Marketing plan for jetblue airlines Research Paper

Marketing plan for jetblue airlines - Research Paper Example The key competitors of JetBlue Airways Corporation are Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, US Airways, and United Airlines (Cederholm, 2014a). Although it has its bases in JFK International and New York City, the airline’s other focus cities are Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport, Logan International Airport  (Boston), Long Beach Airport, Luis Muà ±oz Marà ­n International Airport  (San Juan), and Orlando International Airport (Wynbrandt, 2004). The company’s fleet size is 310 reaching more than 87 destinations. The organization’s slogan with which it has spearheaded its marketing strategies is ‘You Above All’ (Handley, 2013). The company has more than 15,000 employees. Its net income, total assets and total equity are US$ 401 million  (2014), US$ 7.1  billion  (2012), and US$ 1.9  billion  (2012) respectively. JetBlue Airways Corporation runs low-cost passenger airline services in the US. It mainly operates on point-to-point routes across the USA from its principal bases in Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles/Long Beach, New York/JFK, or Orlando (Bomkamp, 2010). Its fleet consists of 120 Airbus A320 aircraft and 49 EMBRAER 190 aircraft, traveling to over 20 states (Schlangenstein, 2007). Through its subsidiary organizations, JetBlue provides extra services such as in-flight entertainment, voice communication and data connectivity services. These services by its subsidiaries target both commercial and general aviation aircraft. Moreover, JetBlue Airways has vacation packages, provided by its subsidiary, JetBlue Getaways website. This website also offers hotel and car rental reservations alongside the vacation packages. The company has numerous resources with which it can achieve greater heights through astute marketing. First, being among the latest entrants into the airline industry, JetBlue has one of the youngest and newest fleets in the skies. Second, it is a low-cost airline. Third, JetBlue

Great Expectations Essay Example for Free

Great Expectations Essay Dickens was known as one of the best authors and many of his books have stood the test of time. Great Expectations was first published in 1861 and to this present day remains to thrill and engage modern day readers. Clearly dickens must use a wide range of techniques to gain and sustain his readers interest.  A very good technique that dickens used in Great Expectations is Dickens larger than life characters that have been exaggerated to make the story come alive and more believable. A good example is Miss Havisham, as she is regularly described by Pip as some ghastly waxwork from the fair and having dark eyes. She is also described as a skeleton, and someone who had shrunk to skin and bone and having clothes that were faded and lost their brightness. This makes the reader perceive her as a very evil and dead person. This has a significant effect because this is the first time the reader meets Miss Havisham, and therefore builds up a first impression. This technique can also emphasise on one characteristic of a person. Another characteristic that dickens emphasises on is the change in character that Joe goes through when Pp becomes a gentleman. Dickens uses respectful dialogue for Joe, using words such as sir towards Pip. This is because at the time of the novel, if you came upon wealth, regardless of your morals and the way you acted t others, you would be considered to be a gentleman. So even though Pip appears ungrateful to Joe, Joe still shows dear respect to him, thus creating more distance between them. These well-portrayed characters are what brings the story to life, and therefore help keep the readers interest. Other than the characters being larger than life, many characters personalities clash, and are extremely opposite. For instance, when Pip is describing Mrs Joe and Joe, he describes Joe as mild, good-natured, sweet-tempered, easy going, foolish, dear fellow. However, he describes the way that Mrs Joe presents herself, as having a coarse apron, an impregnable bib that was stuck full of pins and needles and having a trenchant way of cutting. These two characters are very different as the nasty. Nightmarish, way that Mrs Joe dresses, with her dangerous needles and her impregnable apron, is contradictory to Joes easy manner and his kind gentle touch. It is strange that these two could forge a relationship, as there is a role-reversal issue because Mrs Joe is a brute, with her trenchant way of cutting and a rather manly attitude. Whereas Joe shows a kind and affectionate attitude towards Pip. It would also seem that Mrs Joe has an angry personality towards Pip and Joe as she bought them up by hand. I believe that this technique is very good because it creates variety, contrast and very exciting situations to keep the interest of the reader. In Great expectations there is a wide use of similes and metaphors, which can also be used to describe characters sometimes. For example when Pip describes the way in which Mrs Joe Gargery cuts bread he says she had a trenchant way of cutting the bread, and hewed it in half. This can be reflected upon as her character being strong, brutal, and savage. This can be backed up by the example that Pip and Joe were raised by hand. This is also a more physical approach to her character. These similes and metaphors are also a more exciting way of describing a character. This is also keeps the reader much more engaged and less likely to resign from the gripping novel. Throughout the novel on several occasions there are ironic twists in the story line. A very ironic moment is when Pip finds out that who his real benefactor is. Magwitch turns up at Pips door and later ecstatically claims this is the gentleman I made! This moment is a real moral blow to Pip and is very crushing to find out Miss Havisham was not his real benefactor. This is an ironic twist because the very person that helped Pip become a gentleman was in fact a convict. Another ironic moment is that Estella, although she is rich and upper class, was adopted from a lower class background, so just like Pip, she is now rich, but her heritage lies lower down. Pip was visiting Jaggers house and he noticed that the way the housekeeper presented herself and the way she knitted with her fingers together convinced him that this woman was Estellas mother. This is ironic because Estella, although she acts very proud of being upper class and is exceedingly harsh to Pip, has a heritage that lies in the lower class, as Miss Havisham adopted her from the housekeeper. Its these exciting twists in the story line, that are unpredictable, that make Great Expectations such a gripping novel, that along with all the other techniques, fully gains and sustains the readers interest.

Gregor Mendels Fruit Flies Essay -- Biology Gregor Mendel Essays

Gregor Mendel's Fruit Flies Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From simple heredity experiments with garden peas, to cloning sheep, the field of genetics has come a long way. Now we are closer to mapping out the human genetic map due to advances in technology, and years and years of research. Perhaps the most influential and groundbreaking scientist, Gregor Mendel, he was responsible to provide a path to where genetics is now today with his experiments of garden peas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In lab, fruit flies were crossed to observe inheritance patterns in their offspring. The motivation for this was to further understand how genes and characteristics are inherited. To use fruit flies would be much more effective and easier because of a couple of reasons. The genetic makeups of the flies only consist of 4 pairs of chromosomes. This makes it easier to spot characteristics, and is easily distinguishable. Another plus to using flies is that fruit flies can produce a whole new generation of offspring in two weeks, which is very convenient for researchers. This is why files are used instead of humans, but not only time, ethics have also been a major, if not the most important factor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The traits observed here in this experiment were the wing types, whether vestigial or normal, and the eye color, whether brown or white. The genotype of the vestigial wing was a homozygous recessive vv. The normal wings were either Vv, or VV. The eye color was denoted by the genotype BB, and Bb for brown, and bb for...

Human Event Essay

Point: to argue that a balance of both texts' strategies are most effective l. Opening sentences] define leadership. What makes a good leader. Or a quote from a good leader II. Background on Chinese historic] In 500 BC, the Chou Dynasty was falling apart and there was civil strife. Confucius tried to bring people together through ritual and culture. Sun Tug was an ancient ill. No one can follow a leader without a balance of both strict rules and humanity lb.Thesis: Although the Confucius and Sun Tug share different points of view on leadership, a balance of both strategies would e the most effective in times of both war and peace. II. Rebuttal I. Include somewhere either in beginning or the end. I'. Each theory on political leadership is different and can be used effectively and separately because there is more than one way to win the hearts of the people. Ill. Confucius can easily win the hearts of the people through the moral values and cultures of China lb.Sun Tug can easily win a war through his strategic skills and defense tactics Ill. How Confucius strategies alone will not work. His teachings are all about the value and culture. He doesn't give the best advice as to how to win a war though I. 13. 120 â€Å"even with a true king, it would certainly take one generation for humanity to prevail† if. 12. 210 â€Å"always put the effort before the reward; is this not the way to accumulate moral power? To attack evil in itself ill. 8. 90 â€Å"you can make people follow the Way, you cannot make them understand it† define what the Way means. Lb. 5. 00 † there was a time went I used to listen to what people said and trusted that they would act accordingly, but not I listen to what they say and watch what they do† e contradicts himself v. 2. 30 â€Å"lead them by political maneuvers, restrain them with punishments: the people will become cunning and shameless. † Another contradiction IV. How Sun Tutu's strategies alone will not wo rk. Book doesn't display any uses of humanity and only focuses on how to gain victory. L. â€Å"In order to kill the enemy, men must be roused to anger; that there may be advantage from defeating the enemy, they must have their rewards† (46) ii.Sun Tug beheads two girls for disobeying him and disobeys his master by beheading them when he said not to hen says â€Å"there are commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed† (12). Sun Tug shows no humanity in his leadership and performs his actions to prove a point I†. â€Å"In war, the way to avoid what is strong is to strike what Is weak† too harsh on people. (62) iv. â€Å"He wins his battles by making no mistakes† (53) must complete perfection to gain victory, but no one is perfect and every one will make a mistake at some point. V. The use of humanity and kindness by Confucius.There is no need to kill the bad if unnecessary. I. 12. 190 â€Å"suppose I were to kill the bad to help the good; how about that? â€Å"you are here to govern; what need Is there to kill? If you desire what Is good, the people will be good. The moral power of gentleman Is wind, the moral power of the common man Is grass. Under the wind, the grass must bend. † II. 12. 220 love all men and no one contradicts you-is this not almost a case of ‘one single maxim that could ruin a country? † must understand your own faults even as a leader or else whole country will fall ‘v. . 190 â€Å"raise the straight and set them above the crooked, and you will win the hearts of the people. If you raise the crooked and set them abaca the trait, the people will deny you their support† v. 2. 200 ‘Approach them with dignity and they will be respectful. Be yourself and a good son and a kind father, and they will be loyal. Raise the good and train the incompetent, and they will be zealous† VI. The use of spies and deceit by Tug can be used effectively to ensure your country or even company will succeed. I. â€Å"all warfare is based on deception† (42) it.Explain how all 5 uses of spying can be used. â€Å"Without subtle ingenuity of mind, one cannot make certain of the truth of their reports† (98) iii. Doomed spies are robbery the most confusing and difficult type of spy but can be the most helpful because it will distract the other side from the real truth. ‘v. Uses deceit to win war, be very tricky. Best way to gain an advantage on your enemy. † if he is inactive, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected† (43) VI'.Combining both strategies and how it will prove to be most effective in leading a country or wartime against other countries. Effective way to rule a country with the balancing of both strategies ill help because one is more on humanity and ritual while the other is more on war and doing anything possible to win. I. 12. 70 â⠂¬Å"if you had to do without one of these three, which would you give up? † â€Å"weapons, then food; after all, everyone has to die eventually. But without the trust of the people, no government can stand† gaining trust will be effective in ruling a country. People must trust the leader or else he will not be followed. T. 8. 20 â€Å"when gentlemen treat their kin generously, common people are attracted to goodness; when old ties are not forgotten, common people are not sickle. † iii. 7. 310 â€Å"whenever I make a mistake, there is always someone to notice it† good to learn your mistakes even as a leader. No one is perfect not even leaders ‘v. 7. 260 â€Å"a perfect man, I cannot hope to meet. I would be content if only I could meet a principled man† no leader will be perfect and the leader must be well taught and know literature v. â€Å"in war, a general receives his commands from the sovereign, collects his army and concentrates his forc es† (69) vi. . 70 â€Å"a gentleman avoids competition† goes well with â€Å"when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces we must seem inactive† (42 vii. â€Å"Hence it is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for purposes of spying, and thereby they achieve great results† (99) viii. â€Å"the general who is unable to control his impatience will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants, with the result that one-third of his men are slain. † (49) VIII. So now what? Today's society I. Apply to our past presidents and how they led our country ii.How these leadership philosophies can be applied to businesses iii. Explain how philosophies are applied to the war strategies we use today Write an argumentative analytic comparison of the political leadership philosophies advanced in The Analects of Confucius and The Art of War. For example, your thesis might compare the id eas of Sun Tug and Confucius on political leadership and argue (I. E. , in times of war/peace, for democracies/monarchies, etc. ), you might argue that a balance of both texts' strategies are most effective, you might argue that both texts are fundamentally advocating similar behaviors, etc.

