Monday, September 30, 2019

Do You Think a Persons Life Should Be Saved Regardless of the Cost? Essay

For a religious person, the fact that life is special leads on to the concept of the sanctity of life. Christianity and Islam both believe that God was responsible for creating life originally, so it is like a gift from God, so should be preserved and respected. However, some others dont believe the same things. Some poeple believe that life forms evolved naturally over millions of years, leading to our society today, and so if it is not a ‘great gift from God’, it shouldnt matter as much if a persons life is taken under certain circumstances. Many people, be religious or not, tend to judge the quality of life on how comfortable it is or how free of pain or suffering. Others take this a step further by asking whether the individual will be able to live with freedom, dignity and, for religious believers, the possibility of accessing or experiencing God. If a persons life has all these qualities, it is seen to be a life of good quality. However, if a persons quality of life is very poor, for example due to poverty, illness or other form of suffering, then it could be viewed that it would be okay for this person to die. Almost as if letting them rest in peace would be liberating them from a life of pain and suffering. A common example where this path is taken is if a person is on life support in hospital and shows no signs of recovery over a long period of time. A lot of people would choose to turn of the life support in this situation and let them die then see their loved ones struggle for longer. The value of life is also another important consideration. Religious believers wouldn’t like to put a price tag on a life, as it is seen overall as priceless (being a gift from God). It wouldn’t be possible to attempted to save a person’s life ‘regardless of the cost’, because a price cannot be placed on a soul. However, other people would disagree a say, for example, the life of a wealthy royal is worth much more than the life of a begger or homeless person. And taking this into account, if the cost were viewed as too high for a begger, than it wouldnt be worth paying. In my opinon, a person’s life should be saved regardless of the cost. This is because everybody has the right to life and it is nobody’s place to decide who deserves it and who doesn’t. Nobody knows what a person is capable of doing in their lifetime, and if they have their life taken away, nobody ever will be able to see.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Marketing Segmentation of Adidas

Adidas is a major German sports apparel manufacturer, which was founded in 1948. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe and the second biggest sportswear manufacturer in the world, after Nike. The company's clothing and shoe designs typically feature three parallel bars. The company revenue for 2009 was listed at â‚ ¬10. 38 billion. The market segmentation; targeting and position play an important role in this company. This essay will use the three factors to analyze this company. Market segmentation Market segmentation was to dividing a market into distinct groups of buyers with different needs, charactistics or behaviour who might require separate products or marketing mixes, the company will first identifies different way to segment the market and then develops profiles of the resulting market segments. As market consist of many buyers, they may differ in their wants, buying attitudes and buying practices, so a seller might design a separate market program for each buyer. Adidas mainly focus on demographic and psychographic segmentation. So Adidas develops their brand in 3 different styles according to the segmentation. Demographic segmentation refers to dividing the market into groups based on demographic variables, such as sex and age, which this method has long been used in clothing market. They branded products into range of male, female and kids, according to age and life cycle segmentation and gender segmentation, after all they can have products that can fit to almost every demographic possible. Adidas has a branded range of male and female clothing, shoes or body-care and eyewear, which all three brands of Adidas; Performance, Originals and Style also provide products for this segment. Ppsychographic segmentation was to dividing the market into groups based on social class, life style or personality characteristics. Adidas focus on social class because people within a given social class tend to have similar buying behavior. People interest in many goods is affected by their life style and many goods they buy are expressions of their lifestyle, people who loves outdoor activities and sporty style will tends to buy Adidas products. By using personality variables to segment markets, giving their products personalities that correspond to consumer personalities. From the fundamental marketing concepts, it is important to satisfy customers need and meet their expectations, in orders to keep royal consumer. Adidas has did a successful job in this area, because many people who are experiencers and image drivers believes that Adidas provides products which are fashionable, good looking and can be functional too. So Adidas Originals was designed to focus on fashion and life-style. Adidas segment customers like athletes, gym regulars, sports enthusiasts, brand freaks and image seekers. Adidas often have work with different athletes, which produce products that enhance performances. Adidas Performance currently manufactures several running shoes, football kit and associated equipment, being official outfitter of NBA, golf equipments, training and more other sports. Adidas also featured with Y-3 and Adidas NEO Label provided crossover products with different brands that customers who loves either brands would also attracted to buy their products. Market targeting Market targeting is evaluating different market segments, a company must look at three factors: segment size and growth, segment structural attractiveness, and company objectives and resources. (Kotler et al 2010, p277) After evaluating different segments, Adidas adopts market coverage strategy which is differentiated marketing. For using this, Adidas decides to target several market segments, and separate offers for each. (Kotler et al 2010, p278) Thus, the company of Adidas has three different types of product for ustomers, which are Performance, Originals and Style. Here is the table shows three sub-brands of Adidas. Brand of Adidas | Target market| Performance| the customers who like sports. it’s everywhere around the global where sports are simply played, watched, enjoyed and celebrated. | Originals| focuses on streetwear and lifestyle fasions. | Style| Y-3 targets a forward-thinking fashion consumer. SLVR is the smart fashion sportswear label within adidas Sport Style. NEO label is targeted to appeal to the fashionable teen (12- to 16-year-old) who is fully engaged in life, be it through social networking, family, friends, outdoor or sporting activities. | (Adidas group 2009) Those brands allow Adidas to address multiple consumer needs, exploit market opportunities from various angles as well as be less affected by one-dimensional market risks. Considering each sub brand, it uses market coverage strategy which identifies as a market coverage strategy in which a company goes after a large share of one or a few submarket. Kotler et al 2010, p279) For example, Adidas Orginal promotes classic style. It comprise the side collection of numbers of items such as sneakers, clothes, eyewear an watches. In addition, it promotes for different gender, also it targets on customers refer to their lifestyle, which are interest, hobbies and personality , for example, the people like skateboarding would like Adidas Original. adidas Originals with its Trefoil logo has become a relevant part of many people’s lives, whether they are skaters, rockers, artists, musicians, sneakerheads, sports fans and so on. In 2011, Adidas Originals promotes a new line which is denim collection. Market positioning After the market segmentation and market targeting, the next step is market positioning, positioning played an important role for a company to get success and the definition of positioning is designing the company’s offering and image to the mind of buyer (Kotler et al, 2010 p. 280). From the definition of positioning we can easily understand positioning is not what company do to the product, it’s what company do to the mind of consumer elative to competing products, therefore, company can through a valuable proposition, positioning provide the reasons for purchase in the mind of the customers. Firstly, Adidas is a company focus on producing and selling sports goods, which include footwear, clothes and some sports equipment. Therefore, Adidas invested a lot of money to major sport events and major sports clubs around the world to promote and positioning the impression of the Adidas’s sports products as the world leading high quality and most popular sports producer. In addition to using celebrity and well-known club to endorse products, Adidas also constantly using innovation of technique to improve the quality of product, and employ world’s best designers to make their products more popular. As a result, Adidas positioning their products more popular and high quality in consumers mind. Secondly, Adidas is now positioning their new products to be â€Å"faster†. For example, the new basketball boots â€Å"Dwight Howard Superbeast† which was represented by NBA basketball star Dwight Howard is the lightest professional basketball boots in basketball history. This boots make the basketball players run much faster and make stronger move than wearing other shoes. (No author, July 2010) As well as football boots, the â€Å"F50† football boots that represented by the best footballer in this decade Leonardo Messi is one of the lightest football boots in the world. (No author, March 2010) Thirdly, relative to competitors such as Nike, Adidas is more focusing on basketball such as NBA, Adidas is the main provider of all home kits and away kits of 20 teams in NBA, this make Adidas the best producer of basketball wearing products in consumers’ mind. In conclusion, Adidas has become a world leading producer of sports wear by positioning themselves as high quality, popular, and faster. Conclusion In conclusion, market segmentation, targeting and positioning, which are the three important factors in Adidas Company’s marketing. Market segmentation, you should focus on demographic and psychographic segmentation, Adidas can develop brand in 3 different styles, and it can result in get more profit from different style customer. Adidas target on the customers who like sports, such as FIFA World Cup or the NBA All-Star Gam. It can be seen that Adidas have more chance in big money events; it can help the company improve brand equity and enhance the company target. Adidas positioning on sports goods is high quality and popular, it is very suitable for the younger. If Adidas Company fully to use market segmentation, targeting and positioning three steps, I believe that Adidas becomes the first brand in the world in the future. ReferenceKotler, P, Brown, L, Burton, S, Deans, K ; Armstrong, G, 2010, Marketing, 8th Edn, Person Australia, Frenchs Forest NSW.Adidas group 2009, Adidas strategy, viewed in 12 May, http://adidas-group.corporate-publications.com/2009/gb/en/structure-and-strategy/global-brands-strategy/adidas-strategy.htmlAdidas March 2011, viewed in 12 May,Adidas July 2011, viewed in 12 May, ; http://www.adidas.com/au/basketball/;

Saturday, September 28, 2019

The effectiveness of pelvic circumferential compression devices Term Paper

The effectiveness of pelvic circumferential compression devices - Term Paper Example considered as one of the most common injuries that can result from the different forms of accidents and traumas that can lead to high amount of hemorrhage from any of the following injuries namely, the venous plexus lesion, arterial injury, and localized bleeding of the specific fracture sites (Knops et al. 101). The said condition has high incidence of mortality and recorded as the third leading cause of death in vehicular accident cases specifically motor vehicles (Wayne 39). Pelvic circumferential compression device is defined as an apparatus commonly in the form of a belt with a mechanism for tightening that is put around the pelvis that had been fractured. It works by constricting and preventing any form of movement, thus, it stabilizes the fractured pelvis. The Pelvic Binder, T-POD and the SAM Sling are the most common types of PCCDs (Knops et al. 101; Spanjersberg et al. 1031). Due to the need for immediate method to manage pelvic fracture or trauma, studies on the application of the pelvic circumferential compression devices are prevalent while studies that are focused on the effectiveness of the said devices are scarce. This can be attributed to the fact that applications of new development in PCCDs are immediate due to the need e.g. in emergency cases or emergency medical services (EMS). This can be observed in the data presented in references and guidelines in cases of pelvic injuries. One example is the Advanced Trauma Life Support wherein PCCDs are indicated to be the main method to manage unstable pelvic fracture (Spanjersberg et al. 1031). The role of the PCCDs in managing pelvic fracture specifically in EMS can be considered essential on the basis of the need of such cases for immediate care. If the pressure on the skin exceeding 9.3 kPa continuously affects a person for 2 to 3 hours, the safety of the patient is affected and the effectiveness of the procedure is affected (Knops et al. 101). The objective of the paper is to present the

