Friday vs. Barbershop essays

Friday vs. Barbershop essays Comedies have always been my favorite movies. The ones that had the biggest impression on me are Friday and Barbershop. These two movies did not just have talented casts with Ice Cube as a main character in both of them but two great directors as well. They also possessed spectacular soundtracks, good plots, plenty of unsuitable materials, and were pretty much targeted for the same level of audience. Friday not only proved to be a greatest hit in theaters but also as a best selling video for approximately 100 weeks after its video release. So shall Barbershop, which is still playing in theaters. The casts of both movies were sensational. Playing the main character in both of them was famous RN Tha Hood. The rest of the characters did their job as well to serve up laughs. One of them is Chris Tucker in Friday who has stared in hits such as Rush Hour 1s been starring in box office hit Save the Last Dance. It is so important to have good casts that can play their parts well, and get along. These actors did a very good job of making every character believable. Some people say that in order to have a successful movie you need Paris Barclay, Sam Raimi or any director considered famous today, working behind scenes. That is quite true to some extent, but not necessarily. Friday did indeed have a gifted director by the name of F. Gary Gray. Hes truly one of the top directors today. Gary Gray has directed box office hits Set It Off and The Negotiator. The movie Set It Off grossed over 200 million dollars, and The Negotiator was ...

Site, Sight, and the Spell Check Syndrome

Site, Sight, and the Spell Check Syndrome Site, Sight, and the Spell Check Syndrome Site, Sight, and the Spell Check Syndrome By Maeve Maddox Today I found a plastic bag on my front door. A yellow sticker identified it as a bag for the Scouting Food Drive. Being a writer and a grammar nazi, I never just glance at things like this. It is my curse to read labels in their entirety. In small print I was instructed to leave the bag, with food inside, in plain site on my porch. My first surge of censure was for the Scout leaders who had submitted incorrect copy to the printer. The second surge was for the printer who hadnt bothered to read the copy for errors before printing it. Then, at the very bottom of the sticker, I saw that the printing had been donated by a local corporate entity, a very large company with international sales. Im sure it must employ educated people to see to such things as printing and advertising. So why in plain site and not, as the context called for, in plain sight? Id bet that the person responsible knows the difference between site and sight and would redden in embarrassment if called on it. I think the error is a symptom of Spell Check Syndrome. Spell check catches only those misspellings that do not represent any word at all. It will catch such howlers as recieve, seperate, and dalmation, but not homonyms like site/sight, and rite/right. Computers are great, but they are no substitute for the human brain. Run spell check by all means. But then run your own eyes over your writing before submitting it. In its usual use, site (noun) is an area, a piece of ground, a place: This is the site of a prehistoric village. As a noun, sight is the sense of vision, or something seen: Louis Braille lost his sight at the age of three. A favorite tourist sight is the Tower of London. Sight can also refer to the device on a gun that helps one to aim: The sight on this rifle is slightly bent. Sight can be a verb: Tell me when you sight the buffalo herd. Sight occurs in several idioms: Keep the enemy in sight. Youre a sight for sore eyes (i.e., a welcome sight). His newest book is out of sight (beyond comparison)! (slang) Dear me, you look a sight (have a bedraggled or disreputable appearance)! Theyve got a sight of grandchildren (a great many). (dialect) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What is the Difference Between "These" and "Those"?"Latter," not "Ladder"List of 50 Compliments and Nice Things to Say!

Privacy as a consumer issue in electronic commerce Research Paper

Privacy as a consumer issue in electronic commerce - Research Paper Example The work that follows is a research on privacy as a consumer issue in electronic commerce. Consumer privacy is an important aspect that businesses need to consider to preserve and retain their customers. Electronic commerce largely relies on the use of World Wide Web since most of its transactions use technologies like telephones, e-mails, and social media devices like mobile phones, which need a lot of privacy.Businesses or organizations willing to conduct online transactions need to create an environment that ensures consumer security.Electronic commerce is facing customer shortages because many consumers opt not to make online purchases. This is probably because of risks involved in electronic commerce such as loss of jobs, blocking of careers, and losses resulting from unauthorized access and inappropriate use of personal information (Frost). However, various countries like the United States lack regulations governing disclosure of how they use information gathered from online co nsumers, information that gives them freedom to use customers’ personal information. ... de Commission (FTC), failure of electronic commerce to attain its potential, results from lack of proper regulations on consumer privacy.Privacy concerns have led to losses in sales, a situation that has left the determination on whether companies should regulate online privacy issues on their own, or whether there is a need for the government’s intervention to the commission. To counter worries from the public over websites’ handling of personal information, the U.S Congress, local communities and state legislatures havereceived introduction of a number of bills concerning protection of customers’ private information (Frost).However, the rapidly changing technology acts as an obstacle to drafting the regulations.Imposing tight requirements on the internet, according to some legislators would adversely affect electronic commerce growth, and possibly its effect be greater than the fears people have on the loss of privacy. In past days, businesses using the interne t like for example, banks and insurance companies enjoyed the confidence in their business with customers, but nowadays the privacy lies in question. This results from the technological advancement that currently exists in the world. Apart from baking and insurance institutions, communication companies keep wide information about their customers’ details. This information reveals much information like consumer’s location at the time they use the service, the content of e-mails or texts sent, the visited sites, and information downloaded, among others (Frost). Due to lack of proper consumer privacy laws, these institutions can access consumers’ personal information and use it for their benefit. Lack of consumer privacy, accompanied by technological advancement has led to access of personal

