Respect Essays (430 words) - Anti-social Behaviour, Human Behavior

1. Describe a situation in which someone showed respect for you this week? Respect has been shown to me in many little details this week. For example; this year I dint have a economics class, so I decided to visit my counselor and talk to her about it. Mrs.Harbrink was really focused in on what I was trying to tell her. Selina, our volleyball captain is always consedering what not only me but the whole team has to say Last, my mom showed me respect this week by keeping her promise. Although it wasn?t? something too big, her keeping her promise showed me respect. 2. Describe a situation in which you showed respect this week? This week I had CDL three times, but I usually visit every day morning or in between classes. You can't help but to have your favorites..the kid who just steals your heart the moment you see him/her, however , I treat all the kids the same. The last thing I want to do is make them feel left out or not liked. The kids must feel that they are all being treated equally, no special priviledges to any of them. I show them respect by letting them make their own choices by letting them give their own opinion and allowing them to be themelves. 3. What can you do to gain respect? Home school friends.. Golden Rule; Treat others how you want to be treated. At school, around friends, and at home, I believe in order to earn respect you must respect others. At home you can ask when borrowing things. For example: me and my sister wear the same sizes, and we ask each other for permission. Therefore we?re respecting our things and each other. If you feel your being treated unfairly at school, you can talk your teacher about it. Standing up for yourself is something he or she will respect. Around your friends the importance of honesty can be underestimated; if you have the reputation of telling your friends secrets to people, it will be difficult to gain the respect of others. When things go wrong you et tempted to look for someone or something to blame. It takes a certain amount of courage to just be honest and accept things didn?t go as planned, In the long run honesty will be appreciated. Look for three situatins in which you can show respect for an elderly person. Giving up your seat for an elderly person. No yellin at you parents grandparents etc.. Openig the door for them(:

Benefits of the Graphical User Interface

Benefits of the Graphical User Interface The graphical user interface (GUI; sometimes pronounced â€Å"gooey†) is used by most commercially popular computer operating systems and software programs today. Its the kind of interface that allows users to manipulate elements on the screen using a mouse, a stylus, or even a finger. This kind of interface allows word processing or web design programs, for example, to offer WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) options. Before GUI systems became popular, command line interface (CLI) systems were the norm. On these systems, users had to input commands using lines of coded text. The commands ranged from simple instructions for accessing files or directories  to far more complicated commands that required many lines of code. As you might imagine, GUI systems have made computers far more user-friendly  than CLI systems. Benefits to  Businesses and Other Organizations A computer with a well-designed GUI can be used by almost anybody, regardless of how technically savvy the user might be. Consider the cash management systems, or computerized cash registers, in use in stores and restaurants today. Inputting information is as simple as pressing numbers or images on a touchscreen  in order to place orders and calculate payments, whether they be cash, credit, or debit. This process of inputting information is simple, practically anybody can be trained to do it, and the system can store all of the sales data for later analysis in countless ways. Such data collection was far more labor-intensive in the days before GUI interfaces. Benefits to Individuals Imagine trying to browse the web using a CLI system. Instead of pointing and clicking on links to visually stunning websites, users would have to call up text-driven directories of files and perhaps have to remember long, complicated URLs in order to input them manually. It certainly would be possible, and much valuable computing was done when CLI systems dominated the market, but it could be tedious and generally was limited to work-related tasks. If viewing family photos, watching videos, or reading the news on a home computer meant having to memorize sometimes long or complex command inputs, not many people would find that to be a relaxing way to spend their time. CLIs Value Perhaps the most obvious example of CLIs value  is with those who write code for software programs and web designs. GUI systems make tasks more accessible to average users, but combining a keyboard with a mouse or a touchscreen of some sort can be time-consuming  when the same task can be accomplished without having to take ones hands away from the keyboard. Those who write code know the command codes they need to include and dont want to waste time pointing and clicking if its not necessary. Inputting commands manually also offers precision that a WYSIWYG option in a GUI interface might not provide. For example, if the goal is to create an element for a web page or a software program that has a precise width and height in pixels, it can be faster and more accurate to input those dimensions directly than to try and draw the element with a mouse.

