Bad Day Dawning :: essays research papers

That we can learn a lot about a man from the books and films he chooses is borne out by Timothy McVeigh. One of his favorite films: the 1984 Patrick Swayze epic Red Dawn. It follows a group of small town teens' conversion to guerilla fighters when a foreign army invades America. Like McVeigh, the teens stock up on survival gear - mainly guns and ammo - in order to defend their country from annihilation. And one of McVeigh's favorite books: The Turner Diaries written by former American Nazi Party honcho William L. Pierce, under the pen name Andrew Macdonald. Its hero - Earl Turner - responds to gun control by making a truck bomb and blowing up the Washington FBI Building. Two scenarios - all too familiar. It was April 19, 1995 - a perfect, sun-drenched Oklahoma morning in springtime. Against a perfect blue-sky background, a yellow Ryder Rental truck carefully made its way through the streets of downtown Oklahoma City. Just after 9 am, the vehicle pulled into a parking area outside the Alfred P. Murrah Building and the driver stepped down from the truck's cab and casually walked away. A few minutes later, at 9:02, all hell broke loose as the truck's deadly 4000-pound cargo blasted the government building with enough force to shatter one third of the seven-story structure to bits. Glass, concrete, and steel rained down. Indiscriminately mixed in the smoldering rubble were adults and children alive and dead. The perpetrator, twenty-seven-year-old Timothy James McVeigh, by now safely away from the devastation was convinced he acted to defend the Constitution, for he saw himself as crusader, warrior avenger and hero. But in reality, he was little more than a misguided coward. He never even heard clearly the sound of the initial sirens of emergency vehicles rushing to the scene. Because, blocks away, he was wearing earplugs to protect himself from the roar of a blast so powerful it lifted pedestrians off the ground. One Japanese tourist no stranger to powerful earthquakes called the blast "worse than the worst quake. Because there was no initial warning, no noise to say 'something terrible is going to happen'; it just hit." When it did, a massive ball of fire momentarily outshone the sun and the north side of the building disintegrated. Traffic signs and parking meters were ripped from the pavement. Glass shattered and flew like bullets, targeting and maiming pedestrians blocks away. Inside the broken building, survival depended on location at zero hour.

