Future Tenses Essay Example

Future Tenses Essay Future tenses There are several different ways in English that you can talk about the future. This page is an introduction to the most important ones: Predictions/statements of fact Intentions Arrangements Scheduled events Predictions/statements of fact The auxiliary verb will is used in making predictions or simple statements of fact about the future. The sun will rise at 6. 30 tomorrow. Lunch break today will be 10 minutes longer than usual. In the year 2050 all students will have their own computers in school. If you help me, I will help you. Do you think she will come soon? You wont pass your exams if you dont start working harder. I know my parents wont let me go to the party. Will it snow for Christmas? I know shes sick, but will she be back in school tomorrow? Intentions The auxiliary verb going to is used in talking about intentions. (An intention is a plan for the future that you have already thought about. ) Were going to buy a new car next month. Im going to work in a bank when I leave school. In the new year Im going to stop eating so much Junk. Hes not going to go to the dance. Hes got too much work. Im not going to watch TV until my science project is finished. We will write a custom essay sample on Future Tenses specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Future Tenses specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Future Tenses specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Are you going to play basketball after school? What are you going to have for lunch today? Note: going to is often used in the past tense to talk about an unfulfilled intention. Examples: I was going to study for my grammar test, but I had no time. / He was going to call you, but he couldnt find his mobile phone. / My grandmother was going to visit us, but she fell and broke her arm. Arrangements The present continuous tense is used in talking about arrangements. (An arrangement is is a plan for the future that you have already thought about and issued with someone else. Im meeting my mother at the airport tomorrow. Our grandparents are visiting us this Christmas. Sorry, I cant stay after school today; Im playing tennis with June-Ski. My sisters going to the dentist tomorrow. Im not returning home for the holidays, so I can come to your party after all! Are you doing anything on Sunday morning? Do you know if he is going to the dance with Maims next week? Scheduled events The present simple tense is usually used to refer to future events that are scheduled (and outside of our control). Hurry up! The train departs in 10 minutes. I leave Frankfurt at 5 oclock in the morning and arrive in New York at midnight the She has an appointment with the headmaster after school today. Theres no need to hurry. The train doesnt leave for another 30 minutes. When does the meeting begin? Below is a list of some of the less common tenses, followed in each case by examples. Note that the continuous tenses convey the idea of an event or state going on for a period of time: Present perfect continuous I have been working in the garden all day, and now Im extremely tired. She has been living in a one-room apartment since she left home. How long have you been playing the piano? Hes been learning German for two years, but he still cant speak it very well. Weve been painting our house since last Friday, but were still a long way from finishing. We havent been living in Germany very long. Why are you sweating? Have you been running? Past perfect continuous I had been working in the garden all day, and all I wanted to do was sleep. She had been living in a one-room apartment for a year before getting married. How long had you been playing the piano before the accident with your hand? Hed been earning German for two years, but he stopped when he returned to Japan. Wed been painting our house for two weeks, but we were still a long way from finishing. Future continuous At this time next week I will be sitting in the plane on the way to New York. Dont call me after 10 oclock. Ill be sleeping. If you want to see IMHO tomorrow, you will have to go to the school. She will be taking a test all afternoon. I wont be working on my car this weekend. My mother-in- law will be here. Future perfect I hope my mother will have finished cooking dinner by the time I get home. You can come at 6 oclock. I will have done my homework by then. Theres no point calling her at home. She will have left for work already. On June 25 2020 they will have been married for 60 years. Future perfect continuous By the time I retire I will have been working here for 45 years! If she reaches her 60th birthday, she will have been smoking for half a century! Future Tenses in English Exercise 1 Principia del formulaic 1) The train leaves at 11:45. 2) We are going to have dinner at a nice restaurant on Saturday. 3) It will snow in the mountains tomorrow evening. On Sunday at 8 oclock I am meeting my friend. 5) They are flying to London on Friday evening. 6) Wait! I will drive you to the station. 7) The English lesson starts at 8:45. 8) I am going to see my sister in April. At the door. I will open the door for you. Final del formulaic Simple Present / Simple Future Present Continuous / Future Continuous Correct! Well done. Your score is 69%. 1. Right now, I am watching TV. Tomo rrow at this time, I (watch) will be watching TV as well. 2. Tomorrow after school, I (go) am going to go to the beach. 3. I am going on a dream vacation to Tahiti.

The Military and Freedom of Speech essays

The Military and Freedom of Speech essays Freedom of expression in the military, is it really freedom when it has limits? Many people might not take into consideration what one gives up when they join the military. Its not just ones freedom, its also the freedom to speak ones mind. Now I do understand that a certain amount of secrecy is needed in order to not let the enemy know about certain plans of action the armed forces are working on, but having an opinion about your boss or your job should not be limited when you are in the armed forces. When a member of the armed forces chooses to talk about their personal feelings regarding a particular branch of service they are conflicting with the militarys hierarchical nature and the militarys increasingly antiquated desire to command and control its personnel (Guardiano, 2010, NewsRealBlog). As part of the military one still has rights, once one becomes a service member one does not give up his or her First Amendment right. It merely means that a military member must put into ef fect his free speech rights in his own time and in his capacity as a private citizen. The argument that Im trying to make is that the armed forces members should have more of a right than anyone else, when it comes to freedom of speech because they are fighting for this country, and what is this country giving to them? Nothing but limitations and violation of their legal rights. Now I do agree with certain limitations of armed forces freedom of expression. The only limitation I agree with is one that limits a service member from talking about private military operations. The reason I agree with this limitation is because when one puts classified military information out there for everyone to see it puts the country and its citizens in danger. One of the main reasons we have armed forces is to fight for the United States people. If we go flaunting our countrys plan of attack it puts the United States a...

