Women in Combat Argumentative Essay Example For Students

Women in Combat Argumentative Essay In the 1970s, the services traditional attitude toward women was challenged; change was forced upon a reluctant establishment (Holm, 198). The decision to end the draft was the catalyst to such change. This decision allowed for womens participation in the armed forces in unprecedented numbers. The United States Armed Forces have more female numbers than any other nation in the world, both in actual numbers and in percentages (Holm, 1982). The drive for an all-volunteer force, along with an aggressive tide of feminism and congressional passage of the equal rights Amendments led to a gradual shift in the role and status of women in the military (Holm, 1982). In todays military, women were no longer confined to traditional roles in the medical and administrative fields. Almost all military job categories and military occupational specialties (MOS) have been opened to women. They now repair tanks, warplanes, and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). They serve on naval vessels tha t deploy to service ships and submarines of the operational fleet and on Coast Guard cutters operating off United States shores. They serve on missile crews, operate heavy equipment, and direct air traffic. They also provide essential support to combat troops in the field (Holm, 1982). It appears that women have been integrated into practically every aspect of the military; yet there are some jobs that remain closed to them, namely-direct combat specialties (Holm, 1982; Goldman, 1982). It is over these residual exclusions that controversy rages. We will write a custom essay on Women in Combat Argumentative specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Technically, women are barred by low or policy from what is defined in narrow terms as combat. Each of the United States Armed Services excludes females from active Combat. The nature and extent of the exclusion varies with each service. Yet, many argue that the distinction between combat and non-combat becomes blurred in the context of women warfare (Gilder, 1979; Holm, 1982, Goldman, 1982). In actually, many women are assigned to jabs that will expose them to enemy attack, and this has been openly acknowledged by the top Pentagon officials (Women in combat-closer than you think, 1980). The United States Army has also recognized that women would be deployed in combat zones as an inevitable consequence of their assignments. This was confirmed in the following statement made by then Army Chief of Staff, General Bernad W. Rogers: Some people believe that women soldiers will not be deployed in the event of hostilities: that they are only to be part-time soldiers here in peace, gone in w ar. Women are an essential part of the force; they will deploy with their units and they will serve in the skills in which they have been trained (Holm, 1982, p. 286). It appears that the combat exclusion policy does not realistically exclude women from combat, and it seems the militarys reliance on women is increasing. Schneider (1988) conducted interviews with women in traditionally male jobs, asking them what they felt their status would become if a war broke out. In general, they believed that they could not and would not be removed in combat situation (p. 162). The following was taken from two of these interviews. Ive already asked, said a first flight engineer on a C-5, what happens if Im sitting on alert in Europe somewhere and something really happens? Does that mean that they dont have a legal crew anymore because the engineer cant go? A Coast Guard female lieutenant had this to say: I was the trained CIC officer, responsible for the combat information center. Along with a team of radar men, CIC must plot all enemy and friendly forces and advise the bridge of such things as incoming missiles. Im the one thats used to working with these gu ys. That was the purpose of sending us through that simulated training, so that we could get used to working together as a team. What would they do? They couldnt just fly me off and stick somebody else in there (Schneider, 1988, p.162). .u6b5f33646ee595142bd493b75acc9447 , .u6b5f33646ee595142bd493b75acc9447 .postImageUrl , .u6b5f33646ee595142bd493b75acc9447 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u6b5f33646ee595142bd493b75acc9447 , .u6b5f33646ee595142bd493b75acc9447:hover , .u6b5f33646ee595142bd493b75acc9447:visited , .u6b5f33646ee595142bd493b75acc9447:active { border:0!important; } .u6b5f33646ee595142bd493b75acc9447 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u6b5f33646ee595142bd493b75acc9447 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u6b5f33646ee595142bd493b75acc9447:active , .u6b5f33646ee595142bd493b75acc9447:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u6b5f33646ee595142bd493b75acc9447 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u6b5f33646ee595142bd493b75acc9447 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u6b5f33646ee595142bd493b75acc9447 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u6b5f33646ee595142bd493b75acc9447 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u6b5f33646ee595142bd493b75acc9447:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u6b5f33646ee595142bd493b75acc9447 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u6b5f33646ee595142bd493b75acc9447 .u6b5f33646ee595142bd493b75acc9447-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u6b5f33646ee595142bd493b75acc9447:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Oedipus Rex Analysis EssayIt appears that the United States military is in a position where women are so fully and flexibly involved in the organizational structure, that in a war, it would be very difficult to separate them out. Yet, there are those who feel those women are not physically and mentally capable of withstanding the effects of combat. There are many grounds on which this argument could be disputed; some are as follows. Women have contributed greatly in past wars. They have served in combat in many skills during World War II, Korea, and Vietnam (Holm, 1982). One study (Binkin Bath, 1977) found that many NATO and several WARSAW PACT countries employed women in combat roles during World War II. Russia was reported as using military women on the front lines. In Israel, where they are actually conscripted, women have also experienced armed combat. Binkin and Bech (1977) found that in the first phase of Israels war of Liberation, one out of every five soldiers was female and they shared equality in both offensive and defensive battle situations (p. 134). Holm (1982) found that some 7,500 military women served in S.E. Asia during the Viet Nam War. She maintains that these women proved .the modern American military woman is fully capable of functioning effectively in a military role in a combat environment, even under direct hostile fire (p. 207). The United States Army has even conducted its own tests to examine the performance of individual units with women in the field, under simulated combat conditions (Goldman, 1982). The first test, labeled MAX-WAC studied women in three-day field exercise, and assessed their effect on unit performance. The second test, REF-WAC, studied women in thirty-day sustained combat related exercises during the NATO annual REFORGER exercises in Europe. The tests proved that women did not adversely impact unit performance. According to Goldman (1982), these tests provided a great deal of evidence that military women can perform on a par with their male peers; and in terms of their psychological that women are not inferior to men. In general, military women feel the argument that they are not fit for combat physically is irrelevant, as combat is no longer characterized by physical activity. The technological and industrial advances of the twentieth century have caused extensive changes in the nature of warfare (Goldman, Holm, 1982; Gilder, 1979). Due to this changing nature of warfare and military technology, .combat will no longer depend on bayonets and physical force rather on lasers, microprocessors and other sophisticated devices that gender obsolete the conventional images of battle (Gilder, 1979, p. 29). Clearly advanced technology requires a more highly educated workforce, and it has been maintained that military women do fit in such category. According to a back ground study on women in the military done by Commander Richard Hunter, one of the Pentagons leading experts on personnel matters, military women are better educated than military men and score higher on aptitude tests. He found that more than 90% of women recruits have high school diplomas, compared with only 60% of men, and women aptitude scores are approximately 20% higher than the men (Gilder, 1979). Women have clearly demonstrated their capabilities and their potential for future contributions to the military. Their most recent victory was achieved in the Persian Gulf War. There, women helicopter pilots participated in an air assault for first time. They were involved in airlifting the 101st Airborne into Iraq, in what has been called the largest helicopter action in military history (GI Jill deserves a shot at combat, 1991, p. 36). In general many feel that the experience of the Persian Gulf War has called for a new look at the ban on women in combat roles. Indeed, very recently the House Armed Services Committee took the first step toward abolishing the combat inclusion rule. They approved legislation authorizing the Pentagon to assign female pilots to fly fighter and bomber combat missions (GI Jill, 1991). Clearly, this will accelerate the trend already established toward eliminating womens combat exclusions. .u44127bced72cb3f88c61d7c7386a6bc5 , .u44127bced72cb3f88c61d7c7386a6bc5 .postImageUrl , .u44127bced72cb3f88c61d7c7386a6bc5 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u44127bced72cb3f88c61d7c7386a6bc5 , .u44127bced72cb3f88c61d7c7386a6bc5:hover , .u44127bced72cb3f88c61d7c7386a6bc5:visited , .u44127bced72cb3f88c61d7c7386a6bc5:active { border:0!important; } .u44127bced72cb3f88c61d7c7386a6bc5 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u44127bced72cb3f88c61d7c7386a6bc5 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u44127bced72cb3f88c61d7c7386a6bc5:active , .u44127bced72cb3f88c61d7c7386a6bc5:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u44127bced72cb3f88c61d7c7386a6bc5 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u44127bced72cb3f88c61d7c7386a6bc5 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u44127bced72cb3f88c61d7c7386a6bc5 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u44127bced72cb3f88c61d7c7386a6bc5 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u44127bced72cb3f88c61d7c7386a6bc5:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u44127bced72cb3f88c61d7c7386a6bc5 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u44127bced72cb3f88c61d7c7386a6bc5 .u44127bced72cb3f88c61d7c7386a6bc5-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u44127bced72cb3f88c61d7c7386a6bc5:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Bloomingdales international customer service EssayAs public opinion is a force in shaping policy, the attitudes of the American public must also be considered. A national survey of 560 Americans aged eighteen to twenty-four conducted by the Gallup organization asked the following question concerning women in combat: If women are drafted, should they be required to take combat roles as men are, should they be given combat roles only if they volunteer for them, or should they not be eligible for them? (Goldman, 1982, p.284). The responses were as follows:Male FemaleGiven Combat Roles As Men 12% 9%Only if Volunteer 61% 74%Not Eligible 26% 16%Clearly, the majority of the surve y population, men and women alike favored the inclusion of women in combat roles on a voluntary basis. A data analysis taken from a General Social Survey done in 1988 reveals similar liberal attitudes of general population regarding the role of women. When asked to respond to the statement, Women should take care of home, not country, it was shown that the majority, including both male and females respondents, disagreed with the statement. Overall, more women disagreed than men, but this could be explained by the fact that there were more women in survey population than men. Yet overall, there were also more women who agreed than there was men; strikingly the percentages show that men are more likely to disagree with the statement than women are. The same results were seen when the question Should women work was asked. Clearly, it has been demonstrated that women are a valuable resource to the military. Women are thoroughly integrated into the armed forces, and they are now so dependent on women that it would be virtually impossible to go into combat without them. In large part, women have already proved themselves. One needs only look at their role in past wars. Regardless of the combat exclusion rule, women have served in combat roles throughout out history and it is inevitable that they will need for future combat roles. War has become much more diverse in the skills it demands. Today, combat is as much a matter of technical expertise, as physical strength. This increase in skill requirements further signifies the militarys need for all dependence on women; they are currently serving in highly technical roles. Along with the changing role of women in the military, American attitudes a nature and roles of women in our society are also changing. Polls and statistics have shown that there is a clear tendency toward liberalization in terms of womens roles. Indeed, the majority of American believes women should be allowed into combat roles if they are willing. In general, the use of women in essentially combat environments has been considered successfully, and will certainly have implications for their future roles. It may take some time for liberal policies to be implemented but the preliminary groundwork has been laid. In light of the Persian Gulf War, the first significant steps have already been taken toward allowing military women to serve in combat roles. BibliographyBach, S., Binkin, M. (1977). Women and the military. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution. Department of the Army. (1982). Women in the Army policy review. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. GI Jill deserves a shot at combat. (1991, 10 May). Daily News, p. 36. Gilder, G. (1979, January 28). The case against women in combat. The New York Times Magazine, p. 29. Goldman, N. (1982). Female soldiers-combatants or noncombatants?Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. Holm, J. (1982). Women in the military. Novato, California: Presidio Press. Schneider, Carl Dorothy. (1988). Sound off. New York: Dutton. Women in combat: Closer than you think. (1980, 3 March). U.S. News and World Report, p. 31.