Friday, September 27, 2019

ENTREPRENURSHIP CAPITAL & THE FIRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

ENTREPRENURSHIP CAPITAL & THE FIRM - Essay Example This is followed by the factors contributing to the planned start-up business and the subsequent running and management of the venture. Influence of Personal Background The interview with the entrepreneur revealed that he is the only child of his parents. As a result, his parents were very attentive to his upbringing. According to Veciana (2007, p. 55), family context and childhood are among the basic factors affecting the decision to create a firm. As he belongs to a developing country, his parents gave utmost importance to his education. He was home-schooled for a year before joining kindergarten. The entrepreneur believes that during this time, he was taught by his parents as well as a home tutor. His father, in particular, often took him along to several parts of the city that he had to visit in the course of business. In this way, he got exposed to various trades from a very early age. His father is probably the very first role model that inspired him to become an entrepreneur. He owned a textile business and the entrepreneur would spend a few hours in the day with his father at the shop. This fits in with Shane’s (2010, p. 149) statement that children of entrepreneurs are more likely to become entrepreneurs themselves. The entrepreneur also reported that his parents did not place many restrictions on him as a child and allowed him to pursue his interests. This encouraged him to be bold and take up challenges. Although the entrepreneur’s parents were affectionate towards him, they also encouraged him to be independent and assume responsibility for his actions. He stated that from the age of three, he began to sleep in a separate room and was responsible for keeping it organized from the age of seven. Even at school, his parents did not interfere when he was punished or scolded by his teachers for not following instructions. He recollects that these influences played a great role in shaping his personality to take up entrepreneurship as a care er choice. As stated by Ginbcus, Vermeulen, and Radulova (2008, p. 23), entrepreneurs tend to be independent and do not have high needs for conformity. This tendency is reflected in the personality of the entrepreneur interviewed. As mentioned earlier, family influences played an important part in shaping the entrepreneur’s eventual career choice. The father being an entrepreneur himself, there was a role model readily available within the immediate environment of the entrepreneur. As a child and even while growing up, the entrepreneur observed his father making business decisions and responding to challenges. During the interview, the entrepreneur stated that observing his father made him aware of the benefits as well as the risks of being an entrepreneur. Sometimes, his father had to make decisions that put the financial future of the family at risk. Sometimes, the risk paid off. But the family also had to face financial difficulties during some periods. The entrepreneur st ated that the determination of his father to persevere and the support of his mother helped them to overcome temporary setbacks. At any rate, the challenges did not deter the entrepreneur from following in his father’s footsteps. In fact, the entrepreneur said that often he felt that his father was not making the right decision. He then resolved that he would not make the same mistakes if he were to run his own business someday. Douglas (2009, p. 7) describes

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Community organizing for health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Community organizing for health - Essay Example The chapter on scale of measuring perception on control equally emphasizes the role of communal participation for a common course. People tend to have internal conflicts regarding how to act towards physiological occurences.Besides, the organization is subject to conflicting ideas and pressure to yield expected results and this requires confidence. In other words, people must have control over their thoughts, emotions and physical reactions in response to community health and welfare prospects. The validity and reliability of the scales to be used for such measurement needs extensive scrutiny. Individual perception on control translates to corporation among members of the community and yields desirable results. On policy Bingo, the author emphasizes need to protect private information despite the need for community involvement in health related issues. Setting limits on extent of disclosure must be respected and form a critical part of community health practices (Minkler, 2012). Besi des, organization and execution of laid down plan must observe socio-economic diversity that exists in the society. It is therefore critical to underscore the idea of privacy versus achievement of set goals.A critical evaluation of this book explores the increasing campaign on friendly social policies when it comes to community health and welfare. In my opinion, pursuit of the Frerian organizing codes is of unchallenged significance. Community constitutes different ethnic and racial diversity which must be captured while making decisions.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The Role of the Financial manager SLP Assignment

The Role of the Financial manager SLP - Assignment Example Coupled with the recent developments in the financial performance successes, Apple Inc.’s status as a towering figure among publicly traded companies continues to cement its business. Based on the strong brand presence and financial successes reported continuously at the company, success projections in the near future appear promising due to the sustainability of its business model. The utilization of high-end technologies at Apple Inc. continues to provide a promising future for the company’s growing market. The size of Apple Inc. in the American and global smart technologies segment correspond with the recorded revenue growth hitting $42.1 in the fourth quarter of the just ended trading period (Apple Inc., 2014). Further projections on the company’s future relate to the company’s ratings on management effectiveness standing at 14.96 per cent and 33.61 per cent for return on assets and equity respectively. The sustainability of the software and hardware model at Apple’s products portfolio enables the company to challenge for top honors in the technology market. Apple Inc.’s towering financial power elevates it to the top of the list of American multinationals supporting tens of billions of dollars as stable investment value. Recent income figures in excess of $325 billion supported by quarterly gross margin growth of 38 per cent give an indication of the size of the company (Apple Inc., 2014). In these financial figures, $70.54 billion of gross profit implies that the company posted positive operations in the market that it continues to dominate. According to Yahoo Finance (2014), Apple Inc. trades as AAPL at Nasdaq stock market, with the recent stock market performance standing at a stable price of $109.70 (week opening Nov 10). The price of Apple Inc.’s share a year ago stood at $74.28, which gives an indication of growth by a growth of

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Analyzing a building or architecture based on several questions, see Essay

Analyzing a building or architecture based on several questions, see them in the uploaded file - Essay Example The size of the arena is estimated by the seating arrangement which is 5,110 permanent seats with 7,610 moveable chairs. Dorton Arena is opened to various patrons or clients across a diversity of the world. For instance, in the earlier days it was a residence of various sports teams and presently is the residence of the Caroline Rollergirls Its plan constituents steel, cast iron, parabolic arches, ground and tiers underneath rigid chairs are concrete. The support-hanging roof is a grooved metal decking enclosed with a bonded ceiling cover, while the edge columns are concrete-encased steel. Windows are steel framed with painted, glare-reducing glass. Therefore the materials used widely for construction are steel and concrete. The purpose of the building was for multi-use but the initial intention was to be just a domestic animals exhibition area and later, in the finishing point, still, it was approved extended use, showing the current necessitate for flexibility in the plan of intern al venues. For example it was a perfect place for business shows, graduations, sporty events, circuses, speakers, and other special events. In addition to above events, the arena is also used for concerts during the North Carolina State Fair. ... It is therefore a multipurpose building. In view of the fact that the building is multipurpose, it serves several people in the world who are in different sector of production. Furthermore, it is at the interest of the North Carolina especially in the following sectors; farming, production, business and education The building’s function influences its design in that, the literary & aesthetic value of the building completely compliments the wants of the functions taking place indoors, in the view that the tent-like, weigh down formed roof measures the original use of extra bent delay form in a structural design. In this case, the tiered seating of the ground and the line of the roof increase in equivalent. Comparing to other buildings that serve the same purpose, Dorton Arena is the most likeable structure because of its services that it provides. Thus, agriculture, industry, and commerce but it has seen a mixture of other functions. In the 1970’s it hosted the American Basketball Association’s Carolina, Raleigh Ice Caps, a minor league hockey team, called Dorton its home from 1991 to 199. It is also specious and therefore accommodates many people than other buildings. It is again influencetial to the future designs. For instance, in 1957, the American organization of Architects acknowledged the arena as one of the top best structure most anticipated to persuade the expectations of American architecture. It was listed as a state famous headstone in 1972 and The National Park Service says the structure has been highly praised globally for its modern blending of design and engineering. It’s two-twisted parabolic arch plan, edge hold columns, and wire structure provides a clear view from anywhere indoors and the building's

Monday, September 23, 2019

The book of Eli argument Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The book of Eli argument - Research Paper Example It had a lot of in depth detail about the way it played out its characters into the movie. The movie had a lot of enigmatic scenes and the storyline was beautifully depicted and played out. Denzel Washington plays the role of a warrior in the movie He depicts this role to utter perfection where every scene has been carved out of supreme control and smoothness so as to reflect the true nature of the given situation. Denzel Washington spends his time travelling in the movie. He is travelling across an eerie landscape in the movie. He does this by maintaining huge amounts of concentration and dedication to work things out for him. The brown, dusty environs look familiar and not, dotted with abandoned cars and the occasional corpse. Eli feels at home when he is travelling around the place. He feels that he is a state of Trans. When Eli pauses, the camera settles near his feet, and the sky opens above him like a sheltering hand. With his green jacket and unsmiling mouth, he looks like a v eteran of an unknown war, a soldier of misfortune — though, given the fog of religiosity that hangs over the movie, he might be an avenging angel. He is a master of his own destiny in the movie. He has taken the road which is tougher to ride on, and still he carried on so amazingly that it looked as if he was provided the brief to do the act. . The main script of the movie was based on the writings of Gary Whitta and the Hughes Brothers have played an excellent role in converting the same into a storyline that has been acted out very professionally and promisingly. On its opening weekend, the movie ranked number 2 after avatar which is a very big achievement considering there were other box office releases that weekend as well. What made the movie so intact and tight was the sense of direction that had been placed emphasis upon. The Hughes Brothers have been successful in inserting fresh aspects and outlooks into the way most people view the post apocalyptic era of America to day, in the modern day and age. The direction has helped to provide a different spin on the movie and had received positive reviews by critics worldwide. The movie helped to grip the attention of the audience and Washington played his role to the best of his abilities, being one of the main reasons that the movie was so widely accepted and gained popularity. There are many scenes full of suspense which astonish the audience to a great extent and leave them longing for more. In conclusion, the Book of Eli received a vast amount of positive criticism from far and wide mostly because of the fresh spin that its directors placed on the style and way that the movie was narrated as well as the acting roles played by actors like Gary Oldman and Denzel Washington. Even though many movie goers argued that the movie did not satisfy their desire for action, most derived the fact that this movie provided for an excellent dose of excitement and chills which left the people wanting even more. With excellent shooting done with high end digital cameras, the audience found it extremely comfortable to sit through the various effects and watch every moment of the movie and absorb it within so as to understand the kind of situation the