Organizational Environments and Cultures

————————————————- PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT ————————————————- CHAPTER 3: ORGANIZATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS AND CULTURES 1. HOW CHANGING ENVIRONMENTS AFFECT ORGANIZATIONS Environmental change: The rate at which a company’s general and specific environment changes * Stable environments: the rate of environmental change is slow * Dynamic environments: the rate of environmental change is fast * Punctuated equilibrium theory: companies go through long periods of stability, followed by a short complex period of dynamic change (revolutionary periods) to later return to stability * Environmental complexity: Refers to the number and intensity of external factors in the environment that affect organizations * Simple environments: few environmental factors Complex environmen ts: many environmental factors * Resource scarcity: Refers to the abundance or shortage of critical organizational resources in an organization external environment * Uncertainty: How well managers can understand or predict the external changes and trends affecting their business * Uncertainty is lowest when environmental change and complexity are at low levels and resource scarcity is small (if environment is not too complicated and doesn’t change much it’s easy to predict) . FOUR COMPONENTS OF GENERAL ENVIRONMENT: 1. Economy * It influences basic business decisions such as whether to hire more employees, expand production, or take out loans to purchase * In a growing economy more products are bought and sold, more people work and salaries rise; and viceversa (in shrinking economy) * Business Confidence Indices: shows how confidente actual managers are about future business growth 2. Political/Legal Trends Includes legislation, regulations, and court decisions that go vern and regulate business behaviour * New laws and regulations continue to impose additional responsibilities to companies 3. Sociocultural Trends * Demographic characteristics, general behaviour, attitudes and beliefs of people in a particular society 4. Technological Trends * Refers to the knowledge, tools and techniques used to transform inputs into outputs 3. FIVE COMPONENTS OF SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTThe specific environment is the environment that is unique to a firm’s industry and that directly affects the way it conducts day-to-day business. 1. Customer: * Monitoring customer’s changing wants and needs is critical to business success. It can be done in two ways: i. Reactive customer monitoring: identifying and addressing customer trends and problems after they occur ii. Proactive customer monitoring: identifying and addressing customer needs, trends and issues before they occur 2. Competitor: Companies need to keep close track of what their competitors are doing * To do so, they perform a competitive analysis * A competitive analysis involves deciding who your competitors are, anticipating competitors’ moves, and determining competitors’ strenghts and weaknesses 3. Supplier: * Supplier dependence: the degree to which a company relies on that supplier because of the importance of the supplier’s product to the company * Buyer dependence: the degree to which a supplier relies on a buyer because of the importance of that buyer to the supplier’s sales * A igh degree of supplier or buyer dependence can lead to oportunistic behaviour (benefiting at the expense of the other) * In contrast, relationship behaviour focuses on establishing a mutually beneficial, long-term relationship between buyers and suppliers 4. Industry Regulations: * Regulations and rules that govern the practices and procedures of specific industries, businesses and professions * Unlike the political/legal component of the general environment, this doe s not affect all businesses 5. Advocacy Groups: These are groups of concerned citizens who band together to try to influence the business practices of specific industries, businesses and professions * e. g. environmental advocacy groups try to influence manufacturers to pollute less * Ways in which advocacy groups can influence businesses: iii. Public communications: voluntary participation of media industry to send out the group’s message iv. Media advocacy: involves framing the group’s concern as public issues that affect everyone, forcing media coverage v.Product boycott: advocacy groups actively try to persuade consumers not to purchase a company’s product or service 4. MAKING SENSE OF CHANGING ENVIRONMENTS Because external environments can be dynamic, confusing and complex, managers use a three-step process to make sense of the changes in their external environments: 1. Environmental scanning: * Searching the environment for important events or issues that might affect the organization * Manager scan the environment to reduce incertainty 2.Interpreting Environmental factors: * After scanning, the company determines what environmental events and issues mean to the organization. * Distinguish environmental events as either threats or opportunities 3. Actiong on threats and opportunities: * Managers decide how to respond to these environmental factors * Because it is impossible to comprehend all the factors and changes, managers rely on Cognitive maps that summarize the perceived relationships between environmental factors and possible organizational actions 5.INTERNAL ENVIRONMENTS – ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE Organizational culture is the set of beliefs, values and attitudes shared b members of an organization. * Creating an Organizational Culture: * The founder is the primary source of an organization’s culture * Founders create organizations at their own image * When founders are gone, culture is kept with: i. Stories: to em phasize culturally consistent assumptions, decisions, and actions ii. Heroes: people admired for their qualities and achievements within the organization. Successful Organizational Cultures: * Are Adaptable * Have employee involvement * Have a clear company vision * Are Consistent, Strong culture (even though strong cultures reduce adaptability) * Changing Organizational Cultures: * Culture has three levels: iii. Seen (surface level) iv. Heard (expressed values & beliefs) v. Believed (unconscious assumptions & beliefes) * Managers should only focus on the parts of the culture they can control, those are the surface level items and expressed values and beliefs

The Success of Carrefour Hypermarkets

The Success of Carrefour Hypermarkets Case Background Carrefour is the world largest foodstuff retail chains in volume sales; the hypermarkets have their head office at Levallois-Perret, France; Lars Olofsson and  Amaury de Sà ¨ze opened the company’s first branch on June 3, 1957 at Annecy, France.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Success of Carrefour Hypermarkets specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To remain competitive in the fast changing and competitive retail industry, the company ensures it has established its outlets in strategic locations and has an appealing internal design/layout to facilitate fast shopping and create good impression to its customers (Carrefour Official Website). This paper discusses Carrefour’s location and design strategies. Location To ensure that the company gets to its target customers effectively, it is located in places of high population; areas that they expect to have a large customer base. The company offers fresh products thus, they need to be close to the consumers as possible. The locations include in shopping malls, shopping centres, airports and in emerging towns, depending with the location, the products that the company stocks varies. For example, the company sells fast foods at airports in their kitchen section. In every chain, the company ensures that there is ample parking that customers can use when shopping, the locations are also accessible when using public means and when having a personal means of transport. The location of the hypermarkets offers a pleasant experience to customers, they feel their needs are catered for within any chain; this helps in creating customer loyalty and confidence with a hypermarket (Carrefour Official Website) Internal design and the effect on customers The company offers more than 3,000 non-food items; some of these items include cosmetics, furniture, electronics, office equipments, and kitchenwares. To ensure that customers are able to get products in a shopping mall, the company has created a pleasant and easy to follow internal design; it has divided the malls into sections offering similar goods and they are well label. For example, vegetables are found in the same section, electronic and kitchenware in the same section. When a customer is not able to trace a commodity, the staffs are willing and ready to assist, they are well versed with the structure and the way the chain of supermarkets have been arranged, this assists in easy guidance inside the chain.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is a policy that all companies operating under the name of Carrefour has the same arrangement strategy; this strategy assists international consumers be able to buy from any chain of the company. To effectively manage the multibillion stores, the company manages an orchestrate team. For an effective oper ation, Carrefour requires an optimal combination of physical and human resources. Well-trained and experienced work force is the greatest asset that an organization can have; it is through human resources that an organisation exists. The company ensures that there is good customer service offered by the staffs at all level; staffs are expected to have high morale and good mastery of the chain of markets and how they are planned. In case a customer feels that he/she want shopping guide, the company is willing to offer some. There are good shopping trolleys that have engine in case someone needs (Fred 12-56). Conclusion The success of Carrefour hypermarkets can be attributed to its strategic locations and quality customer service. The company has appearing internal designs where products of the same categories are placed in the same segment to facilitate fast shopping. Carrefour Official Website. Carrefour UAE. 2011.Web. Fred, David. Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases. New Jers ey: Pearson Education, 2008.Print.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Success of Carrefour Hypermarkets specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More

