Delta essays

Delta essays Delta Airlines filed bankruptcy in 2005 shortly before Delphi Corporation did the same thing. Delta was facing many of the same issues as Delphi including a drastic under-funding of employee pension plans. We would rather take our chances with a bankruptcy judge than submit to managements proposed terms and working conditions, said O.V. Delle-Femine, union director. (Chapter 2005) Unlike the UAWs reaction to Delphis bankruptcy filing, the union representing Deltas employees took a less emotional tact, probably realizing that it was a hopeless case attempting to stop the inevitable. The risk the union took in taking that tact was that the employees represented by the union would feel sold out. According to published reports, Chapter 11 protection will allow Delta to pursue cuts in wages for its 65,000-plus full-time employees, as well as pension and health benefits for workers and retirees, that would have been more difficult or impossible without protected status. (Chapter 2005). Delta, however, had weighed the risks and alternatives and found their options extremely limited. At the time of the filing there were 5 major air carriers in bankruptcy and seven not in that status. The question begs then of how are the other seven faring? One report said that the company founder of Southwest Airlines, Herb Kelleher, was pretty upset about the bankruptcies...Herb calls bankruptcy a health spa for airlines. (Delta 2005) Obviously some companies will take the easy way out, while others will work hard to find solutions to their problems. It seems that the shareholders of both types of companies would be instrumental in ensuring that the companies live up to expected standards, after all the shareholders are part owners as well. ...

hunter s thompson essays

hunter s thompson essays Louisville, the cultural center of the Bluegrass State and home to the Kentucky Derby, is famous for its production of cheese-burgers, cigarettes, gin, half the worlds bourbon, and Hunter Thompson. Thompson was born during the Great Depression to Virginia Ray and Jack Thompson. Thompson was the oldest of three sons, he led the way from the beginning of his life. Thompson and his family lived in a rural middle-class area in a neighborhood with many other families just like theirs. His parents, Virginia Ray and Jack, were both alcoholics, and because of Thompson, the family was looked down upon in the neighborhood. He became a troublemaker from the beginning. Thompson was always getting into trouble with they boys that lived around the neighborhood. Jack, an insurance salesman, was a believer in corporal punishment and practiced it frequently on his two oldest sons, Hunter and Davidson. Jack continued to be strict with Thompson until the end of his life. Thompson had many playmates throughout his childhood. He had one during every stage of his life. Hunters boyhood pal was Duke Rice. They were crazy about sports. They used to watch the Louisville Colonels through holes in the outfield fence at Parkway Field. Thompson and Rice stayed very close childhood friends. They were together constantly until a new boy named Gerald Tyrrell moved into a house around the block from the Thompsons. Tyrrell and Thompson hit it off from the start. They continued to be good friends as they grew up and matured together. When they became teenagers the two started to become interested in girls together. Thompsons father suddenly died of a heart attack when he was fifteen years old. This was right around the time that he first started drinking. Drinking was natural for everyone to do in the town, Thompson was bound to start sooner or later. This was the start of ...

Marketing in Social Media (Facebook) Research Paper

Marketing in Social Media (Facebook) - Research Paper Example Social media is one of the latest marketing aid tools in the commercial sector. Facebook is a popular social network that enables people from all corners of the globe to create respective accounts and communicate to each other regardless the distance. The commercial sector has taken advantage of the popular network to advertise or create awareness of their products among other relevant information. This work focuses on Facebook, one of the most popular social networks, as an advertising tool in the commercial arena. There are over a million commercial pages in Facebook, hence, it is important to incorporate some attractive features to attract more people to the social networking community. The success of communication through Facebook could be measured by the number of likes or comments. Attractive photos or images attached to accounts play a significant role. From a psychological view, a normal human being would always be attracted by unique or colorful images, and this would make o ne read the content of the pages and finally like such pages. Bright colors like yellow, pink and white could be incorporated into the images to attract some attention and this would improve the chances of one to make positive comments or like a page. Business pages could also include the images of popular individuals like famous sportsmen, actors, models and comedians among others. However, it is important to consider all the legal and ethical implications before using anyone’s image; for instance, a company should enter into a contract with a preferred celebrity to have his/her photos used on such pages. People tend to associate themselves with celebrities, hence, more likes and positive comments, which is a good sign of an advert message. The use of simple appealing language could also attract more people to like or comment on such pages. For instance, adverts in Europe could be done in English or French as these are the two most spoken languages in the area (Arvind 19). I t is also important to incorporate current events like sports in such pages. For instance, such pages may contain images of the ongoing confederation cup and rugby sevens world cup among others. The advert information should be short and precise, meaning the core information should be easy to access. Recent business studies of hotel and tourism business in Taiwan recommend the industries to engage in more Facebook adverts to increase more clients or customers. Compared to their counterparts in Europe and other parts of the developed world, Taiwan hotels are not that well known due to poor advert or marketing strategies. The language barrier is another factor limiting effective communications through Facebook. Taiwan hotel market expect more customers from Europe, Africa, North America and South America among others whose main languages are French, English and Portuguese, which are not spoken in Taiwan. However, Taiwan hotel industry could create business pages in their native langua ge but have it translated into other languages to limit the issue of biases ((Hsu 972). The industry could also post images or photos of some of well established hotels among other tourism facilities to attract more clients from all corners of the globe. The pages should be interactive, meaning the clients or customers’ questions or concerns should be answered considering all important details in the most respective ways. The pages should have appropriate passwords to limit hackers from posting non-relevant information that could compromise the image and reputations of such hotels. Facebook has enabled e-commerce in several ways and this could be attributed by the fact that the majority of the youths' access the Facebook pages at

