Singapore Airlines

Executive Summary Singapore Airlines is a premium carrier in Asia’s aviation industry. It is associated with excellent services and affordable prices. Its success is mainly attributed to its ability to pursue both cost leadership and differentiation strategies. Currently, its corporate strategy involves investing in aviation related businesses. Its business and functional level strategies focus on enhancing high service quality and achieving cost efficiency.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Singapore Airlines specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Singapore airline has been able to offer world class services due to the following reasons. It focuses on both process and product innovation in order to improve product quality. It is also involved in overseas ventures, improving the efficiency of internal communication and promoting a people-centered culture. It has since launched a subsidiary in Australia, Tiger Airways. Unlike SIA, Tiger Airways is a budget currier whose business model is based on a cost leadership strategy (Tiger Airways, 2011). Tiger Airways concentrates on providing low cost flights to various destinations from Australia by eliminating non-essential costs in its operations. It has not been able to achieve the same level of success as SIA due to the low quality of its services. Thus it can improve its performance by improving the quality of its services in addition to maintaining the low prices. SIA on the other hand should focus on maintaining low prices, high quality and flexibility. Introduction Singapore Airlines (SIA) is one of the most profitable and fast growing airlines in Asia’s aviation industry. Since its inception in 1947, the airline has progressively expanded by increasing its fleet size as well as the number of its routes. By 1993, the firm had the youngest fleet in the industry. Its success is mainly based on prudent management that is chara cterized by formulation and implementation of effective operation strategy (Heracleous and Wirts, 2009, pp. 1-6). This has enabled it to withstand the adverse effects of economic recessions that have been experienced in various parts of the world over the years. This paper focuses on SIA’s operation strategy by analyzing the factors contributing to the airline’s success.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Recommendations on how SIA can develop in future will also be discussed. Finally, the operation strategy of Tiger Airlines Australia, a subsidiary of SIA, will be analyzed and compared to that of SIA. Factors that Make SIA a World Class Service Provider SIA is associated with high product quality and excellent customer services. The firm’s mission focuses on offering high quality services that are also affordable to majority of its customers. Th e firm has thus been able to realize its mission by taking advantage of its strengths which include the following. Innovation and Development SIA is committed to investing in a variety of modern technology as well as product and service innovation. Innovation at the company has been achieved through on-going research and development initiatives and overseas ventures. Consequently, SIA has been able to offer new services which include free drinks, a choice of meals, in-flight phones and fax services (Johnston, 1996, p. 510). It also continues to improve the quality of facilities at Changai Airport to enhance the quality of its services. By staying ahead of its competitors in all aspects of the business, SIA is able to offer world class services. Overseas Ventures SIA partnered with Swissair and Delta Airline in 1989 in order to offer high quality flights to various parts of the world (Johnston, 1996, p. 511). The partnership enabled the firm to improve coordination of flight schedule s and sharing of airport facilities. Consequently, it has been able to avoid customer dissatisfaction arising from delays and difficulty in connecting to other parts of the world from Singapore. Customer Services SIA focuses on offering excellent customer services by encouraging its employees to be very attentive and responsive to customers’ needs. The company is able to distinguish between bad and good services by paying attention to every detail of customers’ needs (Johnston, 1996, p. 512). In order to maintain excellent customer services, the cabin crews are regularly trained on how to improve the quality of their services. Besides, the quality of the aircrafts’ cabins such as the quality of seats is also improved regularly.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Singapore Airlines specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More People-Centered Approach The management aims at developing its human re sources in order to enhance the quality of services. It focuses on hiring talented employees who bring new ideas on how to improve the quality of services (Johnston, 1996, p. 512). The human resources department helps employees to improve their skills through training. Such training programs not only aim at improving existing skills but also aim at creating new ones. Consequently, the employees are able to offer excellent services at all levels in the company. Efficient Internal Communication Effective and efficient communication has been achieved at SIA through various newsletters and magazines (Johnston, 1996, p. 513). This has enabled the firm to effectively communicate its strategic objectives to its employees. The employees are also informed of their performance targets as well as the company’s commitment to improve the quality of services. Thus, teamwork, coordination and quality of services have tremendously improved over the years. SIA’s Operation Strategy Oper ation strategy refers to the â€Å"total pattern of decisions which shape the long-term capabilities of any type of operation and their contribution to the overall strategy through the reconciliation of market requirements with operations’ resources† (Dess, 2002, p. 76). Thus, it is the tool used by the management to determine how to offer services to customers. SIA’s operation strategy can be described as follows. Corporate Level Strategy The corporate level strategy directs the activities of the firm by defining the long-term goals and objectives to be achieved. It is normally expressed in the company’s mission statement. SIA’s corporate strategy focuses on providing high quality and affordable services. As an airline, SIA concentrates in the business of providing air transportation services from Singapore to various parts of the world. Consequently, the firm has been investing in air transportation alongside related businesses such as ground han dling services, aircraft maintenance and catering services. The related businesses provide supportive services that help in improving the quality of the firm’s air transportation services (Daraban and Fournier. 2008, pp. 15-24).Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, the aircraft maintenance segment helps in maintaining the efficiency of the aircrafts while the catering segment provides meals to passengers. Most of the company’s resources are channeled towards improving the transportation segment since it is the core business of the firm. Business Level Strategy Business level strategy defines the dimensions along which a firm should compete in its industry as well as the relevant goals and objectives that it should pursue (Feiler and Goodoritch. 2009, pp. 55-64). SIA’s mission is to provide high quality services at competitive prices. Consequently, it competes along the dimensions of high product quality and competitive prices. The firm’s products are differentiated in terms of their high quality and affordable prices. SIA’s strategic objective thus is to remain profitable and achieve rapid growth through world class services. Functional Level Functional level strategy is concerned with how the various functions such as marketing contribute to the overall strategy. It is also concerned with the objectives of the organization’s functions and how resources allocated for such functions should be managed (Hazeldine, 2010, pp. 40-43). At SIA, the human resources management contributes to the overall strategy by hiring talented employees as well as creating new skills through training. The marketing activities focus on high service quality by paying attention to detail and developing products that meet customers’ needs. Customer services contribute to the overall strategy by promoting responsiveness to customers’ needs. Finally, the financial management initiatives help in accessing the capital for implementing the overall strategy through acquisitions and partnerships/ joint ventures. Effectiveness of the Strategy The effectiveness of SIA’s strategy can be evaluated in terms of the five operation performance objectives namely, cost, quality, speed, dependabi lity and flexibility. SIA has been able to achieve cost effectiveness by flying a young fleet thereby saving fuel and maintenance costs. It has also been able to connect passengers to various destinations at low costs by forming an alliance with Swissair (Johnston, 1996, p. 511). High product quality has been achieved through product innovation, staff training and investment in modern technology. Quick decision making and execution of various tasks has been realized through effective and efficient internal communication systems. On-going research and development has enabled the firm to offer consistent services (dependability). Besides, it has enabled the firm to remain flexible in its operations. For example, the airline has aircrafts of different sizes; thus it can easily change the amount of capacity deployed to a particular route as demand changes. SIA Development in Future: Platts-Gregory Procedure The Platts-Gregory procedure points out the difference between the requirements of the market and the achieved performance of the company. The difference or gap between the two can be reduced by formulating and implementing an effective operation strategy. The Platts-Gregory is implemented in three stages which can be illustrated by figure 1. Figure 1 Step One The company’s current market position is defined at this stage by evaluating the opportunities available to it as well as the threats facing it in the industry. Hence, the market demand facts such as the expected product characteristics, quality, flexibility, lead-time and prices must be assessed (Franke, and John, 2010, pp. 19-26). SIA is a market leader in Singapore’s aviation industry. Currently, it offers exemplary services in the industry. However, not all customers are satisfied with the quality of its services and thus the firm must consistently improve the quality of its services. Effective and efficient communication and coordination has enabled the firm to reduce the delivery time . Thus the services are provided at an acceptable speed. Extensive investment in research and development has also enabled the firm to maintain flexibility in its operations. This means that SIA can easily vary its level of production inline with demand dynamics. Even though SIA focuses on providing affordable services, it is not the lowest cost producer in the industry. Low-cost airlines in Singapore are currently the lowest cost producers (Graham, 2009, pp. 306-316). Consequently, SIA is not able to compete with them on the line of low prices. We can conclude that there is a small difference between customers’ needs and the actual performance of SIA. This means that the actual performance of SIA satisfies the customers’ expectations to a great extent. Step Two This stage involves evaluation of the capability of the firm’s operation in terms of its scope, facilities, and capacity. The scope of SIA’s operation enables it to offer a variety of services to its customers. These include in-flight phone and fax services, world class entertainment and efficient connection to a variety of destinations. SIA also boasts of modern and adequate facilities such as new aircrafts, modern airport lounges and aircraft maintenance facilities. These help it to improve its efficiency and level of customer satisfaction (Morrell, 2008, pp. 61-67). The management has been able to expand the capacity of the firm through various expansion programs such as acquisition of additional aircrafts, joint ventures and alliances as well as expansion of airport facilities. Thus they have been able to cope with the increase in demand for their services. Step Three In step three, new strategies are developed to enable the company compete effectively within its industry. The new strategies will thus be discussed in terms of the market demand facts highlighted in step one. Delivery lead-time can be improved by reducing the time required to provide the services. For inst ance, the flight delay and cancelation rates should be reduced to less than 5%. Time limits should be set for delivering in-flight services such as serving drinks (Morrell, 2008, pp. 61-67). For example, such services can be provided within one minute. Reliability relates to the firm’s consistency in offering particular services to customers. SIA can improve its reliability by identifying