Strategic Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic Management - Research Paper Example The mission of the company needs to be different and very clear. The important areas of mission statement include who we are, what is our business, what products do we offer, and why we chose the particular business. The important issues that will be addressed by the company in the global business environment include equal employment opportunities, child labor, and environmental factors. INTRODUCTION Tolapp Corporation is a successful US manufacturing company located in Tennessee that builds power tools, lawn mowers, lawn furniture, microwaves, and ranges. All products are manufactured locally and sold through large retailers like Sears, Best Buy, and Wal-Mart. They have sale papers inserted in every Wednesday and Sunday paper. Although they have a thriving business in the US and Canada, Tolapp is trying to break into the global marketplace. DISCUSSION Part 1 A). How would you go about defining the identity of Tolapp Corporation and creating its mission statement? The identity of Tol app Corporation can be defined by understanding the industry in which it operates i.e. power tools and lawn equipment industry. An important factor in defining the identity of Tolapp Corporation is competitors’ profile. In order to establish an identity, it is critical to focus on specific market segments and products. For instance, the company can focus on appliances or power lawn equipment. There are different ways through which the mission statement of the company can be developed. The most important factor that should be considered when creating a mission statement is the overall objective or scope of the industry. After this, it is important to identify and evaluate mission statements of other companies operating in the industry (Abrahams, 2004). The mission of the company needs to be different and very clear. The important areas of mission statement include who we are, what is our business, what products do we offer, and why we chose the particular business. The mission statement of Tolapp will be communicated to all employees in order to ensure that they share common goals. The purpose of communicating mission statement to all employees and stakeholders is to ensure that it remains real. B). Where would you look for the information? The places that would be accessed for information include websites of companies operating in the power tool industry, industry reports, industry publications, and scholarly journals. In addition, industry reports of lawn equipment and appliance industry will also be accessed. C). What do you already know about Able that can help? Following are the things that we already know about Tolapp Corporation: The first thing about Tolapp Corporation that we know is its origin. Tolapp Corporation is a company that is located in the United States. The company is present in Tennessee, a U.S. state. The second point about Tolapp Corporation is its business. The main business of the company is manufacturing. The products of the com pany include lawn furniture, lawn mowers, microwaves, and other products. The third point about the corporation is its production and distribution. The company manufactures its products locally. The products are distributed and sold with distributors such as Sears, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy. All these are famous retailers. The company is operating successfully in the United States and Canada. The company is also striving to expand its operations to other parts of the world. The company launches sales

