Analysing the Internal Environment Of Ryanair

Analysing the Internal Environment Of Ryanair Ryanair entered the airline market in 1985 and since then has enjoyed success not only in the European market but also globally as well. Ryanair revolutionised the airline industry by offering passenger the lowest fares thereby positioning itself as a dominant player by gaining a huge market and becoming an intensive competitor for traditional airlines like British Airways, Lufthansa etc. (Eleanor OHiggins,2007) Strengths The cost reduction strategy adopted by Ryanair can be regarded as a key factor for it success and distinguishing itself in the industry. According to (Lawton, 2002, cited in FrederikBoesk, 2005) analysis of Ryanair the company adopts a low cost model to curb their expenses e.g. it reduces catering and cleaning costs by adopting the no frills . Opting to land in secondary airports helps in paying low landing charges and cheaper parking due to less presence of traffic. (Barrett 2004 cited in Fredrick 2005, p8).By providing online ticket purchase and check in facilities Ryanair eliminates the need for staff and travel desks thereby investing the funds on marketing and promotion (Eleanor OHiggins, 2007). Ryanair beats its competitors with regard to passenger service .Apart from provides cheap fares and fewer lost bags Ryanair flights are punctual (88% flights arrive on time) and the company received fewer complaints and response to 99% of the complaints within a period of 7 days. The company was also recognised as Europes greenest, cleanest airline. This explains the reason that Ryanair is the worlds favourite airline and why over 73m passenger choose to fly them. (Ryanair Annual Report 2010) Ryanair has a very strong operational capacity its currently operating 1400 flights per day from 44 bases and 1100 plus low fare routes across 27 countries. It shows why customers choose Ryanair making it the largest and most successful European airline (Ryanair 2010) Weaknesses One of the weakness of Ryanair is bad publicity.IN 2006 a documentary called Ryanair caught napping highlighted issues like aircraft unhygienic ways, poor staff moral and not conducting security procedures properly. The Guardian.co.uk (2010) cites that Ryanair plans to introduce coin operated toilets and standing area for passengers on its flight but safety officials say it will not come into effect for at least two years. With majority of customers being price sensitive the above issues taken up by Ryanair will cause concern and affect their customers buying decisions and losing them to other competitors or full service airlines. Relationship between the staff and the airline has also experienced sore notes. According to ft.com (2010) Michael OLeary plans to cut expenses by removing co-pilots since the computer does most of the flying now. This resulted in employers approaching the media and challenging the company to replace Michael OLeary by junior flight attendant to save more cost. The axing of co-pilots has raised safety concerns among travellers. Value Chain Analysis Of Ryanair Michael Porters Value Chain helps in analysing the primary and supporting activities along with Ryanairs operational strategy which are responsible for creating and delivering its services. With reference to the Value Chain Analysis at Appendix A conducted shows that the company is able to create robust revenues despite selling low cost fares this is attributed to Ryanair ability to sustain its costs to a minimum level such as online and ticketless bookings, flying to secondary airports, usage of only Airbus 737-800s resulting in investing less in staff training and maintenance costs. It can be clear identified that the companys main core competences is efficient cost management. Financial Analysis Of Ryanair with Aer Lingus The financial performance of Ryanair was able to generate revenues despite the financial crisis that had a severe impact on other airline carriers leading to closures or declaring bankruptcy. The company reported a Net Profit of Euro 318.8M for 2010 which was an increase of 280% from 2009s Euro 104.9M .With Ryanairs cost efficient ways ,increase passenger traffic and operating new routes along with competitive prices Ryanair is able to maintain its position as the Number one carrier in the world. In order to analysis the financial strength of Ryanair a comparison has been made between Aer Lingus in which Ryanair owns 26.2% shares. Financial Analysis Ryanair Vs Aer Lingus Key Performance Indicators 1) Return On Capital Employed ryanair-logo aer lingus With growth of net profitability of Ryanair dropping from 16.2% to -6.1% from 2008-09 as a result of high fuel prices which affected 45% operating profit and due to collapse of Aer Lingus shares that written down Ryanair investment to Euro 79.7M in 2009.This resulted in Ryanair ROCE dropping from 11.3% to 1.9%. In 2010 ROCE rose to 6.7% with increasing operations however with the termination of Ryanairs contract with Boeing the capital expenditure is likely to decrease in further since Ryanair plans not to invest in aircraft for the next 3 years. Ryanair also has strong capital employed ranging from Euro 4770.6M to Euro 6013.8M indication the companys high level of operations. The net profitability of Air Lingus reduced from 9.7% to -12.9% for 2007-2009.Air Lingus experienced operating loss of Euro93M due to cancellation in flights, restricting costs etc. Capital employed by the company ranges from Euro 1364M to Euro 1272 indicating small operations to Ryanair. 2) Current Ratio aer lingusryanair-logo Ryanair is more liquid is comparison to Aer Lingus thus enabling the company to fund capital expenditure as well as pay shareholders with the strong cash flow Ryanair generates from revenues and companys operations. The companys current assets are more than current liabilities thereby proving Ryanair has strong financial strength. 3) Interest Coverage ryanair-logoaer lingus Ryanair interest coverage is sufficient since the company is able to generate revenue to satisfy interest expense .In 2009 due to Air Lingus share drop ( Ryanair having 29.8% share )revenues was affected greatly to a huge extend thereby effecting its ability to pay its debtors in 2009.Aer Lingus performance over the past years suffered losses which resulted in the company having insufficient funds for their interest expense. Primary Activities Inbound logistics Ryanair has a contract agreement since 1998 with Boeing which provides large aircrafts such as the Boeing 737-800s and have a seating capacity of 189 passengers and is able to fly for longer hours without refuelling and is equipped with the latest aviation technology. The new aircraft is complaisant with the 2002 EU regulation Chapter 3 noise reduction requirements. But in 2009 news.bbc.co.uk (2009) reported that Ryanair ended its contracted with Boeing over the purchase of 200 aircrafts .The company plans to increase its cash flow by not investing into aircraft purchases and use its existing aircraft till 2015.Inorder to escape from the high fuel prices Ryanair has entered into fuel hedging to escape the rising fuel charges. By doing so Ryanair is able not to impose these charges onto the passengers travel fares. Operations Services Ryanair operates on a large scale with flying to 1,100 routes and operating 1,300 flights per day. With such heavy operations and its low fare policy Ryanair is able to make profit and dominate the market .This is due to Ryanair being able to lower its operation cost and adopting the no frills policy. Ryanair uses only Boeing 737-800s