Sunday, September 22, 2019

American Indian Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

American Indian Literature - Essay Example Thus, his ability to defend his people allows him to be seen as a hero by his tribesmen, and this also allows him to be revered and celebrated by his people. Since warriors were so important to all Native American tribes, throughout their literature, we see the concept of the warrior as a hero, or as a powerful individual, bustling throughout this literature. Take, for example, the story of "Lucy, Oklahoma" in which "medicine men" become warriors, by way of witchcraft, on behalf of one of their abused kin. Medicine men are revered in Native American cultures, too, aren't they Of course they are-however, they are not usually seen as the heroes of battles-this is reserved for the warriors. If these medicine men are going to do their tribe justice and take revenge, they must fight. So, even though they are revered members of the tribe, we see that the status of the warrior in the tribe is even more revered-and thus, again, these men, in order to be heroes and to defend their tribe's ideals, must become warriors. The status of the warrior in the Native American tribe is therefore revered and even holy. The ability of the warrior to defend his tribe and assure the tribe's survival, as well as the tribe's own respect and prestige (as is the case in "Lucy, Oklahoma") becomes very important to the tribe's own pride and honor.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Turnaround Strategies Essay Example for Free

Turnaround Strategies Essay Emphasis is on speed of change and rapid cost reduction and/or revenue generation. Managers must prioritise things that give quick and significant improvements. Although used interchangeably, restructure is different from turnaround. ? ? Operational Turnaround The focus is on ways of improving the operation of the business and designed to halt the decline. Strategic Turnaround The focus is on adjusting the strategic focus of the business in terms of its Product/Market profile and halt the decline. ? Cost Reduction Strategies Asset Reduction Strategies Financial Restructuring Strategies Management and Cultural Change Strategies Revenue Increasing Strategies Product/Market Redefinition Strategies Turnaround †¢ Restructure †¢ Restructure is a course before failure to avoid failure An unsuccessful restructure may be followed by a turnaround. Turnaround is a course after failure †¢ 7 steps of Turnaround: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Crises Stabilization Management Changes Gaining stakeholder support Clarifying the target market Re-focusing Financial Restructuring Prioritization of critical improvement areas Aim: Regain control over the deteriorating position Focus: At this time focus remains ? Cost Reduction ? Revenue Increase Turnaround requires proper alignment of causes of decline and the solutions. Changes at top level management is required Reasons: ? Old management may be seen as the cause of the problem by the stakeholder ? Management with experience in turnaround is required ? Different approaches and fresh perspectives may be brought by outsiders ? In a situation of turnaround it is vital that key stakeholders are kept well informed and a clear picture is sent. The main stakeholders involve employees, bank of the organisation, shareholder group Assessment of power of different stakeholder groups is of vital importance. ? ? While turnaround it is very important to clearly segment the target market. This step gains importance due to the following reasons: ? Not identifying targeting the right target market may itself be the reason for turnaround. ? Leads to revenue generation A more focused approach from the management would lead to discontinue of products and services not suitable for the target market. This will lead to discontinue of products returning lower revenues. This will lead to utilizing opportunities more profitable. It is the reorganizing of a business assets and liabilities. Although companies can restructure for any reason, in most cases it is done when there are serious problems with the business, and to avoid bankruptcy liquidation. Financial restructuring would typically involve:? Changing existing capital structure ? Raising additional finance Renegotiating agreements with creditors ? Managers need to identify critical improvement areas ; prioritize them. They need to prioritize things that give immediate and effective improvement. TURNAROUND OF INDIAN BANK IN 2000 Known as the queen of turnaround management, Ms Ranajana Kumar, Chairman ; Managing director took a bleeding public bank out of successive losses. Situation prior of Ms Kumar:

Friday, September 20, 2019

Opportunity Analysis For Precious Pets

Opportunity Analysis For Precious Pets In the society today, pets have been becoming an important family member in the families around the word. More and more people tend to treat their pets like a child rather than just a pet. And the pet care and pet food industry becomes popular. There is statistics suggesting that the pets population is ever increasing around the world developed countries. It is shown in the report that the 63% of households own pet in Australia, the pet ownership is 63% in the USA and 53% in the UK. With the increasing population of pet in these countries the pet industry is making a greater contribution to the economy of the countries (Contribution of pet economy to the Australian industry report, 2006a). So the work team is expecting a good prospect for their new project-the Precious Pet private club. The Precious Pet Private Club tends to supply the basic pet care, along with the pet and pet owner interactive sports, the pets restaurant and the pets-in hotel, of course a cafà © where the pet owner can get their stomach filled. The target of our business is to supply the pet and pet owner a common space to interact and enjoy a special holiday together. Content Table Content Table 3 1.0 Introduction 4 2.0 Opportunities in the pet industry 5 2.1 The trend of pets population in the developed countries. 5 2.2 The profit prospect in the pet industry 5 2.3 The pet owners attitude toward the pets 6 3.0 The major competitor analysis 6 4.0 The operation structure of the Precious Pets Private Club 7 4.1 The business model 7 4.2 The human resource for the Club 8 5.0 The SWOT analysis of Precious Pets Private Club 9 5.1 The Strength analysis 9 5.2 The weakness analysis 9 5.3 The opportunity analysis 10 5.4 The threats analysis 10 6.0 Conclusion 10 Reference 11 Further reading 12 1.0 Introduction It is clear through the statistics that the pet care industry is a big and increasing industry. More and more organizations tend to supply service for the pets. The pets-only product is even more expensive than the peoples. So there is a larger profit margin that than the usual product for people. Many food manufacturers engage into the industry and become the leaders, too. For example Nestle and Mars both take not bad market shares in the pet food industry. So it can be estimated that the pet industry is a new industry with a great potential. That is why the Precious Pet Private Club being chosen as the target project. The report will be composed of four parts-the pet industry opportunity analysis, the major competitor analysis and market environment research, the operation structure of Precious Pet Private Club, SWOT analysis of Precious Pet Private Club. The Pet industry analysis will present a clear demonstration of the opportunity in the industry. The analysis will decide if there is a potential for the Precious Pet Private Club to grasp a profit in the industry. If the opportunity to survive is to thin, the project ought to be given up. Then the market environment research will give hint where the major competitors are around the Precious Pets Private Club and leave the Precious Pets Private Club on the defending status. The operation structure decides how the organization will be run and the SWOT analysis will propose a clear understanding of the organization itself. 2.0 Opportunities in the pet industry 2.1 The trend of pets population in the developed countries. It is mentioned in the executive summary that the pets population is ever increasing, and the statistics will prove that. The statistics report pointed out that in the US the number of dogs per 100 people has increased. The number of dogs per 100 people in the US is 25 in 2005 and the number is 22 in 2001. While compared to the dog population increase in the US, the number in the UK and Australia was decreasing slightly since 2002. The situation with the cats population is similar. In the USA about 31 cats are kept in 100 households, and the number of cats per 100 people is only 28. (Contribution of pet economy to the Australian industry report, 2006b) 2.2 The profit prospect in the pet industry Since the Americans are likely to keep more pets, the pet industries contribution to the national economy can not be neglected. It is reported that the contribution of the pet industry to the USA economy is ever growing each year. The American Pet Products Association (APPA) announced that there were estimated 69.1 million pet owning households and they will contribute US$35.9 billion in the pet product expenditure. On the average it equates that every pet owning family will spent US$519 annually on their pets. (Contribution of pet economy to the Australian industry report, 2006c) 2.3 The pet owners attitude toward the pets The pet industry will make a remarkable contribution to the economy; it is still the pets owners contribution. How they spend money on their lovely pets is the way how we could provide service and make money of course. The families today tend to treat their pets like a child rather than a household-kept animal. A new survey in Australia has proved that concept of pet parent rather than a pet owner. The study can indicate that the people are sharing a close emotion bond with their loving pets. Most of them shows a responsible attitude, and they love their pets, would protect them and spent money for them. In this study 85% of pet owners treated their pet part of the family or just like a child and 57% interviewed pet owners take their pet their best friend. 21% of pet owners often/sometimes celebrate their pets birthday and 44% of pet owners give their pet presents for Christmas or other special occasions. Similar studies have been conducted in other countries with similar results, indicating that this is a worldwide trend.(Industry Trends for 2009) The statistics from the pet industry will suggest there are profitable room the industry enterers. The pet care industry has become a general service industry which is accepted by people and more types of services will appear to attract the profit. 3.0 The major competitor analysis The Precious Pet Private Club is a comprehensive pet care club, which consist of the popular pet restaurant and pet hotel. The new concept is the pet-owner interactive sports program. And the pet restaurant and pet hotels are not so new. So there is no doubt they would project a competitive challenge to our business. And the regular pet product retailing place such as the pet food store, and the super market and convenience store could attract the customer who would come to our pet restaurant. Then the pet beauty center is another major competitor. The pet beauty center is a pet service provider, too and will provide some pet products such as food, the pet only shampoo, clothes and so on. The business model contains the product retailing and pet service, similar to the comprehensive service provider, the Precious Pets Private Club. And the beauty service is the major profit source. And for the Precious Pets Private Club target to the upper level pet owner customers. The service provi ded will be packaged and sell to those who would like to build closer emotional bonds with their lovely pets. The business model will be explained in the operation structure part. The market environment research could bring back the information that around the Precious Pets Private Club there are 2 special pet product stores and 1 pet beauty service center. The supermarket or convenience stores are the traditional pet food and pet product retailers, too. 4.0 The operation structure of the Precious Pets Private Club 4.1 The business model The Precious Pets Private Club will consist of four major business categories. The basic pets care such as the pet beauty service will be supplied. The pet owners can get their pets washed and get dressed to match the happy mode of the pet owner and the pets in the short vacation. The pet owner sports programs could let the pet in when ever the pet owner want to do sports in the club. And some pet training could be a choice. Here the owner could train their pets to finish litter tricks and increase the interaction between the pets and the owner. The pet theme restaurants will put the focus on the pets self-service food supply. All kinds of major branded pet foods will be served and the pets can choose the food they like and would not be confined to the usual pet food at home. It is a special experience for the pets. If the pet owner can not tell which brand of pet food their pets prefer, just bring them to the pet self-service restaurant and let them decide. The fourth part is the p et-in hotel. The club tended to supply a good place to spend a day or even a weekend for the pets and their owners. And the pet-in hotel let the owner take their pets to the hotel together. The hotel could supply the bed where the pet and the owner could share or if the pet owner would like the pet to sleep alone, the hotel could also supply a single pet bed, a blanket, a basket or a pet room. The owner could keep their pet in the room they booked. At the very beginning the pet-in club would supply at most 10 rooms, because the room maintenance would be a little expensive. Except for the four major business categories, the club could accommodate some pets exhibition. And the service of the club will be provided to the club member only. To demonstrate the business structure clearly, the figure below could be referred. Precious Pets Private Club Pet-in hotel Pet self-service restaurant Interactive sports program Basic pet care 4.2 The human resource for the Club According to the business model the club needs to resemble the four service model together. Each business category will need a supervisor who is in charge of the product design for this business category, included in the expecting employee number for each sector. 3 pet care worker for the basic pet care center providing the necessary service including wash the pet and dress the pet. 2 workers for the interactive sports program, provide the guidance work to show the customer around the sports programs and fulfill some job schedule connected to other sections. The pet self-service restaurant will employ 4 employees to refill the food supply and tidy the restaurant. 2 employees will be hired for the hotel sector to maintain the hotel rooms and keep the room comfortable for a pet and owner staying together. 5.0 The SWOT analysis of Precious Pets Private Club The SWOT analysis is the process of analyzing organizations and their environments based on their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The analysis would include the environmental analysis and the organizational analysis. The environment analysis is the external factors analysis, which is the process of scanning the business environment for threats and opportunities. The organizational analysis is internal factors analysis, which is the process of analyzing a firms strengths and weaknesses (Weihrich, 1982). 5.1 The Strength analysis The comprehensive service model would be fresh for the pet owners. The target is to server the upper level pet owners who have a strong demand for establishing an emotional tie with their pets. So the target would decide all the programs in the club is special for interactive pet and pet owner. All the programs could be finished by the owner here. But all the necessary products are ready to use. The club is small and would supply total membership type consumption. The members could establish good relations and could stay with the club for a longer time. 5.2 The weakness analysis The products are still basic. Though the business categories have been defined and the comprehensive pet service club is new, the products of each category are still not attractive enough. The products need more development and innovation to attract the customer closely so they will come and stay with the club. 5.3 The opportunity analysis The expenditure on pet is increasing according to statistics, which can guaranty a stable pet expenditure market. People obviously to accept the new type of the pet service and the survey indicates a stable customer expense trend. 5.4 The threats analysis The big pet industry market could be affected by the economy downturn. Since 2009, the global financial crisis has shadowed the peoples lives. People tend to cut down expense. So the expenditure on pets will be cut down to an extent. It would influence our market strategy under such an economy environment. Many of our market strategies will gain little effects. 6.0 Conclusion The team selects the comprehensive pet service club and tends to push the service package to the market through the membership of club. The business is new and the target of the products is clear. But as the SWOT analysis has revealed, the product mix is too easy, and can be copied by other business. So the in-depth product development is very necessary. The service model could be innovative, too. All the target of the organization should be focused on a close emotional tie and interactions between the pet and pet owner, which should become the core competitiveness of the Precious Pets Private Club.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Fire on the Home Front - The Possessive :: Possessive Essays

