Asian Economic History Essays - Economy Of South Korea, Free Essays

Asian Economic History Essays - Economy Of South Korea, Free Essays Asian Economic History Brief Economic History and Government Policy Korea was one of the poorest countries in world after experiencing two wars. World War II and Korean war (1950 1953). The country even experienced a food shortage so that it had to heavily rely on the foreign aid. Yearly per capita consumption was a mere $88 as late as 1965. However, since 1965, Korea has been transformed from its underdeveloped agricultural economy to a leading Newly Industrializing Country. Between 1965 and 1981, its gross national product GNP multiplied twenty times from $3 billion to $63 billion and per capita GNP increased sixteen times from $88 to $1,554. There have been many explanations for Koreas successful story. Among those, the strong role of government would be probably the most important one. At the same time, this would be also responsible for current recession. After Koran war, the government in fact had no sense of direction and also due to the unstable political situation, the country didnt have specific economic policy until 1961 when military government came to power and established the major institution guiding its economic planning called Economic Planing Board (EPB). This government set economic development as the top national priority and recognized the financial system in support of economic development plan. To achieve this purpose, it focused its policies mainly on export expansion moving its emphasis from import substitution. The result was considered quite successful for economic growth. Between 1965 and 1973, exports grew at average annual rate of 45%, from $175 million to $3,271 million. The success of the expansion was due primary to three factors (Kwack, 72). The first was a favorable international economic environment, which saw total world imports expand from $175 billion in 1965 to $536 billion by 1973. This boom in impo rts of the world reflected the fact that the industrialized had not yet erected import barriers against exports from developing countries and were, on the contrary, quite active importers of cheaper goods from Newly Industrializing Countries such as Korea. A second significant factor was the Korean governments policy of promoting exports, which was set in motion in 1965. Initially, the government introduced a number of fiscal and financial incentives, which I will discuss more later. A third factor was Koreas abundant and highly productive labor force. This gave Korea a strong comparative advantage in producing labor intensive products and provided the impetus for the notable expansion for exports. In order to expand total exports over time periods, however, Korea turned to new export industries that were expected to have a comparative advantage with abundant labor, but skilled labor at this time, such as shipbuilding, electronics, and steel industries. This attempt was viewed as a manufacturing shifting of its emphasis from light industries to heavy industries which later started to produce intermediary goods as substitutes for imports (Kwack, 77). However, this governments promotion of heavy industries for large-scale economies led to under-investment in light manufacturing industries causing productive gap between small and large firms. Actually, the large firm that runs heavy industries has been given priorities, and small and medium firms relatively disregarded in governments allocation of loanable funds and other administrative preference. As a result, conglomerates later known as chaebol (family owned conglomerate) have been formed through this expansion of heavy industries. Governments Policy Before 1961 As seen above, the Korean government has been focused on import substitution for economic growth during 1953 65 period and followed by export expansion policy after 1965. However, to progress its policy efficiently, the government had to face to one of serious problem, poverty. After two major wars, the country even with a food shortage experienced lack of capital. There was no source for savings and investment to finance economic growth domestically, so it depended heavily on foreign capital which inflow in a form of mostly aid and loan in the early stage of economic growth. The proportion of foreign capital to total capital formation in 1965 was approximately 40 percent. In addition to inflow of foreign capital, the government faced allocation of capital with using its financial system. Before the military government in 1961, the loan decisions of commercial banks were heavily influenced by political interference (Haggard, 26). Well, in fact the loan decisions