Two Journals Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Two Journals - Movie Review Example The case of Na’vi humanoids, however, is way beyond a frightening state of dominion from species of other forms, for humans in this regard would be found the emerging culprits whose greed causes perils even upon the unseen world. Even though the Na’vi possess looks and stature that are nearly dreadful, the feelings they convey are deeply heartfelt it almost moves me to tears while watching some scenes that exhibit tribe members communicating warmly with each other. Like real humans, they manage to deliver thoughts and emotions in a sensible manner just as how Jake Sully under his avatar suit is able to derive fruitful and solemn interactions with Neytiri. It is greatly fascinating to see that instead of anticipated mysteries or mystic potentials, creatures of another dimension are revealed as almost equal to men in strength, intelligence, and general capacity in coping with love, fear, and hatred. Despite all the wonders and beauty to marvel at in the Pandora’s biosphere, science-oriented humans have reached that stage of discontent in simply navigating cosmic systems. It turns out they desire moreover to explore and gain further knowledge to meet intellectual objectives even at the expense of the moon’s habitat. This is something that makes me reflect on human nature at depth especially when it comes to the extent to which greed among humans may proceed just so the amply increasing demands on human economy are satisfied. The film exemplifies a future possibility when men are no longer astonished by the exquisite sights and encounters of the wonder-filled nature whether on this planet or in a region of outer-space yet to be fathomed. How awful indeed it is to realize when human beings become consumed with covetousness whereby as long as we are conscious regarding the adjustable measure of our potentials, there seems no room for rest until

Managing Business Activities to Achieve Results Essay - 2

Managing Business Activities to Achieve Results - Essay Example Two crucial functions in the McLaren’s business operations strategy are R&D and Operations. Whereas the operations function is concerned with the transformation of resources into products, the R&D function concerns itself with the innovation and development of new technologies/product lines. The two functions work hand in hand in delivering quality products that are relevant to the fast changing market demand. This is consistent with McLaren’s strategic plan of constantly introducing new models or derivatives every year. Q1.2 With the main objective of the operations function being creation and delivery of goods & services with customers’ needs in mind, it is important for McLaren to analyze whether it is consistently achieving the same. An Inputs-Outputs transformation model is a systematic approach to operations management. This system is important operations managers at McLaren considering that the organization aims at attaining competitive advantage through early introduction of new models or derivatives in the marketplace. Operations have three components i.e. inputs, transformation process and outputs. The transformation process refers to all activities involved in the conversion of inputs through value addition into outputs that satisfy customer needs. There are three resource types that may be transformed in the process of operations. Materials include the rubber and other physical inputs, information may include the innovations availed through R&D and customers include but not limited to companies involved in formula one racing. Proper utilization of materials, information and understanding of customer needs, therefore, enables organizations effectively achieve their operational goals. McLaren has invested heavily in R&D and this makes it compete favorably among peers in the marketplace. Q1.3 One manufacturing strategy used to  determine and manage interactions between different organizational systems is the process approach to quality.  

Newborn Stages of Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Newborn Stages of Development - Essay Example This essay focuses mostly on the experience of raising a newborn baby and it being one of the most harrowing yet rewarding experiences of human life. This essay aims to look at and discuss the initial stages of development for a newborn child. The researcher provides important information on the topic, shedding light on baby's physiology and psychological condition and inform parents and caregivers about the importance of bonding with the baby in a positive way. In conclusion, the researcher states that it is important to realize that the age old adage about a newborn being like clay that can be molded into any sculpture is perhaps very true. A parents and caretakers have the utmost responsibility to encourage development of every facet of the newborn’s personality. Parents that are always absent from the baby’s life due to career-responsibilities perhaps inadvertently are hindering their infant’s personality development. Caretakers who also inhibit their infantà ¢â‚¬â„¢s movements due to safety concerns need to realize that such a move restricts the baby’s physical development; a baby needs to be allowed freedom of movement as long as there is no real danger involved. The researcher also suggests that perhaps the greatest thing to realize is that every baby is different. Fretting over a baby who takes a longer time to learn a task than its counterparts is usually detrimental to both the parents and caretakers and the baby and every infant should be allowed to grow up at its own pace.