The broad thematic perspective Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The broad thematic perspective - Movie Review Example The overall cost of the movie was around  £900,000 which is equivalent to  £11.4 million today. It was first broadcasted on ITV in 1973. The documentary interviewed significant members of Axis and Allied campaigns, comprising eyewitness accounts by enlisted men, civilians, politicians, and officers among others. Major historians were Stephen Ambrose and Adolf Galland (Ambruster 17). The series â€Å"The World at War,† entails a DVD set by Jeremy Isaac explaining the priorities given to examinations and interviews with surviving assistants and aides other than recognized figures. Karl Wolff who was Heinrich Himmler’s adjutant was the most difficult interviewee to persuade and locate. During the examination, he accepted to be among the significant witnesses in mass genocide, in Himmler’s presence. In the later part of the series, Isaacs showed satisfaction with the entails of the series. He also added that the content entailed unclassified information in reference to British code-breaking. The documentary is listed among the top programmes in British television under the compilation of British Film Institute in 2000 (Ambruster 5). This is a situation whereby nations look for alternative means of solving conflicts. This is a crucial theme that prevails in all of the four clips. Violence was as a result of conflict of ideas and ways of doing things. But in this case, violence evolves as a result of conflict of interest. The subjects were made to do things they were not willing by their masters. Peace prevailed after the submission of the Nazi forces who were Germans. Massive killings such as those illustrated in â€Å"Whirlwind: Bombing Germany† which is the twelve episode are some of the activities that came to a stop leading to prevalence of peace. The episode emphasizes on massive bombings by the British and American army in Germany. Interviews from witnesses such as Albert Speer, William Reid and James Stewart explain how innocent lives were taken

Retaining the HR Function Essay Example for Free

Retaining the HR Function Essay Introduction This report is to the executive directors and will be outlining the importance of retaining the HR function within the business. I will be explaining how HR activities support the organisations strategy and how HR professionals support line managers and their staff. HR is essential to the smooth running of the business. HR is there to ensure that the company do not have a high turnover of staff and that training is given to employee. HR is essential to help the company meet its targets, and ensuring that the company complies with legal requirements including Health Safety. How three HR activities support the organisations strategy Recruitment Recruitment is co-ordinated by the HR department and is a major factor on how your business recruits the right type of people to carry out the tasks required. HR will in this instance start from the beginning and advertise for the positions to be applied for, HR will also screen and interview the right type of candidates required and then Induct them once the candidate  is successful in getting the position. This is a time consuming job which the department that HR are recruiting for will not have time for and can spend their time concentrating on their departments. HR are responsible for sending out the necessary letters and paperwork to the candidates. Disciplinary’s / Grievances Disciplinary’s are usually completed due to a employee mis conduct or absence related. The HR team usually monitors all absences and would notify the line manager of any concerns. HR support the line managers by attending these disciplinary meetings and advise on the best course of action to be taken, HR are also responsible for ensuring the necessary paperwork is completed for the disciplinary to take place. Grievances are dealt with by the line managers also and again HR is responsible for ensuring that grievances are dealt with fairly and equally. Induction The HR department are responsible for inducting all new employees who enter into the business. Inductions are quite important in how the new employee fits into the business and responds with the demands and the business strategy. All new employees should be inducted with the practices, policies and procedures and the culture that the company operates in. This will allow the new employee to familiarise and settle into their role with how the business works, this should help keep the employee retention level quite low. The induction process done ‘effectively reflects the employer brand and the values the organisation is promoting. It is important, therefore, to ensure that the induction process reflects the values and culture of the organisation’ (CIPD, 2014) Three ways HR professionals support line managers and their staff Performance management The HR function here will provide you with the best way to maximise the potential of your employees. If you have underperforming employees HR will be able to help you get the maximum out of them. The process is performance management during this period the employee will go through a set of meetings to discuss their performance shortfalls. if after reviewing the  shortfalls the HR department are able to advise of the further necessary steps to take e.g. disciplinary, warnings etc. HR are there to support the managers carrying out the meetings and advising of the best way forward. Legal The HR function for the business in a legal matter would be to ensure that the organisation activities are complying with legislative requirements i.e. pay increase, working time regulations. HR would have to know the employment law to a degree in this way HR would act as an advisor for the company. We may also be making a decision on some occasions depending on the circumstances surrounding the issue or speak to the line managers on further training. more importantly HR are responsible for keeping records e.g. disciplinary, absences, training, as these good records can afford real protection for employers and managers who may need to defend their actions at a tribunal or In other courts (Martin and Whiting, 2013). If the company fails act accordingly to the legal requirements they could possibly face claims, and also the last instance close down the company Training HR is responsible for the training aspect of the business, if a department identifies the need for a training requirement they will notify the HR department. The HR departments responsibility would be to find how the training is going to be given out, i.e. external or internal If external training is required HR who have to find a company who deliver the training and find out the necessary information. This may include costs, venue, duration. HR would also draw up the relevant training contracts so that the company would not lose out financially if the employee was to leave once they had received the training. Conclusion To conclude the above points which I have mentioned, the HR department is an integral part of the organisation and is essential in meeting the business strategy. As you can see from the report without the HR department the business cannot function properly, by reducing the size of the HR department you may ultimately affect other parts of the business and the strategy as  whole. This may lead to an increase in employee retention and legal costs in the form of claims, tribunals etc. The examples of the parts of the business given above where HR is essential are a few and many more functions within the business need the HR department. The HR department are also their to support employee’s and for them to come and see and speak to someone in private and confidential nature this helps with employee relations. With the help of the HR department employees within the organisation are being given the necessary training. These employees who are given the opportunity of progress with the company are more devoted to meeting the business need and most of all the strategy. REFERENCES CIPD. (2014). What is an Induction. Available: http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/factsheets/induction.aspx#link_2. Last accessed 04th December 2014. Martin, M. and Whiting, F.. (2013). Human Resource Practice. 6th ed.. CIPD.