How a Guitar Works Essay Example for Free

How a Guitar Works Essay A guitar can be defined as a musical instrument having â€Å"a long, fretted neck, flat wooden soundboard, ribs, and a flat back, most often with incurved sides† (Kasha, 1968) and believed to exist over 4000 years ago. The instrument was believed to be derived from the Greek instrument kithara, â€Å"a square-framed lap harp or lyre† (Guy, 2001). Today the guitar comes in many different forms but still follows the same dynamics to create beautiful melody. Music classifies a guitar as a chordophone or a string instrument. Physics describe a chordophone is any â€Å"instrument whose standing wave constraint is that at each end of the medium there must be a node† (Lapp, p. 61). A guitar has four essential components namely its hollow body, its neck, the head and its six strings. The body is the enclosed part of the guitar composed of the soundboard, a flat wooden piece that comprises the front of the body, supported by the wooden ribs and braces connected to the back board of the guitar to form the body cavity where air vibrates. The soundboard is etched with the sound hole, the hole where which the sound from the vibration travels out into the air. The bridge, which is mounted on the lower part of the soundboard, anchors each of the one ends of the six strings of the guitar. A thin piece is attached to the bridge, which is called the saddle, on which the strings rest. The guitar neck is made up of the fingerboard, the face of the neck where the fingers of the player are placed while pressing on a string. Frets, pieces the separate the fingerboard at definite intervals, are also part of the neck of the guitar. The end of the neck is made up of the nut, on which the other end of the strings rest, functioning similarly as the saddle. The head of the neck are where the ends of the string are affixed. The strings are tied onto a string post which can be freely rotated through worm gears. The tuning knobs provide for the control of the movement of the worm gears. Turning these knobs, enables the player to increase or decrease tension in the strings. The strings are the one who provides the tone that the guitar plays. Guitars have strings with different thickness for steel string guitars or densities for nylon string guitars, having its thickness or density increase gradually from top to bottom. The vibration of the strings determines the sound that the guitar plays. The vibrating strings alone are hardly audible. In order for the sound produced to be recognizable, the structure of the guitar is made as such in order to transfer the string vibrations to the plate of the soundboard through the bridge and saddle. The body then vibrates in all directions; however the ribs inside the body cavity keep the plate flat, despite these disturbances. Amplification, in the strictest definition of the word, is never the function of the guitar body. The small volume of sound produced due to string vibration is mostly due to the inefficient conversion of the energy from the plucking of the string into sound energy. The guitar body provides an efficient medium for this energy conversion due to its large surface area. The simple schematic below, cited as Fig. 1, demonstrates the transfer of energy as a guitar string is plucked. Figure 2. Energy Transfer in the Guitar Physics in Guitars Sound is any fluctuation is pressure resulting from the displacement of matter. However, what men recognize as being heard are tones, which are sounds that are repeated at a specific frequency. Humans can only recognize tones with frequencies between 20Hz and 20kHz. Musical notes, however, are collection of tones with specific frequencies that were found pleasing to one’s senses. The basic notes of the musical scale and their specific frequencies are as follows: 264Hz is middle C or middle do; 297Hz is D or re; 330Hz is E or mi; 352Hz is F or fa; 396Hz is G or so; 440Hz is A or la; 495Hz is B or ti; and 528Hz is the higher C or higher do. The masterful combination of these basic set of frequencies by musical composers enabled the conception of melodic harmony and symphony. The vibration of the strings of the guitar can be characterized as standing waves. The standing wave condition needs that the ends be terminated by a fixed node. The frequency of the vibration is determined by the length of the string and the tension experienced by the string. Therefore, in order to produce the different musical notes, the different frequencies of vibration should be achieved by the strings. The first mode of vibration or the fundamental harmonic of the string can be illustrated by the Fig. 2, where L is the length of the string and ? represents the wavelength, the length of one cycle of vibration, an upward movement and its corresponding downward movement along the string. Figure 2. Fundamental Harmonic of String (Lapp, p. 62) ? can be found to be twice of the string length, L. Since frequency is the ratio of the speed of vibration and the wavelength and the tension of the string is the product of the mass density or mass per unit length of the string and the speed of vibration, an expression of the frequency of vibration, expressed as f, in terms of the string tension, expressed as T, mass density of the string, expressed as ? , and L can be derived, thus the expression: These factors determine the frequency of the vibration, thus the tone that is played. An increase in ? and L decreases f, which results in a lower pitch. On the other hand, an increase in T, increases f, resulting in a higher pitch. The guitar provides control for all these factors. The difference in the density of the strings from top to bottom provides control for ?. The tuning knobs manage T while L is controlled by the player by pressing on the string against the fret. However, as the guitar string is struck, it does not vibrate solely on its fundamental frequency. Instead overtones are formed, which are harmonics with frequencies that are integer multiples of the fundamental frequency, which can be demonstrated by Fig. 3. These overtones provide the richness of sound, which seem to reverberate in one’s ears, instead of a flat sound of a tone with only a single harmonic. Figure 3. (from top to bottom) 1st, 2nd, and 3rd overtones (Hokin, 2001) â€Å"The guitar can be considered to be a system of coupled vibrators† (Fletcher Rossing, 1998, p. 240). Along with the vibration of the string as it is plucked, all other parts of the guitar vibrates, and with it energy is transferred through them as demonstrated in Fig. 1. A significant part of the production of tones of a guitar is the vibration of the body along with air inside its cavity. The movements and modes of vibration of the guitar body and the air inside it, in response to the string being plucked, are referred to as internal resonances, which provides for the increase in volume of the tone produced similar to hitting a snare. The frequency of thses internal resonances of the guitar body are determined by the volume of air that the body encloses and the size of the sound hole, one of which that has lowest frequency is termed as Helmholtz resonance. These modes of the vibration can be observed through the use of lasers in holographic interferograms, as exemplified by Fig. 4, wherein the vibrations are manifested as ripples in the guitar body. Figure 4. Guitar Body Resonances (Fletcher Rossing, 1998, p. 246) However, these resonances can affect the quality of the tone produced when its frequency is close to harmonics that the plucked string produces. Certain harmonics are attenuated further than usual resulting in higher or lower pitches. The appropriate placement of the ribs and braces inside the guitar body, aside from supporting the soundboard, keep these resonances at a minimum. The ribs and braces of the guitar are illustrated below. Figure 5. Bracings of a Guitar (Billington, 1999) The masterful combination of the components of a guitar through its development has enabled it to be a source of beautiful melody throughout generations. The guitar is concrete evidence how man can create harmony from chaos. References Flectcher, N. H. Rossing, T. D. (1998). The Physics of Musical Instruments. 2nd ed. New York. Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. Billington, I. (1999). The Physics of the Acoustic Guitar. Retrieved from http://ffden-2. phys. uaf. edu/211. web. stuff/billington/main. htm. University of New South Wales. Guitar Acoustics. Retrieved from http://www. phys. unsw. edu. au/music/guitar/. Hokin, S. (2002). The Physics of Everyday Stuff. Retrieved from http://www. bsharp. org/ physics/ stuff/guitar. html. Lapp, D. R. The Physics of Music and Musical Instruments. Retrieved from http://www. tufts. edu/as/wright_center/workshops/workshop_archives/physics_2003_wkshp/ book/pom_book_acrobat_7. pdf. Brain, M. How Acoustic Guitars Work. Retrieved from http://entertainment. howstuffworks. com/guitar. htm. Guy, P. (2001). A Brief History of the Guitar. Retrieved from http://www. guyguitars. com/eng/ handbook/BriefHistory. html Parkkali, R. (2006). A Well Compensated Guitar. Retrieved from http://www. newmillguitar. com/ millen2. htm