Fire on the Home Front - The Possessive  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   General Douglas Macarthur said that "the best time to meet the threat [of war] is in the beginning. It is easier to put out a fire in the beginning when it is small than after it has become a roaring blaze" (qtd. in Urofsky, part 9). The mother in Sharon Olds' "The Possessive" undoubtedly feels the same way. War is a terrible time between two or more nations that fight to part from each other or for some other reason; nations fight over property rights and independence. In "The Possessive," Olds uses powerful images of war, such as helmets, blades, and fires to show how her daughter is similar to a warring country that has pulled away from her.    Sharon Olds states "In her bright helmet / she looks at me as if across a great distance" (Olds, 506). The helmet exemplifies the imagery that Olds uses to show the warlike tone in her poem. In modern day wars people see pictures of Cruise missiles and Stealth Bombers on CNN. However, when asked what they envision when they think about war, some will talk about guns, knives, helmets, and fires. As Olds talks about her daughter, she realizes that there is an impending battle yet to come. This battle, too, will be about possession. When her daughter sits in the barber's chair, Olds realizes that her daughter will soon reach her teens. The teenage years are a time when parents battle over cars, boys, and other rights with there children. The children and parents will fight over haircutting rights. As Olds reports, her daughter "has been to the barber, that knife grinder, / and had the edge of her hair sharpened" (506). Knife grinding and sharp objects are another image of war. Soldiers must be sure that their instruments are perfectly sharp if they want to win the war. The first time Olds things about the upcoming battle occurs during the warlike image of the haircut. These first warlike images set the tone of the rest of the piece.    The most vivid and important warlike image that Olds uses in "The Possessive" is the image of fire. The fire imagery appears more than once in the piece. Olds writes that "Distant fires can be / glimpsed in the resin light of her eyes" (506).

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Juvenile Justice :: essays research papers fc

The problem of dealing with juvenile justice has plagued are country for years, since the establishment of the first juvenile court in 1899. Prior to that development, delinquent juveniles had to be processed through the adult justic3e system which gave much harsher penalties. By 1945, separate juvenile courts existed in every single state. Similar to the adult system, all through most of the 20th century, the juvenile justice system was based upon a medical/rehabilitative representation. The new challenges of the juvenile court were to examine, analyze, and recommend treatment for offenders, not to deliver judgment fault or fix responsibility. The court ran under the policy of â€Å"parens patriae† that intended that the state would step in and act as a parent on behalf of a disobedient juvenile. Actions were informal and a juvenile court judge had a vast sum of discretion in the nature of juvenile cases, much like the discretion afforded judges in adult unlawful settings un til the 1970s. In line with the early juvenile court’s attitude of shielding youth, juvenile offenders’ position was often in reformatories or instruction schools that were intended, in speculation, to keep them away from the terrible influences of society and to encourage self-control through accurate structure and very unsympathetic discipline. Opposing to the fundamental theory, all through the first part of the century, the places that housed juveniles were frequently unsafe and unhealthy places where the state warehoused delinquent, deserted, and deserted children for unclear periods. Ordinary tribulations included lack of medical care, therapy programs, and even sometimes food. Some very poor circumstances continue even today. Although putting juveniles into institutions, for many juvenile offenders occurred in the first decades of the 1900s, extensive use of probation for juveniles existed as well. As it does today, probation gave a middle ground nature for judges connecting release and placement in an institution. By 1927, trial programs for juvenile offenders existed in approximately every state. In the 1940s and 1950s, reformers attempted to improve the conditions found in most juvenile institutions. Alternatives to institutions emerged, such as forestry and probation camps. These camps provided a prearranged setting for male juvenile offenders, while emphasizing learning and occupational skills. Though, the efficiency of these options as alternatives to incarceration was dubious since they were not obtainable to the worst offenders. Yet, these changes marked the start of formal, community-based instruction that would turn out to be more extensive in following decades.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Teenage Smoking :: Cigarette Smoking

Teenage Smoking: Teenagers Should Not Smoke   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Teenagers should not smoke because smoking is the most preventable cause of death in America today, especially among teenage smokers. Cigarette smoking is the major cause of lung cancer. It is also responsible for chronic bronchitis. Last, there is emphysema, which is another disease caused by smoking. By smoking, people have a fivefold increase in the risk of dying from lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lung cancer accounts for 29 percent of all cancer deaths in the United States and smoking accounts for about 87 percent of lung cancer deaths. The risks of dying from lung cancer are 23 times higher for male smokers and 11 times higher for female smokers than for nonsmokers. An estimated 158,700 people - 94,400 men and 64,300 women- die from this disease each year, which makes lung cancer the leading cause of cancer deaths in both sexes. The great majority of lung cancer cases could be prevented and thousands of lives could be saved each year if people would quit smoking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Smoking is the main cause of chronic bronchitis and has been found to cause acute bronchitis. Acute bronchitis affects the branches of the bronchi and may develop into bronchial asthma or lobular pneumonia. Chronic bronchitis, a serious and incurable disorder, may result from repeated attacks of acute bronchitis. It is characterized by fever, chest pain, severe coughing, and often secretion of sputum (mucous material coughed up from the respiratory tract).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Emphysema is a progressive respiratory disease characterized by coughing and shortness of breath, which can develop into extreme difficulty in breathing, and most of the time resulting in disability and death. In recent years, emphysema has become a very serious public health problem in terms of rapidly increasing numbers of disabilities and deaths. The highest degree of occurrence is among heavy cigarette smokers, especially those exposed to polluted air. Although people can not quite cure emphysema, abstention from smoking is essential, because it can give relief and increase functioning capacity.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Diamonds Are Forever (from Sierra Leone), Kanye West