Jeffrey Dahmer :: Biography Biographies Bio

Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer came into the world at 4.34pm on the 21st of May at the Evangelical Deaconess Hospital in Milwaukee 1960. Little did his parents know at the time of his birth that there son would become one of America's most infamous serial killers, not only for the amount of victims which he had killed, but also for dismembering them and his odd tendencies. Jeffrey's childhood started like any other, he had two parents who loved and adored there son dearly. They would give him what ever his heart desired. Joyce Dahmer started a scrap book on her son recording events that happened in his life, his first step, his first accident, his first tooth, his first haircut and even his first scolding. While Jeffrey was still very young his father worked long hours in his laboratory and his mother worked as a machine instructor. But the carrying of Jeffrey had been hard on Joyce Dahmer and every little thing seemed to annoy her. So Lionel being the husband that he was and wanting the best for his wife decided to move to his mothers house in West Allis, but the crack's in the marriage started to show early. There were constant fights between Joyce and Lionel Dahmer and Jeffrey took each of these fights to heart. Little did they realize that there constant fighting would be one of the reasons for Jeffrey's downfall and eventual collapse into deviant crimes. A short time before Jeffrey's fourth birthday, Jeffrey was diagnosed with a double hernia that needed to be operated on. This operation left Jeffrey feeling open and exposed nobody explained to him what was going on. He felt scared by the operation, complete strangers coming up to him and exploring his body. This experience is said to have marked his subconscious forever. But like every little boy of Jeffrey's age he was just like anybody else climbing apple trees, riding his bike and playing in coal dust and coming home dirty. Although he was painfully shy while growing up he over came this in time, and had a normal social life at school. By the time Jeffrey turned six his mother gave birth to a second son who she called David. Though this did not have a dramatic effect on Dahmer's life he stayed pretty much neutral to his brother’s existence and they never became close. By the time of his second son's birth Lionel Dahmer and his family moved into there own house at 4480 West Bath Road, surrounded by open forest where Jeffrey could lose himself in a world of make believe.

PCI DSS and the Seven Domains Essay

1. Identify the touch points between the objectives and requirements of PCI DSS and YieldMore’s IT environment. The objectives and requirements for PCI DSS compliance is the same for every business wanting to accept credit card payments. There are 6 control objectives with 12 requirements. Control Objectives PCI DSS Requirements 1. Build and Maintain a Secure Network 1. Install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect cardholder data 2. Do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters 2. Protect Cardholder Data 3. Protect stored cardholder data 4. Encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open, public networks 3. Maintain a Vulnerability Management Program 5. Use and regularly update anti-virus software on all systems commonly affected by malware 6. Develop and maintain secure systems and applications 4. Implement Strong Access Control Measures 7. Restrict access to cardholder data by business need-to-know 8. Assign a unique ID to each person with computer access 9. Restrict physical access to cardholder data 5. Regularly Monitor and Test Networks 10. Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data 11. Regularly test security systems and processes 6. Maintain an Information Security Policy 12. Maintain a policy that addresses information security 2. Determine appropriate best practices to implement when taking steps to meet PCI DSS objectives and requirements. The best way to implement best practices is following the requirements. Some of the requirements listed above read like a guideline i.e. not using vendor supplied default passwords. Obviously you would want to make your own strong password that would be difficult to guess. 3. Justify your reasoning for each identified best practice. The justification for best practice is you want to make the credit card information as secured as possible. The company will be handling the income of people and if something goes wrong and people get access to the information the business will go under. No potential customer will want to do business with them. 4. Prepare a brief report or PowerPoint presentation of your findings for IT management to review. In order to better serve their customers, YieldMore wants to begin accepting credit card payments. In order for the company to begin the process of accepting credit cards it must first be PCI DSS compliant. PCI DSS is an information security standard. So the company has meet six objectives and each of those objectives has requirements that must be met to be compliant. The first objective is to build and maintain a secure network. Two requirements must be met in order for that objective to be met. First is to install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect cardholder data and do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters. The second objective is protecting cardholder data. Two requirements are needed to meet that objective. Protect stored cardholder data and encrypting transmission of cardholder data across open, public networks are the requirements for the second objective. The third objective is to maintain a Vulnerability Management Program with using and regularly updating anti-virus software on all systems commonly affected by malware and developing maintaining securing systems and applications requirements. Implementing a strong access control measure objective would be easy to achieve. The requirements for the fourth objective is restricting access to cardholder data by business need-to-know, assigning a unique ID to each person with computer access, and restricting the physical access to cardholder data. The fifth objective is to regularly monitor and test networks. Tracking and monitoring all access to network resources and cardholder data is the first requirement. Regularly testing security  systems and processes is the other requirement. Maintaining a policy that addresses information security is the only requirement for the final objective, maintain an Information Security Policy. Once all these objectives are met then the company would be PCI DSS compliant.