It Pays to Be Bilingual :: Argumentative Essay

It Pays to Be Bilingual Hoy en dà ­a es casi necesario ser bilingue si se desea tener à ©xito. Desde California a Washington, de Pensilvania a Florida, uno puede oà ­r muchas personas hablando espaà ±ol. Los Latinos como una gran parte de la sociedad ya no es una cosa del pasado, pero una realidad. Los Hispano Parlantes no se centralizan solamente en las ciudades mà ¡s grandes de Estados Unidos, sino en los pueblos pequeà ±os tambià ©n. Con una mirada de la poblacià ³n total en los Estados Unidos, unos trabajos tà ­picos y el estudio afuera, se puede ver que ser bilingue, especialmente con inglà ©s y espaà ±ol es un recurso con mucho valor. Spanish can be heard clear across the United States because Latin Americans are no longer living only in large cities, but in small towns as well. If you can read and understand this, you are at a great advantage in today’s job market. If you can’t, pay close attention to the reasons you should consider learning Spanish, and allow me to translate my thesis statement for you. By observing the population at large in the United States, some of the typical jobs and study abroad, one can see that being bilingual, especially with English and Spanish is a very marketable resource. By observing the population at large in the United States, one can see that "Caucasian" is not the only ethnic background being represented. In fact, "the United States is the fourth largest Spanish-speaking country in the world" (Olivares). In the past twenty years there has been an increase in the number of Spanish speakers needed in the US. "In 2000, 32.8 million Latinos resided in the United States, representing 12.0 percent of the total U.S. population" (Therrien et al.). As the Hispanic population grows we need to do our part by learning the second language of the US. By taking a look at journals and newspapers, one can see that Spanish is slowly and surely working its way in as a part of the culture. Companies are trying to foster an interest in Spanish among the native English speakers and to communicate to those Spanish-speakers who can’t understand English. The companies are evaluating the language situation of the population at large to decide how to go about speaki ng to everyone. For instance, the most recent ""Got Milk" advertisement features Marc Anthony, a Latin singer and artist. He has gained popularity not only in the Latin Market, but popularity here as well, after having released one of his discs in English.

Reaction Paper: Made in Dagenham Film Essay

In the film that we’ve watched entitled Made in Dagenham, we have seen how powerful strikes can be. It is done so that the rights of the workers will be upheld, and that, only upon compliance of the Legal Requirements may it be declared a valid strike. Many are the reasons why workers would engage in such an activity, one of which was the discrimination of gender which the film presented. We have also seen in the film how it would take one brave union leader to lead a strike in upholding the rights of the workers and that engaging in a strike would require sacrifice in the part of the striking employees since they are not entitled to payment of wages for unworked days during the period of the strike. We have seen the struggles they had between their families during those days. Also, the film showed an application of the valid ground for strike or lockout, that is, strike should be a means of last resort after they have exerted all efforts to resolve the unfair labor practices. It was seen in the film when the two women representatives had a meeting with the mediation board in resolving the discrimination of gender by paying the female workers lower wages than the male workers. What is most amazing was that the 1968 Ford Dagenham strike led to the establishment of the Equal Pay Act in 1970, which banned the discrimination on pay and working conditions between men and women.

