Competitive Advantage of Firms Easy Jet Case Study

Easy Jet began its operation in November 1995 with two leased aircrafts and a staff composed of teenagers serving as reservation agents under the leadership of its founder; Stelios. Stelios grew the airline by factoring in on low labor costs, and low airport fees, by choosing the cheaper Luton Airport instead of the major international airports like Gatwick and Heathrow.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Competitive Advantage of Firms: Easy Jet specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Easy Jet’s first flight from London to Glasgow was the major breakthrough the company needed; offering a low fare of twenty nine pounds, it propelled Easy Jet to market leadership position. This paper analyses the strategies Easy Jet employed to gain a competitive advantage in the airline market. Competitive Advantage Strategies of Easy Jet Easy Jet’s competitive advantage is the strategic advantage that one it had and stil l has over its competitors, that enables it to generate greater sales and retain more customers than its rivals. This airline factored mainly on costs, services and brand awareness, to gain a competitive advantage. Competing on costs Easy jet has a culture of minimizing costs as it offers low fares to its passengers. This culture began at its inception when Stelios initiated its operation with a low capital of five million pounds; with which he leased two aircrafts, a staff comprising of teenagers, and a low labor-low fees airport. This culture still continues as the airline seeks to minimize costs wherever possible, for example; they save fourteen pounds per passenger by not offering meal services, they save ten pounds per passenger by flying into London’s Luton airport instead of the international Gatwick airport, and they also save cost by not offering business class seating. Apart from minimizing costs, Easy Jet also seeks out other sources of revenue like the internet sa les, which accounts for nearly fifteen percent of their annual revenues. They encourage internet sales through offering discounted fares to customers who purchase their tickets over the internet. The internet sales also help them reduce cost that they might incur in hiring additional reserve agents. This also helps them avoid unnecessary cost like computer reservation system, which would probably add twenty five percent to their overall operating costs.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Competing On Service In making their service outstanding, Stelio has become a down to earth person to the point of even working on the phone line and selling tickets himself. He also reads and gives a reply to many of the emails he receives from his customers, instruct his employees to dress casually, and encourage them to have an open-plan office just like himself. He ensures flexibility in booking, through internet ticket purchase or through calling the reserve agents through a given local number. Creating brand awareness Easy Jet spends nearly ten percent of its revenue on newspaper, radio and magazine advertising with an effort to create a name for them. This has resulted into market differentiation and increased sales. A poll in 1998 indicated that Easy Jet brand had eighty-eight percent recognition in London and eighty-two percent in Geneva. Challenges Easy Jet has faced stiff competition from Ryan air, Go, Virgin Express, Buzz, and has struggled with the option of whether to go public or remain private. It has also had a history of using sub contractors, and outsourcing of key functions which has created problems like; mishandling of customers by the contracted ground handlers. But despite these challenges, the founder; Stelio, has well strategized on cost, competition, service, and brand advantages to maintain a firm grip in the market, and this is what has m ade Easy Jet achieve a competitive advantage in the market. This assessment on Competitive Advantage of Firms: Easy Jet was written and submitted by user Jesse Delaney to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Structure of the Earth Essays

The Structure of the Earth Essays The Structure of the Earth Paper The Structure of the Earth Paper The structure of the earth The earth has three major parts-the land part or lithosphere, the water part or hydrosphere and the air part or atmostpere. The lithosphere is the surface on which you live . It is also the earth solid sphere consisting mainly of massive rocks. The massive rocks form large land masses called continent and small island groups . Different land form such as mountains,hills,valleys,plateaus and plains make up the lithosphere. The hydrosphere include all water forms such as oceans,seas,rivers,lakes,and groundwater found beneath the earth. Geologists or scientists who specialize on the history and composition of earth study carefully these two major parts of the earth. They study the different layers of the earth and what each layer is made of. You see only the surface of the earth – the oceans, seas, rivers, rocks, and soil. They cover the earth just like the thick peeling of the pomelo or orange fruit. When you cut open the pomelo, you see layers of pulp inside it. If the earth were cut open, you will see that it is made of three layers. They are the crust, matle and the core. The topmost layer of the earth is the crust which is made of solid rock. It is thicker under the continents; approximately between 11 to 35 kilometres. But under the oceans, it can be 5 to 12 kilometres thick only. At the lower boundary of the crust is the mohorovicic discontinuity or moho; naned after its discover Yugoslav geologist Andrija Mohorovicic. The moho separates the crust from the next layer beneath it – the mantle. The mantle is about 2,900 kilometres in depth or thickness. Just like the crust, it is also made of solid rocks. But because of extreme heat and pressure, some of these rocks may even flow very, very slowly. The core is the innermost part of the earth which is about 3,400 kilometres in thickness. It is divided further into two; the outer core which behaves like a liquid and the inner core which believesto be solid. The core is mostly iron with lesser amounts of nickel and silicon. Crustal rocks that are parts of the earth’s crust are of two types –granate and basalt. Most of the rocks under oceans basins is basalt which is similar to the rocks at the upper mantle. Beneath the continents, the crust is made up mostly of granity. Granite is ligther than basalt; so continents float high on the heavier mantle. Remember the science facts; 1. the earth has three layers ; The crust. The mantle. The core. 2. crustal rocks which are part of the earth’s crust are basalt and granate. Project In Science Submitted by; Glenn van barrida Submitted to;Juliet o. de luna Forces that change the earth’s surface The earth surface has been constantly changing sincethe world began. Some change maybe slow that you hardly can notice it. But over amillions of years, mountains rise worn down. What forces can change the earth’s suface? There are two kind of forces that are at work to constantly change the earth’s surface. They tectonic forces and gradational forces. Gradational forces are caused by wind, ice, moving or flowing water and other living organisms. Weathering cause rocks to be broken down into pieces or fragment. Erocion carries away or thransport these eroded rocks into the rivers and oceans as sediments. Seas creep in over the land and rise making new land. Glaciers roll down the mountains and from valleys. Erosion and weathering are grandational forces; they come from outside or beyond the earth. Tictonic forces come fron inside the earth. There are two groups of tictonic forces-diastropism and volcanism. Diatropism refers to all movements of the solid part of the earth sa in earthquakes. Volcanism or volcanic eruptions make landforms when lava hardens. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions cause sudden changes on the earth surface. They may bring about the rise or the fall of surface rocks. Remember the science fact; 1. or Gradational and tictonic forces bring about changes on the earth’s surface. 2. Erosion and weathering are gradational forces. They bring about slow changes on the eath’s surface. 3. Diastropism and volcanism are tictonic forces. They bring about sudden rapid changes.

