Tuesday, August 6, 2019

The Impact Of Airline Alliances Tourism Essay

The Impact Of Airline Alliances Tourism Essay At this moment, there are three main airline alliances around the globe. First of all, Star Alliance, which was created in 1997 and currently consisting of 27 member airlines (Star Alliance, 2012). Second, OneWorld, established in 1999 and presently having 12 members. Last, the youngest airline alliance is SkyTeam, formed in 2000 and consists now of 18 member airlines (SkyTeam, 2012). In the first chapter of this paper, the impacts of airline alliances on their members will be discussed. Second, the effects of allied airlines on non-member airlines will be argued. And finally, the influences of airline alliances on the airports they fly at will be explained. In each chapter, both positive and negative influences will be discussed. 1. Impacts on member airlines Positive impacts on member airlines Airline alliances have several positive impacts on their member airlines. In this paragraph, three examples of positive impacts will be explained. A first positive impact can be found in saving the airlines costs on various areas. For instance, when buying aircraft materials for maintenance purposes, member airlines can reduce the total costs by purchasing these resources together and may receive bulk discounts. The same counts for the bulk purchase of aircraft. For example, in 2003, four members of Star Alliance intended to bulk purchase up to 200 standardised regional aircraft (Doganis, 2006, p. 93). According to Doganis (2006), it is estimated that joint purchasing can cut the prices paid by up to seven per cent and eventually reducing the total invoice by up to a billion dollars every year (p. 93). Furthermore, the joint use of other services, for example ground handling or catering facilities, can also help in reducing airline costs (Bissessur Alamdari, 1998, p. 335). A second positive impact on member airlines can be retrieved in the increased passenger traffic. The cause of this increase is generally caused by the extension of the airlines network by using code-sharing (Bissessur Alamdari, 1998). Code sharing is beneficial for both the selling airline and the operating airline. On the one hand, it is advantageous for the selling airline as it is selling a ticket of the operating airline under its own designator code. This means that the selling airline gained access to new markets without having to operate their own aircraft there. On the other hand, the operating airline is likely to carry more passengers on board as the tickets are sold through more distribution channels than rather its own. A third positive impact can be found in the area of labour costs. Nowadays, labour costs represent quite a considerable part of an airlines operating cost. As can be seen in table 1.1, wages and associated costs of labour mostly account for 20 to 35 per cent of the airlines total operating cost Doganis (2006, p. 119). According to Doganis (2001), labour costs differ more between airlines in the same markets, unlike other costs as ground handling, fuel and airport fees. Iatrou (2004) gives two reasons how an airline alliance could help in reducing labour costs. First, the number of sales and ground personnel could be reduced by sharing offices at bases of another member airline, instead of maintaining its own offices across the globe. Second, it is argued that alliances facilitate member airlines to resort to the low-wage structure of its partners, for example cabin and cockpit crew, without saving on employee quality. Table 1 Wages and associated costs of labour as a percentage of total operating cost, 2002 North American European East Asian/Pacific SAS 34.4 Air France 33.5 Iberia 31.6 Delta 31.0 American 30.4 United 29.0 Northwest 28.1 KLM 26.4 Continental 26.1 Cathay Pacific US Airways 25.4 Air Canada 24.7 British Airways 24.3 Lufthansa* 23.4 SIA Japan Airlines Thai All Nippon Korean *Note: Lufthansa excludes maintenance staff Source: Doganis (2006, p. 119) Negative impacts on member airlines Although alliances have several positive effects on member airlines, being in an alliance could also have some negative impact on member airlines. First, it is argued that participating in an alliance could affect an airlines brand image (Kleymann Seristà ¶, 2004). This problem may be triggered by the variety of images within the alliance. The authors suggest that it could be possible that an image for an alliance is created that is unlike the image of any of the affiliated airlines. However, a concession between the images of the most dominant member airlines is considered to be more likely. Especially for smaller airlines it could be considered to be hard to adapt to the created image of the alliance (p. 120). A second negative effect could be conflicting agreements. Iatrou (2004) explains that it is likely that all alliances members use the same supplier. Before an airline accesses to an alliance, it usually has long-standing relationship with different suppliers, such as catering, Central Reservation System (CRS) and so on. The airline may find it difficult to rescind these contracts because of possible penalties as a consequence. Moreover, when an airline agrees on a new supplier, it will very likely have to invest time and money in getting familiarised with the new suppliers and their systems (p. 114). This brings us to a third possible negative effect. Increased costs for an airline could be considered as another probable negative impact on member airlines. Next to the regular subscription fee that a member airline has to pay, Iatrou (2004) mentions the so-called sunk-costs for the airline. These tangible expenses cover all adjustments that have to be made in order to meet the alliances requirements, like the aircraft interior. These investments are to be made to ensure effective alliance operations and to have consistent commitment of the member airlines to the alliance. Especially for relatively small airlines, these costs can be seen as a considerable investment, which might make them more dependent on the alliance (p. 115-116). 2. Impacts on non-member airlines 2.1. Positive impacts on non-member airlines During the last decades, several so called alliances have been formed in the airline industry. According to Stanford-Smith, Chiozza Edin (2002), a strategic alliance can be explained as any form of long-term cooperation between. 