aircrafts thereby reducing the cost for training, maintenance, purchase and storage of spare parts. With internet booking facility and online check in the company eliminates the need for staff and systems to a great extend. Outbound Logistics Choosing secondary airports not only is Ryanair able to reduce landing charges and escape heavy traffic from primary airports which has enable it to achieve faster turnover time, fewer terminal delays and lower handling cost. Marketing And Sales Ryanair marketing strategy is used to promote its low cost and competitive prices to its customer. Newspapers, internet and press conferences are the marketing mediums used by the company. The companys website accounts for a huge share in the firms profit. Michael O Leary Ryanairs chief executive unusual public antics such as dressing up as the Pope or St Patrick and outspokenness has helped in promoting the image of Ryanair to the public. Support Activities Procurement As mentioned earlier Ryanair contract with Boeing has enabled the company to reduce its costs due to purchase and usage of only Boeing 737-800s aircrafts. Technology Developments Ryanair utilizes the internet extensively by launching its internet reservation system for customer to purchase and check in online. The Ryanair website accounts for 99% of the companys annual sales. Human Resource Management With all the cost reduction strategies adopted by Ryanair the presence of crew and staff is limited and as a result company can invest less on the training and management of its staff. Infrastructure Ryanair has its corporate headquarters based in the republic of Ireland.

Merits and Demerits of Devaluation

Merits and Demerits of Devaluation Background and History Pakistan has unusual history of successive devaluation. The rupee was first devalued in 1950 in response to a similar move by India. Later in 1972, Z.A. Bhuttos government massively devalued the rupee by 133%. The rupee was further devalued in early 1980s during General Zia regime. Moeen Qureshis caretaker government in 1993 also devalued the rupee by 7%. After that it was Benazir Bhuttos government that further devalued the rupee and finally same measure are being taken by the present government of Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. Pakistan has been on a system of managed float since January 8, 1982. For most of the past decade the rupee had been fixed in relation to the US dollar at the rate of Rs 9.9= US$1. The new exchange regime commenced with an official nominal depreciation of 5 percent in the month of January, and a cumulative 30 % for the year 1982. This was accompanied by the abandonment of the fixed peg to the US dollar and its replacement by a flexible basket peg whereby the authorities manage the nominal exchange rate actively. The exchange rate system has remained unlettered up to the present and the Government has periodically re-affirmed its commitment to this flexible management in stabilization and adjustment programs negotiated with the IMF. Since the introduction of the new system there has been a continuous downward slide in our exchange rate. At present the rate of Pak RS in 2010. This represents a depreciation of 260 percent since Devaluation and its function Depreciation or devaluation refers to the downward movement of the rate at which the home currency exchanges against the foreign currency or an increase in the domestic price of one unit of the foreign currency. Depreciation is the name given to this drop when it occurs in a free market; devaluation is the same thing resulting from government actions in a market that is not free. Since 1973 most of the currencies are on the floating currency system, through the system of dirty floating still allows government/ central banks to interfere to some extent. The question of devaluing the external value of the currency is one of the hotly debated issues in public policy discussions. On the one hand, the IMF and the World Bank supports devaluation as an important component of their recommended policy package for less developed countries (LDCs). On the other hand many economist and economic policy makers are strongly opposed to devaluing currencies has become a dirty word in many countries. Technically, devaluation of a currency is the last resort when other fiscal and monetary measures like demand management , financial incentive, trade restrictions have proved to be less effective in solving problem of balance of payment, by boosting the countrys exports and decreasing imports. In countries like Pakistan where major economic problem is lack of growth, exports are low because of poor quality of goods rather than the value of the currency. The mechanism of the open market keeps on adjusting exchange rate automatically and has made devaluation obsolete. Balancing Mechanism Basically devaluation is a measure to correct a fundamental disequilibrium in countrys balance of payments. Equilibrium in a countrys balance is a result of restraint on imports and foreign payments of all sorts and an expansion of exports and foreign exchange earning of all sorts. The restraint on import cannot be achieved through appeals. It has to be done through direct restriction and/or through operation of the price mechanism, that is to say through making imports costlier by operating on import duties, and this in fact has been extensively done in many developing countries, including Pakistan. However, this is open to some objections and limitations so a simple way of making imports costlier is not adjustment of the exchange rate. The entire burden of making imports costlier is not generally placed on the exchange rate mechanism. It is shared by the device of import duties and also quantitative regulations. The import duty mechanism can also be used to make transition to the n ew exchange rate and to give a certain amount of discretionary treatment to individual items of import. The Price Factor The other major objective of devaluation is to promote export. It should be noted that what is contemplated is an increase in exports in foreign exchange; in term of domestic currency. Exports on the whole will have to increase by more than the percentage of devaluation. Expansion of exports depends upon a number of factors, the elasticity of supply in devaluing country and of demand for the products of that country abroad. Much depends on the prices at which the devaluing country is able to offer its goods. Contractionary Impact Reluctance to adjust the exchange rate in downward direction is due to its possible contractionary impact on output and employment, re-distribution of income from wages earner to property owners, cost-push inflationary pressure and the initial favourable effect on the balance of payment. All of the above will eventually reserved through a process of domestic inflation and larger imports. When quantitative controls on imports duties are reduced along with the devaluation, imports and exports are not particularly sensitive to price changes especially in the short run. This is particularly applicable in the case of UDCs whose imports are often consist of essential capital goods, intermediate inputs including fuel and fertilizer and sometimes basic consumer goods like food grains, edible oils etc. There is little scope for cutting down these imports. The exports of UDCs on the other hand mainly consist of primary commodities and processed materials whose supply elasticity are rather low in short run. If devaluation has to improve the balance of trade in short run, it should come through a reduction in the level of output