UK Tour Operators Analysis

UK Tour Operators Analysis A tour operator combines tour and travel components to create a holiday, it designs travel routes for tourists and offer perfect arrangements of the airlines and hotels. In a word, a tour operator offers package holidays. A travel agent is a kind of retail business which is a buyer of tour operator, it sells travel-related products and services to customers on behalf of tour operators, airlines, hotels and other entities. Nowadays, tour operators and travel agencies are closely related to each other. Some tour operators own the distribution channel, they set up retail shops selling products and services directly to the final customers, or they establish close relationships with travel agencies under contracts. The development of the industry should be attributed to the development of transportation in the early age. With the invention of aircraft, the demand for travel increased rapidly. But in recent years, situations become more complex than ever before in such a changeable economi c climate, UKs tour operator industry are fluctuated in growth. This part of report focuses on the market and development during the year 2005-2008. The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) was formed in 1950 by 22 leading travel companies, now represents over 5,300 travel agencies and nearly 1000 tour operations. Its Members range from small, specialist tour operators and independent travel agencies through to publicly-listed companies and household names; from call centres to internet booking services to high street shops, occupy more than 90% of the British market. Thus statistics of ABTA can be used to conduct this report. According to the annual report of ABTA, during the year 2005-2006, bookings through ABTA members were 6% down on the prior year. The package holiday market continued to decline but specialist holidays, cruise tours and flight-only bookings all grew significantly. Company failure level rose substantially from 33 in the previous year to 47 this year. The industry structure changed a lot: independent agents turned to favour dynamic packaging with concentration on niche markets including long-haul, cruising, UK holidays and self-packaging. Big operators drove bookings online and through their own retail networks. 2006 is one of the most challenging years in the industrys history, with traditional business model under great pressure and uncertain future for many others. During the year 2006-2007, 32.8  million overseas visitors who came in 2007 spent  Ã‚ £16.0  billion in the UK, the volume remained stable but spending fell in cash terms for the first time since 2001. Financial statuses of ABTA members were quite positive: total net current assets of  £5.11 million (6% up) and total income of  £5.70 million (13% up). Company failure levels fell dramatically from 47 to 32 compared to the previous year. Several weaker players in the industry have been winnowed out of the market but the figures are still very enco uraging. The industry remained in good health. Consolidation and merger activity has been a key feature of the outbound tourism market in 2007. New business models had made that the differences between the tour operator and travel agency become increasingly blurred. 2008 is again a challenging time for the industry: at one time the fuel price had reached $150 a barrel which is the double of the price in 2007; sterling lost a large amount of its value against most currencies; what makes things worse is that the credit crunch caused the worlds economic downturn, consumers changed their spending patterns, companies struggled to survive. In spite of these factors, UK outbound visits remained increase by 1.5 million from 69.2 million last year to 70.7 million this year. The number of company failures fell from 32 to 30 compared to the previous year. But unfortunately, because of the high cost of fuel, the UKs third largest travel group-XL Leisure Group collapsed on 12 September 2008 leav ing 85000 passengers still on their holidays. This failure resulted in one of the most extensive repatriations in the UK travel industrys history with 85,000 passengers being flown home in a joint action by TUI, Thomas Cook and Virgin orchestrated by the CAA. Another important issue happened in 2008 is the merger of ABTA and the Federation of Tour Operators (FTO) which represents the continuing integration of travel agency and tour operator within the industry. The industry will benefit greatly from the combined different strengths that both organisations offer. The FTOs experience and expertise in operational issues fit ideally with ABTAs traditional functions. PEST analysis of the remote environment (P)olitical/Legal 3.1.1 Political instability and Terrorism Political instability is described as a condition of a country where a government has been toppled, or is controlled by factions following a coup, or where basic functional pre-requisites for social-order control and maintenance are unstable and periodically disrupted (Cook 1990). It is clear that the political instability in a certain country is negatively influencing travelers decision making with prospective travelers seeking substitute travel plans. It will reduce the demand for travel significantly as tourists concern about the safety first and nobody wants to travel in a dangerous environment that strikes, wars and terrorists attacks happen. Among all the factors influencing political instability, terrorism is the most significant one that affecting tourism in UK in recent years. After the heart-broken event of terrorist attack on 11th September 2001, the concern about safety in travelling is increasing rapidly. A series of coordinated suicide bomb attacks on Londons public tra nsport system during the morning rush hour happened on 7th July 2005. The discovery of two car bombs set to detonate in Londons bustling theater and nightclub district Friday, June 29th, 2007 has encouraged residents to remain alert. Following that case, a jeep rammed into a Scottish airport in Glasgow on June 30th, forced Britain to raise the threat level to Critical -the highest alert status. All of the events listed above had negative influences on tourism in UK and businesses of UKs tour operators. Report said that 15% of the advanced bookings were cancelled during the summer peak travel time in 2007. Government and Tourism Government always participates in tourism activities through several kinds of ways: government makes policies for the development of tourism industry; government makes policies that will have impacts on tourism industry. In this part, the report will address issues like the carbon tax influences on the industry, VAT effects on the industry and financial incentives government used on the industry. According to Conservatives 2007, aviation contributes just 5.5% of the UKs CO2 emissions but emissions from UK aviation increased significantly by more than 90% between 1990 and 2004. Government urged to take measures to reduce the negative impact of carbon emissions on environment: from 2001 to 2007, the original APD which is at a rate of  £5.50 on flights from the UK to elsewhere in the European Union and the European Economic Area and  £22.00 for other flights was introduced; a new tax which doubled these charges was introduced from February 2007. These changes in carbon taxation would result in changes in prices of travel products using aviation and finally affect the demands for travelling and sales for tour operators. According to Karen Mayor and Richard S.J. Tol, due to the changes in February 2007, countries near the UK would see a small drop in visitor numbers, and the UK itself would see a larger drop (1.2%). The recent doubling of the boarding tax will reduce arrivals by some 528,800 people in 2010, this is a 1.3% reduction (Karen Mayor, Richard S.J. Tol, 2007). UK government applies a rate of 15% VAT (Value Added Tax, temporary cut from 17.5%) which is the standard rate on tourism products, while most other EU countries apply reduced rate of VAT around 5% on tourism products. Report said that a cut to the 5% UK reduced VAT rate on tourist attractions admission and accommodation will boost employment and result in gains of up to  £760 million savings in increased income and corporation tax. It also predicts an additional  £440 million will be injected into the industry supply chain. The Government had announced an 18% cut in funding for VisitBritain over the next three years on October 2007. Tourism Alliance Chairman, Ros Prichard OBE, stated This cut in funding means that, in real terms, the Government will have reduced VisitBritains funding by around 50% between 1997 and 2011. That is a catastrophe for UKs tourism industry, VisitBritain will be lack of funding to advertise and promote UKs attractions, financial incentives to the industry had been withdrawn and other capital allowances had been reduced, while funding for VisitBritain had been cut back just at the time when they were needed the most, the growth in sales of the industry will suffer. (E)conomic 3.2.1 National economy and disposable income (impact of economic recession) The world is now suffering from the economic downturn caused by financial crisis, businesses collapse, jobs are destroyed, UKs economy is significantly influenced by the crisis. According to National Statistics Online, UKs GDP contracted by 1.6% in the fourth quarter of 2008 when the crisis started. It is now 2% lower than the fourth quarter of 2007. For the year 2008 as a whole, GDP rose by 0.7 per cent with a down trend of 3% in the previous year. UKs economy is experiencing the worst recession in over a century. The recession is a disaster for employment in UK, unemployment rate rose to 6.7% (0.6% higher than the last quarter and 1.5% on last year). 29.3 million people were in work in the period December to February according to the labour force survey (LFS). The number of people employed fell by 126,000 this quarter and down by 227,000 on the last year. All the situations listed above lead to the decrease of national income and disposable income. Tourism is sensitive to economic uncertainty and downturn: most travel activities involve disposable income, as total income drops, disposable income drops, people would conserve their money to cover the cost of life essentials, food, shelters and family necessities. The demands then decrease making tour operators suffer. 