2.2. Negative impacts on non-member airlines As for the negative effects on non-member airlines, the tough competition can be considered as the main one. Bjà ¶rk (2002) explains the consequences of competition between allied airlines and non-partner airlines. The author argues that airlines that dominate a hub are likely to receive a greater number of slot allowances at their main hubs, which will probably lead to some anti-competitive concerns. Bjà ¶rk continues by giving the example of a measure initiated by the US Department of Transport (DOT) to reduce this anti-competitive situation. First of all, the US DOT has recognised that where service in the market is constrained by slot availability, a hub carrier with access to a large pool of slots has even greater availability to respond in entry in an anti-competitive way because the entrant will be unable to add capacity on its own. As a consequence, in order to stimulate competition in some markets, the US DOT has granted a restricted number of slot freedoms to new airlines that wish to compete in that particular market. Regrettably, the approach of the US DOT did not increase the competition in these markets. The reason given for this was that new players do not find it economically justified to enter into a market which is dominated by a single hub airline in order to participate (Young, 1999). Bjà ¶rk (2002) argues that this reasoning can be easily relied on the market shares of hub airlines. Figure 1 shows the airline market share at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport over 2011. It can be clearly seen that KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL) is by far the largest operator at Schiphol Airport with a market share of nearly 50 per cent. A hub carrier as KLM has created over the years a constant increase share of available slots at their hub airports, which according to the author are called fortress hubs (p. 29). However, congested hubs are not the only causes of anxiety on anti-competition. Figure 1 Airline market share at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport over 2011 based on air transport movements Source: compiled by the author; data source Schiphol (2011, p. 25) As airlines join together in alliances the aviation market will become more concentrated. This will increase the risk of collusion between the remaining market participants. At many of these airports governments have found it necessary to divide runway utilisation into time-defined segments known as slots and allocate them to airlines that wish to operate from the airport. 3. Impacts on airports 3.1. Positive impacts on airports The presence of airline alliances has various positive impacts on airports. As all members in an alliance have an extended destination network, because of the connectivity possibilities of their alliance partners, it can be argued that the number of transfer passengers at airports increases. Figure 2 shows that the number of transfer passengers at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands has rose steadily from 18 million in 2004 up to 20.3 million in 2008 (Schiphol, 2011). It can be believed that the presence of the SkyTeam alliance, which uses Amsterdam Schiphol as a hub, has contributed to the growth of transfer passengers. As a consequence, this increasing number of transfer passengers has also a positive effect on the purchase of duty-free products in the airport shops. In order to increase the sales at airport shops, an airport can decide on opening speciality stores which may interest international transfer passengers. To come back on the example of Amsterdam Schiphol, in the past years it has opened more luxury duty-free stores as a reply to the increasing demand by especially Russian and Asian transfer passengers. This includes a Finest Spirits Cigars store and a store that focusses on the sale of various chocolate products. (Schiphol, 2011, p. 58). Figure 2 The number of transfer passengers (in millions) at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (2004-2011) Source: compiled by the author data source: Schiphol (2012) 3.2. Negative impacts on airports In contrast with the various positive effects of airline alliances on airports, there are also some downsides. As airline alliances bring an increased number of additional traffic, congestion at an airport can be considered as a negative effect, particularly at peak times. Especially when there is an ineffective use of the airport infrastructure, it can be hard to harmonise the flights in a short timeframe (Dennis, 2001). At many of this type of airport it has been considered unavoidable to split the use of the runway into time-defined segments commonly known as slots (Bjà ¶rk, 2002, p. 28). According to IATA (2011), slots can be defined as a permission given by a coordinator for a planned operation to use the full range of airport infrastructure necessary to arrive or depart at an [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] airport on a specific date and time (p. 11). Besides, most flights at hubs are scheduled in so called waves. In each wave, a large number of arriving flights in a short timeframe is followed by more or less the same number of departures, after allowing some time for reallocation of passengers and luggage. For example, figure 3 shows the wave system of Germanys flag carrier Lufthansa at Munich Airport, which consists of four waves during a regular weekday. Figure 3 Wave-system analysis, Lufthansa, Munich Source: Burghouwt (2007), p. 69 As airports do not have an unrestricted peak capacity, especially during such a wave, airlines are ought to adapt their schedules. Dennis (2001) discusses two main options for rescheduling. First, flights can be added to the borders of the present waves. Second, new waves can be developed to accommodate these additional flights. With regard to the number of connections, the first option is more likely to be chosen. However, while extending the current wave, the connection time will also increase. Figure 4 implies that a wave with approximately 50 aircraft is likely to be the best option. Passing this number could involve extra waiting time for passengers, which could result in an increased peak load on the terminal building (p. 2). A second negative impact on airports is the investment that airports have to make for alliances in order to accommodate seamless transfer connectivity. In order to reduce the Minimum Connecting Time (MCT) for passengers, airports have done some adjustments to their infrastructure. An example is Brussels Airport in Belgium, which upgraded their customs and immigration facilities to create a better flow of passengers transferring from a Schengen origin to a Non-Schengen destination. Some airports are not designed to accommodate traffic from airline alliances. For example, when an airport has multiple terminals that are not located near each other. This might take a passenger a long time to transfer when alliance partners are spread over multiple terminals, affecting the MCT as well (Dennis, 2001). Figure 4 Increase in connections with wave size (based on 60 arrivals/departures per hour and 30 minute minimum connecting time) Source: Dennis (2001, p. 2). Conclusion During the last decades, several so called alliances have been formed in the airline industry. According to Stanford-Smith, Chiozza Edin (2002), a strategic alliance can be explained as any form of long-term cooperation between

