The travel industry Essay Example

The travel industry Essay The travel industry has exploded manifold in size over the past fifty years or so. Since the first commercial flights took off, the airline industry on the whole has been trying to find ways for servicing their customers in a better way. Where time is crucial and managing passengers all over the world in a safe and timely fashion is the key, the task becomes even harder especially with hundred of routes and airplanes traveling the skies at the same time. Scheduling is even tougher with the time differences between locations and customer preferences make it an even more arduous task. Hence over the years, major airlines came up with computerized systems to help them run things a bit more smoothly. A global distribution system (also known as a computer reservation system) is a computerized system specifically used to conduct transactions related to the travel industry. This system is capable of storing and retrieving information and based on this, booking flights for customers via trav el agents. Main users of such systems are therefore travel agencies, airlines etc. Hence a GDS essentially takes data from airlines in terms of routes, schedules, capacity etc and routes it to travel agents accessing it from various points around the world. Every travel agent then books a seat for each passenger and this data is updated on the system they are using. The travel marketplace is a very complex one. It has a global scope where millions of buyers (travel agents and the public) and sellers (hotels, airlines, car rental companies, etc.) interact to exchange travel, leisure, tourism services. These services are not limited to these but include everything related to travel from car rentals down to taxi pick ups. The places, in which buyers search for these services are these global distribution systems, which have become electronic supermarkets that link buyers to sellers and allow deals to be made quickly and easily. The four major global distribution systems so far have enj oyed an oligopoly sustained by the high entry costs required to build the IT booking systems to link airlines, hotels and car rental operators with travel agents and consumers. In the present times however, they are operating in a fast-changing market typified by evolving patterns of consumer behavior, the emergence of new online sales channels, and a low-cost air model. The current airline industry all over the world is based more or less on four major systems namely: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Amadeus 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Galileo We will write a custom essay sample on The travel industry specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The travel industry specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The travel industry specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Sabre 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Worldspan According to statistics, Amadeus is the current leader with a total share of 31% followed by SABRE with 30.8%. Galileo falls in third with 26.4% and Worldspan fourth with 15.1%. These statistics are measured keeping in mind the reach of these systems being the number of ‘points’ they are accessed through and along with the number of airlines they cater to. Each point is a point of access through which travel agencies all over the world log onto the system to book flights. In addition to these major four, there also exist smaller or regional GDSs, including Tapas (Korea), SITA’s Sahara, Axess (Japan), Infini (Japan), Fantasia (South Pacific), and Abacus (Asia/Pacific). These systems however serve particular interests or specific regions or countries. The airline industry created the first GDS (SABRE by American Airlines) in the 1960s as a way to keep track of flight schedules, availability, and prices. Although they make use of legacy system technology, the GDSs were actually among the first e-commerce systems in the world to facilitate B-2-B (Business to Business) electronic commerce as early as the mid 1970s. The work was essentially started by SABRE (owned by American Airline) and Apollo (United) by installing propriety internal reservations systems in travel agencies (self owned links to their system at travel agencies). Prior to this, travel agents made reservations in the traditional way; manually entering reservations into books. The airlines realized that by automating the reservation process for travel agents, they could make the travel agents more productive and essentially turn them into an extension of their sales force; an automated sales force akin to what UPS and Fedex do now through wireless technology. It is thes e original, legacy GDSs that today provide the backbone to the Internet travel distribution system.  It is no wonder that these systems were revolutionary in their own accord. Currently, travel is the most widely sold consumer product in the world. The Internet has proven to be the perfect medium for selling travel as it joins a vast network of suppliers (without the need of propriety systems to use log onto the GDS) and a widely dispersed consumer market together into a centralized market place. Almost 37 million of the 162-million active Internet users in the U.S. purchased travel online. Online travel bookings exceeded $23 billion in 2001, and are with expectations running high, are predicted to reach $63 billion by 2005 (Das, S., 2002).An internet distribution system is a computerized system which uses the internet to distribute information among its users. Unlike traditional approaches of having dedicated line and links to a system, these systems use the internet as the medium through which users log into a system and access data. Almost all GDSs are evolving towards Internet Distribution Systems and in the near future will be operational only through the internet. Sabre stands for Semi-Automated Business Research Environment. It is a computer reservations system (a global distribution system GDS) used by airlines, railways, hotels, travel agents and other travel companies. Sabre is thus not only sued for reserving airline tickets but also for reservations of any kind related to the travel industry; form hotel reservations to car rentals, train reservations, pickups drops etc. In short, Saber is capable of planning a customer’s travel right from the point of departure down to the point of arrival, stay and tourism as well. Sabre GDS is a unit of Sabre Holdings Sabre Travel Network division. Sabre caters to many airlines all over the world including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Cape Air Nantucket Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Mesa Airlines, Midwest Airlines, USAirways, Dragonair, EVA Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Malaysia Airlines, Pakistan International Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Royal Brunei Airlines, Silkair, Southwest Airlines, Travelocity, American Trans Air (ATA), Midwest Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Air Malta, Frontier, Airlines, Aeroflot, GoGoBudget, Cape Air, Mesa Airlines (Including go! and Air Midwest). Sabre and Amadeus alone own the largest civilian data-processing centres in the US and Europe respectively. The volume of global transactions through the GDS has risen 4% year-on-year to 343 million. Worldwide, the GDS reaches some 230,000 points of sale. In July of 1996, Sabre became a separate legal entity of AMR (parent company of American Airlines), followed by a successful initial public offering in October in which AMR released approximately 18% of its shares to be publicly traded. Sabre, represented in 45 countries, is a leading provider of technology for the travel industry and provides innovative products that enable travel commerce and services, and enhance airline/supplier operations.   It connects more than 60,000 travel agency locations around the world, providing content from approximately 400 airlines, 55,000 hotel properties, 52 car rental companies, 9 cruise lines, 33 railroads, and 229 tour operators. In addition to being one of the leading GDS companies, Sabre also provides a broad range of products and services that enhance travel agency operations and their ability to serve the traveler. Sabre-connected travel agencies use Sabre web- based technologies and low-fare finding solutions to create new sales opportunities, drive operational efficiencies, and improve customer service. Among the company’s recent innovations is Sabre Virtually There, a personalized web site service that automatically gives travelers up-to-the-minute details about itineraries, while also providing a wealth of information about their destinations.   Sabre owns Travelocity.com, the industry’s leading online consumer travel web site. In 2001, Travelocity.com’s 32 million members used the site, generating more than $300 million in revenues. Travelocity.com offers innovative technologies that help consumers find the best air, car, hotel, and vacation reservations. Sabre also owns Get There, a provider of web-based corporate travel procurement, including the purchase of air, hotel, car, and meeting planning services. Customers include more than 800 leading corporations. Sabre’s competitive strengths include market position, global reach, stable product line, diversification of revenue streams, and intellectual capital. The Sabre business model is a strong one, and continues to make significant progress in advancing both its electronic travel distribution and its information technology solutions businesses.   Revenues have been growing steadily, and the company has embarked on a strategy that fully embraces diversification of its customer base and revenue streams. Sabre is considered to be one of the most significant and competitive GDSs due to the fact that it anticipates and takes advantage of the changes in the information economy and develops innovative practices, leveraging both human resources and technology systems. The system was developed in order to help American Airlines, who were facing a serious problem by the 1950s. Their system for booking flights was entirely manual Reserving a seat and writing a ticket took up to 90 minutes on an average. The system also had limited room for growth. Meanwhile, IBM had been working with the US Air Force on their Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) project that used a series of large computers to coordinate the message flow from radar sites to interceptors, dramatically reducing the time needed to direct an attack on an incoming bomber. The system used teletype machines located all around the world to feed information into the system, which then sent orders back out to teletypes located at the fighter bases. This was arguably one of the first online systems. Such a system was well suited for Amercian Airlines needs and thus in collaboration with IBM, SABRE was developed and it turned out to be a success. It cost a sum of $40 million to develop and install (about $350 million in 2000 dollars). The system took over all booking functions in 1964, at which point the name had changed to the more familiar SABRE. In 1972 the system was moved to IBM System/360 systems in a new underground location in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Originally used only by AA, the system was expanded to travel agents in 1976. It is currently used by a large number of companies, including Eurostar, SNCF, and US Airways. Sabre separated from American Airlines on March 15, 2000. The system is now a publicly traded corporation owned bye Sabre Holdings. The Travelocity website is owned by this company and serves as a consumer interface to the system. Sabre currently uses Web Services to link all its customers and dealers together. In the past, customers gained access to the Sabre GDS and those of other travel providers in a variety of ways using various forms of connectivity. Now Sabre Web Services (making use of leading-edge XML and SOAP technologies) streamlines that process, offering developers a single standards-based access to the GDS. This essentialy eliminates the need for agents and Web developers to understand proprietary codes and programming languages to connect their systems to the disparate data sources needed to create bookable Web-based travel offerings. Sabre connects over 60,000 travel agency locations worldwide and divides its customers according to the following categories: Airline Sabre Travel Networks key service is its airline reservation system. It provides pacesetting products and services that help improve performance and increase revenue opportunities. Car Rental Company Provides reservation capabilities for car rentals with a range of connectivity options to link inventory systems with the travel buying audience and is similar to the airline and cruise services. CONSOLIDATOR This services helps vendors maximize fare distribution and productivity and operate more efficiently thus decreasing costs and provide additional value to customers. Cruise Line A reservations program for cruise lines, it helps manage air/sea operations and receive information from Sabre ConnectedSM travel agency locations around the globe.. Hotel Individual hotels and large, multi-national hotel chains can benefit from this service. It provides them with an opportunity to market themselves on Sabre systems. Tour Operator A range of products providing reservation capabilities, as well as the ability to offer products to a vast buying audience across the globe, it also offers sales and marketing tools to communicate to new buyers and capture new revenue opportunities to meet sales goals. Sabre more or less combines its prduct categories to provide a one stop solution for most of its customers traveling needs. Examples are given below: Travelocity: The Travelocity is responsible for marketing and distributing travel-related products and services directly to individuals who include leisure and business travelers. This is done via Travelocity-owned websites and contact centers, and indirectly through partner websites and contact centers owned by its suppliers, travel agencies and distribution partners. Travelocity offers data like offerings, pricing and information about airlines, hotels, car rental companies, cruise lines, vacation and last-minute travel packages along with other travel-related services such as show tickets and tours. Travelocity has Businessservice for its business travelers and provides an integrated corporate travel through the GetThere product. Travelocity thus facilitates transactions between travel suppliers and consumers for the booking of, and payment for, travel accommodations. Sabre Travel Network: The Sabre Travel Network segment markets and distributes travel-related products and services through the travel agency and corporate channels. It also provides travel agency office automation tools, enables travel agencies to provide services via the Internet and provide reservation management, distribution and technology services to hotel properties. Other products include its key Airline Resevation system, GeThere, etc. In 2006, approximately 36.2% of Sabre’s revenue was generated from Travelocity, 54.4% from Sabre Travel Network and 9.4% from Sabre Airline Solutions based on segment results that included inter segment revenues. Compared with the previous, this was an increase of 30.5% for Travelocity, 1.3% for Sabre Travel Network and 8.3% for Sabre Airline Solutions (Yahoo biz, 2007).