Leadership and Supervising Influence in Human Services

Leadership and Supervising Influence in Human Services Introduction Leadership is the ability to steer people toward achieving goals. Leadership is a strategic position, and according to advanced leadership models, leaders can perform different roles. Leaders can perform the functions of management, mediation and even mentorship roles.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Leadership and Supervising Influence in Human Services specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These roles are clearly visible when leaders are managing programs or projects in the organization. Supervisory and leadership are critical in building healthy working relationships (Lewis, Packard Lewis, 2007). Roles of Leadership Model The manager quality in leadership is particularly valuable. A leader is required posses administrative skills. Implementation of programs, like human service programs involve the allocation of resources. These resources have to be well employed and utilized in meeting the goals or object ives of programs. Therefore, as a manager, a leader must know how to deploy resources and organize work so that the goals are attained at the end of the program. As a mediator, a leader should have the ability to moderate work by listening to differing proposals and opinions, and crafting a lee way of working. Leaders should know how to broker mutual agreements between opposing forces in the team. As a mentor, the leader has to be exemplary to the team. He has to show that he or she is committed to the course or program. He must encourage the team and ensure that they remain focused (Lewis, Packard Lewis, 2007). Elements of the supervisory process Supervision is a process, and its elements are brought out in the model which was developed by Schulman. These elements are in phases. The first phase, which is the preliminary phase, comes before the supervisor is assigned to a specific. In this phase, the feelings, personal fears and emotions of employees are assessed. It is followed by the beginning phase. The role of the supervisor is clarified. The supervisor is given direction and approach of facilitation. The ideas of the team are listened to by the supervisor so as to come up with a proper framework on which to work with the team in accomplishing the set goals.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There is also the middle phase, where facilitation takes place. A number of skills are employed here; for instance, skills of problem solving so that common grounds can be reached with the entire team. Lastly, is the transition phase. This may entail the assignment of a new task, promotion or even resignation of the supervisor (Lewis, Packard Lewis, 2007). Supervisory Challenges An employee may be promoted from his position to a supervisor. This takes time, and it is transitional. This requires highly developed skills as well as knowledge. Also, thi s calls for greater exercise of authority and responsibility. As the employee assumes the supervisory role, he or she will need to shift and focus on assessment and evaluation of employees. The first hurdle will be in choosing the most favorable leadership style to use. Maintaining a balance between the employees and the clients is another hard task to enforce and which must be enforced (Lewis, Thomas Lewis, 2007). The supervisor must motivate the employees. The supervisor must strike a balance between the extrinsic and intrinsic reward systems. Winning the attention of staffs through rewarding is a complicated issue all together yet if well enforced, the output of staffs will often grow. The problem of low performance of employees must be addressed by the supervisor. Reprimand and disciplinary procedures have to be used. The supervisor must ensure that he has exploited all channels of improving the outcome of underperforming employees before reprimanding and using other disciplina ry options (Lewis, Thomas Lewis, 2007). Influencing factors Job design is vital in attaining quality at the work and output of employees. It involves integrating various roles to be done employees to accomplish the organizational mission. A systematic process is used in specifying the duties to be performed at each position. The natures of jobs to be performed are described by the job design. Hiring consists of selecting people, who are best qualified. Skills, education, past employment and experience are key considerations in the recruitment process. The employer must evaluate the job applicants, and even link their experience and skills to the organizational mission and objectives (Lewis, Packard Lewis, 2007).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Leadership and Supervising Influence in Human Services specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Training follows recruitment. This deals with the provision of information to employe es concerning the programs of the organization. In addition, the services and products of the organization are described during training. It also enhances the knowledge level of the new staffs, which in turn enhances resilience to organizational problems. The delivery of service is enhanced by training. The manner in which the employees are managed will be the determinant factor of their achievement (Lewis, Packard Lewis, 2007). Challenges of Managing Team Members The management of individuals and groups in a firm entails the use of effective communication. The challenges commonly experienced in supervision of employees are stress related to ineffective management, training problems, which results in low quality work and results and lack of intensive motivation from the supervisors. Others are low level of supervisor education and incompetent supervisors – in leadership skills and professionalism (Austin Hopkins, 2004). Conclusion Leaders play several roles, among them mana gement, mediatory and mentorship. These roles are essential in human service organization. Training of supervisors is also crucial. It aids in smoothening the supervisory process. Problems are inherent in the supervisory process hence supervisors have to take time to learn them and address them effectively. References Austin, M. J., Hopkins, K. M. (2004). Supervision as collaboration in the human services: Building a learning culture. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage. Lewis, J. A., Packard, T., Lewis, M. D. (2007). Developing and Managing Human Resources (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning. Cengage.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Lewis, J.A., Thomas, T.R., Lewis, M. D. (2007). Management of human service programs.- Wadsworth: Cengage.

Mortgage loans in Italy and a residential financial analysis Essay

Mortgage loans in Italy and a residential financial analysis - Essay Example One of the main strengths of the Italian housing market is, according to a 2001 census, a very high rate of ownership which sits around 71% and the residences where people live account for about 60% of Italians net wealth.3 One of the advantages of getting a mortgage loan in Italy is the fact that the Euro, at the moment, is a very strong currency as this offsets the facts that the mortgage rate in Italy is a little higher than in the United States or England.4 There are legal issues that must be dealt with in securing a mortgage loan and owning property in Italy. A reservation must be signed once you have found a property that you would like to purchase which is a legally binding agreement that obliges both parties to complete the purchase of real estate by a specific date in an office of an Notary Republic.5 After the reservation is signed there is a mandatory deposit that must be put down which ranges from 10 - 30% which you do not return if you pull out of the deal but conversely if the vendor pulls out of the deal they must pay two times the amount that was agreed upon as the deposit. 6 When the real estate deal is completed the deposit is counted toward a down payment. The buyer must state that the purchase of the property is conditional on the buyer receiving a mortgage, a satisfactory survey, and that the property in question is in compliance with building regulations free from all charges as the buyer must check what legal fees and local government taxes might be associated with the purchase before re-mortgaging or purchasing. 8 The real estate deal is complete once this process is formalized by a sale deed written by a local notary who then registers the deed with the land registry as well as pays all the taxes incurred on behalf of the buyer.9 There are Italian solicitors that are available for much of this legal work as they generally charge 2% of the purchase price of the property as some of their duties include drawing up of contracts, contacting the relevant notary for such documents, payment of taxes and registering the property. 10 Notary fees differ on the price as they generally charge a higher percentage on less expensive properties as the average fee will be around 4% of the declared price of the property.11 Foreign citizens must also receive a tax identification number codice fiscale through any Italian financial office or an Italian Embassy.12 This document is important for: Signing the preliminary purchase agreementRequesting bank financingOpening bank accountsConcluding the final purchase agreement with notaryPurchasing an automobile Arranging public utilities contractsPresenting declarations to public offices , whether communal, regional or state13 The time value of money is used as the base for all ideas in finance as it has a direct impact in business, consumer, and government finance as the time value of money derives for the concept of interest. In the terms of the time value of money one dollar today is the same value as a dollar in three years time but where it differs is the money that could be made by investment and gaining interest over a period of time from when you first receive the money. If you receive 10,000 dollars today you