Closing Case Essays

Closing Case Essays Closing Case Paper Closing Case Paper CLOSING CASE FOR CHAPTER 4 WAL-MART’S CHINESE SUPPLIERS Wal-Mart is the world’s largest retailer. It built to dominance on the mantra of â€Å"everyday low prices†. The low price has required Wal-Mart to source many of the goods it sells from factories that operate at the low cost. Wal-Mart has an ethical supplier’s code of conduct. Amongst other things in the code of conduct are: 1. The supplier do not employ under wage labour 2. They must pay the labour at least the legal minimum wage for the nation 3. Do not make employees work excessive overtime 4. Adhere to basic safety standards So, Wal-Mart decided to audit the factories of its supplier. If the factory is found to have four high- risk violations in a two year, it is banned from producing goods for Wal-Mart for one year. Tang Yinghong is a manager of a Chinese factory that supplies pen, mechanical pencils and highlighters to Wal-Mart. The factory had already three high-risk violations. Tang hired a consultant from a Shaghai consulting company for the factory would get past from the audit. The company advice Tang on how to create fake but authentic looking records and suggested Tang hustle any workers grievance out of the factory on the day of the audit. They also teach Tang on what questions to expect from the auditor and how to answer. Factory manager produced time sheet showily each working put in an eight hour a day and was paid double from the local minimum wage of $0. 43 cents per hour. But, when auditor interviews the workers, they said they were paid less than minimum wage and they obliged to work on extra three to five hours a day without overtime pay. The factory manager claims that Wal-Mart puts constant pressure on them to reduce price, so they decide to falsify their records. From the problem, Wal-Mart has recognized the problem and started to work with some of its supplier to help them improve their productivity. CASE DISCUSSION 1. Yes, it is legitimate for an enterprise like Wal-Mart to demand that its suppliers adhere to a code of ethics. The benefits of this practice to Wal-Mart are: * Can get higher revenue because the company get demand positive consumer report. * Improved brand and business awareness and recognition * Better supplier motivation * Better employee motivation and recruitment * They can get new sources of finance for example from ethical investors. The costs of this practice are: * The company will incurred higher cost for example fees for the auditor * It is especially difficult because standards for what constitutes ethical behaviour lie in a grey zone where clear-cut right-versus wrong answers may not always exist. 2. The impact upon ethical behaviour at its suppliers is they will do unethical things like Tang, China factory manager; he was falsifying the record of the company. This is because they want to meet the Wal-Mart’s demand and do not want to lose the contract between the factory and Wal-Mart. 3. No, Wal-Mart not doing enough to ensure the suppliers adhere the code of conduct. They can do: * The company must actively communicate and evaluate the implementation of a code of conduct and ethical practices in all suppliers. * Act to prevent and follow up harassment and discrimination. * Make awareness of ethical practices 4. No, the company do not should do business in countries because the behaviour has been widespread and it will highly probable other company will follow the practice. It must be a useful teaching for the company and other company that they must follow the code of conduct.

3 Types of Erroneously Located Modifiers

3 Types of Erroneously Located Modifiers 3 Types of Erroneously Located Modifiers 3 Types of Erroneously Located Modifiers By Mark Nichol The three sentences below demonstrate related syntactical errors: a misplaced adjective clause, a misplaced modifier, and a dangling participle, respectively. Discussion following each example explains the error, and a revision solves it. 1. Shortly after Smith spoke, Jones’s ruling was released, which was in favor of groups who say the state provides constitutionally inadequate mental health care for prison inmates. The parenthetical in this sentence, and adjective clause, must immediately follow not the phrase that includes the noun to which it pertains but the noun itself: â€Å"Shortly after Smith spoke, Jones’s ruling, which was in favor of groups who say the state provides constitutionally inadequate mental health care for prison inmates, was released.† 2. Even as he reassured them that their jobs were safe at the morning meeting, he told other advisers he knew he needed to make big changes. This sentence contains a misplaced modifier that suggests that the jobs were safe at the morning meeting, but they were safe in general, so the additional, nonessential information â€Å"at the morning meeting† should immediately follow the part of the sentence that it modifies: â€Å"Even as he reassured them at the morning meeting that their jobs were safe, he told other advisers he knew he needed to make big changes.† 3. After electing to take another flight, we are reaching out to the passenger to resolve this issue. The participial phrase (so called because it includes a participle- in this case, electing) features a dangling participle because the phrase refers to the passenger but immediately precedes the subject we. Often, a sentence that includes a dangling participle is easily revised by changing the subject so that it pertains to the participial phrase, but in this case, the result would be the awkwardly passive statement â€Å"After electing to take another flight, the passenger was contacted so that we could resolve this issue.† A better alternative is to convert the participial phrase to an independent clause: â€Å"The passenger elected to take another flight, and we are reaching out to her to resolve this issue.† 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 Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 English Grammar Rules You Should Know20 Rules About Subject-Verb AgreementNeither... or?

Explain how and why the LIGHT BULB works Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Explain how and why the LIGHT BULB works - Essay Example To understand how the light bulb works one needs to know the basic physics behind light energy. Light is the energy that atoms release. It is composed of small particles or energy packets. These particles have momentum and have zero mass. These are called photons and constitute the basic unit of light. When an atom releases photons, it indicates that the electrons in that atom have become excited or possess a higher level of energy. Electrons are negatively charged particles and orbit around the nucleus of an atom. These electrons have set orbital pattern; an atom has different levels of these orbits. Each electron revolves in fixed orbit based on the energy it possesses.1 The speed and distance from the nucleus also determined on which level an electron revolves. The general principle is when an electron possesses higher energy level it is further away from the nucleus. In principle when an atom loses or gains energy this energy change is exhibited through the motions of the electrons. An electron might get a temporary boost in its energy level and jump to a higher orbit. This action is temporary, and an electron holds this position for merely a fraction of a second. And in an instant it returns to its original position. When an electron returns to its lower energy level, it releases this extra energy or a photon; this is the fundamental principle of what goes on inside lightbulb. To understand how this phenomenon is implemented in this tool we need to look at the structure of the lightbulb. Lightbulb has a simple structure. It has two metal contacts at the base connecting the ends of an electrical circuit. The metal contacts are connected to two stiff wires that are attached to a thin metal filament. This filament sits in the middle of the bulb supported by a glass mount. This filament and the connecting wires are surrounded by a glass bulb2. The glass bulb has no oxygen in it (Nobleman, 2003).

English teacher training in Sausi Arabia in light of the challenges of Research Proposal

English teacher training in Sausi Arabia in light of the challenges of reality and taking into account the requirements of the labor market - Research Proposal Example This may be caused by some of the reasons such as poor teach training, in-sufficient language learning settings, students’ immoderate attitudes, inappropriate materials or an amalgamation of all of the above mentioned causes (Al-Mohanna, 2008). Additionally, the educational system prevails over the use of the Arabic language, which is widely talked and understood throughout the academic world. Although this do not contribute the problems as much as the other factors, yet the English language finds a very less active response from the teachers involved in teaching English language. English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers have found the presence of sufficiently unqualified teachers in the Gulf region (Syed, 2003, p.337) and EFL teacher preparation programs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia can be understood as inadequate and nonsystematic (Al-Hazmi, 2003, p.341). Within the last four decades, graduates from the faculties of arts and graduates of college and education affiliated with the Saudi universities have been enabled to provide the services for EFL teachers in the country (Al-Hazmi, 2003, p.341). These teachers are trained and are provided with the bachelor’s degrees and associate’s degrees in the literature and in the English language. Additionally, colleges of education serve the students by educating them in the educational aspects; on the other hand, colleges of arts enable students to become English-Arabic translation specialists or English specialist, which may not be necessarily to enthrone them on the required level of English teache rs. Furthermore, both colleges of arts and EFL graduates of colleges of education are required to undergo a 4-year program; in which they are polished by offering courses in English literature, English language skills, applied linguistics, translation and linguistics. In

Management of Family Owned Real Estate Properties in London Dissertation

Management of Family Owned Real Estate Properties in London - Dissertation Example 1.3 Statement of the problem Fritz (1997) conducted management studies, which explored some of the complexities/ difficulties that are normally encountered in the management of family owned business and he concluded that the management of family owned businesses is quite different from other types of businesses and even the difficulties experienced are unique and rarely experienced in other types of business. In the studies conducted by Fritz (1997), he established that there are five common complexities that are normally experienced in the management of family owned business including real estate business. These complexities include family feuding that arises due to failure of the family members to separate their personal lives and business. The other complexities include nepotism, lack of a proper succession plan, inclusion of emotions in the running of the business, and the loss of crucial non-family employees who may opt to leave the company because of family conflicts and restricted growth opportunities since certain senior positions are preserved for the family members. It is because of these common complexities that family members of real estate businesses in London opt to use the services of property agents in order to avoid encountering these common complexities (Poutziouris et al 2006). 1.4 Research objective To establish how property agents have reduced the complexities involved in the management of family-owned real estate properties in London 1.5 Research objectives

Challenging Conventional Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Challenging Conventional Leadership - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that in the era of a knowledge-based economy, extensive human resources can help an organization attain significant competitive advantage and the same has been recognized by the elites of the organizations. In the meanwhile, empowerment is highly recommended as a tactic to foster employee commitment towards the organization thereby implementing changes. Such is the trait of unconventional leaders. They tend to empower rather than instruct. This suggests that enhancing an organization’s leadership capability which in turn fosters organizational commitments becomes the focal point of change management in an organization. Empirical literatures have suggested that, organizations require a modern leadership style at a time when the organization itself is going through a turbulent phase. In such a context the new leadership style has been deemed appropriate by many researchers.This paper highlights that  conventional leadership style gives more sta bility to the organization. This is precisely because they tend to go by the book and their leadership style is not reckless in nature. However, many a times it has been seen that a conventional leaders tend to overlook innovation. They are more likely to encourage activity, action and work rather than encouraging innovation, ideas and fun.  The topic as to which leadership style is more appropriate has been largely debated by many researchers throughout the world, yet a rigid conclusion has never been reached.

