Mrs. Walters

Throughout my stay my mom was consistently dirty, and the bathroom fixtures were rusty. Additionally, I had to request fresh towels each evening of my stay. To make matters worse, the casino was extremely loud and the music did not stop until 3 A. M. I complained to the Front Desk Manager, Rail Rodriguez, and requested another room but was told there were no other rooms available. No one from the hotel addressed my concerns and I was told repeatedly that housekeeping had been alerted to my complaints. Despite my repeated complaints, my room was never properly cleaned and was never furnished with fresh towels.Because of the casino noise, I was unable to sleep comfortably for two nights. Hence, my time spent In Puerco Rice was nerve-wracking. The cost of a room with a king sized bed and an ocean view, at the time of my booking, was $190 per night and I stayed for 3 nights. In Dalton, a resort charge of 20% was added to my bill. As this accommodation was prepaid through expelled. Com, I was told that I could not request a refund at the hotel. Considering that I made several complaints that were documented and showed patience In walling for the situations to be Improved, I am writing to request that I be refunded the cost of my accommodation.The customer service for this branch needs to be Improved. The Front Desk Manager should be more sensitive to the needs of your guests. Additionally, housekeeping routines should be consistent. It Is extremely distressing for a traveler to experience such poor service. With this In mind, I think It only reasonable for your company to refund the cost for my stay at you San Juan hotel. Sincerely, Mrs.. Walters By [email  protected] Com San Juan, Puerco Rice, 00785 I am a frequent traveler but this is the first time I have stayed in your San Juan hotel. Two nights. Hence, my time spent in Puerco Rice was nerve-wracking.The cost of a per night and I stayed for 3 nights. In addition, a resort charge of was added to my bill. As thi s accommodation was prepaid through expedited. Com, I was told that I that were documented and showed patience in waiting for the situations to be improved, I am writing to request that I be refunded the cost of my accommodation. The customer service for this branch needs to be improved. The Front Desk Manager routines should be consistent. It is extremely distressing for a traveler to experience such poor service. With this in mind, I think it only reasonable for your company to

Influence of Pop Art Essay

The Influence of Pop Art Illustration Essay To be someone who goes ‘against the crowd’, you must have a lot of courage. Well, back in the late 1950’s, pop artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and many others did exactly that. During this time period, pop art was a challenge to the traditions of fine art by using images of pop culture. You may be asking yourself, what is pop art? Pop art consists of objects that are removed from their original context and combined with unrelated material. In her article from Design Magazine, Adriana Marinica has a great explanation of how pop art appeals to us Americans and how pop art has it’s own style, â€Å"This art derives its style from the visual activities and pleasures of people: television, magazines and comics. † (Marinica) Pop art influenced American culture greatly while influencing the art culture as well. It created a different perspective for art, rather than fine art. Most people have seen Andy Warhol’s work, the most famous being the campbells soup cans, he is the most known pop artist. Not only did pop art influence American culture but it also influenced British culture, but in a different way. In 1952 was the beginning of the pop art movement known as â€Å"The Independent Group† who represented young artists of that time. Even today, pop art is still seen around the media and even street art. Back in it’s time, pop art was much different than anything anyone has seen. It has been the most â€Å"popular† art movements of the modern era. This movement was supposed to be a rebellion towards the ‘Abstraction Expressionists’, or artists who were perceived to be pretentious and over-intense. Fine art was popular from the 17th century on, it had much detail and focused on being realistic including paintings and drawings, while compared to pop art which has bright colors and it is more cartoony and not very realistic. Pop artists took images from popular media which made it easy to relate to the works. With the images from popular media, they would combined it with a background or other objects that had nothing to do with the media images. On the other end of the spectrum, most fine artists used a contemporary style while pop artists were more focused on the  attitudes rather than the art itself, such as irony and parody styles. Most pop artists prefer to use colors such as red, yellow, and blue since they are so vivid and are sure to grab your attention. Marilyn Diptych (1962). Campbells Soup (1968). Just a few of Andy Warhol’s most known pieces of pop art. You’ve seen the multi-colored soup can picture in your high school art class, and maybe you’ve seen the oddly colored portrait of Marilyn Monroe. Warhol had many other different styles and pieces, but he was very popular with his pop art works. Warhol seemed to have a great interest in creating images of well known actors and actresses. Not only is the iconic Andy Warhol famous for his pop art, we need to recognize that there are many other artists who have adopted the pop art culture. Some of those artists include Crash, Jim Dine, Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, and Tom Wesselmann. Pop art became very popular in the late 1950’s in North American culture. The term ‘pop art’ was officially introduced in December of 1962. Origins of pop art in North America emerged as a way of expression for artists at a time where the world was lacking any interest or excitement. This movement was to emphasise that pop art could take images from mass-media from popular culture and can still be considered fine art. At this time advertising had used many elements of modern art, which had artists searching for more clever ways to advertise to keep up with the changing world. American artists found their inspirations by living within our culture. In the United States, pop art was made as a representational art as an ironic response by artists to subdue the personal symbolism. Mass produced imagery was very popular in America, these works of art had more bold and aggressive overtones. Back in the 1950’s and 60’s pop art was associated with pop music which includes swinging and covers of the Beatles’ and Elvis Presley’s cover albums designed by the pop artist Peter Blake. In contrast, Great Britain viewed American pop art from a different perspective. Great Britain adopted romantic, sentimental, and even humorous overtones. Early pop art in Britain was inspired by American pop culture, but they did not experience this culture as Americans had. During the time of post-war, pop art culture improved the prosperity of their society. English pop was considered to be more of a metaphor or to have a theme. Introduced in the United Kingdom, the Independent Group was formed in London, 1952. This was a group of young painters, sculptors, architects, writers, and critics who were challenging modernist approaches to the culture and traditions of the fine arts. The group was mainly about popular culture implications from mass advertising, movies, product design, comic strips, science fiction, and technologies. Even with origins early as the 1950’s, pop art culture is still very alive to this day. Pop art has a very strong influence on today’s top fashion designers. As Marylou Luther of the Cleveland, Northeast Ohio News states, â€Å"To me, the most important art force that has popped back into fashion and the one most likely to have a trickle-down effect to the streets is Pop art. The art movement has been so iconic and profound that it is still featured, studied, and produced to this day. Some inspirations are helpful towards interior architecture, fashion, fabric, and something even as simple as packaging. A popular way pop art is used is the well known comic style that is based on American animations. While searching for how pop art is used today, I found a quote on a website that I felt should be included in this essay, â€Å"This type of fine art is so popular nowadays that we recognize its potential to continue growing and attracting more followers all around the world. As you can see, pop art has had a very big impact on our culture that we still see to this day. Not only has it inspired our culture and our artists, but even other countries’ culture and artists as well. I can say that I’ve been inspired by pop artist Andy Warhol with his amazing works of art. As we see daily; Hollywood, magazines, television, and newspapers are all producing different images which is enlarging popular culture majorly. Without the pop art movement, our culture would not be the same. Marinica’s point of view may better help how pop art has influenced our culture and how it is still very much alive today; she states, â€Å"Pop Art continues to be hailed as a success to this day, whether we’re talking about original pieces selling for big money, or prints selling in huge numbers. It became clear that pop art was much more than just a statement and it’s hard to ignore it. You can see it wherever you go. It’s in public places and even advertising, as it was used initially in the 1950s.

