Improving absenteeism and exceeding break time limits at Walmart Research Paper

Improving absenteeism and exceeding break time limits at Walmart - Research Paper Example em and area for improvement (b) impact of the organization’s culture, (c) client and practitioner’s considerations, (d) diagnostic process and data collection, (e) overcoming resistance to change, (f) action plans, strategies, and techniques, and (g) OD intervention analysis. Ultimately, absenteeism leads to labor turnover. Every year, Wal-Mart needs to recruit, hire, train and retain more than 790,000 employees to refill a gap created by the left employees; it is estimated, in 2005, Wal-Mart employed 1.8 million employees globally and the turnover rate was 44 percent (Boudreau, 2010, p.125). Some conservatives estimates highlight that the turnover rate has reached to the level of 50 percent in the recent years clearly indicating that the Wal-Mart employees have developed sense that they are under-paid, offered inadequate health benefits and insecure career growth and so on (Jackson et al., 2012, p.15).This state of affair indicates that the existing causes and trends in absenteeism need to be revisited and overhauled. Before going to revisit the existing human resource policy of Wal-Mart, it is reasonable to further understand the impacts of the existing policy. In 2004, Costco hired and employed 68,000 workers and 25% of them were unionized, while Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Club employed a total of 102,000 in the same year (Holmes and Zellner, 2004). In the same article, the authors mentioned that in terms of wages alone, a Costco employee generated and earned, on average, $33,218 ($ 15.97 hourly). On the other hand, the average Sam’s Club employee earned $23, 962 ($11.52 per hour). Hypothetically speaking, if a Costco employee voluntarily quits, the turnover cost would be around $ 49,827 (1.5 times annual salary); and Sam’s Club employee would cost $ 35, 943. At the face of it, it may appear as if the low-wage strategy at Sam’s Club generates higher savings in terms of turnover but actually it is not the case (Cascio, 2006, p.42). Cascio (2006) further

The Effects of War and Peace on Foreign Aid Essay Example for Free

The Effects of War and Peace on Foreign Aid Essay

Gingko Biloba Essay -- Herbal Supplements Papers

Gingko Biloba Introduction We, as consumers, are always trying to find new products to buy in which to improve ourselves. In modern-day American culture, improving oneself has become synonymous with feeling younger and healthier. Gingko biloba extract is one of the popular herbal supplements being marketed to mainstream consumers as a "smart" and "anti-aging" drug (http://www.stevemorow.com/food.htm) which will work to help to increase their overall brain functioning in the normal population, as well as, those who suffer from mental impairment due to aging. Gingko biloba extract has also been labeled an anti-aging drug due to its antioxidant properties, its supposed free radical scavenger properties, as well as its reported increases in people’s overall mental functioning. You see advertisements for it on television, as well as, the Internet making a large number of different kinds of claims of Gingko biloba’s benefits. The claimed benefits range from increasing overall brain functioning in norma l people to people with mental impairment, to being a mood enhancer (http://www.televar.com/alpha/biloba.html), to helping with such slight conditions as cough and asthma, to helping increase circulation in patients suffering from painful vascular diseases to actually having "slimming" applications (http://www.mmpinc.com/WHATS.HTM). If all these claims are true, then Gingko biloba extract sounds like a "mulit-cure"drug for the entire population. This paper will attempt to reduce the confusion associated with the large number of claimed benefits of taking Gingko biloba by explaining what the research literature has to back up these claims. I had a hard time myself keeping track of all the reported claims. At this time, Gingko bil... ...esearch, 4(2), 89-93. Taillandier, J., Ammar, A., Rabourdin, J.P., Ribeyre, J.P., Pichon, J., Niddam, S., Pierart, H. (1986). Treatment of cerebral aging disorders with Gingko biloba extract. A longitudinal multicenter double-blind drug vs. placebo study. Presse Medicale, 15(31) Sep. 25, 1583-7. Vettorello, G., Cerreta, G., Derwish, A., Cataldi, A., Schettino, A., Occhionorelli, S., Donini, I. (1996). Contribution of a combination of aplha and beta benzopyrones, flavonoids, and natural terpenes in the treatment of lymphedema of the lower limbs at the 2nd stage of the surgical classification. Minerva Cardioangiologica, 44(9), 447-55. Warot, D., Lacomblez, L., Danjou, P., Weiller, E., Payan, C., Puech, A.J. (1991). Comparative effects of gingko biloba extracts on psychomotor performances and memory in healthy subjects. Therapie, 46(1) Jan-Feb, 33-6.

The Dark Knight Rises

Jaime Sulkowski 3-14-2013 Ms. Schmidt Copa 251 Dark Knight Rises Essay The Dark Knight Rises was one of the top movies in the year 2012. It is all about action and thrilling scenes throughout the movie. The main stars in this movie are Christian Bale as Batman, Tom Hardy as Bane, Anne Hathaway as cat woman, Gary Oldham as the police commissioner of Gotham, and Joseph Gordon Levitt as Blake. The hero in this movie is obvious Bruce Wayne who is also the Batman and the villain is Bane. The Dark Knight Rises is a narrative film.This movie is telling a fictional story using a series of events and other storylines throughout the film. The Cat Woman is introduced in this movie and it added another side story to the film. Bane the villain of this movie is trying to take over the city of Gotham. Batman must come back and help the city out from potential disaster. The Batman decides that the city of Gotham needs him to stop Bane from destroying the city. A quick summary of the main parts of th e movie are that there were several events during the movie that gave Bane more power and control and eventually was able to take control over the city of Gotham.The Cat Woman fools Batman into a trap with Bane and there was no way out for the Batman to go. He tries to fight Bane, but he was too strong for him. Bane takes Batman to where he once lived at during his childhood years. This place was referred to as â€Å"Hell on Earth† The Batman was able to gather his strength back from the help of two prisoners and he was able to escape from the prison by climbing up a steep wall out of the pit. He makes his return to the city of Gotham just in the nick of time. This is when the overall climax of the movie happens with a big battle between the Gotham police and Bane’s army of men.Batman gets to Bane at the city council building and they have another showdown between each other and this time it looks like that the Batman comes out on top, but Miranda Tate stabs the Batman in the stomach. Bane was then about to finish off the Batman, until the Cat Woman comes out of nowhere and shoots Bane to his death. She saves the Batman, which wasn’t a big surprise at all. Then they are able to chase down Miranda Tate and got the bomb, but there was no time to defuse it completely, so the Batman had o make a snap decision and flies the bomb away from Gotham and it explodes in the water miles away from the city. Everyone thought the Batman was dead. There is definitely some foreshadowing going on in this movie. In the previous batman movies there was some foreshadowing being done as well. In The Dark Knight Rises Morgan Freeman’s character mentions about the clean water project, but this is a project that is all about the bomb. It is an underground secret project that has been going on for quite some time.If the bomb got into the wrong hands there was a way that they could flood the underground area where the reactor is holding the bomb to prevent a disaster from happening. Also during the movie Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred mentions to him that he will not bury him if he ended up dying somehow. That is foreshadowing that the Batman is not going to die in this movie. It is also foreshadowing when Alfred tells Bruce Wayne that he will see him one day at a place in another part of the world with a wife and will not speak to him and go about his business.This scene actually comes at the end of the movie. The hero of the movie is Batman also known as Bruce Wayne. He has a few flaws and weaknesses that are shown throughout the movie. One weakness that he has is that he can’t find another true love after his loss of Rachel when she died in The Dark Knight. Another weakness is that he has a lot of emotions. He can’t stop thinking about his loved ones that he has lost and can’t put them aside and they are always on his mind. He will not allow anyone to know about the clear water project he is afraid that it wi ll leak out to the public.It is hard for him to trust certain people. On the human side of things he needs to knee brace to not limp around anymore. At the beginning scenes of the movie it would show Bruce Wayne using a walking cane to get around the house and other places as well. There are a lot of transitions going on in this movie and they make it occur all at the same time throughout the movie. I think it that the producers and writers of the movie did a great job with all of the transitions. There are many different storylines going on, but they all have some sort of link to one another.It made the movie more thrilling to watch though. It also made the plot of the movie more interesting. This film is told in a linear story with some flashbacks, which help the audience understand what is going on better. The trilogy of Batman though is one long movie if you think about it. It was done episodically. Christopher Nolan decided to break it down into three different movies. He did a fantastic job of leaving the suspense of what is going to happen in the next movie after each one had ended.The movie mainly shot on location, but some of it was also shot in studio. The movie was shot in the United States in the cities of Pittsburgh and New York. The movie was also shot in the city of London, which is in Europe and the city of Hong Kong in China. For the bonus part, I was able to notice the Point Park book store sign; it was near Lawrence Hall on the corner of Third Avenue and Wood Street. The camera was shooting up Wood Street. The football field scene was shot at Heinz Field home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, which is located in the North Shore of Pittsburgh.I am pretty sure the dessert scene was shot in Hong Kong and the opening scene of the movie was shot somewhere in Europe. Towards the end of the movie when the Batman was taking the bomb to blow up away from the city, he was going over the Hudson Bay in New York towards the Atlantic Ocean. There are a few sub stories throughout this movie. They are the introduction of the Cat Woman, she starts out as an enemy towards Bruce Wayne/Batman, but in the end she becomes an ally.The next sub story is with Fox. He makes all of the Batman’s weapons and vehicles. He also helps run Wayne Enterprises. He has helped the Batman is all of the movies. Another sub story is Alfred who is Bruce Wayne’s butler. He does a lot for Bruce, but just can’t take it anymore and leaves Bruce fearing that he is going to finally fail and die. He does not think that Gotham needs him anymore and will just turn on him. A more important sub story would be the involving the officer Blake.He does not give up on believing in the Batman and towards the end of the movie it sets everything up for next movie, because Officer Blake is actually Robin, who will probably be Batman’s sidekick according to the Batman Trilogy. So it sets up an exciting way to looking forward to the next Batman movie. The last sub story that was in this movie was about Bane and Miranda Tate and how they knew each other from the prison at Hell on Earth. Bane turned out to be Miranda’s protector in jail and helped her escape from the prison.His mouth got destroyed during the struggle of her escape. So that is why Bane wears a mask to be able to control the pain. Bane is trained under the league of shadows. He ended up using Daggit to get into the tunnels and then turning on him. They try to destroy Gotham, but we all know what eventually happened to stop them from doing so. Christopher Nolan did another great job with this latest Batman film. There obvious has to be a sequel to the movie before this one which was called The Dark Knight, probably a good reason why this latest movie was called The Dark Knight Rises.He also did not want to leave the Batman as a villain and wanted to turn things for him and make him into more of a superhero. He also tried to show that evil can be taken down by the effor ts of people coming together and forgetting about the past. This is a heavy action/adventure movie, but still a powerful message can come from it though. The message he was trying to show is that evil can be taken down and forgiveness can be made for someone who may seem evil, but can actually turn out to be a true super hero if given the opportunity.