Diamonds are Forever (from Sierra Leone), Kanye West The famous song â€Å"Diamonds are Forever (from Sierra Leone)† is not only a good song that is sung by a legendary music artist, Kanye West, but it is a hidden message political song that is directly talking about the precious blood diamonds from the southern countries of the continent Africa. When someone hears the two words â€Å"blood diamond,† most would probably assume that the diamonds are from Africa and that there are many people who die trying to mine for them.In reality, a blood diamond, also known by the names of conflict diamonds, converted diamonds, hot diamonds, or war diamonds, is a diamond that is mined in a war zone and sold to finance an insurgency, invading army's war efforts or a particular warlord's activity. These terms are particularly used in the context of diamond trading to indicate the negative effects for the sales of these said diamonds. Most of the blood diamonds are mined particularly i n Africa, where around two-thirds of the entire world's diamonds are extracted from.Overall, the main political issue that this song is referring to is the cold fought war for the control over Africa’s’ blood diamonds. The reason the country Sierra Leone is mentioned in the song is because of the huge war situations that the blood diamonds have caused. A little knowledge about this particular conflict; from the years of 1989 to 2003, the country of Liberia was engaged in a civil war. In the year of 2000, the United Nations accused Liberian president Charles G.Taylor of supporting the Revolutionary United Front insurgency in neighboring the country of Sierra Leone with weapons and proficient military training in exchange for blood diamonds. In the year of 2001, the United Nations applied sanctions on the Liberian diamond trade. In August of 2003, Taylor stepped down as the president, and after being exiled from Liberia to Nigeria, faced trial in The Hague. On July 21st of 2006, Taylor pleaded not guilty to the charged crimes against humanity and war crimes of which he was found guilty in April of 2012.It’s not too easy to tell if the diamond in the middle of a gold ring is a true blood diamond or not. In reality, there is no way to tell by looking with the naked eyes or even under a jeweler’s gem magnifying glass. Many influences about blood diamonds have been made famous. Some examples include the song â€Å"Diamonds from Sierra Leone† and the famous movie â€Å"Blood Diamond. † After listening to the song by rapper Kanye West, it sends out a deep message about what is going on in Africa on the war of diamonds. The music video that goes along with the song is also very powerful.A lot of the lyrics in the song include hidden descriptive messages about what happens because of these blood diamonds. Not nessacerily about blood diamonds, but what is happening to the southern African countries and what is happening to the pe ople who are forced to mine diamonds. In many cases, children are kidnapped and forced into slavery and forced to mine for diamonds. In other cases it is adults who are kidnapped from their families and forced to mine. After performing some brief research about the forced slavery for mining the diamonds, rebellion is typically not an answer.In simple prospective, people who are forced into the mining slavery are given simple choices; mine for diamonds or be killed, or mine for diamonds or you will be forced to kill your family and then you will be killed. This is just a sickening way of realizing that the diamonds on any wealthy persons’ fingers could not have only cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars, but also cost hundreds and hundreds of innocent lives that will never be remembered. In connection with the message to what the song â€Å"Diamonds are Forever† is trying to tell the whole world is that hundreds of thousands of people have died in Africa’s ongoin g diamond wars.One of the challenges now that we come face to face with is to prevent warlord empires from kidnapping and recurring, and to get diamonds to a safe place where they can be an engine of growth in the 15 African countries where they are mined, instead of a scourge. One of the verses from the song that really stands out to me is: â€Å"†What's up with you and Jay, man, are y'all ok man? † They pray for the death of our dynasty like Amen. Right here stands a man, with the power to make a diamond with his bare hands†¦ † This verse really stands out because of what it means to me.I believe it means that we are asking if people who are mining for diamonds are okay. In response, all we hear are the prayers that ask for the fall of their country, because people are being forced to exchange their enslaved lives for blood diamonds. But in reality, nobody knows who the â€Å"we† are and nobody knows who the people mining are because their lives have already been traded for diamonds. In simple words spoken by Kanye West himself, â€Å"Little is known of Sierra Leone, and how it connects to the diamonds we own. †

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Etourism – “Global Distribution Systems †Going, Going, Gone”