Business Management of Organization Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Management of Organization - Assignment Example In order to respond to these challenges, managers are developing new institutional designs, which include multi-firm collaborative networks and self-managing teams (ASTD Press, 2006). Managers have come up with creative ways of thinking and addressing a firm’s management processes and strategies, encompassing new methods of talent management, performance management, ethical leadership, and entrepreneurship. This paper will seek to discuss about business management of an organization by looking into prospects like strengths of a future manager. Strengths as a Future Manager As a manager in the future, one must cultivate strengths that consist of the ability or position to find and capitalize on an employee’s unique characteristics. Generally, great managers revolve one guiding principle, which seeks to understand how to transform an employee’s unique traits or talent into satisfactory performance. This is so because, the way to success follows the ability to chang e unimaginable trait into a realistic action (Drucker, 2012). In addition, for one to become a successful manager in the future, he or she must possess strength of inspiring employees. Inspiration, according to business analysts, is a crucial yet a rare aspect of management. Strong managers are brilliant enough to spot the unique differences that separate certain employees from others and have the capability to lead via example (Cherry, Connor, & Earner-Sparks, 2011). Leading as an example act as an inspiration on the side of employees. Inspiration plays a pragmatic role in achieving the set goals of an organization. The ability to lead is an atypical thing as it is inborn. As such, becoming a strong and successful manager in the future requires distinct optimism and keenness. A strong manager should therefore harness deep-seated belief in his actions (ASTD Press, 2006). Business sociologists claim that one of the biggest fears of a human being is the fear of the future. In modern-d ay leadership, managers traffic in the future. Analysts point out that managers can overcome the fear of the future by building confidence within themselves and passing it in their followers by investing clarity. Future managers should focus on results, customers, teamwork, and advent decision making as well as problem solving (Mukherjee, 2005). Development Areas as a Future Manager Management development describes a structured process in which managers improve their competencies, knowledge, and/or skills through formal and/or informal learning systems with reference to the benefit of the individual and organizational performance. Areas where a future manager should resolve to develop include the field of experience, knowledge, career advancement, and decision-making process. In order to face future challenges as a manager, one should dedicate their time to develop skills and abilities suitable for leading other employees effectively (Cherry, Connor, & Earner-Sparks, 2011). Specific ally, when managers develop skills and abilities necessary for handling future challenges, existing pressures, and given assignments, organizations become successful. This happens because the leading managers have the relevant skills for executing tasks and responsibilities with minimum ease and time. This shows that managers should develop skills an

Challenging Conventional Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Challenging Conventional Leadership - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that in the era of a knowledge-based economy, extensive human resources can help an organization attain significant competitive advantage and the same has been recognized by the elites of the organizations. In the meanwhile, empowerment is highly recommended as a tactic to foster employee commitment towards the organization thereby implementing changes. Such is the trait of unconventional leaders. They tend to empower rather than instruct. This suggests that enhancing an organization’s leadership capability which in turn fosters organizational commitments becomes the focal point of change management in an organization. Empirical literatures have suggested that, organizations require a modern leadership style at a time when the organization itself is going through a turbulent phase. In such a context the new leadership style has been deemed appropriate by many researchers.This paper highlights that  conventional leadership style gives more sta bility to the organization. This is precisely because they tend to go by the book and their leadership style is not reckless in nature. However, many a times it has been seen that a conventional leaders tend to overlook innovation. They are more likely to encourage activity, action and work rather than encouraging innovation, ideas and fun.  The topic as to which leadership style is more appropriate has been largely debated by many researchers throughout the world, yet a rigid conclusion has never been reached.

Child Abuse Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Child Abuse Paper - Essay Example (Roberts) It is both shocking and disheartening that the abuse of children, despite the legal sanctions in place in every part of the world, is still so rampant. This paper will attempt to discuss the history of child abuse, the different forms of the crime and the punishment set for abusers. Historical Background Throughout history, children have been abused and neglected. This is said to be a result of the low value placed on children. (Weisberg) The maltreatment of children has its roots in ancient times. Two examples from the Bible that stand out are when a Pharaoh orders babies to be killed during Moses’ time and when King Herod instructs the killing of infants during Christ’s birth. It is said that children were considered â€Å"property† in ancient times and were easily sold, mutilated, killed or used as sacrifice for the gods. (Volpe) This disregard for children continued until the Middle Ages. During this period, unwanted children served as apprentices w hile those with deformities were declared omens of evil and were killed. (Child Abuse) Parents and even teachers in the Medieval Period believed that beating the child was the norm for instilling discipline. (Snell) Because society did not see it wrong parents teach their children by way of spanking or hitting the latter, most of the reported cases of child abuse were between masters and servants, who were children. (Child Abuse) The case of Mary Allen McCormack in 1874 was the first time a victim of child abuse was brought out in the open. McCormack had been given up for adoption and was physically abused by her adoptive mother until her neighbors brought her case to the Department of Public Charities and Corrections. (Markel) Ironically, the case was initiated by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as there were no laws to protect children from physical abuse inflicted by parents. Fortunately, the case triggered movements for the formulation and enforceme nt of laws to rescue and protect abused children. (Watkins) Forms of Child Abuse According to the World Health Organization, child abuse and neglect is defined as â€Å"all forms of physical and emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation that results in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, development or dignity.† (Child Maltreatment) Physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect and negligent treatment, emotional abuse and exploitation are the five types of child abuse. Each of these may be described in various ways in different nations. In the United States for example, although the Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) gives the minimum criterion for physical child abuse, child neglect, and sexual abuse, it also only defines sexual abuse and special cases concerning withholding or failing to provide medically indicated treatment. (Pecora, et. al.) Physical abuse is generally inflicting bodily harm to a child when in anger. The trauma should be non-accidental. This is also referred to battered child syndrome. People who beat children are often those abused themselves when they were young. Nevertheless, alcoholism, domestic violence, drug abuse, lack of education, poverty and being a single parent can increase the risk of abuse. (Child Abuse -

The Influence of the Roman Empire Essay Example for Free

The Influence of the Roman Empire Essay The culture of ancient Rome casts a long shadow over our lives in the twenty-first century. Even if we don’t remember the origins, the influence of the ancient Romans can be seen all around us. Many buildings of high importance in the western world show the traditions of Roman architecture. The founding fathers of the United States drew upon Roman examples to craft our laws and design our system of government. The Roman influence on language, politics and military science are immeasurable. The ancient Romans were the world’s first superpower. Their achievements, and the seeds of their destruction, are mirrored in our society today. Master Builders The Romans were master builders. Combining what they knew from Greek architecture with their own innovations they constructed spectacular monuments roads aqueducts, arenas and other structures. Many of today’s buildings show the direct influence of ancient Rome. The Romans revolutionized road building. Their systems of roads are the models for our modern day cities. Advances in concrete production made these roads and many other buildings possible. The Romans might have been remembered even if this was their only accomplishment. The source of their vast influence on modern construction stems from their abilities to combine technological advances with functionality and aesthetics. The Romans also perfected the science of arch building. That science is alive and well today in our bridges and buildings. The Romans realized that the arch was an extremely strong, as well as beautiful, architectural form. They used it to full effect in their forums, aqueducts, churches and monuments. Our modern sports stadiums still resemble the Roman prototypes. The Romans devised an ingenious design to move large numbers of people in and out efficiently. The Flavian amphitheatre could seat 50,000 spectators, a number rivaling many of today’s stadiums. The ancient Romans were early innovators of â€Å"big entertainment.† Fox writes that the Romans were â€Å"conspicuous in history for the scale of public entertainment. The huge arenas hosted music, plays, chariot races and gladiator games. Like today, these entertainments were a cultural touchstone for the ancient Romans. One way the early Roman republic communicated with the citizens was through its coinage. The government often added phrases to the coins when minted. These phrases might state the grandeur of the empire or communicate the expectations of the larger state to each individual citizen. The coinage tradition has continued to this day. Most U.S. currency bears a phrase such as â€Å"E Pluribus Unum† (out of many, one). Not coincidentally, these phrases are written in Latin, the language of the ancient Romans. This is just one indicator of the influence of the Latin language throughout the world. As an empire, the Romans carried the language and tradition of Latin through large portions of the world. â€Å"Latin remained for centuries the common language of Europe and for longer still the language of the Catholic Church†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Wells, 1984). The Republic The Roman republic was in place prior to 500 B.C. In 100 B.C. Julius Caesar was born, beginning the succession of Julio-Claudian leaders. By 79 A.D. the empire had disintegrated, but Roman concepts of law and government would carry a heavy influence for many centuries to come. In 18 B.C. the first substantial laws were enacted. These laws penalized adultery and childlessness and promoted childbirth. Like many of our laws today, these laws served a dual purpose. The Roman state needed more people, primarily to replace those who had been lost in a series of brutal wars. At the same time, the laws were a reflection of the prevailing morality of the day. Most countries no longer have comparable laws, but the motivations for the laws remain the same. Laws are part pragmatic, part moral. The early Roman republic was progressive and populist in nature. Offices were â€Å"†¦crafted to prevent any one person from seizing power† (Matyszak, 2006). The â€Å"checks and balances† our democratic nation features today are an outgrowth of that early Roman philosophy of government. We tend to think of democracy as a relatively new movement in the context of history. According to author Robin Fox, ancient Rome â€Å"†¦might deserve the label ‘democracy† (Fox, 2006). Representatives were elected by direct vote. A public vote also preceded the enacting of any new laws. Conclusion The ancient Roman society was remarkably modern in its nature and in its achievements. Their accomplishments are numerous and have a direct impact on our lives today. Robin Fox writes: The lasting memorials of the Roman Empire are roads and city-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   buildings, aqueducts and Roman law and the Latin which   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   underlies many European languages.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (Fox, 2006) The Roman focus on individualism was a strength of the republic. Unfortunately, it also led to its downfall. Individuals with no control over their self-interested pursuits engaged in power struggles. An alienated public led to a loss of support and paved the way for tyranny. A tyrannical state is destined to fall. It is deceptively easy for a democracy to move down that road. Democracies can in the short term be more fragile than dictatorships or other forms of government. Democracy relies on participation and a certain level of moral conduct to maintain itself in the long run. The ancient Romans were an incredibly productive culture. Their achievements have stood the test of time. As advanced as their republic was, however; it could not resist a slide into tyranny. This provides a lesson for us that goes beyond even their achievements in law, architecture and politics. Sources Fox, Robin Lane. The Classical World: an epic history from Homer to Hadrian. New York, Basic Books, 2006. Matyszak, Philip. The Sons of Caesar: Imperial Rome’s First Dynasty. London: Thames Hudson, 2006. Wells, Colin. The Roman Empire. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1984.