Hypocrisy and Vanity in Joseph Andrews Essay

In his novel, Joseph Andrews, Henry Fielding uses various type characters to create a satire on the vices of men, finding that, â€Å"The only source of the true Ridiculous†¦is affectation,† which â€Å"proceeds from one of these two causes, vanity or hypocrisy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Fielding 10). These two chief vices reveal themselves through the words, actions, and lifestyles of several of Fielding’s characters, some in more harmless forms than others, and often coming hand in hand. A shining example of hypocrisy is displayed while Mr. Adams is travelling with a gentleman who gives a bold discourse on courage and â€Å"the infamy of not being ready at all times to sacrifice our lives to our country.† During his lecture, the screams of a woman are heard, and Mr. Adams reaches for a weapon to assist. The gentleman is shocked and, trembling, says, â€Å"This is no business of ours; let us make as much haste as possible out of the way, or we may fall into their hands ourselves† (115). As Adams dashes off to the woman’s aid, the â€Å"man of courage† escapes to his own home, â€Å"without once looking behind him,† where the author leaves him to â€Å"contemplate his own bravery, and to censure the want of it in others† (115). However, Mr. Adams is not himself altogether virtuous, and, although perhaps more harmless, demonstrates a revealing combination of vanity and hypocrisy. Adams is frequently found making a vain display of his learning and evaluating the quality of others’ educations, often speaking in Latin and chastising others for not behaving according to the Scriptures. He makes himself ridiculous with his high opinion of his accomplishments. When the character Wilson relates his life’s tale, Adams searches for a sermon he wrote on the subject of vanity, declaring it so admirable that he would walk five miles to fetch it. He claims he had â€Å"never been a greater enemy to any passion than that silly one of vanity (181),† thus exposing his own hypocritical tendency for vanity. Fielding also makes an intentional display of vanity by inserting a story within the story: â€Å"The History of Leonora.† Leonora is a beautiful young lady, heir to a fortune, with a â€Å"greedy appetite of vanity, with the preference which was given her by the men to almost every other woman†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (84). Not long after Leonora has settled on a suitor to marry than her love is tested by the appearance of a fine stranger arriving in a â€Å"dear coach and six.† She ultimately concedes to his enticing riches, denying her former lover, but her father refuses to pass on his fortune while he lives, and her new lover leaves. Thus the vanity of Leonora leaves her alone as the miserable subject of ridicule. One hypocritical character who enters, perhaps solely for the purpose of his ironic behavior, is the Roman Catholic priest encountered by Mr. Adams at an inn. The gentleman gives a lecture on the value of riches, saying, â€Å"Do not riches bring us solicitude instead of rest, envy instead of affectation, and danger instead of safety?† (214). But, no sooner has he finished his speech on the evils of riches, than he asks Adams for a loan to pay for his lodgings, and subsequently asks the host to pay his debt later. The host points out the hypocrisy, saying, â€Å"I thought by his talking so much about riches, that he had a hundred pounds a least in his pocket† (216). But the scene is not complete without Adams adding his own hypocrisy; he chides the host for his suspicions and then retires to bed without a thought as to how he will pay his own debt. Through these instances and many others, Fielding purposefully and humorously exemplifies the vices of vanity and hypocrisy. His ridiculous, flawed characters, their actions and lifestyles, and even the stories they tell are ripe with patterns of these traits, to the point of absurdity. But it is the painfully ridiculous that Fielding uses to bring hypocrisy and vanity to the reader’s attention and show what vices they truly are.