Project Management Sample Assignment Essay

The Association for Project Management (APM) suggests that the project business case provides justification for undertaking a project by evaluating benefit, cost and alternative options. The main purpose is to obtain approval and commitment for investment in the project (Association for Project Management 2006, p.129 and MGT8022, USQ 2013). According to Project Management Institute (PMBOK, PMI 2013), the business case describes information from a business standpoint to determine whether or not the project is worth of investment. It is used as a decision making tool by senior leadership. Based on the above, US Toys business case (attached as Appendix I) is being examined with a review of process and process control, project management literature and project management framework. According to Turner (2009), performance improvement can come from sources like operational efficiency, organization effectiveness or higher order strategic issues due to changes in technology or overall busine ss strategy. New capabilities will not solve the problems blocking performance improvement directly but rather it is necessary to achieve intermediate benefits before realizing the main benefit. It is evident from the business case that US Toys has purchased a software solution called Demand Chain Management whose full benefit will be show-caused by integrating it with its legacy warehouse management system. During initial planning phases, appropriate team members or groups should be involved so that they contribute and create auxiliary ideas (Young 2006). Key components of business case like project purpose, objectives and success criteria were established, US Toys business case misses on holistic identification of stakeholders and other critical components. Business case is a recommendation to take a particular course of action supported by benefits, costs and risks analysis (Journal reference). Critical elements of a business case applied to the case scenario are summarized in the following table  DefinitionDiscussionUS Toys Business caseA business case should be a recommendationRecommendation should have finely balanced options providing purpose and direction.Business case lists two cost impact options with a nothing option to continue current processes. However, it does not list supporting analysis on why option 3 is recommended. Providing supporting analysis of benefits with the option will influence business decision.For the organisationA business case is worth for significant projects in organisationBusiness case pertains to increased  operational efficiency and hence it is a significant project for the organisation.Supported by analysis of benefitsBusiness case requires exegesis of strategic rationale as well as more detailed, systematic analysis of benefitsUS Toys business case lists options but lacks systematic analysis and strategic rationale.CostsCost estimation is the difficult aspect in a business case but without it, the case cannot be madeCost estimates provided in the business case appear to be high level. It would be good if Return on Investment (ROI) and break even duration are provided as an additional supporting analysis.RisksProjects involve risks and understanding and taking ownership of risk is an essential part of a business caseUpon evaluation, US Toys business does not have risk manag ement process or risk scoring methodology. (Adapted from Gambler 2009, Making the business case Table 1.1 on page 2). Upon review of US Toys business case, it is evident that the enhancements to the existing Warehouse Management System are undertaken for achieving operational efficiency and technology as depicted in below figure. Figure Achieving performance improvement (Adapted from Turner, 2009, Chapter 2 figure 2.2) The targeted benefits lists operational efficiency and leveraging new technology in the form of interfaces to purchased package solution. From the above figure, it is evident that performance is directly proportional to the time involved. The higher the targeted performance the more time required. However, US Toys Business case has not included duration of the project. One of the key definition of project is a project will have definite start and end time in other words a fixed duration during which resources, tools and organizational efficiencies are logically grouped to achieve an agreed upon outcomes. The business case provides a consolidated and summary-level overview of the proje ct. It should address objectives, critical success factors, and communication plan and measurement framework to measure the work being undertaken. It will form the baseline from which the project planning can proceed (MGT8022, USQ 2013) The more formal business case contains more quantitative information for decision making purposes. Applying these principles to US Toys Business case, it is evident that it does not include detailed quantitative information. Though SOWT/TOWS analysis has been included in the Appendix, it does not cross reference to the main objectives of the purpose. While presenting the business case to  the stakeholders, it is imperative to talk about key strengths of the organization and how they can be leveraged to overcome the weaknesses or to exploit opportunities for the benefit of the organization. In addition to this, benefit analysis is shown for the option being recommended. This gives an impression of being forced to take that option instead of recommendation. By including benefit analysis for the option 2 outright purchase of a pre-packaged application, business case would have provided a comparison for the stakeholders in taking an informed decision. Upon review of US Toys business case, it is evident that risk assessment involves continuous monitoring and assessment ongoing basis. It would be beneficial to use spiral model for the proposed solution. By clarifying on the future risks unknown at the point will be known in the course of time during project execution. This provides a framework to manage risks. Figure (Adapted from Turner, 2009 The Spiral Model Chapter 11, figure 11.3) As depicted in the above figure, by advising an appropriate model like spiral model, will provide a framework of project management methodology being followed for the proposed project. This will clarify to the decision makers that process of risk assessment is continuous and does not end with those listed in the business case. As the project progresses, a mechanism is in place to identify risks and appropriate risk response planning is incorporated. According to Turner (2009), projects has three levels of planning the integrative level, the strategic level and tactical level. The business case would have presented with greater value by defining the objectives at the above three levels like efficiency improvement as strategic level, achieving integration of Warehouse Management System with the recently procured Demand Chain Management system as integration level and reduced cycle times in supply chain as tacti cal level. The summarized objectives as listed in the following table will be value-add to the business case. LevelObjective of the proposed projectStrategicWarehouse operational efficiency improvementTacticalReduced cycle times in replenishment of stock at stores country-wideIntegrativeSynergy by integrating with Demand Chain Management system Based on the above analysis, it is recommended for all future projects, US Toys project management team should employ a systematic project management processes in addressing their deficiencies particularly financials and controls analysis in the formation of business case. The  successful project deliverables are dependable upon system thinking approach involving people, structures and application of processes. It is also recommended that to provide an assessment of the Project/Stakeholder relationships to have a better understanding of relationships.  References Archibald, R 1992, Managing high technology programs and projects, 2nd edn, John Wiley, New York, USA. Gambles, I 2009, Making the business case proposals that succeed for projects that wo rk, Ashgate, Farnham, UK, pp. 1-20. Gardiner, PD 2005, Project Management A Strategic Planning Approach, Palgrave Macmillan, New York MGT8022 Project-based management, Study book -University of Southern Queensland, 2013. PMI 2013, A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK Guide), 5th edn, Project Management Institute, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. Turner, RJ 2009, The handbook of project-based management Leading strategic change inorganisations, 3rd edn, McGraw Hill, New York Young, TL 2006, Successful Project Management, 2nd edn, Kogan Page Limited, London.  APPENDIX – I US Toys – BUSINESS CASE Introduction US Toys is a leading seller of Toys merchandise in the world with 700 plus stores in United States and 900 plus international stores located in United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, Spain, Australia, Hong Kong, China and Japan. This business case is for proposed enhancements to current Warehouse Management System for increased operational efficiency. Demand Chain Management (DCM) is a Teradata product currently employed by the US business to control inventory flow from the vendor-to-DC (Distribution Centre) and DC-to-store. DCM supports the full automation of these functions by utilizing the RDF (Retail Demand Forecast) forecast and applying proactive inventory management policies. Included in sc ope for the DCM project are enhancements to the International Warehouse Management System (WMS) to enable to efficiently process store replenishment orders generated by DCM. Overview Vision To ship less quantity of an item to stores but more frequently and ensure that forecasted demand (from RDF) is covered, as well as minimum shelf stock (MSS). Organisational Objective US Toys is restructuring its business operations for cost effectiveness and has set a target of improving operational efficiency by 10 by year 2014. By shipping less quantity but frequently will result in reduced idle inventory in stores and distribution centres. Business Case Purpose of Business case DCM will generate new SOQs (Store Order Quantity) each day that will be used  to pull goods from DCs to Stores as needed, based on the sales demand forecast from RDF. Instead of processing a large batch of Transfers early in the week, the DCs workload will likely adjust so that smaller waves are processed each day for stores that have a scheduled delivery (Appendix C System Flow). Maximize cross dock ability (to ship the goods to stores, which have been received by Distribution Centre on the same day hence eliminating storage space and effort for put away operations (Appendix C System Flow). Business Case Sponsor This business case is sponsored by Senior Vice President Merchandising Senior Vice President Purchasing Situational Assessment and Problem Statement Current process and its limitations when compared to the proposed solution can be summarized in the following table Operational Process/AttributeCurrent ProcessProposed SolutionFrequencyStores get shipment from DC once in a week which is resulting in huge costs in terms of trailers, labour and storage (floor area)Instead of processing a large batch of Transfers early in the week, DCs workload will likely adjust so that smaller waves are processed each day for stores that have a scheduled delivery.User InterfaceCurrent process has to be run from a legacy terminal and maintenance of these terminals is cost intensive.A new web interface is being proposed for the DC to use to plan and create waves that will process both Transfers and Receivers from Interactive Transfers System (existing Legacy system), as well as SOQs f rom DCM. By having a web interface, wave can be planned and process from any system (like PC or Laptop) instead of current use of legacy terminalsCross Dock EfficiencyCurrently receivers (shipment from vendors) and transfers (shipment from DC to stores) are run independently. This limits cross dock ability.To maximize cross-dock, daily receipts will be processed for all stores, each day. PrioritizationCurrent process does take into account trailer capacity. This results in shipping those goods which are not required immediately. Goods which are required urgently are put onto next trailer which results in a weeks delay.Service Level Maintenance is being proposed through a web interface which will be used as input in generating the wave. If a trailer does not have capacity, low priority goods will be excluded from that days shipment and will be included in subsequent wave.Optimize Case PickCurrent transfer system does not optimize case picks (where a carton has to be opened and ship said individual pieces).The  proposed system will utilize current and future needs of a store for optimizing the case picks to a full carton thereby case pick operation is optimized. Assumptions and Constraints Based on SWOT/TOWS analysis as listed in Appendix A, following assumptions and constraints have been summarised. Assumption DCM system is live and in use before building the propos ed system. All web interfaces are being developed for Internet Explorer browser. Proposed enhancements are for International Warehouse Management System and do not include domestic transfers/receipts. Any customisation to DCM is not included in the current scope. Constraints Proposed enhancements will handle multiple distribution centres within a country. Cross country transfers are not possible. Identification and Analysis of Options Identification of Options Following options are available to the organization Option 1Do nothing Option 2Purchase packed Warehouse Management System and interface with Demand Chain Management system. Option 3Enhance the current in-house developed Warehouse Management System. Comparison of Options Key parameter comparison of options is summarized as CriteriaOption 1Option 2Option 3CostNothingUS 1.5 million plus recurring license fee of US 7,500 per instance if purchased instance basis or 25,000 enterprise wide.US 0.5 million and no on-going costs as current support teams can support the enhanced system.HardwareNot applicableServer Infrastructure need to be upgraded costing US 1 million.None as Current infrastructure can handle the enhancements.Benefits to PurchasingNot applicableIntegrated packaged solution will benefit purchasing in making purchasing decisions based on actual stock in DC stores and forecasted demand. Enhanced Warehouse Management System is integrated with DCM thus providing enhanced abilities to make purchasing decision.Benefits to MerchandisingNot applicableOff the shelf package require customization to enable Merchandising to integrate with current legacy systems.Ability to run transfers/receipts on daily basis will result in efficient use of Distribution Centre floor space, trailers and labour. Recommended Option Based on the comparison and benefit analysis in Appendix B, Option 3 Enhancements to Warehouse Management system is recommended for the organization at this point in time. Implementation Strategy Based on the details explained in section 6, Enhancements to Warehouse Management System is scoped as below Project Title Project is being name as iWMS Internet  enabled Warehouse Management System Target Benefits Web Interface to plan and create waves to process transfers and receipts. Web interface to maintain service levels for inventory (Prioritization) Optimized case p ick and re-packing Outputs Browser based interactive screen to process transfers and receipts. Integration with DCM system to update replenishment information for future demand forecasting. Budget Cost break down of Option 3 Enhancements to Warehouse Management System. ActivityEstimated Cost (in US Dollars)Initiation and planning25,000Development Costs300,000Testing Unit and integration25,000Implementation Costs including documentation, training and travel.150,000  Appendix A SWOT/TOWS Analysis Strengths-SWeakness-W1. Brand Value1. Inefficient use of floor space in DC.2. Quality Processes2. Delay in shipping high priority goods to stores3. Own trailers3. Stock out in stores even if the stock is in DCO-OpportunitiesSO – StrategiesWO- Strategies1. Efficient Cross Dock Ability1. By cross docking receipts will improve Distribution Centre floor space and stock the goods for seasonal demands.(S2/O1)1. Increase efficiency in customer communication by several mediums like social media and internet (W1, W3, O1)2. Web Interface2. Flexibility to run waves either from PC or Laptop S2,S3/O22. Provide fuel efficient means to process transfers/receipts (W1.O2)3. Prioritisation3. By prioritizing goods, high priority goods are delivered to stores just in time (JIT) – S1,S2, S3/O33. Prioritization of goods will result in efficient trailer utilization (W1, W2, O1,O2, O3)T-ThreatsST – StrategiesWT – Strategies1. Increasing Competition1. By scheduling trailers like small or medium instead of standard 18 wheelers result in fuel efficiency (S2,S3,T1,T2, T3)1. Implementing lean, Kanban quality processes to reduce non-value add processes. (W1, T3, T1)2. Increasing fuel costs2. Focus on selected market segment for long term growth and market penetration (S1,S3, T2, T1)2. With high service quality and shelfs full of products, reduce the risk of losing customers (W1, W2, T1, T3)3.