Crisis of Kingfisher Airlines Essay

The Indian air market is estimated to be the ninth largest in the world but with the population size the country has, the Indian government believes it will become the world’s third largest market by 2020. 87 foreign and five Indian airlines fly to and from India to 40 countries. Approximately five million Indians fly every month domestically. Domestic traffic more than doubled between Jul-2006 and July 2011, with growth of 101%. One reason for the growth was the deregulation of Indian domestic aviation in 2003- 2004 followed by international deregulation in 2007-2008 India has three full service airlines Air India, Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and four Low cost carriers: GoAir, IndiGo, JetLite (owned by Jet airways), and SpiceJet. Kingfisher also had a discount version: Kingfisher Red known formerly as Simplifly Deccan and before that Air Deccan. Ironically the Indian aviation despite a market growing at 18 per cent for last 11 months, five out of six Indian airlines are bleeding leading to the failure of one of the leading aviation player – Kingfisher Airlines. Kingfisher Airlines, a subsidiary of UB Group (United Breweries Holdings Ltd), founded in May 2005 operates a passenger airline in India. It was the first airline in India to provide premium first class service on domestic routes with all new aircraft. In May 2007, it announced it would acquire a 26% stake in Air Deccan, a low cost carrier (LCC) for 5.5 billion rupees ($135 million). Kingfisher Airlines Limited came to become one of the country’s largest airlines, operating more than 400 flights a day and having a wide network of destinations, with regional and long-haul international services touching almost 60 destinations. At one point the Kingfisher Airlines had the second largest share in India’s domestic air travel market. However due to the severe financial crisis faced by the airline, it has the fifth largest market share currently. Even the company have no funds to pay the salaries to the employees and is facing several other issues like fuel dues; aircraft lease rental dues, service tax dues and bank arrears. As Kingfisher airlines is in the midst of a financial turmoil, the case will aim to understand the various factors which are fuelling the growth / decline and those which are/will be critical for the company’s performance in the near term. Introduction History of the Indian Airline Industry 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 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. The Indian Aviation sector was liberalized in commence in 1990 with private sector players being allowed to operate as air taxi operators in India. A number of private players commenced domestic operations like Damania, East-West, Modiluft, Air Sahara and NEPC, entered the industry. However, a decade later none of them have survived. Foreword of Kingfisher Airlines Kingfisher Airlines is an airline group based in India. Its head office is The Qube in Andheri (East), Mumbai; and Registered Office in UB City, Bangalore. Kingfisher Airlines was established in 2003 and began operations on 9 May 2005 with a fleet of five A380s, five Airbus A350s aircraft and five Airbus A330s operating its first inaugural flight from Mumbai to Delhi. It seems staggering that an airline a month old could order the world’s biggest plane in an untested market. They went international in 2008, less than four years ago. In May 2009, they became India’s largest airline by passenger numbers. Owned by the Bangalore based United Breweries Group. Kingfisher Airlines, through its parent company United Breweries Group, has a 50% stake in low-cost carrier Kingfisher Red. The UB group is lead by Dr. Vijay Mallya as the Chairman to one of India’s largest conglomerates with diverse interests in brewing, distilling, real estate, engineering, fertilizers, biotechnology, information technology and aviation. Dr. Mallya, was elected by shareholders as Chairman of The UB Group in 1983, at the age of 28 and has been instrumental in growing it into a multinational business conglomerate. Kingfisher is the only Indian and the one of the six in the world to have received the 6 stars rating for its services by the Skytrax operates more than 400 flights a day connecting 72 destinations the world over. Merger of Kingfisher- Air Deccan A wholly owned subsidiary of Deccan Aviation, Air Deccan, was India’s first low cost carrier. It has a vision to enable every Indian to fly thus representing the airline’s simple and no frills approach. With a low pricing strategy, Air Deccan primarily focussed on first time travellers and successfully shifted people from Rail travel to Air travel. Air Deccan airlines merged with Kingfisher Airlines and decided to operate as a single entity from April, 2008 under the title name – Kingfisher Aviation. The merger is 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 on as Vijay Mallya from Kingfisher airlines bought 26% 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. Air Deccan had four independent directors-which included prominent persons like IIM Prof Thiru Naraya, Tennis player Vijay Amritraj, and A K Ganguly, Former MD Nabisco Malaysia. Post merger, KingFisher would operate as a single largest (private) airline in the sub-continent with a combined fleet of 71 aircrafts, connects 70 destinations and operating 550 flights in a day. The combined entity has a market share of 33%. Captain Gopinath continued as the Executive Chairman and Vijay Malay in-charge as the Vice Chairman. To rationalize the fleet structure, Kingfisher was focussed towards the international routes and functioning as a full-service carrier while Air Deccan was allotted the wider domestic reach and operated as a low cost carrier. As both the carriers operated the Airbus, the operational synergies integrated not only the management and staff of the airlines but also the engineering, inventory management and ground handling services, maintenance and overhaul sectors. These efforts brought about an increased savings in costs by 4-5% (INR. 300 crores)* 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. The company had also raised Rs 400 crores through an IPO in May 2006. The merger will create a more competitive business in scale and scope to emerge as market leader.

