U.S.-China Trade

The reemergence of China as a great power is arguably the single most important development in the post-Cold War world. The rapid economic growth of the People's Republic of China (PRC) over the past decade, coupled with its high level of defense spending, have stimulated much interest as well as trepidation among policy-makers and analysts across the world. Although the continued augmentation of Chinese power is not predetermined, the profound effects of China's growing process cannot be underestimated.When analyzing a state's trade expectations one must also take into account the effects of diplomacy and bargaining, as Copeland suggests. A state can make some economic, political and military concessions to induce its trading partners to relax trade restrictions, thus raising its expectations for future trade. If the price for a higher level of trade is seen to be reasonable, the state would be willing to pay it, but if the price is unacceptable because it would undermine the state' s `internal stability or its external power position', there would be very little that the state could do to improve its trade expectations.If Chinese decision-makers' expectations for future trade are high, they will be less likely to use force to deal with unresolved disputes with neighboring countries. If, however, they have a negative view of their future trading environment, they will be likely to take measures, including military actions, to remove any obstacles that might forestall the pursuit of great-power status (Segal, 70). For the moment, China's expectations of future trade are by and large optimistic, but there is evidence of growing Chinese suspicion of a Western `conspiracy' to contain China which may alter Beijing's future perceptions.To ensure that the rise of China will not cause regional and global instability, the outside world should seek to integrate China into the international community by pursuing policies that will have a positive influence on China's expe cted value of trade. Since the late 1970s China has gradually emerged as a major trading nation in the world, and its economic and trade relations with most countries have broadened considerably. Indeed, China has been actively involved in global economic activities, and is fully integrated into the Asia-Pacific economy.The PRC is now a member of most major international and regional economic organizations, including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank, and APEC. (Segal, 70) From 1980 to 1997 the Chinese government approved 162 foreign financial institutions to develop business in China. (Segal, 70) Over 200 of the world's top 500 companies have now invested in the country. (Segal, 70) As a result, there has been a huge growth in China's foreign trade over the past two decades. From 1978 to 1997 China's export grew from US$9. 8 billion to US$182. 7 billion, and its imports grew from US$10.9 billion to US$142. 4 billion. Between 1983 and 1997 a ctual foreign direct investment in China increased from US$916 million to US$45. 3 billion(Segal, 70) In 1997, according to the World Trade Organization, China became one of the top 10 trading countries in the world. (Segal, 70) China has also benefited from its involvement in a regional division of labor and economic cooperation in East Asia. It is integrated into a number of sub-regional economic groupings or ‘growth triangles' such as the Hong Kong-Guangdong-Shenzhen triangle and the Northeast China-Korea-Japan triangle.In addition, China is closely involved in the development of two new sub-regional groupings: the Yellow Sea Economic Zone that includes Liaoning and Shandong provinces, Japan and South Korea; and the Tumen River project that seeks to promote economic cooperation between China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia and Russia. (Rachman, 129) No doubt, China's integration into the world economy has brought about much benefit to the country, but it has also increased Chinese vulnerability in a world of growing interdependence. Indeed, foreign direct investment has become the single most important source of foreign capital for the PRC.(Rachman, 132)It is estimated that ‘foreign investment may now account for one-quarter of all Chinese exports'. (Rachman, 132)In 1996 the total value of foreign-funded firms' import and export trade reached US$137. 1 billion accounting for 47% of the national total of foreign trade. (Rachman, 136)According to a Beijing Review report, 18 million people, about 10% of China's non-farming population, are employed by foreign-funded firms. The investment by these firms covers a whole range of areas that are vital to Chinese economic modernization, including infrastructure, energy, communication and high-tech projects.(Rachman, 143)The Chinese government has also relied heavily on foreign investment to develop the central and western regions of China that are still very poor. In 1996, for example, a total amount of USS 1. 34 billion of foreign government loans was utilized for 69 projects in these underdeveloped regions. In addition, 125 key projects in the PRC are supported by foreign government loans that include the construction of metropolitan underground railways, power plants, airports, telephone networks, and other large-scale development plans. (Rachman, 171)In the past decade China has increased its foreign borrowings substantially. Its total external debt is believed to have risen from US$24,000 million in 1987 to US$116,280 million in 1996. (Rachman, 183)Besides, many of China's reform projects, such as enterprise restructuring, infrastructure improvement, financial reform, poverty reduction, human development and environmental protection, are currently supported by the World Bank. (Lieberthal, 36) Of all the major sectors of the Chinese economy, energy is probably the most critical one in terms of sustaining the PRC's modernization program.In this sector the role of forei gn capital is becoming more significant. For example, a joint venture has been established at the Pingshao coal mine, and the construction of a power station in Guangxi Zhuang is financed entirely by foreign investment. In the areas of petroleum and natural gas, a greater effort has also been made to attract foreign capital. By 1997, China had signed 126 contracts with 65 foreign oil companies. (Lieberthal, 36) Moreover, the progress of Chinese reform is dependent on the availability of advanced foreign technology and equipment.The contract value of Chinese technology imports amounted to US$159. 