The survival of LEGO in changing environment

The survival of LEGO in changing environment This essay aims to provide an insight into LEGOs performance in the UK market and the strategies adopted by LEGO to be acclaimed today as UKs 3rd largest toy seller. Accordingly, a better understanding will be attained from a consumers perspective in the Toys industry. LEGO a brand which was in shambles in late 2006 stepped up to perform tremendously well during recession How did LEGO manage to reach where they are today? In the following chapters, a detailed description will be provided on how LEGO set an example for many global brands to follow in a touch economic situation. 2.0 Company Overview It all started with one mans vision. A man who believed that good play enriches a childs development Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter from Billund. He shifted his production from making wooden furniture for local farmers to childrens toys, owing to the great depression in the 1930s. LEGO originated from the Danish words leg and godt, which means play well. (Tidd and Bessant, 2009). defines LEGO as The core product is a rectangular plastic brick, hollow on the inside except for one or more tubes, with rows of studs on the top emblazoned with the tiny LEGO LEGO. (Wiencekk, 1987) LEGO has a very powerful vision statement of Inventing the future of play. This vision indicates that LEGO is finding new ways of developing games and moving from being just a simple block of brick. They are aware of the changing requirements and attitudes of consumers in a globalised sense. As it claims It is not just about products, it is about realising the human possibility. (LEGO Group, 2010) Over the years, the LEGO Group has developed several products under its umbrella extending its products to the digital world as well. LEGO has always known that the Toys and Childrens entertainment industry is a difficult business to sustain oneself in as it is constantly faced with new innovations, technological advancements and market entrants. To face this constantly evolving industry, LEGO has invested much of its understanding their consumers needs and desires. They have studied playing habits, family patters and housing conditions to gain a deeper knowledge of this market. Another differentiating factor is the belief that has been passed on by generations that have embraced LEGO. The belief that LEGO will remain relevant to children of all ages and all generations. The belief to create a world where children have the freedom to build anything that can never be replaced with cyber experiences. (LEGO Group, 2009) By the late 90s, LEGOs sales began decreasing. They were challenged by low cost good enough competitors like Megablok, a Canadian Company. Other reason was their prime target audience were shifting to computer games. LEGO was also operating in a high cost economic environment Denmark- where the supply chains were expensive. Another problem LEGO faced was increasing complex product development with so many product ranges and different permutations and combinations; manufacturing economically became nearly impossible. All these reasons, led to LEGO running into a $ 240 million loss. In order to revive LEGO from this situation, the LEGO family invested $ 178 million and appointed of a new CEO, Jorgen Vig Knudstorp. Under Knudstorps leadership, LEGO saw a successful transition. In order to correct the situation, LEGO improved their supply chain, factory locations and enhanced their overall product development strategy. (Tidd and Bessant, 2009) 2.1 LEGO Financial Overview Since its foundation in 1932, The Danish Company has great achievements added to its name. However, in 2006, rumours had it that toy industry giant Mattel were going to buy LEGO since it had faced huge losses. But restructuring in management and change in strategy helped LEGO pick up their sales in spite of the recession. In August 2008, LEGOs international sales were reportedly up by 20% in comparison to the year before. In the UK alone, 2007 witnessed at 24% rise in sales as compared to 2006. (MINTEL. 2008) The latest report that appeared on November 2010 in The Times London edition states that LEGOs sales have picked up by 50 per cent this Christmas season keeping both parents and children happy.(Vine, 2010) According to the Guardian, in 2009 the total sales at the UK division based primarily in Slough, Berkshire, leapt 35% a performance that took LEGO to a record UK market share of 4.1%, up from 3.2% a year ago. (Wood, 2009) The pre-tax profits rose 68%, which is approximately up by  £171.97 million in the first half of 2010. LEGO posts strong sales (The Times, 2010) LEGOs financial performance during recession was commendable while other Toy industry competitors like Mattel, that reportedly faced a 19% fall in second-quarter sales in spite of housing big brand names like Barbie. (Wood, 2009) 3.0 Consumer Behaviour theories applied to LEGO From the above, it is clear that LEGO has had a successful track record during recession. In this section, a deeper understanding will be attained on how LEGO was immune to the recession by placing their consumers in the heart of their business and understanding their requirements. To achieve this, three theories have been shortlisted they are namely Buying Decision Making Process Attitude Formation and Change Consumer Identity and Reference Groups 3.1 Buying Decision Making Process In order to understand, how LEGO survived through the economic downturn, it is important to interpret the buying behaviour of consumers in the Toys industry. By understanding the dynamics of buying behaviour, successful insights can be drawn to help identify the gap between the consumer and company. In complex decision making process where one is faced with other competitors, there are 6 stages to the decision making process. The 6 stages are namely: 3.1.1 Problem Recognition (awareness of need) Problem Recognition is the difference between the actual state of mind and the desired state of mind (Solomon, 2009). In other words, it is the process of recognising the need or desire to own a particular product. Given below are some reasons why consumers felt the need for LEGO over other products. Need for learning though play Parents being one of the prime target audiences in this industry also play a major role in the buying behavior process. LEGO appeals to this market as it has the element of creative play and parents are assured that it is not a waste of time as compared to watching television or spending time on Facebook. Parents therefore would choose to buy LEGO as they want their children to learn while they play. Something that most other toys or video games have failed to achieve (MINTEL, 2008). Need for retro products during recession Another interesting point to note is how consumers chose retro products during times of crisis due to its established legacy. During recession, parents actually found the need to invest in products that are of high quality and are long lasting in nature as opposed to just purchasing a cheap toy. Gerrick Johnson, toy-industry analyst at BMO Capital Markets made a comment stating that In tough economic times, youll often see retro products come back. Parents spend money on stuff they know works. Rather than going to Disney World or on a trip, you get a $30 LEGO set. (Faris, 2010) Need for up-to date toys and gadgets During a time when their prime target audience were more inclined towards computer games, LEGO constantly kept innovating and updating their offerings to suit the needs of this market that is faced by such rapid growth and evolution. The company steadily launched new products which resulted in three-quarters of its yearly sales. In 2000, the British Association of Toy Retailers along with Fortune magazine voted LEGO as the toy of the century. (Oliver et al., 2007) Recognizing the need to enter the video game market, LEGO created its own software group providing children the opportunity to create their own animation for PC and gaming consoles (R. Duane Ireland, 2009). Therefore people chose LEGO as it had extended its offerings to a medium where most of its consumers lived the virtual world. 3.1.2 Information search When it comes to seeking information on which toys you would prefer your children to play with, there are several factors that play a role. From an internal search perspective, memory and nostalgia could be key determinants whereas word of mouth, friends, relatives etc. could be external search factors that dominate your purchase decision (Soloman, 2009) The market for childrens toys and games is a substantial one -A  £2.1 billion market for childrens toys and games, this is a lucrative industry with several competitors. In such a case, information search becomes even more complex (MINTEL, 2008). What adds on to the complexity is the ranging age groups and diversity in toys from simple board games to more sophisticated toys for older kids up to adulthood. LEGO belongs to the range of Activity Toys which incorporates certain level of creativity and makes playing an enriching experience. Other toys in this range are Meccano and magnetic building kits as well as arts and crafts products (MINTEL, 2008). 3.1.3. Evaluation of Alternatives At this stage, consumers evaluate the alternatives that have been shortlisted after their information search. Rankings, personal preferences, listings, word of mouth to name a few, are determinants while evaluating alternatives. Today LEGO is the fourth-largest toy manufacturer after Mattel, Bandai-Namco, Hasbro and the fifth position held by TOMY-Takara (LEGO Group, 2009). In the case of activity toys like LEGO, consumers would potentially ask these questions. Does the product benefit my child learning ability? Is the product safe and of supreme quality? Mc Donaldss once used LEGO in the USA as a part of one their sales promotion campaign. 37 billion bricks were distributed over four weeks out of which only a dozen complaints were received (Harris and McDonald, 2004). These sorts of cases help a consumer who is looking for top quality decide that he/she wants to purchase LEGO over other toys. 3.1.4 Purchase decision In order to achieve competitive advantage and take the final purchase decision, LEGO pays a lot of attention to their product, packaging, online store etc. In a Danish newspaper Jyllands- Posten, an article was published on the safety of LEGO. Each individual block has a hole to ensure that if a child swallows a brick, the child would not choke as air could still pass though (Harris and McDonald, 2004). Therefore a consumer, who has safety as criteria, would decide to buy LEGO as the makers have taken care of this aspect. 3.1.5 Purchase This decision is based upon the time lapse and product availability. In 2004, LEGO sales began dropping massively. Poor customer service and unavailability of products were additions to their dilemma. During this time, customers were faced with many other alternatives. LEGO could not afford to lose out on customers in the big-box world. LEGO then improved on their supply-chain management and aimed to align its innovation capability. It also started online sales where customised products could be designed and purchased too (Oliver et al., 2007). 3.1.6 Post-Purchase Evaluation: When LEGO was voted as Marketer of the Year in 2009, one of the comments by a user from Dallas commented I have to vote LEGO-for continuing to provide a top-quality product in line with their brand, staying relevant and using new technologies to create new customer experiences in a kids toy market thats moving away from brands with a low-tech heritage. This is a company that inspires others to a higher standard. Who can vote for a company that continues to drive quality down to get to a cheaper price? (Creamer, 2009). These testimonials prove that consumers overall have been happy after purchasing the product. 3.2 Attitude formation and change One of the aspects involved in the psychological factor of the decision making process, is attitudes. These attitudes are either formed on experience or interaction with other people. An attitude of a consumer towards a firm and its products tends to have a great influence in the firms marketing strategy (Soloman, 2009). 3.2.1 Efforts made my LEGO to track attitudes For strategic decision making that is driven by insights, it is essential to track attitudes. It could be tracking changes in different age groups, scenarios about future, identify emerging trends etc (Soloman, 2009). LEGO has realised the importance of tracking changing attitudes and the following findings can be drawn in this regard: Scenarios about future One of the most significant changes that LEGO has taken up this decade is that it has begun listening to its consumers and their changing attitudes. In todays social networking era, it is highly essential to monitor behaviour and attitudes. It was through the efforts made by LEGO on social media, that they realised their fan base was not just limited to children but adults too. Courtesy the AFOLcommunity Adult Fans of LEGO LEGO now has some specialist ambassadors who communicate with them and provide feedback. LEGO also involves these ambassadors in their product development. They began monitoring blogs and got a deeper understanding on culture, desires of both potential and existing consumers and changed their strategy accordingly. It was through this initiative that LEGO decided to make sets based on movies like Star Wars or Indiana Jones and now these deals make up more than half of their sales (Advertising Age, 2009). By doing so LEGO gets inputs from probably the most loyal customer base and thus adress unhappy customers or fill any gaps in the market place. These insights drove their strategy and helped them survive in an atmosphere where the only words heard off were lay-offs and losses. LEGO is one such example of a brand that has benefitted by working in partnership with their consumers and predicting the future (Garfield, 2007). Changes in different age groups LEGO has a very ambitious mission statement of each and every child in the world to own one cubic metre of LEGO bricks. (Harris and McDonald, 2004) Children globally are treated the same by marketers no matter which culture they belong to. However, even if they are treated the same their attitudes may differ due to their upbringing and external environment. Though most of the concept and product development occurs in the Billund headquarters, LEGO has trends watching department in their offices in Munich, Los Angeles and Tokyo. Infact, to ensure that LEGO is an international product that suits ever child needs, the creative team is composed of 120 designers 15 different nationalities (LEGO Group, 2009). 3.2.3 Star Power: Celebrities as Communications Sources The source of the message the celebrity in this case can have a huge impact on the image of a brand and its sales. Messages tend to have a greater effect when there is a relation between the celebrity and product. Human beings tend to pay more attention when they see familiar faces as opposed to ordinary faces, thereby interpreting and processing the information more effectively (Soloman, 2009). People tend to associate characteristics of a persons personality, social status, and gender, to that of the brand. When David Beckham confessed in an interview that if he wasnt a footballer his dream pastime would be building with LEGO blocks, it set the LEGO sales roaring. In just one day of business, the father of three inspired the sales of 5,922- Taj Mahal set (The Sun, 2010). Parents formulate the core buyers of this segment six in ten have bought from five or more of the listed categories of toys or games in the past 12 months (MINTEL, 2008). After all, if a star figure like Beckham has spoken, why wouldnt parents try mantling Taj Mahal together. 3. 3 Consumer Identity and Reference Groups Any individual or group that acts a point of comparison of values, opinions, attitude or behaviour towards a product is a reference group (Soloman, 2009). In case of LEGO, there are several reference groups. LEGO has a combination of logic and creativity that enhances a childs learning and ability to solve problems. Owing to this factor, LEGO has been popularly used as creative play tool in institutions and schools i.e; formal reference groups (LEGO Group, 2009). 3.3.1 Effect of Gender on Consumer Behaviour Gender is a crucial element in consumer behaviour. A boy may perceive different things from a girl. This can be proven with an example of how LEGO researched playing habits amongst boys and. The findings were that girls were more likely to build living areas while boys built cars. LEGO introduced a new version of its product for girls called Paradise which emphasized around socially oriented structures such as homes, pools etc (Soloman, 2009). 3.3.2 Baby Boomers and the role of nostalgia in buying decision making process Baby Boomers are those who are above the age of 29 and have a significant influence on demands for housing, child care etc (Soloman, 2010). LEGO has evolved from a box of bricks that baby boomers grew up to a more diverse product. However, the positive feeling attached with having played with LEGO has passed on through at least three generations. (Oliver et al., 2007) Therefore, one may ask how much role does nostalgia play in triggering what baby boomers and generation X buy as toys for their children? Retro favourites are gaining popularity owing to the fact that they have provided real quality and value over time, and one of the reasons all these new fans have emerged is through nostalgia. According to the (Telegraph, 2010), LEGO has performed well in recession as parents due to nostalgia have shifted to trusted brands. Parents dont intend to buy toys that their children would throw aside in months, instead they would rather invest in toys that children of all generations would go back to. 3.3.3 Children Pester power v/s parent power Pester Power is a term used to define a childs influence over the parent in the buying process (Turner et al, 2006). According to Turner, children can be easily influenced by advertising and marketers use this as a medium to entice children to nag and purchase the product of their desire. The key factors that influences a childs pestering behaviour is the family type, family communication pattern, the person accompanying the child to shopping, intent of going for shopping and advertising. (Venkatesh and Ghai, 2010). According to the report by Mintel, 2008, Although adults are the primary purchasers, kids are the ultimate arbiters of success and failure across much of the market nearly four in ten parents cannot say no to their kids. LEGO partnered with Kelloggs in 2007 to create LEGO brick shaped candy called Fun Snacks. This created hype amongst parents as they had spent valuable amount of their time telling their children not to swallow LEGO bricks. LEGO went on to the extent of advertising in between childrens TV shows, placing the product at the bottom of the shelf spaces in order to make it accessible for children; thereby making children nag for Fun Snacks (Franziska_NDT, 2010) 4.0 Conclusion On the whole, LEGO has adopted the right measures to immune itself to the market, no matter how the economic situation is. Given below are few recommendations and discussions with regards to LEGO. Discussion/ Recommendations: 1. With LEGO factory LEGOs online design portal- is a gateway to 300,000 designers worldwide. By doing so, LEGO can get critical reviews on their products and help improve their offerings (Tidd and Bessant, 2009). LEGO could conduct an annual conference or workshop, whereby all these designers meet up and brain storm with key designers and managers on how to improve LEGO and keep up with changing trends. 2. Christmas accounts for around half of the years sales for LEGO. Keeping this in mind, LEGO should launch their new products or special Christmas edition toys as nearly seven in ten consumers buy toys and games for Christmas. (MINTEL. 2008) And after all, who would refuse the latest Christmas edition of LEGO? 3. An emerging trend is gifting new born toys up from 13% in 2003 to 26% now. Considering this trend, LEGO could launch its own collection of teether toys meant for new born. This could range from a simple brick soft chewy toy to its very own Harry potter collection for newborns. 4. Phone applications seem to be the next big trend that is picking up. LEGO already has its own Star Wars LEGO I phone game version. LEGO must continue entering markets where gaming is a hype. 5. LEGO should push the product more using the scientific connection. According to (Turkle and Smith, 2009) playing with LEGO helps children enhance their problem solving and discovery skills. This makes a child think in a scientific, problem recognition and solving approach that most engineers, scientist and designers use. Turkle claims that the toys that children play with have a great impact on their future careers. Some children may try and create unrealistic structures, while some may follow instructions, some keep their constructed sets as awards while some just break them; different children behave differently with LEGO. However, each role play is good to identify traits about your children and which direction they are progressing towards. 6 Most of LEGO consumers are not price sensitive. They buy LEGO because of the brand and the quality. As a consumer, you can either buy the simple bricks or a special version of LEGO to add it to your collection. Therefore, LEGO can afford to release a premium end version of the toys that are suitable to kids that belong to rich households. 8. LEGO for grey market- Research has shown that playing with LEGO for an hour or two can help old people fight memory loss and problems that occur due to degeneration like dementia and Alzheimers disease. It makes your mind active, while your fingers are still moving. 9. The idea of having Brand Ambassadors who use their network pool to get insights and inputs from consumers is one of LEGOs strongest strategies. LEGO fans discuss, review and suggest new ideas for LEGO on the AFOL community which helps LEGO look into the future and improve their capabilities. LEGO has managed to create a consumer experience that combines technology, mass customization and community to enhance and build relevance for its classic toy offering. (Tidd and Bessant, 2009). Indeed, LEGO has managed to keep up its legacy and set a great example for many international and global companies.