Industrial Growth in the United States for 1860-1900 Essay

Many important factors helped to promote America’s huge industrial growth during the period from 1860 to 1900. Before the blossom of this industrialization, the United States consisted of mostly farms and small towns. The development of factories and urban cities soon changed all of this. The railroad system expanded and eventually turned into a goldmine for commerce in the United States. Machinery started to decrease the amount of animal labor used, which allowed the consistency and production of goods to rise. As it reached the brink of the 20th century, America had surprisingly become the world’s greatest industrial nation in history. The Civil War, caused by Southern states seceding from the Union, sparked the beginning of the United States’ industrial growth. As the war came to and end, reconstruction within the country began to take place. Many new ideas and inventions began to pop up and American business leaders recognized them. One of these ideas was a railroad that would run from coast to coast. In 1862, the building of this Transcontinental Railroad began. It was finished by 1869 and drastically increased cultural diffusion. The Republican party of the Federal Government was in control during most of the country’s industrial boom. Their platform wanted to impose tariffs, or taxes, on foreign goods to keep America’s spending within its own borders. They also supported the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. The railroad allowed goods to be sold throughout the whole country, which in turn increased production and sales. At that point in time, as well as today, time equaled money. Travel times were cut, and therefore money was raked in more than ever before. By 1900, there was almost 200,000 miles of railroad track in America. This was an increase of over 160,000 miles from 1860. The United States was â€Å"on track† to becoming a huge industrial nation. During the period of time between 1860 and 1900, there were many needs in industry. These needs included communication, natural resources, power sources, cheap labor, and applied technology. In the 1850s, 52% of all power came from animals while only 35% came from water and coal. By the 1900s, the use of water and coal more than doubled to 73% of all power sources. Many business tycoons realized his growing use of resources. One man by the name of John D. Rockerfeller created a monopoly over the entire oil industry  through his plan of Horizontal Consolidation. With this plan he was able to bring together many firms in the oil business and combine them into a single unit called a trust. Another man, Andrew Carnegie, had similar views on gaining total control of a commodity. In 1882, he used the idea of Vertical Consolidation to gain control of the growing steel industry. His business, the Carnegie Steel Company, therefore controlled every factor in the production of steel. Rockefel ler and Carnegie both became very rich men, and the United States Congress soon recognized this. They responded by drafting the Sherman Antitrust Act, which outlawed the combination of businesses that would destroy competition. As more and more people moved to the West in search of better lives, the need for communication grew. Systems of sending messages through wires and electric currents soon began to appear. These inventions were called the telegraph and the telephone. People in the West could now communicate with the friends and loved ones in the East that they moved away from. In turn, their fear of isolation soon disappeared. Although the trouble of communication was diminished, life on the job continued to be a problem. Workers demanded better working conditions. Factories soon began to run faster and more smoothly than in the past. Working conditions also improved and provided less risk of injury and strain on workers. (Document 1) Conditions were only getting better, but the need for lower wages was a growing problem for factories. Immigration rates to America began to increase. From the 1860s to the 1900s, the number of immigrants rose to over eight million people. This allowed wages for workers to go down because immigrants would work for less money. The factories could now spend more money on the production of goods. The many demands of industrial growth were met throughout America’s industrial boom. During the second half of the 19th century, the United States shocked the world by transforming into a dynamite industrial nation. It’s population increased from six million people in 1860 to over thirty million in 1900. Power sources played a major role in industry at this time. Communication devices and railroads also increased commerce. Big businesses were on the rise and American’s soon left their farms for factories. These factors helped to promote the United States’ successfully rapid industrial growth during the period from 1860 to 1900.