a particular range of products and provide them at a standard high quality to the customers (Nicolau, 2010, pp. 254-260). This means that the firm should not compromise on the availability and quality of its products. Maintaining high levels of flexibility is important due to the seasonal fluctuations in demand for flights. SIA should thus improve its flight schedules in order to serve its route network effectively. Deployment of capacity to particular routes should be informed by the level of demand (Nicolau, 2010, pp. 254-260). The quality of SIA’s services is currently very high. H owever, continuous innovation and employee training can help in maintaining or improving the quality of the services. Finally, emphasis must be placed on cost efficiency in order to reduce prices. The effectiveness of the new strategy should be evaluated in terms of the roles of order winning and qualifying factors. Order winning factors are those that have direct and significant influence on the firm’s ability sell its products (Dess, 2002, p. 143). They include timely arrivals and departures, safety and affordable prices. Order winning factors must be improved for the business to increase its sales. Qualifying factors are those that are important but have no direct influence on the firm’s ability to sell its products. They include meals and drinks during flights. Qualifying factors must be there so that the firm’s products can be considered by customers. The role of these factors in the products life cycle is illustrated in figure 2. Competitors The firm†™s products should be compared with those of the competitors by considering the following parameters. The order winning factors should offer crucial advantages to customers. Qualifying factors should be comparable to industry standards. The products should be â€Å"consistently and clearly better than the nearest competitor’s products† (Dess, 2002, p. 144). They should also be better than those of most competitors. SIA’s Current Operation Strategy SIA has positioned itself as â€Å"a premium carrier with high levels of innovation and excellent levels of services† (Heracleous and Wirts, 2009, pp. 1-6). Besides, it has given precedence to profitability over size. The key aspects of its operations include continuous human resources development and rigorous product design. SIA’s strategy at the corporate level involves diversification by investing in related businesses. Currently, SAI group has 36 subsidiaries and associated businesses. Some of its s ubsidiaries include â€Å"Tiger Airlines, Singapore Airport and Singapore Engineering Company† (Heracleous and Wirts, 2009, pp. 1-6). SIA is a member of the Star Alliance and has also invested in aviation related businesses in India and China through alliances and joint ventures. The use of modern information technology is an integral part of its strategy. The technology is particularly used to enhance customer services and to improve efficiency. At the business level, SIA focuses on providing premium services through product differentiation. The high quality product/ services are also provided at prices that are comparable to those of low-cost carriers. Thus SIA pursues â€Å"a dual strategy of differentiation and cost leadership† (Harvey, 2010, pp. 287-307). At the functional level, various processes such as marketing are aimed at improving the quality of services and lowering the cost of providing such services. The five pillars of SIA’s current strategy can be described as follows. First, it focuses on rigorous product design and development. At SIA, the process of designing and developing products is viewed as a structured effort (Heracleous and Wirts, 2009, pp. 1-6). It has a product development department that perfects and adequately tests any changes prior to their introduction. The department designs new products, tests them and assess customers’ reactions before such products are introduced. Second, SIA concentrates on total innovation. Its aim is â€Å"to be just a bit better in all its functions and offerings than its competitors† (Heracleous and Wirts, 2009, pp. 1-6). It focuses on constant incremental innovation which is cost-effective but delivers the desired quality. Third, SAI aims at achieving strategic synergies through diversification. The subsidiaries act as training grounds and source of learning for employees. Fourth the firm prefers to remain profitable rather than increasing its size. Finally, it conc entrates on developing employees through appropriate training. The current strategy is comparable to the recommendations discussed above since it promotes maintaining low cost in production and enhancing high service quality through differentiation. The corporate level strategy is also comparable to the recommendations due to the fact that diversification enables the firm to invest in businesses that support its core activity of proving excellent air transportation services (Duvan, 2005, pp. 448-454). Besides, it improves the profitability of the firm thereby creating resources for implementing the overall strategy. Tiger Airways Australia Tiger Airways is jointly owned by Tiger Airways holding ltd, Singapore Airlines and Dahlia Investments ltd. Unlike SIA, Tiger Airways is a budget carrier that competes along the dimensions of low costs. Its business model is based on maintaining simplicity in order to achieve the lowest operating costs. It concentrates on evaluating every aspect o f its operations in order to eliminate non-essential costs. Tiger’s strategic objective is to maximize profits by developing a route network that is characterized by a high passenger load factor and prudent management of capacity (Tiger Airways, 2011). Thus the development of Tiger Airways did not follow the operating strategy of SIA. While Tiger Airways concentrates solely on cost leadership, SIA focuses on both cost leadership and differentiation. Problems Associated with Tiger’s Operation Strategy SIA went wrong in formulating the operation strategy for Tiger Airways. To begin with, SIA over emphasized the need to maintain low production costs in the industry. While the company managed to provide the lowest prices in Australia, it neglected the need to provide high quality services (Forsyth, 2010, pp. 204-255). This can be explained by the complaints raised by customers and the industry regulator about its poor services. In 2010 Tiger had a low on-time departure rat e of only 73.9% as well as a low on-time arrival of 72.8% (Tiger Airways, 2011). In 2011, it received about four warnings from the industry regulator for failing to comply with the security requirements at various ports in Australia. Consequently, its services were suspended in July 2011 by the Civil Aviation Authority. The poor services not only led to high levels of customer dissatisfaction but also led to huge losses. After resuming its operations, the airline had to reduce the size of its fleet and route network due to low demand. The management also failed to correctly judge the level of competition in the industry. When Tiger Airways lowered its prices in order to attract customers, other airlines such as Qantas did the same (McGurk, 2009, pp. 635-652). Since Tiger was not able to sustain the low prices for long, it found itself introducing extra fees for non-essential services. For example, it introduced a fee for check-in luggage and ticketing services at check-in. The overa ll effect was an increase in its prices which was against its cost leadership strategy. There was no focus on staff training and development at Tiger Airlines. Staff development through adequate training and skill improvement programs has been one of the major organizational pillars of SIA (Heracleous and Wirts, 2009, pp. 1-6). Its failure to replicate the same staff development programs at Tiger Airlines can be explained by the mistakes made by the cockpit crews in 2011. Despite the several warnings issued by the Civil Aviation Authority to Tiger Airline, its pilots kept flying their aircrafts very low at the Sydney Airport. Consequently, they risked causing accidents at the airport and losses to the company. Besides, such mistakes led to low customer confidence on the company’s safety standards. Need for a Different Approach SIA should have approached the launch of Tiger Airways differently due to the following reasons. First, the budget carrier business is not well develop ed in the region. Thus customers are not only interested in low prices but are also emotionally attached to various add-in services such as in-flight drinks (Trethway, 2004, pp. 3-14). Second, the customers are very demanding in terms of their expectations on the quality of services. Consequently, SIA should have focused on introducing the high service quality at Tiger Airways. Finally, SIA had the resources and technical capability to initiate innovation at Tiger Airways in order to provide high quality low-cost services. For instance a service department should have been established to design and introduce new products that ensure low operating costs without compromising the quality of services (Trethway, 2004, pp. 3-14). Recommendations SIA’s ability to offer world class services is based on its commitment to product and process innovation through research and development. Its success is attributed to the fact that it has been able to simultaneously pursue cost leadership and differentiation strategies. However, it can consider the following recommendations in order to improve its profitability in future. First, SIA should join new markets through joint ventures and partnerships (Trethway, 2004, pp. 3-14). For instance it can join emerging economies in Asia and Africa which are currently under serviced in order to increase its profits. Second, it should formulate its growth strategies within the strategic foresight framework. This will enable it to identify future customer needs. Hence it will be able to develop new products and identify new markets to satisfy emerging needs. Finally, it should focus on strengthening its core competencies such as excellent customer services in order to maintain its competitiveness. Tiger Airways on the other hand should consider the following recommendations. First, it can adopt cooperative growth strategies such as outsourcing alliances and supplier alliances (Trethway, 2004, pp. 3-14). These strategies will enable it to reduce its operating costs by outsourcing non-core activities. Hence it will be able to charge low prices without compromising quality. Second, it should concentrate on improving the quality of its services in order to attract new customers and retain the existing ones (Trethway, 2004, pp. 3-14). Finally, it should also diversify into related business with the aim of improving its revenues. References Daraban, B. and Fournier, G. 2008. Incumbent Responses to Low-Cost Airline Entry and Exit: A Special Autoregressive Panel Data Analyses. Research in Transport economics, 24(1), pp. 15-24. Dess, G. 2002. Strategic Management. New York: McGraw-Hill. Duvan, D. 2005. Public-Stakeholder Perception of Airline Alliances: the New Zealand Experience. Journal of Airline Transport Management, 11(6), pp. 448-454. Feiler, G. and Goodoritch, T. 2009. Decline and Growth, Privatization in Middle East Airline Industry. Journal of Transport Geography, 2(1), pp. 55-64. Forsyth, P. 2010. Environment and Financial Sustainability of Air Transport: Are they Incompatible? Journal of Air Transport Management, 17(8), pp. 204-255. Franke, M. and John, F. 2010. What Comes Next After Recession? Airline Industry Scenarios and Potential End Games. Journal of Air Transport Management, 17(1), pp. 19-26. Graham, M. 2009. Different Model in Different Space or Liberalization Optimization? Comparative Strategies among Low-Cost Carriers. Journal of Transport Geography, 17(4), pp. 306-316. Harvey, G. 2010. Cleared for Take-Off? Management Labor Partnership in the European Civil Aviation Industry. Journal of Industrial Relations, 10(3), pp. 287-307. Hazeldine, T. 2010. Legacy Carriers Fight Back: Pricing and Product Differentiation in Modern Airline Marketing. Journal of Air Transport Management, 17(1), pp. 40-43. Heracleous, L. and Wirts, J. 2009. Strategy and Organization at Singapore Airlines: Achieving Sustainable Advantage through Dual Strategy. Journal of Air Transport Management, 10(2), pp . 1-6. Johnston, R. 1996. Singapore Airlines. New York: McGraw-Hill. McGurk, J. 2009. Contrasting Management and Employment Relations Strategies in European Airlines. Journal of Industrial Relations, 51(2), pp. 635-652. Morrell, P. 2008. Can Long-Haul Low-Cost Airlines be Successful? Research in Transport economics, 24(1), pp. 61-67. Nicolau, J. 2010. Testing Prospect Theory in Airline Demand. Journal of Air Transport Management, 16(4), pp. 254-260. Tiger Airways, 2011. Investors Relations. [Online] Web. Trethway, M. 2004. Distortions of Airline Revenues: Why the Network Airline Business Model is Broken. Journal of Transport Management, 10(1), pp. 3-14. This critical writing on Singapore Airlines was written and submitted by user Eden Kerr to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Sociey (Athens & US) essays