Memo about ap stylebook Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Memo about ap stylebook - Essay Example For example, all distances should be in figures, using ‘5 miles is better than using five miles. Making this change will make the sentence more appealing to the reader unlike when it is in words. There are some words that are treated as two words, yet they seem better when they are written as one. ‘Under way’ appears better and has a good meaning when it is written as one word; ‘underway’. Additionally, using a general term such as ‘partners’ seems to be better and respectable when referring to a married couple. Husbands and wives is provocative and when it is pronounced it sounds as an offence to the one who is saying it and the people who are listening. The terms ‘husbands’ and ‘wives’ should not be used to refer to the same sex couples. The AP Stylebook should consider doing away with the term ‘illegal immigrant’. This is a loaded term and it is the action of migration that is illegal and not the person. The stylebook should instead advice clearly the action of illegal migration, because it is the controversy and not the person that is explained. Homosexuality is another word that brings many debates. The AP Stylebook describes homosexuality as a ‘sexual orientation’. Revising it to a ‘sexual preference’ sounds better because, preference is what someone likes to do while orientation is simply what you are. There is a need to cover social media guidelines in the AP stylebook. With the increase in user generated journalism pieces, the stylebook is supposed to show how they can secure and authenticate photo captions and some video scripts. AP should recognize Skype, Google Hangout, and flash mobs. It is important for them to develop a platform for communication with the people so that they may tell them and answer some questions or any other revisions made to the stylebook. Many people especially traditionalists have disagreed with some controversial changes that have been made in the past. Communicating

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Case Study Example Apart from advising the franchisees about how to promote the outlets in their respective areas and the local market, McFadden can take other steps to encourage the franchisees to promote their outlets like he can provide additional funds for promotions and also can provide some incentives and rewards for those franchisees who perform better in promoting the outlets in the local market. McFadden should analyse the franchisability properly before making any decision. Determining franchisability means to asses that whether the business is worth franchisable that means the entrepreneur must determine that whether the business is profitable or not, whether the business model can be easily copied by the competitor, does the business model can be easily adopted by the competitors, is the business model has any unique feather which is different from the others etc (Shakespeare, 1995, p.90). As the competitors are able to copy the business model of McFadden therefore it is clear that the franchisability was not properly analysed as a result the competitor can imitate it. To control the situation, first of all Just Cuts should restructure the business model in such a way which will be difficult to copy. In response to the imitators, Just Cuts can bring innovation in its services in terms of enhanced quality and customer satisfaction. Some of these things have already been d one by the management of Just Cuts. Apart from this, Just cuts should change their policies regarding the services it offers so that the competitors cannot always imitate the policies. Just Cuts can also go for branding its products so that the customers can distinguish the services from those of the imitators. Good branding will also reduce the anxiety of the franchisees regarding the low cost service providers because branded services always finds its place in the market. Deciding on the franchising fee is an important aspect of franchising. Some franchisees require less funds

In the near future,cities will need to become increasingly energy Essay

In the near future,cities will need to become increasingly energy efficient. Outline at least three strategies for energy efficiency and their advantages for modern cities.Refer to one or more cities - Essay Example It is leading the world by example in energy efficiency despite being the home of one of the best mass rail transit networks, holding dense urban population and a high-tech neon-lit lifestyle. Their wide usage of electric heat pumps (EHP) gives them the ability to maintain low carbon emission profile. Furthermore Tokyo also utilizes water and thermal energy using EHP, which is broadly accessible around Tokyo districts. If things go as planned, Tokyo could possibly be among world’s lowest carbon emitting cities. Tokyo’s energy efficient ways are different and somewhat better than western conventional simulations (Hitoshi & Yoshitaka, 2008. Page; 1). This small essay looks at various methods employed by Tokyo which is one of the most populated cities of the world. And looks more closely at some selected methods those stand out from the rest that Tokyo incorporates to save energy. First one is the reduced consumption of gasoline and reduction in greenhouse gases. The second factor for energy efficiency is Thermal Power production and the last factor in this essay is the Lifestyle of the people of Tokyo. Tokyo is a jam packed city and this is a compliment. The city is well equipped with railway transit system which considerably reduces fuel consumption; people either use public transport, ride a bicycle or simply walk to their work. Preference to buy a house near railway station is significantly high and apartment prices drop if they are located far away from such public facilities. Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is well on its way in Tokyo. Moreover the structure of buildings is such that it accommodates more people by occupying less space. Road network throughout Tokyo is dense and is made for the primary purpose of walking. People of Tokyo are accustomed to this style of life which enables them to efficiently use their energy resources (Hitoshi & Yoshitaka, 2008, page; 2). Other factor that contributes to energy efficiency is Tokyo Metropolitan