and changes in the distribution of income towards high saver which would reduce the demand for imports and generate a bigger exportable surplus. Recession, unemployment and unequal distribution of income are the costs of a successful devaluation. Inflationary Pressure The ineffective of exchange rate adjustment in securing improvement in the external balance primarily comes from the fact that changes in costs arising from exchange rate movements feed through quickly and extensively into the economy and contribution to the accerlation of prevailing inflationary pressure associated with an improvement of the monetary conditions. The rigid climb in price over a long period has stimulated defensive inflationary responses amoung industrialists, agriculturalist, business mens, and wage earner and has nullified the impact of exchange rate adjustments on the international competitiveness of our exports. It should be taken into account that devaluation corrects the past inflationary and other economic development that led to adverse movement in the balance of payment. This does not protect the balance of payments against further inflationary and other adverse developments. Frequent devaluation of a currency is undesirable. It stimulates speculation and res ults in distortion in income, consumption, industrial growth and public finance. This also erodes the confidence in the currency. DEMAND Management Unfortunately, for keeping our external accounts disequilibrium within sustainable limits, we have relied rather heavily on exchange rate adjustment and not paid attention to the efficiency dimension of our economic system. Economic efficiency at the macro and micro levels requires high productivity, technological efficiency, high rates of saving and investment, and incomes policy that does not lead to cost-push inflation and fiscal-monetary policy that provides a stable environment for careful demand management. These are the simple and inflexible economic laws that were recognized and grasped. Neither negative controls nor artificial stimuli like frequent depreciation of external value of the currency with help except a little and temporarily. International trade and Devaluation Globalization is the strategy of todays world. The concept of information sharing has reinforced the process of globalization throughout the world. The consultant and analysts are, therefore, working on the integration of the entire system to run smoothly without any hindrances. Looking at the economic activity in this scenario, there is two major classifications, good and services. The globalization of goods can be seen in the prospective of international trade. By international trade we mean exchange of goods between the nations. Looking at the economies of the world we find that the states are broadening their activities by offering investors to share their share of excellence and encouraging their local manufacture to explore the possibilities of selling their goods in the foreign markets. International trade is very important in terms of increasing the foreign exchange of the country which ultimately prospers the people. The Government of Pakistan has liberalized its trade policy with devaluation of Pak rupee and encouraged the manufacturers to export their goods and invited foreign companies to compete in the local market. The key reason for international trade is provided by the theory of Comparative costs importance of relative cost saving in the production of one item over the other. Obviously it would be better to buy a product from china at the price of Rs 1/= instead of producing it at the cost of Rs. 2/- that can be ultimately be sold for Rs 2.50 in the market. There are various other reasons which strongly support the trading among the countries, few of which are: Decreasing cost Consumption of excess production Difference in taste Foreign Exchange rate From international trade, we mean buying and selling the goods among nations. The deal cannot, of-course, be taken place without availability of currency to be accepted by the seller, on the other hand an exporter/importer would definitely like to know how the exchange rate of Pakistan rupee into dollar is being fixed, and how can her benefit from it?. At present in Pakistan we have managed float of currency to determine exchange rate as an independent policy instrument. We need some criteria to fix the exchange of currency amoung the countries. It is important to note that only a favourable exchange can really benefits the nation and by favourable exchange, we mean, getting more foreign currency by paying less local currency. Theoretically there are two type of exchange rates: Stable Exchange rate Altough stable exchange rate has no pratical value now a days, yet it helps in understanding the determination of exchange theory. A stable exchange rate was set by the value of gold. However, with passage of time, the limitation and deficiencies of gold standard started emerging. Few of these were carrying inconvencies, remelting of gold, shipment of gold, different valuation of gold by different countries, and unavailability of sufficient gold to meet with the heavy demand. That is why the gold system was found inadequate ans was replaced with the flexible exchange rate. Flexible or floating exchange rate Flexible exchange rate is set by the interaction of demand and supply schedule for foreign exchange indepently. The optimum level in demand and supply teory is set at the point where supply equal to the demand. So if a person want to buy electric equipment from America worth $ 100000/- and an American in contrast wants to buy cotton and the parity between US$ and Pak rupee is 1:1, the equation will be somehow similar to as follows: Demand for US$ by Pakistan 100,000 Demand for Rs. By America 50,000 Pakistan is demanding more dollars than America wants to supply. The demand and supply are not in balance, consequently Pakistan shall have to refix the parity between $ and rupee at a level where our demand for $ will become equal to the supply of $. Now if we reduce the price of our goods by half of the existing price: Demand for US$ by Pakistan 100,000 Demand of Rs by America 25,000 This reduction price will have dual effects: Dollas will become more expensive, the American goods will become more costly. Pakistani Rupee will become more cheaper, our goods will become cheaper and as a result the demand for our goods will increase. From the above it can be included that demans for imports should be in line with supply of exports. Total value of imports and exports of a country can also help manufacturers to design their plans for future expansion. With an expensive foreign currency, export may be increased with relatively low price supply of goods and quality production within the country. At the same time with a cheap currency investment can be made in foreign countries to utilize the cheap resources and ultimately increases the value of the firm. DEVALUATION its effects on Exports As the reason for the devaluation has been to strengthen the countrys balance of payment by stimulating exports, curtailing imports and by encouraging overseas Pakistanis to remit their earning through banks by narrowing the wedge between the official exchange rate and the kerb rate in the open market. It is universally accepted concept that the exchange rate mechanism is used to create a balance between the imports and exports but what is lesser known fact is that this mechanism need to be implemented at the right time and for the right economic reasons to be fully effective in achieving the desired