Monday, August 5, 2019

Value Action Gap Outcomes Management Essay

Value Action Gap Outcomes Management Essay The value-action gap is a term used to describe the gap that can occur when the values or attitudes of an individual do not correlate to their actions. More generally, it is the difference between what people say and what people do. This discrepancy is most associated within environmental geography, as usually attitudes affect behavior; however the opposite often seems to be the case with regard to environmental attitudes and behaviors. The outcome is that there is a gap between the high value people place on the natural environment and the relatively low level of action taken by individuals to counter environmental problems.( The outcome is that there is a disparity between the value placed on the natural environment and the level of action taken by individuals to counter environmental problems. )This disparity has been termed the value-action gap, or occasionally, it is referred to as the attitude-behavior gap (Kollmuss and Agyeman 2002). Therefore, it is not a change in attitudes that is required, but a fundamental shift in behavior towards the environment and individuals use of natural resources, to ensure sustainable development and conservation of the environment. Debates surrounding the issue of the value-action gap have mainly taken place within environmental and social psychology. Research is often based within cognitive theories of how attitudes are formed and how this affects individuals behavior (Blake 1999). The research suggests that there are many internal and external factors that affect behavior and the reasons behind consumer choices. Therefore, it can be difficult to identify the exact reasons for why this gap exists, as it can be due to a number of reasons. When purchasing a product for example, many attributes are assessed when making decisions. Dickson (2000) suggests that the most significant factors affecting the reasons behind buying behavior are; price, quality, convenience, and brand familiarity. Young et al (2010) argue point out that the gap can also be due to brand strength; culture, finance; habit; lack of information; lifestyles; personalities; or, trading off between different ethical factors (p22). Therefore, environmental or ethical considerations are often not taken into account, regardless of attitudes people have regarding the environment. Time or convenience is usually a major determinant of consumer behaviour, and therefore a gap between values and behavior is understandable. Moreover, Chatzidakis et al (2007) argue that consumers use neutralisation techniques to justify pursuing their more selfish goals instead of purchasing environmental friendly or ethical products. Therefore, environmental values are usually less dominant in the decision-making. Development of the idea: Summary: The usual theories of reasoned action argue that values and actions are related. The theory of reasoned action states that behavioral intention is dependent on attitudes surrounding that behavior and social norms (Fishbein and Ajzen 1975). This means that a person acts or behaves in a way that correlates to their attitudes towards that behavior. Therefore, a persons voluntary behavior can be predicted by his/her attitudes and values on that behavior (Kaiser et al 1999). Homer and Kahle (1988) argue that attitudes influence behaviors and therefore values can explain the reasons behind human behavior. However, the opposite appears to be the case for certain actions, especially those related to environmental or ethical actions. In recent decades, public support for environmental protection measures has grown and, according to Barr (2004), there has also been a growing interest in ethical consumption. This has been fuelled by pressure groups, consumer groups, and even businesses (Young et al 2010).  Furthermore, increased media coverage of environmental disasters and social problems has also resulted in a heightened concern of such issues. This was given a political boost by the publication of the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change (Stern 2006). Therefore, people are more aware of environmental issues, such as global warming or climate change. It is often reported that many people have a high concern for environmental issues and ethical consumption, for example, Dunlap (2002) states that 54% of Americans agreed environmental protection was a key priority, even if economic growth was restricted. Furthermore, Banerjee and Solomon (2003) also argue that the general support for Ecolabels and ethic al foods is high among the public. With these studies in mine, it is expected that there would be an increase in pro-environmental behavior, such as recycling, or limiting energy usage (Flynn et al 2010). However, these positive attitudes have not translated into a large increase these behviours and ethical consumption is still relatively low (Aguiar et al 2009). Thus, attitudes are not always a clear prediction of behavior, resulting in the value-action gap. For example, the the market share for ethical goods is low as according to Young et al (2010) the market share of ethical foods is only 5% of total food sales in the UK. Furthermore, as Dickson (2000) points out, ethical labelling initiatives such as legally logged wood, and fair-trade products, often have market shares of less than 1%. Thus, consumers buying behaviour does not reflect their positive attitudes toward ethical products (De Pelsmacker et al 2006). This means that other factors are more significant that values relating to the environment. Factors that affect behavior: There are many factors that lead to an individuals behavior, and therefore it is not just personal values that affect behavior. There are many different theories regarding how consumers make decisions. These can be applied to try and explain why there is a value-action gap for some behaviors. For example, microeconomic theory (consumer, household theory) states that, humans make decisions that maximize their utility (Sammer and Wà ¼stenhagen 2006:188). Therefore, if buying ethical or environmental products does not maximize their utility then they will not purchase them, regardless of their attitudes towards these issues. Making these decisions requires a comparison of the costs and benefits of alternative actions, rather than about certain values, within their budgetary constraint. This means other factors, such as price or quality, are still more important. Vermeir and Verbeke (2006) suggest that the three main determinants of behavioral intention with relevance to sustainable consumption are; values, needs, and motivations; information and knowledge; and behavioral control. They argue that consumers are passive when it comes to supporting environmental improvements within their budget. Behavior is often based on habit and therefore values concerning the environment are often not taken into consideration. Therefore, this can account for the low market share of sustainable products (Minteer et al 2004). These theories can explain the gap that appears between attitudes and actions. Application (Further explanation and examples): Even though many support ethical trade in principle, this is often not taken into consideration as a purchase criterion. Cohen and Murphy (2001) argue that for around 40% of consumers the environmental friendliness of a product will never be a factor in purchasing decisions regardless of positive attitudes towards ethical consumption. There are many studies which support the existence of a value-action gap. Mostly these can be found within the field of environmental geography. Lane and Potter (2007) found a discrepancy between attitudes and behavior regarding the adoption of cleaner vehicles. They reported that concern for the environmental impact of cars did not result in behavioral changes at the individual level. Thus, what consumers reported as their intended actions or concerns often did not translate into their actual behavior. Furthermore, Vermeir and Verbeke (2006) also found that positive consumer attitudes towards sustainability were not consistent with their behavioral patterns. They found that attitudes were positive whereas intentions to buy sustainable dairy products were low. They also found that peoples perceptions of the availability of sustainable dairy products was low, which might explain why attitudes were positive yet intentions to buy were low. Additionally, evidence of this gap has been found with organic food as illustrated by Hughner et al (2007) who show that despite 46-67% of the population expressing favorable attitudes for organic food, the actual purchase behavior is only 4-10% of different product ranges. Three/four main issues/debates described below: Information gap: One explanation for the discrepancy between attitudes buying behaviour is the perceived lack of availability of certain products and lack of information (Dickson 2000). Therefore, because there was a lack of information about environmentally friendly behavior this caused the gap between values and attitudes. Traditional thinking supported the idea that increased knowledge tended to encourage favorable attitudes which, in turn, lead to pro-environmental action. Burgess et al (1998) called this the information deficit model. Therefore, increasing knowledge and awareness surrounding environmental and ethical issues should result in behavioral changes. Burgess et al (1998) argue that filling the values-action gap with information would lead result in a change in public behaviors towards the environment. Furthermore, Owens (2000: 1142) argues that if people