Global Distribution Systems – Going, Going, Gone? | Table of Contents Introduction:2 Timeline3 Airline Reservation System3 Computer Reservation Systems (CRS)3 Global Distribution Systems (GDS)4 Who uses GDSs? 5 GDS – Through the years:5 The Future of GDS:6 What should they do? 6 What is the role of the global distribution system in today’s travel agencies? 6 The Internet7 Conclusion8 References9 Books:9 Articles:9 Websites:9 Introduction: GDS – Going, going, gone? Well, certainly Global Distribution Systems have been going for a while but are they yet gone?This paper is on the history, present time and the questionable future of Global Distribution System (GDS). Firstly I go through each stage of their timeline: – Airline Reservation Systems began in the 1960s and is a computerized system is designed to control flight inventory, maintain flight schedules, seat assignments and aircraft loading. It’s used to store and retrieve information and c arry out transactions associated to any air travel. The modern airline reservation system is comprehensive suite of products to provide a system that assists with a variety of airline management tasks and ervice customer needs from the time of initial reservation through completion of the flight. – Computer Reservations Systems (CRS) began in the 1970s. These types of systems charge other travel suppliers for the right to market their products and services through these systems. ‘The computer reservation systems are completely keyboard driven and you must learn the formats in order to operate it efficiently. The web based booking engines are the point and click environment. ’ Travel Agent Training Centre, (2011). Global Distribution Systems (GDS) began in the 1980s and refer to the booking tool travel agents use when making an air, hotel, car or other travel service booking. They provide pricing, availability and reservation functionality to many online travel ag encies. There are currently four major GDS systems: 1. Amadeus 2. Galileo 3. Sabre 4. Worldspan Hotel-ICT, (2011) – The Internet has become the main sales channel and customer interface for low-cost airlines because of its efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Timeline The timeline stages of CRS/GDS according to Werthner & Klein (1999), is as follows: ———————————————— Time1965197519851995 SystemAirline ReservationCRSGDS Global Travel & FocusSystem Tourism Information Airline Reservation System Airline Reservation System was one of the earliest modifications to improve on efficiency. It’s a moderately simple standalone system that controls flight inventory, maintains flight schedules, seat assignments and aircraft loading. ‘It provides a system that assists with a variety of airline management tasks and service customer needs from the time of initia l reservation through completion of the flight. Videcom, (2006). ARS contain airline schedules, fare tariffs, passenger reservations and ticket records. Airline Reservations Systems sooner or later evolved into Computer Reservation Systems (CRS). Computer Reservation Systems (CRS) ‘A Computer Reservation System (CRS) is a computerized system for saving and retrieving information when needed related to air travel. CRS were created and used by airlines and at a later point they were finally used in tourism intermediaries like travel agencies. ’ marcelvacek. logspot (2010)   An airline's direct distribution works within their own reservation system, as well as pushing out information to the GDS. The second type of direct distribution channels are consumers who use the internet or mobile applications to make their own reservations. Travel agencies and other indirect distribution channels access the same GDS as those accessed by the airlines' reservation systems Well known CRS operations that book and sell tickets for multiple airlines are known as global distribution systems (GDS).Airlines have separated most of their direct holdings to devoted GDS companies, who make their systems available to consumers through Internet gateways. Modern GDSs naturally allow consumers to book hotel rooms and rental cars as well as airline tickets. As well they provide access to railway reservations in some markets although these are not always integrated with the main system. CRS and GDS seem to have the same functions but the major difference between these two systems is that CRS only provide information about airlines whereas by using GDS you can reserve a ticket, a room in a hotel and also a rental car.This is why they are called Global Distribution Systems because you can use GDS to reserve basically everything. Global Distribution Systems (GDS) ‘The term GDS (Global Distribution System) describes a network of one or more CRS for distributing product offer s and functionalities of the participating networks in different countries of the world. In addition to the airline product also other products such as accommodation, car rentals, cruises, or tour operator products are included. Werthner & Klein (1999) Today the travel marketplace is a global arena with hundreds of thousands of buyers (travel agents) and sellers (hotels, resorts, airlines, car rental companies) working together to reserve and deliver the services to the buyer – the traveller. Increasingly Global Distribution System is known for a Global Electronic System, which connects users and suppliers. GDS offer instant access to the supplier's information (i. e. hotels) with immediate function. Many main web portals are also associated to  GDS, including Expedia. com, Orbitz. om, Travelocity. com and priceline. com to name a few. For many years the GDSs had a dominant position in the travel industry. To bypass the GDS and avoid high GDS fees, airlines have started to distribute flights directly from their websites. Another possibility to bypass the GDS is direct connections to the Travel Agencies. According to ITSA there are currently four main GDS companies in operation, these are Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre and Worldspan. These are by far the most used systems, comprising the vast majority of the global bookings in the GDS industry. The Global Distribution Systems (GDSs), a development from the Computer Reservation Systems (CRSs), were for a long time the most important distribution channel for airlines. They were effectively developed as travel supermarkets in the pre-Internet era and their primary objective was to connect travel agencies with airlines (Buhalis, 2004). GDSs are still a vital element in the light of the huge variety of tariffs to be administered. GDSs are the main link between airlines and intermediaries, such as tour operators and travel agents.They are also empowering Internet transactions by providing the background link be tween electronic travel agencies and airlines. ’ (Egger ;amp; Buhalis, 2008) There is one downside of using GDS and it is the fact that it costs airlines money to go through a GDS process. Airlines complain that the prices are too high and therefore some poorer airlines have decided to post their best offers by using their own websites instead of the global distribution system so that they do not go bankrupt. CRSs (Computer Reservation Systems) and GDSs were the most important facilities of change in the tourism industry before the arrival of the Internet, as they were established as a comprehensive travel marketing and distribution system and were often called travel supermarkets. The need for GDSs arises from both the demand and supply sides as well as from the expansion of the tourism industry in recent decades. ’ (Buhalis,2003. ) Who uses GDSs? A majority of travel agents (worldwide) and travel websites use the Global Distribution System (GDS) to book their air, ho tel and car reservations. There are currently over 600,000 travel agents worldwide who have access to  GDS. On top of that, there are hundreds of thousands of web portals that use  GDS  to provide information on hotels, airlines, car rentals,  etc. ’ According to 1Hotelsolution, (2009). GDS – Through the years: There have been 3 stages of evolution the first reservation system was called an Airline Reservation system, the second a Computer Reservation System (CRS) and the third evolution is today’s Global Distribution System (GDS). The establishment of the Computer Reservation Systems (CRSs) in the 1970s and Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) in the 1980s, followed by the development of the Internet in the late 1990s, have transformed the best operational and strategic practices in the industry dramatically. ’ Buhalis ;amp; Laws (2008) The big winners here are the airlines, followed by the GDSs. The carriers' major concern was to overhaul their di stribution economics and they did that – reducing the fees they pay the GDSs by about 33 per cent per segment.And the airlines, with assistance from the GDSs, did it on the backs of travel agencies. Travel agencies bear about 80 per cent of that reduced airline payment to GDSs through the incentive cuts the agencies agreed to, while the GDSs foot about 20 per cent of the lost revenue themselves. With travel agencies already under financial pressure, the 80-cents incentive cut they agreed to could mean the difference between profit and loss, survival and bankruptcy, according to the article Airlines the big winners in ‘the GDS wars’ Schaal (2006). For the amount of contestable market share is limited given high load factors. Worse this is not going to get any better due to the constraints on supply due to the high price of fuel. If  we look at the market share of the 3 major alliances they now occupy more than 50% of total traffic. When you then remove the Low C ost carriers out of the loop as they don’t participate in the GDSs the amount of neutral traffic unaligned falls significantly. Perhaps for this reason we see traditional unaligned airlines like Virgin Atlantic starting to evaluate their options seriously.   4Hoteliers, (2011). The Future of GDS: Over the last 10 years, the Internet has proved to be a crucially successful platform for selling travel, appealing to a vast group of suppliers. According to Breaking Travel News (2004), the number of travellers booking airline tickets, hotel rooms and other travel services online continues to grow. The GDSs were actually among the first e-commerce companies in the world as early as mid 1970s. Earlier before the beginning of the GDS, travel agents spent huge amounts of time manually entering reservations.The airlines realised that at this point they could make travel agents more productive and essentially re-invent them as an extension of the airlines sales force. It is these orig inal legacy GDSs that provide the strength to the Internet Travel distribution. While online commerce was growing at a fast pace, agents are more and more facing a new reality whereby customers are finding the cheapest fares for themselves on the Internet. The airlines can no longer afford to put fare content through GDSs and are complaining that the prices are too high.The low-cost airlines have added to this pressure, having found an alternative form of distribution that bypasses the GDSs, as stated by Breaking News Travel, (2004). In an attempt to cut their own costs, traditional airlines have started to make their best fares available on their own websites alone. Although GDSs are still a very useful distribution tool, at this stage it is crucial that they reduce their distribution costs in order to restore profitability and ensure the airlines survival (none of the GDSs are now owned by airlines). This is no doubt leading to the volume of the GDS transactions diminishing.What s hould they do? Moving into a de-regulatory environment will change the rules for GDSs, meaning a shift in focus creating new opportunities. They really need to concentrate on value, content and pricing as priorities in moving ahead. They should also re-evaluate their costs and agent incentives. British Airways (BA) has recently negotiated a deal with Amadeus, Sabre and Galileo, which gives them full access to BA’s fares as indicated by Breaking Travel News, (2004). What is the role of the global distribution system in today’s travel agencies?With the dramatic expansion of the Internet and the proliferation of new sources offering bookable travel content, GDSs are still the primary, most comprehensive and reliable platform for travel agencies and their corporate clients to access, shop and book travel. It is also through GDSs and their rich portfolios of travel planning and management tools those agencies and corporations reconcile and manage daily travel business. Due to their range, extent and supplier relationships, GDSs are also fundamental to the supply of travel products to retailers in the online channel according to Travelport, (2011). The InternetThe Internet has become the main sales channel and customer interface for low-cost airlines because of its efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The most recent stage of distribution system increase happened in the mid-1990s and counterparts the fast growth of the Internet and its widespread penetration into households by the end of the decade. The internet gave rise to alternative booking channels. ‘ Instead of going to the travel agent to pick up brochures, customers will request details of holidays over the Internet and watch video pictures of the accommodation before booking with the swipe of a credit card. Morgan, (1996). ‘Airlines have a number of options for Internet distribution including airline-owned websites, alliance sites, electronic intermediaries and other forms of sales i ncluding electronic auctioning of unsold seats. A major advantage of these types of services is the ability to offer 24-hour, 7-days-a-week service that in the near future will include bookings via cellular phones using Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) technology. ’ Buhalis & Laws, (2001). By combining the simple protocol of the Internet with a user-friendly interface it represents the main â€Å"vehicle† for creating a worldwide electronic community, integrating research institutes, private companies, public organizations and, most important, private households. ’ Werthner & Klein, (1999). Conclusion The questions are if there is a concentration of power in the hands of the airlines and the intermediaries, is there really a need for a neutral distribution system? What if there was no GDS? If this were the case – would the prices of the products go down or stay the same?From the research in this paper I believe that GDS today is costing us more . As 4Hoteliers stated previously in the paper, the market share of the 3 major alliances they now occupy more than 50% of total traffic. When the Low Cost carriers are removed out of the loop they don’t take part in the GDSs the amount of neutral traffic not united falls considerably. I would agree that the GDS has over time restrained competition and indeed cost the consumer more. GDS – Going, going, gone? They did indeed lasted many, many years but yes I believe they are on their way out.A new generation of people are coming in with more knowledge about technology than the last. They have more of a grasp about computers and the workings of the Internet therefore they will not need GDS, thus, will not need to use travel agencies who are the main users of GDS to book their air, hotel and car reservations. Once travel agencies are out, Global Distribution Systems will no longer be needed. They are soon to be gone. References Books: * Buhalis, D (2003). eTourism. Harlow , England: Pearson Education Limited. P93-94. * Buhalis, D. & Laws, E. (2001).Tourism Distribution Channels-Practices, Issues & Transformations. Cornwall, UK: TJI Digital. P221 * Egger, R. & Buhalis, D. (2008). eTourism Case Studies. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann P264 * Morgan, M. (1996). Marketing for Leisure and Tourism. Hertforshire, UK: Prentice Hall. P263 * Werthner, H. & Klein, S. (1999). Information Technology and Tourism – A Challenging Relationship. Austria: Springer-Verlag Wien. P79 * Werthner, H. & Klein, S. (1999). Information Technology and Tourism – A Challenging Relationship. Austria: Springer-Verlag Wien.P185 * Werthner, H. & Klein, S. (1999). Information Technology and Tourism – A Challenging Relationship. Austria: Springer-Verlag Wien. P188 Articles: * Breaking Travel News (2004) The Future of the GDS. Available from http://www. breakingtravelnews. com/news/article/btn20040216144254916/ [accessed 8th Oct 2011] * Buhalis, D. & Laws, E. (2008) Progress in Tourism Management: Progress in information technology and tourism management: 20 years on and 10 years after the Internet—The state of eTourism research. Available from http://www. sciencedirect. om/science/article/pii/S0261517708000162 [accessed 7th Oct 2011] * Schaal, D. (2006) Airlines the big winners in ‘the GDS wars’ in International News. Available from http://0-web. ebscohost. com. ditlib. dit. ie/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer? vid=5&hid=8&sid=562024d9-8116-4049-8ab3-6bb0295294dd%40sessionmgr13 [Accessed 7th Oct 2011] Websites: * Hotel-ITC, (2011). GDS (Global Distribution System) – Connect to the world. Available from http://hotel-ict. blogspot. com/2011/04/gds-global-distribution-system-connect. html [Accessed 8th Oct 2011] (Image) * ITSA – GDSs and LTDs http://www. nteractivetravel. org/IndustryBackground/Attachments/GDSs_and_LTDs_FAQs. pdf [accessed 8th Oct] * Marcelvacek. blogspot, (2010). Touri sm & Hospitality Business Applications. Available from http://marcelvacek. blogspot. com/2010/10/what-is-crs-and-gds. html [accessed 7th Oct 2011] * Travel Agent Training Centre, (2011). Computer Reservation System Training Available from http://www. travelagenttrainingcenter. com/Computer%20Reservation%20System%20Training. htm [accessed 8 Oct] * Travelport, (2011). What do travel agents

King Philip’s War Essay

King Philip’s War lasted from 1675 to 1676. It was the bloodiest conflict between American colonists and Indians in the 17th century New England. By 1600, colonial settlers no longer depended on the Indians for survival; therefore they pushed into Indian Territory in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. To protect their lands, the Wampanoag chief, King Philip, also known as Metacom organized a federation of tribes, which in 1675 destroyed several frontier settlements. King Philip’s War was the beginning of the development of a greater American identity; the conflicts suffered by the colonists gave them a distinct identity than that of the subjects of the English crown. The first Thanksgiving feast took place in 1621. This celebration marked the partnership of the Native Americans and the colonists. That year, Massasoit signed a treaty with the Pilgrim governor promising to give aid against enemies; they maintained 40 years of peace. However after Massasoit died in 1661, this peace began to deteriorate. The population of the colonial settlers grew rapidly and soon they outnumbered the Indians. Therefore, Europeans and the Indians frequently fought overland. When Metacom became sachem he was amid Plymouth Colony’s demands for land. He was humiliated several times, and forced to admit guilt and surrender. He then soon became angry at the colonists because they forced him not to sell Wampanoag without seeking their council first. Benjamin Church is considered the father of  American ranging. He was the captain of the first  Ranger force in America. Church was commissioned by the Governor of the  Plymouth Colony  Josiah Winslow  to form the first ranger company for  King Philip’s War. He played a unique and crucial role in King Philip’s War because he developed friendship with Native Americans and worked to understand and learn from those who lived near his frontier home. Church designed his force primarily to emulate Indian patterns of war. Toward this end, he endeavored to learn to fight like Indians from Indians. Philip and his followers went to New York hoping to find recruit and supplies. However Edward Andros, the governor of New York feared that the war might spread to his colony, therefore, he formed allies with the Mohawks who were enemies of Wampanoag. The Mohawks attacked Philip’s forces, and he returned to the New England colonies. On Aug. 12, 1676, a Wampanoag informer named Alderman killed King Philip. Philip was beheaded and quartered, and his head was displayed on a pole in Plymouth for more than 20 years.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Gay Marraige