purpose. Advantages and Disadvantages of Devaluation Advantages of Devaluation Devaluation helps in obtaining international market demand perfection in quality and reduction in price up to a competitive level. As both developed and underdeveloped countries function in one international market therefore, it is not easy for Pakistan to sell a product which is also produced by France, Germany or Holland if the prices are high. However, we are competing with the underdeveloped countries, it is, therefore, very necessary for us to adjust our prices with the prices of our competitors to serve in the market. Every new product has four stages, out of which the first stage is introduction stage. An introduction stage demands lot of efforts to promote the product and create awareness among the buyers. At this stage it is vital to sell it at even below the cost. That is why the government provides certain duty drawbacks for a specified period, until that time when the product is self-sufficient. Each country maintains an account for its total imports exports schedule along with balance of payment chart. At times when its imports increase from its exports and the balance of payment deteriorates it becomes vital to increase its exports immediately. The reduction in prices is one of the quickest ways of increasing the exports. At times when people tend to buy imported goods and local industry start suffering, it is necessary to discourage the people so that they cut down their expenditure towards foreign buying and direct towards local goods. Devaluation is one of the techniques to decrease imports and encourage the local industry. Reduction in price through devaluation has long term effects, which can be seen over a period of time. All the above conditions are currently prevailing in Pakistan. However the question arises as to why all these conditions have comparatively more drastic affects on our economy. The answer to this question relates to our policy of income projection and receipt from foreign donors and countries. In the past, we were used to manage our budgetary gaps with the help of aids and debts. But this time the situation is different we could not did any foreign source of income. The IMF was used to extend loans for our development programs in the past. However, during the current year the IMF had stopped its $300 million trench of its ESAF credit. The result is quite obvious: devaluation and imposition of new duties/taxes Disadvantages of Devaluation Devaluation with all its disadvantages has become an irregular policy. It is rater an ad-hoc arrangement for less demand. Instead imperfect planning is essential to forecast the future when the original price level will be maintained again. Devaluation involves high risk of inflation with the country for e.g if the exports do not increase as the result of decrease of price the country will suffer losses due to increase cost of all imports as well as local imports. Loss resulted due to decrease in prices in international market. Devaluation automatically increases the value of external debts and correspondingly the amount required for debt servicing Devaluation of a currency is considered as a last step to be taken after failure of all other fiscal and monetary measures. Before devaluing currency to boost economy through increasing exports, other factors need to be evaluated, for example, lower exports may be because of poor quality of goods, trade barrier, lower value added goods, unavailability of export items e.t.c Continued depreciation of currency may result in unlawful import of goods within the country. Such unlawful import and export may creat unlawful parallel economy within the country, which will be completely out of the control of the government. Devaluation is always supported by special incentive package to reduce the internally produced items for export. By critically analyzing all the above referred factors, it is proposed that the following necessary action should be taken to improve the situation: Tax Network should be enhanced by a) levying tax on agriculture, b) improving collection procedure, c) bringing small businessmen under tax nutshell etc. Imports should be discouraged by encouraging locally produced quality goods. Export of value added items should be increased instead of increase of low value exports to compete with the other developing countries. Needless to say that government should reduce drastically its own expenditure. It is vital for government to build up its creditability through investing money in public projects very honestly. The proceed from privatization of public sectors should be utilized to pay off our external as well as internal debts. Rescheduling of the debt should also be requested from the lenders. In case of our low priced items in the international market, we should prove that the reason of our low price quality items is not government support but cost efficiency. This can be done only with the help of very competent professional people i.e management accounts, engineers and managers. With the current devaluation, it is vital that necessary incentives must be given to industry and fixed income group for their survival and to reap the benefit of devaluation. The government should build capacity to deal with economics problems on both macro and micro level. It is generally believed that the government does not possess necessary capabilities, out of elected representative and bureaucrats to deal with it. That is why most of our key position holder is either current of Ex World Bank/IMF officials. It is also suggested that major businessmen and industrialist should be taken into confidence before any major decision. Effectiveness of price control committees very necessary. In countries like Pakistan where every individual has the power to determine the price of his own product, inflation is automatically multiplied Conclusions Clearly, devaluation has not been the answer. It has rather contributed to a further increase in the trade gap. The important consequences of devaluation are the burden it is putting on the repayment of the foreign debts. The ensuing depletion of reserves has such a negative effect that the positive impact, if any, is more than wiped out by the increased foreign exchange burden. Reviewing the policy of devaluation by successive governments in the last 50 years, one finds that devaluation has miserably failed to resolve any problems or improve the macro or micro economic conditions in the country. Rather, devaluation has been counterproductive. In the existing scenario of the forces of demand and supply, the rupee is expected to continue with its downward trend. If the counter measures through cost cutting and efficiency management are not taken to check the inflation, which is already running in double digit, the advantages of devaluation will be offset as in the past, leaving adverse impacts as our economy which mainly depends on imported raw-materials, fuels and capital goods. That will certainly bring more hardships for common Pakistani people because our industry has substantial imported inputs in a wide range of locally produced goods and will also retard the process of industrialization in the country. Similarly defense budget and debt servicing will c ost more due to costlier dollar. Our main problem is still uncontrolled i.e. the rise in non-development expenditures, which has given rise to the culture of living beyond means. This can be countered by adoption of practical harsh measures by the government especially at the top level to set the example for the whole nation.