3.2.2 Fuel price Fuel cost is a major cost of airline companies, the cost will be paid by customers as fuel surcharge. Tour operators will raise the price of their products, especially for long-haul products when fuel price goes up. The travel enterprises will then be in danger of losing customers. When international crude oil price hit the record of $148 a barrel in September 2008, both airline companies and travel enterprises struggled to make ends meet. The fuel surcharge of some long-haul flights was even same as the ticket price, this might change customers behaviour at some degree, people may stay closer to their home or switch to other entertainments. The economic crisis UK encounters leads to a substantial decrease of oil price which could possibly boost travel industry to some extend though the major influence is negative. 3.2.3 Exchange rate The exchange rate, or the value of the British Pound relative to the currencies of other countries, has had a significant effect on both inbound tourism and outbound tourism. In 2007, the weak dollar makes UK accommodation and food more expensive for visitors from America, the exchange rate put London 15th in its popularity table in July 2007 down from number seven a year earlier according to Cheapflights. Due to the recent Pound depreciation, visitors from other European countries or America can expect to pay around 30% less than they would have done a year ago. British Tourist Authority (BTA) produced a study on The Price Sensitivity of Tourism to Britain, the findings show that overseas visitors are highly sensitive to changes in the cost of staying in Britain: for every 1% movement in the exchange rate which increases the cost of staying in Britain, the UKs international tourism earnings will decrease by 1.3% ( £160m). Research also found that more fixity in the exchange rate arrangements generates a positive effect on tourism and the more fix the exchange regime is, the greater the impact on tourism (Marà ­a Santana-Gallego, Francisco J. Ledesma-Rodrà ­guez, Jorge V. Pà ©rez-Rodrà ­guez, 2007). (S)ocial Social factors like age, changing life style affect the industry through changing consumer behavior. 3.3.1 Age and tourism According to United Nations Statistics and National Statistics Online, for the whole world, since 1950 the proportion of older persons has been rising steadily, passing from 8 per cent in 1950 to 11 per cent in 2007, and is expected to reach 22 per cent in 2050; For UK, the percentage of the population of state pensionable age exceeded the percentage of the population under 16 for the first time in history in 2007. The industry now is facing an older growing society due to rising life expectancy, marketing of the industry should focus more on older persons: the advertising and products should target more at older persons. 3.3.2 Changing lifestyle There is a growing trend of buying online which could reduce a persons shopping trip frequency, the access to the worlds products through internet reduces the flows of shopping tourists from one city to another or cross countries. More and more people tend to prefer clubs or watching TV at home rather than going out for a trip at weekends. 3.3.3 Growing concern about environment Tourism is one of the largest industries in the world with incredible developments each year, it contributes a lot to the worlds economy while the huge infrastructural and resource demands of tourism (e.g. water consumption, waste generation and energy use) can have severe impacts upon local communities and the environment if it is not properly managed. A concept: sustainable tourism which is defined as tourism which leads to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems by World Tourism Organisation becomes more and more popular. People concern more about the environment, they tend to favour ecotourism products. When developing new tourism products, tour operators should design their trips to be environmentally, culturally and socially friendly. (T)echnological 3.4.1 Technology development of transportation With the development of piston engine aircraft, the mass tourism boomed in 1950s. Transportation technology is always regarded as crucial in the development of tourism, places inaccessible before by car or train can be accessed swiftly by air. It is largely due to the improvement of transportation that tourism has expanded. The highlight of a trip is usually the experience in destination, visitors often neglect the process of getting to the destination. In this case, the faster the visitor can reach the destination, the more attractive the destination will be. The development of transportation especially the speed of the transportation tool will have a major impact on long-haul travel. 3.4.2 Internet and the industry The world enters a new information era with the development of internet technology. The worlds internet users are increasing sharply. According to Internet World Stats, there were 43,800,000 internet users in UK in March 2009 which represents 70.9% of the population, that is a 180% growth from the year 2000. Internet has become an essential part of peoples life. For tour operators, internet provides tour operators platforms of advertising and transaction, which can make their products more accessible to the customers thus bring more sales and profits. Moreover, it is cost-effective and time-efficient using the internet. For customers, internet makes it easier for them to browse the products and make bookings. More and more people are now booking their holidays on the internet, tour operators need to focus on the website design as well as the security of the transaction system. The internet technology makes it possible for meetings online, different companies can communicate or negotiate with their counterparts more efficient through videoconference. Face to face contact is not compulsory anymore. Business travel will suffer from that, there might be a decline in business travel sales for tour operators. 3.4.3 Virtual Tour Another developing technology which will have a strong impact upon tourism is virtual reality (VR), which is a technology allows a user to interact with a computer-simulated environment. Most current virtual reality environments are mainly visual experiences, displayed either on a computer screen or through special stereoscopic displays. According to Chemistry Industry technology news (March 2009), recently, Mobile aroma recreation system (MARS) devices, developed by researchers at the University of Warwick, UK, could be used to recreate these detected odours for VR users in real-time with the help of electronic noses. Electronic noses could one day be incorporated into virtual reality (VR) systems to add realism to simulations of holiday experiences. The new technology will make VR much more real than ever before, enable customers to experience the whole live holiday at home. On one side, virtual reality leads to the risk of diminishing the interest for travel; On the other side, V irtual Reality can be used to recreate historic sites and events for such purposes as education, special project commissions and showcase features at national and World Heritage visitor centres. VR technologies are also being used to provide a means of protecting the fragile state of some heritage sites, helping to educate visitors not so much about their history but in how to explore, interpret and respect them, says Professor Bob Stone, Scientific Director of Virtual Presence Limited, based in Manchester, UK. Though tour operators cant change the remote environment, they should change their strategies to adapt to the environmental changes. Porters 5 forces Analysis of the competitive environment UKs tour operator market is a quite mature market with four major players. After a long history of consolidation, Thomson Holidays (part of The World of TUI group), Thomas Cook, MyTravel Group (formerly Airtours) and First Choice dominate the tour operator market in UK. The industry is full of vertical and horizontal integration, vertical integration includes forward integration-acquisition of the retail network namely travel agencies, backward integration-acquisition of suppliers like airlines, hotels and transportation companies. Horizontal integration includes mergers between big companies and mergers between big and small tour operators. Michael Porter (1980) developed a framework for industry competitive analysis, consisting of five different competitive forces which refer to microenvironment. The frame work is shown in the figure below: 4.1 Threat of new entrants Tour operator industry is an industry which has relatively high entry barriers. UKs tour operator market is quite mature and its vertical integration had finished in the 1990s. Today all major tour operators in UK are highly vertically integrated and operate their own travel agencies, airlines, hotels and resorts, transportation companies and so on. Some of the tour operators become quite large multinational enterprises, they can reduce transaction cost due to large amount of orders, they enjoy the benefits of quantity discount and economies of scale. They always have esteemed reputation for organizing good tours. When people have demands for travel, they turn to those tour operators, people recognize their brand thus will be loyal to the companies. All of the factors mentioned above reduce the threat of industry entry, however, the threat still exists. With the individualistic change of demands and the changeable nature of tourism environment, new players are entering the tour opera tor industry focusing on niche markets. They supply special products designed for customers with special needs. The new players always rely on product quality to gain competitive advantage as well as filling gaps between new demand and supply. Ecotourism and adventure tourism was introduced by those new players. In order to expand the market share and cope with the threat new player had brought, major player began to purchase the niche operators, series of mergers happened within the industry: Headwater is a tour operator specialized in organizing cycling holidays and walking holidays which enables customers to explore at their own pace. Simply Travel is a leading specialist tour operator in UK offering an off-the-beaten-track alternative to the package holiday, creating inspirational holidays and providing a high-level of personal service. Thomson acquired both of the two companies as departments of Thomson Holidys; Panorama used to be the largest tour operator in Ireland for Winte r Sun departures from Ireland and Irish Ski holidays, it became one part of MyTravel Group and was given the responsibility of managing Manos Holidays after it was also acquired by MyTravel; First Choice took control of Meon Holdings specialized in villa holidays and Sunsail which is a tour operator specialized in watersports clubs, Yacht charter and Flotilla sailing. Large players can enhance their brand name attractiveness and achieve a long-term sustainable competitive advantage through acquiring new specialist players. 