Asian Ebay Essay Example

Asian Ebay Essay Example Asian Ebay Paper Asian Ebay Paper 1. Why has eBay struggled in Japan, China and other Asia markets? eBay is an online auction service whose business model is ideally suited to the Web. EBay stores no inventory and ships no products. Instead, it derives its revenue from the movement of information, an ideal task for the Internet. EBay has taken its model to numerous foreign markets and been successful, particularly in England, France, and Germany, however, eBay has failed to achieve the same success in the Asian markets. There are several reasons behind eBay failure in Japan, China and its slow growth in other Asian markets, such as: Global Brand Image vs. Localization: failure to localize the brand to appeal to Asian costumers. Understanding how to localize a brand can do wonders for a company. Use success in the US as proof-of-concept. This leads to over-confidence. The fact eBay dominates in the US or Europe means little to Asian costumers Failure to understand and adapt to local market and culture Failure to react quickly to local competition Poor decision making between headquarters and local management Low-key approach to marketing In Japan. eBays failure in Japan was a series of missteps. Firstly, eBay joined the market five months after Yahoo auctions, giving its competitor a massive head start to establish itself. In auctions, there is a significant first-mover advantage. A site with more sellers attracts buyers and more buyers bring sellers. This was a lesson both companies had learned through a very different experience in the U. S, where eBay led the way and Yahoo! tried with limited success to build an auction business in its shadow. Jack Ma believes EBays failure in Japan was due to an inability to build what he calls the community effect in the country. For Ma, the community effect begins with customer satisfaction. And, eBay failed to understand the Japanese buying psyche. They tried to target the younger market, and forced them to pay by credit card, but didnt realize that most young Japanese prefer to pay cash on delivery or by bank deposit. The final nail in the coffin was imposing a commission charge of up to 5% where its competitor Yahoo charges nothing at all. Clearly fatal and basic flaws in their business plan. Another possible misstep was Whitmans choice of Okawara, a second-generation Japanese-American from Hawaii, as president and CEO. Okawara was well-known in Japan for turning a faltering frozen-pizza business into a $100 million company. But at 60, she was twice the age of most of her eBay Japan employees and new to the Internet. Okawara herself attributes the problems to the late launch: When we arrived last year, the 800-pound gorilla was already positioned. Even when eBay did get in gear, it took too long, critics say, to embellish its Japanese site with the local touches needed to attract users. Over time, categories had to be changed and more free features, such as horoscopes, product reviews, and newsletters, had to be added so it makes more sense from a Japanese point of view, says Okawara. These alterations took months. At the same time, eBay Japan also took a low-key approach to marketing, relying on its usual formula: rather than spend big bucks on advertising, just let auction fans spread the word. That passivity backfired in Japan because eBay had too few users. In contrast, Yahoo Japan spends some 8% of revenue on promotions that include renting billboards in trendy Tokyo districts, opening an Internet cafe with Starbucks, and covering the planes of a domestic airline with Yahoos purple-and-yellow logo. By 2002, the San Francisco-area company admitted defeat, laying off all 17 of its Japan employees and shutting down the site with about 25,000 listings. All its Japanese customers would be directed to its US based auction operations/site. At the time, eBay was the number one auction site in all of the other 18 countries in which it operated and one of the few successful internet companies, having seen its profits soar even amid the dot-com implosion. eBays strategy in Japan had failed. Japan was a rare failure for the company. In China. When eBay started in China in 2003 through its acquisition of Eachnet, many analysts thought that eBays China operation would be a slam-dunk. They thought that have learned from its mistakes in applying its American model to an Asian country. The Eachnet management team had staked out a commanding lead in the online auction sector, controlling nearly 80% of the market. They had strong international and domestic experience and were close to their customers. By the end of 2006, however, eBay had invested $300 million into its China operations and had little to show for the effort. Its market share had declined steadily each year until it reached an anemic 20% in 2006 as it lost ground to competitors Alibabas Taobao and Tencents Paipai. Many of the largest mistakes were not the ypical problems that businessmen often point to as the reasons why MNCs fail in China such as corruption, lack of transparency or currency problems. Again, it was the failure to understand the local market conditions, failure to build the community effect,to â€Å"localize† the brand and adapt. Chinese consumers like to buy from brands and people that they trust and where customer service was over the top. Many consumers dislike eBay because of bad service and because it did not focus on building up trust. And, to be successful in China, companies need to provide security every step of the way during a sales transaction to ensure that When eBay entered China, their Paypal payment method did not seamlessly integrate escrow into the sales process. Taobaos popular Alipay made escrow an important component of the online buying experience, because consumers felt confident paying money to Alipay and then only releasing the money after they had their purchase in-hand. In contrast, using Paypal made the whole process more complicated and nerve-wracking. Moreover, Taobao allowed the buyers and sellers to contact each other directly via mobile phone or instant messaging. Respondents liked the real-time haggling and bargaining on Taobao, while all communication via the Ebay platform has to go through Ebay so that Ebay could get its cut, slowing down the negotiation process. Later attempts by eBay to incorporate escrow into the transaction process were too late to help it regain lost market share. Chinese consumers also like to make transactions personal because it helps to build trust between the buyer and seller. Before Ebay acquired Eachnet, sellers and buyers could call a number for service questions. After the acquisition, Ebay brought in the same practices it had in the US and did not offer buyers or sellers a phone number to call, expecting consumers to email questions or join online discussion groups. Consumers in China viewed this as a major lack of customer service rather than as an efficient way to get answers and as a way to make friends with others in the Ebay sphere. They said that if they were going to pay to sell their products, they should at least have a number to call if they ran into problems. Unlike competitor Taobao, which offers free basic