Chlamydia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chlamydia - Essay Example In order to do so it is essential to recognize the symptoms of Chlamydia, diagnose the victim, and provide treatment immediately. Chlamydia is spread by having unprotected oral, vaginal, or anal sex with an infected person. A person remains infected until they have finished their treatment regardless of whether they have or not have symptoms. It can spread from a woman to her fetus during pregnancy. When the baby is born it might have an eye infection or pneumonia due to Chlamydia. Chlamydia is diagnosed for men by a urine sample. (Cates, 1771-1781) This can take up to more than ten samples because it is harder to find a test that has the germ in it. This can mean they have Chlamydia ,but the test says they do not. A diagnosis for women is by taking a swab of MPC out of the cervix. The most likely ways of getting Chlamydia is people who have a number of different sex partners, people who have sex partners who have a number of different sex partners, people who don't use condoms, and people who have a history of other STDs. Chlamydia can only be prevented by protected sex or total abstinence. Chlamydia isn't a typical pathogen. It is very small in size like a virus and has some characteristics like a bacteria. The only problem with this microorganism is that it cannot make energy for itself like the way a virus and bacteria can.

Statistic Analyses of Crimes in the UK Research Paper

Statistic Analyses of Crimes in the UK - Research Paper Example Data was collected from the government data portal (gov.uk). The portal has a database of historical data sets on all sorts of crime committed in UK. The figure below presents a time series plot for the number of robbery cases reported over a period of time (from 1970-2013). The graph shows that cases of robbery have been on rise from 1970 till close to 2005 when the cases began going down. In this section we describe the model used to predict the number of robberies (crime). This is an OLS model that has dependent variable (number of robberies) and two independent variables (unemployment rate and annual growth); This variable looked at the patterns of unemployment in the United Kingdom. Unemployment occurs when people are without work and actively seeking work.  The  unemployment rate  is a measure of the prevalence of unemployment and it is calculated as a percentage by dividing the number of unemployed individuals by all individuals currently in the  labor force. During periods of  recession, an economy usually experiences a relatively high unemployment rate.  The data was collected from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) which is the largest producer of official statistics and the recognized national statistical institute of the UK. It is a time series data spanning from 1970 to 2013. The graph shows no clear cut pattern but rather an up and down movement of the unemployment rate over the period. However, it is worth to note that the country had the least unemployment rate in 2005 but this changed and drastically increased during the global economic crisis that affected the world. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the United Kingdom expanded 3 percent in the third quarter of 2014 over the same quarter of the previous year. GDP Annual Growth Rate in the United Kingdom averaged 2.04 Percent from 1970 until 2013, reaching an all-time high of 7.63 Percent in the first quarter of 1973 and a

Thank you letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Thank you letter - Essay Example y important that leadership should be constantly updated with the issues and problems related to communication across various departments and geographical units. The technically written mails help to provide accurate, concise and grammatically free information so that it not only makes sense but also facilitates the seniors to diagnose and resolve the issue efficiently and timely. The interview has also helped to emphasize that the technical writing is an art, especially in Communication Focal Point. The communication widely differs from person to person. It is full of technicalities with military but straight forward when dealing with civilian side. Indeed, while regular Airmen need to be informed in simple ways, the technical officials require more comprehensive details of the problems. As such, the communication officer needs to highlight technical details which are accurate and clearly written with no ambiguity and grammatical errors. We have also come to understand the interesting difference in the types of awards that a person can be submitted for. Any acronyms can be used for POM or performer of the month provided they are spelled out five spaces below the last sentences as against list of acronyms for base awards! The interview is also explicit in details about the wide-ranging duties of NCOIC and how technical knowledge also involves understanding of the legal documentation and the process of forwarding it. The personal information file and legal documentation etc. become vital aspects of the job profile. Most importantly, our interview has shown that defense personals must be prepared to accept different job profiles as you have done; crossing from missile maintenance to communication. Moreover, the technical writing of the present job profile is quite different to communication in other branches which is straightforward and simpler. Your interview has been very inspiring and shows that individuals should constantly make efforts to learn from their

Services Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Services Marketing - Essay Example UK bus industry having about 9000 licensed bus companies now supports about 170,000 odd jobs. There are about 22000 bus services registered within UK. Stagecoach comprises of one of the largest bus operators in UK. It runs about 8100 buses and employs around 35000 staff. It is also engaged in providing rail and tram services in UK. Size The daily travel density across the country is about 2 million people. Major competitors for the concern include Cowie, FirstBus, Arriva, West Midlands Travel, National Express, First and GoAhead. Other competitors include international bus service agencies and independent operators (Arriva. 2013). Competitive Structure Since 1985, the bus industry has seen a growth that is remarkable. Presently, 4 of the major bus operators, namely, Cowie, FirstBus, Stagecoach and West Midlands Travel have more than 50% market share. However, the typical market structure specific to a bus industry is that unlike other manufacturing and service concerns, bus service i ndustry focuses majorly on numerous local markets. The local market is evidently the large urban areas (Tsiotsou, and Goldsmith, 2012). What is also striking about the market is that each one of the big 4 operators has almost equal market share with none having a significant market presence in all of the regions. If any of these big four operators want to become a market leader, they would necessarily need a very aggressive marketing strategy to acquire the market of other competitors. Competition is very limited because each one has its own market niche and customer set (Competition Commission, 2013). Opportunity and Threat Analysis Opportunities: Acquisitions Stagecoach is operating in a market where there are primarily three major competitors, namely, Cowie, FirstBus and West Midlands. Here, each bus operator has almost equal share in the industry ad each one acts as a major market player. Competition is faced by these 3 bus operators alone; rest smaller operators do not pose sig nificant threat (Reuters, 2013). This is because the bus market in US is geographically segregated. Each player has his set and defined market area. Players do not compete in each other’s defined territories. This culminates in what is known as a lack of head to head competition. Bus operators are running excess profits because of lack of competition in their area of operation. Cities like Oxford, Nottingham and Sheffield were among the few places where there was some sort of competition observed (The Courier, 2012). With a view to become a market leader and overcome such competition, Stagecoach can employ a consolidation strategy. It can expand its operations, and thereby market share by a series of acquisitions of smaller bus operators. With such acquisition based expansion, benefits to passengers will be felt directly in the form of falling prices, better services and higher frequencies. As for the firms, intense rivalry shall lead to one large firm being replaced by the o ther such that it leads to complete shutdown of the weaker firm (ReportLinker, 2013). Emerging markets and expansion abroad Stagecoach operates majorly in UK and is expanding its operations in USA, NewZealand and Canada. Emerging nations like Brazil, China, India and Indonesia are countries full of growth opportunities. Expansion of bus services in these countries would be a great business opportunity. Countries like China and India have a huge

An Approach to Recruitment and Selection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

An Approach to Recruitment and Selection - Essay Example Therefore, his belief regarding customer response and employee enthusiasm has created a considerable influence on the corporate vision of TyCoffi. Notably, the corporate vision of TyCoffi depicts that customers do not only buy a cup of coffee, but also intend on consuming memorable experiences which can be derived particularly from efficient service. Due to this reason, Mr. Mike Jones intends to provide with significant emphasise to boost the collaboration amid employees and encourage them to be more productive in their assigned work maintaining a healthy, coordinated and decentralised organisational structure. Another major facet that Mr. Mike Jones considers to be quite vital is the recruitment and selection process executed to employ competent, enthusiastic and candid employees. He wishes to expand the company with additional five coffee-houses in the Cardiff area, Penarth, Cyncoed, Cardiff Bay, Roath Park and Pontcanna for which he is willing to execute his recruitment and select ion process in a structured, rational and beneficial manner. With due consideration to Mr. Mike Jones’ objective towards overall organisational growth, this report will intend to summarise a detailed approach to recruitment and selection process that can be beneficial for enhancing the relationship between employer and employee in TyCoffi. 2.0. An Approach to Recruitment and Selection The process of recruitment and selection is perceived to be quite significant for an organisation operating in the 21st century with the intention of being competent and sustainable in the highly competitive environment of the era. From a strategic point of view, an effective recruitment and selection process assists the organisation to acclimatise itself in the continuously changing business environment as well as enhances the overall organisational productivity1. Hence, it is of no doubt why managers focus with immense significance to the recruitment and selection process. As often noted by pr actitioners, recruitment can be referred to as the process where the employers intend to attract potential candidates from the external as well as internal (i.e. from within the organisation) business environment2. As noted by Dale (2004), â€Å"The primary purpose of recruitment and selection process is to achieve one desired end: appointing the right person to the right job†3 (pp. 1). Considering the importance of an effective recruitment and selection process in rewarding sustainable growth to an organisation, various factors can be identified that should be taken into account by recruiters while developing the process. These factors can exist both in terms of micro and macro elements in the organisational structure. The micro environmental factors can be stated as the organisational culture, structure, human resource policies and practices along with the overall organisational objective. Similarly, the macro environmental factors can be identified as the availability of p otential candidates for the job offered relative to the pay scale along with the employment rules and regulations as prescribed by the regulatory bodies4. It is worth mentioning that the organisational culture followed in TyCoffi is decentralised in nature which depicts independent participation of individuals in the decision-making process.

Work Values, Attitudes, Moods and Emotions - the case of Wells Fargo Term Paper

Work Values, Attitudes, Moods and Emotions - the case of Wells Fargo Company - Term Paper Example In this context, the emphasis on work values, attitudes, moods and emotions in all organizational department has become a common phenomenon. In Wells Fargo Company the use of work values, attitudes, moods and emotions as tools for increase the firm’s competitiveness has been proved an effective strategic choice. However, as the literature suggests, the development of HR plans needs to be carefully monitored. Failures in regard to one or more parts of these plans may set the firm’s position in its industry in risk. The principles on which organizational strategies are based are not common in organizations worldwide. However, it seems that certain organizational decisions are likely to be based on similar rules and criteria. Also, it has been proved that the success of organizational plans is depended on the ability of organizations to identify and evaluate appropriately employee needs. In this context, work values, moods and emotions are of critical importance for organi zations in different industries. The role of work values, attitudes, moods and emotions in the development of organizational plans is highlighted in this paper. Reference is made to a specific company, the Wells Fargo Company, one of the most successful organizations in the greater Los Angeles area. The specific organization operates in the banking sector and is well known for its employee values. The specific organization is considered as one of the most successful for the American banking industry. The success of the organization has been highly related to one of its practices: work values, attitudes and emotions are highly taken into consideration when the key strategies of the organization are reviewed. Values, attitudes, moods and emotions are key elements of organizational strategies under the following term: the involvement of these elements in key strategic decisions is not standardized. This means that there are no specific rules imposing the use of the above elements in th e development of an organization’s strategic policies. However, the use of these elements seems to increase the effectiveness of organizational plans, even in the long term. In order to understand the role of these elements in an organization’s strategies, it would be necessary to review their characteristics; then, the ways in which these elements can influence an organization’s strategic planning process would be made clear. The framework of values in the context of modern organizations is reflected in the following definition: ‘values are an enduring belief that a specific mode of conduct is personally or socially preferable to an opposite mode of conduct’ (Gilliland, Steiner and Skarlicki 4). On the other hand, Williams (1993) note that work values should be described as the belief that every organizational task needs to be accomplished on time in accordance with the guidelines given. Moreover, Allison and Kaye (2005) support the view that value s as an elements of organizational culture reflects the priorities of organization’s in regard to critical social and environmental issues, such as the protection of the environment, the support to the community and so on. At the next level, Niven (2011) notes that organizational values are quite important for the stabilization of the organizational performance; for this reason, it is suggested that regular changes on organizational values are avoided (Niven 2011). Rather, emphasis should be given on the development of a core framework of organizational values on which the organization’s aims and objectives would be based. Regarding the potential use of attitudes as elements of organ