Rolls Royces Strategic And Business Management Management Essay

Rolls Royces Strategic And Business Management Management Essay Rolls-Royce is founded in 1906 by Frederick Henry Royce and Charles Stewart Rolls (Pugh, Peter, 2001).Headquartered in London. As a diversified company, Rolls-Royce operates in four global markets namely civil aerospace, defense aerospace, marine and energy-in each of which it is among the worlds top three competitors. The company has manufacturing sites or service centers located in 50 countries around the world. Rolls-Royce produces both commercial and military engines civil and defense aerospace business for a broad customer base, including more than 650 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, and 160 armed forces around the world. Rolls-Royce also supplies power generation systems to the oil and gas industry and is one of the worlds largest makers of marine propulsion systems. It maintains key operations in North America, Europe, and Asia, with emerging presence in the Middle East (Nancy Daniels, 2001). Rolls-Royces revenue for the year 2009 was  ¿Ã‚ ¡10,414 million, definitely higher than the figure for 2008, which is  ¿Ã‚ ¡9,082 million. In 2009, 44% of Rolls-Royces revenue came from civil aerospace, while defense aerospace, marine and energy each accounted for 20%, 26%, 10% (Rolls-Royce, 2009). 2. Analysis of the Current Business Environment Affecting the Industry 2.1 Macro-Environmental Analysis The PESTLE analysis (appendix A) details the main macro-environmental trends affecting the aviation industry. Of these, the economic crisis is the most pressing current issue but in the longer term, technological advancements remain central to the industrys progression. More international cultural exchange will accelerate the development of aviation industry, and the growth in developing countries needs more energy and a range of products serviced by Rolls-Royce. 2.2 Micro-Environmental Analysis Porters Five Forces analysis (appendix B) indicates that the threat of substitution in the aviation industry is fairly low. Limited to the technologies and standards, the airline company can only get the suitable parts from the original corporation which supplied the products. Threat of entry is quite low because the aviation industry needs the latest scientific and technological achievements and long-term technology accumulation as well as a lot of money and human resources, so the potential competitors are hard to entry. Suppliers are hard to influence the aviation industry, for the reason that big corporations such as General Electric (GE) and Rolls-Royce possess the key technologies, while the suppliers are so many that can be easily replaced. The power of buyers has increased somewhat due to ease of switching, transparency of costs. But they dont have many choices but only three. Overall, competitive rivalry within the aviation industry is very high due to the presence of General Electric (GE) and Pratt Whitney (PW), rapid technological change and intense products and services competition. 2.3 Main Opportunities and Threats The main opportunity is the increasing business in the jet aircraft market and growing aerospace and defense market as well as Rolls-Royces Strategic alliances and investments. The most prominent threat currently faced by the industry is the economic crisis. Based on a survey of randomly selected flight departments about their expected use and purchase plans over the next five years, market forecasters believe Europe will remain a major source of demand for business aircraft, and orders will reach record levels in the next five years. While most of Europe entered recession about a year later than the America, European orders are expected to recover once economic growth resumes (Ian Goold, 2010). The challenge of climate change will present a range of exciting opportunities for Rolls-Royce. Many customers will potentially consider investing in new technology earlier in order to minimize emissions. Equally there is likely to be a lot of interest in future low carbon technologies as well as alternative energy sources (Rolls-Royce, 2009). And as manufacturing employment has declined in Britain, there has been less reason for the best and brightest to study the subjects that manufacturing demands. Rolls-Royce executives say that the pool of experienced engineers, process managers and skilled workers from which the company can recruit is shrinking (The Economist, 2009). Any company engaged in global business should be aware of the risks of currency fluctuations. In such an economic environment, the exchange rate fluctuations can affect Rolls-Royces earnings and value. They are fully exposed to what is known as an exchange risk. 3. Analysis of Rolls-Royces Strategic Capabilities 3.1 How the various market trends have affected Rolls-Royce plc And after 1987 the various market trends are as following: Rolls-Royce was rescued by being nationalised by a Conservative government when the firm reached its nadir in 1971. Margaret Thatcher privatised it in 1987, when Rolls-Royces engines were then used by only a handful of airlines. There was a trend that the engine market would be dominated by GE and Pratt Whitney. After that, the core of the firms strategy had been to increase the number of its engines powering the worlds civil jets. There was a trend that defence spending would be reduced after 1987, which was the edge of the end of cold war. Growth in civil business was doubly important because Rolls-Royce was badly hit by the fall of the Soviet Union-at which time defence accounted for 60% of its revenues (The Economist, 2005). Government began to reduce defence spending, thus Rolls-Royce got less orders from the military. Worse for the firm, British Airways, which was Rolls-Royces old customer, equipped its new Boeing 777 wide-body planes with GE engines (The Economist, 2005). From then on, Rolls-Royce tried its best to get its engines on the wings of big airlines around the world. The British government used to be Rolls-Royces biggest customer, buying its jet engines for Royal Air Force planes and its nuclear power plants for Royal Navy submarines. But nowadays America (the biggest defense market by far) is its biggest defense customer, using its jet engines on todays jump-jet aircraft and planning to do so on the Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter, which promises to be the subject of the biggest contract in military history (The Economist, 2005). Nowadays America and British are facing the threat of international terrorist organizations, so the market is still promising. With the development of the worlds emerging economies, the world needs ever more tankers to transport oil and gas over long distances, and demand is growing for economical but high-power marine gas turbines to drive them, in place of the diesel-electric hybrid motors that have dominated until now. 3.2 Rolls-Royces development strategies According to these various market trends, Rolls-Royce increased the number of its engines to civil jet, and bought copper in order to push oil and gas along pipelines. In order to expand American market share, Rolls-Royce bought Allison. With over 80 per cent  of global commercial shipbuilding taking place in Asia, Rolls-Royce recently relocated its global headquarters for the Marine business to Singapore, bringing the Group closer to the customer base. The company had already placed its Global Headquarters for Marine Services and the regional headquarters for the Commercial Marine business covering Asia, the Middle East, India and Australia in Singapore. The operations also house one of Rolls-Royces global repairs and overhaul service centers. Rolls-Royce stands out as well for being the only company to offer an expanded OEM warranty (Rolls-Royce, 2009). As the expansion of the new markets and the use of new engine, Rolls-Royce has sold more services together with their products. Ansoff: product/ market matrix Product Current new Current penetration product development Market New market development diversification The theory of the Ansoffs: Product penetration