Disintermediation and Reintermediation of the Travel Agents Essay

1. INTRODUCTION Nowadays, the travel distribution channel is very complex and characterized by the presence of many different kind of intermediaries which operate in a very competitive market. Since the beginning of the travel industry, intermediaries have always played an important role for the development of tourism products and services. Indeed, intermediaries have the ability to organize and aggregate a large amount of data into one price. Moreover, they have a fundamental role for counseling and delivering a personalized service according to the specific need of customers (Kracht and Wang, 2009). Before the advent and further development of communication technology, the market was dominated by the large suppliers such as airlines, hotel chains and resorts. Travel agents were the conventional intermediaries which were independent from each other and represented a portion of the dominant players in a non-competitive market (Gharavi and Sor, 2005). Later on, with the high spread of ICT and the need of cutting costs the position of the travel agents has been threatened. New kind of middlemen emerged adding additional layers of intermediation, disintermediating certain players by bypassing the traditional intermediaries (Buhalis and Law, 2008). Technology has also allowed suppliers to directly communicate with consumers who have seen their choices enormously increased. This has increased the competition and the complexity of the market and has raised an important issue for the presence in the market of traditional travel agents. The aim of this paper is to investigate how disintermediation and re-intermediation have affected the way travel agents operate and whether there is still a place and a prospective of growth for travel agents in the market. 2. DISINTERMEDIATION AND RE-INTERMEDIATION OF THE TRAVEL AGENTS In the last twenty years several changes occurred in the tourism distributional channel. Every component of the chain value has been affected and particularly travel agents. Traditional travel agencies are being threatened not only by integrated tour operators, which control their own distribution channels, but also by the expansion of alternative distribution channels such as the Internet, Teletext, call centers, and even travel TV channels. This process is called disintermediation (Kracht and Wang, 2009). According to Bennett and Buhalis (2003) disintermediation is the process of eliminating intermediaries within the distribution channel driven by electronic means that enable consumers to access and transact directly with suppliers and destinations†. Before 1993, the traditional tourism system consisted of consumers, traditional retail travel agents, corporate travel agents, tour operators, GDS’s and suppliers. The 1993 was the year of the first commercial usage of int ernet. After that year many changes occurred and many more players enter into the market thanks to the reduction of barrier entry costs. However, the starting point of disintermediation was in the 1960s, when the American airline lunch the first GDS allowing consumers to buy tickets directly from the airline company (Kracht and Wang, 2009). Travel agents’ main source of revenue at the time was commissions paid to them by the airlines on tickets sold by them on the airlines’ behalf. Pressures to reduce costs in an increasingly competitive industry caused airline companies to look for ways to reduce their payments to travel agents. Initially, airline companies progressively reduced the amount of commission paid to travel agents while, at the same time, they opened up new channels and expanded existing channels to reach travelers directly. Airline companies encouraged travelers to book direct channel by various means with a very successful results. For instance, easyJet, a successful British low-cost carrier, in 2002 was already selling 90% of its seats through its own site (The Economist, 2002). After the public debut of the web, suppliers began establishing web sites to connect directly with customers, thereby beginning the disintermediation of traditional retail travel agents(McCubbrey, 1999; cited by Krac ht and Wang, 2009). For example, Hotels  also created their own websites to reach their customer. Establishing a direct relationship with clients allows suppliers to put in place various price polices and loyalty schemes. Suppliers believe they no longer need an intermediary to sell their products. They discover the internet to be a powerful and cheap distribution channel, and not just an online brochure (The Economist, 2002). Indeed, using information technology to develop supply chain relationships can reduce costs and bring higher quality of travel products into the market. Internet, perhaps, has been the most powerful means of disintermediation and it has radically changed the travel industry, adding more layers of intermediation and more players (Kracht, 2009) The travel industry, in fact, is undoubtedly one of the most interesting sector in terms of the possibilities offered by the internet. Internet travel reservations have increased dramatically in the last years with more and more users confi dent with the technology, and it represents the fastest growing segment of electronic commerce (Bernstein and Awe,1999; cited by Anckar, 2003). The success of internet in this respect, is perhaps due to the nature of the tourism product, which is a little more than an information product, easy to convey through the web (UNCTAD, 2000; cited by Anckar, 2003). However, as stated by Palmer and McCole (1999; cited by Bennett and Lai, 2005) â€Å"the internet does not change the principal role of intermediaries who exist to simplify buyers’ choice processes†. Indeed, even though internet allowed suppliers and consumers to communicate directly bypassing the travel agents, there were some important issues related to the internet. According to Bloch et al. (1996, cited by Wynne 2000), when potential tourists try to book directly with suppliers on the internet, they face a wide range of problems. For example, they require to know in which website to look. It takes at lot of time considering different options and prices. Often, it is not possible to book online. Thereby, the necessity of one stop-shopping, aggregation of information and comparison of price led to the formation of new e-mediaries or cybermediaries. Disintermediation indeed, push back to re-intermediation with new players coming into the markets and existing ones which re-intermediate themselves by reinventing their business. Re-intermediation has been defined by Bennet and Buhahs (2003) as â€Å"the utilization of ICT and internet tools for the development of either new intermediaries or new methods for existing intermediaries that  enable them to re-engineer the tourism distribution channel†. Re-intermediation is evident through the development of new electronic intermediaries such as Expedia, Yahoo Travel, lastminute.com and Travelocity which are based only online. Based on the premise that intermediaries exist because they provide value added services, these e-mediaries have the potential to pass economies of scale directly to the consumer, offering reduced fares as well as the convenience of making reservations 24/7 (Lai, 2005). As a result of both disintermediation and re-intermediation travel agents have been reduced in numbers and have to face a very competitive market. In fact, from one side they are threaten by the disintermediation put in place by the suppliers, and from one other by online reservation and therefore, by the e-mediaries or cybermediaries. The latter, in particular, with no established high-street presence, threaten established retailers by changing the distribution channel for consumer products. Reservations made online are probably the most important danger that traditional intermediaries like travel agents have to face. Figures show an increase of online bookings over the years both in Europe and United States but also in other markets (http://www.emarketer.com). According to Cheung and Lam (2009), to secure their position in the marketplace, and avoid disintermediation, travel agents must be able to acquire the new technology and be able to compete into the new channels as electronic -able intermediaries, without losing their advantage in the conventional market. To minimize the risk of disintermediation, travel agents need to reduce their dependence into simple transaction and increase revenues by focusing on more complex activities, like counseling and personalization of the service. 3. TRAVEL AGENCIES RESPONSES TO A CHALLENGING MARKET Despite the severe competition, and the possibility for booking online, many customers still prefer to purchase from travel agents. TTI chairman, Tony Allen stated that there would always be people who â€Å"didn’t trust the internet† and wanted face-to-face advice (Taylor, The Guardian, 2003). Indeed, travel agents have still many cards to play and can benefit from several advantages in the marketplace: * They are situated wherecustomers come, in shopping centers and in high streets; * Aggregation of the offer from various suppliers into one package; * They can offer a personalized service; * Human relationship; * Travel agents can offer an advisory service, and assist the customers in making a decision before processing with transactions; * Less time spent by the customers to buy a travel product. It can also be argued, that not all the effects of the disintermediation and re-intermediation have had a negative effect on travel agents. Gharavi and Sor (2005) have suggested, in fact, that because of internet and other forms of disintermediation, the bonds between the small travel agents and the dominant large suppliers like the airline companies, hotel chains and resorts owners, was finally broken. As a result of that, many independent travel agents, which continue to based their business on conventional methods such as commissions from suppliers, were pushed out of the market. However, many others entrepreneurs were stimulated to reinvent their business. Travel agents were allowed to deal with a variety of suppliers and organize into cooperative. Moreover, others