Argument Essay Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Argument Assignment - Essay Example Speaking of the latter, there are campuses today that are experiencing problems brought about by crows. One of which would be that it serves as a distraction for students from class as crows bring fear to some while curiosity to others. Instead of listening in class, students tend to talk about crows and some just want to leave the room into a safer place. Second problem of which would be that some crows get into the food of the students and eat them. They also get into the cafeteria which may pose a threat to the cleanliness of the food being served. Third, some crows have the tendency of attacking kids when they think their actions are provoking or harming them. Lastly, the overall hygiene of the campus is being sacrificed because of the fecal matter that the crows drop along the hallways. This can again result to the increase of viruses that may result to sickness. With all these said, there is indeed a need to provide a solution for these very valid problems, that when not immediately acted upon would cause bigger problems for the school and its students. A good way to start solving this problem would be to set aside a fund that would allow the depopulation of crows. One of which would be to set up scare crows which will repel them from staying in the campuses. There is also a more practical way of visually repelling them such as by setting up mirrors in the area that when hit by the sun will reflect a light that will make it hard for crows to see. Indeed, though crow depopulation is not really a common problem that we would be familiarly spending money on, I strongly believe that funding a solution to it is a must. This is because the presence of crows in the campus has a lot of repercussions. First, it could affect the credibility and the effectiveness of the school towards the learning of students because they get distracted by them. If this happens, it would cost the school more to have these students transfer to

Sigmund Freud Essay Example for Free

Sigmund Freud Essay Consequently, Watson proposed that psychologist should confine themselves to studying behaviour, since only this was measurable by more than one person. For Watson the only way psychology could be taken seriously was to emulate the natural sciences and become objective. Watsons form of psychology was known as behaviourism. In 1913, Watson was working in the field of animal psychology and thought that the term animals could include humans. Watson was not interested in the mental processes. He saw no role for the mind and consciousness. Watson thought behaviour was observable and therefore scientific. The mind and its thought processes were abstract and unobservable and therefore unscientific. Behaviourism was defined by Watson as the study of the association between a stimulus and a response. Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) was a Russian physiologist studying the digestion of dogs, when he found that the laboratory dogs could be conditioned to salivate without food. This learnt behaviour was called classical conditioning. Behaviourism began with the study of animals and experiments were taking over from simply watching them in their natural environment. Thorndike (1911) was interested in human behaviour although he used animals for his experiments for ethical reasons. Thorndike used a puzzle box with a complicated set of pegs and pulleys and watched as the animals attempted to escape. Eventually though trial and error, the animal would manage to open the door and it was rewarded with food. So escaping from the box had become desirable. The animal would then be placed in the box again and after several repetitions the animal preformed the necessary response to open the door more quickly. Thorndike argued that the animal had learnt how to escape because of the reward. Thorndike called this the law of effect. If we like the consequences of our actions then the actions are likely to be repeated. This kind of learning was known as operant conditioning and was studied in more detail by B. F Skinner (1874-1949) Skinner reiterated Thorndikes law of effect in his experiments with rats. Skinners approach to psychology was scientific. His views came from Darwins theories of evolution. Skinner focused on the environment as a cause for human behaviour. He did not think people acted for moral reasons; he thought they reacted in response to their environment. A person might do a good thing not for moral reasons, but for the rewards received for the act. For Skinner the mental process is irrelevant. There is a key difference between classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning involves involuntary or innate behaviour such as salivating and fear responses. They can be elicited, which means you can do something that produces an involuntary response. Operant conditioning involves voluntary behaviours. Voluntary behaviours are those behaviours that cannot be made to happen. This means that you cannot get these behaviours until someone carries them out. Watson did a study in 1920 and it is a widely used example of how we learn. Albert was conditioned to show a fear response to rats that he initially liked and showed no fear. Watson used a hammer struck on a metal bar to make a loud noise. Albert showed a natural fear response to the loud noise. (Unconditional response) The bar was struck while Albert petted the rat. Eventually, Albert associated the loud noise with the rat and showed the fear response upon seeing the rat. (Conditional response) Watson claimed that emotional responses are learnt through conditioning. He concluded that environment shapes our personality and genetics play no part in our behaviour characteristics. There are ethical criticisms of the little Albert study, however the main criticism seem to be that when the data was examined it showed that it was quite difficult to condition Albert and the fear did not last long. They had to repeat the pairing often to strengthen the association between the loud noise and the rat. Although, the study suggests that it was easy to condition Albert, the data suggest that it was not that easy and not that clear cut. Social learning theory assumes that personality differences result from differences in the learning experiences. This includes learning from observing others in addition to operant and classical conditioning. For example in language acquisition, a child learns to talk by imitating the adults. For social learning to occur, one individual must acquire a new behaviour from another individual (the model) with no reinforcement required. For example, monkeys in the wild are afraid of snakes and display this fear with screeching and jumping up and down. Captive monkeys reared in a laboratory do not have this fear. Mineka and Cook (1988) studied how rhesus monkeys can learn this response. When lab reared monkeys observed the agitated behaviour of wild monkeys in response to a snake, they modified their behaviour to match the model. The monkeys seem to have learnt to display fear by watching the behaviour of other individuals. Bandura, Ross and Ross, (1961) set out to investigate whether children learnt, through observation to display aggression. Children aged between 3 and 6 years of age were split into two groups. One group were exposed to a non-aggressive adult model. The other group were exposed to an adult model behaving aggressively, both physically and verbally to a blow up Bobo doll. The model punched, kicked and hit the doll with a mallet while the children observed this behaviour. The children were then taken to a room containing non-aggressive toys such as crayons, cars, a farm set and aggressive toys such as a dart gun a mallet and a Bobo doll. The children imitated the model with verbal and physical aggressive behaviour towards the Bobo doll. The findings demonstrated that observation and imitation could account for the learning of specific acts without reinforcement. Classical conditioning can explain some of the aspects of human behaviour, especially natural fear responses. Taste aversion, phobias and Gulf War Syndrome can be explained this way. Classical conditioning has a wide range of applications in behaviour therapy and has been successful in treating phobias. However, it cannot explain the attainment of entirely new behaviours and it cannot explain all of human learning especially the diversity of human personality and characteristics. It does not take into account that humans are capable of insight learning and the results are achieved through reasoning, with no trial and error are present. Operant Conditioning can explain how children learn the sounds of words from adults. Nevertheless, it does not explain how children correct grammar, as parents do not reinforce grammar (Slobin 1975) Bibliography Brain C. (2000) Approaches and Methods. Nelson and Thornes Ltd. UK Jarvis M. (et el) (2000) Angles on Psychology. Stanley and Thornes Ltd. UK Atkinson R.L. (et el) An Introduction to Psychology. (1981) Harcourt Brace College Publishers. USA (Word count 2052) Beverley Fielden Access Psychology