refers to current product for current market. Aircraft engines Automation and control equipment Diesel and gas turbine engines Electric propulsion systems Engine support services Fuel cells Generators Offshore drilling equipment Overhaul and repair services Technical publications Training (Hoovers, Inc., 2009) Product development -it means new product for current market. Diesel and gas turbine engines; providing a better service Market development it means current product for new market. Marine motors ¼Ã…’Fuel cells ¼Ã…’Engine support services; Expanding American market share Diversification-It means new products for new market. Such as jet engines 3.3 How the main competitive advantage have been built up Competitive advantage refers to condition which enables a company to operate in a more efficient or otherwise higher-quality manner than the companies it competes with, and which results in benefits accruing to that company. After 1987 Rolls-Royce focused on four sectors which are civil, military, and marine as well as energy, and the firm continued its expenditure on investment and RD, it provides new products and new technologies. Rolls-Royces competitive advantage mainly focuses on core markets and core technology. We can see that, for the past decades years, the core strategy of the company has been to focuses on the four chosen markets namely civil aerospace, defense aerospace, marine and energy, now each of them are the top three in the world. Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce has increased the number of its engines powering the worlds civil jets, and the whole firm mainly makes all kind of engines, which accounts the majority of their revenue.   3.4 Evaluate the companys use of acquisitions Acquisitions means acquiring control of a corporation, called a target, by stock purchase or exchange, either hostile or friendly, also called takeover. After 1987 Rolls-Royce had several acquisitions as a method of strategic growth as following: (1) In 1996 Rolls-Royce bought Allison, its an American maker of small jet engines, mostly for corporate jets. This gave Rolls-Royce a significant presence in America-essential for any firm seeking to increase sales to the Pentagon (The Economist, 2005). From then on, American gradually  replaced Britain as Rolls-Royces largest market.   (2) In 1999 the company bought Vickers, a struggling arms-and-marine business. This acquisition took Rolls-Royce into the business of marine propulsion systems for warships. (3)In the same year Rolls-Royce bought Coopers, another specialist company, as the short cut in compressors with gas turbines in order to push oil and gas, which was very good for Rolls-Royces energy business. 3.5 Main Strengths and Weaknesses Rolls-Royces main weakness is they have to employ a lot of employee, which is very common in the manufacturing industry. It means Rolls-Royce has to pay a lot benefit for the retail employee. And sometimes, the orders may not be implemented well in such a big group corporation. There is another issue that Rolls-Royce has to focus on, that is, the increasing inventory which is caused by the unexpected order or demand. This will increase the companys operating costs. Rolls-Royces main strength is they are a leading integrated power systems company operating in the civil and defense aerospace, marine and energy markets. They have built their golden quality of their band, and they have regular partners and customers, for whom they will provide sustainable products and services. Furthermore, Rolls-Royce is a global corporation, so their business has a diversified geographic spread, which can be a source of guaranteed profit. Also they have a strong and trustful leadership to guarantee the right direction the corporation goes. Evaluation of Rolls-Royces Recent Strategies Rolls-Royces recent strategy is based on five key elements: 4.1 Address four global markets Rolls-Royce should focuses on the four core businesses, civil aerospace, defense aerospace, marine and energy, which are the most four profitable markets to the corporation. And there are still a lot to be done in order to develop the international market. As we know, Europe and the American market accounted for the majority of revenue, thus Asia and African are two emerging markets to emphasize. In some developing countries, Rolls-Royce will benefit from the preferential policies and cheap labor force. 4.2 Invest in technology, infrastructure and capability Rolls-Royce needs to invest more in RD to develop more innovative, environment-friendly products in order for it to keep the possession of advanced technologies and to offer better services. Meanwhile, with the development of the global market, it is necessary to invest more on the infrastructure to offer better services and attract more customers. 4.3 Develop a competitive portfolio of products and services As mentioned above, a competitive portfolio of products and services can consolidate existing markets and explore new markets. 4.4 Grow market share and installed product base Across the group, the installed base of engines in service is expected to generate attractive returns over many years (Rolls-Royce, 2009). 4.5 Add value for the customers through the provision of product-related services. Rolls-Royce should seek to add value for their customers with aftermarket services that will enhance the performance and reliability of their products (Rolls-Royce, 2009). 4.6 Others Manufacturing industry need a lot employee to make products, so Rolls-Royce could move the manufacturing centers to countries with low labor costs, which can greatly cut the cost. 4.7 Key Competitors GE Aviation and Pratt Whitney are Rolls-Royces top competitors. General Electric (GE) enjoys a very strong position in the wide body market, with the CF6 and GE90 engines powering about 40% of aircraft in the class. Pratt Whitney (PW) and Rolls-Royce each have about a 30% market share with the JT9D/PW4000 and the RB211/Trent series, respectively (Aircraft Economics, 2004/2005). To date, the most fuel efficient single-aisle jet engine belongs to Pratt Whitney, a considerably smaller player. The company unveiled its PW1000G geared turbofan in 2008 after a decade of development and promised it would reduce fuel burn by some 12% to 15% compared to todays engines (WSN Staff, 2010). In other business areas, there are some Rolls-Royces competitors not as big as GE and Pratt Whitney, such as SAFRAN, Emerson Electric, GE Honda Aero Engines, Honeywell Aerospace, IHI Corp, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, McDermott, Siemens AG, and Volvo. 5. Evaluation of Rolls-Royces leadership Sir John Rose took over as CEO in 1996. Rolls-Royces CEOs used to have an engineering background until Sir John Rose. He likes the intensely challenging job in Rolls-Royce which has something to do with His adventurous lifestyle, I guess. His leadership is critical to Rolls-Royces success. Rose insisted on continuing to invest substantially in the Trent engine series and it proved to be very important. Under Roses direction, the second largest business of Rolls-Royce, marine propulsion also has fared very well over the past years (Heller, Richard, 2005). Sir John Rose attaches importance to the after-sales business. And it makes sense, because engine services and sales of spare parts to replace worn components make up more than 50 percent of turnover. All in all, Rolls Royces leadership is smart, mature ¼Ã…’dynamic, aggressive and trustworthy. 6. Conclusion Rolls-Royce, the global leader in power systems and services for air, land and sea, will focus on both the importance of services for its civil and defense aerospace markets and its newest programs for these markets, mainly on the global market. In civil and military business, they can also through acquisition of developing countrys jet industry to expand market segment. Therefore there are tremendous opportunities for future business in expanding consumer markets, such as China and India. After setbacks in the exploration, the corporation has achieved a positive development under the leadership of Sir John Rose.