Democracy/Sociey (Athens & US) essays In this paper, I will discuss a few aspects of ancient Athenian democracy and society, as well as modern American democracy and society. First, I will outline the key points of Athenian and American democracy, then compare and contrast them. Then Ill do the same for Athenian and American Society, concluding with a comparison between the two societies. The political system of ancient Athens was a democracy. It involved all of its citizens and not merely their representatives by giving them daily access to civic affairs and political power. Both decision-making and decision enforcing were the duty of every citizen, and not just of those elected by them or of their leaders. The citizens of Athens were directly involved not only in government matters but also in matters of justice, as there was no separation of powers in ancient Athens. Although not all persons living in Athens had these political rights, no other democracy in human history provided such a level of participation. This political system, quite innovative for its times, shaped a society of a distinct character, of great sensibility and of unusual cultural achievements. Government functions were assigned to two bodies: The Assembly, which focused on policy decision-making, and the Council, which concentrated on policy implementation and administrative matters. The functi on of an executive head did not exist in ancient Athens, for no one citizen ever held so much power. Closest perhaps was the political practice, which conferred on Perikles a personal impact similar to that of a head of government. This did not derive however from his title of general, but rather from the ability to get continuously re-elected, and to influence his fellow citizens on matters of policy and courses of action pertaining to city affairs. The council (or boule) was the closest body in the Athenian democratic system to that of a contemporary government. The council consisted of 500 citizens,...