Motorola Failure

Motorola Mobility, the ailing cellphone maker that Google bought in May, told employees Sunday that it would lay off 20 percent of its work force and close a third of its 94 offices worldwide. The cuts are the first step in Google's plan to reinvent Motorola, which has fallen far behind its biggest competitors, Apple and Samsung, and to shore up its Android mobile business and expand beyond search and software into the manufacture of hardware. The turnaround effort will also be a referendum on the management of Larry Page, Google's chief executive, whose boldest move has been the $12. billion acquisition. Though Google bought Motorola partly because of its more than 17,000 patents, which can help defend against challenges to the Android operating system, it also planned to use Motorola to make its own, better smartphones and tablets. One-third of the 4,000 jobs lost will be in the United States. The company plans to leave unprofitable markets, stop making low-end devices and focus on a few cellphones instead of dozens, said Dennis Woodside, Motorola's new chief executive, in a rare interview. We're excited about the smartphone business,† said Mr. Woodside, who previously led Google's sales and operations for the Americas. â€Å"The Google business is built on a wired model, and as the world moves to a pretty much completely wireless model over time, it's really going to be important for Google to understand everything about the mobile consumer. † But some analysts wonder whether Google can succeed in the brutally competitive, low-margin cellphone business. Ninety percent of the profits in the smartphone space are going to Apple and Samsung, and everyone else from Motorola to RIM to LG to Nokia are picking up the scraps of that 10 percent,† said Charlie Kindel, a former manager at Microsoft who writes about the mobile industry. â€Å"There's no real sign that's changing anytime soon. † It was not always this way. Motorola executives lik e to talk about its glory days. The company, started in 1928 in Chicago, unveiled the first commercial cellphone in 1973.By 2004, it looked as if Motorola could again lead the cellphone industry when it introduced the popular Razr. But Apple and Samsung won consumers' hearts with the more exciting iPhone and Galaxy phones. Motorola Mobility – which split last year from Motorola Solutions, the division that makes devices like police radios – lost $233 million in its first six weeks under Google. The phone business has been unprofitable for 14 of the last 16 quarters. â€Å"It got left in the dust by the competition and kind of missed the smartphone transition,† said Charles S. Golvin, a mobile analyst at Forrester Research.In addition to the coming cuts, Google has gutted Motorola management, letting go 40 percent of its vice presidents. It also hired new senior executives. It will shrink operations in Asia and India, and center research and development in Chicag o, Sunnyvale and Beijing. Mr. Woodside also plans to cut the number of devices Motorola makes from the 27 it introduced last year to just a few. He wants to make the company's products cool again by loading them with things like sensors that recognize who is in a room based on their voices, cameras that take crisper photos and batteries that last for days.Many of these new ideas will come from a group of just a few dozen people within the company that has the unassuming name of Advanced Technology and Projects. To foster innovation, Google created the group to drop a Silicon Valley-style start-up into a lumbering Midwestern company and recruited Regina Dugan from the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or Darpa, to run it. Ms. Dugan, though coming from Washington, already speaks the language of Silicon Valley. â€Å"It's a small, lean and agile group that is unafraid of failure,† she said, and it will â€Å"celebrate impatience. She is hiring metal scientis ts, acoustics engineers and artificial intelligence experts. They will work for her for only two years so they feel a sense of urgency, she said, an idea she borrowed from Darpa, where people wear their resignation date on their name tags. Motorola has been spending too much money on too many different cellphone components, said Mark Randall, whom Google recruited to run Motorola's supply chain from Amazon. com, where he did that for the Kindle. He said he planned to jettison suppliers and buy 50 percent fewer components.How to get people excited about Motorola phones when shiny iPhones are on the next shelf? Gary Briggs, who ran consumer marketing at Google and now does so at Motorola, is working on advertisements that he said would be more like Google's – simple and emotional. They will focus on Motorola's storied past and the ways the products are better than the competition's, like battery life. â€Å"We have a right to compete in this market,† Mr. Briggs said, â⠂¬Å"and I think we've got to prove why we're going to build and bring devices to people that are worth talking about again. † Competitors like Sony, LG and HTC will be watching losely to see how the Motorola-Google relationship develops, especially whether Motorola receives special treatment from Google. Like Motorola, they use the Android mobile operating system, for which Google receives no payment. â€Å"They certainly don't believe Google's going to keep a Chinese wall in place,† Mr. Kindel, the former Microsoft manager, said of the other cellphone makers. â€Å"The reality is people work together, they can pick up the phones and talk. There is going to be an advantage. † There is, for instance, a program for Google software engineers to work at Motorola for a year or two. But Mr.Woodside said Google benefited from many manufacturers' using Android, and repeated Google's promise that Motorola would have no advantages. He said Motorola would also compete equal ly with others to build Google-branded Nexus devices, which Google makes with a hardware partner when it introduces new versions of Android. A Motorola Mobility executive who recently left the company and would speak only on the condition of anonymity because he was uncomfortable talking to the news media, said that if anything, it had become more difficult than before for Motorola to have impromptu collaboration with the Android team.But still, because of the relationship, Motorola could get priority on Google products, like a mobile version of desktop software. And, people familiar with the companies say, Google could decide to follow Apple's lead and build a phone from silicon to software, perhaps by creating a separate operating system for Motorola that other phone makers cannot use. Google and Motorola seem to have a mutually beneficial marriage of hardware and software, Mr. Golvin said.Motorola needs software smarts and Google, which has struggled with Chrome laptops, Google T V and most recently the Nexus Q, needs help with hardware. Motorola's set-top boxes, which it sells to cable operators, could also help Google make the leap to TV screens, if it does not sell that business. In the meantime, Motorola's cellphone expertise has already been useful. Sergey Brin, Google's co-founder, called to see whether the sky divers he had hired to perform at a recent conference could get cell reception a mile in the sky.