Research Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Research Proposal - Essay Example In addition to this topic being of interest from a researcher’s point of view, it also represents a social issue. Are home school laws being followed in households? What kind of homeschooling laws are in place to ensure that these children get the best possible education? Do these laws need any changes or amendments? These questions are the basis of this research paper. The homeschooling laws across all the states in USA need to be uniform, thus they need to be reviewed on a national level and implemented (Sykes, Schneider, & Plank, 2012). This research will explore the topic â€Å"Should Regulations for Home Schools Be Changed?† The research is going to be organized as follows. The literature review will examine the homeschooling laws which are already in place in the country. As mentioned before, these laws differ across different states. Thus, the major states of the country will be covered and the laws will be examined. In addition, this section will review previous researches or papers written on the prevailing homeschooling laws and regulations in the United States. The â€Å"Methodology† will explain how effective and satisfactory the regulations regarding home schools are through qualitative data collection. Questionnaires will be distributed to parents of home schooled children and those children themselves. â€Å"Results† will give the findings of the research. â€Å"Conclusion and Recommendations† will then analyze the results and discuss possible ways of making amendments to the home school regulations so that the entire system can benefit (Denicolo & Becker, 2012). The research is going to be useful for the parents of home schooled children. It will help them understand the dynamics of the home schooling system and how it can be improved by making the required changes in the regulations so that their child gets the best possible education. The audience for this research is not only these parents but also policy ma kers. Government officials are the ones who devise these policies to begin with. These people have official positions in the government; they have the required decision making authority so as to make sure that the suggested changes are pondered upon, if not actually implemented. The officials responsible for the education sector already have a view on the topic. They are aware of the dynamics of this sector and how home schools work. This research, however, will provide them with a fresh point of view and probably a new angle of looking at how things are being run in this sector (Saliger, 2010). The research on the whole will encompass ways in which the regulations can be amended in a way so that home schools across the country will benefit from it. The research does not aim at changing the entire system of home education. It just aims at analyzing the existing laws and gaining public opinion about the effectiveness of those laws. The research aims at finding out the extent to which these laws are being implemented in the country, and in cases where they are not, the research aims to find out the possible reasons for it. Are the laws too difficult to adhere to? Are they impractical? Are parents just being ignorant of their child’s education needs? (Imber & Geel, 2004) These are some additional questions which will be addressed by the research. This research will shed some light on the problems in the home education system and will help

Effects of Structural Adjustment Programs and Globalization on women Essay

Effects of Structural Adjustment Programs and Globalization on women in Zambia - Essay Example Structural Adjustment Programs that are the policy package of the IMF and World Bank which calls for reducing government expenses, privatization, and opening up countries to manipulative foreign investment, among other dealings which actually has intensified poverty around the world. In the two regions with the most structural adjustment experience, per capita income has vegetated as in Latin America or fallen as in Africa. Structural adjustment has also contributed to rising income and wealth inequality in the developing world. "In terms of policy initiatives, the market-based approach embodied in SAPs became pre-eminent in the 1980s. SAPs have become widespread throughout the developing world. By the end of 1989, they had been put into force in 28 Sub-Sahara African countries. In total, 55 borrowing countries had been involved (World Bank,1990). Up to the end of 1988, adjustment efforts have been concentrated in Latin America and especially, Africa, by governments that have, however, varied considerably in their commitment, willingness and ability to implement policy changes." "Elson, (1987) distinguished betwe... the elimination of exchange controlsthe floating of the kwacha the liberalization of the banking sector the removal of quantitative restrictions on imports and exports the reduction of the level and dispersion of customs tariffs It is a report given by World Bank in 1990 "In terms of policy initiatives, the market-based approach embodied in SAPs became pre-eminent in the 1980s. SAPs have become widespread throughout the developing world. By the end of 1989, they had been put into force in 28 Sub-Sahara African countries. In total, 55 borrowing countries had been involved (World Bank,1990). Up to the end of 1988, adjustment efforts have been concentrated in Latin America and especially, Africa, by governments that have, however, varied considerably in their commitment, willingness and ability to implement policy changes." There is another report which is quoted over here as it is:: "Elson, (1987) distinguished between women in different parts of the economy. While some women will gain in terms of employment and income from the end of certain subsidies and the development of the market; others will lose. The contraction of the state's role will also have a mixed effect on women. Certain actions of the state have perpetuated women's subordination while others have aided women. Gender issues have mostly been expressed in terms general to all developing countries. This global approach to gender issues is partly due to the universality of the way that economic upheaval and worsened poverty impinge on women multiple roles in delivering sustenance to their families. It is also partly because the evidence of the impact of the new policies on women tends to be anecdotal with continental cross-reference." Structural Adjustment Programs have