Juvenile Justice in Australiaa essays

Juvenile Justice in Australiaa essays The Juvenile Justice Act 1992 (QLD) defines a juvenile as a young person under the age of 17 years. It maintains that a child under the age of 10 years is not considered criminally responsible, and is incapable of forming 'criminal intent'. Similarly, a child under the age of 14 years is not considered criminally responsible, unless it is proven that the child understood the offence was morally wrong. The extent of Police Powers over juveniles, the efficiency of the juvenile justice system, and possible solutions to the problems arising from these systems, need to be addressed in order to reduce the high rate of youth crime. Queensland police have insufficient powers over juveniles, due to the introduction of the Police Powers and Responsibilities Act, which commenced on 6th April 1998. Police have the authority to stop a juvenile, search, question and detain them for questioning without arrest if the officer reasonably believes that juvenile was or will be involved in criminal activity. Cautions can be issued to juveniles as an informal means of addressing a matter, as arrests are only encouraged in exceptional cases. Police can question, fingerprint, photograph and take bodily samples from a juvenile, on the condition that a parent or guardian is present. All other police procedures involving juveniles are uniform to those of adults. The current juvenile justice system is ineffective in dealing with young offenders. For a simple offence such as stealing, the most a child can expect as a means of punishment is a caution, which is not revealed in a further court action concerning the child, or a good behaviour order. It is thought that punishments such as these do little in preventing juveniles from reoffending. The Queensland Police Service Statistical Review for 1996-7 revels that 25% of all offences, 66% of break and enters, 61% of motor vehicle thefts, 44% of robberies and 41% of stealing offences ...