Theme and Symbolism in American Music Essay -- Music Communication Ess

Theme and Symbolism in American Music Music defines our culture. As Americans, we listen to music while we drive our cars, are at work, doing housework, studying, etc. We have songs for special occasions: Christmas, Hanukah, birthdays, weddings, parties, etc. We have taken songs from the various cultures that make us diverse: Arabic, German, Mexican, Native American, etc. We have many genres: country, hip-hop, rap, pop, blues, jazz, rock, heavy metal, etc. And although we may think of music as simple and easy, looking at all this makes one realize how diverse and complex our music truly is. Two things that contribute to this diversity are theme and symbolism. Theme can be defined as the subject or topic of something. In relation to songs this would be the subject the author is concerned with in that particular song. By far, it is safe to say that the most popular theme in music is love. Whether it is finding love, the lack of love, lost love, or any other sub-topic of love, you will find countless songs dedicated to love. Interesting enough, the theme of love can be found in ...

Individual and Society During the Great War Period :: Essays Papers

Individual and Society During the Great War Period The concept of nationalism amongst European countries grew throughout the19th century and was maintained during the Great War. People began to see themselves as part of a nation, which came before the individual. As a result of this, individual freedoms, rights, and ideas were dismissed in order to solidify the nationalistic society. Nationalistic attitudes were implanted in the minds and hearts of the public by way of propaganda, education, and unification. People were under the belief that unification was necessary for the progression of their country, and were willing to give their lives for this ideal. This ultimately led to the beginning of the Great War. The imposition of national unity limited people from being individuals, separate from the whole of society, with their own beliefs, ideals, and freedoms. Nationalism purposefully limited them by creating a central norm which not all people were willing or able to adhere to. People's rights and freedoms were slowly whittled away at by the states entrance into their lives. The state did this in many ways. The impression of a distinct language and culture were done through the use of schools. They also accomplished this through programs and common goals. As a result of the growing number of schools and literate people, printed materials advocating nationalism and patriotism aided in this development.(1)Patriotism and loyalty to the state were instilled at an early age in the hope that the child would carry them through to adulthood. People's trust and dependence on the government increased during this period, increasing its power and influence over their lives. People believed that they were becoming unified in order to protect their common freedoms and their country's opportunity for progression. This unification of individuals into one body gave them the strength of a common bond. This would cause them to stand behind their nation, and put it above all else. The feelings that nationalism ignited within people, such as patriotism and loyalty to one's country, both aided in the development of World War I, and were used as ammunition by the rulers to enhance people's willingness to give their lives to the country through battle. People no longer viewed themselves as individuals, but rather, part of the nation. During the Great War, individual needs were set aside for the good of the nation. This was carved into the minds and hearts of the soldiers as well as those that were back at home.

Salvador Dali :: essays research papers

Salvador Dali was born on May 11, 1904. He was a leader in the new movement of art in the early 20th century called Surrealism. In 1921 Dali studied at the San Fernando Acadamy of Fine Arts in Madrid. Here he was able to associate and learn from such Spanish modernists as Fedrico Garcia Lorca, and Luis Bundel. He also was influenced by Italian futurists and the metaphysical paintings of Giorgio de Chirico. In his early works, however, Dali gave credit to his own Catalan sense of fantasy and his megalomania as being his true motivating forces. Dali left the San Fernando Acadamy of Fine Arts in 1926, and move to Paris where he frequented the Cafe Cyrano, which was the ÒheadquartersÓ of the Parisan surrealists. In 1929 Cafe Cyrano featured an exhibit of DaliÕs own surrealist paintings. Dali was also fascinated with the writings of psychologist Sigmund Freud. He was so moved by FruedÕs theory that he subsequently vowed to his lifeÕs ambition to Òsystemize confusionÓ. Dali is best known for his surrealist works. Surrealism is an art style in which imagery is based on fantasy and the world of dreams. It is thought have grown out of the French literary movement in the 1920Õs and has itÕs roots in Dadaism. These painters developed a dreamlike, or hallucinatory, imagery that was all the more startling for its highly realistic rendering. Some of DaliÕs better known paintings are: ÒPersistence Of MemoryÓ also know popularly as ÒSoft WatchesÓ (1931), and ÒThe Sacrament Of The Last SupperÓ (1955). These Paintings have become part of the definitive record of 20th Century art. Dali used many mediums to illustrate his inspirations. His most popular of course are his paintings, but he also used such media as jewelry, advertisements, beer-bottle designs, ballet sets, and costumes. Dali also experimented his talents in film as well. In 1928 he and childhood mentor Luis Bundel produced the famous surrealist film ÒUn Chein AndalouÓ (An Salvador Dali :: essays research papers Salvador Dali was born on May 11, 1904. He was a leader in the new movement of art in the early 20th century called Surrealism. In 1921 Dali studied at the San Fernando Acadamy of Fine Arts in Madrid. Here he was able to associate and learn from such Spanish modernists as Fedrico Garcia Lorca, and Luis Bundel. He also was influenced by Italian futurists and the metaphysical paintings of Giorgio de Chirico. In his early works, however, Dali gave credit to his own Catalan sense of fantasy and his megalomania as being his true motivating forces. Dali left the San Fernando Acadamy of Fine Arts in 1926, and move to Paris where he frequented the Cafe Cyrano, which was the ÒheadquartersÓ of the Parisan surrealists. In 1929 Cafe Cyrano featured an exhibit of DaliÕs own surrealist paintings. Dali was also fascinated with the writings of psychologist Sigmund Freud. He was so moved by FruedÕs theory that he subsequently vowed to his lifeÕs ambition to Òsystemize confusionÓ. Dali is best known for his surrealist works. Surrealism is an art style in which imagery is based on fantasy and the world of dreams. It is thought have grown out of the French literary movement in the 1920Õs and has itÕs roots in Dadaism. These painters developed a dreamlike, or hallucinatory, imagery that was all the more startling for its highly realistic rendering. Some of DaliÕs better known paintings are: ÒPersistence Of MemoryÓ also know popularly as ÒSoft WatchesÓ (1931), and ÒThe Sacrament Of The Last SupperÓ (1955). These Paintings have become part of the definitive record of 20th Century art. Dali used many mediums to illustrate his inspirations. His most popular of course are his paintings, but he also used such media as jewelry, advertisements, beer-bottle designs, ballet sets, and costumes. Dali also experimented his talents in film as well. In 1928 he and childhood mentor Luis Bundel produced the famous surrealist film ÒUn Chein AndalouÓ (An