had more information about environmental risks, they would become more virtuous. Some are that to increase environmental action there needs to be educational marketing campaigns on the ethical and environmental issues Thus, the main motivations for actions are self-interest rather than altruistic. Therefore, to increase environmental action products must aim to change perceptions by using. McEachern and McClean (2002). However, so far no one has been able to confirm the validity of such a model (Kollmuss and Agyeman, 2002). As a result, the decision-making process could be considered as almost unpredictable: positive attitudes were not necessarily followed by positive intentions. Therefore, attitudes alone are a poor predictor of intentional behavior. As such, there seemed to be many more factors that influenced pro-environmental behavior. Barr and Gilg (2002) argue that just increasing information will not lead to behavior change that would close this gap. Due to the increased media attention surrounding environmental issues, and products such as Fairtrade having a high profile, it could be argued that there is already a lot of information on these issues, and many are aware of the issues. It is genuinely considered that many have a high regard for environmental issues. Sammer and Wà ¼stenhagen (2006) point out that while people may be aware of ethical and environmental issues and products that attempts to solve these issues, this does not necessarily mean that it plays a major role in their buying decision. . 99% of respondents in both surveys reported that they had heard the terms global warming and climate change, and most respondents said they knew a fair amount about these terms (Thornton, 2009) Yet, because the market share of these products and level of environmental action is quite low, there is exits a gap between attitudes and behaviors. Therefore, the key issue is why our attitudes often fail to materialize into concrete actions (Barr 2004). Blake (1999) many national policies are based on this idea of an information deficit model of participation. For example, Going for Green (GFG). It is considered the most effective means to overcome the value-action gap is by translating environmental concern into pro-environmental behavior. This can be done through increasing information. The core assumption is that the main barrier between environmental concern and action is the lack of appropriate information. The GFG argue that the most effective way to encourage people to act is to give locally relevant information and highlight a few facts. Environmental concern and basic environmental action (such as recycling), are now becoming widespread throughout the population. However, few people take environmental actions which involve changes to their lifestyle. This may mean that environmental actions people take may be unrelated to the particular concerns that they express about the environment. This environmental value-action gap is clearly of key importance to environmental policy, not least because it is repeated at other scales, involving different actors: thus local or national government, business and even international organizations have policies whose effects fail to match up to the environmental concerns people are expressing. the attitude-behavior relationship is moderated by two primary sets of variables: the structure of personal attitudes themselves; and external or situational constraints. . Attitudes are likely to be better predictors of behavior if the attitudes in question are strong relative to other (possibly conflicting) attitudes, and based on direct experience. Situational constraints mainly refer to whether the behavior is in line with the individuals favored social norms, which in turn are influenced by different social, economic, demographic and political contexts. . Research has shown that people do not have a fixed, rational and ready-made set of values that will be activated by parti cular calls to action; rather peoples values are negotiated, transitory and sometimes contradictory. these findings suggest that the value-action gap cannot be overcome simply by using an information deficit model of individual participation, as empowerment of individuals to act does not of itself guarantee action without an appropriate institutional location within which action is located, policy turns from raising environmental awareness to promoting pro-environmental behavior, possibly involving lifestyle change, Blake 1999 As Eden (1996) has argued: policy still fails to appreciate the huge gulf between information and action, between understanding as awareness and understanding as the cause of behavior. Policy-makers seem to assume that environmental education, drawing from scientific work, will lead to people making the link between policy and action and acting in order to meet policy objectives, (p. 197) Barriers to behavior: Ajzen Fishbein have developed an additional theory of reasoned action and planned behavior. they argue that individual attitudes must include an intention to carry out a specific action that reflects a reasoned evaluation of the likely consequences of that action. Ajzen, I. Fishbein, M. (1980) Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice-Hall). other researchers have pointed out that these intentions are related to more general values, worldviews and beliefs (e.g. Stern et al, This theoretical approach has also been the dominant influence on public and policy research into public attitudes, Different people will interpret and respond to the same environmental information in unpredictable and often highly variable ways, at times producing a quite opposite interpretation to the one expected by those (often in the policy community) who promulgate the information (Myers Macnaghten, 1998). Thus individuals must accept responsibility for the future, but conditions, institutions and their own day-to-day responsibilities constrain their actions (Myers Macnaghten, 1998, p. 346). Myers, G. Macnaghten, P. (1998) Rhetorics of environmental sustainability: commonplaces and places, Environment and Planning A, 30(2), pp. 333-353. The causes of this gap between attitude and behavior can be explained in terms of personal, social and structural barriers to action. Different barriers often overlap or work in conjunction to limit behavioral change. However, these barriers can be tackled, It is considered that there are numerous barriers of motivations for individual action. microeconomic theory (consumer, household theory), which says that humans make decisions that maximize their utility (Sammer and Wà ¼stenhagen 2006:188). Furthermore, many people act impulsively and in ways that do not correspond to their declared evaluations and goals (Boulstridge and Carrigan, (2000). Attitudes often derive from social norms. For example, Schwartz (1977, cited in Jackson, 2005) has suggested in his Norm Activation Theory that the intention to perform a proenvironmental or pro-social behaviour is based on the acceptance of personal responsibility for ones actions and an awareness of their consequences. (p166) Blake (1999)- three different categories of obstacles that exist between the sphere of concern and that of action: individuality; responsibility and practicality. that both psychological and institutional factors affect individual action. Which factors are important in any one case will vary for different individuals, environmental actions, and social or institutional constraints. individual barriers refers to what social psychologists would call personal attitudes or cognitive structure. Environmental concerns are outweighed by other conflicting attitudes. wrong type of person to do certain types of environmental actions, such as campaigning. peoples perceptions of institutions and responsibility. At present, despite general environmental concern, that evaluation is often negative. Even if individual factors would support environmental action, people may still not act because they do not feel that they (as individuals) should take the responsibility for helping to solve environmenta l problems. practical social or institutional constraints that may prevent people from adopting pro-environmental action, regardless of their attitudes or intentions. These include lack of time, lack of money and lack of physical storage space (in the case of recycling), as well as lack of information, encouragement and pro-environmental facilities such as recycling and adequate public transport provision. Some people may also be physically unable to carry out some environmental actions. Clearly, there will be overlaps between the three sets of obstacles, and the reasons why people do not engage in pro-environmental action will not always fall into such neat categories. classification shows is that at a particular moment, and in a particular place, distinctions can be made between different types of barriers that may prevent individual environmental action, and that policy will need to respond in differentiated ways. policies need to also tackle other individual, social and institut ional barriers. Not just provide more information or recycling facilities. organizations that are trusted more by the public, such as environmental NGOs, are likely to be most successful. The factors involved in making people willing to reduce environmental damage are fundamentally different from the factors involved in making people take active steps to reduce damage and to improve the environment. The gap dilemma: Market-based mechanisms. Solutions: Criticism: 4 See also Attitudes, behavior, cognitive psychology, social psychology, theory of planned behavior