Critically evaluate, in relation to the common law duty of care, the Essay - 4

Critically evaluate, in relation to the common law duty of care, the liability of employers for references. How, if at all, doe - Essay Example Similarly, former employers may tend to show mercy on their employees in certain dishonest acts worth mentioning to the future employers, and this risks the operation failure or dishonesty of another organization or employer. These factors put the former employers at a risk of been held liable for a kind of defamation. In one way, the employers can provide certain information to the prospective employer, but may also avoid producing a lot of information that may prevent the employee from new employment. The chances are that the employers limit their information to evade exposure to defamation, or potential lawsuits that may cost them heavily (McCord, 1999). The employer is obliged to the duty of care to the prospective employers, upon injury or misfortune related to falsified information over a certain employee’s reference. The same case applies to the employee when his or her effort for job search is not successful, due to offensive referential allegations from the former emp loyer. ... Below, several sources touching on privacy, retaliation, and arising from negligent and defamation cases of employers’ liabilities for references under various Acts are discussed. Liability for Defamation Employees can sue their former employers for release of disparaging statements, either orally or written that have can indirectly or directly lead to harm on their reputation, despite the high efforts to revise the Defamation Act, whose original version claimed defamation to consist of unprivileged publication of falsified information and derogatory issues, either actionable disregarding the special harm or its legal cause (Bally, 1989). That is, when the communication occurs, and it has a defamatory meaning, the third party who can be the prospective employer or the public is swayed away by the damaging reputation. According to Mac Kelly, a defamatory statement is that which tends to harm the reputation of another individual, and that lowers him in the society’s view, and prevents third persons from dealing or associating with the individual in subject (2001). However, with the increased technology that furthers globalization, information can travel very fast to different destinations, which increases the chances of spreading defamatory statements in a click of a button, let alone the oral statements. The English Law classifies defamatory statements into two; libel and slander, implying those recorded and that demonstrate a degree of permanence, and those orally made without justification respectively (out-law.com, 2008). The claim of the employee is left to the court to determine and interpret the statement in the context which it was made. It needs to evaluate the surrounding circumstances, audience, employer’s argument, and subject of the communication

ROLE OF GOVERNMENT slp Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ROLE OF GOVERNMENT slp - Coursework Example Discussion Market Structure Market structure is basically the environment, within which a firm produces and sell its product. A market structure is basically selected on the basis of the number of similar firms in the market, the ease of entry and exit of firms and the degree of product differentiation. Based on the definition, the market structures are mainly divided into various forms. Four of the most common form of market structure is listed here under: Monopolistic market structure: In this form of market structure there exist numerous numbers of firms each having a small proportion of the market share with slight differentiation in the product manufactured by each firm. Oligopoly: In this form of market structure small number of firms together controls the majority of the markets share. Monopoly: In this form of market structure the entire market is controlled by a single producer. Perfect Competition: Perfect competitions are a market structure where there is no barrier to ent ry and where unlimited number of buyers and producers do exist. Modern market is considered to be a perfect competition from of market structure (East Tennessee State University, n.d.). ... mpetitors such as Burger King, KFC, and Subway among others and is considered to be one of the most preferred brand among other fast food chain business (Kew, 2013). Role of Government Supporting the Fast Food Industry Fast Food Industry is considered to be one of the leading industries that are expanding at rapid speed. The role of government relating to the fast food industry can be witnessed from the past. It has been viewed that during the initial stage of development of the fast food industry, the government of different countries helped the particular sector to diversify in their country by providing them license and work permit. It is also worth mentioning that the different standards set by the government also helps the industry to set standards, thereby assisting them to produce quality products which results in attracting more customers. Additionally, it has also been observed that the FDI rate for fast food industry is considerably low in comparison to other industrial sec tors in different countries. In this stand, the cash inflow for the fast food sectors reduces, which result in the increase of the cost of the products. In this aspect, such situations are usually mitigated by governmental strategies and interference (Makki, Somwaru and Bolling, n.d.; Food Authority, n.d.). Patent Patent in general is the right given to a producer by the government that restricts other companies or business to produce similar products. It has been viewed there exist two form of patent one with an time limit that restricts similar firms to produce the product within the speculated time mentioned and the other form of patents where the company are the sole owner the product i.e. no other firm can produce similar product. With reference to the mentioned scenario it can be

Behavior finance and market efficiency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Behavior finance and market efficiency - Essay Example In this report, the main causes and underlying drivers of the recent global, financial crisis are explained. Also, comparison and contrast of behavioural and non-behavioural explanations commonly provided by finance academics have been made. The main causes behind the recent global, financial crisis include deregulation by financial institutions, accompanied by rapid financial innovation, which stimulated powerful financial booms. As the financial institutions became flawed, leading to the financial crises, governments responded to such crises with bailouts that allowed new expansions to begin (Crotty, 2009, p, 563). First, the integration of modern day financial markets with the era’s light government regulations, which is also referred to as the New Financial Architecture (NFA) led to the global, financial crisis (Crotty, 2009, p, 563). It should be noted that the New Financial Architecture is based on light regulation of commercial banks, lighter regulation on investment ba nks and little regulation on the shadow banking system. The shadow banking system represents hedge and private equity funds and special investments that are created by banks (Crotty, 2009, p, 563). Minimal regulation of financial institutions led excessive risk taking by numerous financial institutions because of the existing incentives in the market, without fear of restriction or limitation. The assumption that rational investors can make optimal decisions, and that only those who could handle risk, could take it is based on poor theoretical foundations, with no convincing empirical support (Crotty, 2009, p, 563). On the contrary, many investors and financial institution took excessive risk, which they could not manage. Consequently, the global, financial crisis had to arise when the potential losses associated with high risk occurred. Separately, it should be noted that perverse incentives affect key personnel of vital financial institutions such as commercial banks, insurance co mpanies, investment banks, hedge and private equity funds, as well as, mutual and pension funds to take excessive risk when financial markets are buoyant (Crotty, 2009, p, 563). For instance, the provision for no return of fees for securities for mortgage loans, if the securities suffered large losses made most market participants to take loans, as much as the loans may have not been viable or sound (Crotty, 2009, p, 563). Problems arose when the loan takers failed to service or repay the loans because their investments could not profit due to the prevailing market conditions. Financial innovation contributed to emergence of recent global, financial crisis because it led to the creation of financial products that are so complex that they are not transparent (Crotty, 2009, p, 563). This means that such financial products cannot be priced correctly. They are also illiquid and are not sold on markets. In the current financial market, there is a higher value of securities that are not s old on the markets than the existing securities (Crotty, 2009, p, 563). The fact, that sale of securities derivatives is mostly carried out by an investment bank negotiating with customers over the counter, led to