Symbolism in the Scarlet Lette essays

Symbolism in the Scarlet Lette essays The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne uses objects, events and people to show meaning within the novel. The symbolism is used to serve as a representation of the mistakes that Hester Prynne made in her life and to mark her development through life. Hawthornes abundant use of symbolism is used to enhance the novel and leave the ending up to the readers imagination. The scaffold, the forest and sunlight, the letter A, and Hesters daughter Pearl all take on larger meanings as the book progresses. Many of the important symbols in The Scarlet Letter are associated with the setting. For instance, the main characters Hester Prynne, Pearl, Roger Chillingsworth, and Reverend Dimmesdale come together on the scaffold three times. The embarrassment that occurs all three times is supposed to punish Hester and make her repent of her sins, but it does not. The scaffold also represents open acknowledgement of sin. Both Hester and Reverend Dimmesdale confessed their sins to the public on the scaffold. To Dimmesdale, the scaffold represents the only place he can go to escape Chillingsworth. The forest and sunlight represent good and evil or light verses darkness. When Hester and Pearl were walking through the woods the sunlight appeared to run away from Hester. The sunlight represents purity, which is a quality Hester struggles to reach daily. The vanishing of the light represents the societys constant denial of Hesters acceptance because of her sin. The dark forest is symbolic of the world of darkness or evil. In the time period in which this novel takes place, the Puritans viewed the forest as an evil place where witches were. The forest also symbolizes a moral wilderness in which Hester has been lost in for years. The letter A is the most symbolic of all objects in The Scarlet Letter and changes meanings throughout the novel, showing the ...