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Inside the Cuckoos Nest Essay -- Film

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a film directed by Czech Milos Forman in 1975. Using potent elements of fiction--characters, conflict, and symbolism--Forman illustrates the counterculture of the 1960’s. This film depicts American society as an insane asylum that demands conformity from its citizens. The film begins with a conniving convict being assigned to the asylum. R. P. McMurphy is sent to the asylum to be evaluated by the doctors and to determine whether or not he is mentally ill. He is unaware that he will be supervised by an emasculating woman named Nurse Mildred Ratched who watches the patients’ every motion from her nurse’s station. R.P. McMurphy is a lively, rebellious, and rational patient that has recently been escorted into the insane asylum. Once in the bin, Randle becomes the self-proclaimed champion of the rights of the other ward patients, his adversary being Nurse Ratched (New York Times). He scrutinizes the asylum and the patients deciding that he needs to lighten the atmosphere. According to Filmsite, Movie Review McMurphy encourages the patients to participate in activities that will heighten their spirits and change their monotonous routines. McMurphy decides to challenge Nurse Ratched when he notices that the patients of the ward are overly organized and controlled through a rigid set of authoritarian rules and regulations that McMurphy questions: â€Å"God Almighty, she’s got you guys comin’ or goin’. What do you think she is, some kind of champ or somethin’?†--- â€Å"I bet in one week, I can put a bug so far up her ass, she don’t know whether to sâ€⠀t or wind her wrist watch† (OFOTCN). Entertainment Weekly implies that McMurphy is unwilling to surrender to Nurse Ratched’s belittling power and rebels against corr... ...ok place in America all have one thing in common with the film: they are filled with people who have had enough and had a leader willing to take leadership towards making that change. McMurphy represents that leader as his sacrifice made way for the others to find freedom. Works Cited Canby, Vincent. "nytimes.com." The New York Times. 20 November 1975. The New York Times Company. 5 April 2012. â€Å"Filmsite Movie Review: â€Å"One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.†. Filmsite.org. American Movie Classics Company. 2012. Web 12 March 2012. Movie Reviews: â€Å"One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.† Rogerebert.com. Chicago Sun-Times Media Company. Web 3 April 2012. Nashawaty, Chris. â€Å"Cuckoo’s Nest Turns 35.† Entertainment Weekly 1120/1121 (2010): 128. MAS Ultra School Edition. Web. 5 Apr. 2012 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Dir. Milos Forman. Warner Brothers, 1975 Film.

Saturday, August 3, 2019

Moral Education in the University :: Philosophy Research Papers

Moral Education in the University ABSTRACT: Does the title of the World Congress of Philosophy, Paideia: Philosophy Educating Humanity, reflect hubris, irony or a pragmatic optimism? How is it possible for philosophy to educate the human community in the twenty-first century? More specifically, at a time when few people besides academic philosophers read philosophy, in what sense can philosophy educate humanity? In this essay I examine one possible way philosophy can educate humanity advanced by Derek Bok, former president of Harvard University. In a variety of public lectures, published essays and books Bok insists that America's leading colleges and universities ought to recommit themselves to moral education as one of their central tasks. I argue that recommitment to this task on the part of these elite universities is far more difficult than Bok admits. Indeed, I contend that as long as America's elite educational institutions retain the intellectual and structural commitments that displaced paideia, Bok's vision for moral education has little chance of success. At a time when both higher education and philosophy are self-conscious about their limitations, The Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy chose as its theme, Paideia: Philosophy Educating Humanity. Does this title reflect hubris, irony or a pragmatic optimism? How is it possible for philosophy to educate the human community in the twenty-first century? More specifically, at a time when few people besides academic philosophers read philosophy, in what sense can philosophy educate humanity? In this essay I examine one proposed answer to this question. Derek Bok, former president of Harvard University, in a variety of public lectures, published essays and books offers one possible way philosophy can educate humanity. Bok insists that America's leading colleges and universities ought to recommit themselves to moral education as one of their central tasks. (1) While I sympathize with Bok's admonition to America's prestigious universities to reclaim the task of moral education, I shall ar gue that a recommittal to this task on the part of these elite universities is far more difficult that Bok admits. (2) Indeed, I contend that as long as America's elite educational institutions retain the intellectual and structural commitments that displaced paideia, Bok's vision for moral education has little chance of success. To accomplish this aim, first, I clarify Bok's case for moral education in American colleges and universities. Second, closely following Bok's account, I provide a brief history of moral education in 19th century America.