Research Paper on Entrepreneurs

Research Paper on Entrepreneurs Sample Research Paper on Entrepreneurs Abstract The paper is a case study analysis of Jurys Inn Hotel and Ryanair Ltd. The research offers a business overview of the companies, their formation and their organizational structure. The analysis examines the management philosophy of innovation and the reasons why the companies have become so successful. The study investigates the innovations introduced by the management of Jurys Inn hotel so as to make it efficient and competitive within the industry. It also looks at the innovations implemented by the management of Ryanair so as to create a competitive advantage for the airline. The case study explains the role of entrepreneurship in the development of both companies and the fundamental reasons behind their success. The model concepts of both the airline and the hotel are also examined and explained in the endeavor to relate them to the success of both organizations. Jurys Inn Hotel William Jury-Entrepreneur The founder of the Jurys Doyle Hotel Group was a commercial traveler who identified an opportunity and established an inn that was aimed at serving the sector in which he was working. In 1839 the commercial traveler ventured into the entrepreneurial world by opening an Inn at Dublin College green which was later named the Commercial and Family Hotel. William Jury was an ambitious entrepreneur who constantly identified new opportunities, a fact that led to a partnership that led to the building of a new hotel known as the Shelbourne hotel. William sold the original inn at Dublin’s green college to his cousin Henry who was also a gifted entrepreneur. Henry Jury worked hard and the Commercial and Family Hotel grew significantly during his time leading to the name change to Jurys hotel. After the Second World War the Hotel which had been requisitioned by the British military was now vacant and deserted until some Irish entrepreneurs invested in the business and kept the Jury name. The businessmen invested in more hotel properties in Dublin and the tourist boom at the time encouraged them to invest in other areas such as Westport in 1970 and Sligo in the following year (Creaton, 2004). In the mid to the late seventies the tourist boom came to an end just at the time the company was making huge investments into an expansion plan and in addition the company was facing a high degree of competition from the Doyle group and it faced a uncertain future. This resulted in a complete disbandment of the organization through a sale of assets and the formulation of a new Jurys hotel group with additional investors. The new strategy of the new organization was based on the acquisition of three lucrative properties from the Intercontinental Hotels group based in the Cork, Limerick and Ballsbridge (Bergsman, 2006). Hotel Chain Overview Currently the chain of hotels is owned by Quinlan Private Venture Capital Company owned by Derek Quinlan who bought in 2007 from the Jurys Doyle Hotel Group. The hotel group was founded in Dublin Ireland back in 1881 by William Jury who initially set out to start a boarding house. The first major investment in the hotel chain was made in 1964 by PV Doyle and was named the Montrose and is located in Stillorgan in the city of Dublin. The Doyle group in Dublin, Washington DC and London hotel were consolidated in 1999 to form the now enlarged the Jurys Doyle Hotel Group. The hotel chain is known for its unique Jurys Inn concept which has seen the opening of hotels in the following areas: Jurys Inn Cork Jurys Inn Manchester Jurys Inn Limerick Jurys Inn London Jurys Inn Custom House Jurys Inn Edinburgh Jurys Inn Belfast The company also has invested in conventional hotels as part of its expansion strategy within the United Kingdom from 2001and they include: In 2001 the group acquired the Birmingham based Chamberlain hotels The hotel chain opened the Jurys Inn in Newcastle The Jurys Inn Croydon was opened in 2002 Jurys Inn in Leeds was opened in 2004 Jurys Inn in Glasgow was opened Jurys Inn Chelsea Jurys Inn Southampton Jurys Inn Heathrow-2004 Jurys Inn Parnell Street-2004 Jurys Inn Liverpool-2008 Jurys Inn Plymouth-2008 Jurys Inn Nottingham-2005 Jurys Inn Brighton-2009 Jurys Inn Swindon-2008 Jurys Inn Derby-2009 The hotel chain is one the leading hotel groups within the republic of Ireland and has an ambitious international expansion strategy. The Jurys Doyle Hotel Group has thirty hotels in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States. The major part of the revenues earned by the hotel comes from the home base of Ireland. In the market, the fastest developing segment is that of the United Kingdom where the hotel has opened fifteen hotels since 1990.Withinn the United States the hotel chain has three investments and is conducting market surveys with a view of expanding in the region. The hotel chain has come with new strategies that involve a shift in portfolio from the three star Inn concept to the higher market segment of four star and five star hotels. The Jurys Doyle Hotel Group has categorized its services under two core brands, the inn brand concept which is mid priced and the four star concept which targets a higher end market (Clark, Andrew.2006). The company has also managed to acquire several five star properties which include: The Towers in Dublin The Berkeley Court The Westbury After acquisition by the private capital venture group the hotel chain has an ambitious development program that involves more expansion in the United States and the addition of 1500 rooms. The Jurys Doyle Hotel Group is a registered company in the London and Irish stock exchanges and abides by the regulations that control publicly listed companies. The hotel chain had 8000 rooms by the financial year ending 2011 and is continuously expanding its operations. It offers a wide variety of services which include: Conference facilities Business centers Bed and breakfast accommodation, Mobile phone network High Speed internet access Currency exchange Baby Sitting services Car rental 24 hour reception, Parking facilities Flexible check in/out services Room service The Jury Inn Model Concept: The Budget Hotel Approach The hotel chain still follows the concept applied by William Jury even after changing ownership hands severally. Jury wanted to satisfy a market need and used his entrepreneurial skills to satisfy this need. The hotel was established to serve the needs of commercial travelers. This involved giving the customers value for money by offering clean and comfortable rooms at a price that is affordable. In addition the Inns are located at strategic points that are near major transportation systems such as airports, bus and train terminus. This was a meant to tap into this target market by incorporating a high level of convenience (Creaton, 2004). The hotel has targeted the three star hotel customer base since its inception and this has led to the current success being experienced by the Jurys Doyle Hotel Group. The three star hotel brand is a concept that heavily relies on central convenient locations and value based services that are flexible in nature. The hotel chain has managed to align its brand portfolio with the expectations of the customer. For over a hundred years the hotel chain has been synonymous with affordable excellent service to the business traveler. The management has been able to apply the appropriate entrepreneurial skills necessary to sustain the business model even through difficult and trying times. The Jurys hotel brand has been based on a budget hotel concept and has managed to offer professional but limited services to travelers and other customers for over a hundred year. Studies have shown that the budget model is now very popular in the hospitality industry especially during the global economic sl owdown that has seen problems in both the United States and in Europe (Walsh, 2004). The current statistics show that in both the united and in Europe, budget hotels make up seventy percent of hotels. The Jurys Inn model was a pioneer in conceptualizing this model and serving a niche market at the time which has now become the main market. Management Innovation Managerial entrepreneurship has been a key component of the success seen at the Jurys Doyle Hotel Group. The management has been able to adapt to the business environment by applying the right expansion and acquisition strategies at the right time and in the right manner. The budget hotel in concept has been implemented and managed effectively leading to the stable growth of the company in the last four decades. The management at Jurys has been able to offer innovative services based on the service concept within the hospitality industry. In essence the service concept incorporates the â€Å"what† and â€Å"how† of service design and at the same time aligns the strategies of the organization and the needs of the customer. The management of the hotel chain has been able to use innovative pricing to attract different market segments based on a flexible system that is season and service oriented (Chitium, 2004) The hotel chain offers no frills in its establishments and thi s enables it to lower rates for its customers. The business traveler has become the main customer for the Jurys Inn and prices are set according to the services and the needs of a particular customer. Only the in accommodation does the hotel have a standard standing charge, because all the other services are optional depending on the wishes of the customer. Another value added innovation is the location of the hotels in the most convenient place for both business travelers and tourists. The hotel is has Inns in Heathrow airport and the hotels at Glasgow and Birmingham are suitably located near big near public transport systems and international convention centers (Braiden, 2009). By these actions the management has ensured that the hotel chain has tapped into the tourist and business traveler market. Those attending international conferences in Glasgow can seek accommodation at the Jurys Inn in the area and enjoy the competitive prices offered at the establishment. The management ha s innovatively used information technology to make it convenient for customers to make reservations and make inquiries about the services offered by hotel chain. The use of technology has been an important service based innovation for the hotel chain and offers: Customized and automatic wake up systems In room pay per view television Personal computers Electronic door locks Modem computer connection Video check out services It based business centre It must be noted that all these services are offered at different Jurys Inn establishments depending on the needs of the customers. The rooms have been modernized to include high speed internet access as a value added service in line with five star industry standards. The rooms have customized dà ©cor for those couples who are on their honey moon or on romantic holidays who select to stay in budget hotels for financial reasons. The management has also implemented flexible check in and checkout policies that are convenient and which accommodate the needs of both tourists and travelers. The managers at the hotel chain have instituted these innovations through the use of customer surveys and research that indicates the reasons why customers select to stay at Jurys Inn. This enables the management to come up with a service design for particular establishments where they note unique customer trends and behavior. Studies show that organizations that are successful must be fully aware of t he preferences of their customers and consequently develop their services according to the targets of the market. Due to its long history in the sector the management has had used the experience to add only those innovations that reflect on the bottom line. Research has shown that service innovation is an essential component of market differentiation and can be a distinct competitive advantage in the hospitality industry (Schall, 2003). The company has implemented business centers in some of the Inns within London to cater for the small scale business traveler. The management has innovatively used training to ensure that the staff is an additional value to the services of the hotel. The staff is taught crucial interpersonal skills that cater to the needs of the customers. The management has instituted a Jurys reward system that benefits frequent travelers who stay at the Inns. This is meant to reward loyal customers and to build lasting relationships with them. They earn points depe nding on the number of visits to the hotel and they can exchange this points for free nights or high street vouchers that can be used in high end shops and restaurants within London. The role of entrepreneurship in the Development of Jurys Doyle Hotel Group The hotel industry has been characterized by intense competition after the Second World War and the stabilization of the global economy. Changing customer preferences and the rapid advances in technology have seen hospitality organizations apply entrepreneurial concepts to develop their establishments and remain competitive in the long term. The issue of success by the Jurys hotel chain group is tied to service innovation where the hotel chain used new ideas and concepts to target a niche market. The founder of the hotels saw an opportunity to serve business travelers by giving them affordable services in a comfortable, convenient and safe environment. This ensured that the hotel chain created a niche for itself within the market in Ireland. William Jury was an entrepreneur who conceived an idea and worked towards its implementation. The founder of the hotel chain had an entrepreneurial self employment mind set which helped develop the small bed and breakfast at Dublin green college to a reputable budget hotel. The hotel was designed according to the owner’s vision, which was to build an establishment that would efficiently cater to the needs of the commercial traveler. The Jurys hotel faced collapse during the Second World War when the British army had taken over the premises. A group of Irish entrepreneurs then saw the potential of the Inns and invested in the business once more, because they identified the opportunities provided by the low cost traveler. This entrepreneurial spirit was the catalyst that led to the development and success of the hotel chain since its inception. The concept of entrepreneurial leadership provided by management has led to the high level of service innovation seen in the hotel chain. The leadership of the hotel chain noted earlier on that the differences between low budget hotels and their more high end counterparts was becoming narrower as the big players employed competitive strategies that lowered prices significantly. The hotel chain was struggling to differentiate itself as budget hotel, because of the price strategy of four and five star establishments and the management implemented a service concept strategy that was characterized by an increase in services offered so that in the end it ended up as a mid market establishment with the competitive pricing of a low end budget hotel. Entrepreneurship requires the taking of risks which is also evident in Jurys Inn’s ambitious expansion strategy that has seen the chain grow to thirty hotels within two decades. Organizations that are led by entrepreneurs are constantly looking to break new ground in their quest to dominate the market and offer first class services to their customers. Ryan Air: Budget Airline Case Study Analysis The low budget airline was formed in 1985 and has its headquarters at Dublin airport. The airline has a strategy that involves the use of the Boeing 737-800 model in all its flights. One of the objectives of the airline was to increase the number of tourists visiting Ireland. The company has had an ambitious expansion strategy in its quest to attain a larger market share and to improve on its capabilities. The expansion plans are also meant to satisfy the target market which requires an investment into more routes. The company began its operations by flying from Waterford to London. In 1997 the company went public and used the new financing to expand into the European market. The profit revenue has risen from 231 million dollars in 1998 to 339 million Euros in 2010. Tony Ryan, Christopher Ryan and Liam Lonergan formed the airline in order to satisfy a market need and to break the duopoly of Aer Lingus and British airways (Riegel, 2010). After the deregulation of the airline industry the company added a new route in 1986 and begun to compete directly with British airways by flying from Dublin to Luton. The company had been able to meet the industry standards and was allowed by the British government to fly across Europe. The airline did well for the next four years but by 19991 it was in trouble and needed restructuring. An innovative manager known as Michael O’Leary was given the task of turning around the fortunes of the airline. He came up with a new strategy of combining low fares with quick around times as a way of reducing costs and increasing revenue. This was a critical time for the company as the new CEO discovered that the company could effectively compete within the European air market by offering cheap frills and low cost fares. The company used regional airports that were less expensive and this allowed it to charge low fares that attracted the budget