IKEA Case Essay

1. ) There are three main factors that account for IKEA’s success in the furniture retailing industry: (a) its unique, Scandinavian designs, (b) its product strategy, and (c) its cost efficiency. a. IKEA’s simple, yet unique designs are undoubtedly a critical factor in its success as a furniture retailing company. In its early years, IKEA’s cost-focused strategy led to its manufacturing of â€Å"low-priced furniture [that] was functional at best, ugly at worst† (4). However, over the last decade, the company has deliberately focused on creating products with a more distinct design aesthetic. Today, consumers appreciate IKEA furniture for its both its functionality and appeal, rather than solely for its functionality. Ingvar Kamprad, the company’s founder, first introduced furniture into the IKEA product range in 1947. He solicited local Scandinavian manufacturers in the forests close to his home to design and build the furniture. The history of Scandinavian influence on IKEA’s products and its company culture was a major factor in its success. b. IKEA’s innovative â€Å"matrix† product strategy was also critical in the company’s success. Its product-development process was â€Å"overseen by a product-strategy council, which consisted of a group of senior managers who established priorities for IKEA’s product lineup† (3). After analyzing consumer trends, these priorities were established, and a product developer would use â€Å"the matrix† to set the product’s target retail price. The matrix is a grid that consists of three basic price ranges and four basic styles, and within each price range, the company would survey the competition and set benchmarks of prices 30% to 50% lower than those of its rivals (3). The matrix also used to identify gaps in IKEA’s product lineup, because there was a separate matrix for each type of product the company sold. The â€Å"matrix† product strategy was very successful and has generated massive amounts of revenue for the company. c. IKEA’s cost efficiency plan was a huge determinant of its success. In 1956, IKEA began designing products so that they could be packaged flat and assembled by customers on their own. This greatly reduced transportation, labor and storage costs, and it enabled the company to charge lower prices to consumers. IKEA estimated that its â€Å"transport volume was six times less than if it shipped its products assembled† (4). Like Wal-Mart, IKEA emphasized cost efficiency in its company culture. Employees were encouraged to save on electricity by turning off lights and idle computers, and managers always traveled coach and took buses instead of taxis if possible (3). The company focused on cost-efficiency in engineering its products as well. IKEA liked to use high-quality materials on furniture surfaces that were high-stress and visible and low-quality materials on surfaces that were low-stress and less visible to the consumer. These cost-cutting measures definitely helped IKEA become successful. 2. ) I believe IKEA’s slogan – â€Å"Low price with meaning† – perfectly parallels its product strategy and product range. The â€Å"matrix† development system seems overly simple, but it has been proven to work. Of course, there are sure to be some discrepancies regarding the competition’s prices, but IKEA’s product strategy and â€Å"matrix† system does a good job of targeting potential market opportunities as well as pinpointing areas of improvement and gaps in its product range. Overall, I think IKEA’s product strategy and its product range are perfectly suited to the company’s culture and slogan. The matrix system allows IKEA to deliver to customers the best possible product at low prices. 