Analyzing the pollution in rivers and lakes by using artificial neural Article

Analyzing the pollution in rivers and lakes by using artificial neural network, fuzzy logic, and regression methods - Article Example The basic approach is to train an ANN unit using a set of already known set of data to predict a similar future event. In this study feed forward ANN could be used to relate the DO measured at each location to predict the other quality parameters as reported. In this method, the (DO)i is considered as the input parameter to the input-neurons which would be passed into the hidden layer of neuron set after multiplying with a correction weight (kj). The main role of the hidden neuron is to add up the weighted sum received from the input set and combines it with a bias (bj) to determine a net value ( netj = ïÆ' ¥ (DO)i kj - bj ). This net value is passed into the output neuron which uses a non-linear function , say, f(net) = 1/ (1+e-net) to determine the output parameters BOD, NO3, NO2 and PO4 (Tayfur and Singh, 2006). The fuzzy logic approach for the prediction of dissolved oxygen level is based on the set of rules that is in built in the model. This process is undertaken in four different steps. Allocation of partial belonging to each input variable in the form of membership function , which takes up values from 0 to 1, is the first step. This process is referred as fuzzification. The allocation is based on intuition and linear triangular functions are the commonly adopted one. The fuzzy rule base is the next requirement to relate the input and the outputs using if-then logical relations. In the present work it could be either as - If BOD is low , NO3 is low and PO4 is low then DO is high - or If BOD is high, NO3 is high and PO4 is high then DO is low. Next is the fuzzy output subset construction by addition of all the fuzzy subsets. The fuzzy output function need to be converted to discrete form of results using defuzzifcation methods. Centre of gravity method (COG method) could be used to this process for the present situation (Tayfur and Singh, 2006, Chen et

Innovation At Airline Industry In India Management Essay

Innovation At Airline Industry In India Management Essay ABSTRACT Innovation can be the introduction of improved goods or services through the enhancement in attributes. According to a 2007 National Knowledge Commission report on Innovation in India 17 percent of the large firms rank Innovation as the top strategic priority and 75 percent rank it among the top 3 priorities. Service innovation can occur through an offering not previously available to a firms customers resulting from additions to the service concept (Menor et al., 2002). Several service industries have seen a surge in competition due to innovation schemes, and airlines are no exception. Although the main service provided by airlines is transport, considerable innovations have taken place to make it a profitable proposition. While considerable literature is available specifically on Innovation, this paper is an attempt to develop an understanding on Innovation in an emerging market like India, implications for airline services and impact of Low Cost Carriers on the competition landscape. Keywords: Innovation, Airline Industry in India, Low-Cost Carrier Model INTRODUCTION In creating competitiveness, the most important dimension is imagination. The Economist, in an article on 4th December, 1999, pointed out why, in the global context, the bigger companies are afraid of the smaller companies. It said: Innovation has become the buzzword of American management. Firms have found that most of the things that can be outsourced or re-engineered and have been (worryingly, by their competitors as well) the stars of American business, tend today to be innovators such as Dell, Amazon, and Wal-Mart, which have produced ideas or products that have changed their industries. With liberalization and globalization, organizations are facing incessant change and competition. To sustain in this ever changing environment, it is imperative for organizations to innovate at every level, be it technology, processes, or products. Innovation has become an essential component of organization development. It initiates and focuses change in organizational action within the range of possibilities created by innovative potential. It is thus a strategic element of organizational survival and development. In todays environment, every business wants to be more creative in its thinking. According to a study, 75 percent of Chief Executive Officers of the fastest growing companies claim that their strongest competitive advantage is unique products and services and the distinct business processes that power them to market- innovation by another name (Smith, 2005). In another survey, Boston Consulting Group reported that 90 percent of organizations believed innovation to be a strategic priority for 2004 and beyond. Leading companies continuously seek out and institutionalize the insights and tools they would need if they were to stay at the leading edge and be top-rated stars in their sector. Some companies build enduring capacities for breakthrough innovation. The airline industry has been plagued by several factors such as overcapacity, commoditization of offerings, cut-throat rivalry exacerbated by the entry of low-cost carriers, and intermittent periods of disastrous under-performance (Costa et al., 2002). In 2006, the global airlines industry suffered a net loss of USD 500 million or 0.1 percent of revenues, accumulating net losses of USD 42 billion between 2001 and 2006 (International Air Transport Association, 2007). In 2007, the airline industry made a modest net profit of USD 5.6 billion on revenues of USD 490 billion, equivalent to less than 2 percent margin (International Air Transport Association, 2008). The outlook from 2008 onwards remains bleak. Not surprisingly, the industry is regularly rated as one of the worst performing industries in the Fortune Global 500 rankings (Heracleous Wirtz, 2009). WHAT IS INNOVATION? Innovation is an old but evolving phenomenon. And it has accelerated with the Industrial Revolution of the 21st century (Caraca et al., 2007). It may be defined as the process of bringing new problem-solving ideas into use (Glynn, 1996). It is an application of new ideas to the products, processes, or any other aspect of a firms activities. It is concerned with the process of commercializing or extracting value from ideas; and is in contrast with invention which need not be directly associated with commercialization. In economic terms, innovation can refer to technological advancement, or to the process by which companies create new economic value by using resources more effectively (Randolph, 2006). Innovation is a process by which organizations use their skills and resources to develop new goods and services or to develop new production techniques and operating systems so that they can better respond to the changing needs of the customer (Burgelman Maidique, 1988). Innovation is a specialized kind of change. It is a new idea applied to initiating or improving a product, process, or service (Van de Ven, 1986). Bubner (2001) defines innovation in organizations as a series of processes that are designed and managed to create and apply ideas and knowledge, directed at value creation, and capture and lead to new and different products or services, processes, technologies, ventures, and business systems. His assertion is that innovation is a process and not an object or an outcome and hence, it refers to both ideas and knowledge. All innovations involve change, but all changes do not necessarily involve innovation. All organizations should innovate as innovations can result in spectacular success for an organization. Apple Computers changed the face of the computer industry when it introduced its personal computer. Honda changed the face of the small motor bike market when it introduced small 50 cc motorcycles. Toyota revolutionized the car production system to increase product quality. The importance of innovation is increasing through shorter product life cycles, increased competition, changing customer behaviour, and technological progress (Leimeister Glauner, 2008). If Innovation becomes successful, it can drastically change the organization. But, it also involves a high level of risk because the outcome of research and development activities is often uncertain. Most innovations are costly and the cost of faulty assessment of innovation may prove to be fatal for the organization. Therefore, the organization needs to weigh each idea carefully. Of all kinds of revolutionary change, innovations have the best prospects for long term success but also greatest risks. Therefore, the way in which organizations can stimulate innovation, and can manage the innovation process to increase the chance of successful learning taking place is very important. Service industries are sometimes characterized as low-value, low-skill sectors that do little to advance the economys competitive position. The service sector, of course, encompasses a broad range of highly diversified activities (Gellatly Peters, 1999). Some innovations involve new products; others involve new processes (Baldwin Gellatly, 1998). The fact that a firm claimed to have innovated need not mean it developed its own innovation(s). According to a study of innovators (Howells Tether, 2004), about half the firms claimed that they had mainly developed their own innovations, with a third declaring the innovations were developed jointly with others, and about a fifth admitting they were mainly developed by others. These proportions differed significantly between sectors, with the external development of innovations being most common in transport services. Innovation is the successful exploitation of new ideas. Firms innovate in order to gain an advantage over competitors, perhaps by becoming more cost-efficient, by tailoring products to meet unique customer requirements, or by improving access to service in remote areas (Gellatly Peters, 1999). This applies to all firms in the economy and is equally relevant to innovation in the airline industry (Xinhui, 2008). Although the main service provided by airlines is transport, considerable innovations have taken place to make it a profitable proposition. Stiff competition has made innovation as an everyday occurrence, and has resulted in the emergence of Low-Cost Carrier (LCC) model. These cheap, no frill carriers (Ryanair, EasyJet) have revolutionized the airline industry, making air travel affordable for all and forcing the established carriers to reengineer their operations. The LCC model has surely been one of the most successful things to happen in the airline industry. Innovation is particularly important for airline services, as one of the key features of successful experiences is considered to be continuous renewal or refreshment of the experience to keep exceeding customer expectations. The first LCC to rival major carriers was Southwest in the United States of America. Introduced in 1971, it implemented the low-cost model comprising low fares, high frequency service, no free food on board, no assignment of seat during check-in; and flights to secondary airports (Anon, 2006). However, it was in 1990s that the European airlines started to catch up when EasyJet and Ryanair entered the market. After this time, there was a surge of competition as LCCs became a common phenomenon. Air travel had been synonymous with luxury and catered to upper class of the society but this was redefined by the low-cost airline model, because one key objective of low-cost carriers has been to increase their reach to a larger segment and provide services at an affordable rate.   