Screening a genome wide deletion library for mutants sensitive to Essay

Screening a genome wide deletion library for mutants sensitive to gemcitabine - Essay Example The other type of repair is nucleotide excision. In the repair, the genes are linked to DNA glycosylases (Wei & Chen, 2006). Some of these genes are listed thus: UNG OGG1 MPG NEIL MGMT (Wei & Chen, 2006). The above image shows highlighted DNA genes Checkpoint Genes Damage can occur on the DNA during cell division causing it to cease dividing. This is what is referred to as checkpoint damage. Causes of the damage might be due to radiations such as from ultra violet rays. Checkpoint genes help in repair of DNA at the points of breaks through a response in the body. In the case of humans, these genes are defined as the G2 checkpoint genes. They include RAD17 as well as RAD1. The other genes include HUS1 (Stern, 2002). Rad13 Rad13 is a human gene. Its product is involved in DNA repair and it gives rise to a nuclease which is christened Rad13 nuclease. The gene is about 80mm. the systematic identification of the gene is SPBC3E7.08c. Its characterization is also known. The following is an image of the gene (Caspari, 1985). The modern society has been taken through environmental changes that necessitate the adoption of genetic science. The results in this experiment shows the findings from a genetic mutation test carried out in the laboratory. What needs to be understood is the process that facilitates this type of reaction. Some factors need to remain constant during the laboratory experiment so that there is high accuracy and efficiency in the findings. It should be noted that the required temperature for tests and subsequent analysis and interpretation should remain around 250c – 30oc for the specified time period. The two strains under question must also be cultured on a solid medium which will provide the best medium for a desirable outcome. In this test, the point of focus is the strain that grows on the EMM plus NAT and EMM plus Hygromycin, but not on the EMM plus CYH.This project touches partially on pharmacogenetics which majorly undertakes the studies on the role of inheritance in the variation in phenotypic response to drug. Such phenotypes ranges from serious inadequacy of therapeutic efficacy at one end to life-threatening unfavourable reactions of drugs the other end (PFEIFER, 2006). This test would be very applicable in genome-wide techniques in the clinical pharmacogenomic and its model systems which vary from yeast gene deletion libraries to cell-line based model. The validation of the candidate genes plus the application of genome-wide technology is essential for following up the identification of the candidate genes. In the strategy for genetic model specification during the screening of the geno-wide, an easy-to-use Bonferroni-corrected method which is multipurpose in the sense that it fits both recessive and multiplicative model is found to be reliable if used. In the context of this experiment, it is better to have in-depth understanding of what the classification of mutation is all about (SPENCER, 1997). On the basi s of effects on structure, deletion is one of the most explored in this project. In so doing; these mutations change the gene reading frame just like in the case of insertion. It is however imperative that people understand the unfitting opposite aspect of the two. Deletion is fairly random while insertion constitutes a given sequence that doesn’t necessarily take a random order. The results obtained from the experiments and tabulated were formatted in four distinctive columns for easy analysis. In this table there are theoretical short explanations and

Diversification in Mainstream Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Diversification in Mainstream Media - Essay Example With the age of reality television in full force, it can become quite difficult to find televisions shows that set out to reach the threshold of outlining how diverse society can be. The televisions show in question is "The West Wing" from NBC. Answer: Throughout its seven year run on NBC, "The West Wing" maintained an example of addressing the diverse issues that face both Americans, as well as the rest of the world on a day-to-day basis. As a contemporary political voice, the creators used their weekly episodes to draw attention to the varying levels of human nature and human problems. With the White House as the visual landscape, the television medium became an ample source to exemplify the diverse nature that is governmental procedure and politics in general. Coming to a close after a highly charged seven year run, the show tops off its performance for diversification by zeroing in on the diverse and multi layered nature of public campaigning for the highest office in the land the Presidency of the United States. Answer: As old as the first newspaper, the use of stereotypes has been around for centuries. A choice of label meant by the user, to classify the other person(s) in a specific category, whether it's true or false. To a great extent through its means, the media on a daily, even an hourly basis, relies on stereotypes for justification and explanation. In the case of the media at hand, the stereotype commonly used for Democrats are being weak on national defense and Republicans fumbling as it comes to domestic tranquility. Through the eyes of "The West Wing" and the events surrounding the election held during the final season, the viewer comes to realize that stereotypes are just that and ultimately, a hindrance in understanding the bigger picture as it comes to comprehending the full capability that human nature can muster. C. Assess whether or not you believe the selected article, television show, or motion picture fostered a better understanding of diversity and multiculturalism. Justify your answer. When it comes down to it, "The West Wing" does provide a believable backdrop as it comes to the understanding of the diverse national platform and the multicultural nature of its citizens. As it is dealing with the political waters that are ever so choppy, the participants are forced to face the playing field of diversity in opinion, actions and the cultural system which is interwoven amongst it all. As is the case, in terms of mainstream television, a show such as "The West Wing" serves as the necessary vehicle to facilitate the discussion of diversity and multiculturalism. After all, the underlying nature of the program is aided by the understanding and representation of the diverse, multicultural nation that is the United Sates, but also the diversity and cultural scene of the national political landscape. Conclusion Diversity is one of the keys to achieving a greater understanding. An understanding of the complex cultural landscape that makes mankind what it is and what it claims to strive for. Without a sense of diversity, what it is that is being looked at can be best described as a false

Liberal Arts vs Science Essay Example for Free

Liberal Arts vs Science Essay Liberal arts deal with the sections of education that specialize in imparting general knowledge to learners. This is usually meant to build a strong intellectual capacity on general subjects that would not require technical or even professional skills. The sections of arts that are basically seen as to be in this category include languages, philosophy, music, basic arithmetic and history. In as much as humanities are considered to be part of liberal arts, they my lean towards scientific processes like those in geography and research sciences. On the other hand, sciences are based on technical subjects like physics and chemistry. Scientific knowledge is specific and can be based on a plethora of scientific specialties. Some examples may include biology, physics, engineering and medicine. Other areas in sciences that are specific can include actuarial science and applied mathematics. Developments in the current world of education indicate that more and more students are being encouraged to specialize on sciences than liberal arts. Does this signal that liberal arts are dead and everything is now about science and technology? Specialists in many quarters have advanced arguments that point to the fact that liberal arts are dying fast. Reasons include the fact that more professionals in sciences receive better compensation packages than their counterparts in liberal arts. The idea that liberal arts are a dying section of education is supported by facts. This is due to the fact that more and more people are embracing education in sciences that seem to be generally more appealing. The Industrial Revolution experienced in the world over seemed to emphasize the fact that the world would lean more towards technical aspects of education than on the arts. During the onset of this revolution in the late nineteenth century, inventions in sciences drove many to pursue technical subjects as they seemed to be leading to the most lucrative jobs. Examples lay in the engineering and other technological fields that had strong foundations in sciences. As such, many institutions that were recruiting prospective employees developed pay packages that were tailored to be better than those for employees in the liberal art field. Other factors that point to this being true include the declining budgetary allocation in universities that specialize in liberal arts. This was aggravated by the recession experienced during the period 2008-2009. A study showed that most students who had degrees in the fields and disciplines in liberal arts suffered job cuts and lay-offs during this period (Cook 1) (The Death of Liberal Arts: How the Recession and Unemployment are making Schools and Students Rethink the Value of an Education in The Humanities 1). The numbers of tertiary institutions that offer courses in these fields have declined by nearly a hundred since the early nineties to date. Despite this trend in developments, there are facts that point towards this being the truth and there are some others that seem to dispute this idea. Current job markets indicate that every employee has to have at least some basic technical knowledge. This may mostly lie in the knowledge of Information Technology (IT). It is prudent to observe that in the modern world, nearly all organizations insist on recruiting employees who have basic knowledge on how to process data using computers. This may be in writing documents or even manipulating data to obtain a desired result. Therefore, most organizations recruit prospective employees with basic computer proficiency skills. These skills are deemed to be mandatory in communication and other day-to-day activities in the office. On the other hand, most companies that are recruiting prospective employees are insistent upon the ability of employees to integrate with the community. This would include the immediate community living within the precincts of the location of such companies or even the prospective customers. To have such abilities, one needs to have studied some form of psychology or even sociology. These form part of the liberal arts. Consequently, these companies recruit employees who have studied in these fields and hence have the abilities to mingle with the said people. This knowledge might be important in marketing or even companies that deal in communications and customer care. Therefore, there are job market patterns that may seem to suggest that liberal arts may not be totally dead. Kathleen Haney, a professor of Philosophy of Education in the University of Houston-Downtown, opines that in the view of a layman, liberal arts are dead. She observes that liberal arts are mainly important in the formative years of education such as the elementary and secondary education. Later on, when a student needs to become more skilled in specific subjects, he may need the knowledge acquired in the elementary and secondary that dealt more on liberal arts. Such skills might include languages so as to communicate with others well. However, in â€Å"The Liberal Arts and the End of Education†, she explains the need for everyone to view liberal arts as losing its shine due to the influence of development. Development, she insists, impresses upon scholars the need to embrace more technical subjects. This she attributes to the need by more organizations to employ people who have knowledge in practical-oriented subjects like sciences. In as much as her works seem to approve of this as the trend, she however goes ahead to implore us to change our mind-frame so that we can see liberal arts as pivotal in enabling us to be able to be proficient in these practical subjects. She insists that the more technical subjects would need the services of liberal arts to survive. This she subtly alludes to when she says that languages are the essence of understanding and communication. Therefore, she agrees to the fact that liberal arts are losing their shine due to the current patterns in job markets. She however does not encourage this as it might be of detriment to ignore important sections of liberal arts like languages. The trend that she observes goes way back in time and is founded from the early times. The enthusiasm with which liberal arts were embraced before the Industrial Revolution has considerably gone down due to the mentioned facts. There seems to be a number of reasons that have been fronted for this kind of happening. It is only natural that for this, there has to be some form of consequences. The future generations face a more challenging task of trying to ignore or even do without an important part of education. As a matter of fact, the consequences might have very heavy repercussions on education in general. The main factor that will contribute to this is the need for people who can efficiently communicate in certain settings. For instance, when languages are abolished in the curriculum, students will need extra efforts to learn foreign languages so that they can earn whole-some multi-cultural competency. An example is when a company needs to venture into a foreign market and it requires one of the staff members to be able to communicate to the natives in their language. This would mean that the staff will be required to learn the native language of the people residing in the area. This might be expensive to undertake as the only other option is to employ a native. Many people have come up with arguments in support of the notion that liberal arts are dead. However, there are some writers who have come up with opposing arguments that seem to be water-tight. The American Council of Learned Societies has come up with issues that seem to show that the liberal arts are still popular in colleges. It discusses the importance of liberal arts in communication and the full understanding of human nature (American Council of Learned Societies 1) (Liberal Arts in American Higher Education: Challenges and Opportunities 1). It is subjects like philosophy and psychology that enable scientists like doctors and psychiatrists to understand how to deal with illnesses of the human mind. Coupled with this, the languages help in comprehension of several issues. Their argument is based on the fact that liberal arts build a comprehensive understanding of the human being. This seems to be a very convincing argument since most of sciences deal in the physical part of a human being but not on the moral, spiritual and social part. In the international arena, the science vs. art debacle has taken various forms depending on situations. For instance, many parents still insist on their children taking more professional courses as opposed to them having to take courses in liberal arts. It is of interest to note that many writers attribute this to the different priorities that people in the different social classes have. For instance, many students in the upper middle class will not feel pressured to earn degrees in the professional courses that are not seen as art-based. On the other hand, students who have to work to earn money for their fees have always chosen professional courses over the liberal arts. This has been attributed to the fact that the students from affluent families have no worries about fees and which college they feel they want to attend. Their schooling is a matter of choice as opposed to students with limited financial abilities who will be restricted to their budgets due to financial constraints. In conclusion, it has been shown that liberal arts are losing attention as an important part of education. Many factors have pointed to this. It is important to note that the need to study other technical subjects important in scientific development have led this. It is also important to note that the foundations of basic education are laid through the use of liberal arts like languages. Therefore, it is pragmatic to stop this trend before it leads to harm. The fact that more and more institutions are beginning to lower the budgetary allocations on liberal arts is worrying. It is worth noting that the recession exposed the weakness in the humanities sector of education as professionals in this field suffered more job cuts. This would actually lead to anyone conclusively saying that the liberal arts are actually dead. However, many a writer has sufficiently come up with arguments that signify the importance of liberal arts in the current and future settings. Therefore, while it is important to note that liberal arts are dying, it is a task set upon us to develop curricula that will ensure that the sections that liberal arts cover in education are taken over by an equally fulfilling branch of education. References Cook, N. The Death of Liberal Arts: How the Recession and Unemployment are making Schools and Students Rethink the Value of an Education in The Humanities. (5th April, 2010). Newsweek Web Exclusive. Web. America Council of Learned Societies. Liberal Arts in American Higher Education: Challenges and Opportunities. 2005. American Council of Learned Societies. Print.