Apj Abdul Kalam Quotes

I wonder why some people tend to see science as something which takes man away from God. As I look at it, the path of science can always wind through the heart. For me, science has always been the path to spiritual enrichment and self-realisation. The best way to win was to not need to win. The best performances are accomplished when you are relaxed and free of doubt. One of the important functions of prayer, I believe, is to act as a stimulus to creative ideas. Within the mind are all the resources required for successful living. Ideas are present in the consciousness, which when released and given scope to grow and take hape, can lead to successful events. God, our Creator, has stored within our minds and personalities, great potential strength and ability. Prayer helps to tap and develop these powers. I have always been a religious person in the sense that I maintain a working partnership with God. I was aware that the best work required more ability than I possessed and therefore I needed help that only God could give me. I made a true estimate of my own ability, then raised it by 50 per cent and put myself in Gods hands. In this partnership, I have always received all the power I needed, and in fact have actually felt it flowing through me. Today, I can affirm that the kingdom of God is within you in the form of this power, to help achieve your goals and realise your dreams. I have used the word flow at many places without really elaborating its meaning. What is this flow? And what are these Joys? I could call them moments of magic. I see an anology between these moments and the high that you experience when you play badminton or go Jogging. Flow is a sensation we experience when we act with total involvement. During flow, action follows action according to an internal logic that seems to need no conscious intervention on the part of the worker. There is no hurry, there are no distracting demands on ones attention. The past and the future disappear. So does the distinction between self and the activity. I have always considered the price of perfection prohibitive and allowed mistakes as a part of the learning process. I prefer a dash of daring and persistence to perfection. To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal. Individuals like myself are often called Workaholics. I question this term because that implies a pathological condition or an illness. If I do what I desire more than anything lse in the world and which makes me happy, such work can never be an aberration. Words from the twenty-sixth Psalm come to my mind while I work: Examine me, O Lord, and prove me. Total commitment is the common denominator among all successtul men and women. Happiness, satisfaction, and success in life depend on making the right choices, the winning choices. There are forces in life working for you and against you. One must distinguish the beneficial forces from the malevolent ones and choose correctly between them. God can do tremendous things through the person who doesnt care about who gets he credit. Ego involvement must go, writes [Robert] Schuller. Before God trusts you with success, you have to prove yourself humble enough to handle the big prize. It has been my personal experience that the true flavour, the real fun, the continuous excitement of work lie in the process of doing it rather than in having it over and done with. A person with belief never grovels before anyone, whining and whimpering that its all too much, that he lacks support, that he is being treated unfairly. Instead, such a person tackles problems head on and then affirms, As a child of God, I am greater han anything that can happen to me. Looking back on my days as a young scientist, I am aware that one of the most constant and powerful urges I experienced was my desire to be more than what I was at that moment. I desired to feel more, learn more, express more. I desired to grow, improve, purify, expand. I never used any outside influence to advance my career. All I had was the inner urge to seek more within myself. The key to my motivation has always been to look at how far I had still to go rather than how far I had come. After all, what is life but a mixture of unsolved problems, ambiguous victories, and morphous defeats? The trouble is that we often merely analyse life instead of dealing with it. People dissect their failures for causes and effects, but seldom deal with them and gain experience to master them and thereby avoid their recurrence. This is my belief: that through difficulties and problems God gives us the opportunity to grow. So when your hopes and dreams and goals are dashed, search among the wreckage, you may find a golden opportunity hidden in the ruins. Great dreams of great dreamers are always transcended. Are you aware of your inner signals? Do you trust them? Do you have the focus of ontrol over your life in your own hands? Take this from me, the more decisions you can make avoiding external pressures, which will constantly try to manipulate and immobilise you, the better your life will be, the better your society will become. The entire nation will beniflt from having strong, inner-directed people as their leaders. e sa difficult game. You can win it only by retaining your birthright to be a person. And to retain this right, you will have to be willing to take the social or external risks involved in ignoring pressures to do things the way others say they should be done. Gods providence is your inheritance.

Models of Integration and Architecture Research Paper

Models of Integration and Architecture - Research Paper Example Models Viability Enterprise modeling is one of the architectural modeling that is very important in an organization. It has the character of having the basic knowledge about the enterprise and previous models about the same type of enterprises together with new ideas. This helps the organization to have a high propelling factor and gives the management team the ability to understand their duties in order to run the enterprise effectively. This model is endowed with the knowledge of giving any organization the way through by ensuring there are enough of resources, information, goals and activities to perform in order to ensure continuity (Bubenko, 2009). This model can be mostly used in marketing an organization or can apply to organization which offers consultant services to other organization to ensure their success. The design of an enterprise is given by this important factor of enterprise modeling because it gives the explicit language that defines the enterprise. When the modeli ng design is introduced in an organization, it gives the organization the morale to perform its duty, because every one working in the organization will have a good understanding of his duties in the organization (Frank, 2009). It also helps the organization to gain a large market share and have a large profit margin. This improves the structural shape of the organization leading to its growth and expansion. Functional modeling is the other modeling design that will align the steps to be followed in product manufacture. This gives the guidelines on how raw materials are turned into finished goods. This is the backbone of every organization because it is the sector that generates goods sold to customers. This means that this part of production should be taken seriously so as to give quality products that will not be rejected by customers, because when they are rejected they bring a major loss to the organization. When such losses appear in an organization they might lead to the closu re of the organization. This is also the model that controls the finances of an organization. It is the body that is concerned with purchasing the raw materials, refining the raw materials to finished goods and marketing the goods to the customers. These organization departments are very important and if not well managed, they can cause a down fall of the organization. The departments arrange for the human resource and control every activity that is undertaken in the organization (Bubenko, 2009). The end of each department in an organization should ensure that he provides policies and procedures to govern daily operation. Barriers Leading to Lack of Adoption of the Models The major barriers in adopt such models in an organization include lack of finances, poor management strategies in an organization, lack of raw materials and lack of skilled personnel. Lack of finances is a major factor that can result to poor or failure to implement of these models in an organization, because they require a lot of cash to be fully implemented. Lack of management leads to poor utilization of organizational resources leading to lack of resources to run the organization, which can not only lead to lack of adoption of the models but also can lead to the closure of the organization like Cleveland clinic (Dietz, 2010). Resources that are required for production in an organization are very important for the growth of the organization (Frank, 2009). These are the raw materials which give the organization