Characterizing Mrs. Bennet

As far as the Mrs. being a gossip, it is clear that Mr. Bennet has heard his fair share of it from her. When asked if he wants to know who is moving into Netherfield he replies that he knows that she wants to tell him, but that he does not particularly â€Å"want† to hear it. We also see that Mr. Bennet knows his wife is somewhat of a drama queen and he is constantly poking fun at her with his sarcasm, which she never seems to understand as such. Yet another example of Mr. Bennet’s experience with his wife’s personality is his seemingly un-caring behavior towards his daughters getting married. Mrs. Bennet is convinced that Mr. Bingley could be her new son-in-law, Mr. Bennet points out that Bingley is not necessarily there to find a wife. Through all these ways we can see a bit of Mrs. Bennet’s personality through the words of another character in the book. We can get even more information through words not necessarily spoken in the book, but spoken to us through the voice of the narrator. Even the simplest of comments can show a huge personality trait. The simplest way the narrator shows us that Mrs. Bennet loves to gossip and talk is when Mr. Bennet says he has no objection to hearing her story, the narrator points out that â€Å"That was invitation enough,† showing us that Mrs. Bennet is very eager to get her information out. Although we can gather much of Mrs. Bennet’s character through the entirety of the page, the narrator makes sure we have gathered what we need to about her by giving us a summary at the very end of the page. The narrator tells us that â€Å"She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news. † So, once again we gather that she loves â€Å"visiting and news,† or gossip, and that the business of her life is to get her daughters married. Mrs. Bennet is not hard to figure out with Jane Austen’s excellent characterization techniques. With her great narration techniques we have the author there to tell us much of what we need to know. Even better is that much of the time we don’t even need the narrators help, through the speech in the book; whether it be Mrs. Bennet herself, or somebody speaking to her or about her. Through either the character itself, the characters around it, or the author herself, Jane Austen manages to use all three â€Å"characters† excellently to show us the personality of Mrs. Bennet, as well as the rest of her characters. Characterizing Mrs. Bennet As far as the Mrs. being a gossip, it is clear that Mr. Bennet has heard his fair share of it from her. When asked if he wants to know who is moving into Netherfield he replies that he knows that she wants to tell him, but that he does not particularly â€Å"want† to hear it. We also see that Mr. Bennet knows his wife is somewhat of a drama queen and he is constantly poking fun at her with his sarcasm, which she never seems to understand as such. Yet another example of Mr. Bennet’s experience with his wife’s personality is his seemingly un-caring behavior towards his daughters getting married. Mrs. Bennet is convinced that Mr. Bingley could be her new son-in-law, Mr. Bennet points out that Bingley is not necessarily there to find a wife. Through all these ways we can see a bit of Mrs. Bennet’s personality through the words of another character in the book. We can get even more information through words not necessarily spoken in the book, but spoken to us through the voice of the narrator. Even the simplest of comments can show a huge personality trait. The simplest way the narrator shows us that Mrs. Bennet loves to gossip and talk is when Mr. Bennet says he has no objection to hearing her story, the narrator points out that â€Å"That was invitation enough,† showing us that Mrs. Bennet is very eager to get her information out. Although we can gather much of Mrs. Bennet’s character through the entirety of the page, the narrator makes sure we have gathered what we need to about her by giving us a summary at the very end of the page. The narrator tells us that â€Å"She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news. † So, once again we gather that she loves â€Å"visiting and news,† or gossip, and that the business of her life is to get her daughters married. Mrs. Bennet is not hard to figure out with Jane Austen’s excellent characterization techniques. With her great narration techniques we have the author there to tell us much of what we need to know. Even better is that much of the time we don’t even need the narrators help, through the speech in the book; whether it be Mrs. Bennet herself, or somebody speaking to her or about her. Through either the character itself, the characters around it, or the author herself, Jane Austen manages to use all three â€Å"characters† excellently to show us the personality of Mrs. Bennet, as well as the rest of her characters.

Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Supply Chain Management - Essay Example Supply chain management (SCM) system is an integrated system in which different business processes are integrated for different business operations. Different firms like airlines, hospitality, oil and gas, medical, defense and many other logistics firms are deeply interested in the implementation of a robust and automated supply chain management system. SCM involves acquisition of raw materials, the transformation of raw materials into final products. SCM adds value in the business and involves distribution and promotion of final products in the markets. SCM plays a vital role in the exchange of information among business partners like vendors, suppliers, retailers, distributors etc. The main purpose of supply chain management system is to enhance the efficiency and profitability. SCM is also vital in order to gain market leverage or competitive leverage. Supply Chain Management can be defined as â€Å"the integration of key business processes from end-users through original supplie rs that provide products, services, and information and add value for customers and other stakeholders† (Lambert et al., 1998). In supply chain the two important business processes are 1. Inbound logistics 2. Outbound logistics Inbound logistic is also called as material management. The inbound logistics involves the acquisition of raw materials or supplies. ... The different activities of outbound logistics consist of order the product, inventory management and deployment, the storage and handling of the purchased products, transportation, pricing, support in order to promote a product, handling of the returned products and complete life cycle support. The combination of activities of inbound and outbound logistics represents a web or network of the business networks and the relationships among these business networks. During a supply chain management different stakeholders are involved like vendors, distributors, retailers, customers and other third parties associated with SCM. It is very difficult to conceptualize the whole process of Supply Chain Process in a single model because it is very difficult to capture all the real world dimensions or scenarios of SCM in a single model but the process is not so much complicated and surely it has certain solutions. There is not a thorough way to find out the scope of the supply chain problem in a firm except the guidelines which are comprised of competitive strategy, tactical plans and operational routines. There are certain problems issues which are faced during supply chain management process like choosing location, analysis of product demand, distribution process of the finished product, the business partners or strategic alliances, the ways to develop an innovative product, adoption of innovative technologies like IT/IS/E-Commerce, supplier or vendor selection, price planning and restructuring of the business network. The problems or issues encountered in a supply chain management system are generally of two types i.e. strategic and tactical in nature and the problems associated

The reality of arms trade compared to its depiction in popular Essay

The reality of arms trade compared to its depiction in popular Hollywood Movie - Essay Example Arms Trade has impeded the prosperity of this world and its negative effects are just increasing as it has become a nuisance for the well-being of the people.The global arms industry comprises of various governments and individual commercial companies who manufacture and sell weapons and other advanced form of military technology and equipment. This industry has grown in both volume and its reach. Now more and more developing countries are being served by these arms producing entities. A huge sum of cash is being spent on research, development, manufacture and supply of military equipment to the developing world. These defense contractors produce guns, ammunition, military aircraft, missile and other defense related equipment. Experts estimate that nearly 1.5 trillion dollars are wasted on the various military expenditures worldwide. Although the percentage has come down from 4% in 1990 to 2.7% at present, the volume has increased significantly and the sale has been focused more towa rds the economically deprived countries. (Shah, World Military Spending) These countries lack enough funds to provide for the well-being of its people but somehow they manage to spend a substantial amount of their GDP on defense budgets. The movie Lord of War does portray a true picture of the global arms industry existing in the world. Nevertheless, it can be argued that the degree of its reality is different since these things are hidden from the general public. The incidents depicted in this movie clearly highlight how in real life certain factors push one to pursue the worst of jobs. The life story of Yuri portrays him as a person caught up in a situation where he has to deal in arms trade in order to give others a chance to protect themselves. His initial intention is to provide the people with a necessity of life, but later on he turns into an arms dealer who builds contacts and uses his networks to sell arms and ammunition without caring for the lives of others. The way the t rade has been shown, where force and power has been used to get hold of weapons, is a true picture of reality. Arms trade is one of the deadliest causes of chaos in the world. It not only allows military dictators to rule ruthlessly over the population but also gives them the power to continue their suppression and oppression over the suffering population. The deal that is struck between the arms lord and the dealer is usually of millions of dollars and both parties are completely unresponsive to the effects such transactions would have over the future of their nations. The use of such arms is highly questionable; on one end these deals are struck to protect the people from the ruthless rule of their dictators, and on the other it is seen as a source of strengthening the grip of evil doers over the sufferers. For instance, the movie story shows that it was apparent that the deal between the African military ruler and the arms dealer would bring about a massacre of nearby villages an d loss of thousands of lives, but still the deal was carried out. It is likely that the dealer is rarely concerned about the interests of the people who will suffer as a result of these weapon deals. It has been debated also depicted in the movie that after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, thousands of AK-47 and other Russian weaponry flowed into the hands of arms dealers. Since it was lying idle in warehouses and military depots, Russian military generals illegally sold them to arms dealers around the globe in order to make their personal gains. This surely resulted in the availability of one of the best assault rifles of all times and was soon seen in the hands of mobsters and warlords on all continents. It is astonishing to know that around 76% of world’s total expenditure is accounted on defense budgets. This amounts to a humungous $1.22 trillion, out of which 42.8% comes from the United States. (Sipri, Recent trends in military expenditure) This reveals that no matter what