INNOVATION- AN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE Indias recent growth has been impressive, with real GDP rising by over 8 percent a year since 2004; accompanied by an increase in innovative activities. Growth has been driven by rapid expansion in export-oriented, skill-intensive manufacturing and, especially, skill-intensive services. The literature on Innovation in India has largely been silent on the specific experiences of the services sector with Innovation. With the changing composition of the Indian economic growth to be increasingly services led, National Knowledge Commission sees Innovation playing a crucial role in this growth. Today, India is acknowledged as an innovator at a global scale particularly for services. However, there is heterogeneity in the Indian economy and therefore innovation in Indian context demands a broader definition of innovation. This definition could refer to innovation that distinguishes between new to the world innovation (creation and commercialization), new to the market knowledge (diffusion and absorption), and explicit promotion of innovation to reduce poverty (inclusive innovation).   India is emerging as a global hub of Innovation. Recent acquisitions by Indian companies in the global market also signify an increasing trend in Indian companies to leverage the various possibilities of Innovation that the global market offers. The inherent reasons for Indias innovative activity are the existence of an open society, a technology base, democracy, diversity, an environment that allows experimentation, a vibrant capital market, availability of young population necessary as huma n capital to fully reap the demographic dividend, full and free competition in the private sector, opportunities for technological leapfrogging as well as the availability of necessary infrastructure. AIRLINE INDUSTRY IN INDIA The history of Civil Aviation in India started with its first commercial flight on February 18, 1911. In December 1912, the first domestic air route was opened between Delhi and Karachi by the Indian State Air Services (in collaboration with Imperial Airways of the UK). This marked a new beginning in India. Three years later, Tata Sons started a regular airmail service between Karachi and Madras. At that time, there were a few transport companies operating within and also beyond the frontiers of the country, carrying both air cargo and passengers. Some of these were Tata Airlines, Indian National Airways, Air Service of India, Deccan Airways, Ambica Airways, Bharat Airways, and Mistry Airways. The Tata Airlines was converted into a public limited company in the year 1946 and renamed Air India Limited. In 1948 a joint sector company, Air India International was established by the Government of India and Air India, which was headed by J.R.D. Tata. In 1953, the Parliament passed the Air Corporation Act. Air India International and Indian Airlines Corporation came into formal existence and Air India International was nationalized. In 1991, the Indian economy began to liberalize. It became more open and market-oriented, and the process of deeper integration with the world economy had begun. These reforms were extended to the civil aviation sector in 1994 when the Air Corporations Act of 1953 was repealed. This enabled the entry of private carriers who could now offer scheduled services. The market did not grow large enough for all these players to compete. There was a shake-out and many airlines went bankrupt. Jet Airways and Sahara Airlines (which became Air Sahara in 2000) were the only surviving carriers (Natarajan Sridevi). These developments in Indian Airline Industry can be divided into three stages (Anon, 2009b): Stage I: Till mid 1990s Although several private players like Jet Airways, Air Sahara, ModiLuft, Damania Airways, NEPC Airlines, and East West Airlines entered the market, but still the primary motive was the protection of national airlines. Tremendous restrictions put on these carriers led to the collapse of the entire airlines industry. All the players died except Jet Airways and Air Sahara. Stage II: Period of Inaction (1995-2003) This was a period when no attention was given to the airline sector. It was marred by too many regulations and total neglect. Even national airlines faced the shortage of capital. Aircraft purchases of these flag carriers were suffering and at the same time there was no infrastructure development carried out. During this phase, Europe saw the emergence of low-cost carriers, which transformed the airline travel and initiated a period of traffic boom in other markets. This period was marked with a clear lack of strategic intent and this put India far behind the rest of the world. Stage III: Period of rapid action (2004 onwards) It was a period when the airline sector got the attention it deserved. Indias first low-cost, no frill carrier Air Deccan was allowed to start operations in South India. Kingfisher Airlines, SpiceJet, GoAir and Paramount Airways entered the industry. Open skies agreements were established with many countries allowing Indian carriers more access abroad. Now, aircraft carriers with a minimum of 5 years of operation and 20 aircrafts can operate on international routes. According to India Brand Equity Foundation (Anon, 2009a), the Indian aviation industry is one of the fastest growing aviation industries in the world having a growth rate of 18 percent per annum. The governments open sky policy has led to many overseas players entering the market and the industry has been