traveler. By the year 1995 Ryan air had carried 2.5 million passengers and was on its way to becoming the largest low budget carrier in Europe. Ryan air used only one model of Boeing 737-800 aircraft to expand into Europe in the most effective low cost strategy possible. The company operated roots near Paris, Stockholm and near Brussels as it penetrated the European market. In its expansion plans the company ordered a record 155 Boeing planes which were to be delivered in eight years from 2002. In 2003 the company demonstrated a great deal of confidence in its business model by ordering 100 more planes in line with its vision of low budget market dominance. In the same year the company acquired a low budget competitor Buzz which added to its flight capabilities and added sixty new routes to its portfolio. The 2004 season also saw trying times for the airline industry and Ryanair posted a loss of three million Euros. After this turbulent time only two major European players remained Ryanair and Easy jet. The stock of the company has grown by over fifty percent and in 2009 t he CEO Michael O’Leary announced that the company was moving into the long haul flight sector .They strategy involved charging low fares and the addition of a business class category of passengers who were going to pay a higher premium for the extra comfort and services. This was meant to enable the airline to compete effectively with carriers such as Virgin Atlantic. Ryan Air: Low Budget Concept One of the reasons why the low budget carrier has been so successful is due to the reason that the management has been very good at negotiating with airport authorities. This enabled the company to lower the cost of doing business and made it competitive when it came to charging low fares. The model involves the use of fewer crew members so as to reduce the costs in a flight. The Ryan air business model involves the use of one type of aircraft in all flights. This reduces the cost of maintenance and ensures maximum efficiency as pilots and crews get used to the mechanism of the model. The use of one model also reduces staff training costs and the cost of obtaining spares. The Ryan business model is based on a cost reduction strategy so as to remain competitive within the industry. One of the strategies that the company uses is outsourcing whereby it engages the services of other companies in activities that are not part of its core business. As mentioned the company negotiated for low airport charges and flexible route policies that give it leverage when it comes to operational agility. The cost strategy also involves the hiring of only essential staff and the managing of any other staff costs (Bamber et al., 2009). The company pays low wages but has a pay structure that is performance related which acts as a motivation. The CEO of Ryan air came up with a strategy that enhances the turnaround time making the company more efficient in its flights. The company utilizes regional airports where it can use its bargaining power to negotiate favorable deals with regard to airport charges. The airline operates from point to point and does not incur costs when it comes to connecting passengers. The company has been able to effectively keep its marketing costs down by using the internet and utilizing the most effective magazines and electronic media. The company has used a no frills strategy as a way for improving the productivity and efficiency of the airline. This involves the streamlining of in flight services such as food and drinks and the seat allocation method. Customers are charged for those in flight services that they utilize and employees are paid for the amount of sales that they make while on board. This enhances the efficiency of the company in terms of efficiency. The low costs strategy gives the company the opportunity to concentrate its efforts in adding the volume of customers and not the passenger margins. This approach then transcends to a customer oriented strategy that ensures that the company focuses on meeting their needs. The Ryan air business model has been characterized by high service performance which is marked by high rates of flight completion, a high rate of punctuality and a low rate of baggage loss (Hensdill, 2002). This performance levels enable the company to have a highs level of adaptability and agility when it comes to operating in a highly competitive environment. The model has been characterized by the efficient utilization of planes which has resulted in longer aircraft use, which has led to a lowering of costs when it comes to the purchase of new planes. In other words the company optimizes the use of the aircraft. Ryan air also engages in fuel hedging so as to shield its operations from the constant fluctuation in global oil prices. Aer Lingus Tony Ryan was an entrepreneur who worked for the Aer Lingus Group Plc but then moved on to start Ryanair. Aer Lingus airline is one of the major rivals of Ryanair and was the training ground for Tony Ryan who had risen to be an executive in Ireland’s oldest extant airline. The entrepreneur used the knowledge and contacts he had gained at Aer Lingus to start a low budget carrier that became a direct competitor at Dublin airport. One of Tony Ryan’s objectives in starting Ryanair was to end the dominance of Aer Lingus in the Waterford-Dublin route. The competition between Aer Lingus and Ryanair was fierce as the young airline attempted to increase its market share through a pricing strategy. Ryanair eventually dominated the low cost carrier and owns a 29.4% stake in its rival Aer Lingus. Aer Lingus gave Tony Ryan the experience he needed to make Ryanair a success. Negative Publicity The company has also receives negative media press, because of some of its policies and attitudes. It constantly gets into disputes with airports over terminal charges because of unreasonable demands from its officials. The company has faced costly route battles with its main rival Easy Jet. The CEO has also been accused of arrogance and courting negative publicity as a tool of promotion. The company constantly makes wilds proposals like charging for toilet use or charging more for overweight people only to claim it was a joke. Management Innovation Innovation management in the Ryanair model has been characterized by an emphasis on the systematic processes used to develop the services offered by the airline. This involved a high degree of creativity that is in line with the needs of the customer and which matches the business strategies of the airline. The management of Ryanair has a strong history of using innovation to create a competitive advantage. As a matter of fact the whole Ryanair concept is founded on an innovative business model that made it possible for more people to afford flying. According to the CEO, Michael O’Leary the innovative strategy of Ryan is based on a notion of looking at business process and eliminating those things that increase costs and complicate operations. This essentially involves dissecting processes into components that are measurable and assessing their value to the customer in order to eliminate those that are not geared towards meeting the needs of the customers. Fundamentally this h as made Ryan Air one of the most cost effective businesses in the world. The basic idea is to concentrate on the core function of flying passengers from point A to point B. Before the company brought down the costs of traveling by air, flying was a preserve of those with means. This new model introduced by Ryan Air was based on taking the concept of flying to its bare essentials. The company begun by operating with two planes on two routes and used the lessons learnt to identify a market need and to innovatively address the practical challenges raised by the strategy. The use of the Boeing 737 is an innovative strategy that was pioneered by Ryan Air as part of its cost reduction strategy. The management was able to institute a single passenger class which is flexible and allows passengers to sit wherever they prefer (Riegel, 2010). Another noted innovative strategy is the use of direct ticket sales by the airline as a way of cutting out middle men and reducing the costs. This involves the use of the internet and the staff to sell the tickets to customers and this enables the company to charge very competitive fares, because it does not have to pay commissions to ticketing agents. The budget airline has also innovatively used information technology as a value added service on its flights. This is meant to support the business traveler to communicate and work while on board. The net revenue of in-flight internet use has increased by 472% since its implementation in 2001.The management at Ryanair have applied the concept of low budget transportation and reducing the services to the barest minimum as a way of enhancing their competitive advantage a small airline within Europe. The innovation strategy at the budget airline was heavily influenced by the changing needs of the customer, because of their increased sensitivity to pricing. Every cost reductive strategy found at Ryan Air is customer oriented and is meant to increase the volume of passengers by offering quick and affordable services. The role of entrepreneurship in the Development of Ryan Air The company was founded by the Irish businessmen Tony Ryan, Christopher Ryan and Liam Lonergan were entrepreneurs who saw an opportunity to serve a market need and looked for ways to get the resources required to fill this gap. One of the major characteristics of entrepreneurs is the fact that they take risks so as to achieve their goal. The two founders invested in a risky business that required a lot of capital and was under strict European regulation. The industry was also dominated by big airlines such as British airways that had the resources to stifle any competition. Entrepreneurship requires the use of innovation to come up with a product or service that is unique and which gives the organization a competitive advantage over others (Ruddock, 2007). The two founders practiced disruptive innovation which improved the access to flying within the European market after offering prices that could be afforded by a larger market. One of the major components of entrepreneurship is cha nge which the company has pursued and exploited. Entrepreneurs are able to take advantage of situations as was demonstrated when they European air market was deregulated and Ryanair positioned itself to expand its services by offering a product that was different from its competitors. Entrepreneurship at Ryanair has been characterized by the repositioning of an existing service in order to reach a new market segment. The company has had to make continuous innovations to its services and business model due to the challenges that exist within the industry. The company has had entrepreneurial leadership in the CEO. Michael OLeary has demonstrated skills that have seen the company expand into new markets and emerge from difficult times to experience success. When the company underwent challenges in the early nineties the CEO was able to change strategies and improve on existing services which made Ryanair more productive and efficient. One of the dimensions of entrepreneurship is proact iveness which in the business realm means being action oriented. Ryan Air is a company that operates in a highly competitive industry and it has had to continuously improve its services so as to remain competitive. The company is currently targeting the business traveler by offering a new business class service. This is because the business class target market has changed trends and the customers want more services at an affordable price. Ryanair is continuously looking for more opportunities that would add value to its services and which would increase its ability to compete. It seeks to introduce new services ahead of its rivals as has been illustrated by the introduction of business oriented long haul flights. It constantly applies strategies that remove operations that are declining as a way of reducing costs and in this regard the company only flies in strategic routes so as to maximize on profits and efficiency. Studies have shown that organizations with strong entrepreneurial orientations perform better, because they are able to deal with the challenges that face them in as more proactive manner. The leadership is not afraid to take calculated risks that are aimed at giving the company a competitive edge within the industry. Ryanair is a company that has survived and succeeded by competently and effectively studying the market and industry. The airline industry continuously analyzes the trends in the industry and the market so as to identify any notable changes that might require a change of strategy. After a critical analysis of the routes the company which enjoys a high level of flexibility can quickly negotiate with authorities for terminus expansion or can withdraw depending on its best interests. In its entrepreneurial nature the company has been able to expand into more tourist destinations since this is a lucrative market for budget airlines which have greatly benefitted from budget hotels. In its expansion plans in the past the company has appli ed an international strategy as part of its overall corporate strategy. Budget Airlines and Budget Hotels Jurys Inn and Ryanair Changing customer trends and a slowdown in the global economy has resulted in the development and expansion of low cost hotels and airlines. The two service industries have come together to serve a growing market need. Both industries are heavily associated with the tourism and travel sector and depend on low pricing and efficient services as key components of attracting and retaining customers. The Jurys Inn business model was created in order to serve the commercial traveler by offering lean comfortable and affordable accommodation. The low cost carriers also target the business traveler by offering quick, efficient and affordable flight services to this market. The philosophy behind low cost carriers like Ryan Air and low budget hotels like Jurys Inn is the emphasis on reducing the costs of doing business therefore allowing the organization to offer competitive prices. Market research has shown that the hospitality and airline industries are characterized by customers who are pric e sensitive. Both organizations were founded to satisfy a market need by making the travel experience of both tourists and business travelers more affordable. In the current business environment typified by intense competition, cost cutting strategies have become as important as other competitive strategies because only lean and efficient organizations are successful. The Jurys Inn business model is aimed at targeting the low cost traveler who is also the target for low cost carriers (Schall, 2003). The hotel chain allows customers to pay only for those services they want or need. The concept is marked by a high level of flexibility whereby the customer can pay for rooms in an hourly rate depending on their travel arrangements. This is very attractive to those business travelers and tourists who make stop-over’s that require only a few hours stay in a hotel. If they wish for more services like the use of the internet, food and drinks or room service then they pay for them directly. The Ryanair model also has a similar concept where passengers only pay those services that they prefer. When one pays for a flight, it is not inclusive of any other service, which then requires that that if they need extra services like food and drinks then they can pay for them on board. This concept allows both the airline and the hotel to charge competitive ra tes by offering the most basic services in a safe accommodative environment. One of the advantages of low-cost carriers and budget hotels is their ability to compete effectively with traditional rivals my minimizing the cost of doing business and raising capabilities in such a way that attracts the customer to prefer their services. The Ryan air concept is simply based on cheap efficient travel and it is meant for people whose main aim is to move from point A to B. The Jurys in model is directed at those customers whose main aim is comfortable and clean accommodation and not luxury. The two organizations have experienced their level of success due to the entrepreneurial spirit of their founders and subsequent management. The hotel chain has implemented a risky expansion strategy in the nineties that saw successful growth within the market segment. Ryanair at the same time was also implementing its international strategy and ordering over two hundred Boeing 737 planes to be delivered within the same decade. Entrepreneurship drove both organizations to apply innovative concepts that became a competitive advantage which led to sustainable growth. Innovation of services is the fundamental driver of both low cost airlines and budget hotels. The Jurys hotel business model was innovatively designed to serve tourists and business travelers from a convenient location near major transport systems like airports, train stations and bus terminus. This ensures that the hotel chain effectively taps into the travel and tourism market through convenience and competitive pricing. The Ryan Air concept has also used innovative strategies such as the quick turnaround policy to ensure that they have a higher level of efficiency that their competitors.