Open manufacturing plant in Mexico Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Open manufacturing plant in Mexico - Assignment Example herefore, the Packenham Model enhances the efficient and effective evaluation of the economic and political environment of Mexico for utmost economic reform. The Packenham Model explains four hypotheses that enable Mexico to make successful economic reforms. The first hypothesis is the Structure of Situation for the Elected President (Political Credentials of President). A President having negative credentials or bad motives will hinder implementation of successful economic reforms. The Mexican president, Enrique Pena Nieto of the Partido Revolucionario Institutional is a legitimate president with positive credentials. He focuses on the implementation of the ambitious structural reforms and reactivating economic growth after poor start thus enhancing initiation of a successful economic reform. The second hypothesis is the Political Party System (Fragmented vs. Consolidated). The political party system of Mexico is fragmented since it has more than one party. The ruling party faces high resistance from the opposition during implementation of reforms especially in the energy sector. The third hypothesis is the Presidential Leadership (Lead ership Skill). President Pena Nieto is politically skillful hence; he is able to convince the congress into making useful reforms. Finally, Consensus in Civil Society- the Mexicans are often in favor of market reforms and there is low resistance. Therefore, there is utmost implementation of market reforms with ease. It is evident that the economic and political environment of Mexico is conducive for utmost implementation of market reforms as justified by the Packenham Model above. Bargaining power refers market forces that determine the prices of the commodities. Bargaining involves negotiation of prices between the buyers and the sellers of goods and services. The firm should set the prices that are suitable for the consumer and is friendly to the producer through the bargaining power. If the company imposes the charge to the

Alaskan Airlines †Strategic Choice and Evaluation Essay Example for Free

Alaskan Airlines – Strategic Choice and Evaluation Essay Recognizing an organization’s alternatives for growth is an important process for companies. By evaluating and selecting the competitive advantages within a market a company can distinguish themselves from their competition. For an organization the â€Å"grand strategies indicate the time period over which long-range objectives are to be achieved. Thus, a grand strategy can be defined as a comprehensive general approach that guides a firm’s major actions† (Pearce Robinson, 2011). Alaskan Airlines is a company that is known for their innovations and leadership within in the aviation industry. Alaskan Airlines is easily identifiable because of the smiling Eskimo on the tail of their aircraft. Their leadership and innovations in technology have seen them be the first to sell tickets online and allow customers to check-in and print boarding passes via the Internet. Alaskan Airlines has also innovated technologies to allow for safer air travels in inclement weather conditions. In the aviation market, Alaskan Airlines must focus on how to maintain their status as the air carrier with the next generation technology and low cost airfares. As air carriers compete for the consumer dollar Alaskan Airlines must strategically execute growth strategies. Generic Strategy Alaskan Airlines is known for its high standard of customer service and industry innovation. The company sustains market leadership by leveraging generic strategy. Alaskan Airlines managed the generic strategy in all the three areas, which includes: 1. Low-cost Leadership – Alaska Airlines must be able to offer low-cost through low overhead and high productivity to compete with low-fare competitors. This will enable the company to offer an exceptional quality service at competitive prices compared to the competitors. 2. Differentiation – Alaskan Airlines has remained a leader in the customer service industry by revolutionizing the services offered to the customer. Alaskan Airlines in the only air carrier that offers a Baggage Service Guarantee that states that the customer will receive their bags within 20 minutes of parking at the gate. If the Alaskan Airlines goes over the 20 minutes the customer will receive a 20-dollar discount code for on future flights. 3. Focus One of the major focuses of Alaskan Airlines is their customer service value and the company uses that to generate success. Alaskan Airlines knew customer service was important to customers and strove to deliver world-class service. The consumers want great customer service, which is safe, and at a competitive price. The accomplishments of Alaskan Airlines are ascribed to strategic plans applied to generate the culture and service offered. The best direction for the grand strategy of Alaskan Airlines is to implement product development and innovation. Alaskan Airlines has established loyal customers based on their quality of service and value. It is a trusted brand that thrives in customer service, safety, and value. The goal of this strategy is to continue the success of the outstanding service and innovations in aviation technologies. Innovation through â€Å"product development involves the substantial modification of existing products or the creation of new but related products that can be marketed to current customers through established channels† (Pearce, 2011, p. 193). Innovation is another grand strategy used throughout Alaskan Airlines. A recent example of Alaskan Airlines implementing this strategy is, in conjunction with the FAA, â€Å"working to implement quieter, more fuel-efficient arrival routes into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The routes use satellite-based technology, namely Required Navigation Performance (RNP) and Optimized Profile Descent—two key pieces of the FAA’s â€Å"NextGen† air traffic management system† (Alaska Air, 2012, pg. 3). Attaining the long-term business goals for Alaskan Airlines has been focused in increasing the quality of the flying customer experience. Alaskan Airlines consistently strives to provide the best customer experience to the consumer through consumer feedback. Alaska Airlines was the first airlines to use Internet technologies to enhance the customer service experience through their online check-in and ability to print boarding passes. The grand strategy is delivered through a final marketing strategy; Alaskan Airlines currently services over 60 cities and three countries, has a pro-active program in place to reduce emissions from jet engines, an extensive recycling program at facilities and is developing/using technologies to fly more economical routes. Recently Colgan Air decided not fly offer service from Presque to Logan International, PenAir a partner of Alaskan Air decided to provide the service at a $115 round trip. This gives Alaskan Airlines the ability to provide customers with outstanding service while becoming a better global citizen. Recommendation Alaskan Airlines, through the leadership of Brad Tilden, has been able to provide renowned customer service within in the industry and has been a leader in the innovation of technologies that can be used for the betterment of the aviation industry. The recommendation is to follow the current business model of customer service to preserve the customer positive customer experience. Alaskan Airlines should also focus on the environmental portion of the aviation industry by using more Green practices such and wind farms, more robust recycling programs and using more fuel-efficient aircraft and bio-fuel. Alaskan Airlines has very loyal patronage and through the expansion of new routes and more cities, more consumers will be able to experience flying on Alaskan Airlines. Conclusion Alaskan Airlines must build upon an already successful customer service program, continued improvement to the fleet of aircraft and to furthering the technologies used within the aviation industry. References Lynds, J. (2012, Jun 15). Alaskan Airline debuts services in Presque Isle. Bangor Daily News. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1020684161?accountid=35812 Pearce, J. A., II, Robinson, R. B. (2011). Strategic Management: Formulation, Implementation, and Control (12th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Essay --