services to sellers, eBay initially charged listing fees. Another problem comes from the way eBay how it handled decision-making between its headquarters in San Jose and its China operations. Executives in China felt that headquarters did not listen to them at critical junctures, and they did not understood that in China, things take longer because of the need to work with the government, settle copyright issues and find local managerial talent. Puld due to several layers, the decisions just took too long. 2. EBay is making a strategic shift by giving control of its main operation to Tom Online. What does this shift signify? Commenting on the JV, Meg Whitman, President and CEO, eBay Inc EBay said the company is committed to China and she rejected suggestions that Tom Online deal represented a failure of its earlier approach, which included the 2003 acquisition of Eachnet, a Shanghai-based auction site. eBay has helped pioneer e-commerce in China, and by combining our expertise with that of a strong local partner like TOM Online, we are even better positioned to participate in this growing market. This agreement is a sign of our continued commitment to delivering the best online buying and selling experiences in China. I think you have to be willing to evolve your strategy on a local market basis to make sure you are doing the right thing for your buyers and sellers and the right thing for your company. China, like most Asian markets, sometimes requires foreign companies seeking to do business locally to simply take on a local firm as a partner. EBay took a similar approach in Taiwan, where it merged its auction site into a joint venture with local partner PC Home. We have determined that every country in Asia is quite unique, and we have to make a decision about every country in Asia, how we want to do business, Whitman said. Wang Lei Lei, CEO of TOM Online said, eBay is one of the worlds most recognized e-commerce brands and TOM Online has a proven track record of delivering outstanding services to Chinese consumers. He added, The new online marketplace to be built by the joint venture will provide an enhanced user experience, tailored for the China market, and will capitalize on our companies strengths in the emerging m-commerce sector. Although it entered into a joint venture with Tom Online, into which it injected its local subsidiary EachNet along with $40 million in cash, eBay did what its users have been doing for years: selling off old junk that doesnt make money for them anymore. Analysts considered this joint venture as a change in eBays strategy in the Chinese market as its Chinese venture had failed to materialize. Once again, eBay has failed in the Asian markets. One of the reasons cited by analysts for eBays failure in China was that it failed to understand the local market. Taobaos auction site was perceived as more in sync with the Chinese consumers buying behavior Jenny Wu, an analyst at Morgan Stanley said, Its good for eBay, because during the past two years at least it has been losing ground to Alibabas Taobao, mainly because eBay lacks local expertise†. However, some analysts noted that the deal did not create any synergy between eBay and TOM Online. TOM Onlines major revenues were generated from providing value-added cellphone services like sending news and weather conditions to users in the form of text messages. TOM Onlines dependence on such services prompted analysts to raise doubts as to whether it would fare well in the e-commerce market. Liu Bin, an analyst at BDA China said, TOM Onlines line of business is not compatible with eBays. †A few thought that the deal would result in eBay reducing its operating losses and gaining local knowledge about the Chinese market. Scott W. Devitt, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus investment banking and brokerage firm said, Cutting losses and taking a minority stake in a locally owned business is a decent alternative for EBay. How is eBay doing today in Asian markets? According to consulting and research firm, BDA, China has surpassed the United States as the world’s largest internet population with over 216 million users. Based upon current growth trends, there will be over 280 million internet users in China by the end of 2008. According to the China Internet Research Centre in Beijing, 55 million of these internet users shopped online in 2007 spending US$8. 25 billion dollars, up from 43 million shoppers in 2006 and US$4. billion dollars spent. Despite giving up control of its China operation to Tom Online, and implementing new strategies such as: no fees for customers, platform specially designed for China market, or escrow accounts, eBay has been unable to fight off an onslaught from Yahoos joint venture partner in China, Alibaba. Instead, the move appears to have accelerated the collapse of eBays Chinese operation. EBAY Chinas market share fell from 16% to 7% in 2007 according to China-based consultancy Analysys International. As expected, Chinas Taobao picked up that gain and increased its share from 74% to 83%. But eBay has also had some success in China. Skype, the Internet phone business that eBay bought two years ago, recently said it had more customers there than in the United States, and its growth rate in China is faster than anywhere else, Whitman said. Japan was critical to eBays success because it was the worlds second-largest Internet market. The gap had to be closed soon otherwise Yahoo Inc. could easily beat it in the rest of Asia. Yahoo Japan was the No. 1 or No. portal everywhere except China. In December 2007, Yahoo Japan and eBay made a deal to link their auction sites and make it easier for their respective users to bid on and buy goods available on each others sites. A new website by name Sekaimon (gateway to the world or ‘global shopping’ in Japanese) – www. sekaimon. com was launched in December. The site allowed Yahoo Japan users to bid on items listed on eBays US site using their Yahoo Japan ID. The deal made cross-border bidding easier and gave eBay another chance to woo Japanese consumers. The move is the latest tie-up with a local firm for eBay, whose fast-growing international operations make up 51 percent of its auction and online shopping business. EBay has been seeking local partners to boost its Asian operations in the face of mounting competition. Consumer markets in Southeast Asia are growing rapidly, and the firm is considering further partnerships in areas such as Vietnam, Jay Lee, Senior Vice President of eBay Asia Pacific, told Reuters. These are places where the local customs and markets are very distinct, so theyre perfect for partnerships, he said. usinessweek. com/magazine/content/01_23/b3735139. htm, June 2001 http://knowledge. wharton. upenn. edu/papers/download/Japan_SpecialReport. pdf online-auction-advisor. com/ebay-japan. html, 2006 http://seekingalpha. com/article/27041-ebay-s-tom-online-deal-timely-lessons-for-global-online-company-managers, February 2007 http://seekingalpha. com/article/19322-ebay-faces-a-tough-road-in-china, October 2006 icmrindia. org/business%20Updates/micro%20casestudies/Business%20Strategy/MCBS0010. htm, 2007 networkworld. com/news/2006/122106-worldbeat-bo-knew-chinese-auctio