The Industrial Revolution :: European Europe History

The Industrial Revolution Examine in detail the History of the Industrial Revolution. Discuss why Britain led the way in the Industrial Revolution and also explain in detail the effects of industrialization on society. Had it not been for the industrial revolution, I would doubt very much that we would enjoy the technology we have in the year 2000. The reason we have this technology is that between the years 1750 and 1914 a great change in the world's history was made. People started to discover faster methods of producing goods, which increased their economy. These people were mainly British and French, but after a few years the French were distracted by their revolution, and the British continued to industrialize. However you must not think this industrialization had no effects on society because it did. So in this essay I am going to talk about the history of the industrial revolution, discuss why Britain led the way in the industrial revolution and also I am going to explain to you in detail the effects of industrialization on society. In the midevel ages people were living in total darkness, and they did not know what was going on in the world around them. Happily the medieval ages were followed by the renaissance. Then came the year 1750, the year of the agricultural revolution in Britain which led away to a revolution in industry. Charles Townshend for example was one of the people who made the agricultural revolution possible. He suggested rotating the crops every year or two, to help the soil get enriched with vitamins and nutrition's. The America's then introduced potatoes to Great Britain. New farm machines were invented, for example Jethro Tull developed a seed drill which planted seeds in straight rows and farmers began using new iron plows in place of inofitiant wooden plows. In addition to that, the enclosure movement brought wealthy people to farm larger amounts of land, which was very good for the agricultural revolution. This revolution improved peoples diet and health leading to an increased populati on, which demanded healthy food, clothing and employment. Since many farmers were seeking jobs, they found it now in the textile industry, which created a new demand for laborers. You shall notice now that the mechanical inventions were so rapid and each one triggered another new one. A few examples of these inventions are the flying shuttle by John Kay, the spinning jenny by James Hargraves, the water frame by Richard Akriwght, the power loom by Edward Cartwight, Samuel Cromptons spinning mule, and Eli Whitney's cotton gin.