3. ) There are definitely some downsides to shopping at IKEA. The biggest downside is the realization that the furniture you are buying probably won’t last very long. Some of IKEA’s products have been known to fall apart after only a few years or during a simple move to another apartment. Another glaring downside is the fact that customers must pick-up and assemble their purchases without the help of an IKEA employee. Of course, this is part of what makes IKEA unique and what enables the company to charge its low prices. The final downside to shopping at IKEA is the low ratio of sales reps to customers. Ironically, the company’s vision statement proclaims that IKEA wishes to establish a â€Å"partnership† with its customers. On a global scale, IKEA has created a partnership with its customers through selling appealing yet affordable products. But on a smaller scale, and more specifically, within individual IKEA outlets, the company has failed its mission. Its strategy of having consumers purchase products (most likely without the help of a sales rep) and then immediately drive home to assemble them creates a clear disconnect between the company and its customers. Manufacturing functional furniture does not create relationships, it drives profits, and if IKEA truly wants to establish a â€Å"partnership† with each of its customers (while creating appealing and affordable furniture), it has to find a way to make consumers feel less disconnected; they have to feel as though they are a art of the brand. I believe more sales reps could be a good start to fixing this issue. 4. ) I agree with the concept of â€Å"mini-IKEA† stores. Implementing â€Å"IKEA Lite† shops would expose the brand to a larger and more diverse customer base. IKEA outlets are notorious for being large, cavernous warehouses – a typical outlet consumes 15,000 to 35,000 square meters. IKEA could create more brand awareness by installing IKEA Lite shops in shopping malls or in large, urban areas where retail space is scarce. Overall, I think it’s a great concept and would serve the brand well. 5. ) No, IKEA is not being overly optimistic in its growth plan of opening fifty stores in the United States by 2013. Many furniture retailers have far more than fifty stores in the United States. Wal-Mart, the leading US furniture retailer, has 4,005 stores in the US, so I think IKEA’s goal of fifty stores, while lofty, is perfectly reasonable and would position the company well to gain a greater market presence in North America. I think IKEA could improve its value proposition by providing more after-service support and communicating more with its consumers about who its suppliers are, what its working conditions are like, etc. , because Americans value ethical companies and transparency. We want to buy products from a company we can trust. 6. ) I don’t think IKEA needs to change a lot with regards to its product strategy in order to accomplish its goal of having 50 stores in the United States by 2013. I think IKEA should make the product matrix more detailed to account for the larger US furniture market. By this, I mean break down the designations of â€Å"high,† â€Å"medium,† and â€Å"low† in the product matrix into specific percentages. Going along with this, the company could add more than four styles to its product matrix to allow for more specificity. I believe if IKEA created more specific price points and furniture styles, the matrix system will continue to work and help the company identify gaps in its product line.

Umar Cheema and International Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Umar Cheema and International Relations - Essay Example He is not only fighting for his country but also trying to encourage other countries to open their minds and try to have a deeper look of what is really happening in their countries and the citizens. He’s work on condemning the September attack that left bruised and battered did not stop him in his goals to make a change and fight for a cause (Maina, 2011). The Tully Center Free Speech Award honors journalists who show courage in the face of threats against free speech. The Martha Gellhorn Award for Bravery was awarded to Cheema having obtained unanimous votes from the judges. International relations is sometimes called as â€Å"foreign relations† which refers to the collective interactions of the international community, individual nations and states, inter-governmental organizations such as the United Nations, non-governmental organizations like Doctors Without Borders, multinational corporations, and so forth (www.wisegeek,com, What is International Relations).