Free Essays on Animal Testing For Medical Purposes

The Big Decision: Whom do we Test? The controversy of animal testing for medical purposes has been a heated topic for many years now. Many feel that it’s acceptable and others see it as inhumane. â€Å"Many organizations have been formed with the sole purpose of keeping animals from laboratories,† (McCoy 54). I personally feel that there are other ways to test medical drugs other than on animals. Other options include testing on prisoners, people who are willing to be paid to have the drug tested on them, and people who are terminally ill, and as a last hope, want to try the â€Å"new drug†. Animals that are used for testing purposes usually end up dying. They are usually pumped full of a disease or virus and then they try a vaccine on them, which in the end, usually fails. In which case, the animal ends up suffering and dying. While being tested, they are kept in tiny cages, instead of being able to run free like they should. In some cases, animal testing may give a different result with humans. â€Å"Misleading animal tests can be devastating for human health.† (Bender 69). The early stages of an animals life in a laboratory is extremely stressful. In fact, many animals born within the laboratories live very short lives. Some common conditions of animals that are kept for medical purposes include; pneumonia, colitis, enteritis, gastric bloat and rupture, encephalitis, and spticemia. They lose fingers and toes, suffer from gangrene, and die from several bacterial infections. We must remember that even though they are animals, they too have feelings. They feel stress and pain. In laboratories, they suffer and die. Their deaths should be remembered and mourned. One alternative to testing on animals is testing on prisoners. If a person has committed a horrible crime, and is serving life in prison, we might as well use him or her for the testing of medications. That way, we would be able to see the effects o... Free Essays on Animal Testing For Medical Purposes Free Essays on Animal Testing For Medical Purposes The Big Decision: Whom do we Test? The controversy of animal testing for medical purposes has been a heated topic for many years now. Many feel that it’s acceptable and others see it as inhumane. â€Å"Many organizations have been formed with the sole purpose of keeping animals from laboratories,† (McCoy 54). I personally feel that there are other ways to test medical drugs other than on animals. Other options include testing on prisoners, people who are willing to be paid to have the drug tested on them, and people who are terminally ill, and as a last hope, want to try the â€Å"new drug†. Animals that are used for testing purposes usually end up dying. They are usually pumped full of a disease or virus and then they try a vaccine on them, which in the end, usually fails. In which case, the animal ends up suffering and dying. While being tested, they are kept in tiny cages, instead of being able to run free like they should. In some cases, animal testing may give a different result with humans. â€Å"Misleading animal tests can be devastating for human health.† (Bender 69). The early stages of an animals life in a laboratory is extremely stressful. In fact, many animals born within the laboratories live very short lives. Some common conditions of animals that are kept for medical purposes include; pneumonia, colitis, enteritis, gastric bloat and rupture, encephalitis, and spticemia. They lose fingers and toes, suffer from gangrene, and die from several bacterial infections. We must remember that even though they are animals, they too have feelings. They feel stress and pain. In laboratories, they suffer and die. Their deaths should be remembered and mourned. One alternative to testing on animals is testing on prisoners. If a person has committed a horrible crime, and is serving life in prison, we might as well use him or her for the testing of medications. That way, we would be able to see the effects o...