The Assassination of President McKinley :: American America History

The Assassination of President McKinley In Cleveland, Ohio, on May 6, Emma Goldman, "The Anarchist," gave a speech. She outlined the principles and methods of anarchy in this beautiful speech, where she said, "We ... desire complete individual liberty, and this can never be obtained as long as there is an existing government." Toward the end of her speech, Goldman said that most Anarchists were not violent; she added that she believed in their motives, since some people are unable to act without force. All the while, police were ready to arrest her if she said anything too radical. The entire time, Leon Czolgosz was the most supportive of anyone in the audience (Berkeley 1). On September 5, 1901, Leon Czolgosz entered the Pan-American exposition. He blended in with the crowd, and surveyed the security, grounds layout, and crowds. An enormous crowd was gathered to see President McKinley, and Leon pushed his way through the masses until he was close enough to hear the speech. Leon pushed his way through the crowd, determined to get close enough to shoot the President. A security guard blocked his chance, and the President was escorted away (Assassin Arrived... 1). The next day, Leon and McKinley returned to the exposition. In the afternoon, the President began shaking hands with people lined up by the Temple door. Near the end of this line, Leon waited patiently. His hand was wrapped in a handkerchief, which he held close to his chest, but no one seemed to notice. When the President reached him, Leon extended his left hand, pressed it against the President's chest, and shot him twice with the gun he held under his handkerchief (Secret Service Guard...1). He did not have a chance to fire again, because a black man - next in line to shake the President's hand - had already tackled him. In seconds, more than a dozen men had tackled him and were beating him up. At the same time, Secret Service officers and exposition police seized Leon and tore the gun from his hands. US Artillery soldiers beat Leon after this. McKinley, in the middle of this panic, is reported to have said, "Go easy on him, boys" (Assassination of... 2). When news of the attack spread, the thousands in attendance began a riot; some shoved their way into the temple, trying to see if the rumor was true, while others demanded that Leon be hanged.