23 million in 1997. Indeed, imported technologies play an important part in major Chinese industries ranging from energy, electronics, computer software to telecommunications, information and other high-tech industries. (Lieberthal, 36) Clearly, Chinese leaders are aware that the success of China's economic modernization rests ultimately with its access to the global market and with inflows of external funding.If, for political or security reasons, the world were to reduce the level of economic interactions with or apply trade sanctions against China, it would have a devastating effect on Chinese economic development. For the moment, China's expectations of future trade with both its Asian neighbors and Western nations are by and large positive. In a speech to an academic symposium in Beijing, Chen Jian, a senior official of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that ‘the international situation has moved at a speed faster than expected in a direction favorable to China †¦.The ongoing reform and opening up policies and the economic development in China†¦ are based on the judgement that world peace can be maintained and a new world war will not erupt for the near future'. (Yahuda, 22) Similarly, Wu Yi, Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, has noted: ‘We are immersed in the irreversible general trend toward worldwide economic integration†¦ economic cooperation with various countries makes it easier than any time in the past to reach a common view, and can be carded out in a wider area and at a higher starting point.This in turn portends that possibility for successful cooperation is much greater in the future'. (Yahuda, 22) This type of optimistic assessment of the future trading environment is echoed by many Chinese leaders, officials and scholars. (Yahuda, 56) Despite the recent financial turmoil in East and South East Asia, they believe that the economic dynamism in the Asia-Pacific will continue into the twenty-first century and that China will benefit from further economic growth and cooperation in the region.â€Å"For example, citing the view of a Chicago professor and Nobel Prize winner, a Chinese commentator maintains that ‘the prospects of most rapidly growing economic entities of East Asia are still bright. † ‘Even if the economy of these countries stops growing in the c oming five years', it is argued, ‘their average speed of economic increase in the next 25 years will surpass that of the world'. (Yahuda, 101) In any case, Chinese leaders know that the potential market and business opportunities that the PRC can offer to the outside world are so attractive that no country would like to miss them.(Yahuda, 193) It is therefore unlikely that any countries would want to sever trade relations with China in the near future. To raise its expectations for future trade China has been and will be willing to make economic and political concessions when negotiating contracts and trade agreements with its trading partners. Thus, the outside world will have some leverage to steer China in a certain direction, and it should take the opportunity to encourage further economic reform, openness and trade liberalization in the country.As liberals rightly argue, economic liberalization will gradually lead to greater political liberalization and democratization in China that will, in turn, help preserve peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. However, the international community must be patient with the pace of change in China and more sensitive to Chinese security perceptions. This is not to say that the outside world should accede to any Chinese demands or policies.On the contrary, it should be prepared to raise its concern over particular Chinese policies, debate with China on issues of fundamental disagreement, and stand firm on matters of principle. For example, the outside world must not ignore human rights issues in China for the sake of short-term commercial benefits. Western countries should try to persuade the Chinese government to improve its human rights record through dialogue and diplomatic channels rather than by economic coercion.They must recognize that the process of democratization in China will be a lengthy and thorny one, given the lack of democratic tradition in Chinese history. An evolutionary path toward democ racy is preferable to a violent change of regime in China that will be likely to produce an unstable and ineffective government which would be incapable of handling the crises and upheavals associated with rapid political transformation in such a vast country. A chaotic China could not possibly pursue a rational and coherent policy toward other countries.In this regard, the warning of some liberal scholars of the linkages between democratic transition and war should be heeded. Whether the reemergence of China as a great power in the post-Cold War international system is caused by structural factors (as the realist argues) or by unit-level decisions (as the liberal suggests), the challenge that China presents to the rest of world is formidable. The best way of abating the likelihood of military conflict between the great powers, as Copeland suggests, is to `alter leaders' perceptions of the future trading environment in which they operate'.