15% Tax Across The Board Essay -- essays research papers

15% Tax Across the Board Money, I bet I have your attention now? Hard working Americans are consistently held down due to taxes. There are many unnecessary taxes that are taken from each individual every single year. The 15% sales tax concept eliminates the frustration and confusion of the different kinds of taxes, and creates more money for the federal government. This concept has been overlooked year after year since its conception. This is a 15% sales tax; a tax that takes 15% of all goods sold and gives it to our government. Be aware of the fact that it is now 7.75%; a lot of you may say, "7.75% is way too much already". The answer to that question is no, no it is not. That 15% sales tax goes directly to the federal government eliminating all income tax in ones paycheck. Imagine seeing your paycheck without taxes taken out of it. It seems almost unimaginable to me; now we can imagine it. What does every employee constantly complain about every single paid day? What is one of the main topics that the presidential candidates stressed while campaigning? How come people like drug dealers get a big advantage in this world when it comes to pay taxes? And again, what consistently holds down the hard working American? I have found a way to answer all those questions? This concept has actually found a way to tax everybody, not just the working ones. This concept also makes it fair and economical to our federal government, not just the individual taxpayer. Under the implementation of this concept an individual could receive a paycheck and have virtually no taxes taken from it. This 15% sales tax eliminates confusion, taxes everybody, and organizes the government in a way that has never been done. Eliminating the confusion of distributing all of the taxes throughout the country would be in our government's vital interest. Every two weeks I will go through the exact same ritual, I will receive my paycheck and furiously tare it open to see how much money I will be able to lose in the next two weeks. I'm always blessed with a beautiful number at the top that is very fair and deserving for the hard work that I do on the weekly basis. Then I always see a whole bunch of abbreviations, different dollar amounts, then the number at the bottom that always seems to depr... ...s many government jobs. These jobs will be eliminated because there won't be so many different branches to our government. We will now only need a select few to watch over the money, rather than having the whole chain of command for each and every department. Organization and efficiency in our government is key, and the less there is to worry about the better. While this concept is a good one, it's not absolutely flawless. There are many wrinkles that indeed need to be ironed out. However, is a good starting block and something that could potentially change the country and how it operates? Whether this plan should actually be utilized or not, is not the question. The question is, what is involved with it, and how does a benefit our country? While I have talked about social security, it is not quite know exactly how that would be funded. Big businesses are another concern in this concept. How will big businesses be taxed under the implementation of this plan? The main objective to this plan still stands tall; it eliminates confusion, taxes everybody, and creates an organized government that we could all be proud of.