Gays Adopting Children Essay

Society is a flexible structure. Only this way it can serve the best way for its members. Democratic process is aimed to increase the rights of its citizens. Nowadays the theme of sexuality becomes an important social issue. Recognition of rights of homosexuals is an important process, which signifies that a lot of people are ready to express freely their sexual preferences and are ready to fight for their rights. Legalization of homosexual marriages and the right of such couples to adopt children is an important and controversial issue of our time. â€Å"Researchers estimate that the total number of children nationwide living with at least one gay parent ranges from six to 14 million† (Gottman, 105). At the present moment many countries legalized the right of lesbian and gay couples to adapt children. Such countries as Andorra, Belgium, Guam, Iceland, the Netherlands, Sweden, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom. It is also legal in some separate parts of the Australia, Canada and the United States. In the United States of America 22 states allow lesbian and gay couples to adopt children. The issue is so burning because for homosexual parents adopting becomes the only way to have a child. Even the artificial insemination can not be applied in all cases. First of all this method can be used only for lesbian couples. In addition another spouse form the couple has to adopt a child in order to become his legal parent. For gay couples this method can not be applied. In addition, adopting is a right of each person. That is the reason the question is more important than just an opportunity for homosexual couples to have children. In April 2001 Holland enlarged the definition of marriage and enabled the people of the same sex to get married. Same did Belgium in 2003. The next was Canada. Same sex couples can get married in San Francisco since February 12 of the 2004, because of an action by their mayor. The question of the legislation of homosexual marriages becomes more and more burning and needs a deep survey. There are a lot of reasons against same sex marriages. One of the reasons is that homosexual marriages contradict the tradition. The idea of homosexual marriages threats the very idea of the sanctity of the marriage. The term â€Å"marriage† should refer to a loving relationship between man and woman. The institution of marriage considers the union of two adults of different sex living together. For centuries the marriage was considered just between the people of the opposite sex and by now the marriage of the people of the same sex can be wrong on an evolutionary scale (Coolidge, 1997). People don’t have much faith in the marriage institutions now and the legislation of the heterosexual marriages can weaken this faith. In addition, if the homosexual marriages are legalized to protect the freedom of human why there should be other restrictions for the marriages such as marring the relative or the age of getting married? So called domino effect can cause the demand to cancel all kinds of restrictions on the marriages. If the marriages between the people of the same sex can be accepted like a demonstration of the free will of the individuals, why can’t be accepted the marriage between the brother and the sister or other close relatives? In the case of legalization of homosexual marriages we speak only about the rights of homosexual people. The issue becomes much more complicated when it comes to adopting children. In this case the rights of both, homosexual parents and the rights of adopted children should be considered. Since children are not able to express their own will during the process of adoption, the society must make an important choice deciding on the rights of children. From the other hand it is necessary to mind the right of homosexual couples, who also have their rights and desires. There are many arguments pro and contra adopting children by homosexual couples. Those who stand for giving homosexual couples this right state that all people must have rights to adopt children. If both parents are able to give their child all normal conditions for living, there is no reason to ban homosexual parents to adopt children. Those, who are against this right, state that homosexual couple will not be able to provide normal life conditions for children. In this case the question about â€Å"normality† arises. Social norms are expanded with each year. Homosexual relations, which were considered sinful and even criminal several centuries ago, become a social norm nowadays. This means that the meaning of â€Å"normal† family structure and â€Å"normal† life conditions can also be transformed with the flow of time. Those, who support an idea to give the right of adopting to homosexual couples state that many children wait for adoption and giving this right to homosexual couple would help to improve the situation. In addition specialists, who stand for the legalization of the right of homosexual couples to adopt children state that only small number of children from heterosexual families have normal life conditions. â€Å"Most children in the United States do not live with two married parents. In fact, according to the 2000 census, only 24% homes were composed of a married mother and father with children living at home. † (Green,1978, p. 19) In the case with homosexual family the children will have two parents, even if they are of the same sex. In â€Å"normal† families children often have only one parent. The proponents of legalization of adoption give data, which proves that children, grown up in one-parent and homosexual families, have same level of emotional and social adaptation as children from heterosexual families. This means that homosexuality of parents has little effect on the development of a child. As state specialists, children are more influenced by their relations with their parents and social surrounding than by the sexual orientation of their parents. Even the American Association of Paediatrics agreed with this opinion and supported the legalization