(Harris, 151) China's current expectations o f future trade are, on the whole, positive, but there are growing suspicions among Chinese leaders and intellectuals of external forces seeking to `contain' China. Such a fear could magnify at a time when nationalistic sentiment is rising in Chinese society (Harris, 151) that might lead to low expectations of future trade. To ensure that China's rise will not cause regional and global instability, the outside world should pursue policies that would enhance Chinese decision-makers' confidence in their future trading environment.This will not be a simple task due to China's innate distrust of other great powers as a result of its unpleasant encounters with Japan and Western powers in the nineteenth century. Given the complexity of Chinese domestic politics and enormous ideological and institutional constraints, China may not always respond to external efforts positively, (Harris, 151) but if China's trading partners hope to integrate the country into the international community peacef ully, they must do what they can to raise PRC leaders' expectations for future trade.In the case of China, it has made some economic and political concessions to induce the outside world to trade with and invest in China. On most issues, Chinese leaders find the price of higher trade level reasonable and are willing to make compromise. The concept of `one country, two systems', for example, was basically formulated to assure the Western world that China's priority was economic development. In order to retain the confidence of foreign investors in Hong Kong, Chinese leaders have promised that the territory's capitalist system will remain unchanged for at least 50 years from 1997.(Harris, 151) China's decision to shelve temporarily the issue of sovereignty in the South China Sea also reflects its desire to maintain harmonious relations with the United States of America that are propitious for China's trading environment. Works Cited Gerald Segal, `Tying China into the international sy stem', Survival 37(2), (Summer 2004), p. 70. Gideon Rachman, `Containing China', The Washington Quarterly 19(1), (Winter 1995), p. 132. Hans J. Morgenthau, Politics Among Nations: The Struggle for Power and Peace, revised 5th edition (New York: Alfred A.Knopf, 1978), p. 29. Kenneth Lieberthal, `A new China strategy', Foreign Affairs 74(6), (November/December 1995), p. 36. Michael Yahuda, ‘How much has China learned about interdependence? ‘, in David S. G. Goodman and Gerald Segal, eds. , China Rising: Nationalism and Interdependence (London: Routledge, 1997), p. 22. `Stay back, China', The Economist, (16 March 1996), p. 15. Stuart Harris, ‘China's role in the WTO and APEC', in Goodman and Segal, eds. , China Rising, p. 151.

Pandora Case Analysis Essay

Abstract Pandora provides personalized Internet radio stations to its customers. Pandora provides this customized radio free of charge to its users. In combination with other business models, Pandora has successfully implemented the freemium business model in which 99% of its users receive a free service and 1% of the users pay for premium services. This business model is not appropriate for every type of business but can be profitable for some types of businesses with a planned implementation process and a clear understanding of customer values. Analyzing the success of Pandora provides information on the necessary requirements in order for business to earn a profit using the freemium business model. Pandora Case Analysis Pandora offers an Internet radio service, which tailors the music played, based on user preference. Pandora began as a free service to its consumers, while they found a way to earn a profit. Pandora utilized several different business models before implementing the freemium model. The freemium business model provides free services to 99% of the customers and expects 1% of the customers to pay a fee for premium services (Laudon & Traver, 2011). This business model can be very effective and profitable for certain types of business when managed correctly. Analyzing Pandora’s successful use of the model provides insight on which conditions need to be present in order for the freemium business model to be effective and profitable. The freemium business model is appropriate to use when the product or service is widely available and there are low variable costs in providing the product or service to each customer. It is also important that the business takes into consideration the timing of implementation and understands their customer’s values. History of Pandora The foundation of Pandora began with the creation of the Music Genome Project in 2000 and the service officially launched in 2005 (Westegren, 2009). Pandora’s founder Tim Westegren set out to create an on-line radio  station that categorizes music based on 400 different attributes such as melody, rhythm, instrumentation and harmony (Westegren, 2009). In order to accomplish this task, Westegren hired musical analysts who listened to music and created a database which links songs together based on similarity of those attributes (Shelly, 2009). This database provides the foundation for users to log into Pandora and enter an artist or a song that they want to hear. The search is a â€Å"seed† and the database creates a station based on the features of the song entered on the search. The station contains artists and songs that are similar to the search, but does not actually play the exact song or artist entered (Shelly, 2009). Pandora is interactive as users provide feedb ack to the database by giving a song thumbs up, thumbs down, or skip the song entirely (Shelly, 2009). The more the user listens to Pandora, the better the system understands their preferences (Shelly, 2009). In other words, by frequently interacting with the database, users receive a more customized radio station. Pandora Business Models Pandora continues to explore different revenue building business models in order to maximize monetization. These models include monthly subscription fees, advertising, contracting with on-line retailers and the freemium business model. When Pandora launched in 2005, their first business model