Travelodge And Budget Hotels In The Uk Tourism Essay

Travelodge And Budget Hotels In The Uk Tourism Essay Travelodge is the first budget hotel launched in 1985 in UK. It operates 380 hotels with 26,500 room in the UK. Travelodge is planning to grow 1000 more hotels by 2020. It employs above 5500 people and 87% of the booking are made online. The UK hotel market is estimated around 700,000 rooms (source: Melvyn Gold, Qualification of serviced accommodation supply in UK, December 2007) UK hotel market is segmented mainly into four categories, Brander full service which has 14% of the market share, branded budget 12% branded mid market 62% and unbranded independents 62%.the current economic environment has seen increase in drop out of unbranded independents and people prefer to book with branded budget due to network coverage, brand strength strong balance sheet and distribution. Grant Hearn, Travelodge CEO, commented: 2008 was another record year of growth for the Travelodge brand with over 19% revenue growth. Room sold increased by 9 percent to 6 million The growth of Travelodge has been incredible but company faced a few challenges and one of the major challenge company is facing is overbooking. Overbooking is one of the important revenue management tool in hotels operation management to operate effectively and enhance profitability. Revenue Management is seen as an important technique in the hotels operation and therefore to maximize their revenues, hotels are increasingly implementing Revenue Management practices (Hwang and Wen, 2009). As a consequence of implementing such systems, many companies in the service sector such as hotels systematically overbook capacity in order to maximize the revenue at one particular point in time (Wangenheim and Bayà ³n, 2007). If overbooking is not implemented correctly it can result in loss of room revenue, loss of hotel reputation, decreased customer loyalty and decrease hotels profitability. This report discusses the main characteristics of overbooking and its impact on the company in theoretical and practical prospective. Theoretical insights of overbooking One of the central concepts in Revenue Management is overbooking. The practice of overbooking can be defined as confirming more reservations than the hotels available physical capacity to provide the service. (Ivanov, 2006; Ivanov, 2007; Chiang et al 2007; McGill, van Ryzin,1999; Kamath, Bhosale, Manjrekar,2008). Hence, the objective of overbooking is to improve the expected profit and instead of selling each room once, profit can be increased by selling it several times (Birkenheuer, 2009). In fact, overbooking as an integral part of Revenue Management has received significant attention from literature. From a historical perspective, overbooking is present in the studies of Falkson (1969), Simon (1968), Vickrey (1972) and many others. The major objective of these studies was to outline a control practice for cancellations. Nowadays, overbooking has become an emerging matter in industries with perishable products. It yields considerable impacts on companies performance. In terms of the hospitality industry, the profitability of hotels is largely dependent on their utilization of capacity. Conversely, demand for rooms and extensions of stay are very unstable and are hard to predict (van Ryzin, 2005). Hoteliers are challenged by how to determine the occupation of rooms for customers who are financially unequal and meanwhile maintain a stable rate of demand given the hard to predict circumstances (Okumus, 2004). This is all possible utilizing overbooking, which enables proper allocation of resources and optimization of sales. However, maximizing the number of sold rooms per night cannot be easily accomplished. One of the most challenging tasks of the hotel operation management is to deal with the unpredictable nature of the customers, because not all booked reservations will turn into real service consumption (Lai et al, 2005). To this end overbooking may entail a company from the hospitality industry not being able to serve all its customers properly because of lower number of initially expected people that do not appear as agreed. In this respect, overbooking may have both positive and negative impact. On the one hand, it may result in refusal to provide a service, but on the other, it can also take the form of compensation for those bookers, who cannot received the value package they have agreed on and paid for (Kimes and Wagner, 2001). From their practical experience managers know that all not bookings confirmed for a particular date will be really used (Ivanov, 2006). There are several possible scenarios that can cause this. Despite of their reservations, because of different circumstances some guests cancel their stay and terminate their reservations, some does not cancel their booking but fail to show up, or other guests reduce their stay and as a result the room remains unsold and hence capacity not utilize is lost forever (Ivanov, 2006, Talluri et al, 2004; Chiang et al, 2007; Hung, 2004; Bitran; Leon, 1989). Therefore hotels adopt overbooking in order to protect against losses with no-shows and to offset the effect of cancellations and shortened stays (Hwang and Wen, 2009; Kamath et al, 2008; Selmi, 2008; Chiang et al 2007; Hung, 2004; Sulistio, Kim, and Buyya, 2008). Impacts of overbooking on hotels operation management Apart from the opportunity of the hotel to minimize the effect of reservation uncertainties there are possibilities the number of cancellations and no shows to be less then the number of overbookings, then some of the clients will not be accommodated and should be walked to other hotels (Ivanov, 2006). Thus, if a hotel decides to employ overbooking in its operations it should manages carefully not only the opportunity cost of the unsold room but also the overbooking costs for alternative hotel accommodation and transportation that the hotel has to pay in order to compensate a customer in case of overbooking (Ivanov, 2006; Hung, 2004). Besides the evident financial costs occurring in case of walking a guest having already booked, costs the lost hotels goodwill and reputation and the risks of dissatisfaction, loss of trust, loss of future customer loyalty are much more expensive for the hotel (Selmi, 2007). Overbooking policy and control According to Selmi (2007), the risk of customer refusal appears if the overbooking is no realized precisely. In this regard, Kimes (1989) emphasized on the importance of a clearly stated overbooking policy within the hotel operation management. The objective of overbooking policy and control is to find an optimal overbooking level to maximize the expected revenue and to minimize the potential risk of denied service (Chiang et al 2007). Netessine and Shumsky (2002) as cited by Ivanov (2006; 2007) proposed a basic mathematical model for calculating the optimal number of overbookings and according to his findings the optimal overbooking level is inversely related to the amount of cance llation charges applied the closer the cancellation charge to the room rate, the lower the missed benefit from the unoccupied room and the less stimuli to overbook. In case of presence of guaranteed and non-guaranteed bookings, Ivanov (2007) suggests that the optimal number of overbookings has to be set separately for each type. Alternatively, according to Hung (2004) factors that could be considered while setting overbooking limits include: probabilities of cancellation and no-show; room demand distribution over time and conditions of length of stay; stay extension probabilities influenced by the intended length of stay. Moreover Hung (2004) assumes that the proportion of cancellations depends on the customer category, intended length of stay, day of week of first stay over, and time until first stay over. Impact of overbooking on customer behavior According to Talluri et al (2004) overbooking is frequently cited in customer complaints and remains the primary source of dissatisfaction. Moreover, results of an experiment made by Wangenheim and Bayà ³n (2007) confirm that the practice of overbooking is likely to be perceived as unfair by service customers. Wangenheim and Bayà ³n (2007) analyze behavioral consequences of the fairness towards overbooking by proposing and confirming several hypotheses. According to their research the negative consequences of service failure arising from overbooking are stronger for the high status customer than for the low status customers and therefore, hoteliers have to carefully overbook its high-values classes. Additionally, Wangenheim and Bayà ³n (2007) emphasize on the importance that if a hotel ignores the log-run behavior consequences of overbooking, this may lead to negative consequences on its operations. One such negative consequence is proposed to be a customer who faces a denied service due to overbooking and still remains hotels client because of either high fixed switching barriers or current loyalty membership programs. However, in response to the service failure the customer may adjust its investment into the exchange relationship not only by decreasing the number of sales, but also by trying to take advantage of discount offers or purchasing lower level services from the hotel (Wangenheim and Bayà ³n, 2007). On the other hand, Hwang and Wen (2009) analyze the effect of the perceived fairness toward hotels overbooking and compensation practices by examining customers reactions toward hotel overbooking. Some of their most vital findings from this study are that women are more likely than men to feel that overbooking is unfair, customers perceptions to the fairness of overbooking is not affected by other customer variables including length of stay, membership status, payer source, reservation channel, and reservation time; participants perceived fairness toward the hotels overbooking and compensation policies were strongly correlated with positive word-of-mouth publicity. One of the most important results of the research shows that the perceived