entrepreneurs developed fran chises or merged, in order to have more bargaining power against competitors. Therefore they fight back the disintermediation and re-intermediate themselves. Organizing into franchising or into other forms of collaboration has allow several advantages to travel agents. First of all, it leads to gain more bargaining power which make more convenient for travel agents to dealing with suppliers. Second of all, it helps travel agents to focus only on the front office activities, while the centre office is in charge of the administrative procedures and of the marketing activities, such as brand building and advertising. Another reason, why this kind of collaborations are successful is that they can allow a better training of human resources and lead to better prospects for income. A great example of travel agency organized into franchising is definitely Harvey World Travel with over 170 stores in Australia and more than 70 in the UK which offer to its branches a very sophisticate software to create a very personalized package for customers (Harris and Duckworth, 2005). In order to fight disintermediation many travel agents differentiate themsel ves and/or focus on niche markets. They try to offer something different that clients could not find online. EuroTravel is a great and successful example of how a small independent travel agent can compete in the market. This company was able to leverage technology effectively in order to specialize and fight back against disintermediation. It specializes in sales to only the European destination, but has used the internet as its primary communication channel in order to acquire customers from a broader geographic area. This strategy seems to have paid off. In fact, in 2004, sales were  £ 6.5 m and in 2008 they reached more the  £8.5 m (Haris and Duckworth, 2005). Similarly, Thomas Cook is another successful experience. By being the first travel agent in the UK, Thomas Cook can count on a very long history and tradition. Over the years it has experienced many changes in order to adapt to a competitive market. In 2007, it merged with the competitor MyTravel, and nowadays Thomas Cook is the UK’s largest retai l travel network. It aims to dominate both, conventional and innovative channel (Williamson A., 2001). Thomas Cook has indeed, a very strong position online and continues to open new branches every year. Therefore, Thomas Cook demonstrates not only how a travel agent can fight disintermediation, but also how to grow and prosper in the marketplace. CONCLUSION Upon the introduction of Internet technology, travel industry has been strongly affected by electronic commerce that contributed the most to the disintermediation of the channel. This is true in particular for travel agents. It is clear that disintermediation and re-intermediation exist in the travel sector. In the intermediate phase, traditional travel agencies dominate the market. However, as new EC-only travel agencies emerge in the market and build up their competitive abilities, traditional travel agencies lost over 50% market shares (Cheung and Lam, 2009). As a result of that many travel agencies merged or organized themselves into some form of collaboration such as franchising. In order to survive in this competitive travel market, agents need to reposition themselves as travel consultants, but also must be more technologically oriented. They must focus on consulting and niche markets. As suggested by the Economist (2002), travel  agents future will be based on helping custo mers to buy what they want, rather than selling what is left unsold by suppliers. They now must look out for consumers’ best interest by using IT resources to help them find the best product. Indeed, it is necessary an integration of conventional business with the new opportunities offered by the web, in order to add value for the client. That is probably one of the most difficult challenge that travel agents have to face. ICT must seen as an opportunity more than as a threat which allows travel agent to reach more customers, get more information and therefore, adding more value for the latter. The ability to use new technology will also make possible for travel agents to compete with the e-mediaries. Porter (1999, cited by Anckar, 2003) claimed that the internet is going to be the death of a lot of intermediaries. However, if this prevision may be true for certain intermediaries, at the moment and perhaps in the long run, it appears not to be valid for travel agents. REFERENCES Anckar, B. (2003) â€Å"Consumer Intentions in Terms of Electronic Travel Distribution†. E-service Journal, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 68-86 Anckar, B. (2006) Reassessment of the Efficacy of Self-booking in Travel. 39th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Available at: http://www.virtual-community.org/images/e/ef/250760132b.pdf Bennet, M. and Kevin Lai C. W. (2005) The impact of the internet on travel agencies in Taiwan. Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 6, No. 1, 2005, pp. 8-23. Bennett, M. and Buhalis, D. (2003) The Future for Internet Travel Distribution: the travel agent perspective, Insights, English Tourism Council, January 2003, pp. D.25-30. Available at: http://www.buhalis.com/buhalis/page/publications.htm Bray (2006) â€Å"The struggle over travel distribution,† Financial Times (15 May 2006) Buhalis, D. and Licata, M. C. (2001) The future eTourism intermediaries. Tourism Management, (2002) 207–220. Available at: www.elsevier.com Cheung, R. a nd Lam, P. (2006) How Travel Agency Survive in e-Business World? Communications of the IBIMA, Volume 10, 2009 ISSN: 1943-7765. Available at: http://www.ibimapublishing.com/journals/CIBIMA/volume10/v10n11.pdf Chircu, A. M. and Robert Kauffman, J. (1998) Strategies for internet middlemen in the intermediation / disintermediation / reintemediation cycle. The International Journal of Electronic Commerce and Business Media, 9, 2, 1999, pp. 109-117 Doherty, N. and Ellis- Chadwick, F. (2010) Internet retailing: the past, the present and the future. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management Vol. 38 No. 11/12, pp. 943-965. Available at: www.emeraldinsight.com/0959-0552.htm eMarketer Inc (2005) â€Å"Travel Agencies Online Report†. http://www.emarketer.com Gharavi, H. and Sor, R. (2005) Population ecology, institutionalism and the internet, Travel agencies evolving into middlemen. Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 19 No. 2, 2006 pp. 104-118. Available at: www.emeraldinsight.com/0953-4814.htm Harris, L. and Duckworth, K. (2005) Travel agents future. Published online in Wiley InterScience. Available at: www.interscience.wiley.com Hoontrakul, P. and Sahadev, S. (2006) Application of data mining techniques in the on-line travel industry, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, (2008), Vol. 26 No. 1, pp. 60-76. Available at: www.emeraldinsight.com/0263-4503.htm Huang, H. H. et al. (2006) Exploring Customer Satisfaction, Trust and Destination Loyalty in Tourism. The Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge, Vol. 10 Knight J. (2003) Can they fix it?, The Guardian. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2003/oct/05/observerescapesection1?INTCMP=SRCH Kracht, J. (2009) Examining the Tourism Distribution Channel: Evolution and Transformation. Pre print of paper, Emaral group Publishing. PDF document available at: http://www.hospitality.ucf.edu/faculty/raywang/documents/HFT7715/Technology%20strategy/Examing%20the%20Tourism%20Distribution%20Channel.pdf Kracht, J. and Wang, Y. (2009) Examining the tourism distribution channel: evolution and transformation. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Ma nagement, Vol. 22 No. 5, 2010, pp. 736-757. Available at: www.emeraldinsight.com/0959-6119.htm Law, L. and Lau, W. (2004) A Study of the Perceptions of Hong Kong Hotel Managers on the Potential Disintermediation of Travel Agencies. The Haworth Press. Available at: http://www.haworthpress.com/web/JTTM Law, R. and Lau, W. (2004) A Study of the Perceptions of Hong Kong Hotel Managers on the Potential Disintermediation of Travel Agencies. The Haworth Press. Available at: http://www.haworthpress.com/web/JTTM Law, R., Leung, K., and Wong, R. (2004) â€Å"The Impact of the Internet on Travel Agencies.† International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, pp. 100–107 Lawton , L. J. and Weaver, B. D. (2007) Travel Agency Threats and Opportunities: The Perspective of Successful Owners. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration, 10:68–92, 2009 McCubbrey, D. J. and Taylor, R. G. (2005). Disintermediation and Reintermediation in the U.S. Air Travel Distribution Industry. Communications of the Association for Information Systems , Volume 15, pp.464-477 Rosenbloom, B, (2007) Wholesaler’s Role in the Marketing Channel: Disintermediation vs. Reintermediation, Int. Rev. of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, Vol. 17, No. 4, 327 – 339. Rosenbluth International. http://www.Rosenbluth.com/ Rowley, J. (2002) Synergy and strategy in e-business. Marketing intelligence & planning. Available at: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregisters Taylor R. (2003) Writing on the wall for travel agents, The Guardian (12 April 2003). Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2003/apr/12/travelnews.guardiansaturdaytravelsection1?INTCMP=SRC The Economist (2002) â€Å"Fit for DIY; Travel Agents,† (1 June 2000). Available at: http://www.economist.com/node/1159511?story_id=E1_TTVJVTT Travel Industry Association of America. www.tia.org Williamson A. (2001) The Golden Age of Travel (Thomas Cook), ISBN: 1900341336 Wynne, C. (2000) the impact of internet on the distribution value channel. International Marketng Review, Vol. 18, N. 4, pp. 420- 431. Available at: http://www.emerald-library.com ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Global Reservation System used as a single point of access for reserving airline seats, hotel rooms, rental cars, and other travel related items by travel agents, online reservation sites, and large corporations (www.businessdictionary.com) [ 2 ]. Travel Technology initiative: www.tti.org