was to provide 10 hours of free music and then require users to pay a monthly fee of $36. Pandora found that users listened to their 10 hours of free music, but were not willing to pay the monthly subscription fee (Laudon & Traver, 2011). When this subscription model failed to produce a profit, Pandora modified the model and provided 40 hours of free music for a month and after those hours were used, customers could either pay $.99 per song, sign up for the premium service, or do neither of these and not hear any more music (Laudon & Traver, 2011). Even with this modification, Pandora struggled to earn a profit. Pandora continued to improve their business model by adding advertisements to the site and radio stations. At the time, Pandora had almost 100,000 users; so many companies were willing to pay for advertisements on the site (Laudon & Traver, 2011). While the advertisements helped Pandora financially, it was still not enough to make a profit. Pandora then started  contracting with Amazon and other on-line retailers and included an option for users to purchase songs. Users can click the â€Å"buy† button, which redirects them to the retailer’s website. Pandora receives a fee for providing business to the retailer (Laudon & Traver, 2011). In addition, Pandora began contracting with Apple allowing users to listen to music on their iPhones (Laudon & Traver, 2011). The current model of Pandora combines advertising, contracts with retailers and the freemium business model. It is common for established businesses to earn a smaller percentage of its revenue from the premium model (Hung, 2010); therefore combining multiple revenue models maximizes monetization. Pandora continues to earn revenue from businesses paying to advertise on the site and through contracts with Amazon and Apple when users purchase music. Pandora implemented the freemium model in which 99% of users receive the service free and 1% of users pay for additional services. Approximately 1% of Pandora users pay $36 per year for premium services, which includes no advertisements and higher quality content (Laudon & Traver, 2011). As Pandora is a popularly used site, that 1% amounts to approximately 500,000 customers paying $36 per year which equates to almost 17 million dollars in revenue. Business Requirements Pandora’s effective use of the freemium business model provides insight on which conditions need to be present in order for the freemium model to be successful including the type of business, timing of implementation, and understanding customer values. The freemium business model is not appropriate for all types of businesses. It is most effective when the business provides a product or service that is widely available, has a customer base of over one million, and the variable cost of providing the free product or service must be low or close to zero (Laudon, & Traver, 2011). Pandora meets both requirements of having a large customer base and low variable costs. Currently, Pandora has approximately 47 million users (Statista, 2012), which is a large audience and exceeds the preference of one million. The cost of Pandora providing the service to one person is close to the cost it takes to provide the service to 47 million people. The variable costs per user are relatively low, as the main cost come from  software to provide Internet radio and the database to create radio stations. Once the software and database are created, they can be used multiple times without adding additional costs. Timing of Implementation Businesses who meet the criteria of having a large enough customer base and low variable costs also need to consider the timing of implementing the freemium model. Customers become accustomed to receiving a free service and expect that services to remain free. Requiring customers to pay for the service may result in the customer no longer being interested in the service. Research shows that waiting at least a year after offering the free service and a month after growth of the free usage slows is the most effective time to move to a fee service (Pauwels & Weiss, 2008). The wait period allows the site to gain popularity and customers to realize the free service’s value (Pauwels & Weiss, 2008). When Pandora first became available, customers were not willing to pay the subscription fees, as they had not yet determined the value of the service. Users listened to their free music until it ran out, and then waited until the next month when the free service was available. As the website gained popularity and customers realized the value of having a personally tailored radio station, they became more willing to subscribe to premium services. Pandora successfully implemented the freemium model almost six years of offering the free service. Customer Values One of Pandora’s strengths is the perceived value of its service to customers. Research shows that the perceived value of free content versus fee content determines if users will choose to pay for the service (Pauwels & Weiss, 2008). Pandora strives to provide each individual user a radio station that only plays their favorite songs. Most businesses fail to customize their products to each individual customer, so Pandora brings a personalized service to the customer (Westegren, 2009). An added benefit to the fee content is no advertising. Most other streaming radio stations and traditional radio stations play many commercials, which can result in listeners changing the station. Pandora’s premium services provide commercial free, advertising free, personalized radio for only $36 per year.  