growing both in terms of players and the number of aircrafts. Today, private airlines account for around 75 percent share of the domestic aviation market. India has jumped to 9th position in worlds aviation market from 12th in 2006. The scheduled domestic air services are now available from 82 airports as against 75 in 2006. LOW-COST CARRIERS (LCCS) IN INDIA In 1970s, the low-cost carrier model was introduced by Southwest Airlines, a major carrier in the United States. Later, in 1990s, this business model was introduced in Europe, and in India, the model was introduced in 2003 by Air Deccan. Much to the detriment of traditional network airlines in North America, Europe, and Asia, well-capitalized start-ups have entered the low-cost carrier market, and existing no-frills carriers have grown rapidly. These carriers are exploiting a powerful, previously-untapped market opportunity to leverage low unit costs to stimulate demand among more price-sensitive travellers with lower fares; and to seize market share from less agile competitors saddled with legacy labour and infrastructure costs. According to the IBM Business Consulting Services Report released in 2004, the LCC model has demonstrated its ability to consistently deliver operating margins exceeding those of full-service airlines. Even if they continue their downward trend toward Southwests long-term average of 10 to 15 percent, this remains an unreachable territory for the majors in all but the best years. Low-cost carriers have been able to demonstrate consistent profitability- 31 years of consecutive annual profits for Southwest, 13 for Ryanair, 6 for EasyJet, and 3 each for both JetBlue and Virgin Blue. Until about a few years ago, there were only three scheduled domestic carriers in India- Jet Airways, Indian Airlines, and Air Sahara. Then, on August 25, 2003, Indias first low-cost airline, Air Deccan started service with its maiden flight between Bangalore and Hubli. It was launched by Gorur Ramaswamy Gopinath, an ex-Army officer who ran Deccan Aviation Private Limited, Indias largest private heli-charter company. Deccan Aviation did reasonably well in selling the concept of chartering private helicopters as a means of transportation, and had built a reputation for providing speedy and reliable heli-services for company charters, tourism, medical evacuation, and off-shore logistics. Gopinath launched the airline with a clear focus: offer rock-bottom fares, fly to every destination possible (including Kandla, Pathankot, Tuticorin, Vijaynagar, Raipur), and make the common man fly (Chowdhury, 2008). Within three years, Deccan covered 65 airports, was operating 350 flights a day with 43 aircraft, and had captured 20 percent of the market. On board the Air Deccan flights, food was not free and travellers had to pay for their meals. The tickets did not carry seat numbers, so those who came first could opt for the best seats. The inaugural fare for the Delhi-Bangalore route was 30 percent less than those offered by its rivals such as Indian Airlines, Air Sahara, and Jet Airways on the same route. The cheap tickets became the unique selling proposition and the fares offered were half of what were offered by all its competitors. The travellers had never seen such low fares before and as a result, air travel started to be looked upon as a substitute to train travel. But, other carriers including Jet publicly declared that the low-cost model was sure to fail. Unlike the United States and Europe, India did not have separate low-cost airports with cheaper landing and parking charges, which are essential to cut costs. Another argument these airlines gave was that cutting out on meals would save some money, but not enough to off er such low prices and still make money. Later in 2007, Jet acquired Air Sahara for Rs 1450 crore and turned it into a value carrier called JetLite. It further went on to launch a new all-economy, no-frill service called JetKonnect which was another low-cost service with low-cost fares. The services were the same except that no food was served on flight. In 2008, Kingfisher Airlines, which had positioned itself as a premium service provider, bought Air Deccan and renamed it as Kingfisher Red; thus retaining its low-cost identity. The success of Air Deccan spurred the entry of more than a dozen low-cost airlines in India, including Kingfisher Airlines, SpiceJet, GoAir, Paramount Airways, and IndiGo. RIVALS AS PARTNERS- MERGER OF AIR DECCAN AND KINGFISHER A wholly owned subsidiary of Deccan Aviation, Air Deccan, is considered to be Indias first low-cost carrier. It had a vision to enable every Indian to fly and adopted the mascot of the common man of Cartoonist Laxman. The common man identity represented the airlines simple and no frills approach. Tata Motors recently created a stir in the Automobile industry by launching Nano; the worlds cheapest car, priced at USD 2500. Air Deccan did a similar thing long before, by revamping the Aviation industry in India and shifting people from rail travel to air travel. This was made easy by the drastic reduction in prices of air tickets and introduction of a new segment of travellers, the first time travellers. Air Deccan airlines merged with Kingfisher Airlines and decided to operate as a single entity from April, 2008. This came to be known by the name Kingfisher Aviation and Air Deccan after merger with Kingfisher came to be known as Kingfisher Red.   