How To Make a Model of the Lungs

How To Make a Model of the Lungs Constructing a lung model is an excellent way to learn about the respiratory system and how the lungs function. The lungs are respiratory organs that are vital to the breathing process and necessary to acquire life-giving oxygen. They provide a place for gas exchange between air from the outside environment and gases in the blood. Gas exchange occurs at lung alveoli (tiny air sacs), as carbon dioxide is exchanged for oxygen. This oxygen is then delivered to the tissues and cells of the body by the circulatory system. Breathing is an involuntary process that is regulated by a region of the brain called the medulla oblongata. Building your own lung model will help you to gain a better understanding of how the lungs work! What You Need Scissors3 Large balloons2 Rubber bandsElectrical tapePlastic 2-liter bottleFlexible plastic tubing - 8 inchesY-shaped hose connector Heres How Gather together materials listed under the What You Need section above.Fit the plastic tubing into one of the openings of the hose connector. Use the tape to make an airtight seal around the area where the tubing and the hose connector meet.Place a balloon around each of the remaining 2 openings of the hose connector. Tightly wrap the rubber bands around the balloons where the balloons and hose connector meet. The seal should be airtight.Measure two inches from the bottom of the 2-liter bottle and cut the bottom off.Place the balloons and hose connector structure inside the bottle, threading the plastic tubing through the neck of the bottle.Use the tape to seal the opening where the plastic tubing goes through the narrow opening of the bottle at the neck. The seal should be airtight.Tie a knot at the end of the remaining balloon and cut the large part of the balloon in half horizontally.Using the balloon half with the knot, stretch the open end over the bottom of the bottle.Gently pu ll down on the balloon from the knot. This should cause air to flow into the balloons within your lung model. Release the balloon with the knot and watch as the air is expelled from your lung model. Tips When cutting the bottom of the bottle, make sure to cut it as smoothly as possible.When stretching the balloon over the bottom of the bottle, make sure it is not loose but fits tightly. Process Explained The purpose of assembling this lung model is to demonstrate what happens when we breathe. In this model, structures of the respiratory system are represented as follows: plastic bottle chest cavityplastic tubing tracheaY-shaped connector bronchiballoons inside bottle lungsballoon covering the bottom of bottle diaphragm The chest cavity is the body chamber (bounded by the spine, rib cage, and breast bone) that provides a protective environment for the lungs. The trachea, or windpipe, is a tube the extends from the larynx (voice box) down into the chest cavity, where it splits into two smaller tubes called bronchi. The trachea and bronchi function to provide a pathway for air to enter into and exit the lungs. Within the lungs, the air is directed into tiny air sacs (alveoli) that serve as the sites of gas exchange between the blood and external air. The breathing process (inhalation and exhalation) relies heavily on the muscular diaphragm, which separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity and works to expand and contract the chest cavity. What Happens When I Pull Down on the Balloon? Pulling down on the balloon at the bottom of the bottle (step 9) illustrates what happens when the diaphragm contracts and the respiratory muscles move outward. Volume increases in the chest cavity (bottle), which lowers air pressure in the lungs (balloons inside the bottle). The decrease of pressure in the lungs causes air from the environment to be drawn through the trachea (plastic tubing) and bronchi (Y-shaped connector) into the lungs. In our model, the balloons within the bottle expand as they fill with air. What Happens When I Release the Balloon? Releasing the balloon at the bottom of the bottle (step 10) demonstrates what happens when the diaphragm relaxes. The volume within the chest cavity decreases, forcing air out of the lungs. In our lung model, the balloons within the bottle contract to their original state as the air within them is expelled.