Review Case Study Dogfight over Europe: RyanAir Essay

1. Overview of RyanAir RyanAir was founded in 1985 by Tony Ryan who former has been worked in Aer Lingus. It established to provide schedule passanger airline services between Ireland and UK as an alternative flight to the state monopoly carrier, Aer Lingus. Initially, RyanAir was a full-service conventional airline, with two classes of seating and leasing three different types of aircraft. RyanAir’s objective was to maintain its position as Europe’s leading low-fare airline, operating frequently point to point flights on short-haul flights, mainly out of regional and secondary airports. Its strategy was based on providing a no-frills service with low fare designed to stimulate demand, particularly from budget-conscious leisure and business travelers who might not have travelled at all. Mission Ryanair aims to offer low fares that generate increased passenger traffic while maintaining a continuous focus on cost commitment and operating efficiencies. Vision To firmly establish itself as Europe’s leading low-fares scheduled passenger airline through continued improvements and expanded offerings of its low-fares service. Values Ryanair is committed to bring customers the lowest fares and most on-time flights out in comparison to all competitors. Most importantly are safety issues, punctuality, near-perfect baggage handling, and the green policy. Goals Ryanair plans to increase efficiency and lower costs even further in comparison to industry rivals. The company wants to become the 2nd largest international airline. 2. Internal Analysis Ryanair’s success was based on a skilful adaptation of the Southwest Airline model focusing on the cost leadership. It benefits from the first mover advantage as it has implemented the budget model first in the European market by negotiating best rates possible with secondary airports. Ryanair has established a single type aircraft fleet that saves on training costs, point-to-point flights that enable fast turn-around times and flights to secondary airports that save airport fee costs. All of them enable Ryanair to keep its operations extremely efficient. Furthermore, Ryanair sub contracts employees on temporary basis, which again saves the company huge expenses making it flexible and adaptable to environmental changes. Figure A2 illustrates all the key points as a summary. Further savings are generated through Ryanair’s website where no advertisement is necessary. Through ancillary revenues as e.g. on-board gaming and car renting Ryanair manages to generate highly satisfying 20% of its revenues. The low-cost business strategy has been successfully integrated into the Porter’s Value Chain. The Resource Based View Model shows the internal analysis as a summary. 3. External Analysis PESTLE Analysis is a suitable tool in order to analyse the external environment. It summarises all the external factors, which might create opportunities or cause significant threat to Ryanair’s operations. Political The political institution European Union affects Ryanair’s strategy and operations by establishing regulations and restrictions in the airline industry. For example, the regulation setting a ceiling on flying hours in order to prevent pilot’s fatigue forces Ryanair to hire more employees. In addition, the EU demands to refund air passengers in case of delays or cancelled flights. Also, the EU might increase the emission fees. All those  EU regulations must be considered and Ryanair’s strategy has to be accordingly adjusted in order to avoid a negative impact on the business. In addition, Ryanair should be aware of regional distinctions as the Irish tourist tax and national government laws acting in favour of national airlines that increase Ryanair’s costs, e.g. national employees contracts in other countries have different terms and conditions that must be applied and are more expensive. Economical Ryanair saves costs by operating over secondary airports. In that way they avoid primary airport charges and extra costs. The economics downturn in 2009 has shown that Ryanair as the leading budget airline can offer the cheapest flights attracting customers and still generate returns. As long as the low fares are guaranteed Ryanair will do well in comparison to its competitors. But if fuel price fluctuations occur, an increase in price will lead to an increase of Ryanair’s operating costs causing problems to guarantee low fares, which stand for the core competence of Ryanair. Failures in hedging, as it happened in year 2008, should be avoided. Also exchange rates should be observed as they might lead to supply chain disruptions. Social Customers perceive Ryanair’s customer service as poor, as the passengers expect to be compensated for cancelled and delayed flights. The poor working conditions cause legal and safety issues that can scare established and potential new customers away. Additionally, the provoking and misleading advertisements lead to a bad image of Ryanair from customer perspective. Those social factors should not be ignored, as customers are key for further growth and market expansion. Technological Ryanair has successfully demonstrated how to make use of modern technology in order to save costs. Ryanair’s online check-in policy and marketing on Ryanair’s website demonstrates how to make use of the Internet technology avoiding expenses of travel agents and excessive advertising. Besides, if  technology such as on-board Internet connection and television are offered for a fee they can generate additional revenue on board. Legal Ryanair is involved in a few legal battles with Stansted and Dublin airport that raise their departure duties. Besides, Ryanair’s misleading and provoking advertisement assault media law and civil law resulting in high penalty fees. The poor working conditions and insufficient training might be an issue of labour law. Additionally, the poor working conditions lead to safety issues and can cause a bad image. All those legal issues are causing handling-, penalty fees and court expenses that should be limited. 