Malaysia Airlines System Berhad Mas Commerce Essay

Malaysia Airlines System Berhad Mas Commerce Essay Malaysia Airlines System Berhad is founded as Malayan Airways that the government-owner flag carrier of Malaysia. MAS operate flights in Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Middle East and in the Kangaroo Route between Australia and Europe. Others operation that MAS provide to their customer is MASkargo, MASCharter, and MASswing. Apart from the MAS airline the group also includes aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and aircraft handling. MAS have two airlines subsidiaries is Firefly, MASKargo and MASwings. The management that make many change in their structure organization to improve the productivity on employees performance and customer satisfaction. Starting in 1997 MAS get unprofitability and the top management and government should take action to solve this problem. And, MAS make a decision to make managing change to increase the profitability and can increase productivity. Most CEOs or managers in the organization consider to be make managing change to their management to improve the performance and productivity either to employees or organizations. Change perspectives describe the fundamentally different event sequences of change involvement, or what can be thought of as motors of change. Managing change is the systematic approach to dealing with the change from perspective of organization or individual. The goal of managing change is to make improvement in the performance of an organization as fast as possible and increased organization effectiveness. Moreover, when make a managing change has a purpose to achieve the goals. The purpose of change is to make organization more productive by finding ways of supporting or developing its competitive advantages. Before make managing change in MAS, the management should have a purpose for the management and employees can achieve what they want to be success. The purpose of MAS is to make airline market has become more competitive with the rapid increase of the low cost carrier (LCC) segment, continued growth of the Middle Eastern full service carriers and revival in the fortunes of Asia full service carriers. The objectives, MAS plan to move they to profitability by 2013, as well as a set of game changers to sustain our performance and create a platform for continued growth for MASs in future. FACTORS FOR CHANGE AND CONTINUITY IN MALAYSIA AIRLINES Starting from 1997, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) sustain financial problem because of unprofitability on the services and at the same time financial government have a big crisis is recession unemployment. The problem that MAS faced lasts until 2011 and the management and government find many ways to changing the management structure to improve profitability. The factors managing change that MAS contribute is:- 1. Corporate Culture On 1 December 2005, MAS a new CEO appointed Idris Jalal, to manage the management, the change that be contributed is to execute changes in operations and corporate culture. Corporate culture is the culture of each organization is unique, shaped by the values and beliefs of those who work there. As it evolves and takes shape, culture works to coordinate and control behavior, action and decision making within organizations. CEO Idris Jalal, launched its Business Turnaround Plan to improve poor yield management and an inefficient route network. With a new plan has implemented to the organization, it will then lead to a change in culture, beliefs or norms. Coincidentally, it will drive to an innovation in the operational structure to meet parallel with the organizational goals. Otherwise, the new CEO was involve setting up of several new business units, and the re-naming of existing functions as well the introduction of new leaders to pursue other career opportunities. With re-naming or re-branding again the product and services in MAS its can get a new image and the impact of the changing is to give a positive affect toward the management and operational structure. Among business plan that be changing in MAS:- a. Network, alliance, strategic planning is the implementation a new division will support the effective of groups network to meet the lively needs and to influence a strategic alliances and partnerships with other airlines. b. Programme Management Office is the organization was driven implementation, alignment and tracking of a key initiatives and activities to be supported the changing business plan and try to maximize the values of organization. The management office plan also can be improved the productivity of employees and increased the organization performance based on the strategy structure that be produce. c. Communication will be renamed strategic planning. The new organization structure proceeds with the departure of several leaders of the MAS team, the good leader is know how to communication with the employees. The effectives communication in organization will be make employees easy to make a changing in organization. 2. Collaboration with AirAsia. Malaysia Airlines (MAS) collaboration with AirAsia on 2011 to solve the problem that they faced and increase the profitability, productivity and performances. The meaning of term collaboration is working together to achieve a goal and objectives. The process where two or more organization work together to realize shared goals to reach an identical objectives. MAS and AirAsia, they will sharing knowledge, learning can be social within organization. CEO AirAsia says the collaboration between this two company airlines is to improve the productivity and performance of two company airlines and the main factors is to help MAS get profitability in business plan. Collaboration part of managing changing for the organization liked MAS that have a problem in the management structure get solve the problem in other ways under a new leader or CEO. CEO AirAsia says, MAS will need to more focus on rebranding exercise as on way for the national turnaround. In term rebranding products and services there are huge opportunities for MAS to invest in brands, especially to getting people to know more about the airlines. This collaboration also can help organization strategic structure with MAS management can implemented the AirAsia strategic structure into the organization. But, when to implement a new strategic structure into MAS, employees should absorb a new culture and values. The organization change in MAS will used a new vision, mission, and objectives to increase the productivity based on achievement they make it. Working together will benefits all of employees, improves individual cost structures and could lead to greater efficiencies. 3. Continuous Operational Improvement Continuous operational improvement is the process which changing to be continuity to make sure the organization can achieve the goals and objectives. The preferred premium carrier in the region should be lined with the organization vision, it will be making substantial changes to MAS operations to excel on three key dimensions, there are, commercial effectiveness, flight operations and cost management. MAS goals is to achieve the highest customer satisfaction while improving their revenues and operating as efficiently as possible. The improvement that MAS make is flight operations, where they are getting brand new aircraft and ground equipment that will provide a strong in this area. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION As conclusion, to sustain the improvement changing that be done in MAS, it must have a good strategic structure. Corporate culture is most important in doing changing in organization, because it can include how people in a company are likely to act in given situations both inside or outside the organization. The corporate culture has been implement in MAS is re-naming or re-branding the image of MAS; networkings, alliance, strategic planning; programme management office and communication will be renamed strategic planning. It is influence service quality and the way in which people are treated, whether customers or clients. In make the changes, MAS collaboration with AirAsia for strengthen the position in airlines areas. The collaboration with AirAsia, to expose MAS try moved forward to changing they position and the AirAsia try to help them to make changing in terms of sharing knowledge, learning a new structure, rebranding, absorb new structure and values. MAS try to continuous ope rational improvement and to do extremely well on three key dimensions, there are commercial effectiveness, flight operations and cost management. Managing change in MAS to help them to increase the productivity and performance for can achieve goals of organization. RECOMMENDATION Managing organizational change will be more successful if the organizations apply the continuous improvement. Many factor continuity and change the organization can apply in MAS. Apart from the factor can be recommended to Malaysia Airlines for continuous they can use an analytical framework. The purpose is to provide a base for conceptualized the relationships between the numerous constituents of change management. In an analytical framework, MAS will make much change in the organization, so they should maintaining change that they make it. Maintaining change is the last step in an analytical framework; MAS consider the necessary and sufficient requirements for ongoing change, exploring the process of measuring and evaluating change and examining issues of sustaining change.