of adoption. In addition, if we turn to legal issues, there is no official reasons to ban homosexual couples to adapt children. There is no special amendment in the Constitution, which would deny gay and lesbian couples their rights to adopt children. Most courts, which should make a decision concerning adopting, are be driven by the interests of a child. It is evident that for children having non-traditional family with loving parents is much better than not have any. If sexual orientation of parents has little impact on the living conditions of their children, homosexuality of parents should not be an obstacle for adopting of a child. There are no serious objections, which would prove that gay and lesbian couples will make bad parents. â€Å"Home environments with lesbian and gay parents are as likely to successfully support a child’s development as those with heterosexual parents† (Schelberg, Mitnick 2006) Specialists state that here is not connection between sexual orientation and parenting skills. This means that homosexual people can be perfect parents, same as heterosexual people can be bad ones. In addition there is a legal controversy, concerning the right to adoption. Legally, even single parents have right to adopt children. Here arises a kind of controversy since one person can adopt a child but he or she can not do the same thing if he has a spouse of the same sex. Those, who stand against the legalization of homosexual’s right to adopt a child give their arguments in order to support their position. They state that homosexual environment can have an extremely negative effect on child’s development. Some researches (Golombok, Tasker) state that children, raised by homosexual parents, are more likely to adopt same patterns of sexual behaviour. In other words children, raised in homosexual families have more chances to become homosexuals as well. As Golombok and Tasker state: â€Å"by creating a climate of acceptance or rejection of homosexuality within the family, parents may have some impact on their children’s sexual experimentation as heterosexual, lesbian or gay† (Golombok, Tasker, 1993, p. 124). According to their opinion homosexual couples should not be giving a right to adoption. Sexuality is not only personal affair. It’s also social phenomenon society has to deal with. Woodhorse talks about the fortification of gender roles and restrictions to this roles brought to the social culture by transvestites. He believes that cross-dressing and transvestites make a potential danger for the society as it can lead to the displacement of gender categories and gender roles. â€Å"On a social and cultural level the two groups (male and female) are equally restricted. † (Woodhouse,1996, p. 117). The marriage is an institution aiming to create a family first of all and the family presumes giving birth to children. Homosexual marriage create no opportunities for natural reproduction. Modern science gave people opportunities to have children even in the same sex marriage but a number of problems appear. It’s commonly known that men and women are equal creatures and have same rights and obligations but they are not identical and usually presume different models of behavior, models of reactions and thinking. A lot of research made by scientists proves that the child needs both – a mother and a father to become a full personality (Donovan, 2001). There are some things during the upbringing which can be taken only from women’s or only from men’s behavior patters. The children raised in the homosexual families will not have the opportunity to see both –female and male behavioral patters, which can cause serious problems for their future life. In addition the children raised in a homosexual surrounding are more probably to pick up same lifestyle in the future and to copy the model of homosexual relationship. Another problem the children from the homosexual families can and most probably will come across is an attitude of the surrounding. The children can meet a social hostility from the very beginning of their social interaction due to their family background which can make more difficult the social adaptation in the future (Stone 2006). A lot of homosexual couples meet social and religious disapproval but they have chosen their type of behavior themselves and must be responsible for their decisions. The children raised in the homosexual families do not have this choice. Negative attitude of the church to same sex marriages can create additional problems for children. Another problem appears with the children, adopted by gay couples. The patters of family behavior, which are presented in homosexual families, are very different from patterns, peculiar to heterosexual families. This issue is very important since children most probably will adapt the type of relations they see in their family. Homosexual relations usually are thought to be not traditional ones and talking about sexuality in this type of relations is difficult due to the multiple variations of these relations. There are a lot of distinctions between homosexual and heterosexual relationships. Complementary nature of the most heterosexual relations is not so evident in homosexual ones. In most of the homosexual relations there is a division, which is expressed more directly in heterosexual relations. In homosexual relations two people take different roles. Usually, in both, female and male homosexual relationship there are active and passive partners. The roles may change but usually the division to active and passive partner is saved and this relation is usually transmitted to other spheres of life of the couple. Passive partner usually takes female roles in sex and everyday behaviour. An active partner plays the role of the man accordingly. There are derivations in the models of homosexual relations. Tapinc (1992) distinguishes four additional models of homosexual relations. In the first model both males are homosexual. This is one of traditional homosexual models. â€Å"The homosexual mail pair consists of the erastes and the eromenos, ‘lover’ and ‘beloved’; we can infer an active/passive division, but strictly speaking these are not examples of inserter/receptor terminology. (Norton, p. 2002 5) Homosexual male relations are rarely monogamous. Journal of Sex Research made a study of the sexual profiles of 2,583 older homosexuals. â€Å"Research found that only 2. 