Policing Practices and Operations Essay

Law enforcement officers have many duties. Law enforcement officers are sworn to serve and protect society as well as to fight crime. They also maintain order within their jurisdiction, as well as providing other services that the community will benefit from. Most of the time, police officers are considered to be crime fighters, in which this image has been brought to citizen’s attention by the media. The styles of policing should match the community in which they serve, so there is no conflict between the community and the law enforcement officer. The future policing structure does have a huge impact socially, economically, and politically within the community and the police departments general needs so that they can provide the proper policing that is needed. Life threatening situations take place in different circumstances, which includes the law enforcement agencies. Dangers Law enforcement officers face being wounded or murdered as they are on the line of duty in the United States, every year. The greatest threat a police officer will ever face is bodily harm and death. When a law enforcement officer is called to a scene and responds to a disturbance call, the law enforcement officer is confronted with the possibilities of violent actions from an armed suspect. Although, bodily harm as well as death upon a law enforcement officer are not the only dangers in policing. Family issues and stress related illnesses also can be contributing factors to the danger of a law enforcement officer and policing. Law enforcement officer’s jobs can surely take a toll on their lives as well as their well-being. If the pressures of their type of work are handled and coped with property, it could end up becoming life threatening. Today’s law enforcement officers are faced with many dangers within their everyday duties, like rival threats of getting shot. Examples are: vehicle pursuits, traffic control, and foot pursuit, stress, making an arrest, and sun exposure/duty equipment and biohazard exposure. These dangers are exposed to law enforcement officers on a daily basis. This is why it is important for law enforcement officers to wear their bulletproof vests as well as their belts that contain pepper spray, radio, handgun, baton, and handcuffs. All of this specified equipment usually will weigh up to about twenty pounds, which adds stress to the law enforcement officers hips, feet, knees, and back areas. Stress to the law enforcement officers body by getting in and out of their patrol vehicle up to about fifty times within one day, as they have to wear all of their equipment. Law enforcement officers are exposed to the extreme temperatures for many hours at a time. They may have to be in extreme heat c onditions, such as one hundred degree heat, while conducting traffic control at a scene of an accident. They also sometimes have to provide crime scene security when the weather may be in freezing conditions. Law enforcement officers are at the mercy of all weather conditions. Also, a lot of the times law enforcement officers are called to a scene and they are not properly prepared for it because of the weather conditions and they do not have the time to stop somewhere to get what they need to prepare themselves. They may have to stand out in extremely hot or freezing weather without the proper protection they may need or hydration they so desperately have to have. Law enforcement officer’s physical dangers have to be dealt with as well as trying to always be ready for the worst. As this can add so much mental and physical stress upon the law enforcement officer. They have to be aware of their surroundings and environment all the time. Law enforcement officers have to be alert as well as being prepared for all situations that may occur. The officer will rarely have time to get prepared for an emergency call. They have to sometimes rely on the training the received to be able to make important, split second decisions that are based on different circumstances. The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks gained the attention from all the departments within law enforcement. Within the federal policing agencies, they took precautionary measures to make sure that the people of  the United States were safe. Even though, the local and state agencies have managed to keep the people’s fears under control within the United States and communities as well. All of the agencies in the United States have to work fearlessly on preventing and reducing the citizen’s fears caused by terrorism. When terrorism is looked into, law enforcement agencies and Homeland security across the world are very imperative that the agencies try to work together in solving the crimes by using shared information and by having departmental as sistance. All in all, terrorism is always a danger for law enforcement officers. Statistics As reports were published by the National Police Officer Memorial Funds said that in 2010, officer’s fatalities treacherously rose. There was a two year drop of law enforcement mortalities in 2010 that rose to 160. This was intensified by about forty percent compared by looking at the year before. The data gathered by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund indicated that for the thirteenth consecutive year, the number one cause of law enforcement officers deaths were contributed by traffic fatalities, within thirty nine states. Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia were also involved in law enforcement officer’s related deaths in 2010. Within the third consecutive year in a row, Texas, Florida, and California were ranked on top of the five states that involved the most of law enforcement fatalities. The Federal law enforcement Officers had a total of eleven law enforcement officers that were lost, including the Federal agents that lost their lives in the line of duty during 2010, along with United States Customs, two United States Border Patrol agents, and three Border Protection officers. According with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (2011) website, it stated that fifty-six law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty. Thirty two law enforcement officers that were among the fifty-six, were employed within city police departments. Thirteen of them were employed for law enforcement agencies within cities of a population consisting of 250,000 or more people that reside there. In Puerto Rico and twenty two other states, there was also line of duty deaths as well. There were fifteen law enforcement officers who lost their lives in ambush situations as well. There were fourteen law enforcement officers that lost their lives in felonious attacks while involved in arrest situations. There were eight law enforcement officers that were killed when they were investigating suspicious persons/circumstances. There were seven law enforcement officers that were killed while working on traffic stops/pursuits. Six law enforcement officers were killed while answering to disturbance calls. There were three law enforcement officers that were killed while they were involved in tactical situations, like high risk entry, barricaded offender, hostage situations, etc. There were two law enforcement officers that were killed upon conducting investigations while searching, interviewing, and looking at surveillance. And one law enforcement officer was killed as they were maintaining custody of a prisoner or while transporting a prisoner. With future policing, I feel that it is important to have close communication with the homeland security. I personally feel that the more communication there is, the more we will progress and bring better policing skills. It is equally as important to have communication with all law enforcement agencies to help in improving all policing operations that are dealt with. In future policing, the importance of keeping law enforcement agencies relationships maintained will build better and stronger agencies. With the relationship within law enforcement agencies and homeland security are not as accurate as seemed. It is understood that all agencies serve different purposes, as they are all in charge of different types of areas within society to serve and protect. I believe that joining forces with other agencies would be beneficial. It would be beneficial because by all working together, there could be issues that could be addressed a lot better. Along with lack of communication among law enforcement agencies and homeland security, we would be able to better handle the various criminal issues better. I feel that this can also improve community policing and law enforcement relationships. With the new technology equipment that police officers receive, they can work on their policing styles, such as being reactive or proactive. Once these issues are changed, there will be better communication with other law enforcement agencies, as they would be able to serve and protect in much more positive ways. This will decrease crime rates as well as increasing practices that  are reactive. As crime rates decrease, and proactive and reactive practices are being practiced, then the start of confidence will show within all law enforcement agencies. Although, there are many differences in the power as well as the authority, responsibilities and roles, and the difference in jurisdiction at the local, state, and federal levels within law enforcement officers. It is clearly apparent that all of the dangers within them remain equally the same. References American bar association. (2011). Standards on urban police functions. Retrieved from http://www.americanbar.org/publications/criminal_justice_section_archive/crimjust_standards_urbanpolice.html Federal bureau of investigations. (2011). Officers feloniously killed. Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/leoka/leoka-2010/officers-feloniously-killed Crime in America.NET. (2011). Law enforcement fatalities dramatically increase in 2010. Retrieved from http://crimeinamerica.net/2011/01/04/law-enforcement-fatalities-dramatically-increase-in-2010/