4. Porter’s 5 Forces Analysis The Porter’s Five Forces Framework helps to identify the attractiveness of an industry in terms of five competitive forces. In Ryanair’s case it determines if the European budget airline industry is an attractive one. (see: Figure A6) 1) The Threat of Entry The low fares industry, especially, with established leading players as Ryanair, is really hard to enter. The entrants need high capital requirements in order togenerate high economies of scale to compete in the European market. Besides, access to distribution channels is required. That means that the factor threat of new entrants is pretty low. 2) The Threat of Substitutes A service that creates equivalent value to the customers as the airline industry does is the railway networks, sea transports and car rental firms. The only significant threat is the train service because the other options are too expensive. Even though Europe has a good train network like EuRail, the disadvantage of trains is the journey time. It takes much longer to reach a destination by train than by plane, which results in a higher opportunity & transaction costs. To conclude, the threat of substitute is low. 3) The bargaining power of buyers Customers have a high bargaining power because switching to another airline is simple and there are no additional expenses required (e.g. EasyJet and Virgin Express). Especially, in a strategy of cost leadership each customer becomes important. Besides, an increasing problem is that more and more competitors start to offer cheap prices, as well. 4) The bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of suppliers is high, as there are only two manufacturers competing in the aircraft industry. Supplier switching costs are high, as the pilots will need to be retrained and high capital investments must be made. Ryanair’s main supplier has traditionally been Boeing. But Ryanair can allow itself to change suppliers because of its healthy cash flow and because it has already tried to purchase Airbus aircrafts after the purchase of 200 jets from Boeing got cancelled. 5) The extent of Rivalry between competitors The number of competitors that are trying to imitate Ryanair’s cost leadership is increasing. As the market share of the budget airline is only 30% of the whole airline industry the market contains the potential to grow. This might also be the problem for Ryanair and its expansion strategy. As the threat of entry is high the extent of rivalry stays as middle. 5. SWOT Analysis a) Strength 1) Point-to-Point flights. 2) Low Fare 3) Low Operating Cost (Outsourced) b) Weakness 1) Less customer service 2) Poor working conditions c) Opportunity 1) Market share expansion 2) Establish good relationships with labour unions as BALPA 3) Ryanair’s website presence and modern technology 4) Competition Committee who control harm competitors d) Threatness 1) EU regulation 2) Oil price 3) Legal Issues 4) Substitute Transportation 6. Evaluation of Michael O’Leary’s Leadership Michael O’Leary is an extraordinary figure and key personality in Ryanair’s management. He owns an aggressive and innovative leadership style. His statements are provoking and direct. Even though he has a deep financial understanding and became a wealthy person by selling 5 billion of Ryanair’s shares, he still lives the life of a middle-class person. Strong Leadership style O’Leary has an energetic, motivating leadership style. Former employees are praising his leadership style and he received a the European Businessman Award from the magazine Fortune. Innovation abilities O’Leary persuades Ryanair to adopt the strategy model of Southwest Airlines even though the majority of the management team was not willing to do so. He was the inventor of charges for online check-in. Skilful Promoter O’Leary was able to bring Ryanair to the customers by doing provoking stunts and curious advertisement. He always managed to attract the attention of the media and was able to put the company Ryanair on the first page in the news. Maintaining Core Competencies and effective Organizational Culture Over the years, O’Leary managed to build a low-cost culture amongst Ryanair workforce. The corporate culture determines how Ryanair operates and conducts its business. Developing Human and Social Capital Social capabilities are O’Leary’s disadvantage. As he is totally focussed to squeeze out everything out of the available resource, e.g. the employees, to lower costs and offer the lowest price, he forgets about the social component. If he and the company want to survive they need to start developing closer relationships without exploiting all the resources. Ryanair has to manage to move away from an autocratic leadership style and transfer to a democratic one. 7. Recommendation SO strategy Ryanair should definitely proceed with its plan to open up 146 routes in year 2010 according to its five years plan. Expanding further in the market pursue the goal to achieve economies of scale that provide a guarantee to offer the lowest price in the airline industry. Moreover, Ryanair should make use of the strengths as its young, commonality aircraft fleet and start to promote a Greening-image. Besides, more revenue can be generated by increasing cross-selling over the website. ST strategy Ryanair should keep buying the newest aircraft models from Boing as supplier. That will allow Ryanair to minimise its emission costs that will lead to competitive prices. Especially, in time of increased competition Ryanair should promote the greening image. In times of an economics downturn Ryanair can even allow to raise the prices as the competition is forced to do the same and Ryanair possesses a wide price difference of 89% compared to its competitors. WO strategy In order to counteract against the bad public image because of controversial advertisement and poor customer service Ryanair should try to look for a dialogue with labour unions and its customers. The successful dialogues with the labour unions should be promoted in marketing channels. Furthermore, Ryanair’s website should be equipped with a feedback area for customers  complaints. The complaints must be constantly reviewed and responded. WT Strategy Ryanair should definitely pay attention to its public image. The poor customer service and safety issues can scare away customers. All problems concerning safety must be eliminated. In order to decrease the pressure from employees more staff should be hired.