4.2 Rivalry among existing competitors The industry competitive environment has changed due to industrys horizontal integration, which is a tour operator offering one or several travel products takes over another that offers very similar travel products or services. The industrys competitive environment among existing competitors used to be full of disordered competitions, players competed with each other focusing on low price, they cut their price as much as possible to gain market shares, the whole industry became profitless and all the players suffered from that. In addition, their product quality was quite low due to the reduction on cost, they tried to keep their profits at a certain level while the prices they offered must be low. After industry horizontal integration, situation has changed: mergers and take-overs not only take place among small and large tour operators but also happen among large tour operators. According to Air Travel Organisers Licensing (ATOL) 2007 figures, the four big players in the industry o ccupy more than 80% of the tour operator market shares: Thomson accounts for 28% of total market shares while MyTravel Group has 21%, followed by Thomas Cook with 19% and First Choice with the proportion of 17%. All the four big tour operators offer full-range products from domestic holidays to outbound holidays, from business travel to leisure travel, from normal sight-seeing holidays to specialist holidays, differences among the four players are not significant. Companies compete with each other mainly based on brand identity and creating brand loyalty, a good brand offers distinctiveness and consistency to its target customers, thus branding strategy becomes dramatically important in companies marketing strategy to expand market shares. MyTravel Group launched freedom card-a kind of bonus card offers its members discounts bonus points and upgrades in order to maintain customer purchase and loyalty; Thomson also sought a way to keep their customers loyal to the company by setting up Founders Club new shareholders were given membership in the Thomson Founders Club which offered a 10% discount on Thomson holidays. Exit barriers of the industry are high due to some reasons listed below: Though investments on non-transferable fixed assets are quite low, redundancy costs are very high because those large travel companies often have a large number of employees thus it costs a lot to dismiss employees, in addition, there will be significant social problems if such large companies go bust. Those large tour operators usually have close relationships with their suppliers and buyers under restricted contracts, the penalty costs would be significant if they break the contracts. 4.3 Threat of substitutes The development of information technology especially internet has brought new opportunities and threats to the tour operator industry. Through using computerized reservation system (CRS), tour operators can obtain efficient information distribution systems and networks. Internet plays an important role in purchasing holiday products in terms of provision, accessibility and flexibility. With the emergence of internet technology, a kind of online holiday booking website was created. It can be seen as a kind of substitute to the traditional tour operators. Online holiday booking websites like Expedia.co.uk and Lastminute.com offers designed holiday routes, air tickets booking, hotel booking and so on just like what traditional tour operators do but in another much more efficient way. Customer can gain great benefits through using the new technology on booking, they have more choices and have easier access to the holiday products. The major tour operators are not resistant to the technology and are now investing heavily on their own virtual networks: MyTravel Group announces its intention to launch a new interactive digital television channel to be called Going Places TV and finally it was launched on channel 669 in February 2003; Thomson, recently enhanced its main website with a series of new features and content, in an attempt to retain customers and encourage them to book through the site. It also introduced additional editorial content to help consumers, as well as to enable the site to be picked up by Google in natural searches. Takeovers and merger are quite common: MyTravel Group acquired WorldChoiceTravel.com (WCT), a fast growing, US based provider of travel reservation services in March 2001; Thomson acquired a teletext operator Travel House in order to gain control of the virtual marketplace. The technology of internet makes information shared much easier and more widely than ever before, people can gain knowledge about the destination, the way to get there and accommodations there by easily clicking on the relevant websites. Information asymmetry no longer happens in recent years, the usage of tour operator becomes less and less. Cheap budget airline companies and online hotel booking websites provide travelers opportunities to get low-price air tickets and accommodations, these are really threats to tour operators. People tend to organize their own trips, they choose their own destinations, drive their own cars, book hotels from hotel websites or booking websites or even live in their own houses, they will experience more freely holidays through doing that. There is a growing trend of using this do-it-yourself (DIY) approach in travelling which could be a substitute of tour operators. Most travelers concern about price when making decisions, when there is no price advan tage booking from tour operators, travelers tend to favor DIY travel. Major tour operator like Thomson, MyTravel, Thomas Cook, First Choice offer a range of products featured with free concept, with only air tickets and hotel bookings at a low price with their popular trusted brand names. 4.4 Bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of the industrys suppliers should be described as low. On one hand, there are few tour operators in the industry to bargain with: suppliers like independent hotels and airline companies widely exist in recent times while only few tour operators are operated due to the consolidations within the industry, the suppliers dont have too much power bargaining with the major tour operators but still have certain degree of bargaining power on smaller tour operators. On the other hand, vertical integration with the hotels, airline companies and other transportation companies makes the bargaining power of suppliers at the lowest point. The backward integration enables tour operators to establish close relationships with their suppliers by signing contracts of cooperation or even the purchase of the suppliers: First Choice launched its own airline quite early in 1987 which represents the beginning of forward integration, in 2000 a joint venture with Royal Caribbean Cruises L td is announced and later a company called Island Cruises was set up and put into operation in 2002; MyTravel Group acquired Europes biggest resort complex, the Bellevue Hotel in Majorca, which comprised of 17 blocks of apartments and 8 swimming pools in January 2000. In June 2001 the company announced strategic alliance with Aqua Sol Hotels Limited, a leading hotel group in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Groups in-house airlines Airtours International and Premiair begin to trade as MyTravel Airways in May 2002. Thomas Cook owns Thomas Cook Airline and has a fleet of 45 aircrafts, the company has a partnership with SENTIDO Hotels Resorts the international hotel chain based on a franchise concept with 4-star plus beach hotels. The major tour operators all participant in the dynamic areas of tourism, there are few needs to bargain with suppliers, in a simply word, tour operators are self-sufficient. 4.5 Bargaining power of buyers The bargaining power of buyers should also be described as low. The buyers being discussed here stands for travel agencies not the ultimate customers due to the nature of the industry. The most important factor that affects bargaining power of buyers is forward integration between tour operators and travel agencies. According to Bloomsbury Business Library Business Management Dictionary, forward integration is a means of guaranteeing distribution channels for products and services by building relationships with, or taking control of, distributors. Forward integration can free the supplier from the threat or influence of major buyers and can also provide a barrier to market entry by potential rivals (Business Management Dictionary, 2007). Through forward integration, major tour operators take control of the distribution channel, they can sell their products in a more efficient and cost-effective way. Forward integration of tour operators and travel agencies makes it increasingly di fficult for smaller independent tour operators who cant reach their customers through high street travel agencies. As major tour operators all have their own travel agencies, independent tour operators rely on independent travel agencies. The number of independent travel agencies is declining because they cant offer customers the same discount as the integrated chains, in this case, independent tour operators cant compete with major tour operators on price, the number of smaller independent tour operators also decreases. The development of internet technology also has an important impact on the bargaining power of buyers, it has changed the pattern of traditional distribution, shocking the market by the rapid transformations which it generates across the whole industry. These days, the online travel market is experiencing a profound evolution. Trends in overall online travel market size are shown below: Now the bargaining power of buyers is being threatened by disintermediation the elimination of intermediaries, for example, the wholesalers found in traditional retail channels, in favor of direct selling to the consumer (Bloomsbury Business Library Business Management Dictionary, 2007). The disintermediation is caused mainly by the development of internet. Major tour operators have embraced the growth of online travel systems and the need for fast and efficient distribution systems and networks, they have built their own online distribution channels like websites and