fairness of the participants toward the hotels compensation policy is related to their loyalty. Therefore, Hwang and Wen (2009) propose that hotels should consider designing compensations that help positively influence customers perceived fairness t oward overbooking and that encourage customers ongoing patronage and loyalty. In a conclusion, issues like determining the optimal number of excess reservations, minimizing compensation cost, and dealing with the negative effects from customers facing a denied service are considered as the most challenging areas of the practice of overbooking and every hotel striving to maximize its profitability should not underestimate them (Sulistio, Kim, and Buyya, 2008). Practical Implications of overbooking As the hospitality industry is evolving, hotel owners and hotel managers are constantly seeking to update their approaches in order to achieve optimal allocation of resources. Novelli, Schmitz and Spencer (2006) have discovered that hoteliers make every effort to employ contemporary technologies in their business. By this implication, hotel managers and owners do not only sustain competitive advantage, but also create new products and services. In view of this, it can be concluded that implementation of new technologies that create new products is a technological innovation (Evangelista, 1999). On the other hand, the implementation of innovative technologies to a service company can have a significant influence in terms of operational efficiency (Freeman and Soete, 1997). Additionally, Porter (1990) supports the latter thesis by highlighting that the performance of a company is highly dependent on new technologies. In view of technological innovations today many hotels recognize the importance of overbooking practice and thus its implementation has become generally accepted step toward hotels successful operations. The practical application of Revenue Management and Overbooking incorporates the following integral elements (Vinod, 2004): Figure 1 Revenue Management application C:UsersamadDesktopCapture.JPG Source: Vinod, B. (2004), Journal of Revenue Pricing Management Market segmentation: Segmenting customers according to their preferences and spending patterns is a must to make sure the most appropriate customers with perfectly fitted attributes are sold the proper rooms that can maximize revenues (Oliveira, 2003). Defining rate classes (inventory pooling): Involves creating groups of the existing rates that close in terms of value (Vinod, 2004). Demand forecasting: demand forecasting is essential to determine room occupancy. In the context of Revenue Management it is important as it can control occupancy using the data of length of stay. This can be achieved by possessing data on rate class demand and duration of stay (Vinod, 2004). Supply forecasting: earlier and late checkouts can also determine room occupancy, which is an element also involved in Revenue Management. Overbooking control: encompasses sales of rooms exceeding the maximum available number of rooms to offset for no shows and cancellations. However, there are some risks associated with overbooking as it may result in grievances from unsatisfied customers who have received an inappropriate room. In such cases hoteliers offer compensations and fringe benefits (Smith, 1982). According to Vinod (1992) Revenue Management can bring 20% of the total revenues. Revenue mix control and exception processing: involves planning important future dates with discretion and matching them with overbooking levels (Vinod, 2004). Performance measurement and management reporting: closely scrutinizing the Revenue Management processes is essential to track down the data quality and future planning basis. However, in order to lead a hotel into a winning direction, overbooking has to be managed and controlled very carefully. Ivanov (2006) defines the management of overbooking as a set of managerial techniques and activities connected with continuous planning, reservation and control and he outlined two main groups of activities that should be performed in the daily hotel operation. The hotel managers should on one hand, to define an optimal number of overbookings for each date and continuously to modify it according to the market changes of the hotel and the specific demand and booking patters and on the other hand, to manage carefully decisions and operational activities related with walking guests with overbookings. In this regard, Ivanov (2006) proposes that factors such as length of stay, rooms rates and client status have to be considered by hotel managers while dealing with walking a guest with confirmed reservation. Additionally, Kimes (1989) analyzes several managerial concerns essential for an effective overbooking practice and states that top management cannot assume that Revenue Management will just happen, it requires careful planning and training. Thus employees have to be i ntensively trained in order to clearly understand the aim and characteristics of overbooking. Moreover, employees who are directly dealing with overbooking decisions have to be periodically trained how to behave in possible customer conflicts and to take their own decisions in an unfamiliar situation (Ivanov, 2006). In order to be minimized the possible customer dissatisfaction in case of overbooking, it is vital for the hotel to establish service recovery programmes with standardized procedures and to make employees to be aware and follow them (Ivanov, 2006) For a profitable applied overbooking in the hospitality industry, hotels must understand not only consumers behavior but also to consider the impact of competition and the currently economic situation that imposes significant supply and demand fluctuations. As hotels compete with each other in order to attract more customers, Revenue Management decisions of one hotel inevitably influence the demand for other hotels in the same region or area. However, recent trends propose that hotels should collaborate with is competitors that result in increased number of formed alliances with each other to maximize their revenue (Chiang et al, 2007) Revenue Managements challenges in the hospitality industry As explained before, Revenue Management finds application to two significant industries: hospitality and airline. The first one, however, is much more complex in terms of industry saturation and rooms management. This creates hurdles for the optimal operation of Revenue Management techniques. I n the hotel industry Revenue Management can be applied either locally or via centralized system. The second one involves gathering data and taking decisions from a focal site for other properties. In practice only a limited number of hotels and hotel chains are able to manage centralized data processing and therefore the majority of players on the hospitality industry opt for property based Revenue Management. Recommendations for future research Despite of the acknowledged importance of overbooking as one the most effective successful Revenue Management techniques used in hotel operation and widely discussed topic in research literature, there are no current studies discussing the overbooking management of Bulgarian hotels and its impact on their operation. Therefore, future research may focus on the possible application of Revenue Management techniques to the Bulgarian hospitality industry. Future studies may also focus on the demand side of Bulgarian tourism as the country has witnessed fluctuating visitor rates during the past two decades despite the growing profits generated by the particular industry. Conclusions In order to survive in the furious competition and to generate more revenue while using the same amount of recourses it is necessary and critical to the hotels operation management to use effectively its reservation inventory and to increase its occupancy rate (Hung, 2004). Revenue Management techniques and the models of overbooking if applied appropriately would maximize the revenues of hotels (Kamath et al, 2008). However, the possibilities of customer dissatisfaction, and risk of loss of reputation because of denied service, force many hotels to avoid the practice of overbooking. Therefore, before hotel managers to deicide whether or not to implement overbooking they should first consider what Birkenheuer (2009) explained the best estimation of risk and opportunity will provide the best profit. In this study we have outlined the dynamic nature of service industries and have demonstrated the importance of Revenue Management and most notably one of its most significant aspects ove rbooking. We have narrowed the scope of this research down to the hospitality industry and have found major differences in the demand patterns towards such companies in the former industry. Some customers prefer flexible cancellation terms, while others are not much attentive to that. Hoteliers offer differential pricing to their own advantage to hedge against fluctuating demand. We have also found that substitution is one of the most effective method of managing overbooking practices, but yet a cost/benefit analysis must be performed in order to track down the real consequences. Essentially, within the current dynamic decision making situation in the hospitality industry, overbooking levels have been found to have significant revenue maximizing properties. In view of this, through this study we have discovered some of the chief management objectives that could be achieved through overbooking in the framework of Revenue Management: profit maximization; capacity allocation; maximizat ion of average revenue per customer; maximization of net present value; and minimization of customer grievances. Finally, as hospitality industry on a global scale is a mass volume-driven business, overbooking has become an emerging topic as vacant rooms do not bring any profits. However, perhaps even more significant remains the problem how to manage customer disappointment, in cases they cannot be relocated to similar hotels as a result of overbooking.