Sports in America

Sports in America In his essay Sports in America, James Michener argues that the role of sports in contemporary society has often been misconstrued by mass media and that there is very little understanding of the goals that sports should attain. This is the main thesis that the writer advances.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Sports in America specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In particular, he believes that reporters often overestimate the importance of athletic activities for the formation of a person’s character. Moreover, they should not assume that they can always help a person escape the dangers of a ghetto life. These are some of the main points that he makes. The main purpose of this essay is to make policy-makers, teachers, and parents to re-evaluate their views on sports. In order to elaborate his opinions, the author creates a very elaborate structure of the essay. First of all, he identifies the main objective of spo rts such as the promotion of healthy lifestyles and entertainment of individuals and the public. Secondly, the author identifies a set of stereotypes about sports and attempts to debunk them. For example, the writer focuses on the idea that athletic activities can develop the leadership skills of an individual. In the author’s opinion, good leadership of these people can be explained primarily by their self-discipline and intelligence (Michener 1031). Additionally, James Michener discusses various books that can give readers a better idea about the role of sports. Finally, the writer identifies the main problems that are associated with sports nowadays (Michener 1033). Overall, this structure helps the author to elaborate his ideas. It should be taken into consideration that James Michener does not directly identify the main readers of his essay. As it has been said before, this work is primarily intended for policy-makers, parents, educators and administrators of colleges or universities who may consider the ideas of the author. First of all, the writer uses a balanced and tentative tone that can appeal to these people. Moreover, the issues discussed by James Michener are related to the investment in sports and recreational infrastructure such as stadiums, the education of students, and the policies of the state. Thus, this essay is supposed to change the opinions of people take important decisions regarding the education of children or adolescents. It is also important to speak about the style and tone of this paper. One can say that the writer avoids the use of categorical statements. Instead, he attempts to create well-constructed arguments that are based on certain evidence or at least logical reasoning. Secondly, James Michener uses bullet points in order to better identify the main points of his essay (Michener 1033).Advertising Looking for essay on rhetoric? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn Mo re The author uses different types of sentences that include approximately fifteen or seventeen words. On the whole, one can say that his style, tone and word choice are quite clear. This is the main strength of his essay. Overall, this essay can be viewed as a great example of formal writing when the author has to put a well-developed argument. Moreover, this work shows how the writer can make a claim that may not necessarily appeal to the readers. To some extent, the author’s reasoning appears to be quite convincing. However, one should take into account that James Michener does not refer to any empirical studies that confirm his arguments. This is the main limitation of this essay. Nevertheless, it should be considered by policy-makers and educators. Michener, James. â€Å"Sports in America.† Literature for Composition: Essays, Stories,  Poems, and Plays. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: Pearson Education, 2010. 1028-1034. Print.