Definintion of Crime Prevention

Unit 2 Writing assignment CJ212 In the following essay I will discuss my own definition of crime prevention, the relationship of crime prevention to the criminal justice system, and talk about two or more institutions through which crime prevention programs and practices are delivered. To make a definition of crime prevention in my own words is actually pretty easy. I believe crime prevention means to stop a crime before it is committed. Of course that is my definition in a nut shell. The long explanation would be that I believe crime prevention starts with the parents.Parents should embed in their children’s minds of what is right and what is wrong. (Of course everyone has their own free will so they will choose to do whatever they want but with that being said they hopefully look back and what their parents have taught them and know what to do and what not to do. ) Then after the parents it’s the teachers and other guidance that our children have. Once they are preadu lts having cops presence plus their good morals that should deter them from committing anything illegal.Of course with all this being said people will always commit crimes we just have to find what works for every situation to prevent crime in different areas. I believe the relationship of crime prevention to the criminal justice system is very important. Without the criminal justice system the world would just run wild. The criminal justice system keeps criminals in line if its incarceration, probation, or fines it somewhat deters people from committing crimes. It does not keep everyone from not breaking the law because if that was possible than we wouldn’t need any police, prisons, judges, and so on.The criminal justice system can go from anywhere from the cops to the Supreme Court. It’s not all about the little petty crimes but also protects against corporations over charging on necessities of life like food, and medications. In a perfect world we wouldn’t ne ed any of this and people would be honest and truth worthy but now we all know that is impossible. Cops help make the communities safer and make the people feel that they shouldn’t have to worry about crime in their exact communities.Of course every community has their own problems maybe drugs or theft but with cops presence it helps somewhat to keep people in line. Crime prevention isn’t 100% but at least it does help as much as it can and it’s changing everyday with the changes of economy and changes of crimes. As for crime prevention programs there are so many for every community here I will list and describe a few, first I would like to start off with D. A. R. E. I’m sure everyone has heard of this program. D. A. R. E stands for Drug abuse resistance education.I know in school I had to take this program I want to say in either fourth or fifth grade. This program was founded in California in 1983. In this program it helps to teach children to say no to drugs. It also teaches children that by telling an adult they can help save other children that aren’t strong enough to say no. I believe the D. A. R. E program is a very good one but they should also give like a refresher course once in middle school. I know that when I started hearing of people doing drugs. Another good program is Neighborhood watch.This program is where people from a neighborhood come together to take turns on watching their surrounding houses. A example of this would be say someone is going out of town they may have a neighbor watch the house by bringing in their mail, (depending on how well you know them) they could turn the lights on and off to make it look like someone is always there. The neighborhood watch also looks out for odd vehicles, or strange people in the area. I know in my communities we are very close, we watch each other’s houses as if they are our own.In conclusion, crime prevention is and will always be needed. Hopefully one day it will stop people from committing crimes. With that being said the criminal justice system will never go away in order to have crime prevention you need the criminal justice system. Crime prevention programs are everywhere if you’re feeling unsafe in your community you should try one of these programs you never know your options until you research and try it out. http://www. cityofnoblesville. org/egov/docs/1226077886267. htm Definintion of Crime Prevention Unit 2 Writing assignment CJ212 In the following essay I will discuss my own definition of crime prevention, the relationship of crime prevention to the criminal justice system, and talk about two or more institutions through which crime prevention programs and practices are delivered. To make a definition of crime prevention in my own words is actually pretty easy. I believe crime prevention means to stop a crime before it is committed. Of course that is my definition in a nut shell. The long explanation would be that I believe crime prevention starts with the parents.Parents should embed in their children’s minds of what is right and what is wrong. (Of course everyone has their own free will so they will choose to do whatever they want but with that being said they hopefully look back and what their parents have taught them and know what to do and what not to do. ) Then after the parents it’s the teachers and other guidance that our children have. Once they are preadu lts having cops presence plus their good morals that should deter them from committing anything illegal.Of course with all this being said people will always commit crimes we just have to find what works for every situation to prevent crime in different areas. I believe the relationship of crime prevention to the criminal justice system is very important. Without the criminal justice system the world would just run wild. The criminal justice system keeps criminals in line if its incarceration, probation, or fines it somewhat deters people from committing crimes. It does not keep everyone from not breaking the law because if that was possible than we wouldn’t need any police, prisons, judges, and so on.The criminal justice system can go from anywhere from the cops to the Supreme Court. It’s not all about the little petty crimes but also protects against corporations over charging on necessities of life like food, and medications. In a perfect world we wouldn’t ne ed any of this and people would be honest and truth worthy but now we all know that is impossible. Cops help make the communities safer and make the people feel that they shouldn’t have to worry about crime in their exact communities.Of course every community has their own problems maybe drugs or theft but with cops presence it helps somewhat to keep people in line. Crime prevention isn’t 100% but at least it does help as much as it can and it’s changing everyday with the changes of economy and changes of crimes. As for crime prevention programs there are so many for every community here I will list and describe a few, first I would like to start off with D. A. R. E. I’m sure everyone has heard of this program. D. A. R. E stands for Drug abuse resistance education.I know in school I had to take this program I want to say in either fourth or fifth grade. This program was founded in California in 1983. In this program it helps to teach children to say no to drugs. It also teaches children that by telling an adult they can help save other children that aren’t strong enough to say no. I believe the D. A. R. E program is a very good one but they should also give like a refresher course once in middle school. I know that when I started hearing of people doing drugs. Another good program is Neighborhood watch.This program is where people from a neighborhood come together to take turns on watching their surrounding houses. A example of this would be say someone is going out of town they may have a neighbor watch the house by bringing in their mail, (depending on how well you know them) they could turn the lights on and off to make it look like someone is always there. The neighborhood watch also looks out for odd vehicles, or strange people in the area. I know in my communities we are very close, we watch each other’s houses as if they are our own.In conclusion, crime prevention is and will always be needed. Hopefully one day it will stop people from committing crimes. With that being said the criminal justice system will never go away in order to have crime prevention you need the criminal justice system. Crime prevention programs are everywhere if you’re feeling unsafe in your community you should try one of these programs you never know your options until you research and try it out. http://www. cityofnoblesville. org/egov/docs/1226077886267. htm