The Truth About Journalism Media Essay

The Truth About Journalism Media Essay Journalism, a profession of unveiling truth, bringing facts in front of people has been under discussion for quite a while. The main reason why media and journalism has attracted so many spotlights in recent years is the freedom of speech and independence of media from any governmental influence. It was a profession of honor, now has become a taboo in some of the societies. Should journalism be verdicts or just another literature in a hurry? Journalism has been a respectful profession not just a game of mud splashing and money making in no time, it was a source of information for the people belonging to that nation. It should be so today as well as tomorrow. What is journalism in real? Is it just the challenge of satisfying the space or it is a discipline of assembling, authenticating, covering and analyzing information drawn together regarding current events, including development, problems and people? Journalism informs society about itself and makes public that which would otherwise be private (Tony Harcup, 2004). Those who practice journalism are known as journalists. Journalism plays a vital role in society. Different journalists have different viewpoints, some say that it is important to go in depth of the issue and trace back its history, while others say that it is not important to know the history of power and authority however only to put the fact as it is in real is foremost important (Tony Harcup, 2004). Supportive arguments with documented evidence Journalists who think that it is vital to find out about the history of politics and power related to any issue in a certain place hold this perception because of many reasons. Firstly knowing the societies through their own perceptions is very necessary. Until a person understands the historical context of that area or society, it will be very difficult to judge their behavior and give a verdict about what is being done wrong here. Learn from the article Different societies have different norms and values. They think differently and act differently, for them there might be something wrong which is right in our society. So to decide whether this should make the newspaper as someones gossip, it is necessary to find out about the right and wrong from the eye of the commoner (Bird, E. 1990). Supportive arguments with documented evidence If journalists are to live up to the principles of their occupation, they need to glance further than the expected confines of politics and journalism as they now survive-limits which, in large gauge, they themselves have set since they take pleasure in a relatively elevated extent of autonomy in democratic societies. Too often, the master narratives are about disagreement, and winners and losers, which in turn produce the shallow story that not passes to effect necessary social change and development (Ron Smith, 2008). Learn from the article News, issues facts and information about a society does not hang outside in just some ethereal way that journalists pass it on. News is not a commodity to be sold or that can be apportioned for readers and viewers. This is the point where a journalist comes in and extracts the important matter and makes it into news. For that understanding the cultural, historical context of the society is most important. There are journalists who do not think that it is important to understand the context and background of the news before making it public. They believe that truth and honest facts should reach the nation as they are in real. No manipulation should be done to the facts to show the concerned people in a positive spotlight. Facts should be made public no matter how gross they might be. Supportive arguments with documented evidence These types of journalists think that in journalism, assertions should be reported as if they were true, whether or not they have been stranded in a thorough process of confirmation. In fact, the assumption is such a fundamental constituent of all journalism that it extends to both so-called excellence and tabloid reporting. Learn from the article A tabloid story is accurate if it realistically reports what was said or printed by sources. By this standard much of what is written in tabloids can be claimed to be extremely accurate including, one might add, the declaration of experts on alien abductions (Bird, 1990: 378). Wilkinss argument, then, is a call for a much more sophisticated understanding of what comprises truth and fact than journalists are typically armed with. I as a person interested in journalism would rather prefer the truth based journalism. No doubt that the historical contexts are very important but now the political conditions all around the world has worsened so much that giving the right facts and timely information to the public is more important. Learn from the article Honesty is integral part of journalism which is for what the public and nation keep their eyes in search for. Whether the news is related to local and common people or any breaking news about the well known figures of the state, the news should be authenticated and should be without any manipulation. Learn from the article Recently in Jamaica there was uproar about the government that it sold the Sandals Whitehouse hotel to Gordon Butch Stewart. One week after this announcement that Cabinet has approved the proposed sale of the five-star Sandals Whitehouse hotel to Gordon Butch Stewarts company, Gorstew Limited, the office of Contractor General has asked to halt the sale. It must be made unmistakably obvious here, that the contractor general is entirely correct when he says his office, the Office of the Contractor General, is an autonomous anti-corruption commission of Parliament which is authorized by law to perform enquiry into the award of government awards and to make sure that everything is above board (John Maxwell, 2010). Learn from the article He is right again when he says that it is against the law for a contractor general in the effect of his authority, to be subject to the dictates, direction or control of any person or authority. He must be totally satisfied that the Gorstew deal is in the best interest of the country and complies with all the necessary protocols and rules. Supportive arguments with documented evidence The transaction of the embattled Whitehouse hotel in Westmoreland to Gorstew has obtained many remarks with some quarters laboring under the misinterpretation that it is a sweetheart deal that is injurious to taxpayers. Learn from the article The news channels and news papers are making this issue their front page headlines, no matter that the government is involved in the deal of this sale of the hotel, the facts and figures related to this matter has been made public with entire openness, may be with not so much honesty, only to get the high rating on news channels and papers, yet these facts reach the public knowledge. Learn from the article Journalism is a tool to effect the needed change in society.   But unluckily, with the course of time, its real meaning has gone astray. Today, for the so-called journalists, robust salaries and of course, quick promotions alone, matter. And the insincerity is that while publishing any news what concerns them most is that they should beat their counterpart. The purpose should be to take on the troubling rudiments and explain to people who bank on the media to keep themselves knowledgeable and updated. Its not at all a felony to provide amusement but if it starts corrupting the roots/base obviously it will raise many eyebrows.    Journalism is sometimes said as the mirror of any society, but this was the ideology long time back, now it has changed. According to Thomas Jefferson I do not take a single newspaper, nor read one a month, and I feel myself infinitely the happier for it  People think that newspapers and media has gained too much freedom that it has forgotten the ethical values. Supportive arguments with documented evidence Journalism in the 20th century was explicitly an instrument of state control; this gave way to its becoming comparatively independent however it still remained liable to manipulation by those in power. This means that the conventional role of the journalist may actually become evanescent within a decade (E Quinn 1980) If the role of the journalism is to help us make decisions in national affairs, then we could ask for fewer retrospective stories and more challenging questions about governmental activities plans for the future and instead of only raising our eyebrows to communicate our anguish, we should get up against it so the line of work regains its lost grandeur. Though it sounds studious, I dont see any other solution. If we have an unflinching desire, I think we can do it (DB Bobrow 1973) Conclusion Journalism is a revolutionary aspect where individuals can decide to spread the truth, or make their own. Governments dont need liberated press, but liberated journalism needs egalitarianism or democracy. Free journalism is simply unattainable without one. A democratic system would be unachievable without trying to incorporate the community into governmental dealings. A French novelist once said, Free press can, of course, be good or bad, but, most certainly without freedom, the press will never be anything but bad. Journalism, for healthier or for poorer, is the best paradigm of the freedom of individuals and the significance of free deliberation in a dictatorship. If we can come to a conclusion why society needs to be well educated about the issues, matters and troubles going on in the world, then we can ask what kind of journalism they need and how they should use the existing media. It is our by and large conclusion that raising questions would be the superlative way to encourage debate among journalists and political theorists.

Physics of Beer Pong :: physics beer pong drinking game

Do you have what it takes to become a beer pong champion? If so, you have come to the right place! In this step-by-step tutorial, I will reveal the secrets of miserably defeating your opponent at the sport of beer pong. When played in tournament, beer pong takes a great amount more physical, psychological, and intellectual endurance than many other sports. It may even take many years of practice to become a champion. Don’t assume that this game is not a blood thirsty sport either. Alcohol is related to 100,000 deaths annually in America, usually occurring after a night’s game of beer pong (Sage). I will rely heavily upon the laws of physics to explain in great detail the appropriate method to overcome your opponent's game, forcing them to streak across the neighborhood. The rules of beer pong vary between locations and can cause great strife amongst rivaling teams. The number one rule is that the house that is hosting the tournament controls the rules. The house rules must also be announced at the beginning of the tournament. The official rules located on Wikipedia may give you a good foundation for the general rules. Alterations in the game usually form from city traditions. In Valdez, Alaska, a place well known for its intense game of beer pong, there is a common tradition of using quotes from Family Guy and BASEketball to distract the other player. Usually after a few beers these jokes miraculously become funny. Another beer pong tradition is to force the losing team to streak publicly. The website PongRules allows people to post their own rules around the world (PongRules). Remember, beer pong is governed by the drinkers for the drinkers. There are two types of table measurements players may use. The official rules state that the table must be eight feet long, at least two feet wide, and stand four feet tall. However, it is more commonly played on a ping pong table where the height reaches 30 inches (Organization). For the purposes of this project, I will be deriving my calculations using the dimensions of a ping pong table. The regulation ping pong ball consists of being 3-star, 40mm in diameter, and weighing 2.7 grams. Now, at each end of the table ten cups must be sorted in a triangular position similar to bowling pens but with the rims touching like so: Usually three 12-ounce beers of your choice are divided equally among the 10 cups.

Death Of The Superstars :: essays research papers

Death of the Superstars Have you ever wondered what it would be like to listen to some of the greatest music stars of our time. I'm talking about the stars that never made it to full prominence. The list of players is alarmingly high and sad. The potential of these performers never met. It would be something to see what the music of today would be like. I was reading a book awhile back. Don't laugh, I read sometimes. It was a book from I'm sorry to say, Stephen King. All right I'm not sorry. I like him! Anyway, it was called something like, "They Have a Great Band There!" It was a story of two young adults driving along a country road, the young man driving was obviously lost but wouldn't admit it. I'm told guys do that often. As the road continued to narrow and the brush continued to close in on them. They suddenly found a sign that had the name of a town that neither one of them heard of. They decided to go down and see if someone could give them directions. They soon were out of they're car and looking for someone to help them. They both noticed at the same time that the man behind the counter of the local pub that they were in looked a lot like John Lennon. They also noted the young lady singing in the corner looked and sounded incredibly like Janice Joplin. The book or should I say short story continued on as only King could, people dying , strange conversations and just weirdness in general. Now, I told that little story because I wanted to give you a little background on why I chose this subject. What would have happened if Jimi Hendrix had lived? His music lives on even today. When he was alive he only release 3 studio albums and if you go into the stores you probably will find no less than 10 different albums from him. Today's kids and people supposedly in the know, like to put music into different categories. Rap, Alternative, Rock, Jazz, Classical. Hendrix crossed all those. I not being black wouldn't know for sure but, would his living have spawned more black rock musicians. Say that happened. Would it be possible that in today's music. There might be more black people listening to rock music and less whites. I say this cause if he did live on and became a role model for young black musicians. There might be more interest in rock than there is currently.