Please, Just imagine this. You're young, it's the start of summer and you're out with your favorite group of friends, soaking up the sunshine and relaxing. You all decide to leave the park, and go for a stroll down to town. You pass by a brightly lit up bar, it's got music pumping through the doormen and it looks alive. Heart racing, you tell everyone you all should go in and check it out. You slowly walk through the door frame and can see happy people everywhere, men and women dancing to their hearts content.Your eyes scan the room and suddenly your eyes are fixed on a person. Their face is lit up with excitement of the moment, and then their eyes are fixed on you, they smile and call you over to dance. You follow them onto the dance floor and the best night of your life unfolds. It's now been 3 years; you're madly in love with that one person you met at the bar. You're living together, loving every minute you spend with each other.You want to take a step forward, take it to the nex t level and spend the rest of your lives together, officially, legally. But you're denied this opportunity by the government; same sex marriage is illegal in Australia. The bill that my party would like to put forward is to legalize same sex marriage. In my opinion, same sex marriage would be a great opportunity for social progress. Two people who love each other should be able to publicly celebrate their commitment.It does not and should not hurt anybody else if it was allowed, and denying them is a violation of freedom. Denying them this opportunity can cause serious psychological damage and can make them feel little and not a part of the community. By allowing same sex marriage, it helps adoption because there are any problems with gay couples choosing to conceive a child, since 2000 the adoption by same sex couples has doubled.Allowing same sex marriage will almost guarantee that the adoption rate will rise even higher. Gay marriage is recognized, supported and legal in twelve d ifferent countries already. Now it's Australia's turn to Jump onto the band wagon. Introduction of same- sex marriage laws has varied by Jurisdiction, being variously accomplished through a legislative change to marriage laws, a court ruling based on constitutional guarantees f equality, or by direct popular vote.By providing the opportunity of same sex marriage it gives both people in the relationship hospital access during an injury or illness. It will allow them to have family health benefits, taxation and inheritance rights. In all fairness it would benefit us all, as a community in many different ways and should be legalized. It will bring people together, give us all the equal rights we should be entitled to and will end happily in the long run. Help us all close the gap within same sex marriage, bring forward social progress and

Friday, September 13, 2019

Homelessness and Health Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Homelessness and Health Care - Essay Example The burden imposed by substance abuse and mental illness are well recorded in homeless people. In addition, chronic diseases are common as many homeless persons have peripheral vascular disease, diabetes, renal disease, hypertension, liver disease, and respiratory problems. Skin diseases are also not left out and are extraordinarily frequent leading to costly hospitalization due to cellulitis. Frostbites and hypothermia are feared life hazards in the streets and have been implied as risk factors for the premature demise. Other conditions, such as lice infestations, pellagra, and diphtheria may ultimately lead to endocarditis from the toxins produced by Bartonella Quintana (Badiaga et al., 2008). The persons caring for this cohort of individuals must marry medicine with aspects of public health since HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis are endemic, communicable diseases outbreaks such as influenza, violence and trauma are somewhat implied in homeless people and infestations common in shelter. C heung and Hwang (2004) investigated on elevated mortality rates in the United States, England, Denmark, and Canada. A peculiar and disturbing observation made was the apparent absence of notable inputs of health insurance on the predisposition of premature mortality. Incredibly, in the US, there remains 40 million plus citizens without a coverage of health insurance. The rest of the countries had had for a long time universal health insurance. Even with the necessity for a universal coverage, the initiative appears to fall short in preventing early deaths in the homeless population (Cheung & Hwang, 2004). Fundamental improvement in health care delivery is crucial to address the existing health care disparities for such population at risk. The health care of homeless families and individuals poses a distressing challenge to our traditional models of health care delivery. The undying urgency of striving daily for warm meals and safe shelter relegates health care to a less-immediate pr iority (Wright & Tompkins, 2006). Injuries fester and common illnesses progress resulting to increased cases of emergency unit visit and acute care hospitalization. Treatment plans that are sensible to those with family and home support are often inapplicable to difficult, impossible to have bed rest, he homeless people; simple changes of dressing, hard to secure medication and properly store them and adherence to therapy especially those that require multiple daily administrations is flattering.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

WHAT I LEARNED IN THE CLASS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

WHAT I LEARNED IN THE CLASS - Essay Example As the word TEAM stands for Together Everyone Achieves More, a team leader needs to be proactive for efficient management of the relationship among the teammates and with the external members. I learned that to achieve organizational goals, the leader or manager needs to carefully define the duties and responsibilities for each employee and also standardize method of executing the tasks. Duties and responsibilities are defined by training, teaching and developing each worker to do the right job. The environment is constantly changing, and businesses have no control over the external environment. Businesses can only influence the internal environment and they require a framework of legal, social, political, economic and cultural factors. The internal factors include policies and plans, workers, business objectives and other factors with the business or organization. For the businesses to remain competitive, the managers need actively plan, organize, provide directions and coordinate the activities to adapt to the changing environment. For businesses to thrive, managers must achieve performance targets set by the business. The managers achieve these goals by focusing on their jobs and by motivating their subordinates. Working together as a team is important for the quality of output, retention and morale. It increases the productivity, improves quality, reduces costs and enhances speed. According to Frederick Brook in his book, The Mythical Man-Month, the time an individual takes to accomplish a task can be reduced by hiring more workers to assist in the completion of the job. An effective team has continual feedback on its performance, focuses on performance and has skilled members. Sometimes the team may fail due to lack of effective communication, proper chattering and goal setting, clear roles and trust. In a team environment, managers and

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Use of Derivatives in Risk Management Term Paper

Use of Derivatives in Risk Management - Term Paper Example Following are the major sorts of instruments applied by organizations to manage the financial risks associated with business activity. Futures and Options In this type of instrument, one individual or business signs a contract with another one to purchase the commodity on some future date with an agreed-upon price. However, in futures both of the parties have to go through with the contract while in options both of the parties reserve the right to withdraw the contract upon paying in monetary terms. Agreements: This instrument is localized in nature, and governments do not interfere with its transactions. Nevertheless, the purpose of these agreements is the same as that of futures and options, which is to hedge against fluctuations in the market price of the commodity or an industrial product. It is also important to note that these kinds of agreements are more common in economically distressed nations. But, recently they are intensively deployed in order to ensure a supply of raw material in US, which is necessary because of the prevailing recession in the local market. So, it is safe to assume that businesses are preparing themselves for increasing adversities of the future by contracting with their suppliers on a long term basis, which also enables them to attain economies of scale as a result, driving their financial and operational costs down that allows them to lower their prices in order to increase their market share. Nevertheless, it is fascinating to acknowledge that various businesses are paying close attention towards managing financial risk through using statistical models in order to assess the current level of risk, which can disrupt the expected pattern of their cash flows (Benson & Oliver, 2004). However, they often lack the proper translation of this analysis into practical plans, so in this way they cannot benefit from the concept of derivatives effectively most of the times. On the other hand, manufacturing sector of Europe is using derivatives more extensively than American ones (SpricIc, 2007). The prime reason for this trend is prevailing and growing uncertainty of the European market as compared to that of America. Along with this, managers who deploy derivatives in order to evaluate the degree of risk in financial terms are viewed as trustworthy by stockholders because they consider it as the proper and desirable means of minimizing financial threats (Koonce, Lipe, & McAnally, 2008). However, managers are found to falter by not basing their business decisions on the results of derivative analysis, therefore portraying the image of rational business decision making when in reality it is not the case. At the same time, derivatives are not rated as an effective mean for minimizing the possibility of default (Yi, Lin, & Chen, 2008). Therefore, derivatives can only be utilized as the mean of predicting future financial position of a particular firm. However, it is important to note that firms that base their decisions on derivative analysis often outperform those that do not consider derivatives as an ideal method for predicting financial future (Lin, Pantzalis, & Park, 2009). Another advantage of successful risk management is contentment of stockholders (Berk, Peterlin, & Cok, 2009). Through effective management, risk managers can handle them and are

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Barbie Doll Advertisement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Barbie Doll Advertisement - Essay Example The market segmentation and semiotic analysis of Barbie advertisement for pre-tween girls reveal that their advertisement is geared towards the dominant ideology which promotes the ideal image of female beauty and body type. In America, prior to 1959, most dolls were either infants or toddlers. The Barbie doll was the first adult doll toy. She was adopted from the German doll Bild Lilli. The creator of the Barbie doll, Handler, was inspired by her daughter, who was giving adult roles to paper dolls to create a doll with a mature body. The Barbie doll was named after Handler’s daughter Barbara. Since then Barbie dolls became very popular among girls. The toy market took advantage of a child’s desire for â€Å"the whole spectrum of character licensed products† (Coulter, 2014, p.417) and as a result, they created a license for character products, which allow Barbie’s doll image to appear on clothes, magazines, board games and later on online games. As Coulter (2014) notes, the market for children is divided into segments based on the age and gender of the child (p.417). The purpose of market segmentation in such categories as boys/girls, infants, babies, and toddlers is to sell more products. If a child uses the same toy without wanting a new one, then toy producers will have less profit. Therefore, the market is divided not just into gender, but also into age categories. For example, pre-tween boys are interested in Transformers and Hot Wheels, while girls are interested in Bratz and Barbie dolls. Younger boys are interested in Spiderman and girls are interested in Strawberry Shortcake. Market segmentation was created not only to understand the audiences and consumers but also to create a constant need for new products. Using the Barbie advertisement, illustrated on page 6, I will demonstrate how market segmentation works in practice.

Monday, September 9, 2019

Brand Extension Marketing Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Brand Extension Marketing Plan - Research Paper Example This aims at penetrating almost 80 percent of the target market and making it convenient for customers to access the new product. The distribution strategy is that Al-Mara Crà ¨me and Soap is easily available to its target market.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Promotion: The targeted geographical market is Lavington Green Village and this requires that were use a personalized approach to promoting our product. In this case, we will use billboards at strategic points within the estate so that a large number of the target customers can learn about our new product. The promotional material will portray an image of health and genuineness. We will asses the effectiveness of the promotional strategy using the number of sales. Marketing Research  We will mainly be involved in primary marketing research with a combination of secondary research. Primary research aims at identifying our existing customers, potential customers, and the competition that we will be facing in the market for cosmetics . Secondary research will provide information such as trade associations and government reports on the general cosmetic market. Information from the two types of resources is vital in the decision making process because it is very comprehensive. Evaluation of the research information will involve an assessment of the accuracy of the decisions made and response from the market. For instance, positive feedback will indicate that the company identified the real needs of the market. Clean-So will conduct the research on its own because it is relatively cheap.