Examinership, Receivership and Liquidation in Ireland

The collapse of the Irish economy has triggered a substantial increase in the number of companies in Ireland which are being deemed insolvent and which are no longer in a position to continue operating as viable entities. This has caused the companies directors, creditors and shareholders to seek remedies available under Irish law. The law in Ireland regarding companies in financial difficulties was originally set out by the Companies Act 1963, which was amended in 1990, and then again in 1999.All cooperate entities must adhere to the legislation set out under the Act and their individual memorandum of association and articles of association, which together constitute the constitution of a company. The principal remedies for dealing with insolvent companies are: 1. Examinership; 2. Receivership; 3. Liquidation. 1. The concept of examinership was introduced into Irish law by the Companies (Amendment) Act 1990. This legislation was enacted in order to provide companies which were in fi nancial difficulties with the chance of recovering and thereby avoiding liquidation.An examinership is where the court places a company under its protection to enable a court appointed examiner to assess the affairs of a company and consider whether it is capable of survival, and if so, puts forward proposals that will facilitate that continuation of business. The motivation behind the creation of this legislation was the prevention of the collapse of the Goodman Group. The aim of this legislation was to avoid liquidation of companies with a chance of recovering from financial difficulties.Forde and Kennedy opine that the immediate objective and consequence of the protection created by this legislation is to provide the company or companies in question with extensive immunity against its creditors and against claims being made against it. McCormack in his article â€Å"Control and Corporate Rescue† believes that this role was created as a response to changing political and bu siness dynamics in the l990s. The receivership model was seen as being too creditor centred and as not being sufficiently responsive to the concerns of other stakeholders.The feeling at the time, McCormack opined, was that â€Å"banks had pushed companies unnecessarily into insolvency by being unduly precipitate in the appointment of receivers. † The original legislation has been criticised in numerous respects, and so has been amended significantly by the CA 1999. Finlay CJ in the Supreme Court in Re Holidair Ltd, acknowledged the shortcomings of the legislation and held that it is appropriate to approach the construction of any sections in CA 1990 on the basis that the two objectives of the legislature were to provide a period of protection for a company and that a company should be continued as a going concern.The legislation was being used as a last attempt to save companies which were incapable of salvation. As John O’Donnell put it in his article ‘Nursing t he Corporate Patient – Examinership and Certification under the Companies Act, 1990’, â€Å"for many, it has been a painful experience to learn that the Act is designed to help cure the sick but cannot raise the dead. † Keane notes that the granting of the examiner is discretionary. A court may appoint an examiner where it appears that: a) A company is or is likely to be unable to pay its debts; (b) No resolution subsists for the winding-up of the company; (c) No order has been made for the winding-up of the company. Because of the effects of an examiner on a company, one should not be appointed without a real prospect of survival. Lardner J in Re Atlantic Magnetics Ltd advocated a strict test for â€Å"reasonable prospect of survival†. He was overruled by the Supreme Court, in favour of a requirement of â€Å"some prospect of survival†.Prior to the revision of CA 1990, the leading authority on the test for the appointment of an examiner was that S C decision in Re Atlantic Magnetics Ltd. The statutory revision of Section 2. 2 has effectively reversed that decision. The foregoing views are supported by the decision of the High Court in Re Tuskar Resources plc, which was the first written decision on the appointment of an examiner since the changes effected by CA 1999 were commenced. McCracken J began by analysing the changes effected to the test for the appointment.He said the new test was more in keeping with the decision of Lardner J in the High Court than with the decision in the Supreme Court – â€Å"In re Atlantic Magnetic†¦Finlay CJ also stated that there cannot be an onus of proof on a petitioner to establish as matter of probability that the company is capable of surviving as a going concern. It seems to me that this is no longer the position under the Act of 1999 by reason of the wording of the new sub-s 2(2). † He refused to appoint an examiner as the petitioner had failed to discharge the onus of proof that there was a reasonable prospect of the survival of the company.Although all petitions to have an Examiner appointed must be presented to the High Court, the HC may remit the matter to the Circuit Court under CA1990 Section 3. 9 where it appears that the total liabilities of the company, do not exceed â‚ ¬317,434. For the petition to be approved, the CA 1990 required a petition to have evidence of possibility of salvation but no detailed analysis of the company’s situation was required. This is another criticism of that Act. The petition to have an examiner appointed and the grounding affidavit must be made uberrimae fides, that is, in the utmost of good faith.What was first decided by Costello J in Re Wogans (Drogheda) Ltd has now been given statutory force by Section 4a CA 1990. Where it is discovered that the court has been misled, the entire application will be tainted. If this is discovered early in the proceedings, the examiner will be discharged where the lack of good faith is sufficiently serious. However, a lack of candour and good faith will not always result in a refusal to confirm an examiner’s proposals, as seem in Re Selukwe Ltd. There are no particular qualification requirements for an examiner. They can’t have been an officer of the company within the last 12 months.McCracken J held in Re Tuskar Resources plc that there was no bar on the person who provides the independent person’s report from acting as examiner. The person appointed is entitled to court-fixed remuneration and to costs. He can employ staff to assist or may use company staff. Section 10 CA 1990 provides that any liabilities incurred during the protection period are deemed to be legit examiner expenses. These liabilities would include new borrowing. Forde and Kennedy explain that the reason why the examiner may certify liabilities is that there may otherwise be a danger that the company’s survival as a going oncern may be prejudiced . Section 29 CA 1990 gave these liabilities and expenses priority over creditors where a scheme of arrangement was drawn up or a winding up ensued. This provision was one of the most criticised. It was deemed to subvert the whole lending process, as secured creditors lost priority. This had the potential to severely prejudice these creditors should examinership fail. Prior to the enactment of the 1999 Act, the duty of the examiner was to conduct an examination of the affairs of the company and report the results to the court within a specified period and to later present proposals and schemes of arrangement.Since the 1999 Act, that report is effectively replaced by the report of the independent accountant which must now accompany the petition. Accordingly, the duty of the examiner now is: (a) To formulate proposals for a compromise or scheme of arrangement; (b) To carry out such other duties as the court may direct him to carry out. The examiner must report to the court within 35 da ys informing then of any schemes formulated. If the court is then not satisfied, it can order the company be wound up as per Section 22 CA 1999. The examiner must meet with creditors and members to devise schemes of arrangement.The members and creditors are classed for the purpose of voting on schemes and these schemes are deemed to be accepted if the majority vote in favour from each class. Various classes can vote on the proposals, including the Revenue, etc. When these proposals go to the court, any creditor or member whose interests are impaired may be heard. If a party who was completely unaware of the proposed scheme can show that the examiner knew of his existence but failed to take reasonable steps to appraise him of the situation, he may possibly have a right of action against the examiner for damages.The court will not approve the proposals unless at least one class of creditors impaired by the proposals vote in their favour. As to the actual content of the proposals, the only requirement regarding the proposals’ intrinsic merits are that of equality within classes. Proposals must be fair and equitable and not unfairly prejudicial. The court may propose modifications to schemes and these must be voted on if significant. 2. Receivership arises in the context of secured debenture holders and provides a framework in which they may act so as to enforce their security interest.Forde and Kennedy observe that at times receivership is used not simply as a means of reimbursing creditors but more as a device for reorganising insolvent companies, so as to salvage their viable parts for the benefit of those involved. Courtney notes that the term derives from the Latin recipiere â€Å"to take†. The receiver will go to the company and take control of those assets subject to the charge. They can then dispose of those assets and pay off the principal and interest due to the debenture holder.Receiverships involve two distinct relationships as per Barr J in Bula Ltd v Crowley – â€Å"First, that between the appointing mortgagee and the receiver which relates to the fundamental objective of the receivership†¦The second relationship is that between the receiver and third parties arising out of the receivership†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The receiver is usually appointed by virtue of the debenture. The validity of the appointment of a receiver is dependent upon compliance with the terms contained in the debenture and the capacity of the company and authority of its officers to create the deb ab initio, that is, from the beginning.Courtney states that a creditor owes no special duty to a company in deciding whether or not to appoint a receiver. The fundamental issue for the debenture holder is whether or not the appointment will further their interests. However, where the appointment will not advance these interests, the appointment may be said to have been made in bad faith. The only qualifications that the law requires of receivers a re negative, i. e. certain persons are barred from becoming receivers, such as undischarged bankrupts and persons connected to or related to persons within the company, as per Section 170 CA 1990.In Wise Finance Co Ltd the court held that a company’s secretary was ineligible to act as that company’s receiver. A receiver appointed by debenture can resign with notice. The court also possesses an inherent power to appoint a receiver on application by a debenture holder. This occurs in instances where the debenture doesn’t provide for an appointment in a particular situation which has arisen. A receiver appointed by the court has the status of an officer of the court and can only resign with the authority of the court.Ellis noted that receivers, irrespective of the method of their appointment, are regarded as being in a ‘fiduciary' relationship with those who appointed them. A receiver is normally deemed to be the agent of the company by virtue of his appointm ent; however, the receiver’s primary duty is to the debenture holder. The receiver owes a fiduciary duty to the debenture holder and must conduct his receivership in good faith. The receiver is liable to the debenture holder in damages if he is negligent.The receiver is liable to the company where he is negligent in the sale of any of the company’s assets. Section 172 CA 1990 states that â€Å"a receiver, in selling property of a company, shall exercise all reasonable care to obtain the best price reasonably obtainable for the property at the time of the sale†. This gave statutory effect to the law in Ireland that a receiver should be required to ensure that he got the best price for an asset, even if a much smaller sum would realise his security, as accepted in Ireland in Lambert v Donnelly and McGowan v Gannon.It was observed by McCracken J in Ruby Property Company Ltd that this is simply a statutory acknowledgement of the position at common law. A receiver ca n’t be appointed after appointment of an examiner. If appointed in the 3 days prior to examiner appointment, he may be ordered to cease acting. 3. Liquidation terminates a company’s existence and distributes its assets in a preordained way. Carrie Jane Canniffe â€Å"Restraining a Creditor's Winding up Petition – The position since Truck and Machinery Sales Ltd v Marubeni Komatsu Ltd. , proffers the winding up process can be said to mark the formalised beginning of a company's end. There are two main forms of winding up; (a) By court order; (b) Voluntary. A voluntary winding up can be either a members’ winding up or a creditors winding up. Ussher observes that the only grounds upon which a company may be wound up by the court are stated in Section 213 of the Companies Act 1963. Two different types of grounds exist for the winding up of a company by the courts, procedural and substantive.Three different procedural grounds exist: (a) The company has resolv ed by special resolution to wind up the company. It was held in the case of Re Galway and Salthill Tramway Co. , that the board of directors may not cause it to do so without the benefit of an authorising or ratifying resolution in general meeting, or specific authority in the articles. (b) The company does not commence its business within a year from its incorporation or suspends its business for a whole year. Courtney notes this ground is rarely relied upon since only contributories, the Co itself and creditors may rely on it. c) The number of members is reduced, in the case of a private company, below two, or, in the case of any other company below seven. The most important grounds however, are those of the substantive grounds. Where; (a) The Company is unable to pay its debts. The CA 1990 provides that a company shall be deemed to be unable to pay its debts in certain circumstances: (a. 1) A creditor has not been paid a debt of â‚ ¬1000 or more within three weeks after demand ing it in writing; (a. 2) A judgment is unsatisfied; or (a. 3) It is proved to the satisfaction of the court that the company is unable to pay its debts.Keane comments that in deciding whether it has been proved that the company is unable to pay its debts, the court will generally act on evidence that a creditor has repeatedly applied for a payment without success. If, however, the company can show that there is a bona fide dispute as to the particular debt claimed, the order will not be made. Alison Keirse ‘Winding up petitions – Practical application of the Stonegate test’ observed that the decision in Re Pageboy Couriers Ltd adopted the decision of Stonegate Securities Limited v Gregory establishing this method of defeating a creditor's petition to wind up a company.However, as Courtney notes it is one thing to successfully dispute the bona fides of a debt at the hearing of a petition; even where successful, the company is exposed to a glare of adverse publici ty wherein its solvency is questioned. The first Irish case to consider an application for injunction relief against the advertisement of a petition was Clandown Ltd v Davis. Morris J held that the precise amount of the debt had to be declared before the court could order a winding up. Thus Morris J granted the injunction to restrain the publication of the petition.One result of this decision is to reinforce the principle that the courts will not permit themselves to be used as a method of debt collection. Howard Linnane ‘Oppression of Members: Section 205 Companies Act, 1963’ proffers that under the CA 1963 the court has jurisdiction to order the winding up of a company where it is ‘just and equitable’ to do so. Ussher proffers that in many cases such grounds are invoked where there is a complete deadlock between the shareholders and the company’s activities to the detriment both of the member and the creditors.The leading case is Re Yenidje Tobacco Co, the principle of which was applied in Re Irish Tourist Promotions. Kenny J wound up a company in which the two directors could not meet without the risk of unruly scenes, and the business of the company could not be conducted. In conclusion, while a company’s inability to pay its debts is the most common reason for the winding up of a company, it is not determinative. A court will only wind up a company where it is just an equitable to do so.Ultimately the appropriate remedy to be employed will be dependent upon the extent of difficulty the company finds itself. â€Å"There is of course some comfort for both companies and creditors alike that the Irish statutory framework at least contemplates solutions which draw back from the finality of ultimate dissolution of a company and facilitates interested parties a way forward through these recessionary times perhaps even to the benefit of all parties concerned. â€Å"