7 percent claimed to have had sex with one partner only. Research elsewhere indicated that only a few homosexual relationships last longer than two years, with many men reporting hundreds of lifetime partners† (Bozett 1993, p. 112). This way if homosexual parents get an opportunity to adopt children, this most probably will result in the transformation of the role and functions of family. Children, grown up in such untraditional families with untraditional family values, will use this model in their future families. This may result in the increase of the families with untraditional family values. Possible consequences of this phenomenon are very hard to predict. To sum up, there are many reasons for and against adopting children by gay and lesbian couples, There is no one definite opinion concerning this issue. The debates concerning this subject are hold in several spheres, such as religions, social and political ones. A lot of important factors should be considered in order to take a right decision concerning this issue. Adopting concerns the rights of both – children and homosexual couples and decision should the best way serve to the interests of both sides. References 1. Atlanta Journal-Constitution, (2002, Oct 4). NA. Retrieved February 19, 2008, from Database. Gale Power Search. 2 . Bailey, J. M. , Bobrow, D. , Wolfe, M. & Mikach, S. (1995), Sexual orientation of adult sons of gay fathers, Developmental Psychology, 31, 124-129; 3. Bozett, F. W. (1987). Children of gay fathers, F. W. Bozett (Ed. ), Gay and Lesbian Parents (pp. 39-57), New York: Praeger; 4. Coolidge, David Orgon, (March 1997). â€Å"Same-Sex Marriage? Baehr v. Miike and the Meaning of Marriage,† South Texas Law Review, 38:1-119 5. Davidson, Arnold (1987) ‘Sex and the emergence of sexuality’, Critical Inquiry, 14 (Autumn), 16-48, reprinted in 6. Stein, Edward (ed. ), Forms of desire (1992, 1990), 89-132. 7. Donovan, (2001,Sept 14). Judge upholds Florida ban on gay adoption. National Catholic Reporter, p. 37, 39. 8. Gay rights. The Advocate, (2002, April 30). p. 18(1). 9. Gottman, J. S. (1991), Children of gay and lesbian parents, F. W. Bozett & M. B. Sussman, (Eds. ), Homosexuality and Family Relations (pp. 177-196), New York: Harrington Park Press; 10. Golombok, S. , Spencer, A. , & Rutter, M. (1983), Children in lesbian and single-parent households: psychosexual and psychiatric appraisal, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 24, 551-572; 11. Green, R. (1978), Sexual identity of 37 children raised by homosexual or transsexual parents, American Journal of Psychiatry, 135, 692-697; Huggins, S. L. 12. Lewin, Tamar (2001, August 31). Court backs Florida ban on adoption by gays. The New York Times, p. A14 13. Stone, Andrea (2006, Feb 21). Drives to ban gay adoption heat up. USA Today, p. 01A. 14. Schelberg, Neal S. and Carrie L. Mitnick, (2004). â€Å"Same-Sex Marriage: the Evolving Landscape for Employee Benefits,†

Recommendations to Management Essay

Problem: Increase marketing of Chiropractic Services. My aim is to bring strategies that will increase the profitability of your practice, while at the same time improving patient satisfaction and results. In the process of achieving these aims, I also seek to improve the public’s image of chiropractic care. First Recommendation: To increase profits and public awareness. Rational: Increasing profit is the main goal in any business. To help you increase profits I wish to provide advice in the following areas, as suitable: †¢ debt reduction †¢ retirement planning †¢ overhead reduction †¢ investment strategies †¢ bankruptcy guidance †¢ collection assistance I feel that by using sound business advice in these areas you will improve your profits marginally. Together we will evaluate what products or services are making you money. We will decide whether other products or services should be promoted in addition or in place of current services. To cite a classic business planning question, â€Å"Are you making 80 percent of your profits from 20 percent of your offerings?† Are you wasting time on products and services that don’t return the favor by providing you with profits? Again, together we will find these answers. Why is this recommendation important now? I feel will that with the current economic situation, now is the time to work at increases your profits to its fullest. Now is not the time to let your business take a down fall. Priority ranking of the recommendation: The priority for profits is an important need in business. Proposal: I propose that within the next few years your Chiropractic office will increase profits by increasing services and lowering costs. This will be  achieved by first looking at business expenses. One seriously important area to examine is staffing. This is typically one of a company’s biggest expenses. You need to ask yourself â€Å"Did you make necessary cuts during the recession or are you still overstaffed? Are you getting your dollars’ worth from every employee?† Make necessary adjustments now. Next, we need to examine your other expenses as well. These expenses include expense accounts to seminars, up to magazine subscriptions. We will go over your entire profit and loss statements for this year. Remember to track everything. Scrutinize your cash flow, profits and trends every week. What’s more, figure out what your company’s important numbers are. Second Recommendation: Increase marketing and public awareness. Rational: I do not recommend door-to-door surveys or other unsuccessful marketing gimmicks. Nor do I support high patient fees or unwarranted patient visits. Instead, I want to custom-tailor solutions to your distinctive needs and goals. Some marketing tools that I recommend you use are questionnaires, patient fact sheets and health concerns hand outs. These items can be posted in your office, made into brochures, newsletters, newspaper articles, and reading material in specific areas of your office like reception area. Why is this recommendation important now? In order to make money and have a profit you must advertise. This advertising will increase the public awareness of your business and the services you offer. Priority ranking of the recommendation: I feel that this is one of the most important recommendations. Good marketing is the key to great business and success. Proposal: I propose that you step up your marketing by using public relations, Web marketing, email newsletters, and other targeted or large outreach. This will be a great way to market your business since you are a small company. How do these recommendations align with the mission statement and vision? Mission Statement: Rantoul Chiropractic Clinic is committed to finding the cause of your symptoms and treating it in the most effective manner possible. We are also committed to explaining your condition to you in a manner in which you will know and understand what the problem is and what it  will take to correct it and to keep it from reoccurring. Vision Statement: Our Vision is to embrace our community and strive together for optimal health through the journey of life. Promoting Excellence and Assuring Quality in Chiropractic Education. We understand the chiropractic profession and appreciate the services, workflow, and barriers that frustrate you and slow you down. References RJF Consulting. http://www.chiroevidence.com/RJFConsulting/mission-values.html