Political Typologies Essay Example for Free

Political Typologies Essay Liberal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The political typology quiz categorized me under the liberal typology group. The liberal typology group belongs support the ideologies of Democrats. It is also the largest group among the nine typology groups. According to the quiz, the liberal group is open to several controversial issues that are the main themes and topics of debates and arguments. These issues include homosexuality, abortion, euthanasia, etc. A most recent controversial social issue involves stem cell research. However, even if the liberal typology group is part of the Democratic Party, it still has distinct values apart from other groups that also belong to the same party. One that is particular to the liberal group is their stand on war. The liberal group is supportive of diplomacy as a means of promoting peace with other countries. Liberalist groups do not believe that war is the answer to conflicts and disagreements. In addition to this, the group does not support anti-terrorist laws, specifically the Patriot Act, that the U.S. government is implementing. Other issues include espousing same sex marriages and advocating the protection and the preservation of the environment. Moreover, the group is also sympathetic to the concerns of immigrants and labor unions. I agree with the results of the quiz because as I was reading the ideologies of the liberal group, I find myself agreeing to them. I do not believe in war, and I do not want to support it. I think wars just cause more wars. Instead of resolving issues, it makes it even more complicated. A lot of innocent lives have been lost just because of simple disagreements that the higher-ups should resolve by talking in peace, compromising, and deciding what is best for the country and other countries as well. I also respect other people in that I believe they have a choice whether to engage in same sex marriages, abortion, support stem cell research, adhere to any religious doctrine or not, etc. I think everyone has the right to decide for themselves and choose whatever it is that they want to do in life, well, as long as they do not do harm to others or the environment. That is a different case. In addition, the issue about labor unions and immigrants is also something that I agree with. There is no competition when it comes to immigrants and employment. They were qualified to work in the country; therefore, there should be no question whether they do harm or good to the economy. Moreover, the rights and concerns of labor unions should be addressed. I think large businesses should pay attention to them and practice humanitarianism in the sense that they should think more of the people who work for them than the money that they earn because of them. Works Cited The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. (2008). â€Å"Liberal.† Retrieved from The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. 28 March 2008. http://typology.people-press.org/typology/results.php.

Before Iran-Contra :: essays research papers

Before Iran-Contra: The Development of Latin American Foreign Policy During the Reagan Administration When the Reagan administration first took office early in 1981, many of its key members wanted to make a move as soon as possible in response to the growing realm of Soviet power in the world. One area that the U.S. felt a lot of pressure from was Latin America. Even before the advent of communism, US influence in Latin America was always a touchy subject. As early as Teddy Roosevelt’s term as president, the US began a course of foreign policy that protected US investments in Latin America. While being decidedly pro-imperialistic in the dealings with these small neighbors, Roosevelt created a â€Å"dollar diplomacy† relationship and resorted to a devious policy of â€Å"preventive intervention† in dealings with Latin America. Not surprisingly, there were not many American supporters in those countries, except, of course, for the American companies exploiting the native populations to maximize profits. But not until the late seventies, with the threat of communist expansion into Central America, did the US again focus their attention on Latin American foreign policy affairs. From the beginning, the Reagan administration displayed concern about Nicaragua becoming another Cuba. Nicaragua showed signs of becoming an armed camp from which trained guerillas would be sent into the neighboring countries to start revolutionary movements, and the US began to think that their only choice was military intervention. But support for military intervention was not very popular in the US among the public and legislature. The first Boland Amendment of 1982 capped the US monetary support for the contra rebels, and in successive years, amendments to the Boland Amendment dropped that number dangerously low. Congress remembered the lessons of the Vietnam War, and wanted to avoid the slow, steady build up to all-out war. Also, many of Reagan’s most trusted advisors were leftovers from the Nixon era. They had watched Vietnam fall shortly after the U.S. withdraw, followed closely by Laos and Cambodia, and the situation in Nicaragua seemed eerily familiar. Cringing at the memory of leaving millions of South Vietnamese American supporters to suffer a dismal fate at the hands of the NVA and People’s Republic of Vietnam, the Reagan Administration was careful not to get so involved in the situation that they could not wash their hands of it if necessary. Therefore, the US’s plan for challenging communism in Latin America changed.

Prejudice in the Merchant of Venice Essay

Prejudice is a significant theme in The Merchant of Venice. This is expresses at various occasions throughout the novel. One of the most significant examples of prejudice in this novel is the Anti-Semitic views of the Christian citizens in Venice. A second act of prejudice in The Merchant of Venice occurs when the Prince of Morocco arrives in Venice. The third example, though more subtle, is the prejudice towards the Prince of Arragon. These three examples fall in to two major categories, racial prejudice and religious prejudice. The Anti-Semitic views in The Merchant of Venice play an important part in the novel. Without the Anti-Semitic views, the elopement plot and the bond plot would not be in existence. If Jessica were Christian, Shylock would have embraced the marriage of Lorenzo and Jessica. Religion, however, intervenes and causes Shylock’s anger at his daughter. The bond plot simply is based on religious tension. Shylock the Jew would not have been so hostile towards Antonio and Bassanio had they all been Jewish or Christian. The behavior in the court room also made a heavy contribution to the Anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice .The punishments for Jews were far worse than those given to Christians. Jews had seriously harsh restrictions allowing them to only be money-lenders. The second example of prejudice occurs between Portia and the Prince of Morocco. This prejudice, however, is not religious like the prejudice between Shylock and Antonio, but is more of a form of racial prejudice. As the second act begins, Morocco states, â€Å"Mislike me not for my complexion, the shadowed livery of the burnished sun.† (2.1.1-2). This was said to Portia to ask her not to judge the prince on his complexion, but rather that he be judged on what is inside of him. Portia, however, had decided that she would not enjoy marrying the prince. She expresses her prejudice by saying, â€Å"If I could bid the fifth welcome with so good heart as I can bid the other four farewell, I should be glad of his approach. If he have the condition of a saint and the complexion of a devil, I had rather heshrive me than wive me.† (Shakespeare 127-131) Her decision was clearly made and despite the Prince’s efforts to help her understand that he was just like any man she remained adamant about her agreement. The third example of prejudice, also racial, is towards the Prince of Arragon. The Prince of Arragon is mocked in various manners throughout the scene in which he chooses the casket. The Prince’s name added a form of comedy to the story. His name, Arragon, similar to Arragon, told the reader about his attitude and personality in general. The Prince of Arragon also stated, â€Å"What’s here? The portrait of a blinking idiot presenting me a schedule!† (2.9.58-60). This statement is also insulting towards the prince due to the fact that he can’t even recognize his own self. Secondly, he referred to the image in the mirror as a blinking idiot. The prejudice here is given my Shakespeare and added instead of being given on from another character, it is expressed as a trait of the Prince of Arragon himself. Shakespeare, in this case, shows prejudice, not a character. The role of prejudice plays an important role in The Merchant of Venice. This prejudice, however insulting and mean it seems now was not as badly viewed in the Elizabethan era. In fact, this prejudice was completely normal. The persecution and prejudice towards Jews, colored people, and people from certain nations was a regular part of daily live. Without the prejudice in The Merchant of Venice, the novels plot would be meaningless.