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Serious Reflection and Critical Thinking Through Understanding the Use Essay - 1

Serious Reflection and Critical Thinking Through Understanding the Use of Social Media - Essay Example Initially, students used to meet and discuss issues in an attempt to come up with a conclusion. Personal interactions encouraged students to tackle challenging issues through intensive research. In addition, through one-on-one interactions, it was easy to divide the roles and support each other in a specific task. This encouraged the students to think critically in order to support the rest of the group members. However, this is not the case. The students are currently using social media and other instant communication methods to communicate with each other while completing a task. This has made it very hard for them to think critically as a group and reflect on the issues at hand. College students can practice serious reflection in our always connected and instantaneous world through regulating their own time. Time management has become a major issue with the modern communication methods. Therefore, in order to ensure that there no frequent interruptions which affect the studentâ₠¬â„¢s reflection and critical thinking, they need to come up with a strict plan on when and how to use the social media and other instantaneous communication methods (Biagi 2012). For instance, they need to switch off some of the gadgets they use in communication while in group discussions or conducting research. This would make it possible for them to reflect and re-imagine the issue at hand. The students should embrace group work rather than individual assignments. Group discussions are very significant in enabling the students to brainstorm ideas.

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Journal Entry 14 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Journal Entry 14 - Coursework Example The second stage involves discussion between the instructor and the student whereby the importance of effort and motivation in writing is encouraged. Thereafter, the instructor comes up with a model on how to employ self-regulation strategies to reflect the needs of the student and match their personal writing style. The student is encouraged to memorize the strategy steps and the teacher in turn supports the writing strategy of the student to ensure that they achieve their goals. Independent performance is the last stage whereby students can now use the strategy they developed effectively and independently. In this last stage of independent performance, there are several procedures for endorsing preservation and simplification throughout the model. Some of the procedures include prompts to use the strategies, recognizing opportunities in employing self-regulation strategies, studying how the procedure can be adapted in certain situations, allocating assignments to the students in using the recognized situations and assessing the triumph of such undertakings (Graham & Harris,

Friday, September 6, 2019

Abortion as an Ethical Issue Essay Example for Free

Abortion as an Ethical Issue Essay In our everyday lives, we have to deal with a variety of different ethical issues. We as individuals with our different thought processes deal and view with these issues in different ways. Abortion is one of the most controversial ethical issues within the health care profession. Abortion is a topic that can cause heated ethical discussions within the healthcare community. Abortion contains legal and ethical issue. Abortion mean ending a pregnancy before the fetus (unborn child) can live independently outside the mother. An induced or â€Å"therapeutic† abortion is caused deliberately in order to end the pregnancy. The practice of abortion is legal in the United States. Abortion law has many sources-constitutions, legislative statues, administrative regulations, and court decisions. The foundation of abortion law is the United States Constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court (McBride, 2008). Constitutional law does not directly regulate abortion, but it sets limits on the powers of the states and the federal government to regulate abortion. The authority to regulate abortion has been reserved to the states by the Constitution because Article I, which covers the legislative branch. This does not give Congress explicit authority to regulate medical practice. Nonetheless, Congress does get involved in abortion policy through its power to spend money and regulate interstate commerce (McBride, 2008). The Court has established this constitutional law of abortion through a series of decision, called case law, especially Roe v. Wade, Doe v. Bolton, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. States do not have constitutional authority to prohibit the medical practice of abortion before the fetus is viable; any laws that make abortion criminal before viability would be unconstitutional. After viability, that is, when an unborn child is able to live on its own outside the mother, state governments have the authority, but not the obligation, to prohibit abortion, except when medical judgment decides that abortion is necessary to save the life or health of the mother (McBride, 2008). This means that abortion is legal in the United States without condition before the fetus is viable. After viability, abortion is prohibited in some but not all states except when the health or life of the mother is in danger. Roe v. Wade gave strength to a woman’s right to privacy in the context of matters relating to he own body (Pozgar, 2008). This would include how a pregnancy would end. The Supreme Court also has recognized the interest of the states in protection potential life and has attempted to spell out the extent to which the states may regulate and even prohibit abortions. In Roe v. Wade, the United States Supreme Court held the Texas penal abortion law unconstitutional, stating this: â€Å"State criminal abortion statutes†¦that except from criminality only a lifesaving procedure on behalf of the mother, without regard to the stage of her pregnancy and other interests involved is violating the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment (Pozgar, 2008). With Doe v. Bolton, the Supreme Court went on to describe what regulatory measures a state lawfully may perform during the three stages of pregnancy. In the companion decisions, Doe v. Bolton, where the Court considered a constitutional attack on the Georgia abortion statute, further restrictions were placed on state regulation of the procedure. The provisions of the Georgia statute establishing residency requirements for women seeking abortions and requiring that the procedure be performed in a hospital accredited by The Joint Commission were declared constitutionally invalid (Pozgar, 2008). In the case law Planned Parenthood v. Casey the Supreme court affirmed Pennsylvania law restricting a woman’s right to abortion. The Court was one vote shy of overturning Roe v Wade. The Supreme Court ruling, as enunciated in Roe v. Wade reaffirmed: The constitutional right of women to have an abortion before viability of the fetus, as first enunciated in Roe v. Wade. The state’s power to restrict abortions after fetal viability so long as the law contains exceptions for pregnancies that endanger a woman’s life or health. The principle that the state has legitimate interests from the outset of the pregnancy in protecting the health of the woman and the life of the fetus. About three years ago, a difficult situation presented itself upon me. I was sitting in the doctor’s office six weeks after giving birth to my first-born. I was there to get my Mirena ® birth control. The doctor walks in and asks me if it could be possible that I was pregnant. I told her no I received birth control Depo-Provera ® right before being discharged from the hospital. The doctor then says well let me have my nurse do a blood test so that we can know for sure, and make sure it’s not just a chemical pregnancy. A couple of days passed and I return to the doctor’s office to receive my results. My doctor tells me what I had been dreading. I was pregnant again with our second child. I went home with my newborn and I cried until my husband came home from work. I cried because this news was much unexpected. We had carefully planned the timing for our first-born. We were in a perfect financial situation to be able to commit to one child. Two infants would really be pushing our financial limits. I was thinking how unfair this was. I had taken every precaution to ensure that I would not get pregnant, but I somehow ended up pregnant. When my husband came home that afternoon I was still crying, and I explained the whole situation to him. My husband was overjoyed at the news of having another child. I was confused by his emotions because I thought he would be feeling overwhelmed as I was. After I told my husband, I also told him that I was planning to get an abortion. He wanted to know the reasoning behind my decision. I told him that we were only financially equipped for one child, but two children would cause a financial burden. I refused to bring a child into this world knowing that I could not financially take care of that child. I know that people are quick to say why not give the child up for adoption. Anyone who can say that I know they have never experienced a pregnancy before. Could you imagine the emotional distress of having to give up a child that you have carried around and nurtured from almost ten months? You would also be giving your child up to a couple that you would probably only get to see after passing the baby along. Also, imagine the emotional aspects of the child. The child would be thinking about how their birth parents were able to give them away. My husband and I talked over the financial aspect over it, and decided with help from various family members that we could survive. We would just have to make sacrifices within our everyday lives. During my sonogram appointment when I was four months pregnant I received another dose of bad news. At first the doctor saw what he thought were cysts on the brain. The doctor then told me that I should terminate the pregnancy because of the difficult life the child was about to go through. I thought long and hard about what the doctor was saying. I felt like I had a strong support system that would help me get through any obstacle that life throws my way. Finally, the birth of my youngest takes place, and she was diagnosed with Lissencephaly. Lissencephaly is the condition of having a smooth cerebrum without convolutions(Merriam-Webster). Before we were discharged from the hospital, my husband and I were told to take her home, and treat her as if she is normal, and not to expect her to live past three months old. My daughter just had her third birthday May 5. This is why I have a deontology view on abortion. The deontology view is compatible to the abortion pro-choice decision. Utilitarianism really does not have a lot to say on this issue because there are too many other issues tied into the ethical issue. They would probably have arguments about if the fetus is a person or even if someone has the right to determine what goes on in their own body. They would also argue about if it were okay to kill a baby why not an adult. In my opinion, these are two different topics. We would assume through virtue ethics that killing a human adult is wrong. Don’t get me wrong killing an adult human is wrong because that is life that has already been birthed, and established. Abortion should be a choice that we are able to make on our own. This is my body I should be able to freely decide what to do with it. We are able to freely tattoo and pierce our bodies without any type of interference from the government. So why can I not make a decision to end a pregnancy that I carefully tried to avoid. I also feel that abortion when done early on in the pregnancy would not cause any harm to the fetus. According to pregnancy. rg a fetuses nervous system does not develop until after five weeks into the pregnancy. After that period the baby has already began to develop major organs and the nervous system. An egoist view on abortion would be based on one question. According to socyberty. com, an egoist would focus on what will be in her best interest. This would not mean the woman is selfish or self-centered. For example, maybe the women would be in a predicament where she would be a single mom. On the other hand, maybe she has not emotional of financial support to help er care for the child. In her case, her best interest would be to abort the child because it is in her best interest. Egoism states that everyone should act in her or her own self interest, regardless of the interest of others, unless their interest also serve as hers(http://socyberty. com/issues/abortion-an-ethical-analysis/). With the abortion this women can now complete her education. Others might argue that she could have just gotten a job, and still have been able to attend school. When making decisions you need to think of every possible scenario. What is there is a complication early in the pregnancy that requires complete bed rest or hospitalization. If this were to happen, where would her income come from? She would have to drop out of school. She would then have six months to get back into school or she would have to begin the repayment of her student loans. How can she do any of this without financial support? There are several ethical views on abortion. All the different views would explain why or why not to have an abortion. Abortion can be a controversial ethical topic. No one person will ever have the same stance on the topic. It is one of those topics when you just have to agree to disagree. You will just have to respect and listen to the opinions that others have on this ethical issue.