10 Questions to Ask For-Profit Online Colleges

10 Questions to Ask For-Profit Online Colleges Not all for-profit colleges are scams. In fact, some offer students flexibility and a career-oriented learning style that can be difficult to find elsewhere. On the other hand, some online for-profit programs rake in big money while leaving students with lots of debt and few job prospects. If you’re considering enrolling in a for-profit online college, hold off on signing that first tuition check until you get answers to these ten questions: 1. What is the colleges accreditation status? You’ll want to make sure that your school’s accreditation is recognized by the United States Department of Education. The most transferable form of accreditation comes from the six nationally-recognized regional accrediting bodies. 2. Is the school now (or has it ever been) on one of the federal financial watch lists? The federal government recently released a list of colleges that are being monitored due to concerning financial behavior. Although the list isn’t comprehensive, you’ll want to make sure your college isn’t on it. 3. What is the colleges graduation rate? Find out what percent of students who start the program end up graduating. If this number is particularly low, it’s a good indicator that the school may not be providing a quality experience or enough student support. 4. How many students who graduate from the program are able to find a career in their field? The federal government is starting to crack down on for-profit programs that charge a lot for tuition and leave students in the dark when it comes to career prospects. Make sure your investment is worthwhile - you’ll want to know that a reasonable percentage of graduates in your program are able to find employment. 5. How long does it actually take most students to graduate from this program? It’s likely that the average is longer than 4 years. But, if students are taking 6-8 years to earn an undergraduate degree, that might be a sign to look elsewhere. 6. How much student debt does the average student in this program take on? Tuition prices may be posted. But, how much debt are students actually accruing? When you factor in student fees, additional coursework, textbooks, and graduation charges, expenses start to add up. You don’t want to graduate with a photography degree and $100,000 of student debt. Make sure that your debt won’t be too challenging to manage with your expected income. 7. What kind of access to career development does the school offer? Traditional schools tend to offer job fairs, employer meet-and-greets, resume reviews, and other career development options. Does your for-profit program provide any services to help put your degree to use? 8. What other schools or parent companies is this for-profit program connected with? Some for-profit schools are part of larger conglomerate of schools. Sometimes, when a for-profit program fails, it takes new life with a new name. Do a bit of research into your college’s history and make sure they’ve been thriving for a while. 9. What are the advantages of choosing this school over a non-profit alternative? Some for-profit schools offer legitimate advantages. They may be able to let you focus on your career rather than saddle you with too many general ed requirements. Or, they may be able to help you finish a degree in less time and with less expense. However, this isn’t always the case. Find out by comparing your for-profit options with similar non-profit and public colleges. 10. How does this school track their statistics? Don’t just ask the above questions to a telephone recruiter and call it a day. Learn where and how they are collecting this information. Then, double-check the numbers with outside sources. Don’t rely on any school to give you the full picture without your own research to back it up. Jamie Littlefield is a writer and instructional designer. She can be reached on Twitter or through her educational coaching website: jamielittlefield.com.