Scarlet Letter :: essays research papers

scarlet letter as a symbol The Scarlet Letter As a Symbol Often throughout The Scarlet Letter there are symbolic references made. The story deals with a Puritan woman who commits adultery and raises an illegitimate child named Pearl. The author, Nathanial Hawthorne, uses many religious and natural images to symbolize different points. One of the purposes of this symbolism is to show that Puritanism is hypocritical and that their religious viewpoints are against the natural order, which is done by using contrasting natural and religious symbols in the descriptions of Pearl. Also through out the book, Hawthorne uses the letter as a major symbol. At the beginning of the story, the letter is a symbol of sin. The sin was adultery. Hester has had relations with man while she had a husband. At the time, she wasn’t aware that her husband was still alive. The evidence of her actions was her daughter, Pearl. For her sentence, Hester would have to wear the letter A and also stand on the scaffolds in the afternoon. In later chapters, the letter evolves into able. Some years after the beginning of the incident, Hester has tried to move on with her life and has become a big help to her community. She is well liked for her art in sewing, and is also helpful towards the sick and the dying. Most of the townspeople have forgotten what has happened and have accepted Hester for who she is and not what she has done. The product of Hester’s sin was also a symbol used in the book. Pearl was always a symbol for her sin. She was the evidence that convicted Hester. In one part of the story, Hester and Pearl visit the Governor and Pearl is dressed up in a red dress with gold trim. She was described as resembling the letter on her mother’s chest. Hester character is shown here because by dressing Pearl up to look like the letter, she admits that she is not ashamed of what she has done and what has come out of it. In the second scaffold scene, a scarlet A appears in the sky above Dimmesdale, Hes ter, and Pearl. In this scene, the letter actually represents two things. One of them is angel. One of the townsmen has just passed away and they believed that it was his angel overhead. The second symbol is forgiveness.