Animal Cruelty :: Psychology, Conduct Disorder

For one to completely understand animal cruelty one must know how animal cruelty is categorized. Animal cruelty was first categorized as a symptom of conduct disorder by the American Psychiatric Association in 1987 (McPhedran; 2008). Conduct disorder is defined as â€Å"a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others are major age appropriate societal norms or rules are violated† (American Psychiatric Association; 1994 as cited as McPhedran; 2008). To be diagnosed with conduct disorder, a person must have at least 3 of the 15 symptoms of the disorder presented. Other symptoms of conduct disorder include persistent patterns of aggression towards humans, lying and deception, theft and/or robbery, and destruction of property (American Psychiatric Association; 1994 as cited as McPhedran; 2008). There is variety of studies that shows that their factors that influence people’s judgments about cruelty. Attitudes about abuse and neglect can be reliably differentiated among both men and women; women tend to more empathic towards the animals that were abused; men and women differ with the regard to the structure of their attitude (Henry; 2008). The attitude about animal abuse differ between women and men is because men reflect a lower level of empathy than women, and that can result in men judging acts of violence differently (Pakaslanhti & Keltikanga- Jarvinen; 1997 as cited as Henry; 2008). Research has found that women have a stronger and broader moral strictures against aggression than men do (Perry, Perry & Rasmussen; 1986 as cited as Henry; 2008). Women appear to have a broader scope of what constitutes cruelty than men. When it comes to punishing people for abusing animals’ research showed that women recommended harsher punishments for acts of animal abuse than men and that recommended punishments were harsher when the victim was a puppy compared to when the victim was a chicken (Henry; 2008). When it comes to be mind set of describing animal abuse the type of animals was similar and it depended on the type of animal that was victimized for them to consider it was animal cruelty (Henry; 2008). A person mood at the moment of being questioned about punishment for animal cruelty depended if they wanted punishment are not. Results indicated that participants in a positive mood-state recommended harsher punishments for animal cruelty for the perpetrator of the abuse (Henry; 2008). People also recommended harsher punishment when the animal-victim was perceived as being more similar to humans (Henry; 2008). Animal Cruelty :: Psychology, Conduct Disorder For one to completely understand animal cruelty one must know how animal cruelty is categorized. Animal cruelty was first categorized as a symptom of conduct disorder by the American Psychiatric Association in 1987 (McPhedran; 2008). Conduct disorder is defined as â€Å"a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others are major age appropriate societal norms or rules are violated† (American Psychiatric Association; 1994 as cited as McPhedran; 2008). To be diagnosed with conduct disorder, a person must have at least 3 of the 15 symptoms of the disorder presented. Other symptoms of conduct disorder include persistent patterns of aggression towards humans, lying and deception, theft and/or robbery, and destruction of property (American Psychiatric Association; 1994 as cited as McPhedran; 2008). There is variety of studies that shows that their factors that influence people’s judgments about cruelty. Attitudes about abuse and neglect can be reliably differentiated among both men and women; women tend to more empathic towards the animals that were abused; men and women differ with the regard to the structure of their attitude (Henry; 2008). The attitude about animal abuse differ between women and men is because men reflect a lower level of empathy than women, and that can result in men judging acts of violence differently (Pakaslanhti & Keltikanga- Jarvinen; 1997 as cited as Henry; 2008). Research has found that women have a stronger and broader moral strictures against aggression than men do (Perry, Perry & Rasmussen; 1986 as cited as Henry; 2008). Women appear to have a broader scope of what constitutes cruelty than men. When it comes to punishing people for abusing animals’ research showed that women recommended harsher punishments for acts of animal abuse than men and that recommended punishments were harsher when the victim was a puppy compared to when the victim was a chicken (Henry; 2008). When it comes to be mind set of describing animal abuse the type of animals was similar and it depended on the type of animal that was victimized for them to consider it was animal cruelty (Henry; 2008). A person mood at the moment of being questioned about punishment for animal cruelty depended if they wanted punishment are not. Results indicated that participants in a positive mood-state recommended harsher punishments for animal cruelty for the perpetrator of the abuse (Henry; 2008). People also recommended harsher punishment when the animal-victim was perceived as being more similar to humans (Henry; 2008).