The life cycle of a star

In this physics coursework, I have been asked to carry out research of my selection and to develop it. I have selected to research the life cycle of a star, and I would conduct this by gathering the necessary information in a form of a report which explains this in detail. I have chosen to explore this particular topic firstly because I am extremely fascinated in space and the universe and secondly because I do not know much about the life cycle of a star and I deem this will help extend my knowledge. Firstly when carrying out this research before describing the life cycle of a star I need to be familiar of what a star is, and how it is formed What is a star, and how does it form? Stars are basically huge balls of hydrogen gas. Hydrogen is by far the most common element in the Universe, and stars form in clusters when large clouds of hydrogen, which naturally forms a hydrogen ‘molecule' (H+H=H2) with another atom, collapse. The hydrogen clouds collapses very slowly, although they can be speeded up by the effects of a passing star, or the shockwave from a distant supernova explosion. As the cloud collapses, it speeds up its rotation, and pulls more material into the centre, where a denser ball of gas, the ‘proto-star' forms. The proto-star collapses under its own weight, and the collisions between hydrogen molecules inside it generate heat. Eventually the star becomes hot enough for the hydrogen molecules to split apart, and form atoms of hydrogen. The star keeps on collapsing under its own weight, and getting even hotter in the core, until finally it is hot enough there (roughly 10 million degrees) for it to start generating energy, by nuclear fusion – combining hydrogen atoms to form a heavier element, helium. Energy is released from the core, and pushes its way out through the rest of the star, creating an outward pressure which stops the star's collapse. When the energy emerges from the star, it is in the form of light, and the star has begun to shine. A Star is formed from a cloud of gas, mostly hydrogen, and the dust that is initially spread over a huge volume, but which is pulled together by its own collective gravity. This gravitational collapse of the cloud creates a body of large density, and the loss of gravitational potential energy in the process is very large indeed. The result is that the original particles acquire high kinetic energy, so that the collisions between them are very violent. Atoms lose their electrons. Not only has that, collisions taken place in which electrical repulsion of nuclei is no longer strong enough to keep them apart. They can become close enough together for the strong nuclear force to take effect, so that they merge. Fusion takes place, with hydrogen as the principal key material. This begins the process of conversion of mass to energy, and much of the released energy takes the form of photons which begins to stream from the new star. Every star then exists in a state of slowly evolving stability. On the one hand there is the trend for the material to continue to collapse under gravity. On the other hand there is a tendency for the violent thermal activity and the emission of radiation resulting from fusion to blow the material apart. The more bigger star in general, the greater is the gravitational pressure and so the higher rate of energy is released by fusion, therefore bigger stars use up their supply of fusing nuclei more quickly than do smaller stars, such that bigger stars have shorter lives. The enormous luminous energy of the stars comes from nuclear fusion processes in their centres. Depending upon the age and mass of a star, the energy may come from proton fusion, helium fusion, or the carbon cycle. For brief periods near the end of the luminous lifetime of stars, heavier elements up to iron may fuse, but since iron is at the peak of the binding energy curve, the fusion of elements more massive than iron would soak up energy rather than deliver it. This links to the below graph: Fusion in stars makes energy available to create radiation, consuming mass at an amazing rate. The sun, for example loses a mass of 4.5 million tonnes every second. Also, heavier nuclei are formed from smaller ones, so that the compression of a star changes. Concluding this, as the star dies the material dependant on its size is scattered in space. The Hertzsprung – Russell Diagram This simple graph shows ways in which to classify stars. Temperature is plotted on the x-axis. This is related to the colour as cooler stars are redder, hotter stars are bluer. Relative luminosity is plotted on the y-axis. Because of the very wide range of temperatures and stellar luminosities, logarithmic scales are used. The location of an individual star on such a graph lets us establish a loose system of classification. This graph aids us to find out what star has what temperature so we can easily classify it using the relative luminosity and temperature. Here is a diagram of the graph which shows the stars in their classified points showing their rough temperature and luminosity. So how do the changes in the stars take place? Very massive stars experience several stages in their cores. o First hydrogen fuses into helium then helium to carbon creating larger nuclei. Such large stars in later life can have shells or layers with heavier nuclei towards their centres. It is not only the life expectancy of a star that depends on its mass, but also the way which it dies. o Older stars have outer layers in which hydrogen is the fuel for fusion, while the inner layers helium is the fuel, and for massive stars there may be further layers beneath. Most stars, including the sun become red giants after the end of their equilibrium phase. o This process is started by cooling in the inner core, resulting in reduced thermal pressure and radiation pressure and so causing gravitational collapse of the hydrogen shell. But the gravitational collapse provides energy for heating the shell, and so the rate of fusion in the shell increases. This makes the shell expand enormously. o The outermost surface of the star becomes cooler, and its light becomes redder, but the larger surface area means that the stars luminosity increases. o Meanwhile the gravitational collapse affects the core as well, and ultimately the process of fusion of helium in the core cause the outer shell to expand further and thin leaving the hot extremely dense core as a white dwarf. o Slowly this cools and becomes a black dwarf. o For the stars that are several times bigger then the sun, death may be even more dramatic. A core of carbon is created by fusion of helium, and once this core is sufficiently compressed then fusion of the carbon itself takes place. The rapid release of energy makes the star briefly as bright as a galaxy, as bright as 10 billion stars. o The star explodes into a supernova and its material spreads back into the space around. In even larger stars, fusion of carbon can continue more steadily, producing still larger nuclides and ultimately creating iron nuclei. The iron nuclei also experience fusion, but these are different as they are energy consuming meaning they keep it in. The central core of the star collapses under gravity. This increases temperature but cannot now greatly increase the rate of fusion, so collapse continues. Outer layers also collapse around the core, compressing it further. It becomes denser then an atomic nucleus, protons and electrons join together to create neutrons. o Meanwhile, the collapse of the outer layers heats these, increasing the rate of fusion so that suddenly the star explodes as a supernova. This spreads the material of these layers into space, leaving a small hot body behind a neutron star. o Furthermore if this supernova is big enough, its gravity continues to pull the matter towards a single point with a huge gravitational field where not even light can escape from is known as the black hole. Star pictures obtained from Internet http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy Here is an illustration of a star life cycle followed by the theory How long a star lives for and how it dies†¦ How long a star lives and how it dies, depends entirely on how massive it is when it begins. A small star can sustain basic nuclear fusion for billions of years. Our sun, for example, probably can sustain reactions for some 10 billion years. Really big stars have to conduct nuclear fusion at an enormous rate to keep in hydrostatic equilibrium and quickly falter, sometimes as fast as 40,000 years. If the star is about the same mass as the Sun, it will turn into a white dwarf star. If it is somewhat more massive, it may undergo a supernova explosion and leave behind a neutron star. But if the collapsing core of the star is very great at least three times the mass of the Sun nothing can stop the collapse. The star implodes to form an infinite gravitational warp in space, a hole. This is exemplified in a very simple diagram highlighting the consequence of each mass of the stars and what they will revolve into. Normal stars such as the Sun are hot balls of gas millions of kilometres in diameter. The visible surfaces of stars are called the photospheres, and have temperatures ranging from a few thousand to a few tens of thousand degrees Celsius. The outermost layer of a star's atmosphere is called the â€Å"corona†, which