Pampers

The founders was James Gamble, a soap maker and William Procter, a candle maker and in Cincinnati in 1837. It is the producer of various everyday household goods. It is a key market leader within the consumer 140 countries, produces over 300 brands and has loyal customers worldwide. Company three business units: beauty (33%), health and well-being (21%), household care (46%). P&G delivers its goods to drug stores, mass merchandisers, membership club stores and grocery stores. Pampers† this is one of the most famous revolutionary products of the Procter and Gamble, founded by Victor Mills. Pampers was especially build to meet the mothers need in innovative product on the market which will lighten the wash of the cloth papers and also leakage of them. This product came in the late sass's. Procter & Gambles development of the diaper changed the diapering habits of consumers worldwide. Consumers moved from purchasing the cloth diapers to disposable diaper, which is better to childr en's skin, convenient to store, and has a good price comparing with cloth diapers.The company's specialists developed an exceptional three-piece construction to take up the wetness, allocate it consistently and transmit fluid to the leaky core without passing it recessively to the skin. Procter and Gamble revived more than Just convenience ease and comfort for consumers. Pampers brought health benefits to babies who use Pampers. Clinical studies have shown that children who use Pampers have drier skin, and less frequent and less severe diaper skin complaint than those who use cloth diapers.P diapers are now distributed to more than 80 countries worldwide, with this representing a major contributor to Procter and Gamble world profits. (P, n. D. ) 1. 2 Core customer issues The disposable diapers market is a very profitable. In ELK, there are about seven endured and fifty thousand births for each year and the diapers are usually worn for three years. It is represents a relatively short customer lifetime for Pampers. The arrival of the Huggins challenges Pampers' dominance of the traditional disposable diaper market in 1991.Huggins had earned 17% of the market by 1997 and it is reaching 30% in year 2000. Huggins continued to take share through a combination of competitive pricing and product innovation. One of the strengths of Huggins was promoted aggressively using their Mother and Baby Club and television. Huggins loud be the market leader in the fall of 2001 which is showed in growth pattern projections. Many mothers think that Huggins was the leader of market. When they interviewed, there was many discussion about latest news of Huggins.It reflects the growing strength of the Huggins brand. Trend analysis and consumer research found that there are two key trends affecting Pampers' impact on the marketplace. The most up-to-date information from friends, the Internet or print replaces the way of UK mums in the way of making decisions and traditional reliance on advice from health professionals and parents. Pampers are forced by the proliferation of information channels to find out a new way to reduce the background noise to reach potential customers. DIM, 2012) To build sales and maintain customer loyalty by rewarding the consumer for purchasing their products, the customer loyalty programs are introduced by Pampers which include free samples, sweepstakes, sales promotions of coupons and rewards. Pampers uses direct marketing strategies to maintain customer loyalty once a consumer becomes a Pampers member. The strategies include sending pamphlets and brochures with important information about each development stage as the nonusers child grows while promoting their products that fit each particular stage.While educating the consumer with valuable information pertaining to their growing child, Pampers is doing a great Job at promoting its products. Parents are offered the opportunity to share their baby's pictures with the whole social field by Pampers. It is showing marketers that being where your customers are the first step in toddling towards success in its â€Å"Love, Sleep and Play' campaign. It is launched in July 1 and runs until August 6 in year 2013. This campaign encourages moms and dads living in North America to upload pictures of their babies loving, playing and sleeping to the brand's Faceable page.Then, Pampers will display the selected images on Twitter, the online gallery pages and Faceable. The communication manager of North America for Pampers, Mary Woods says social is a natural environment for the brand's customers because it's where they already converse with other parents, as well as with the brand. She also says Pampers collected more than 20,000 photo submissions in less than three weeks of the campaign's launch. (Else Duper, 2013) 3. 0 Role of direct mail in relation to other channel . Direr mail Pampers direct mail package come with a variety of shapes and sizes, making it become one of the most flexible direct marketing media. An envelope, a brochure, a letter and a response device are included in a standard direct mail package. It is to motivate the recipient to open the standard direct mail package. The envelope must differentiate itself from other mail by its size, appearance and any copy that might be written on it regardless of the volume of mail a person receives. It provides the opportunity to directly address the interests and concerns of the recipient.The benefits of the detailed offer are usually clarified by the letter. Recipients are able to illustrate about the benefits of the offer from the brochure in letter. Illustrated brochures are used to sell services as well as products. The letter must include Response rates are generally higher when it is separated from the letter or brochure. Recipient can respond via telephone, toll-free numbers are always prominently displayed. The right timing, the right offer, the right person and the right format are fact ors in a successful direct marketing and it can be examined in direct mail.Mailers can run a test mailing to determine the response from a list before â€Å"rolling out,† or mailing the entire list by using computer technologies which can select a randomized name sample from any list. Direct mail provides the most cost-effective way of achieving the highest possible response in relation to the other direct marketing media. Telemarketing is much highest cost per response but it typically produces a higher response rate. 3. 2 Role of direct mail has changed since the arise of the Internet The role of direct mail has changed since the rise of the internet cause it slow, expensive and time consuming.There are new technologies which are CRY codes in nowadays. It allows a customer to be taken from the printed piece to a web location by using a mobile smart device equipped with a camera and an internet connection. The marketer benefits from the physical attributes of printed mail wh ile leveraging the power of online experiences for reinforcement of the message, persuasion, and better conversion with this technology. 3. 3 Role of TV (Interactive television) Pampers use interactive television (TV) as communication strategy.Through the internet, interactive television combines the emotive strength of TV advertising with the depth and personalization available. It is the preferred interactive device in the home for nowadays and in the future. When the viewers are registered to receive a newsletter, data will be captured. The newsletter can be emailed to personal computer or television. Chance to see themselves and their babies on TV in the baby gallery or in the video area talking about baby development issues: ‘real babies, real mums, real tips' are provided to parents.It also offers consumers the opportunity to sit a frequently asked questions area and to give feedback. 3. 4 Role of Internet Procter & Gambles Pampers are good consumers struggle to establis h and maintain differentiation from other disposable diaper brands percent. It is established to increase in a variety of ways, such as Pampers website (wry. Pampers. Com) basic product via an Internet site. Pampers Perks loyalty program which consumers have to collect points from Pampers diapers and wipes purchase and exchange them for the Sesame Street and Fisher-Price toys.Recently the customers are provided a chance to in a Chrysler minivan filled with diapers through Pampers Fantastic Sweepstakes. There is a convenient way to send a supply of Pampers such as Fisher-Price toy to a friend are provided in Pampers Gifts Packs. Pampers Parenting Institute provides advice from experts in child care, health and development through Parent Pages and it delivered by e-mail and customized to each stage of life from the third trimester through age four. The purpose of Pampers Parenting Institute as a public service campaign is to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome visible driv er.Pampers is the second most popular baby care sites on the web with hundred million unique visitors per month because of the Pampers Parenting Institute. According to Advertising Age, consumers visiting the Pampers website are 30% more likely to buy effective. It provide unified communications which integrates e-mail, data transmission, instant messaging, voice transmission and electronic conferencing services. Web conferencing with Live Meeting, Microsoft Live Communications Server functionality and content management with Sharpening is the other services that included.Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Office Sharpening Server support multiple users with meeting schedules, shared calendars and mailboxes and Sharpening lists. Through offering support for customers, Customer Relationship Marketing provides competitive advantage to organization on a continuous basis while focusing on every customer's wants and needs ensuring that these are satisfied in the best way (Hut and Sped, 2004 ). This strategy are successfully reduces the amount of cost that have to spend to seek new customers and gained the loyalty from customers (Hut and Sped, 2004).It shows the significance of managing the CRM and ensuring that all employees are well-equipped with knowledge of how to cope with any problems or complaints and how to treat customers that might happen from being involved directly with the customers (Taylor, 2007). Finally, Pampers has been successful in positioning its brand. They are consistent with their message and their consumers are well informed about their products. Pampers is successfully promoting its products while educating individuals about the developmental stages from newborns to toddlers.Of course, there is always room for improvements. Extending the product line to include bath products is one recommendation. Some examples could include Pampers shampoos, soaps, lotions, and oils. Pampers could promote their product by including coupons within or on their pa ckaging. This encourages customer loyalty by rewarding the consumer with extra savings. Maybe Pampers could come up with reward points by issuing membership cards and each time used they earn points that add up to Pamper dollars and then redeemed when purchasing any Pampers products.