Tentative and Tenterhooks

Tentative and Tenterhooks Tentative and Tenterhooks Tentative and Tenterhooks By Maeve Maddox The other day I listened to a radio interview in which the subject continually pronounced the word tentative without one of its ts. Tentative has three ts: ten-ta-tive (not ten-a-tive). Another t word that often has its medial t messed with is tenterhook. Its an old word derived from cloth-making, but it remains current in the expression to be on tenterhooks, i.e., to be in a state of painful suspense. Ive heard people say tenderhooks. Tentative derives from Latin tentatus, a form of the verb tentare, to feel, to try. Its another form of temptare, to feel, to try, to test. which gives us the English word temptation. A tenter was a wooden framework for stretching cloth. It derives from Latin tentus, stretched. A tenter hook held the cloth on the tenter. Some will argue that these pronunciations are merely differences of region or dialect. Whatever the cause, pronouncing them that way leads to misspelling them and misspelled words damage the writers credibility. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Using "a" and "an" Before WordsStory Writing 10110 Varieties of Syntax to Improve Your Writing

Mark Twain's use of Irony The Nortorius Jumping Frog Essay

Mark Twain's use of Irony The Nortorius Jumping Frog - Essay Example He was a keen observer of human beings and did not like much of what he saw. He believed that people were often very foolish or cruel and the literature he wrote in response to this plainly brings people to task for being this way. However, to simply state this proposition is not an effective means of communicating it. It becomes a much more powerful idea when Swift uses rhetorical devices like satire and irony. We believe the story until the end. We become invested in the story of the gambling on frogs. Only at the end do we realize it is a joke. This is one of the first indications that we are dealing with a satire or parody. In a satire, a narrator appears to be endorsing something he is actually mocking. This is done by using irony. Irony can be a very effective rhetorical method, pouring contempt on an idea or principle much more harshly than a straightforward attack. Irony sneaks up behind you and ambushes you. It is a good way to rhetorically attack problems and situations that are right in front of you and that many people might want to defend. With irony you can attack but others will not realize you are attacking until it is to late (Horn 76). This is what Twain has done in The Notorious Frog. For ma ny who picked it up, it would take some time to realize it was all a joke. When they did realize it was a joke, they would be shocked and begin to really think about what Twain meant. This is an especially militant form of irony—something Twain truly excelled at. People will always take advantage of one another. Gullibility is omnipresent. A lesser writer might have been tempted at the end of the story to reveal the whole thing to be a joke. But Twain is a rhetorical master. He realizes that consistency is everything in rhetoric: if you shift out of the voice you appear disjunctive and lose the full effect. That is what makes the final paragraph of the story so powerful: even at the end, Twain and his narrator claim he is

Exporing the properties of gases Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Exporing the properties of gases - Lab Report Example ain objectives of these experiments were to develop skills in performing simple gas phase experiment, determine the effects of variations in the three variables of an ideal gas and test the formulated hypothesis. Our first hypothesis was that the pressure of a given volume of gas increases with a decrease in the gas volume at a constant temperature. Our second hypothesis was that increase in temperature of an enclosed gas sample increases the pressure exerted by the gas at a constant volume. Our final hypothesis stated that the volume of any gas increases with an increase in temperature at a constant pressure (Daniel et al 275). Boyle’s law experiment was done to study the relationship between volume of a given gas and its pressure at a constant temperature. The syringe plunger was pressed to increase the pressure as the volume decreased. The pressure was recorded using the pressure sensor. Charles law experiment was done to study the relationship between volume of a given gas sample and its temperature on a constant pressure. Gay-Lussac’s law experiment was done to study the relationship between the temperature of an enclosed gas sample and the pressure exerted at a constant volume (Daniel et al 275). Test of our hypothesis gave positive results hence our hypothesis were adopted. It was discovered that decrease in volume of a given gas increase the gas pressure at a constant temperature Increase in temperature led to increase in volume of a given gas at constant pressure and pressure increase with increase (Daniel et al 275). Gas is one of the states of matter besides liquids and solids. There are very many types of gases some of which are poisonous while others are not. A gas like Hydrogen Sulphide is very poisonous while oxygen gas is not poisonous. All the gases have varying pH values whereby some are acidic, neutral or basic but not both. Gases like CO2, O2, H2 and N2 among others are found naturally on the environment (Daniel et al 275). The ideal gas

Exhibits of astronomy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Exhibits of astronomy - Research Paper Example Keck Foundation Central Rotunda, the Cosmic Connection, the Gunther Depths of Space Hall, and the Edge of Space Mezzanine (Bill, 28) The large new Richard and Lois Gunther Depths of Space exhibit gallery activated by the recent transformation of cosmic perspective that began when people first went into space. The horizon no longer be bounded by observation and understanding of the sky bonded to the ground .The Gunther Depths of Space is filled with unique with exhibits that are as monumental representing ideas of different individual (Bill, 31). In this part the following are represented. Planets, our earth, our solar system, other worlds, other stars, Milky Way, galaxy, iconic universe, a familiar star pattern and a big picture related to the exhibits. Planet- from the edge of mezzanine and below, visitors encounter a row of nine subtly illuminated, accurately. The sun is represented by horizon; 3-dimensioonal model of the solar system is mounted on top a stand. Common and unique elements transform the features of each planet into landscape for visitors. Besides each stand is physical data about the planet and its gravitational pull. Our earth- the stand holding planet earth has an opening to a chamber below mezzanine include seismograph instrument, six foot earth model, a two foot projection earth model stimulating our atmosphere and oceans. Projector is a symbol of our old earth based perspective e of the sky. Solar system- on the left of planet stand, visitors’ eyes are drawn upwards to suspend projected model of the solar system (Bill, 32). Each planet revolves round the sun. This represents the accurate motion of the solar system. Other world, other stars- the station has simple LED counter known planets to illustrate the pace of discovery ad confront and confront visitors with change from traditional of planets. New systems are aligned which look like and their relative to the earth. Milky Way galaxy- a glass model of Milky Way galaxy

Rocky (1976) - 5 Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Rocky (1976) - 5 Question - Essay Example Identify aspects of sound in your selected film. Discuss them in terms of how they affected your viewing experience; in other words, did the art of sound effects add value to your experience? If so, how? If not, why not? Literal sound is mostly used in the picture in order to recreate realistic scenery of the events and capture Philadelphia area. For instance, Rocky`s shy visiting of the zoo store where Adrian works is adorned with birds twittering which creates romantic atmosphere. It helped to understand Rocky`s sensitive and irrational side. Identify the type of music in your selected film. Discuss them in terms of how it affected your viewing experience; in other words, did the score or songs add value to your experience? If so, how? If not, why not? Rocky`s ability to be tough and determined on the boxing ring and tender in relationship is captured in the soundtrack. When it is needed the hero along with the sound becomes strong and aggressive but in intimate moments delicate music shows his loving nature. The main song â€Å"Gonna fly now† underlines Rocky`s struggle for life and for victory. Identify the types of editing in your selected film. Discuss them in terms of how it affected your viewing experience; in other words, did the different types of shots and framing add value to your experience? If so, how? If not, why not? The montage of the film concentrates on shots which show Rocky`s gradual transformation. Some shots (as jogging near the sea port) are excessively long and acquire symbolic meaning. Moreover, quick-cutting montage is balanced with long and picturesque scenes. â€Å"Rocky`s† editing has determined some meditative pace along with logical ad coherent structure. You have engaged your critical thinking skills by becoming aware of and assessing various elements of film. How do these exercises connect the study of film to real-world experience? Additionally, in what other ways do films have cultural value? Explain

Judicial Restraint and Judicial Activism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Judicial Restraint and Judicial Activism - Essay Example Below is another case of judicial activism, in which a school district had its policies overturned by the court. This should be considered to be activism, as the school district is not allowed by the court to pass policies for itself that would help remedy individual cases of discrimination. However, since this case cases involves reverse discrimination, this case would not be decried by the conservatives who typically decry judicial activism. A. Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District, 551 U.S. 701 (2007). Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District, 551 U.S. 701 (2007) is an equal protection case argued before the court in 2007. Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the opinion of the Court. This case dealt with two different school districts, the Seattle school district in Washington State and the Jefferson County school district in Louisville, Kentucky. Each school district used race as a way to assign students to their schools. The Se attle school district allowed ninth graders to choose the schools that they wanted to attend. If too many students wanted to attend a particular school, then that school used a series of tie-breakers to determine who would attend that school. One of the tie-breakers is the race of the student – in the Seattle school district, 41% of students overall are white, and 59% are non-white. If a particular school did not come within 10% of the 41/59 split – say a school was 60% white and 40% non-white – then race was used to fill the available slots at that particular school, so that it would be brought into balance. Seattle operates the school in this way to address the â€Å"racially identifiable housing patterns on school assignments.† Five different schools in the Seattle district used this method of assigning students to their schools, elevating racial characteristics above other merits. The Petitioner parents filed suit on behalf of their children who were denied a spot at the five schools because of their race. The Ninth Circuit Court of appeals decided in an en banc decision that this the school district presented a compelling state interest, achieving racial balance within schools, and that the school district's methods of achieving this racial balance was narrowly tailored, thus upholding the school district's method of apportioning students to these schools. Jefferson County Public Schools had a similar scheme. Their school district is composed of approximately 34 black students, and 66 percent white students. All non-magnet schools in the district were required to enroll a minimum 15 percent and maximum of 50 percent black students. If a certain school was not within this range, students would be denied a spot at that particular school based on that student's race. So, if a black student wanted to enroll in School A, and that school had already reached its 50 maximum of black students, that student would be denied a spot at that school. If a white student wanted to go to School B, and that school was less than 15% black, then that student would be denied a spot at that school. Petitioner Crystal Meredith sought to enroll her son at a school that was close to her house, but her son was denied a spot at that school because her son would have caused that school to be racially

