å"We have now landed at MC Carran International Airport. I hope you enjoyed your flight.† For a split second Parker and Nichols smiled at the pilot's ironic statement. Their humour vanished as they entered the airport and remembered their sister. They caught sight of her exiting the building through a door and ran after her yelling her name. Natalia not hearing the two, jumped into a nearby cab. â€Å"Why is she not listening?† yelled Parker, â€Å"Why is she getting into a cab? Does she not realise she is in Vegas?† They hailed the next cab and Nichols shouted â€Å"Follow that cab. Ha-ha I always wanted to say that.† As the confused driver stared at them, Parker and Nichols collapsed into laughter. Natalia arrived at ‘Loews Lake Las Vegas,' a five star resort. The gobsmacked brothers caught her just as she entered the suite. â€Å"Why the hell are you ignoring us? Could you not hear? We have been chasing you for ages!† shouted Nichols. â€Å"I couldn't hear you!† protested the young girl, â€Å"How was I supposed to know you were here. Besides, I am old enough to be on my own. I don't need you two!† Parker looked at Nichols and burst out laughing. â€Å"YOU don't need US?† they mocked, â€Å"You are still a little girl yet.† Natalia blushed red but said nothing. The suite was beautiful. It had a view of an artificial lake and sunny skies. Light reflected on the glass table. Bright orange sofas matched the painting on the wall. The children had never seen anything so fascinating and their faces reflected their happiness. â€Å"Wow,† exclaimed Parker â€Å"How could you afford this suite?† â€Å"Erm I borrowed Mum's credit card† said Natalia quietly. Parker grinned and pointed out, â€Å"You are going to be in so much trouble, once this is over.† The next hour was spent inquiring about the quickest flight home. Luckily they managed cancelations for the next day. â€Å"Well, while we are here we may as well have some fun tonight † laughed Parker † Come on, everyone, we are in LAS VEGAS!† Nichols gleefully agreed with his brother and just as they were leaving, Nichols ordered Natalia, â€Å"Stay here till we get back. We won't be long.† â€Å"But why can't I come too?† moaned Natalia â€Å"Because you are too young and we might lose you again. Now stay here and be good† said Parker They quickly left a sulking Natalia at the hotel and waited for a cab outside. As they stood, the brothers noticed a red-faced angry looking man staring at them. They realised that he was the same man who they had sat next to on the plane. He spoke harshly, â€Å"How dare you steal my briefcase. Who do you think you are?† As the boys confusedly denied this accusation, the man showed them a bag that read ‘property of Parker Jones.' The boys realised that, on the plane the bags must have accidently been switched. However they had no time to explain as the man pulled up his sleeves and clenched his fists tightly. Parker and Nichols screamed and in a panic, ran down a deserted street yelling for their lives. Unfortunately the furious man was stronger and faster than either of them. Catching up to the two, he punched them in the head knocking them out. Parker and Nichols saw stars and then everything went black. Parker opened his eyes. He was lying on a sticky brownish floor covered in filthy dark stains. A foul odour overpowered Parker's nose and he wretched repeatedly. The broken door had been gnawed away at by the rats. â€Å"Where do you think we are?† asked Nichols worriedly. Parker shook his head. ‘I don't know. I just hope to God that we can get out of here† They both hesitantly peered out of the door into another room similar to the one they had woken up in. Nichols observed a man standing near a small wooden table. â€Å"Hey, that is Mr. Andrew Stevenson.† The two gasped in horror and scuttled back inside. They knew they would have to escape somehow, so shaking with fright; they tried to slowly peer out again. Four men were all busy opening a bag, the same that had been switched earlier. The place was smelly and dirty but the men were more interested in the black bag. As they forced it open, a huge pile of fifty dollar notes popped out. â€Å"We stole this money good and proper† smirked one of the men. â€Å"Perfect plan don't you think?† In shock Parker and Nichols tiptoed out of the building and ran as fast as they could to get help. They explained the whole story to a detective and the police frantically stormed the building handcuffing the men. â€Å"Phew I am glad that is over† said Parker in relief. As he was speaking the detective came up to them and smiled. â€Å"Congratulations boys, you have done a good job. It turned out that the men were on the FBI's most wanted list! As a sign of our gratitude we are awarding you with 10,000 dollars! The boys whooped shouting ‘Viva Las Vegas!'