Friday, August 2, 2019

Many Cultures, One Place #2 :: Essays Papers

Many Cultures, One Place #2 In modern time, numerous people have the idea that all the countries in the world can be united as one. However, they do not comprehend completely that there exists many differences in terms of political and cultural structures that do not allow countries to act as one. In the article: One Europe, Two Citizens by Pavel Kelly-Tychtl, the author tries to make the audience understand that having numerous countries together acting as one, like the European Union EUROPA - The EU at a glance is not the best way possible to solve the problems that our society has because eventually it will generate more because of the huge gap that these countries have in relation to each other. According to the author of this article, the only purpose that the European Union has is to generate discontent between their citizens and also to affect the political and economical structures that have already been created before by those governments. The structure that the European Union has is not the proper system to enforce around countries in the world because it limits the power of each country depending the characteristics that each of them have. The European Union is a group of countries that their main purpose is to act as one nation. With this focus on mind, they want to create between these groups of countries the same qualities and characteristics so that they can have the best governmental system ever (Squeezing 22 ) Among the things that the European Union shares in common are: common currency (Euro), borders (it is easier to pass from one country to another), parliament (same laws or rules) Accessing European Union Information, free trade (safe economy), and so on. In present time, this union is composed of fifteen countries. However, the European Union is looking forward that other countries will join them, and they already invited other ten countries to be with them. Many politicians agree that the European Union is an excellent example of how governments should work because it is very well organized (One Europe 30) However, with the ideas given by the author in this paper the audience can clearly see that the o nly thing that the European Union can produce is differences between people around the world. There exist a similarity between the European Union and the United States; they both are seen as one place, one nation, and one country. Many Cultures, One Place #2 :: Essays Papers Many Cultures, One Place #2 In modern time, numerous people have the idea that all the countries in the world can be united as one. However, they do not comprehend completely that there exists many differences in terms of political and cultural structures that do not allow countries to act as one. In the article: One Europe, Two Citizens by Pavel Kelly-Tychtl, the author tries to make the audience understand that having numerous countries together acting as one, like the European Union EUROPA - The EU at a glance is not the best way possible to solve the problems that our society has because eventually it will generate more because of the huge gap that these countries have in relation to each other. According to the author of this article, the only purpose that the European Union has is to generate discontent between their citizens and also to affect the political and economical structures that have already been created before by those governments. The structure that the European Union has is not the proper system to enforce around countries in the world because it limits the power of each country depending the characteristics that each of them have. The European Union is a group of countries that their main purpose is to act as one nation. With this focus on mind, they want to create between these groups of countries the same qualities and characteristics so that they can have the best governmental system ever (Squeezing 22 ) Among the things that the European Union shares in common are: common currency (Euro), borders (it is easier to pass from one country to another), parliament (same laws or rules) Accessing European Union Information, free trade (safe economy), and so on. In present time, this union is composed of fifteen countries. However, the European Union is looking forward that other countries will join them, and they already invited other ten countries to be with them. Many politicians agree that the European Union is an excellent example of how governments should work because it is very well organized (One Europe 30) However, with the ideas given by the author in this paper the audience can clearly see that the o nly thing that the European Union can produce is differences between people around the world. There exist a similarity between the European Union and the United States; they both are seen as one place, one nation, and one country.

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Laizzez faire

Corporations are creatures of the State and therefore must be watched closely by the citizenry to their repetitions to disrupt the Smithson spontaneous order. These axioms constitute the basic elements of laissez-fairer thought, although another basic antidote-disregarded element Is that markets should be competitive, a rule that the early advocates buffaloes-faller have always emphasized Liberal Government introduce social welfare reforms in the early twentieth century In the late 19th century the British government practiced the principle of laissez- fairer.Laissez fairer means the business market are free from tariffs, government subsidies and enforced monopolies [2]. Under the principle of Laissez fairer, government only provides simple maintenance of law and order, protect property rights against theft and aggression with regulations [3]. Individuals were responsible for their own decisions, to protect and improve their own lives and welfare. [l] After the general election in 19 06, the Liberal welfare reform was introduced between 1906 to 1914, changing the attitude and policies towards the poverty.The liberal reforms for children are, free school meals, school medical inspections, Children ‘s charter act and school clinic. The old age pensions act, labor exchange for the unemployed and national insurance for workers were also carried out eventually within this period of time. [l] The attitude towards the working class shifted from individuality to a more aggregate way . The Liberal reforms changed the economy, politic and social circumstances[l] ,and lead Britain to a more well structuralizes and strong country.The reasons of the reforms were, changes in attitude, the Boer War, social reform, political changes and the fear of being overtaken. [4] The Ideology of Laissez fairer had assumed how a society should work , free trade, redeem of making a decision in the late 19th century before the liberal social reforms being introduce. The role of governm ent was to make sure and guarantee the freedom of the citizens and market. They provided military forces to regulate the property rights and exchange between parties. 