Are Violent Video Games Bad for the Youth

In recent discussions of violent video games, a controversial issue has been whether violent video games are bad for youth or not. On one hand, some argue that video games do not affect the youth at all. On the other hand, however, others argue that violent video games affect the youth tremendously. According to media violence researcher Craig Anderson, Chair of Iowa State University’s Department of Psychology, â€Å"in a violent video game, you rehearse the entire aggression sequence from beginning to end† (Hoerrner & Hoerrner 2). According to [his] view, he is saying that â€Å"you have to be vigilant, looking for enemies, looking for potential threats; you have to decide how to deal with the threat, what weapon to use, and how to use it; and then you take physical action to behave aggressively within the game† (Hoerrner & Hoerrner 4). The issue is whether violent video games are bad for eight, nine, or even ten year olds. My own view is that violent video games are indeed bad for young children. Though I concede that whether a child’s parents choose to allow their children to play these violent games is up to them, I still maintain my view that violent games are bad. A perfect example reassuring a parent that their child is not participating in playing these violent games is to check the ratings on the video games to make sure there is no violence in them. Although it might be objected that parents do not have time to check the ratings on their kid’s games, I reply that it is, once again, an option guaranteeing their children are not being exposed to violence. All in all, the issue is important because these violent video games are affecting children’s behavior, making them more aggressive, as well as more violent. Allowing kids to play violent video games changes the way they act towards their peers by causing them to become more aggressive. They no longer seem to have compassion towards one another, but instead coldness towards each other. This was proven when the American Psychological Association concluded that â€Å"playing a lot of violent video games is related to having more aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Furthermore, playing violent games is also related to children being less willing to be caring and helpful toward their peers† (Junior Scholastic 1). Therefore, when children experience more aggression, they are going to feel that their aggressive manner is fine. This age group is not going to take a second look at their negative actions since they see it as â€Å"just fun and games† (Junior Scholastic 1). In essence, by allowing kids to play what they want and not setting boundaries for the kids, parents are not doing any justice to their offspring; instead, parents are saying that it is alright to treat others in an aggressive manner as long as it is just in fun and games. Another perfect example of how violent video games cause children to become more aggressive towards their peers would be the afterschool program I work for — LA’s Best. There I see how these games affect the kids due to how they act towards each other. They are always play-fighting with each other and having fun in their eyes, that is, until someone comes to me or my other staff members crying. When we ask them why they were play-fighting to begin with, they all have the same similar respond-‘that’s how they fight in Mortal Kombat. ’ Mortal Kombat is a popular series of fighting games that contain high levels of blood and gore. So to see our kids reenact what they see on their video games is upsetting because it shows us, the staff, that our kids version of playing together is hitting and tumbling around with each other until someone gets hurt. The eight to ten year olds no longer see playing together as participating in a friendly game of soccer, but instead, a vicious way to kick those who they despise. Therefore, by allowing our kids to involve themselves in these vicious games, changes their definition of the meaning of ‘fun’. They now see fun as hitting and kicking each other until someone is down in pain since they see this type of act of violence in their video game. Lastly, not only do kids experience aggressive behavior through video games, but also criminal violent behavior. This is due to the high rating of violence in the kid’s games. These games make it seem okay to shoot and kill people because the young children can always restart the game and play again. However, in reality, the only thing that these games do for children is actively train them to kill. Take for instance, Retired Lt. Col. Dave Grossman who â€Å"argues that children learn to use weapons and become sharp shooters through simulated games the same way soldiers use simulations to improve their shooting precision. Just as children can improve their phonics with Learn to Read with Winnie the Pooh, they can learn to shoot with deadly accuracy, playing Doom, Splinter Cell, Hitman, and other first-person shooter games† (Hoerrner & Hoerrner 2). Although many would question what Grossman is saying, it actually was proven to be accurate â€Å"in [the] 1997's high school shootings [in] Paducah, Kentucky, [when] the 14-year-old who opened fire on a before school prayer group landed eight out of eight shots on eight different targets. Five of those were headshots† (Hoerrner & Hoerrner 2). Keep in mind the â€Å"teenage shooter had never held a real gun before his shooting rampage†¦ however, spent long hours playing first-person shooter games that simulated killing with the same weapon he used that morning† (Hoerrner & Hoerrner 2). To sum it up, the violence in video games does lead to violent behavior. Video game interaction leads kids to think that using violence is acceptable, causing them to choose their fist over rationality. In conclusion, violent games do indeed lead to aggressive and violent behavior. Not only do these games cause children to be aggressive towards one another, but they also lead to the physical pain of others due to the high content of violence. This is due to children having the entire aggression sequence from beginning to end imprinted in their mind. This therefore, leads them having to seek potential threats while having to figure out which physical action will have the best outcome. This is why every parent should watch the levels of violence in video games as well as set boundaries to what their children can and cannot play.

How to Get an Interview 5 Essential Cover Letter Tips

How to Get an Interview 5 Essential Cover Letter Tips I absolutely love the process of crafting great cover letters.   You may have heard that some recruiters don’t read cover letters, but I would emphasize â€Å"some.†Ã‚   For the ones who do (and you don’t know who they will be), and for smaller employers, an impressive cover letter can make a huge difference. Your cover letter can show recruiters and hiring managers a little bit about how you would show up in an interview. Here are 5 cover letter tips that will get you in the door! 1) Tailor the cover letter to the job posting. I get a lot of requests from clients to write them a generic cover letter that they can use for any application. Every time, I refuse. My advice: NEVER write a generic cover letter. It will hurt you not help you. A company can smell it when you’ve used the same letter for multiple other job applications, and they don’t like it. Instead, read the job description. Research the company. And in your cover letter, tell the company why you want to work for them specifically. What interests you about their mission and vision? What’s your connection to that brand? Writing that kind of letter will get the attention of the decision-maker. 2) Impress your reader quickly. In the first paragraph, after you say what job you’re applying to, list briefly the major reasons you are the right candidate for the job. This task can be done in just a few words. Yes, really, it can! For example: My experience as senior project manager at Blue Shoes, combined with my extensive coursework in business management at Green Vest University, give me the requisite skills for the Project Manager position at Purple Fashion Inc. Note:  The reader doesn’t have to wonder whether you’ve got the training and experience for the position.   He or she has a reason to read further. 3) Give them what they need. Say not what the company can do for you, but what you can do for the company (they couldnt care less how great a match they are for your interests!) Do NOT say:  I have always been interested in fashion and the position at Purple Fashion Inc. will give me the experience I seek. Aaargh!!  Companies are not in the business of giving you the experience you seek.  They hire people who will make a contribution, not suck the life out of them! Instead, say something like:  I have been studying business and working in the fashion industry for the entirety of my academic and professional career, and I look forward to contributing my skills and passion to Purple Fashion Inc. 4) Tell a good, brief story. This tip applies more to smaller organizations who take time to read your cover letter. The person reading your cover letter is a human being, and human beings like stories. If you do a good job with your cover letter, the reader will be enthralled and left wanting more. Thats the effect you want! Here’s a sample story:  In 2008, I worked with our product design and marketing teams to implement a new product campaign, and  it became clear that certain production costs would have to be reduced.  Through my leadership, our team cut those costs by 30% without any labor reduction, and the campaign became profitable in the sixth month of operation.  I will bring this capability for incisive and effective decision making to Purple Fashion Inc. 5) Match your points to the skills sought by the company. Include bullet points in your cover letter that speak exactly to the skill set listed in the job description. This can be different for every job you apply to. Make sure you address the top requirements of this company, vs. some generic company that might be a match for what you’ve done. My clients have great success getting interviews, and I know at least part of that success is due to their effective cover letters. Use the above cover letter tips to create an engaging document that will win interviews. Don’t forget the resume of course, which must be tailored to the job and packed with your accomplishments! For assistance with writing cover letters and resumes that will get you interviews, contact The Essay Expert.