means â€Å"crown†. The gas in the coronas of stars has been heated to temperatures of millions of degrees Celsius. Most radiation emitted by stellar coronas is in X-rays because of its high temperature. Studies of X-ray emission from the Sun and other stars are therefore primarily studies of the coronas of these stars. Although the X-radiation from the coronas accounts for only a fraction of a percent of the total energy radiated by the stars, stellar coronas provide us with a cosmic laboratory for finding out how hot gases are produced in nature and how magnetic fields interact with hot gases to produce flares, spectacular explosions that release as much energy as a million hydrogen bombs The Orion Trapezium as observed. The colours represent energy; where blue and white indicate very high energies and therefore extreme temperatures. The size of the X-ray source in the image also reflects its brightness, i.e. more bright sources appear larger in size. The Life Cycle of a star: In Large Stars In hot massive stars, the energy flowing out from the centre of the star is so intense that the outer layers are literally being blown away. Unlike a nova, these stars do not shed their outer layers explosively, but in a strong, steady stellar wind. Shock waves in this wind produce X-rays; from the intensity and distribution with energy of these X-rays, astronomers can estimate the temperature, velocity and density of this wind. Medium sized Stars In medium-sized stars, such as the Sun, the outer layers consist of a rolling, boiling disorder called convection. A familiar example of convection is a sea-breeze. The Sun warms the land more quickly than the water and the warm air rises and cools as it expands. It then sinks and pushes the cool air off the ocean inland to replace the air that has risen, producing a sea-breeze. In the same way, hot gas rises from the central regions of the Sun, cools at the surface and descends again. From Red Giant To supernova Once stars that are 5 times or more massive than our Sun reach the red giant phase, their core temperature increases as carbon atoms are formed from the fusion of helium atoms. Gravity continues to pull carbon atoms together as the temperature increases and additional fusion processes proceed, forming oxygen, nitrogen, and eventually iron. As the shock encounters material in the star's outer layers, the material is heated, fusing to form new elements and radioactive isotopes. While many of the more common elements are made through nuclear fusion in the cores of stars, it takes the unstable conditions of the supernova explosion to form many of the heavier elements. The shock wave propels this material out into space. The material that is exploded away from the star is now known as a supernova remnant. The White Dwarf A star experiences an energy crisis and its core collapses when the star's basic, non-renewable energy source, hydrogen which is used up. A shell of hydrogen on the edge of the collapsed core will be compressed and heated. The nuclear fusion of the hydrogen in the shell will produce a new surge of power that will cause the outer layers of the star to expand until it has a diameter a hundred times its present value. This is called the ‘red giant' phase of a star's existence. There are other possible conditions that allow astronomers to observe X-rays from a white dwarf. These opportunities occur when a white dwarf is capturing matter from a nearby companion star. As captured matter falls onto the surface of the white dwarf, it accelerates and gains energy. This energy goes into heating gas on or just above the surface of the white dwarf to temperatures of several million degrees. The hot gas glows brightly in X-rays. A careful analysis of this process can reveal the mass of the white dwarf, its rate of rotation and the rate at which matter is falling onto it. In some cases, the matter that gathers on the surface can become so hot and dense that nuclear reactions occur. When that happens, the white dwarf suddenly becomes 10,000 times brighter as the explosive outer layers are blown away in what is called a nova outburst. After a month or so, the excitement is over and the cycle begins anew. The Supernova Every 50 years or so, a massive star in our galaxy blows itself apart in a supernova explosion. Supernovas are one of the most violent events in the universe, and the force of the explosion generates a blinding flash of radiation, as well as shock waves analogous to sonic booms. There are two types of supernovas: o Type II, where a massive star explodes o Type I, where a white dwarf collapses because it has pulled too much material from a nearby companion star onto itself. The general picture for a Type II supernova is when the nuclear power source at the centre or core of a star is exhausted, the core collapses. In less than a second, a neutron star (or black hole, if the star is extremely massive) is formed. When matter crashes down on the neutron star, temperatures rise to billions of degrees Celsius. Within hours, a disastrous explosion occurs, and all but the central neutron star is blown away at speeds in excess of 50 million kilometres per hour. A thermonuclear shock wave races through the now expanding stellar debris, fusing lighter elements into heavier ones and producing a brilliant visual outburst that can be as intense as the light of ten billion Suns. The matter thrown off by the explosion flows through the surrounding gas producing shock waves that create a shell of multimillion degrees gas and high energy particles called a supernova remnant. The supernova remnant will produce intense radio and X-radiation for thousands of years. In several young supernova remnants the rapidly rotating neutron star at the centre of the explosion gives off pulsed radiation at X-ray and other wavelengths, and creates a magnetized bubble of high-energy particles whose radiation can dominate the appearance of the remnant for a thousand years or more. Eventually, after rumbling across several thousand light years, the supernova remnant will disperse. The Neutron Stars The nucleus contains more than 99.9 percent of the mass of an atom, yet it has a diameter of only 1/100,000 that of the electron cloud. The electrons themselves take up little space, but the pattern of their orbit defines the size of the atom, which is therefore 99.9% open space. What we perceive as solid when we bump against a rock is really a disorder of electrons moving through empty space so fast that we can't see or feel the emptiness. Such extreme forces occur in nature when the central part of a massive star collapses to form a neutron star. The atoms are crushed completely, and the electrons are jammed inside the protons to form a star composed almost entirely of neutrons. The result is a tiny star that is like a gigantic nucleus and has no empty space. Neutron stars are strange and fascinating objects. They represent an extreme state of matter that physicists are eager to know more about. The intense gravitational field would pull your spacecraft to pieces before it reached the surface. The magnetic fields around neutron stars are also extremely strong. Magnetic forces squeeze the atoms into the shape of cigars. Even if a spacecraft carefully stayed a few thousand miles above the surface neutron star so as to avoid the problems of intense gravitational and magnetic fields, you would still face another potentially fatal hazard. If the neutron star is rotating rapidly, as most young neutron stars are, the strong magnetic fields combined with rapid rotation create an amazing generator that can produce electric potential differences of trillions of volts. Such voltages, which are 30 million times greater than those of lightning bolts, create deadly blizzards of high-energy particles. If a neutron star is in a close orbit around a normal companion star, it can capture matter flowing away from that star. This captured matter will form a disk around the neutron star from which it will spiral down and fall, or accrete, onto the neutron star. The in falling matter will gain an enormous amount of energy as it accelerates. Much of this energy will be radiated away at X-ray energies. The magnetic field of the neutron star can funnel the matter toward the magnetic poles, so that the energy release is concentrated in a column, or spot of hot matter. As the neutron star rotates, the hot region moves into and out of view and produces X-ray pulses. Black Holes When a star runs out of nuclear fuel, it will collapse. If the core, or central region, of the star has a mass that is greater than three Suns, no known nuclear forces can prevent the core from forming a deep gravitational damage in space called a black hole. A black hole does not have a surface in the usual sense of the word. There is simply a region, or boundary, in space around a black hole beyond which we cannot see. This boundary is called the event horizon. Anything that passes beyond the event horizon is doomed to be crushed as it descends ever deeper into the gravitational well of the black hole. No visible light, nor X-rays, nor any other form of electromagnetic radiation, or any particle, no matter how energetic, can escape. The radius of the event horizon (proportional to the mass) is very small, only 30 kilometres for a non-spinning black hole with the mass of 10 Suns.