Relationships Between Parents and Children in Poetry Essay

Many poets use poetry to express their feelings on their relationships with their parents or children. ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ by Alice Walker is about a girl who has grown into an adult and is thinking back to when she was younger. In the poem she talks about how much she misses her father because he has passed away. ‘Piano’ by D.H. Lawrence is about a man that is reminded of his mother who always played the piano for him because of a woman that he hears singing. ‘A Mother in a Refugee Camp’ by Chinua Achebe is about a woman that is in a refugee camp with her young child who is so sick that he is sure to die soon. ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ presents childhood as a lonely, emotional experience. The woman in this poem has many fond memories of her father but she also has a lot of regret. She misses him very much and she is sad because she wishes she could have spent more time with him when she was a young girl. In the poem she says, â€Å"How I miss my father. I wish he had not been so tired when I was born.† She wishes that her father wasn’t too exhausted to spend time with her when she was a young girl. The reader probably feels sorry for the little girl and some people may feel like they can relate to the girl when it comes to spending time with parents. This also relates to ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ because the man in this poem also misses his father except he isn’t dead yet. He doesn’t want him to die. ‘Piano’ presents childhood as safe, secure and serene. As like in ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ the man has fo nd memories of time spent with his mother who he misses so much that it brings him to tears to think back to his childhood. The poem says, â€Å"Down in the flood of remembrance, I weep like a child for the past†. As he remembers his childhood, he begins to cry because he misses the times with his mother. It is unusual for a man to cry and he was embarrassed because men did not cry in the early 1900’s. This makes the reader think back to childhood memories that they miss and they can relate to the poem just like readers can relate to ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ because they both stress realistic topics that apply to many people. ‘Half Past Two’ is also similar to ‘Piano’ because it talks about missing childhood and it presents childhood as a carefree time. ‘A Mother in a Refugee Camp’ presents childhood as a time of pain and suffering. The boy in this poem does not have fond memories of childhood because of his difficult lifestyle and he is  very ill. The poem says, â€Å"Now she did it like putting flowers on a tiny grave†. The boy’s mother is being delicate and combing her son’s hair as if she was putting flowers on a tiny grave because he is dying. This makes the reader very sympathetic towards the mother because she loves her son with all her heart but yet she has to watch him die which is very hard for her. ‘A Mother in a Refugee Camp’ can relate to ‘My Parents Kept me from Children who were Rough’ because the parents in these poems are trying to do the best for their son. In ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’, Alice Walker uses imagery to portray herself as a woman who has inherited qualities and characteristics that her father possessed. This is shown when she uses the simile â€Å"He cooked like a person dancing in a yoga meditation† which suggests that her father is trance-like when he cooks and this shows that although he was often very strict with her, her father had a calm, laid back side. She has grown up to be like him and she believes that her father would be proud to see the woman that she has grown up to be. The metaphor â€Å"seasoning one of my life the same way twice† shows that Alice Walker is spontaneous and her life has no routine and this may be something that she has inherited from her father. ‘Piano’ uses a nostalgic image to emphasize how much D.H. Lawrence misses his childhood. The poem refers to â€Å"old Sunday evenings at home† and â€Å"hymns in the cosy parlour†. This creates a warm, homely image leading the reader to think that the boy comes from a loving home. ‘Piano’ also uses the simile â€Å"I weep like a child for the past† to emphasize how much the poet misses his childhood. He is crying openly because he wants to be a child again. The metaphor â€Å"a flood of remembrance† describes his memories rushing back all at once and this creates an overwhelming feeling for him. When ‘A Mother in a Refugee Camp’ says, â€Å"The air was heavy with odors of diarrhea, of unwashed children with washed-out ribs and dried up bottoms waddling in labored steps† it appeals to the sense of the reader and it gives them an unpleasant image. This gives the reader the idea that the conditions are absolutely terrible and may even make some people sick to the stomach. It gives them a picture of the poverty and illness that is presents in war torn countries around the world. In ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ I found it interesting when Alice Walker said, â€Å"He taught me how† because this is saying that her father was a role model for her and she learned a lot from him. This makes the reader think that the father set a good example for her. ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ also uses a euphemism for death when it says, â€Å"Though many truths must have grieved him before the end†. She doesn’t actually want to say that he died because it probably makes her sad. In ‘Piano’ I find it interesting when D.H. Lawrence said, â€Å"In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song†. He is trying to fight against the memory of his childhood because it makes him sad. â€Å"Insidious mastery of song† is a powerful tool which is saying that the mastery of the song that he is hearing betrays him back to his childhood. ‘A Mother in a Refugee Camp’ makes good use of ellipsis. It says, â€Å"Her tenderness for a song she would soon have to forget†¦.† This foreshadows the child’s death. This makes the reader feel sorry for the mother and it also makes them sad. The poem also uses interesting vocabulary when it says, â€Å"Before his breakfast and school; now she did it.† The word ‘now’ stresses the mother and her son’s previous normal existence. This probably makes the reader have a lot of sympathy for the mother and feel sorry for her because she is losing her child. This also gives the reader an idea of the life that the mother provided for her son and how the war has completely changed their lives. Alice Walker writes ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ in first person. The poem is conveyed as very sad because she misses her father and the main feeling conveyed in this poem is love. The poem opens by saying, â€Å"How I miss my father†. Later in the poem she repeats the phrase â€Å"How I miss my father† to emphasize how much she misses him. At first the mood is regretful but as the poem goes on the mood changed and she thinks that her father would admire the woman she has become. D.H. Lawrence also writes ‘Piano’ in first person and also third person to reminisce and describe himself as a child listening to his mother playing piano. An example of first person in this poem is, â€Å"Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see† and an example of third person in this poem is, â€Å"A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings.† In this quote he refers to himself as â€Å"a child† because he is trying to distance himself from his childhood. This poem is conveyed  as depressing because it can cause readers to reminisce about their childhood and make them realize how much they actually miss it. The person speaking in ‘A Mother in a Refugee Camp’ is the author, Chinua Achebe, and the poem is written in third person. An example of third person in this poem is, â€Å"She held a ghost-smile between her teeth†. Although she was not happy, she put on a fake smile. The main feelings conveyed in this poem are sadness and love. The attitude towards the mother is admiration and how she is taking care of her son is touching. ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine† does not use any rhyming. It is also a free verse poem. This compliments her nature and it allows her to use the poem as an outpouring of feelings about her father. She uses the poem to express how she feels about her father and how she wishes he was around to see how she has grown up. ‘A Mother in a Refugee Camp’ is also a free verse poem. It does not have a rhyme scheme. It makes it seem like the mother’s life is hectic and not very organized because of how much she has to deal with everyday trying to take care of her dying son. Her life is filled with agony and suffering. However ‘Piano’ isn’t written in free verse. Each stanza has the same amount of lines and the poem uses rhyming couplets. The structure of the poem represents the security of D.H. Lawrence’s childhood and how safe he felt when he was sitting under the piano listening to his mother. In my opinion, these poems all discuss the same main topics which are love and sadness. I think that these poems will help many readers to think back to childhood memories that they are fond of and open up readers’ eyes to make them realize how much they actually miss being a child. My favorite poem is ‘A Mother in a Refugee Camp’ because I know a woman that is a close family friend who had to watch her young son slowly die from a deadly disease and that helps me to understand how hard it must have been for the mother in this poem to see her son die.

Informative Article About Bullying Essay

Have you ever heard about Amanda Todd, a 15 years old Canadian girl who took her life away, on October 2012, because of cyber bullying. Before her suicide, Amada decided to post a video telling her story about how she was blackmailed, physical and psychological abused. Bullying is a social problematic and a global issue which touches most of the population, because it does not only happen at schools, you can also be witness of this in companies, or any other community. The website Bullying. rg defines bullying as â€Å"a learned behavior. It is when a person or group tries to hurt or control another person in a harmful way. † Rosa Castillo (2013), teacher of a public school in Bogota, Colombia, said that â€Å"bullying is an action which lasts on kid for a long time, and this is one of the reasons why students start a low performance on schools†. According to stopbullying. gov, the types of bullying included, verbal bullying, is tell bad things to someone (name-calling, teasing); social bullying, involves damage somebody? reputation (embarrass a person in public, spread a gossip, leaves somebody aside); and the last type is physical bullying, hurts somebody? s objects or body (punching, break of stuff). Furthermore, the increases of technology uses on young population and the lack of parents control about it, is making easier to develop a field of bullying on the web. This type of bullying is known as ciberbullying, which take place at using the electronic device and social networks. Read more:  Essay on the person you admire the most This kind of bullying is a little bit harder with the victims, as it could happen 7/24 (7 days a week and 24 hour a day), also ciberbullying spread fast all on the web, reaching all the person? s contacts. A lot of kids believe, that making others feel less than he, would make him better. The truth is some of this kids has an issue that thy want to hide from the others, that? s why, they use bullying as a defense mechanism. Another possible answer for the behavior is they want to call the attention of someone (parent, group of friend). On the other hand, is important the role of parents or big sister/brother, because most of the times these are the one kids admire and want to follow. Teacher Rosa, explain that the kids more likely to being bullied are the ones who are considered weak. And the bullies are those who are more popular around the group or are strong. Some people consider that bullying is a stage of the childhood and it will have an ending. Last statement is totally false, bullying is a problematic and it has to receive treatment. Bullies and bullied, both will have a short and long term consequences. But the victimizers are more likely to experience the consequences in long term. The bullies are more susceptible to get involve in dangerous activities (vandalize, physical fights, abuse of alcohol or/and drugs), and also they are more likely to experience bullying as his behavior does not fit in the environment of work. The psychologist Dan Olweus, of Norway, found on his study that about 60% of schools students in Scandinavian countries who were bullies had one or more incidents of being convicted of a crime by the time they were 24 years old. On the other hand, the victims might experience the consequences from the first time of bullying, such as low self-esteem, anxiety, sleep difficulties, missing classes, and so on. One of the most worried consequences is that the victims could become violent, toward themselves or with the community, as the bullied would want revenge of all the public embarrassed he had passed. As we can see on the newspaper and all over the news, in the last years, the number of bullycides (is a term used to describe suicide as the result of bullying) of young people increasing alarmingly in the entire world.