Military and Leadership

In any environment whatsoever, the main targets, the paraphernalia, the products and team-leadership are all great aspects of running a business, all of which require talent, energy and a considerable amount of insight. The article â€Å"When Good Companies Do Bad Things† by Peter Schwartz highlights the importance of these aspects through the crucial significance of companies being ‘good’ and having the reputation for it as well.Schwartz states that there is a growing importance of reputation in the competitive world of global branding. We all like to believe that we’re working for good companies and that our systems are ethical, humanitarian and in the interest of the betterment of people. However, with the rising complexities in the globalization of the market, he draws from the examples of big companies such as Shell, Nike, Microsoft and Texaco, all finding themselves paying the price for a task as simple as to paying too little attention to the importa nce of reputation.The comparison of the aforementioned multi-billion dollar businesses with a military unit may not be high in terms of product and sales strategies, yet the aspect of units of men working for a certain target with a certain image before people is highly common between both these instances. A military unit, much like a corporate unit, works on the principle of task-orientation. It also believes that its goals are ethical and in sync with the good of mankind. The simple personal experience that I had of watching the troops walking, saluting and parading in formation is a clear-cut example of the height of conformity within its set up.However, Hawkins (2007) reports the research conducted at Los Alamos, recognizing that the â€Å"behavior of a group of people depends strongly on the interaction of personal (individual traits) with the collective moods of the group as a whole†. This simply means that the high levels of conformity we see in the formation and smoot h working of a battalion is also connected deeply with the individual’s interaction with the whole. The same way a platoon is influenced by its unit members’ passion and dedication towards their goals, the corporate set up is also directly influenced by values in the system.Integrity, as interpreted by Schwartz, is: being well-integrated with one's society and understanding what the society's expectations are. I agree to this definition as it has the potential to create more aware institutions. Capitalist set ups, by definition, are businesses run for the sole purpose of making a profit (Haralambos and Holborn, p. 8). The age of media and technology grows faster today than it ever did – therefore it is better to have emerging corporate culture, which has encoded in its basic structural DNA, empathy and a sense of compassion for its surroundings.It is indeed so in the military that an environment of debate is not encouraged in the military set up. It is the belie f of experts that ‘saluting without questioning exemplifies the military's ‘can do' attitude that can create an optimist out of even the most skeptical naysayer† (Wong and Lovelace, p. 2). In the military the ability to prepare or get ready to fight, skill in actual fighting and the will to prevail in combat against a foe, are the critical dimensions of leadership (Hawkins, n.p.).The military may also find itself faced with disastrous results if it chooses to ignore the voices that exist outside its barracks. The example of the Iraq and Afghan wars, Abu Ghuraib jails, the American public speaking out against the War, are plenty for the world media and global peacemakers to click their tongues and wonder at the foreign policy of the United States of America. Schwartz mentions that corporate magnates sometimes end up baffled with certain results because they have almost no contact with the outside personnel, which play an equal and a highly effective role in shaping their commercial and corporate success.Retired Army Major General John Batiste spoke openly regarding the War in Iraq, outlining the importance and sway of the respective socio-political system on the task of the military, â€Å"Military leaders of all ranks, particularly the senior military, have an obligation in a democracy to say something about it†. In the case of German post-war governments, learning from mistakes and paying attention to what the world is saying is making a big point in their arguments.Post-war governments have claimed to maintain a conscript army in order to safeguard against political extremism in the armed forces (Paterson, n.p.). Similarly Major General Bill Rollo had a whole briefing about the concern of military commanders regarding the effect of bad publicity on morale, and â€Å"particularly over a series of high-profile cases involving the alleged abuse of Iraqis by British soldiers† (Norton-Taylor, n.p.).It is apparently fair to an organ ization if the perception of the market-consumers shape its reputation. The company gains profits through the masses which pay for their goods, which in turn help it run its business, big or small. It is, as says Schwartz, not possible to completely fulfill the needs and aspirations of the working team and the consumers. The company must strive and motivate the circle through addressing their needs and choices as much and as far as they can.I would personally lead my company/unit by way of establishing a culture of bringing out the best products through the maximum information provided not only by the society’s general consensus, but through the voice of the working individuals of the team. It is in the inherent nature of man to seek expression. By appealing to this very nature, I would direct and lead the company into more responsive whole rather than a conformed group of tight-rope walkers who won’t know when trouble actually hits them because they were too busy list ening to orders.Work CitedHaralambos, Mike and Holborn, Martin. Sociology: Themes and Perspectives. United Kingdom: Collins, 2000.Norton-Taylor, Richard. Top brass fight to save army's reputation. December 30, 2005. The Guardian. October 2nd, 2007. https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/dec/30/topstories3.iraq