The Definition of a Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV)

The Definition of a Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV) ULEV is an acronym for Ultra Low Emission Vehicle. ULEVs release emissions that are 50 percent cleaner than the current average years models. ULEVs take the LEV, Low Emission Vehicle, standard a step further but dont yet qualify for Super-Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV)  status. Although already a concept in car manufacturers wheelhouse, the rise in popularity of ULEV vehicles came after a ruling by the California courts in 2004 that all new cars sold in the state must have at least a LEV rating. Similar measures passed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on vehicle emissions regulations have also given rise to the popularity of eco-friendly vehicles.   Origins of Low Emissions As a result of the EPAs 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act of 1970, light-duty vehicle manufacturing began to undergo a phased implementation of cleaner emissions standards. Typically restricting the output of too much carbon monoxide, non-methane organic gasses, oxides of nitrogen, formaldehyde, and particulate matter, these regulations sought to downsize the carbon footprint of the automobile industry in the United States. The phases of this plan rolled out Tier 1 classifications from 1994 through 1999 with Tier 2 implemented from 2004 to 2009.   As part of Californias 2004 low-emissions vehicle initiative, which provided much stricter regulations for qualifying as a low-emission vehicle, the tiers were further broken down into six sub-classifications: Transitional Low-Emissions Vehicles (TLEV), LEV, ULEV, SULEV, Partial-Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) and Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV). In 2009, President Barack Obama announced a new initiative to further decrease emissions outputs for American auto consumers. This included expanding the classifications definitions as well as standardizing Californias 2004 bill as a federally mandated program, requiring manufacturers to produce a net emissions output of their vehicles (meaning the combined average of each vehicles emissions rating) that equaled  more than 35.5 miles per gallon. Common Examples The number of ULEVs on the road has exponentially increased annually since 1994, though it wasnt until the 2010s that the market for LEVs really took off. Still, decades of experience have taught car manufacturers one thing: eco sells. More and more, companies are rushing to meet requirements for their vehicles to qualify as LEVs.   Examples of these Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicles have begun cropping up more and more frequently starting with 2007s Honda Odyssey minivan, the 2007  Chevrolet  Malibu Maxx and the 2007  Hyundai Accent. Prices are typically midrange for these mid-range low-emissions autos, encouraging more consumers to be eco-conscious with their driving habits.   Fortunately, the advent of such fuel economy measuring tools as the instant fuel economy display  also helps further combat fuel waste by alerting drivers to the real-time miles per gallon fuel consumption their car requires to operate given the drivers handling of the vehicle. Most cars produced in the United States now qualify at the very least as LEVs, with emissions across the board now down to less than one percent of emissions allowed in the U.S. in the 1960s.   Soon, hopefully, we will move further away from gasoline-reliant vehicles and instead switch to electric or hydro-powered engines.

Developing an Ethical Business Environment Essay

Developing an Ethical Business Environment - Essay Example (Kuhn, 2005, 12) Organizational management involves several serious tasks that concern not only the whole company but also its stakeholders. This is the reason why the need for the fine application of ethical leadership is essential for the pursuance of rightful managerial policing processes. Management, as known to many is a performed function in every organizational set up that is essential for arranging the activities of certain business groups. The said act of organizing a business group indeed requires a high level of leadership skills. As for this reason, governance then is considered a responsibility that demands effort and patience in dealing with other people (Humes-Schulz, 2002, 15). As the present human society advances to being economically global, the need for management especially on commercial business organizations is heightened. Hence, there are necessary points of consideration when good governance is being talked about. Today, as management of businesses deal with multicultural differences of the people making up the company, it could be noticed that the challenges in dealing with organizational matters becomes harder to deal with, hence, requiring more skillful attitudes and acts towards the responsibility of organizational management (Cragg, The Shopping Mall Challenge). Certainly, the following organizational issues are the major responsibilities that the leaders must address in their daily activities: - High Profile organizational Failures This concerns the issue that is concerned with the failure of the company, which in some way becomes controversial and in a way destroys the company's reputation in the business industry. Leaders of the organization should see to it that a certain measure of damage control should immediately be taken into consideration to be able to answer to the doubts raised against the company through the existence of the said issue. - Higher expectations on the part of the public sectors and regulators Since the business organizations are mostly aiming for globalization, the public then as well as with the regulators within the society have higher expectations form the organizational governance. Since the aim for progress is high, the effort to be placed forward should also account for the goals that are to be reached. - Increasing litigation and concerns about legal liability Because of being multinational, the business organizations today are subjected to more complex and more systematic legalities that give them their capabilities and limitations in operating with their business on certain countries around the world. - More takeovers, mergers, acquisitions Since the organizations are expected to become larger, the issue concerning the takeovers and merging of the organizations with other business companies, it easy to conclude that the responsibility of the governing department of any business organization subjects the leaders to resort to different resolutions to be able to deal with the said business transactions with other. - Global Competition and Technological change Carrying these things into consideration