Educational Diagnosis Predisposing factors. Pregnant women are usually motivated to seek and continue healthy habits. Although it has been seen that they usually decrease their alcohol consumption right after they become aware of their condition, young women between the their teenage and young adult years have more predisposition to have experienced binge drinking before pregnancy and this makes them more likely to engage in this habit even after they have recognized that they are pregnant.. (Tsai, Floyd, & Bertrand, 2007; Floyd , Decoufle , & Hungeford, 1999; Tough, Tofflemire, Clarke, & Newbum-Cook, 2006) Enabling factors. Health care workers face particular barriers similar to those observed during screening, this is having a truthful report, women with alcohol dependence might underreport their prenatal consumption of alcohol, due to several reasons, that can include fear of retaliation, different believes that small amounts are not harmful to the fetus, embarrassment or even denial of their condition.35 Many studies have shown positive results in the decrease of alcohol consumption after implementation of brief interventions and/ or motivational interviewing with pregnant women. (Handmaker & Wilbourne, 2001) Reinforsing factors. O’ Connor and Whaley’s study observed that women that receive brief interventions are five times more likely to report abstinence after a brief intervention and women who were heavy drinkers have better outcomes with their babies after delivery. (O’Connor & Whaley, 2007) Although these interventions have demonstrated benefits in the new born, long-term abstinence requires extensive case management and pharmacological intervention, the use of brief interventions during pregnancy can translate in to ch... ...ging in support group activities such as physical activities, counseling, motivational speech. The educational information will be supported with appropriate educational materials, prenatal care supplies, and a health record card. All materials will be provided to each clinic/center. Health and nutrition education classes take place twice monthly. Organized and scheduled daily activities will help the participants to engage to participate in positive and nurturing environment. The participant will receive a diploma of completion in a celebratory ceremony at the end of the 12 weeks. The program includes CHW’s home visits to follow up on alcohol cessation and medication compliance, advocacy with community leaders, local authorities and media. Hypothesis: The proposed program will demonstrate to be effective in the cessation of alcohol consumption in pregnant women.

Functionalist and Conflict theories Essay

Sociology is the study of society and the behaviour patterns of a particular group or culture. In contemporary Australian society, a good understanding of this is needed in order to make better social changes to meet social needs. When it comes to trying to explain and understand society, there are two main points of view that a person can take. These are the functionalist view, which is largely based on works by Talcott Parsons, and the conflict view, sometimes referred to as Marxism, as Karl Marx made a significant contribution towards this theory. Although in most ways these views directly oppose each other, ultimately, they are both trying to do the same thing, that is, explain why society is like it is today. Functionalists see society in a relatively optimistic way. They see groups as interdependent, working together for the good of the whole society. They claim that organisations and groups are largely benevolent, and that they are there for useful purposes. A person who takes the functionalist perspective sees society as generally operating smoothly, and perceives that very little change is needed, as groups being interrelated means that change in one area will have an effect on the whole society. The functionalist view, while useful in explaining structures and functions of various groups in society, tends to gloss over the negative aspects of society, over-explaining them so that happenings which could have a large negative impact on society seem trivial and unimportant. Where consensus is not happening, it is the conflict view that has the better explanation. Read more: Functionalist Perspective on Social Media The conflict theory perceives society as stratified, that is, having significant divisions. It puts forward a more challenging, questioning view on society. People who support this view claim that in every institution there are some people with more power, opportunities and status than others. This view is about inequalities, disagreement, and the use of power to advantage some while disadvantaging others. The conflict theory is the direct opposite of functionalism in that it focuses on the negative aspects of society, and even when something is functioning relatively well, conflict theorists tend to analyse it until they do find something wrong, making a mountain out of a metaphoric molehill. So while the functionalist theory and the conflict theory are two extremes of sociological thinking, it is not necessary to take the view of either one or the other. Very rarely are situations clearly black and white. Most often, if not always, there are many shades of grey in between. Therefore it is important to take on the perspective of both theories, and figure out which aspect of a particular situation applies to which theory. A good example of just how much the two opposing views differ is to apply them both to the universal institution, the family. Functionalists see the family as a vital institution that is needed to carry out several important functions. These functions are:  ¨Regulating sexual behaviour and reproduction  ¨Socialising children  ¨Protecting children and the elderly  ¨Providing emotional support and affection for its members  ¨Serving as an important consumption unit for society’s products (Earle and Fopp, 1999) These functions generally still work well in the cases of socialisation and reproduction, care of the children and the elderly, and as an economic unit, earning and consuming. However in today’s society, where there is an increasing amount of domestic abuse as well as working single parents or two working parents, members of a family aren’t always able to provide emotional support and affection for other members. Also in today’s modern society there are a great amount of people having sex before marriage, and an alarmingly large amount of teenage pregnancy. Therefore families are not carrying out the function of regulating sexual behaviour and reproduction as much as they were twenty or thirty years ago. Functionalists often use biological comparisons, claiming that a family is like an organism, with each member having a particular role. These roles are considered natural, and must be carried out for the good of the whole family. These roles involve men going out into the workforce and taking economic leadership while the women stay at home looking after her children and husband and doing all the housework. The functionalist theory claims the nuclear family as the ‘norm’. The nuclear family consists of two parents, one of each gender, and their children living together in one household. Although this structure is still fairly typical of today’s society, it was much more prevalent in the 1950’s. Today there are many variations of the family, and only about half of families are nuclear. With divorce and single parent families steadily on the rise, and women wanting the same rights as men, functionalists are having to come up with ways to explain these occurrences. For example, with divorce, a functionalist would argue that divorce is a good thing because it means that when people marry the second time round they will have more experience and it will be more likely to last. However, this theory is considered outdated. In today’s society with a rising economy more and more women are going out into the workforce. But this extra role does not mean giving up their other role as carer. Women end up taking on two roles – that of the carer and the housewife, as well as that of a worker. This is becoming undesirable for women, making them reluctant to marry. The functionalist theory fails to take into consideration the simple fact that things change. And where the functionalist theory doesn’t quite apply, the conflict theory has the better explanation. The conflict view sees traditional roles in families as limiting women’s lives to caring for their husband and children. They claim that this arrangement is not biological at all, but socially constructed, that is, created by people. These roles have been around and accepted for so long that they seem natural, but the conflict view argues that in actual fact people have been trained over many years into thinking this way. The conflict theory emphasises disagreement and struggle as a part of any human group. Conflict theorists say that in any group there will be status issues, something will be unfair, and the power will be divided – some will give orders, others will obey. This applies to the family in that it is often, if not always, the parents giving orders to their children/teenagers, who are supposed to obey. Also, even in today’s changing society, men still often have more power than their wives. In modern Australian society, there are demographic changes in family form, and family households are considerably smaller. The changes in family arrangement and in family values have important consequences for the family as an institution. Fewer women are having large families and the marriage rate has declined, largely because of changes in attitudes to marriage and living arrangements. There is an increasing amount of not only de facto relationships, but also in the social acceptance of these relationships. The divorce rate has also increased, which then in turn influences the number of blended as well as single parent families. The conflict theory addresses these issues, and asks the important question ‘what needs to be changed in order for the family unit to survive?’ On the other hand, the functionalist theory tries to explain why these things are happening and how they benefit society. Both the functionalist and conflict theories raise some very valid and important points. Functionalism sometimes has a tendency to focus on the past, while the conflict theory places a bigger emphasis on the present. However, both theories are needed if the family is to survive in the future.