The merger was based on recommendations of Accenture, the global consulting firm. KPMG was asked to do the valuation and the swap ratio was decided accordingly. The merger came through as Vijay Mallya from Kingfisher airlines bought 26 percent of the stake in Air Deccan. The unification of the two carriers had to be sanctioned not only by the two panels, but also by the institutional investors, independent directors, and other shareholders. After the merger, the company had a combined fleet of 71 aircrafts, connected 70 destinations, and operated 550 flights in a day. The combined entity had a market share of 33 percent. Gopinath continued as the Executive Chairman and Mallya took charge as Vice Chairman. The charter service of the respective airlines was hived off and operated as a separate entity. Post merger, Kingfisher would operate as a single largest (private) airline in the sub-continent. Besides, operational synergies (engineering, inventory management and ground handling services, maintenance, and overhaul), the management, and staff of both the airlines would be integrated. They would be stronger vis-à  -vis lesser aircraft manufacturers (Airbus in this case), and will also spend less on training and employees. Costs associated with maintenance of aircraft would also reduce. The savings in cost would be lower by about 4-5 percent (Rs 300 crores), which is a large sum. It would result in a saving of 3 billion in the first year itself through the sharing of aircraft and workers. Further, by devising a more optimal routing strategy it could help in rationalizing the fares. Before the merger, Air Deccan recorded a net loss of Rs 213.17 crores on revenue of Rs 437.82 crores for 2006-07. FUTURE OF LOW-COST CARRIERS As the profits of traditional carriers evaporate, so does their ability to invest in the next generation of aircrafts and systems that might go some way to helping them out of their misery by providing lower running costs as well as a better experience for passengers. By contrast, low-cost carriers know exactly what they are offering and to whom. They know their customers are willing to forgo the traditional frills of flying in exchange for a much cheaper ticket (Manning, 2006). The scenario where the consumer was the king with fares hitting a new low everyday while the airlines continued to incur losses has changed over the past year. Despite the bullish traffic growth estimates for India, past experiences suggest that it is extremely difficult for a market to absorb as many new entrants as the sector was witnessing in India (Shukla, 2007). The first mover advantage enjoyed by Air Deccan was short-lived, and soon several carriers emerged. But, the costs for their management increased due to the poor airport infrastructure and manpower shortage. The real trigger for the consolidation process for airlines came after the acquisition of Air Sahara by Jet Airways. According to the Centre for Asia and Pacific Aviations (CAPA) India unit, India is potentially a ten airline market, consisting of two-three full service carriers, two-three large national low-cost carriers operating a fleet of more than 70 aircraft each, and three-four niche regional operators with aircraft of less than 80 seats. The growth that the sector will see in near future will come from International routes. Airlines in India are bound by limitations as to where they can fly within the country. There are a few big airports which can handle Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s. For the smaller airports, aircraft like the turboprops or the regional jets make sense and the key metro routes like Mumbai-Delhi are already saturated. On the other hand, airlines can command better realizations and margins on international routes. International traffic will grow at a rate of 15 percent till the end of this decade. Domestic traffic is expected to grow at a higher rate and is expected to grow between 25 to 30 percent per annum. With Air Deccans low-cost strategy experience having seen results, the concept is seen as a strategy that will work in the Indian skies. Jet Airways developed JetLite (Air Sahara) as a value carrier with frills that offers low fares on some of its domestic routes. SpiceJet points out that the 15 percent of the cost savings for low-cost carriers come from utilizing the aircraft better compared to full service carriers and another 8 percent from cost-effective ticket distribution. All LCCs sell most of their tickets on the Internet and do not have to spend on providing commission to agents. In contrast, full-service carriers sell only 23-30 percent of their tickets online. LCCs are paranoid about their costs. While Kingfisher will shift some aircraft to Kingfisher Red, some of them will still have entertainment systems and other frills which will increase the weight of the aircraft and thereby the costs. IndiGo uses a lighter exterior paint to keep the weight of its aircraft as low as possible (Gupta and Chowdhury, 2009). The industry further forecasts that LCCs will have a market share of 70 percent by 2010, which would probably be the highest in the world. CONCLUSION Different low-cost airline operations around the world- Southwest Airlines in the United States, Ryanair in Europe, AirAsia in Malaysia, Gol in South America, and AirArabia in the United Arab Emirates; are not just a new business model, but a distinct structure of policies and procedures.  Typically, airlines are required to take a long-term investment approach and to place greater importance on the inherent loyalty benefits of a frequent flier program. Maintaining a competitive edge is also an early and important factor in the decision making process and is used to evaluate whether or not to launch a program (Sorensen, 2006). The influx of low-cost airlines across the globe has roiled the industry, and incumbents are scrambling to respond. In Asia, the most recent region to confront this disruption, new entrants and traditional carriers alike can profit from assessing the successes and failures of their North American and European counterparts. Clear success factors include an inn ovative customer experience, balanced growth, simplicity and efficiency from route structure to fare structure, and effective corporate governance. In a far more volatile environment than ever before, three new imperatives emerge for winning the airline margin game: refine the core value proposition, achieve a greater variable cost component, and improve infrastructure