Kosovo Conflict Essays - AlbaniaSerbia Relations, Kosovo War

Kosovo Conflict Essays - AlbaniaSerbia Relations, Kosovo War Kosovo Conflict Kosovo Background of Kosovo: -The Balkans have been a very unstable region for hundreds of years. The reason for contention is because of ethnic origin and disputes of which race owns which land.. That is the reason for the dispute over Kosovo is because of the same thing. This is a very complicated situation, that I don't really know everything about. I just kind of know the basics. Back in the 1500 hundreds, the Serbs conquered the Kosovo area, slowly and gradually over the years the Ethnic Albanians started occupying the territory, until before the bombing began, Kosovo consisted of 90% Ethnic Albanians. Well, the Serbs didn't like this, especially Milosevic who is the ruler over Serbia. Since Kosovo has many historical ties to the Serbs, and the Serbs conquered that territory back in the 1500 hundreds, Milosevic wanted to reclaim their rightful territory. And his method to do this was through ethnic cleansing Kosovo. Stats: -Milosevic has been doing this subtlety for years, and as of last fall has increased his killing of ethnic Albainians. To date, there are now 200,00 people dead as a result of Milosevic's ethnic cleansing. That is probably a very low figure. 100,000 Kosovar men are now missing, which might be the reason for the mass graves that have been pictured. Nearly one half a million people have been expelled from their homes, many forced out at gunpoint, while the Serbian troops destroyed their identity papers, making them unable to return to their homes. This flood of refugees have overwhelmed neighboring countries, who are economically weak, and are unable to take in all the refugees. 600,000 Kosovars are surviving off the land in mountains nearby. Controversy: -You might wonder what business the U.S. has in a country on the other side of the world, where it seems to be no political interest whatsoever. That is a big controversery of whether or not NATO should be involved. At first I was against NATO involvement for just those reasons, why should NATO get involved where there would be no benefit to us, because this was more of a humanitarian issue. But as I researched this and read more about it, I am in favor of NATO involvement. I believe that we should do everything possible to help stop Tyrants from killing innocent people. Which is what was and is occuring in Kosovo. -But I am against NATO in who, why and how NATO is handling this conflict. Who: -NATO is very hypocritical by saying they got involved in this situation purely because of humanitarian reasons. There have been many occasions where the U.S. looked the other way on bigger humanitarian disasters. In West Africa, there was a similar ethnic cleansing situation where the U.S. did not get involved. Why: -In the begging, where NATO was on the verge of bombing Kosovo, Clinton spoke in a public meeting about why we were getting involved. He said, trying to get public approval, that the reason the U.S. is getting involved is largely an economical reason. He said that this war would help the U.S. financially. By getting involved, we would become partners with Europe, thus increasing a trade relationship. That is what I am against. I am against the U.S./Clinton thinking more about how much money we can get, rather than saving innocent lives from being brutally murdered. -After the bombing had dragged on for longer than expected, which was only about a week in some people's opinion, the objectives were stated as follows: To stop ethnic cleansing, stop flood of refugees into nieghboring countries, stop NATO from splitting, prevent Milosevic from strengthening his grip on the Balkan region. And, after over 2 months of involvement, NATO has not been able to meet those objectives. -Bob Bennet said that the current bombing has been no help to the Albanians and Macedonians, who have seen hundreds of thousands of refugees flood across the borders into their ill-equipped countries. It has been of no help to NATO, an alliance that has seen its military stocks drawn down to dangerously low levels, with no effects on the atrocities going on in the killing fields. -One speculated reason to get involved was because of the military stategic point in the

Read 4 chapter of book and answer 4 question Essay

Read 4 chapter of book and answer 4 question - Essay Example There exist two schools of thought on the effectiveness of information technology in communication, with one school arguing that information technology has enhanced organizational communication while the second group arguing in opposition to that stand. In this section, an argumentative analysis of the two sides of arguments will be provided to ascertain the benefits and demerits of information technology in communication. The growth and advancement in information technology has provided a better medium for communication to most organizations as it allows access to a vast information which can be effectively passed on to end receivers. Organizations today use the internet and emails as the effective means of communication with other employees as it allows the transfer of mass information at a click. Emails have today replaced the tradition postal services, printed internal, memos, fax communication and the use of messengers. However, the opponents of increased use of information tech nology in communications in organizations argue that the information that can be transferred with this medium is highly unlimited making it possible to send a lot within a short time. This, according to their arguments, results into situations where the employees use a lot of their working hours reading the information sent in their mails. This has the potential of significantly reducing the productivity of the organization as office and working hours are spent reading mails and virtual internal memos (George and Jones, 2012). The proponents of the continued use of information technology to enhance organizational communication points to increased efficiency with which communication process in organizations have been enhanced. Before the growth and advancement in information technology, organizations would be forced to make large volume printouts of their training manuals, documentation, brochures, legal requirements and any other document that should be used by the employees. This i ncreased the cost of operation for such organizations, as communication was manual and time consuming. The advance of information technology as a means of communication has enabled organizations to post important documents in their websites from where the employees can access from their different workstations. The audited financial reports of the company are also made available for the different stakeholders to access from the comfort of their offices and homes by simply accessing the company’s website. This advancement has thus led to abolition of annual posting of dividend reports to organizational shareholders as they can be emailed the documents at a much cheaper cost (George and Jones, 2012). With advances in communication, organizations have been enabled to create login portals for their employees and suppliers. This has enabled the management of these organizations and their employees to interact on a more personalized but virtual level that enhances productivity withi n the organization. Different employees are therefore assigned different roles virtually which are then posted to their portals and communication effected through a similar system. This application is common in banks and companies that have installed intranet services within their systems. The intranets also allow organizations to store

Child-Centered Curriculum Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Child-Centered Curriculum - Assignment Example Thus, he uses four instincts to determine the character of the child. These are social, constructive, expressive, and artistic. Moreover, he accentuates that in every instinct, there's a corresponding curriculum that best suits the child. At first sight, John Dewey's child-centered curriculum may looked biased. However, I see it more effective rather than the philosophy proposed by disciplinarists who are main skeptics of John Dewey's belief. I discern that giving importance to a child's' decision help them restrain unnecessary actions and make them more responsible in their own lives. It not only set a perception where they are trusted but also divulge things they are capable of doing. Students, in able to be more effective should know what they really want. This will help them decide which field to pursue. Here, they are more assured to keep on track because they go in the path that interests them. As a shift manager, I seldom put my team under pressure. I motivate them through engaging them with healthy challenges, achievements and fair recognitions. As aforementioned above, I am sensitive to my team's' feelings rather than the goal. If truth be told, my management style varies towards different people just like curriculum towards students. In my job, I tend to handle different people. Same with John Dewey's treatment to students, I prefer giving my team the right to discover their individuality beyond rules and regulations.