A Passage to India: Culture Clash

CONTEXT British context ?Forster was a British writer and most of his readers were British. His work reflects also England and the period in which Forster lived and wrote. He is commonly regarded as an Edwardian novelist, because his first four novels were published during the reign of King Edward VII (1901-1910); in this period his values and outlook were developed. ?England had undergone the traumatic experience of the First World War; more than 750000 soldiers were killed, along with another million from other parts of British Empire. Between 1912 and 1924, the British policy had also changed: there were two main parties, the Liberal and the Conservative. ?British Empire was changing. The change was more evident in Ireland. Ireland gained the indipendence in 1921. KEY POINTS ?FULL TITLE: â€Å"A Passage to India† ?AUTHOR: Edward Morgan Forster ?TYPE OF WORK: Novel ?TIME AND PLACE WRITTEN: 1912-1924 England ?DATE OF FIRST PUBLICATION: 1924 ?TENSE: Past ?THEMES: Culture Clash ; Friendship; Ambiguity; Religion ?CHARACTERS: Dr Aziz, Mr Fielding, Adela Quested, Mrs. Moore, Ronny Healsop ? SETTING ( TIME ): 1910s or 1920s SETTING ( PLACE ): India, specifically the cities of Chandrapore and Mau. Carico†¦ CHARACTERS Dr Aziz ?Is the central Indian character in the novel. ?He works at the government hospital in Chandrapore. ?He writes poetry and his favorite poetic themes are: the Decay of Islam and the brevity of Love. ?He’s described as a true â€Å"Oriental† person. ?He’s very goodwill and his impulsive nature get him into situations that cause him trouble. ?Like many of his friends prefers to communicte throught confidences, underlying words and indirect speech ? Like many other Indians struggles with the problem of the English in India.CHARACTERS Mr Fielding ?The principal of the Government College (that is, a British? run school) in Chandrapore. ?He has â€Å"no racial feelingâ€Å". ?He’s far and away most the successful at developing relationships with native Indians. ?He’s less comfortable in teacher – student interaction than he is in one -on- one conversation with another individual ? Serves as Forster’s model of liberal humanism. ?At the and of the novel Forster seems to identify with Fielding less. CHARACTERS Adela Quested ?Her character develops in parallel to Mrs Moore’s one ?She’s an individual and educated free thinker Adela hopes to see the â€Å"real India† ?She puts her mind to the task, but not her heart and therfore never connects with Indians. CHARACTERS Mrs. Moore ?Mrs. Moore serves a double function in â€Å"A Passage to India† ? She’s initially a literal character. ?She becomes more a symbolic presence. ?The solution to the problem in India. ?Her name becomes more associeted with Hinduism ?She’s the heroine of the novel CHARACTERS Ronny Heaslop ?Forster ‘s emphasis is on the change that happened, when Ronny firs t arrived in India. ?Ronny’s character is a sort of case, an exploration of the restrictions of English colonial. Ronny’s tastes, opinions and even his manner of speaking are no longer his own, but those of older, ostensibly wiser British Indian officials. ?Clash with both Adela and his mother, Mrs. Moore. CHARACTERS There are also some characters that are less important that the previous and are: ? Mahmoud Ali: a Moslem and a close friend of Dr Aziz. ?Major Callender: the head of the government hospital in Chandrapore. ?Professor Godbole: an Indian who teaches at the college of Chandrapore. ?Hamidullah: a Moslem, educated at Cambridge University. ?Mr. McBride: the district superintendent of police in Chadrapore.Carico†¦ DEEPENING ON FEMALE CHARACTERS ?Adela Quested ?A young Englishwoman who comes to India With Mrs. Moore. ?She is expected to marry Mrs. Moore's son Ronny Heaslop. ?Her behavior radically affects the lives of the characters around her. ?On a symboli c level, Adela may also represent most people's inability to communicate or to understand the deeper patterns and meaning of life. While she is at Fielding's tea party, she remarks that she is not planning to stay long in India. ?She breaks off her engagement with Ronny and stays with Fielding for a while before leaving India and returning to England.She does not reappear after this. DEEPENING ON FEMALE CHARACTERS ?Mrs. Moore. ?She is the most sensitive and reflective of the English characters. ? An elderly widow, she is the mother of Ronny Heaslop, She also has another son, Ralph, and a daughter, Stella, by her second marriage. ?Mrs. Moore is introduced in Chapter two when she meets Dr. Aziz in the mosque in Chandrapore. Her they talk, and a friendship develops: Aziz is happy to have met an English person who is sympathetic toward him and India, while Mrs. Moore finds Aziz charming, intelligent, and interesting. ?In the meantime, Mrs.Moore argues with Ronny and when it becomes clea r that Ronny and Adela will not marry, Mrs. Moore realizes that her duties there were evidently finished. She doesn’t want to see India; Mrs. Moore has lost interest in the trip. For her, the echo's message is â€Å"Everything exists, nothing has value. † Shortly thereafter? just before Aziz's trial? she leaves India; we later learn that she has died on the voyage back to England However, her presence continues to be felt after her death. ?At the end of the novel, the spirit of Mrs. Moore returns to India symbolically in the form of her daughter Stella, who has married Mr.Fielding. THEMES Culture Clash ?The clash between two differents cultures, those of the east and those of the West. ?The West is represented by the Anglo – Indians in Chandrapore. ?Their social life centers around the Chandrapore Club. ?They have no desire to â€Å"understand† India or Indians. ?The East is represented by the Indians. ?We have a clash also between two distinct group of I ndian: Moslems and Hindus. ?â€Å"Hindus have no idea of society†. THEMES Friendship ?Is one of the most important things in life. ?There are many friendships : 1. Dr Aziz and his friends Hamidullah and Mahmoud Ali . Dr Aziz and Mrs. Moore 3. Aziz has a curious friendship with Professor Godbole. 4. British and Indians ?Impersonal forces at work in India will not yet allow the friendship between English and Indians. THEMES Ambiguity ?