4] The principle Idea Is to allow citizens from greatest possible freedom. The central idea of this ideology was based on self-help, government was not responsible for the poverty and hardship for their citizens[l] Instead the citizens†¦ How does Social Darwinism reinforce Laissez-fairer? 1 OFF f good breeding you will not succeed, if you are, you will. Well, much like pre- destination, if you already know what is going to happen, what's the point of being good, improving yourself, etc. In that case, let the good times roll! Answer Usually the point is put differently.Social Darwinist oppose welfare (and if really extreme, even charity) on the grounds that it allegedly interferes with the functioning of the ‘laws of natural selection' and the ‘survival of the fittest'; they argue that any system other than laissez fairer will result in the unfit (who, they say, should simply perish) Redding like rabbits and so forth. In other words, they fall back on laissez fairer as a system that they are willing to accept. Some very extreme Social Darwinist would prefer to accelerate natural selection by artificial means as happened under the Nazis.Jounce Answer to break this down, the strongest will survive in free trade (this is the easy way to say it). If you have an unstable economy and no central gobo. You will fail and will not be able to participate in free-trade (Laissez-fair) Characteristics of Laissez-fairer related to social welfare 1 . Leadership Style Characteristics Emphasis on Performance Low emphasis on performance. Emphasis on People Low emphasis on people. DEAD RESHIP STYLE 2. Leadership Philosophy Assumptions about people People are unpredictable and trying to understand them is a waste of time.Assumptions about the role of a leader Keep a low profile, be obedient, and don't make waves. 3. Management Skills Planning and Setting Objectives Plans and establishes objectives only if required to do so. Organizing Lives with whatever structure he is given. Controlling Abdicates controlling to employees. Decision Making Motivating Leaves people alone. Nothing seems to work anyway. Communicating Communication is non-committal, superficial, and avoided. Developing Leaves development up to employees. If people want to develop themselves, that is their business.Use of Reward and Punishment Avoids rewarding or punishing people. Approach to Handling Conflicts Ignores conflicts and hopes they will disappear. Approach to Handling Problems and Mistakes Ignores problems and mistakes unless forced to deal with them. Interpersonal Relationships with Employees Avoids close relationships and lets employees do pretty much as they please. Use of Power and Authority Power and authority are abdicated to whomever wants to assume them. Delegation Practices Responsibilities are a ssumed by default rather than through delegation.Benefits of Laissez-fairer Leadership Laissez-fairer leaders allow followers to have complete freedom to make discountenancing the completion of their work. The laissez-fairer leader using guided freedom provides the followers with all indiscriminateness to accomplish their goals, but does not directly participate in decision meaningfulness the followers request their assistance. Laissez-fairer leadership instills a higher sense of responsibility among team embers. This form of leadership exposes team members to tough business situations, helping them gain more experience and grow faster. Rearwards larger picture. This form of leadership can boost the commitment of team members to achieve the desegregated. Drawbacks of Laissez-fairer Leadership Laissez-fairer leadership may be the best or the worst of leadership styles. If the leader follows temporally understood definition and standard practice of noninterference and â€Å"hands-off ' wonderfully leading his or her followers, the worst form of leadership is manifested. However,when the twenty-first century ropey prepares his or her followers, laissez-fairer lithographer's as the ultimate form of leading.If team members do not have adequate experience or the required skills, the achievement targets may be at great risk. Important decisions that need to be taken at short notice can go horribly wrong. If people are not self-driven and disciplined, laissez-fairer leadership can lead to a great dealer inefficiency. The team may become prone to repeating mistakes and may fail to get out of problems eyeteeth encounter during a project. Team members may get off track and may not prioritize correctly.Scenarios Where Laissez-fairer Leadership can Work This is an effective style to use when: The prerequisite for laissez-fairer leadership is having a strong leader, with a proven trajectory of success. Followers are highly skilled, experienced, and educated. Followers are a ble to analyze the situation. Followers have pride in their work and the drive to do it successfully on their own. Outside experts, such as staff specialists or consultants are being used. Followers are trustworthy and experienced. When close monitoring of a decision is not needed.Conclusions In this project we studied about laissez-fairer leadership in detail. Almost all the components affiliates-fairer leaderships has been discussed briefly. We can conclude from this study that Tallahassee-fairer leadership can be productive as well as destructive because everything depends phone situation of the crisis or condition. In those cases where subordinates are sophisticated, skillfulness experienced this style emerges with great innovative future perspective. Whereas in commences where subordinates are novice, denominated and with poor morale this Tyler causes greatcoats destroying the whole organization and leadership.Laissez- fairer should not be misstatement the empowerment of the em ployees in some organizations it could be true but it really deposition the behavior of leadership whether he is showing inactivity for the sake of his aloofness endlessness or he is trying to provide innovative environment to his skilled employee. Although theater numerous research studies on the topic to prove which leadership is best but we are not certainty but the best leadership style occurs which matches the situation