Special Education Assessments of Functional Abilities

Special Education Assessments of Functional Abilities Functional Tests For children with significantly disabling conditions, they need to have their functional abilities addressed before addressing other skills, such as language, literacy and math.   In order to master these subjects, students need to be able first to independently take care of their own needs: feeding, dressing, toileting and bathing or showering themselves (all known as self care.)   These skills are of great importance for the future independence and quality of life for these students with disabilities.   In order to decide which skills need to be addressed, a special educator needs to assess their skills. There are several tests of life and functional skills. One of the best known is the ABLLS (pronounced A-bels) or Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills. Designed as an instrument for assessing students specifically for Applied Behavioral Analysis and discrete trial training, it is an observational instrument that can be completed through interview, indirect observation or direct observation. You can purchase a kit with many of the items required for certain items, such as naming 3 of 4 letters on letter cards. A time consuming instrument, it is also meant to be cumulative, so a test book goes with a child from year to year as they acquire skills.   Some teachers of children with significantly disabling conditions will design programs, especially in early intervention programs, to specifically address deficits in their assessment. Another well known and reputable assessment is the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Second Edition. The Vineland is normed against a large population across ages. Its weakness is that it is comprised of parents and teachers surveys. These are indirect observations, which are really susceptible to subjective judgement (Mommys little boy can do no wrong.) Still, when comparing language, social interaction and function at home with typically developing same aged peers, the Vineland provides the special educator with a view of the students social, functional and pre-academic needs.   In the end the parent or caregiver is the expert in that childs strengths and needs.   The Callier Asuza Scale was designed to assess the function of blind-deaf students, but is also a good tool for assessing the function of children with multiple handicaps, or children on the Autistic Spectrum with lower function. The G Scale is the best for this cohort, and is easy to use based on a teachers observation of a childs function. A much quicker tool than the ABBLs or Vineland, it provides a quick snapshot of a childs function, but doesnt provide as much descriptive or diagnostic information.   Still, in the present levels of an IEP, your purpose is to describe the students abilities in order to assess what needs to be mastered.

Change Management Process Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Change Management Process - Research Paper Example The change is beneficial in a number of ways, which aid businesses in realizing increased outputs, customer relations, and profits (Benjamin, & Levinson, 1993). The proposed change in this case is the adoption of IT and web based technologies in the operations of business, in a generalized capacity. Transition is a concept by which businesses have to encompass in operations. It is an obligation for proprietors to meet the customers’ expectations in the manner by which operations are conducted. The market in which businesses operate set the standards by which operators in the setting must uphold. Advances in technology, particularly in the IT department, such as the introduction of ecommerce in the business environment, have led to changes in how business and its management are conducted (Benjamin, & Levinson, 1993). With more consumers relying on IT and web technology in sales, marketing and advertising, incorporating IT into businesses is a change management process that is beneficial to the businesses. The management has the opportunity to learn the customers’ needs and wants, while the customers are provided with the opportunity to learn more about the enterprise, such as the products and services offered (Mento, Jones, & Dirndorfer, 2002). Adoption of IT in the business environment incorporates three major phases. The first step of the process involves preparation for the change. In this case, the preparation involves defining the change management strategy, making preparations revolving about the management team and developing the model to follow (Kettinger, Teng, & Guha, 1997). The second phase is change management, which incorporates defining the change management plans and taking the proper action to implement the plans. The final phase of the process is based on strengthening the change. The phase involves collection and analysis of feedback based on the plans implemented (Benjamin, & Levinson, 1993). Diagnosis and management of pitfalls and

The Improving Economy of Middle East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Improving Economy of Middle East - Essay Example Publications of the web and science database indicate the standard economic growth of Middle East to be almost faster than that of the world by four times (specifically Turkey and Iran). His name is XX. His area of interest in global studies is the economics and how regional integration affects it. Over the years, we have witnessed the adverse effects of a nation that is divided. States that work in collaboration with others benefit from a broad base of knowledge as well as subsidized trade duties. They also enjoy the benefit of foreign aid and trade from the other states with whom they are partnering with. It also promotes a peaceful co-existence among the nations that are integrated. Most of all, they advance their economies of scale and advice one another on the best ways to make their individual state economies to grow. Of particular interest to this member is the economic growth pattern of the Middle East over the years. He believes though the economy was quite influential sometime back, it experienced some setbacks and stumbled a little. Besides the issue of national and economic integration, his argument is that a states organization of its political economy is very key if the state is to realize sustainable economic growth (Alan & John). This member by the name YY believes a state’s economy is dependent on a number of factors. He is particularly interested in studying the demographic trends of states in order to unveil the linkages between demographic change, food, water, urban life, and regional economic integration and the state’s economy. In demographics, he focuses on the literacy levels of the natives, income per capita, population growth rates, and employment opportunities among others. These issues he argues that, are of prime importance as they are directly linked to the economy of the state.