â€Å"A Passage to India† is full of ambiguity. ?In chapter 7 are introduced two terms that are repeated several times througthout the novel: â€Å"mistery† and â€Å"muddle†. ?Doubt and ambiguity surround two different events in the book that occur at the Marabar Caves: 1. Those of Adela. 2. Those of Mrs. Moore. THEMES Religion ?Religion is the major preoccupation in the book. The three parts of the book; Mosque – Cave and Temple, generally correspond to these religions: 1. Aziz loves the cultural aspects of his Islami c heritage. 2. The Anglo – Indians are spokemen of Christianity 3. Professor Godbole is the central Hindu figure in the book. His belief is the most representative of the true spirit of India. STYLE ?â€Å"A Passage to India† is written in the third person, with an impersonal narrative voice. ?The narrator is apparently omniscent. ?The narrative focus shifts from a description of external events and enters the consciousness of one character or another. At the same time, however, the narrative withholds a full explanation of certain events, most notably the misadventures that befall Mrs. Moore and Adela Quested at the Marabar Caves. Indeed, in recounting these details, the narrator is ambiguous rather than omniscient. STRUCTURE ?â€Å"A Passage to India† is divided into three parts or sections: 1. Part 1 , titeld â€Å"Mosque†, takes place during the cool, dry season. 2. Part 2, titeld â€Å" Caves†, takes place during the hot season. 3. Part 3, tit led, â€Å"Temples†, takes place during the rain season. ?Part 3 is the shortest of the three sections of the novel and might be considered as an epilogue.SETTINGS ?Chandrapore and in the Marabar Caves ?Within the town itself the author identifies several settings: 1. Civil Station 2. Chandrapore Club 3. Public places ?The third section is set in the town of Mau, a Hindu state several miles from Chandrapore. SETTINGS Although Forster uses poetic license in naming places, the settings correspond to real places in India. The novel's main city, Chandrapore, is actually based on the Indian suburb Bankipore, part of the city of Patna in the northern region of Bihar. The invented name, however, is not so far fetched.Forster probably chose this city for its different representation of India: its culture, history, and nature are all noteworthy. The town of Mau, is an example of an Indian hill station, a retreat from Indian plains that offers a serene place of beauty to both tourists and natives. The Marabar Caves about which Aziz knows so little are based on the Jain Temples on the Barabar Hills, once considered a retreat for Jain monks. The most impressive of the four caves on the Barabar Hills is Loma Rishi. The three other caves on the Barabar Hill are Sudama), Karnachopar, and Visvajhopri. SYMBOL ?The most obvious symbols are mosque and cave.Both for Aziz and Mrs. Moore, the mosque is a symbol of refuge and peace, a sanctuary. The first meeting of Aziz and Mrs. Moore takes place in the mosque at night, under the moonlight. Mrs. Moore has gone to the mosque because she is bored with the play she has been attending at the Chandrapore club. ?The mosque, is a symbol of the â€Å"real† India. ?The cave bears some resemblance to the mosque, in that both are closed spaces. Here, however, the resemblance ends. The cave is dark, featureless, and menacing. Although there are many caves at Marabar, it is impossible to distinguish one from another; they are all alike. We don’t know the real meaning of this symbol but It is at least certain that whatever else they might suggest, they stand for misunderstanding and meaninglessness, or what Mrs. Moore calls â€Å"muddle. † THE UNCERTAINTY IN THE CENTRAL EPISODE. ?One of the most unique aspects of Forster's novel is the uncertainty, the sense of not defined, which is focused on the central episode of the book: the alleged attempted rape in Marabar caves. In fact, the writer says nothing about what actually happened in the caves; in the novel there is a contrast between the before and the after that leaves the door open to interpretation. Forster himself said so very ambiguous, â€Å"In the caves there is, a man an hallucination or the supernatural. If I say it becomes whatever the answer, a different book. â€Å" ? This uncertainty is also present in the film: between the before and the after there’s a sharp cut that the viewer can interpret as he wishes, by carefully ob serving the scene we can feeling that Aziz is actually entered the cave with Adela but we aren’t sure of what he did. EXTRAS Islam Hinduism In Islam, belief in one God is the most important belief.Their God is called ALLAH, the Almighty, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, who is similar to nothing and nothing is comparable to Him Hinduism is commonly percived as a politheistic religion. Indeed, most Hindus would attest to this, by proffessing belif in multiple Gods. Islam exhorts man to consider himself and his surroundings as examples of Divine Creation. The trees belongs to God, The sun belongs to God†¦ The mayor differences between the Hindu and the Muslim perception of God is the common Hindus’ belif in the philosofy of Pantheism. The common Hindu considers everything as God.The major difference between the Hindu and Muslim belifs is the difference of the apostrophe â€Å"s† Hinduism has a caste system, with four major castes. Members of each are re quired by strict religious laws to follow hereditary occupations and to refrain from intermarriage or eating with members of another castes. The highest or priestly and intellectual caste is that of Brahmans,. The remain three are: Kshatriya (warrior caste), Vaisya (agricultural caste) and Sudras ( the low caste) In Islam, all humans are created equal, infact Islam rejects characterizing God as favoring certain individuals or nations.Everyone may distinguish himself and get His favour through virtue and piety. Cow is a sacred animal. Cows can’t be killed or eaten Muslims belive that each person has a body and a soul. Your faith and actions in this life will determine your fate in the life after Death. Hiduists believe in body and soul. Your soul returns to your body after death. Your status of caste in next life depends on your deeds in the previous life.