Coco Cola Internal Analysis

Internal Analysis Coca-Cola is the world's largest drinks company, with giant and strong advantages of global competitiveness, brand image has been popularity, in the market share high. Coca-Cola offers a unique combination of organizational and physical resources that support it’s favorable operating results. Strengths – The highest scores for the company's strengths include the high ability of innovation, research, and development.Coca-Cola has created a strong brand for itself in the drinking industry, and provides a competitive advantage over other players in the market. They use the unique flavor and price strategy to attract more customers. Weaknesses – Coke contains caffeine and other components, this is a slightly bad places that compared with other health drinks, such as milk. And it easys to cause fat. And it's a large organization, not easy to manage, and less use of celebrity advertising, decrease attraction. Our Industry overviewThe definition for so ft drink industry includes manufacturing non-alcoholic, carbonated beverages, mineral waters and concentrates and syrups for the manufacture of carbonated beverages. The world’s top 10 soft drink companies by market share (2009) are Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle, Sunstory, Dr Pepper Snapple, Red Bull, Danone, Kirin, Asahi Breweries, Ito En. Internal Threats With regard to the bargaining power of buyers, it must be noted that there exists a low switching cost. This will give consumers more bargaining power.However, on the other hand, the limited alternative goods will lower buyers’ bargaining power. The last force indicator to estimate the degree of internal competition is the bargaining power of suppliers. Obviously, there are plenty of substitutes for sugar, one of the main ingredients in manufacturing beverage concentrates and syrups. In addition, various materials are also available for packaging. Under these circumstances, suppliers in the soft drink industry have les s bargaining power.The Coca? Cola Company is the world’s leading beverage manufacturing company. It possesses a strong brand name and brand portfolio. It operates in more than 200 countries and markets with more than 500 brands and 3,500 beverage products. Coca-Cola’s market leadership and industry-leading brands provide an exceptional competitive advantage and in turn enhance its bargaining power. Above all, operation activities, marketing activities are critical for success in our industry.