Alzheimer's Disease Patient and Social Theory Essay

Alzheimer's Disease Patient and Social Theory - Essay Example The key points of this analysis are the medical background and history of the patient, the psychological and sociological factors affecting her and her health, and finally how the patient and those psychological and sociological factors fit into a larger theoretical and policy framework. About the Patient In the interests of maintaining confidentiality and respecting patient privacy, I will be referring to this patient as Mrs. X. Due to her rapidly deteriorating mental and physical condition, Mrs. X's residential care home was no longer capable of providing the nursing services she required, and she was subsequently transferred into the mental health ward. Mrs. X has vascular dementia or Alzheimer's disease and has been declared legally incompetent to make her own medical decisions. In addition, she is prone to mild absence seizures, causing disorientation and occasional falls, though they do not induce unconsciousness. She is receiving phenytoin to treat the seizures. Mrs. X's behavioural issues have progressively worsened to the point that she requires full care and constant monitoring. She will wander the halls of the ward at night screaming. Her husband believes that many of her mental issues are related to her lack of sleep, which does make her agitated and irritable during the day. She has difficulty communicating her needs, as she is completely non-verbal. This factor alone is greatly complicating her nursing care. Other complicating factors in Mrs. X's care are her dislike for the staff to attempt personal hygiene or care needs, and her refusal to comply with treatment regimens. For example, she was found to be refusing her medication by hiding pills in her mouth, and had to be switched to liquid suspensions. Psychological and Sociological Factors It is difficult to assess Mrs. X's psychological condition exactly, due to her dementia and non-verbal state; however, it is safe to say that she is clearly unhappy with the current situation. Th is is a concern, as a patient's psychological state is often directly related to their ability to heal when hurt or to keep themselves healthy in the first place (Gross, 2007). Even on the first layer of the Whitehead-Dahlgren model of psychological influences, her physical state of being, most effects on Mrs. X are strongly negative (Marks & Evans, 2005). She often seems unaware of her surroundings, becoming lost within the building, which is a traumatising event for her. This most often occurs at night when she wanders. Her sleeplessness is due to severe insomnia, a condition that further damages her poor psychological state. She is helpless to do anything for herself, unable even to eat, drink, or use the toilet without help. Even in her mentally compromised state, this level of dependence on others causes her a significant amount of distress. This is evidenced by her dislike mentioned earlier for staff members trying to attend to her personal care. She is in pain due to arthriti s and frequent constipation, which also negatively impacts her psychological well-being. On the second layer and third layers, her lifestyle factors and social networks, the situation is equally as poor (Marks & Evans, 2005). She upsets the other patients by screaming and yelling, with the result that she has very little positive social contact with them. She

Judicial Restraint and Judicial Activism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Judicial Restraint and Judicial Activism - Essay Example Below is another case of judicial activism, in which a school district had its policies overturned by the court. This should be considered to be activism, as the school district is not allowed by the court to pass policies for itself that would help remedy individual cases of discrimination. However, since this case cases involves reverse discrimination, this case would not be decried by the conservatives who typically decry judicial activism. A. Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District, 551 U.S. 701 (2007). Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District, 551 U.S. 701 (2007) is an equal protection case argued before the court in 2007. Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the opinion of the Court. This case dealt with two different school districts, the Seattle school district in Washington State and the Jefferson County school district in Louisville, Kentucky. Each school district used race as a way to assign students to their schools. The Se attle school district allowed ninth graders to choose the schools that they wanted to attend. If too many students wanted to attend a particular school, then that school used a series of tie-breakers to determine who would attend that school. One of the tie-breakers is the race of the student – in the Seattle school district, 41% of students overall are white, and 59% are non-white. If a particular school did not come within 10% of the 41/59 split – say a school was 60% white and 40% non-white – then race was used to fill the available slots at that particular school, so that it would be brought into balance. Seattle operates the school in this way to address the â€Å"racially identifiable housing patterns on school assignments.† Five different schools in the Seattle district used this method of assigning students to their schools, elevating racial characteristics above other merits. The Petitioner parents filed suit on behalf of their children who were denied a spot at the five schools because of their race. The Ninth Circuit Court of appeals decided in an en banc decision that this the school district presented a compelling state interest, achieving racial balance within schools, and that the school district's methods of achieving this racial balance was narrowly tailored, thus upholding the school district's method of apportioning students to these schools. Jefferson County Public Schools had a similar scheme. Their school district is composed of approximately 34 black students, and 66 percent white students. All non-magnet schools in the district were required to enroll a minimum 15 percent and maximum of 50 percent black students. If a certain school was not within this range, students would be denied a spot at that particular school based on that student's race. So, if a black student wanted to enroll in School A, and that school had already reached its 50 maximum of black students, that student would be denied a spot at that school. If a white student wanted to go to School B, and that school was less than 15% black, then that student would be denied a spot at that school. Petitioner Crystal Meredith sought to enroll her son at a school that was close to her house, but her son was denied a spot at that school because her son would have caused that school to be racially

Dissertation Proposal to be done on same topic as other proposals and Essay

Dissertation Proposal to be done on same topic as other proposals and previous orders - Essay Example In this way, this study leans towards the end goal of making high school special education students stay in school. Receiving a high school diploma is extremely important to an American’s chances at achieving professional success. This is because Americans’ financial stability and professional achievement have always been mostly dependent on the education they have received (Shore, 2003). Higher education is something that highly enhances the number of opportunities one receives in the professional world and a high school diploma is almost always a prerequisite in being able to climb up the ladder to career success. This fact is augmented by the increasingly competitive market and the ongoing recession that has made getting job a lot harder. As a result, high school dropouts are faced with the negative ramifications of noncompletion throughout the rest of their lives, which includes unemployment and even a prison sentence as they might confront their financial difficulties with criminal activities (Rumberger, 2003). This contributes to â€Å"a pattern of increased economic marginal ization for those Americans with the least education† (Shore, 2003). Dropping out Ð ¾f high Ã'•chool restricts oneÃ'• options Ð °nd labor market opportunities in an economic climate that is becoming more and more advanced and comples; hence, high school noncompletion prompts serious negative conÃ'•equenceÃ'• for both thÐ µ individual Ð °nd Ã'•ociety in termÃ'• Ð ¾f financial ability and future productivity (Ð…trothÐ µr, 2006). These negative ramifications of high school noncompletion are further augmented when it comes to students with disabilities as their disabilities already act as a hindrance that closes many doors of opportunities. Furthermore, statistics show that the dropout rates of special education high school students are at least double and at the most triple that of regular students (Blackorby and Wagner, 2006; deBettencourt, Zigmond and Thornton,

Igor Primoratz and Radical Feminists Sexuality Essay Example for Free

Igor Primoratz and Radical Feminists Sexuality Essay Rape is to be quite frank, the lowest and most demeaning act a man can do to a woman. Most would say that rape is physically forcing a woman to engage in a sexual act against her will. Radical feminists take a hard stance against this and believe most â€Å"normal† sex is to be included when discussing rape. Feminists argue that the very social fiber of our society in which there is inequality of men and women needs to be changed. Men use sex as a form of control, a way to oppress women. Consent becomes irrelevant as women are not on equal ground. Feminists, who want legitimate sex, say that to have such would require major change in the social position of women. Catherine A Mackinnon says that’s in our society sexuality is â€Å"a social construct of male power: defined by men, forced on women, and constructive of the meaning of gender.† She believes that all sex ranging from normal consensual sex, prostitution to pornography, and sexual harassment and rape is all showcasing the dominance of women by men. Women are often engaging in sex that they do not feminists argue that even with consent women will agree to sex for the purpose of pleasing a man, or to improve social acceptance.   When a woman has sex with a man and does not want it, when she acts under compulsion, Feminists argue that this is rape. Morgan states â€Å"Rape exists any time sexual intercourse occurs when it is not being initiated by the woman out of her own genuine affection and desire.† Feminists claim that sure they may not be under the threat of a knife to the throat but they are nonetheless threatened and as such these situations can be called rape. Such acts may not fall under the same umbrella as what is known as traditional rape, it is rape just the same. Wertheimer points out that a sexual offense is basically nonconsensual touching or bodily contact. This type of touching does not necessarily have to be violent and does not need to involve one penetrating the other. Another form would involve a violent assault or battery. Thirdly would be threats of violence. Finally a sexual assault may be from a fear of harms from penetration. These are all real forms of rape, not the type of rape that is expressed by the views of Radical Feminists. One must ask, are these statement made by Radical feminists truly in line with what is a sexual offense? Feminists also state, that woman who are coerced into sex albeit not physically threatened but by means of say threats to end a relationship, threats to find another lover, threats about how he feels about her and such are all forms of coercion. Thus, they are all forms of rape. In order for women to feel completely comfortable and make sex moral, they must be free of all forms of coercion. The problem with all this is that in our lives we are constantly coerced into things we may not want to do. Is this to say that all judgments or situations, in which one is coerced is therefore morally unacceptable? Primoratz says quite nicely that â€Å" every extrinsic consideration that gets us to do something is to count as coercion into doing it, and if we are truly free only in those actions we do for own sake, then we are all coerced in most of what we do and unfree most of the time.† Another problem is that sex that can used for the purposes of monetary gain, power, or social stature can all be seen as immoral even if both parties have agreed on consent. But this is not merely a problem blamed on the males of today, females do it too. For all sorts of different reasons than the ones Primoratz listed. Some may do it for drugs, alcohol, clothes, or other petty items. Point is, sex is a tool used by both men and women alike. So all sexually activity can not be morally acceptable while men and women are socially and economically unequal? So all people should be on equal ground before they can engage in a legitimate sexual relationship? It is near impossible to achieve such a situation in a capitalistic society. It is not unreasonable to have sex for the simple enjoyment of it. Why must there be a deeper meaning? It is ok to objectify both him and her in the act of sex, for the sole purpose of mutual ends. Wertheimer tells us when one should consent to sexual relations and uses Susan Moller Okin to state â€Å"justice applies to some interfamilial issues, such as the control of economic resources and the distribution of household labor, does justice also apply to sex?† Wertheimer implies that is acceptable for a husband to want sex and that it may not be something the wife wants at that time or that often but is she obliged to serve her man? Are his needs and her wanting to satisfy his needs more important than her need to not want sex? He sort of tip toes around it and doesn’t give a definitive answer. The argument as it pertains to movies is quite obvious, sure the wife or husband may be willing to put aside their urge to watch a certain movie but would the same issues be relevant to sex? Wertheimer describes what most of us refer to as â€Å"make-up sex†. That couples sometimes use such a moment to reaffirm their desire to demonstrate that their relationship is strong and not succumbing to the issues of a meaningless fight. Wertheimer definitely objectifies women and makes it seem as though they are the ones who must comply with their man’s needs. He uses his words wisely and states at the end â€Å"It might be argued that it is not merely that love can coexist with justice, but that to love another person is to want to be fair to them, or, more precisely, to ant to not to be unfair to them, for to love someone is typically to want to be more than fair to them, to be generous.†