Freedom of Speech in the Philippines Essay

Freedom of speech is the concept of the inherent human right to voice one’s opinion publicly without fear of censorship or punishment. â€Å"Speech† is not limited to public speaking and is generally taken to include other forms of expression. The right is preserved in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is granted formal recognition by the laws of most nations. Nonetheless the degree to which the right is upheld in practice varies greatly from one nation to another. In many nations, particularly those with relatively authoritarian forms of government, overt government censorship is enforced. Censorship has also been claimed to occur in other forms (see propaganda model) and there are different approaches to issues such as hate speech, obscenity, and defamation laws even in countries seen as liberal democracies. Article III Section 4 of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines specifies that no law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech or of expression. Some laws inconsistent with a broad application of this mandate are in force, however.[29] For example Certain sections of the Flag and Heraldic Code require particular expressions and prohibit other expressions Title thirteen of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines criminalizes libel and slander by act or deed (slander by deed is defined as â€Å"any act †¦ which shall cast dishonor, discredit or contempt upon another person.†), providing penalties of fine or imprisonment. In 2012, acting on a complaint by an imprisoned broadcaster who dramatised a newspaper account reporting that a particular politician was seen running naked in a hotel when caught in bed by the husband of the woman with whom he was said to have spent the night, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights ruled that the criminalization of libel violates freedom of expression and is inconsistent with Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, commenting that â€Å"Defamations laws should not †¦ stifle freedom of expression† and that â€Å"Penal defamation laws should include defense of truth.† ************************************************************************* â€Å"If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.† – Noam Chomsky The freedom to express our thoughts is an important part of our individual identity. When we talk and write about our opinions we are contributing ideas and participating in society. Freedom of expression is covered in article 19 of the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights: â€Å"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers†. Freedom of expression is widely acknowledged as a basic human right that should be available to all, playing a crucial role in a fair and open society. Many countries and organizations place limits on freedom of expression. These limitations can be a way of controlling people. Restricting voting rights, censoring speech and art and outlawing specific religious and political groups are some of the tools governments have used to control public opposition. Even societies that consider themselves free and democratic suppress opposing views. Consider your local newspaper; although you might expect objectivity, if you were to analyze the content, you might not find a variety of informed opinions and critiques. Editorial and news writers may be influenced by their own political views. In some places, reporters are trained to manipulate or omit information that could harm those in power. Should there be no limits on freedom of expression? If we are entitled to express ourselves freely we must accept that others will express ideas very different from our own. This might include ideas that offend and possibly even hurt us. Hate speech attacks people based upon such distinctions as race, religion and gender. Should we censor ideas that damage and promote cruelty? The content of a book, a song or a film may cross societal lines of morality and decency. Should we censor art works that are violent, insulting or degrading? These are some of the complex questions you must think about. Feeling intimidated and forced to subscribe to traditional or mainstream beliefs is a violation of your personal freedom. But sometimes authorities set rules and boundaries for good reason. Understanding why the rules exist is more important than automatically obeying them. ***************************************************************************** Cybercrimes and Freedom of Expression Despite the view of the United Nations Committee on Human Rights that Philippine criminal libel is contrary to Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) on freedom of expression, Congress and President Benigno Aquino III still enacted the Cybercrime Prevention Law which, among other things, added electronic libel as a new criminal offense. Worse, this new law increased the penalty for cyber libel to prison mayor from the current prison correctional provided under the Revised Penal Code. This means that electronic libel is now punished with imprisonment from six years and one day to up to 12 years, while those convicted for ordinary libel under the RPC are subject to imprisonment only from six months and one day to four years and two months. And because parole, a means by which a convict may be spared from actual imprisonment may be granted only to those sentenced to serve a prison term for no more than six months and one day, anyone convicted for cyber libel will inevitably serve a prison term. Since the Philippines leads the rest of the world in terms of Facebook and Twitter usage, this means that unlike ordinary libel complaints which are oftentimes brought against printed newspapers -given the element of publication, any user of these leading social media tools is now liable for prosecution. The fact that an allegedly libelous writing appeared on the Internet is already sufficient to prove the element of publication. The new Cybercrime law is an outright defiance of the UN Human Rights Committee View in the case of Alexander Adonis vs. Republic of the Philippines. In that View, the UNHRC declared that Philippine libel law under the RPC contravenes freedom of expression on two counts: one, it is a disproportionate means by which to achieve its avowed goal of protecting the privacy of private persons; and two, because there is an alternative in the form of civil libel, or the payment of damages. The UN HCR also took the view that our libel in the Philippines, because it does not recognize truth as a defense, is additionally defective on this ground. While the View of the UNHRC is this instance is non-binding, the Philippines nonetheless is under an obligation to heed it because of the maxim â€Å"pacta sundt servanda†, or that treaty obligations must be complied with in good faith. The UN Human Rights Committee Views, since the membership of the body consist of leading experts in human rights, are accepted as authoritative on the issue of states compliance with their obligations under the ICCPR. Simply put, the view against our libel law is very strong evidence of breach of a state obligation under the ICCPR And instead of heeding the UN’s call to review its existing libel law, Congress and President Aquino appeared to have slammed the body by enacting an even more draconian legislation against cyber libel. Our constitutional commitment to freedom of expression has long been recognized. Justice Holmes, for instance, wrote: â€Å"When men have realized that time has upset many fighting faiths, they may come to believe even more than they believe the very foundations of their own conduct that the ultimate good desired is better reached by free trade in ideas — that the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market . . . .† The commitment exists because it is only through freedom of expression that we are able to discern the truth and able to fiscalize despotic regimes: â€Å"The freedom to speak one’s mind is not only an aspect of individual liberty—and thus a good unto itself—but also is essential to the common quest for truth and the vitality of society as a whole. We have therefore been particularly vigilant to ensure that individual expressions of ideas remain free from governmentally imposed sanctions. By criminalizing internet libel, government expanded the infringement of freedom of expression even to the realm that has enabled us to give life to the principle of a free market place of ideas- the internet. Prior to this law, it is ironic that the Philippines was even cited by the United Nations for not interfering with the internet. The law is a testament to the reality that despite the overwhelming mandate given to this administration, coupled with its unprecedented public approval ratings, it continues to be insecure and unable to compete in the market place of ideas. We will see the Aquino administration in court on this one. And we will prevail. For unlike other laws that enjoy the presumption of regularity, this cybercrime law, insofar as it infringes on freedom of expression, will come to court with a very heavy presumption of unconstitutionality. There can be nothing sadder than suing the son of icons of democracy for infringement into a cherished right. ************************************************************************* IMPORTANCE OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION Article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) guarantees the right to freedom of expression in the following terms: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes the right to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. The UDHR, as a UN General Assembly resolution, is not directly binding on States. However, parts of it, including Article 19, are widely regarded as having acquired legal force as customary international law since its adoption in 1948. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a treaty ratified by over 150 States, including the Philippines, imposes formal legal obligations on State Parties to respect its provisions and elaborates on many of the rights included in the UDHR. Article 19 of the ICCPR guarantees the right to freedom of expression in terms very similar to those found at Article 19 of the UDHR: 1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of opinion. 2. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art or through any other media of his choice. Freedom of expression is also protected in all three regional human rights instruments, by Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 13 of the American Convention on Human Rights and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The right to freedom of expression enjoys a prominent status in each of these regional conventions and, although the Philippines cannot be a party to them, the judgments and decisions issued by courts under these regional mechanisms, offer an authoritative interpretation of freedom of expression principles in various different contexts. Freedom of expression is a key human right, in particular because of its fundamental role in underpinning democracy. At its very first session, in 1946, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 59(I) which states: â€Å"Freedom of information is a fundamental human right and †¦ the touchstone of all the freedoms to which the United Nations is consecrated.† As the UN Human Rights Committee has said: â€Å"The right to freedom of expression is of paramount importance in any democratic society.† RESTRICTIONS OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION The right to freedom of expression is not absolute; both international law and most national constitutions recognise that it may be restricted. However, any limitations must remain within strictly defined parameters. Article 19(3) of the ICCPR lays down the conditions which any restriction on freedom of expression must meet: The exercise of the rights provided for in paragraph 2 of this article carries with it special duties and responsibilities. It may therefore be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided by law and are necessary: (a) For respect of the rights or reputations of others; (b) For the protection of national security or of public order (ordre public), or of public health or morals. A similar formulation can be found in the European, American and African regional human rights treaties. These have been interpreted as requiring restrictions to meet a strict three-part test. International jurisprudence makes it clear that this test presents a high standard which any interference must overcome. The European Court of Human Rights has stated: â€Å"Freedom of expression †¦ is subject to a number of exceptions which, however, must be narrowly interpreted and the necessity for any restrictions must be convincingly established.† First, the interference must be provided for by law. This requirement will be fulfilled only where the law is accessible and ‘formulated with sufficient precision to enable the citizen to regulate his conduct’. Second, the interference must pursue a legitimate aim. The list of aims in Article 19(3) of the ICCPR is exclusive in the sense that no other aims are considered to be legitimate as grounds for restricting freedom of expression. Third, the restriction must be necessary to secure one of those aims. The word â€Å"necessary† means that there must be a â€Å"pressing social need† for the restriction. The reasons given by the State to justify the restriction must be â€Å"relevant and sufficient† and the restriction must be proportionate to the aim pursued. The Constitution of the Philippines, however, does not explicitly provide for restrictions to the right to freedom of expression. The only restriction to the rights to expression and information and press freedom is encapsulated in the provision on the right to privacy. Article III, Sections 3 of the Constitution states: (1) The privacy of communication and correspondence shall be inviolable except upon lawful order of the court, or when public safety or order requires otherwise as prescribed by law. (2) Any evidence obtained in violation of this or the preceding section shall be inadmissible for any purpose in any proceeding. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN THE MEDIA The guarantee of freedom of expression applies with particular force to the media, including the broadcast media and public service broadcasters. The European Court of Human Rights, for example, has consistently emphasised the â€Å"pre-eminent role of the press in a State governed by the rule of law†. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has stated: â€Å"It is the mass media that make the exercise of freedom of expression a reality.† Media as a whole merit special protection, in part because of their role in making public ‘information and ideas on matters of public interest. Not only does [the press] have the task of imparting such information and ideas: the public also has a right to receive them. Were it otherwise, the press would be unable to play its vital role of â€Å"public watchdog†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. It may be noted that the obligation to respect freedom of expression lies with States, not with the media per se. However, this obligation does apply to publicly-funded broadcasters. Because of their link to the State, these broadcasters are directly bound by international guarantees of human rights. In addition, publicly-funded broadcasters are in a special position to satisfy the public’s right to know and to guarantee pluralism and access, and it is therefore particularly important that they promote these rights.