The culture of the city of Cairo, Egypt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The culture of the city of Cairo, Egypt - Essay Example Cairo is the largest city in Africa and one of the most densely populated cultural center of the region.It is famous for its proximity with the world famous pyramids of Giza and Great Sphinx. Cairo has derived its modern name from the Arabic name 'Al-Qahira. In local vernacular, it is also called Masr. Heritage Sites Memphis was the ancient city located at 20 kilometer to the south of Cairo, which was founded by the pharaoh Menes in 3000 BC. Cairo derives its heritage from Memphis as it remained most important city during those days having located at the mouth of Nile Delta.The ruins of the Memphis tell about its magnificent past and they have been preserved since 1979 as a World Heritage Site. Heritage sites such as Saqqara (Sakkara) Pyramids, Mosque of Ibn Tulun, Khan Al-Khalili, Egyptian Antiquities Museum, Citadel (Al-Qalaa) and many more in Cairo exhibit rich heritage and cultural pride of the place. Gates known as forte were the pride of ancient Cairo. They defended the country from the enemies. It also used to serve the purpose of Source: http://www.touregypt.net/historicalessays/cairogates.htm administration. Only residents of Cairo were allowed to enter the gates. In 1087, the three gates Bab El Fetouh, Bab Zuweila and Bab El Nasr were to built by Badr El Gamali, the prince of armies. The Egyptian Museum The Egyptian Museum is located at Tahrir square in Cairo. Built in 1897 during the reign of Khedive Abbass Helmi II, it has 107 halls. The ground floor is full of huge statues. Mummies and Tutankhamon treasures are situated in first floors. The museum is divided into several sections. Old Kingdom monuments and pre-dynasty stuff are housed at second floor. Middle Kingdom monuments are located in third section. Monuments of the Modern Kingdom are housed in the fourth section. Monuments of the Greek and Roman periods are stationed at fifth section. Coins and papyrus are placed at sixth section. The seventh section is devoted to sarcophagi. The tomb of Tut ankhamun was discovered by Howard Carter. It took almost 10 years to finish excavation job to unleash this tomb. Perhaps, the most fascinating group of artifacts that are available anywhere in the world is said to be associated with the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb. Tutankhamun is said to have ruled Egypt somewhere between 1334 and 1325 BC. The tomb is housed in the basement of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. More than a million tourists visit the museum annually besides local Egyptians. (The Egyptian Museum†¦) Heliopolis The ancient site of Heliopolis is situated to the northeastern side of greater Cairo in a district called Matariya. It is one of the three ancient cities of ancient Egypt after Memphis and Thebes. Heliopolis called the 'City of the Sun' in Greek is now largely surrounded by the suburbs of Cairo. It lay inland to the west side of the river Nile. It is said that it was famous for its learning centers and famous temples, which continued even during Graceo-R oman times. The city got destroyed during 525 BCE and 343 BCE due to Persian invasion although its old reputation and structures attract tourists till date. (Heliopolis†¦) The Citadel The Citadel is most popular among non-pharaonic monuments. It houses museums, mosques and is one of the most fascinating monuments on Cairo’s skyline. When viewed from Source: http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/citadel.htm the north side, it reveals its true medieval glamour. The area was known for its cool breeze. Saladin built the area to safeguard themselves from the attackers because the area had a strategic advantage of overlooking Cairo. In fact, Saladin had implemented his native tradition of Syria where each town was built like fortress to safeguard the local ruler. The construction was round towers so that it could be used to flank fire on those who try to scale the walls. The citadel walls were made 10 ft thick and 30 feet high. After Saladin several rulers reinforced the str ucture of citadel. (The Citadel in

Professional Role Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Professional Role Paper - Assignment Example It is not must to become certified for intensive care but certain people choose to become certified and various facilities choose to hire certified nurses. Nurses that serve critical patients need to serve in emergencies, Intensive Care Units, Critical Care Units, and walk in clinics. In addition to general nursing care these nurses need to provide patients with sympathy, respect and support. The nurses need to have a hold over reassurance of patients’ needs. Critical care nursing is a trend setting field as in the near future many people will be requiring specialized intensive care. The field of critical care nursing is a promising one but requires certain attributes in a person. Modernization has also affected the field of health care and with every day that passes patient care becomes complex, hence it is a must nurses be knowledgeable. Intensive care nursing is different from regular nursing because it requires the nurses to take special care of the patients. Critical care nursing focuses on the care of the critically ill or unstable patients. Critical care nurses usually work in emergency departments and ICUs. A critical care nurse in addition to her nursing qualities provides a patient with sympathy and moral support. Due to all these traits I envision myself becoming an intensive care nurse in the future. This field of nursing intrigues me because I like providing support to patients who are critical. The rush of blood that working in a critical unit causes interests me (Cottrell and Kendall, 2010). Nursing dates back to ancient times. The history of nursing shows that it was a profession of honor and discipline. History gives account of one of the most famous nurses of all time that provided critical care at the time of war. Florence Nightingale stands as one of the most prominent nurses in history (Blais and Hayes, 2011). In America an association called American