Youth Justice And The Medias Society Criminology Essay

Youth Justice And The Medias Society Criminology Essay This essay will start by highlighting how the media may shape societys response to young people who break the law through the moral panic model. The medias role will be outlined and youth crime data summarised. The urban disturbances of the early 1990s and the death of James Bulger will both be discussed in turn. In both cases a description of the event will be followed by an outline of the media response, identifying elements typical within the moral panic model. An attempt will be made to understand the reaction of society to media representations associated with young law breakers. Finally, in each case the action undertaken by the agents of control will be examined. This essay will attempt to construct arguments challenging this model throughout, and suggest that moral panics may also have sources within societys elite through hegemony. It is acknowledged that arguments surrounding hegemony may link in to the groundbreaking youth justice legislation of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, introduced after the period discussed in this essay. The impact of this legislation is acknowledged, however for the purposes of the media and societys response to young people who break the law it will not be discussed. The Moral Panic A moral panic may be outlined as the identification of a threat, for example to social values. This threat is simplified by the media with distorted representation resulting in raised social anxiety. Agents of control respond, resulting in either the panic diminishing or social changes taking place (Thompson cited in Newburn 2007 p95). The deviancy amplification cycle describes how heightened deviance may be attributed to stigma arising from media exaggeration or the treatment from agents of control (Brown 2005, Cohen 2002). Young highlights how this may quickly create problems through exaggerating an outsider lifestyle (Young cited in Kidd-Hewitt 2002 p119). Although studied by Jock Young in 1971 (Kidd-Hewitt 2002), Stanley Cohens Folk Devils and Moral Panics (1972) was described as the first systematic empirical study of a moral panic in Britain (Muncie 2004 p119). Cohens study of Mods and Rockers in Clacton during the Easter bank holiday in 1964 argued a clear relationship between young law breakers, the media, the general public and the police. Cohens work may be associated with Tannenbaums labelling and Lemerts primary and secondary deviance, all with origins in Mead and Cooleys symbolic interactionism (Newburn 2007). The media have constructed and processed information and ideas regarding deviancy since the industrial age, meaning society usually experience this commercially and politically constrained representation of deviance second hand (Cohen 2003). Hall et al (1978) explain how the media may have an assumed objectivity and frequently communicate an assumed social consensus, but they often have structured access to elite interests or primary definers, and reproduce their biased message. Cohen outlines elements which may appear in the media as stereotyping and stigmatising, a moral emphasis, and the requirement for further action. Information may be exaggerated and the use of symbols may be apparent with deviance represented through identifiable items such as clothing (Cohen 2002). Attitudes that may arise in a moral panic include the perception a disaster has occurred, the prophecy of doom (Cohen 2002 p38) where it is perceived events will happen again, and how at the height of a moral panic other unrelated events may be presented as connected. Perceived origins of a panic may include behaviour being likened to a disease, spreading and infecting. Nostalgia may appear along with disillusionment at the way things have become, impulsive activities may be described as premeditated, and behaviours may be perceived as newly developed (Cohen 2002). Youth Crime The ability of the media to influence public views of youth crime (Allen 2004 cited in Smith 2007) is evident through a rise in crime perceived by the majority of individuals who cited the media as a key information source (Hough and Roberts 2004). This is illustrated by 89 per cent of offenders known to the police being over the age of 18 yet nearly a third of survey respondent attributed most crime to children (Smith 2007). It is also suggested respondents perceived an exaggerated risk of being a crime victim (Goldson 2002 p391). It is advised that crime data should be treated with caution because an exact figure of occurrences does not exist (Tierney 2006). 20 per cent of the 5.4 million recorded crimes in 2006/07 were attributed to 10 to 17 year olds (Newburn 2007, Nicholas et al 2007) and approximately 80,000 crimes per annum are accountable to other agencies. These figures are not included in official crime data, along with 40 per cent of police reported crimes (Maguire 2002). Youth crime declined overall between 1985 and 1993 (Newburn 2002 cited in France) with relative consistency between 1993 and 2000 (Flood-Page et al 2000 cited in France). Offender and victim surveys highlight crimes not included in official data the dark figure (Newburn 2007) with estimated rates varying from eleven times more crime occurrences (Sparks et al 1977 cited in Tierney 2006) to a figure 39 times greater (Farrington et al 2006). Some crimes frequently undertaken by children have a smaller dark figure meaning proportionately more youth crime may be included in crime data. Crimes associated with younger people have estimated occurrences per actual conviction of six times for burglary, 77 for shoplifting and 132 for assault. Crimes associated with older offenders have rates of 809 occurrences per conviction for fraud, and 1463 for thefts from work (Farrington et al 2006). Early 1990s Urban Disturbances During the 1970s ideas surrounding the majority of crime being committed by a minority of individuals emerged from the Magistrates Association (Muncie 2004) and strategies during the 1980s were partly responsible for a reduction in youth crime (Pitts 2001). This increased sharply in the early 1990s by 111 per cent (Pitts 2001) and the Criminal Justice Act 1991 introduced an increasingly desert based sentencing policy, limiting the ability to consider previous crimes (Thomas 2003). From mid 1991 urban youth disturbances emerged from Cardiff, Oxford and in Newcastle notably on the Meadowell Estate where two young car thieves died in a police chase (Newburn 2007). These disturbances involved car related crime and resulted in conflict primarily between male youth and the police, and resulting in many arrests (Brown 2005). Individual younger children, identified by pseudonyms also appeared to be participating in unrelated activities such as domestic burglary Wykes (2001) argues that the poverty, substance misuse and lack of opportunity particularly experienced by the socially excluded Meadowell youth was largely ignored by the media. This supports Jewkes argument that the juvenile cultural resistance suggested by Cohens model may be exaggerated as a primary source of continued deviance (cited in Newburn 2007). The Media Exaggerated and distorted communication may have shaped societys perception of the level and type of offending being based on emotive, ambiguous and inaccurate information from the police and media (Garland cited in Goldson 2002). Labelling and stereotyping claimed hardcore child super crooks were responsible for 90 per cent of offences and were the number one crime problem (Daily Star, 30 November 1992 cited in Muncie 2004 p28). Reporting restrictions led to the identification of younger deviants through pseudonyms such as Ratboy, Homing Pigeon Boy, Spider Boy and The Terror Triplets (Muncie 2004). Deviant activities were distorted describing joyriding, ram raiding, and hotting (Muncie 2004) with frequent use of the term riot argued by Brown (2005) to be indicative of a moral panic. The graphic representation of deviance and the macho urban male youth stunt driving (Brown 2005 p59) supports McRobbie and Thorntons (2002) argument that moral panics may be entertaining. Moralising was also apparent with depictions of defiant youth as a ten year old in an SAS mask swaggered free from court resulting in calls for further action (Brown 2005 p60), although it is argued that a moral factor may not always be evident in a moral panic (Jewkes 2004 cited in Newburn 2007). The Terror Triplets illustrate the nature of the press coverage. The triplets were not persistent offenders with one previous conviction between them, and they all experienced health issues ranging from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to epilepsy and a speech impediment with their education described in court as inadequate (guardian.co.uk 2002). Societys Reaction One panic surrounded the serious persistent young offender, frequently termed bail bandits (Brown 2005 p61) which failed to recognise that persistent offenders usually engage in petty crime, many are vulnerable children who are neglected or abused, with mental health and education issues (Muncie 2004). Vague and imprecise descriptions of youth deviance were highlighted by the police and media on an increasing basis with this lack of distinction fuelling social anxiety regarding the level and type of juvenile offending taking place (Garland cited in Goldson 2002). The inability of the criminal justice system to deal with youth crime was also a source of concern with Ratboy, who had accrued 55 offences between the ages of ten and 14, symbolising the inability for law and order to be maintained (Muncie 2004 p28). Despite decarceration and diversion reducing known juvenile offending in the 1980s, it was increasingly believed penal liberalism had gone too far (Goldson 2002 p390). Fiction increasingly replaced factual and rational information to conjure up monsters that seem to lurk behind the gloss and glitter of everyday life (Pratt 2000 cited in Goldson 2002 p390). Brown (2005) argues the moral panic had mutated into a total panic about the majority of young peoples lives, making the suggestion that Cohens model may provide an insufficient explanation. Childhood was considered to be in crisis, and as with Cohens prophecy of doom (2002 p38) idea, further deviance was expected (Pratt 2000 cited in Goldson 2002). Jewkes (cited in Newburn 2007) argues that the cohesiveness of societys reaction may be overstated in Cohens moral panic model. McRobbie and Thornton (2002) agree, noting how audiences may be sophisticated, understanding varying styles of interpretation which may fragment messages further, such as the ironic in-house publishing style in the Sun newspaper. Increased sources of information since the early 1990s such as the internet may cause further fragmentation. Agents of Control The extensive coverage escalated concerns prompting a Home Affairs Committee in July 1992 to consider youth crime, persistent young offenders and the youth justice system (HAC 1993 cited in Muncie 2004). It was concluded that an increasing minority of young offenders were committing a high volume of offences, despite a lack of evidence (Farrington 2002) and the idea of a persistent group being arbitrary (Hagell Newburn in Muncie 2004). Smith argues that the government responded through introducing the Aggravated Vehicle-Taking Act 1992, which was imprisonable for five years (Home Affairs Committee 1993; Childrens Society 1993 cited in Smith 2007, Brown 2005), later increased to 14 years in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (statutelaw.gov.uk 2008). Hegemony Brown agrees with Cohens suggestion that the agents of control have no choice but to respond in their socially sanctioned manner suggesting that high media coverage prompted the police action towards joyriding which had been occurring for some time (Brown 2005). The elite-engineered moral panic model provides an alternative explanation, describing how societys powerful elite may be the source (Goode and Ben-Yehuda cited in Newburn 2007). Marxist philosopher Gramsci explains such activity through hegemony, something Hall et all include in their model of the moral panic (Hall et al 1978) and something Smith (2007) cites as significant. Hegemony describes the persuasive communication of a societal consensus of belief systems through the media, gaining legitimacy for elite actions (Althusser 1977 and Cohen 1985 cited in Smith 2007, Smith 2007, Brown 2005). Prior to the Aggravated Vehicle-Taking Act 1992 The Lord Chief Justice and the Magistrates Association were overtly discontent with political interference and the limited capacity to increase sentences the Criminal Justice Act 1991. A sophisticated campaign (Smith 2007 p25) during 1991 by powerful members of the police also emerged relating to persistent young offenders, argued to have resulted in a media moral panic (Brown 2005, Downes and Morgan 2002). The Death of James Bulger In February 1993 the well documented abduction of two year James Bulger by ten year olds Robert Thompson and John Venables occurred. Taken from a shopping centre, the boys walked for two miles to a railway track where James was attacked and murdered (Muncie 2004, Brown 2005, Smith 2007). Following nine months custody and a month long trial the boys were found guilty of the murder (Morrison 1997). The boys are now living under assumed identities, understood to be outside of the UK. 27 murders of children by children have occurred in the last 250 years (Muncie 2004) with four 10-13 year olds convicted of murder between 1979 and 1992 (Cavadino 1996). Children are considered to be at greater risk from people who know to them (Morrison 1997) highlighted by sexual abuse and torture of James Bulger which it was argued suggested indicated the sexual abuse and torture experienced by at least one of attackers (Sereny 1996). The Media The hostile and sensationalist approach to this case contrasted sharply with a similar Norwegian case which was treated as a tragic accident (Muncie 2004 p6) and a similar case from Stockport in 1861 where rehabilitation was the ultimate public response. Exaggerated and irrational labelling stigmatised the boys as spawn of satan, freaks of nature, and monsters (Muncie 2004 p4). Sereny (1996) argues that the response to the boys as innately evil highlights how insufficiently it was attempted to understand issues in their lives, with which Morrison agrees (1997). A consensus regarding a new type of deviance was evident as we will never be able to look at our children in the same way again. Concerns of reoccurrence were evident with parents everywhere are asking themselves and their friends if the Mark of the Beast might not also be imprinted on their offspring (Sunday Times cited in Muncie 2004 p4) advising For Goodness Sake Hold Tight To Your Kids (Sun 16 February 1993 cited in Mason 2003 p197). Blurring of the boundary between the media and the audience (McRobbie Thornton 2002) may be seen with the widely broadcast CCTV footage of James Bulger in a shopping centre with his assailants. The Bulger family created a petition in conjunction with the Sun newspaper and a television phone in of nearly 300,000 names demanding Thompson and Venables never to be released (Morrison 1997). Retributive comments broadcast on television included James father Ralph stating one day theyll be out of jail and Ill be waiting for them and Jamess uncle Jim threatening when we get hold of them, we will fucking kill them (Morrison p234). McRobbie and Thornton (2002) also explore the idea of pressure groups or the folk devils themselves blurring this boundary further and widening the debate by either appearing in or producing their own media, although this is not evident in this case. By 1995 young people were being represented as the savage generation (The Sunday Times 5 February 1995 cited in Kidd-Hewitt 2002 p117). Cohens its not only this (Cohen 2002 p39) idea was evident through frequent and omnipresent panics which blamed the breakdown of the family, the availability of drugs and the crimogenic media (Kidd-Hewitt 2002, Thornton cited in Newburn 2007). McRobbie and Thornton (2002) argue unlike the novelty described in Cohens model, this has become a basic media response. Society Despite this crimes unusualness, societal anxiety increased surrounding both the governments capacity to control the crimogenic capacity of younger children, and the protection of younger children (Pitt 2001, Muncie 2004, Brown 2005). Crime data suggests a trend of younger childrens involvement in crime through a fall in the peak age of offending, but this is also accompanied by earlier desistance (Criminal Statistics 1995 cited in Coleman 1997, Criminal Statistics 2005 cited in Coleman Schofield 2007). Adult perceptions regarding age-appropriate behaviour were challenged (Brown 2005) and with childhood on trial (James Jenks cited in Muncie 2004 p4) innocence shifted to potential evil and hate (Muncie Hughes 2002). It is also argued that resulting public and legal attitudes towards children have become more punitive as a result of this case (Hendrick 2002 p39) with misrepresentations fuelling harsher measures (Smith 2007). The well established panic surrounding crimogenic media also emerged (Brown 2005), a youth culture anxiety as seen as early as 1917 when the deteriorating influence of cinema was highlighted (Russell cited in Pearson 1983). In the Bulger case the film Childs Play 3 was the subject of this panic despite evidence in court suggesting this film had not been viewed by the boys (Morrison 1997). Brown (2005) argues that the films character Chucky who physically represented a child but behaviourally represented an adult was used as a symbol of the challenge to age-appropriate behaviour. More tenuous associations include the use of batteries in James Bulgers attack (Morrison 1997). Agents of Control It is argued that doli incapax (incapable of crime) where it must be proven that a child understands right and wrong was reviewed for ten to thirteen year olds in response to this case. Although the principle was initially retained it was later revoked in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (Bandalli 2000 cited in Gelsthorpe Morris 2002). Despite protection under the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child (UNCRC) mental health provision was limited during the boys nine months in custody and minimal allowance was made for their age with the trial in an adult court and their identities exposed to the international media, argued to have heightened the campaign of hate (Scraton Haydon 2002 p313). Upon release Dame Butler-Sloss favoured the 1998 Human Rights Act over freedom of expression, granting anonymity to Thompson and Venables for the risk of retributive injury or death (cited in Scraton Haydon 2002). The UK government breached articles relating to a fair trial, fixing sentence and periodic review of sentence in the European Convention of Human Rights (Muncie 2004, Scraton Haydon 2002). The sentence had already been increased from eight years to ten by the Lord Chief Justice. Final sentencing authority rested with Michael Howard (Sereny 1996) who increased it for a second time to 15 years, citing public concern and the Bulger petition (Morrison 1997). This illustrates Cohens argument that sometimes agents of control have to act. Once overturned, the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 removed the capacity for the Home Secretary to intervene in sentencing decisions (Muncie 2004). With crime becoming second only to unemployment on the agenda (Pitts 2001), the intention to incarcerate 12 to 14 year olds through secure training units and secure training orders was announced, ten days after James Bulgers death and only months after ending custody for 14 year olds in the Criminal Justice Act 1991 (Smith 2007). More punitive measures were introduced in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 where the maximum sentence for fifteen to seventeen year olds doubled to two years (Newburn 2002). Hegemony The end of the bi-partisan consensus on crime was apparent in the 1970 Conservative Party manifesto (Pitts 2001) with punitive rhetoric becoming associated with political success (Smith 2007). By the 1992 general election a return to bi-partisanship was argued in the form of being tough on crime as a means to political victory (Downes Morgan 2002). Following Labours 1992 defeat policies were transferred from the reinvented and electorally successful Democrats (Pitts 2001) argued to have rescued the Labour Party from perpetual opposition (Pitts 2001 p18, Hudson Lowe 2004) which included a punitive approach towards crime. This was evident the month before James Bulgers death when the Shadow Home Secretary, Tony Blair declared how New Labour were tough on crime, tough on causes of crime (cited in Pitts 2001 p19). Political posturing is argued to have become part of youth justice continuing throughout the 1990s with Labours new approach suggested to have heightened Conservative government punitiveness. It is argued that rather than being a catalyst for policy change, the murder of James Bulger may have accelerated the punitive turn. The abolition of doli incapax may be associated with this event but it is argued that events prior to James Bulgers death were already influencing youth justice policy (Smith 2007). The tone of political communication highlights the argued political exploitation of youth fear with labels like vermin (Goldson 2002 p392). John Major illustrated an assumed punitive consensus (Hall et al 1978), saying how society needs to condemn a little more and understand a little less and Kenneth Clarke called for increased court powers, emphasising hostility towards really persistent, nasty little juveniles (Smith 2007 p25). McRobbie and Thornton argue hegemony is overstated due to the potential plurality of reactions (2004 p72), something Jewkes also points out, describing how public and media cohesion is overstated (cited in Newburn 2007 p100), although it is noted that fragmented hegemonic activity may be seen, for example with Thatcherism and the Daily Mail (McRobbie Thornton 2004). Following on from the deviance amplification model, it may be argued that in some cases governments may increase deviancy through the interventions they initiate (Brown 2005). Conclusion It has been suggested that the media is powerful in shaping societys response to young people who break the law, being a primary information source. One of the ways in which the media shapes societys response is by creating the impression that youth crime is more widespread that really is the case. The problems that some deviant youth experience are grossly under represented such as the health issues of The Terror Triplets and the potential that at least one of James Bulgers attackers may have also been a ten year old victim of sexual abuse. Problems also include the failure to circulate general information such as the dark figure of crime for fraud, the adult age of most known offenders or a fall in the peak offending age. The simplified and exaggerated way in which youth are represented is argued to cause widespread societal panic and irrational fears, for example the anticipation of similar repeat activity in the case of rare crimes such as the murder of James Bulger. Explanations for the activity such as its not only this may feed the panic, resulting in greater fears about unrelated factors and in the case of the early 1990s lead to a total panic about youth. Authority action may be influenced by the public interest generated by a moral panic, and in the case of hegemony societys response to the media may be the provision of consent for authority action. It was argued that moral panics also have the potential to be entertaining and do not always include moralising. The cohesiveness of response to a moral panic may be overstated with the plurality of media highlighted. The idea of a total panic about youth was considered and the blurring of boundaries illustrated as having the potential to diffuse anxieties through debate widening, or heighten concerns and inform state action, as with the petition in the Bulger case. In conclusion, evidence may support the model described by Cohen, it is suggested however that other perspectives highlight that the way in which the media and society interact with respect to young people who break the law is more complex.