Training and Employee Development Annotated Bibliography

Training and Employee Development - Annotated Bibliography Example Undeniably, training is a very important component of any profession and as such every organization has to provide for the training needs. The provision comes in varying forms, for instance, large enterprises can have dedicated training departments while small organizations can outsource the services from individuals or dedicated training institutions( Carliner 2003, p. 45). There are is need to have a form of training, whether it is outsourcing or having an established and dedicated department. First, training is beneficial to the company staff in many ways and to the company since they are the company’s critical asset. It improves organizational efficacy through the use of refined skill imparted to the trainees. It also transforms the organization by improving the capabilities of the human resource department (HRD). The HRD is able to perform effectively and deliver its mandate to supply the company with a motivated and equipped workforce. The fundamental aim of training is to develop the capacity to realize and accomplish a company’s aims. Developing this capacity requires learning new skills, communication patterns, attitudes, and knowledge. In some instances, the aforementioned already are in the trainees and the training comes in handy to refresh or hone those requirements. The initial form of training was developing organizational skills of workers. In the early ages, industrialization, and development, workers were required to work together and in groups. To enhance coordination, groups were required to have a common understanding of the tasks and role-playing. In this century, training progress is relentless. The training activity assumes that you can prepare individuals for the future by taking them through what worked in the past. Training department has had challenges from the changing times.     

Evaluation of an argument through analysis Essay - 1

Evaluation of an argument through analysis - Essay Example To aggrandize on this judgment, it is wise to relate the aspect of rational and irrational factors; while the latter can be related to women, it can as well be used to justify why women speak much. Irrational persons tend not to take close precaution while speaking and factors can be related to their superior speaking techniques which in most cases are situation and theoretically assembled (Holmes, 38). Nevertheless, rational talk attributed to men is based on attributes of honesty, factual and being concise. However, Holmes argument is not based on the amount of words spoken but on the quality of the talk. She challenges women to construct a formidable talk in order to counter balance patriarchy. Primarily, Holmes present women talk based on social factors such as friendship and trivial relationships, compared to male talk which focused on critical global arguments. To justify the above description, it is wise to note that Holmes essay is based empirical evidence in critical examina tion based on science, environment and demagogy principles. The essay has applied strong literature dogmas; for instance, of humor, proverbs, imagery/ symbolism, simile/ metaphors and as well borrowing close examples. This essay will counter examine Holmes essay by; firstly, close checking on the claim and subsidiary claims. Secondly, the essay will base its principles on hilarious practical evidence presented. Thirdly, the essay will examine on technical presentation applied by Holmes; primarily focusing on opposing views, credibility, language, organization and the tone of the essay. Finally, the conclusion will establish whether the argument â€Å"women talk too much is valid†. Claim What is the main claim presented in the essay? Is it clearly stated the essay does it reflect the purpose of the essay The main claim in the essay is the argument against the quality of talk compared between sexes and what governs the talk. While men uses talk to exemplify power, women uses ta lk to express emotions and relations. Women are more interested on trivial elements; for instance, of how the society perceive them as individuals and not what men argues out; how the society perceive the general concept life and how it affects mankind, what are the necessary changes and solutions to challenges. The essay categorizes men as discreet and in very unique cases they would speak out their problems but women are more interested in speaking out their lives to access comfort. According to Holmes (43), men are interested in presenting a certain social point of view and debating on it, while women are more concerned whether the point of view does directly affect them What are subsidiary claims presented in the essay? In other words what claims are used to support the main claim? Are the claims clear and valid? And they related to the main claim? Holmes aggrandizes on the main point of view, literature aspects have been categorically employed to empower the main point. Subsidi ary claims presented stretch from literature, psychological, gender and biological claims. For instance, according to the essay women are more interested to hear their own voice than the validity of what they are talking about. Consequently, biological claims prove that; while a male is developing before conception, the testosterone hormone alters the brain (Brizendine, 2011 56). The hormone is significant in