Lodging Tax essays

Lodging Tax essays Lodging tax would help sell Oregon to world Oregons tourism commission has established a plan to get the industry to reach new levels of success by trying to pass the first statewide tax. House Bill 2267 will allow a one percent tax on all lodging in Oregon, thus bringing in over $7 million dollars, doubling the budget the tourism commission has to work with. The industry wants to spend millions on advertising Oregons many beauties. This tax would start to move Oregons economy back in the right direction, more job availability, and bring in a much-needed income through tourists. It would hopefully get a better reputation for a place to do business. But the industry does not have the means to extend a welcoming to those people. Tourism is one of three main components Governor Ted Kolongoskis economic plan consists of along with legislative leaders who have included it as one of their top priorities. Most local government supporters say that House Bill 2267 has one major mistake. It would prohibit cities and counties from adopting or even increasing their own lodging taxes unless the money is directly used to promote tourism. This money is crucial to help pay for all sorts of things such as maintaining parks and other facilities that see more people when tourism is at a high. Only 80 cities out of the 238 in Oregon have already adopted lodging tax, so the other cities would miss out on this if the bill passed. Motel and hotel owners fear the tax will decrease their revenue because they will have to increase room rates. The lodging tax was supposed to help with promoting Oregon but when cities have a budget crunch those funds are the first ones to get tapped into. The budget of 2001-2003 for the tourism industry ranks 46th among states, with $6 million dollars, mostly financed by Oregon lottery. $1.7 million of that is used for advertising, which consists of a dozen adds in U....

What Contemporary Pressures or Influences have made 'Health and the Essay

What Contemporary Pressures or Influences have made 'Health and the use of illicit drugs' an Issue Health Policy Agenda - Essay Example . Although the mood altering drugs have been in use by the humans since several thousands of years, Australia had no illicit drugs consumption until 1950s. It was the American soldiers on vacation from Vietnam to Australia during 1960s who started spreading the use of cannabis and heroin in Australia. The Federal Senate’s approach during 1970s towards drugs use was that personal consumption of marijuana was not to be treated as a crime but the penalty could be monetary without any conviction record and also not to be used for punishment in repeat offences in future. But the Government did not approve (Pennington,1999). Australia was very vigorous right from the beginning going by the report of Cannabis arrests that almost rose by 1000 percent in New South Wales itself during 1966-1969. (Pennington,1999). This is quite encouraging but one fails to understand why in spite of the of tough attitude of the Government, use of illicit drugs are still widely prevalent in Australia. Thi s paper aims to trace the history of policy initiatives of successive Governments in Australia and examine contemporary pressures and issues that forces the present day Government to have the issue of illicit drugs as part of the country’s health policy. By virtue of being a U.N. member Australia has been influenced by the U.N. initiatives in connection with control of illicit drugs. Thus Australia has always been a signatory to various international treaties dealing with control of drugs such as Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961of the U.N., Convention on Psychotropic Substances 1971 of the U.N. and United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances 1988. The Single Convention of 1961 imposes obligations on the signatory States to make laws to implement the provisions of the Convention. One of them is

A critical review of the literature. has E-prescribing reduced Essay

A critical review of the literature. has E-prescribing reduced medication errors in inpatient settings in England - Essay Example The central role ÃŽ ¿f the physician is the provision ÃŽ ¿f care to individual patients. This process centres around the consultation between the physician and the patient. This process requires and generates information, historically recorded on a paper based medium. The limitations ÃŽ ¿f paper records as a standard repository ÃŽ ¿f information, is universally recognized as lacking the dynamic which electronic data medium promise: in effect, paper strangles the process ÃŽ ¿f delivering timely high quality health-care delivery. So what’s wrong with a medical system based on paper? Paper gets lost, degrades, and no matter how voluminous, paper files are limited in the quality and quantity ÃŽ ¿f data they contain@ (Scalet, 2003). From the viewpoint mainstream medicine, IT has long offered the promise ÃŽ ¿f significant improvements supporting the business ÃŽ ¿f provider operations. An inventory ÃŽ ¿f situational experiences, passive inquiry ÃŽ ¿f physicians, collateral health-care providers, and review ÃŽ ¿f literature, identified the following business support opportunities recognized secondary to the effective use ÃŽ ¿f IT: Promises ÃŽ ¿f transformation through IT have reverberated through my decade long career in health care. Yet, progress to date has been slow. The Institutes ÃŽ ¿f Medicine’s 2001 report bemoaned the fact that AIT has barely touched patient care,@ as evidenced by the storage ÃŽ ¿f the vast majority ÃŽ ¿f clinical information in paper form@ (as cited in Fromberg, 2003). Analysis ÃŽ ¿f passive inquiry and observation ÃŽ ¿f physicians, collateral health-care providers, and review ÃŽ ¿f literature, buttresses a frequently voiced sentiment: Electronic medical records, and increased IT applications, should top hospital CIO=s agendas because they can prevent errors, enforce standards, make staff more efficient, simplify record keeping and improve patient care. However, the current reality experienced by the author ÃŽ ¿f this essay,