Gay Celebrities in Interracial Marriages and Relationships

Gay Celebrities in Interracial Marriages and Relationships Interracial marriages occur more frequently among gay couples than they do among their heterosexual counterparts. Data from the 2010 census reveals that 20.6 percent of same-sex couples are interracial. That’s more than two percentage points higher than the amount of unmarried heterosexual couples (18.3 percent) in interracial relationships, and more than double the amount of married heterosexual couples (9.5 percent) in such relationships. Given the prevalence of cross-cultural relationships in the gay community, it’s no wonder that many of the celebrities who’ve come out as gay in recent years have partners of a different race. Learn more about the gay celebrities in interracial marriages and relationships with this list rundown. Robin Roberts and Amber Laign Robin Roberts came out as gay in a Facebook post in December 2013, making her arguably the most famous black lesbian in the country. The co-host of â€Å"Good Morning America† has fought breast cancer and a rare blood disorder called myelodysplastic syndrome in recent years. One of the reasons she chose to finally come out is to recognize the support she’s received from her longtime girlfriend, Amber Laign, who is white. â€Å"At this moment I am at peace and filled with joy and gratitude,† Roberts wrote. I am grateful to God, my doctors and nurses for my restored good health. I am grateful for my sister, Sally-Ann, for being my donor and giving me the gift of life.I am grateful for my entire family, my long time girlfriend, Amber, and friends as we prepare to celebrate a glorious new year together. I am grateful for the many prayers and well wishes for my recovery. I return every one of them to you 100 fold.† When Robert identified Laign as her girlfriend in a Facebook post, the couple had been involved for a decade, according to reports. Roberts and Laign live in an apartment together in New York, and their relationship was known to the ABC News staff. Roberts may have decided to go public with the relationship because she’s writing a memoir, to be released in April 2014, about the health problems she’s overcome. Mario Cantone and Jerry Dixon After 20 years together, comedian Mario Cantone, an Italian American, and Jerry Dixon, an African American, wed in October 2011. He announced his nuptials to the musical theater director on ABC’s â€Å"The View,† the chat show where he frequently serves as guest co-host. â€Å"We’re older now. We’ve been together 20 years,† said Cantone on   the talk show. â€Å"After 20 years you’re like, ‘Thanks for the anti-climactic honeymoon, government!’† Cantone, of course, was taking aim at the government for preventing same-sex couples from marrying. On a more serious note, Cantone revealed that his family members attended the wedding and that Jay Bakker, the son of late evangelist Tammy Faye Bakker Messner, conducted the ceremony. Wanda and Alex Sykes Comedienne Wanda Sykes, who is African American, wed her white wife, Alex, in 2008. The couple has two children together. Before her marriage to Alex, Sykes was married to a man. Sykes remarked on â€Å"Oprah’s Next Chapter† that she didn’t come out to her mother until she was 40 years old. It took several years for her mother to accept Syke’s sexual orientation, the comedienne told Oprah Winfrey. Sykes also said that as a black woman and a lesbian she faces three different forms of discrimination. In addition, she finds objection to same-sex marriage to be peculiar. â€Å"I don’t understand why people really get upset about something that doesn’t affect them,† she said. â€Å"And I say, do you know how many people got married yesterday? Neither do I and I don’t care.† Alec Mapa and Jamison Hebert Actor Alec Mapa of â€Å"Half Half† and â€Å"Ugly Betty† fame married filmmaker Jamison Hebert in 2008. Mapa is Filipino and Hebert is white. The two have an adopted African-American son named Zion. Mapa has said that he still faces discrimination because of his relationship. He recalled the time he and his family entered the United States after a jaunt to Mexico and a customs agent behaved rudely toward them. â€Å"He was really brusque - he said, ‘You know we don’t recognize this federally, it’s the United States,’† Mapa recounted. After the customs agent spotted the couple’s young son, however, he relented. George and Brad Takei Actor George Takei of â€Å"Star Trek† fame married his husband, Brad, in 2008. Takei is Japanese-American and his husband is white. The couple had been together for 26 years before tying the knot. They married when the state of California finally allowed same-sex couples to wed. Takei’s husband, born Brad Altman, decided to take his last name, legally changing it after the marriage ceremony. â€Å"I argued with him on that,† Takei explained to â€Å"Access Hollywood Live.† â€Å"He wanted to become a Takei.†

The Immensity Of The Collision Between Cultures Essay

The Immensity Of The Collision Between Cultures - Essay Example The sages say that the past is not really real, that it is just all in the mind, thoughts, that have no reality in and of itself. From experience, I can say that I am more a product of my choices and my own personal history rather than my cultural heritage. I have always been my own person, distinct from another, in the same way, that even my closest friends are different from me, and defined by their own choices, even though we grew up together and share many things in common. Growing up, there was no question that I can be my own person and that I can even make decisions on who to befriend and what I did with my free time, within limits. I was even free to choose what I wanted to study and what career I would pursue. My tastes in clothes and in music have always been my own. Even my choice of friends is something that was, is up to me. All of these are encapsulated in my present, and my present circumstances alone shape all of these choices and decisions, unhampered by any past or cultural tradition or heritage. This seems so contrary to what Kingston’s family in China, and the young unmarried people in their community, were used to. Their restriction and bowing to tradition seemed to be the norm, and going against the dictates of the community meant becoming ostracized and forgotten. Yet in another sense, we human beings need some kind of grounding in the past. If there is no past then a man in a way is also a kind of ungrounded animal with no social dimension at all. The past roots us to social history, and cultural history as well. In this social aspect and cultural aspect of our lives, we relate to others, and others relate to us, in the categories that they also define themselves in. In the context of American society, this is clear.

What do I think the life of a paralegal looks like Essay

What do I think the life of a paralegal looks like - Essay Example The life of a paralegal is challenging due to the demanding tasks, strict deadlines, work overloads and long working hours. A day in the life of a paralegal often starts at 9.00 am on arrival at the office where the paralegal must go through his e-mail and check for any letters at his or her desk. The individual must first finish with any administrative duties such as filling the paperwork and responding to e-mails from clients and his or her boss. The individual is expected to interview clients and attend meetings the boss and life can be stressful especially when the individual is not aware of the current status of the ongoing cases. The opportunity to display well-honed practical legal skills presents itself when the boss calls the paralegal to prepare a legal research on a certain case. A paralegal is tasked with legal research and is one of the tasks that occupies most of the paralegal’s time since it entails looking for details of past court rulings on similar cases, court decisions, verdicts of trials and relevant statutes that support the lawyer’s case arguments. The work is tedious and time-consuming since a paralegal is expected to have the current writings and documents that uncover the facts about a case in an organized and concise manner. The individual will be required to draft and write legal documents and attorneys expect one to have top-notch writing skills. In a day, a paralegal can draft, review and write several pleadings, case findings and legal memorandums and this requires one to remain attentive to details and present the ideas coherently in the writings. The paralegal will have to prepare court memos and briefs or write minutes during meetings. Depending on the field specialization, the paralegal will assist the attorney in filing tax returns or drafting contract documents. In short, a paralegal writes many documents during his or work and advises clients on