Greek Mythology: Artemis Essay

Greek mythology is a religion filled with myths and legends used to tell stories that explain how some things came to be or to teach lessons. In Greek mythology, Artemis is a very popular goddess with many traits and attitudes therefore there are many myths regarding her in particular. Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, wilderness, wild animals, female fertility, childbirth, and the moon (â€Å"Artemis (Diana)†). Daughter of Zeus and Leto, Artemis is very strong very capable of defending herself against others. She is against men, marriage, and the limitations it sets for the rights of women (Regula). She is also mentioned and involved in many myths throughout Greek mythology. Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and Leto. In some stories, Artemis was thought to have been birthed by Demeter instead of Leto but in other Egyptian legends, its states that she was the offspring of Dionysus and Isis, while Leto was the caretaker. She also has a twin brother named Apollo (Atsma). They were both born under a palm tree at the same time on the island of Delos (Regula). In other stories, Artemis was supposedly brought into this world earlier than Apollo to nurse her mother through the birth of her other sibling (Atsma). Artemis is in charge of the moon, childbirth, wild animals, and female fertility (â€Å"Artemis (Diana)†) She was never fond with men. She promised to be a sworn virgin forever while she runs the forest with her fellow maiden friends. She has even been known to kill peeping men for spying on her while bathing (Regula). Artemis, being twins in all, was almost the feminine Apollo. He handled the young women while he was in charge of the young men. The symbols of her are the silver bow and arrow

The Life of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin essays

The Life of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin essays Roman Catholic Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, the former Archbishop of Chicago, was a gifted and remarkable man. His thoughtful leadership raised awareness of difficult issues behind the nuclear arms race and the economic problems faced by the poor. His faith in God and the existence of eternal life led him to live an exemplary life, even in times of great moral difficulty. His adoption of the faith was most evident in his way of life in the sense that he often relied on scripture and the belief that Jesus always walked with us to help him walk the right path in his own life. Bernardin lived his entire life as a true disciple of Jesus and a loyal son of the Roman Catholic Church. We are told in Matthew 16:24; A true disciple of Jesus is someone who denies himself, takes up his own cross and follows Jesus. Growing up, Bernardin lived in impoverished conditions and was not at all materialistic. When he was 6, his father died leaving Bernardin to look after his mother and sister. This contributed to Bernardins sense of independence as a child and it was early in his life that he decided that God and his family were the most essential things in his life. In his adolescent days, Bernardin was headed for a career path as a Medical Doctor, however at some stage decided that his true calling would be in Priesthood. He went from saving bodies, to saving souls which he would say was more important. When Bernardin attended the Vatican II meetings he was greatly changed in his way of thinking. The church at that time had a great division between its leaders and its followers, Pope John XXII put it best when he said it was time to open the windows and let fresh air into the church... This is what happened, for the first time the leaders and followers of the church were put onto the same level. Cardinal Bernardin embraced this new way of thinking, as he became aware of the entire body of Christ as well as oth ...

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

Company - Essay Example ) brand positioning is vital for any company as it helps visualize the services offered by the brand and how the company may accrue the maximal benefits from the existing opportunities. In line with this argument, it is evident that brand positioning is crucial for the marketing strategies of companies (Grams, 2011; Schmid, 2013). For the case of AsiaTravel.com, the company needed to design marketing programs that may help it attract different types of clients to its business. In terms of competitive advantage, evidently AsiaTravel.com needs to make clear identification of its major competitors. Through this aspect, AsiaTravel can tell its positioning in the market, and then take the best decision that would allow it pose the strongest competition (AirTravel.com, n.d). Notably, AsiaTravel may look for similar companies that offer the same or alternative services and products in an attempt to design its competition strategy. Through this approach, the company may provide quicker, discounted and a wide array of services as opposed to its competitors. In this quest, Roll (2005) indicates that a SWOT analysis will be of use to assess the place of the company in the general market. The brand AsiaTravel.com is proud of its single product that offers three services to its clients (AirTravel.com, n.d). This is an added advantage to this company as this service provides an exceptional to other services offered by other brands. In the course of competition, AsiaTravel.com will stand out from other companies as its services are of a better quality, favorable price and flexible to its clients. McGhie (2012) is of the opinion that in the event that a company determines its brand’s strong points, the company will be on the frontline to deal with its competitors. This fact places AsiaTravel.com at a better stance over other competitors. However, AsiaTravel.com has a lot to do in its brand positioning as rebranding is only way to competitiveness and equity in the company.

Game Theory Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Game Theory - Article Example Computers soon became a rage in the 1970s and began finding their way into homes. With it arose the need for games and soon people began designing their own games for home computer use. Online games were fast gaining popularity with role-playing games such Dungeons & Dragons becoming a hit. This was a game where players got the chance to assume the role of a character and carry out missions. However, online games still were an expensive option since the use of Internet was charged by the minute. During this period, games were usually played by typing commands on the keyboard. But in the 1980s, graphics began taking precedence and games with basic textual commands and graphics, such as â€Å"Pool of Radiance† and â€Å"Bard’s Tale† were designed. In 1983, the video game industry came crashing down due to poor quality games and popular games like E.T and Pacman failing miserably. This boosted the popularity of computers and soon enough low-cost computers began replacing video games. There were also many high-quality graphical interfaces, which could be utilised with the help of the computer mouse. With the popularity of Commodore Amiga computers in 1985, sales saw an upward trend and attempts were made to work on improving its features. Other technological innovations that came about were sound cards, which added to the audio-visual experience of a computer game. In the 90s, came trend-setting games like â€Å"Wolfenstein 3D† which popularised the first person shooter game genre as so did â€Å"Doom† which set the trend for 3D graphics in games.... During this period, games were usually played by typing commands on the keyboard. But in the 1980s, graphics began taking precedence and games with basic textual commands and graphics, such as "Pool of radiance" and "Bard's Tale" were designed. In 1983, the video game industry came crashing down due to poor quality games and popular games like E.T and Pacman failing miserably. This boosted the popularity of computers and soon enough low cost computers began replacing video games. There were also many high quality graphical interfaces, which could be utilised with the help of the computer mouse. With popularity of Commodore Amiga computers in 1985, sales saw an upward trend and attempts were made to work on improving its features. Other technological innovations that came about were sound cards, which added to the audio-visual experience of a computer game. In the 90s, came trend setting games like "Wolfenstein 3D" which popularised the first person shooter game genre as so did "Doom" which set the trend for 3D graphics in games. The 90s can be termed as the boom time for computer games since the Real Time Strategy (RTS) genre games made an entry with Dune II. The genre was further popularised by Warcraft: Orc and Humans in 1994 and games like Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness in 1995 gave rise to multiplayer capabilities in the RTS genre. With broadband connections becoming cheaper in the 1990s, online gaming became very popular. A player usually used a modem or LAN to play RTS games, where the player gets a top down perspective of the battle zone complete with 3 D animation. The player can manipulate the game through clicking and dragging the mouse without waiting for his chance unlike a turn-based game. With Internet becoming more accessible than