Multiple Plurals, Multiple Meanings

Multiple Plurals, Multiple Meanings Multiple Plurals, Multiple Meanings Multiple Plurals, Multiple Meanings By Maeve Maddox One of the more interesting aspects of the changes that take place in English from generation to generation is the fact that as spellings change to conform to modern usage, some of the old forms stick around with different connotations or meanings. Two words for angel that came into English from Hebrew have plural forms ending in -im: cherub/cherubim and seraph/seraphim. In angel lore, a seraph is a fiery six-winged angel who guards Gods throne. A cherub ranks just below a seraph and has two large wings, a human head, and animal body. A cherub is the guardian of a sacred place. Seraph has not entered into general use, but in modern English cherub refers to the image of a pretty Cupid-like child with wings, or to the little faces with wings one sees as architectural decorations. A child with a beautiful, innocent face can be called a cherub. For these modern uses the plural of cherub is cherubs. The earlier plural of brother was brethren, a form still seen in the King James version of the Bible and still to be found in sermons and some religious writing. It suggests spiritual kinship. The plural fishes for fish has a kind of Biblical ring to it, as in the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Pence as the plural of penny is still used in Britain while Americans say pennies. The word dice is the plural of die: a cube with spots used in gaming. Die can also refer to an instrument used in manufacturing. The plural of that kind of die is dies. Some other words with more than one plural form: formula formulas formulae: The Latin plural formulae is often preferred by scientific writers. index indexes indices: The plural indices has a specialized mathematical meaning (a number or symbol or expression written to the left or right of and above or below or otherwise associated with another number or symbol or expression to indicate use or position in an arrangement or expansion or to indicate a mathematical operation to be performed). staff staffs staves: The plural staffs is the modern choice, whether youre talking about a group of workers or a stick used as a walking aid. If youre writing an historical novel, however, Robin Hood and Little John would fight with staves. The word stave occurs as a singular musical term. It is also the word for one of the strips of wood used to make a barrel. The plural of stave is staves. 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 Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Meaning of "To a T""Replacement for" and "replacement of"How to Punctuate Introductory Phrases

Writing the Perfect College Entrance Essay

Writing the Perfect College Entrance Essay Free Online Research Papers Writing the Perfect College Entrance Essay In AP English Language, taught by Dr. Phillips, the first few weeks of class were spent writing college essays. As Dr. Phillips says, â€Å"a good essay might not necessarily get you into a college, but a bad one will most certainly keep you out.† She stresses that the important thing to remember is that these essays are being reviewed by one who will have been reviewing these sorts of essays for a long time before. Therefore, it is especially important that the essay is unique and interesting. Going along with that, our class was given a copy of a sheet which included â€Å"Essays to Avoid† (From â€Å"For some Applicants, Student Essay Unlocks or Seals the Door to College† Maureen David). The essays to avoid (though this isn’t absolute) include: â€Å"My Favorite Things† essay, Trip essay, â€Å"Miss America† essay, â€Å"jock† essay and 3D (diversity of interests) essay. These should generally be avoided because they don’t allow for much personal growth. In the jock essay, one could write about how playing football showed him or her about teamwork. Well, that person and half of the other people applying could say the EXACT SAME THING. For the â€Å"my favorite things† essay, one might say that they like advanced technology because it allows people from all over the world to communicate in a big, happy, pool of diversity. That’s all fun and neat, but such essays fail to say anything about you as a person. Lots of students found that writing essays about someone who has had an impact on them were very effective. These essays are especially good because they don’t have to be too self-focused, and they allow you the opportunity to focus on someone other than yourself while revealing bits of information about yourself. Being able to do that is a definite mark of good writing. Also, it’s necessary to remember to be yourself. By all means, you should try to be positive and witty and sincere and use high diction, but making an essay generic will cause the person who’s reading it to fall asleep. You shouldn’t be negative though. While starting off your essay by saying â€Å"I hate everyone† wouldn’t cause anyone to fall asleep (unless they were really tired), it wouldn’t give a very good impression of you. One also can’t praise oneself too much. No one likes reading an essay which goes â€Å"I learned about being a good person, nice, kind, caring, positive†¦Ã¢â‚¬  because it’s essentially bragging. And, one last bit of advice: Don’t drag it on. The more you can say in a shorter space, the better. Once again, college application evaluaters don’t want to read novels. Mr. Anderson says â€Å"it strikes me as absurd to ask someone to reveal their personality in 500 words or les s,† but in the case of college applications, it’s a necessity. Have fun! Research Papers on Writing the Perfect College Entrance EssayHip-Hop is ArtStandardized TestingHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyCapital PunishmentMind TravelWhere Wild and West MeetComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoThe Project Managment Office SystemMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever Product

HIPPA Compliance Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

HIPPA Compliance - Research Paper Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that HIPAA Security Rule assigns the control and monitoring over Administrative Safeguards to a security officer, who responsibility is to develop and implement the policies and procedures (gap analysis, logs audit, etc). In addition, this measure is partially governed by  § 164.312 (a) of Security Rule, Technical Safeguards, that obligates entities to establish technical policies that grant access to electronic data only to authorized people and software. The second corrective action offered by Providence Health and Services which is to be implemented to improve off-site transport and storage of electronic data falls under  § 164.310 of Security Rule, Physical Safeguards, particularly  § 164.310 (d) containing procedures on media and hardware removal and transportation, and  § 164.310 (b and c), specifying workstations use and security, including physical safeguards for all workstations. Workstation access to information is to be lim ited strictly to the job description. Moreover, the use and disposal of various storage devices, such as disks, tapes, text messaging and camera cell devices must be documented. The third corrective step by Providence Health and Services, involving workforce training of the safeguards, falls under  § 164.308 (5), Administrative safeguards, which cover an implementation of a security awareness and training programs, including security reminders and updates, methods of protection from malicious software, login monitoring and password management. The training programs aim to stimulate awareness about the vulnerability of data within the electronic system.

Importance of displacement, migrations and the perceived lack or flux Essay

Importance of displacement, migrations and the perceived lack or flux of geo-political boundaries to contemporary art - Essay Example The essay "Importance of displacement, migrations and the perceived lack or flux of geo-political boundaries to contemporary art" discovers how artists through their artworks have tried to bring out the idea that migration, exile and displacement that are matters as a result of political and social changes, which have generated the wider world of modernity. Displacement comprises of one of the main parameters in our cultural development currently, and constitutes desired geopolitical characteristics of the present life. Art has taken advantage of displacement in countries that are not economically and politically stable. Levi and Scheding are of the opinion that â€Å"maybe the only generalization possible is that displacement must be understood as a complex and heterogeneous mass phenomenon.† Displacements of artist have a wide context in which they affect the artists. Rather than subjecting the artists into a new physical environment, there are more situations playing behind . Levi and Scheding term them as the social, cultural and historic contexts. Artistic displacement has faced a series of events in it which include the movement of images, goods, information and people. These subject contemporary artists to a wide range of concepts. Many have tried to understand the essence behind displacement and contemporary artists. Tactfully, many artists would find opportunity to show case their ability, and therefore need to relocate to desired places. In other cases, nature and political stands come on the way.