responsiveness. Every workers performance is affected by the constant interplay of perceptions, emotions, and motivations, which is triggered by everyday events though; it remains elusive and invisible to management. Nowadays, all companies talk about innovation, and the importance of doing innovation, many actually try to do it, and only a few actually succeed in doing it. The success of companies is based on creating a culture of innovation, developing structures, and human resource pool necessary to support, and nourish a climate of creativity and innovation, and above all, bench marking the best innovative practices to gain competitive edge in the market place. Organizations should understand by now that the skills of human resources and the motivational level make possible involvement of people, creative suggestions, different proposals, and research activities to build up innovations. Low-cost carriers are shedding their no frills personalities and are adding amenities as competition increases with established airlines and even other LCCs. These airlines are reaching out to capture business travellers with services normally associated with legacy airlines. These added value services include premium cabins, seat assignments, airport lounges, meal service, and frequent flier programs. Other regions of the world, where the LCC phenomenon is in its infancy, show less loyalty marketing activity. Most frequent flier programs begin as a cost centre for the airline. The expense of developing and operating programs will initially exceed the partner revenues generated by a just-launched program. Surprises do exist in the marketplace and LCCs can sometimes negotiate attractive signing bonuses with banks wishing to secure a co-branded relationship with a growing airline. The Indian Civil Aviation market grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18 percent, and was worth USD 5.6 billion in 2008. The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation forecasted that domestic traffic will increase by 25 percent to 30 percent till 2010 and international traffic growth by 15 percent, taking the total market to more than 100 million passengers by 2010. By 2020, Indian airports are expected to handle more than 100 million passengers including 60 million domestic passengers and around 3.4 million tonnes of cargo per annum. Moreover, significant measures to propel growth in the civil aviation sector are on the anvil. The government plans to invest USD 9 billion to modernize existing airports by 2010. The government is also planning to develop around 300 unused airstrips. The success of LCCs depends on the formula of innovation, adaptation, and flexibility. The low-cost carriers are developing outside the traditional view of what a low-cost carrier should look like. Some are of the view that the changes taking place act as a sign that this model has run its course. However, extending the geographic reach and expanding diversity of this model is a sign of strength. It is a step forward in the transformation from a closed, one-dimensional industry to an open, competitive multi-dimensional industry.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy Essay -- US Military

Today’s military is a unique force in my opinion. What makes the US Military so unique is that we have an all volunteer force. With that volunteer force there are rules and regulations that need to be followed because serving our country is a privilege. The 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy is claiming that even though it may be considered an infringement on human rights and freedom of expression, it protects the rights of the rest of the military and opens a loophole for gay men and women to serve in the armed forces. Other countries have successfully integrated gay men and women into their militaries and compared the treatment of other "minority" groups in the military. Is the â€Å"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell† policy really effective or even necessary for our militaries? The â€Å"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell† policy means that service men and women are not questioned about their sexual orientation, and they are not to talk about their sexual orientation. In 1993 U. S. Congress passed a federal law forbidding the military service of openly gay men and women serving in the military. Even though Congrees created the law, it was up to the military leadership to carry it out. Opposing viewpoints states: (Wagner) In the early 1990s, large numbers of military personnel were opposed to letting openly gay men and lesbians serve. President Bill Clinton, who promised to lift the ban during his campaign, was overwhelmed by the strength of the opposition, which threatened to overturn any executive action he might take. The compromise that came to be known as "don't ask, don't tell" was thus a useful speed bump that allowed temperatures to cool for a period of time while the culture continued to evolve. The unit cohesion is premised on the assumption that ... ...gal Reason to Appeal the DADT Ruling." RSN Freethought San Marcos 21 October 2010, Print. Lochhead, Carolyn. "Democrats aim to repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'; Obama supports lifting the ban on open gays in military." San Francisco Chronicle 23 July 2008: A1. Print. O'Keefe, Ed. "Minorities disproportionately discharged for 'don't ask, don't tell' violations." Washington Post 17 August 2010, Print. Schwartz, John. "Ban on Gays In the Military Stays in Effect." New York Times 13 Nov. 2010: A10 (L). Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. Service members Legal Defense Network, ""Conduct Unbecoming: Sixth annual report on Don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue, don't harass.† (2000): 1. Print. Whitlock, Craig, and Greg Jaffe. "Pentagon supports ending 'don't ask, don't tell' law for gays in military." Washington Post 3 February 2010, Print.