The benefit of the fee content encourages some users to pay the annual subscription. Pandora also allows users to connect with and recommend stations to their friends. This connection with friends through social media can be just as effective as receiving a review from a professional critic (Shelly, 2009). Most people have similar tastes in music as their friends and value their opinions. The personalized customization, no advertising and connection with friends increases customer value resulting in subscribers who are willing to pay for the service. Conclusion Analyzing Pandora’s successful implementation of the freemium business model provides insight on how other businesses can also benefit from this model. The freemium business model is not appropriate for all types of businesses. Two criteria that businesses must have are a large customer base, preferably in the millions, as well as low variable costs of providing a free service to customers (Laudon, & Traver, 2011). Businesses that meet these criteria must also take into consideration the timing of implementing the model and understand customer values. Pandora currently has well over a million active users and relatively low variable costs in providing the service. Reviewing Pandora’s history shows that timing plays an important role. Customers were not willing to pay for the service until they understood the value of the service. Pandora is aware that customers value individual customization and sharing their music with their friends. By offering a service that creates individual radio stations based on the user’s preferences and allowing them to share that music with their friends, has resulted in users who are willing to pay for premium services. Businesses interested in implementing the freemium business model can benefit from analyzing Pandora’s success in the model. References Hung, J. (2010). Economic essentials of online publishing with associated trends and patterns. Publishing Research Quarterly, 26(2), 79-95. doi:10.1007/s12109-010-9158-3. Laudon, K. C., & Traver, C. G. (2011). E-commerce: business, technology, society (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Pauwels, K., & Weiss, A. (2008). Moving from free to fee: how online firms market to change their business model successfully. Journal of Marketing, 72(3), 14-31. doi:10.1509/jmkg.72.3.14 Shelley, A. (2009). Pandora. Notes, 66(1), 138-142. Statista. (2012). Pandora’s active users from 2009 to 2012 (in millions). Retrieved from http://www.statista.com/statistics/190989/active-users-of-music-streaming-service-pandora-since-2009/. Westegren, T. (2009). Tailor your product to 1 million customers. (cover story). Financial Executive, 25(8), 38.

Annotated Bibliography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Annotated Bibliography - Essay Example Here comes annotated bibliography, which enables you to refer to the key ideas of the author. Therefore, to give a proper consideration to a given article or book and evaluate its contents is one of the first and foremost ways to grasp the main ideas of the author and use them effectively. Sources about annotated bibliography, their importance and the way of a right compilation are key factors determining further research. Annotated Bibliography Introduction It is always hard to read through a book or an article from the journal and grasp the main ideas of it at once. It is even more challenging task to use those ideas appropriately and implement the main ideas of the required sources in a relevant manner. Thus, annotated bibliography is a perfect means to facilitate a process of writing. A spirit of academy is sustained by relevant usage of the most important publications. Consequently, it is possible to claim that academicians put all their efforts to compile effective annotated bi bliographies and summarize the main points of the publications. In order to summarize the main ideas of the author it is very important to understand the essence of a given article or book. Therefore, the author’s style, reliability of the source and its contents are of high importance for the effective annotated bibliography.

Second Amendment of the US Constitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Second Amendment of the US Constitution - Essay Example Several issues still remained unaddressed, for example, whether legislation, less stringent than the D.C. state violate the Second Amendment, whether lower courts will use their dicta with regards to allowable restrictions, and what to what extent should the courts apply scrutiny when analyzing a statute that imposes upon the Second Amendment. Keeping in view several issues and the interpretations in focus it all has helped in shaping the nation’s gun control debate. There are several societies and groups which are supporting an individual right to own a personal gun licensed by the National Rifle Association. Further, it was argued that the Second Amendment will provide all citizens with not only with powers of militia but they will possess a power and right to own a gun. Moreover, the agencies which propel a stricter gun control such as Brady Campaign believed that the Second Amendment is not a blank check for anyone to possess a gun. It is required to place certain restrict ions on firearms; some of these rules include the right who can have them, what specific condition is necessary for carrying a gun, where these firearms can be taken and what category of firearms are safe to carry and what is the appropriate place to buy such things(Ersin, 2014).In the context of the above-stated information, we turn now to the case of Ivette Ros was dismissed from Wells Fargo after the corporation found that she had a hidden carry license and a gun.Ivette was brought up in a house where her father kept guns.

A thematic analysis of 4 interviews with lesbian prostitutes Essay

A thematic analysis of 4 interviews with lesbian prostitutes - Essay Example All of the women I spoke to were between the ages of 22 and 26; Margaret had been in the business the longest and was 26. Katie was 22, Lenore 23 and Irene was 24. I am not sure whether these were their real names or the names they go by when they go on a job. All for ladies were dressed well and no one would have noticed that they were prostitutes necessarily. They were very clean and well kept and they took their jobs seriously. All four had a clientele of men as well as women saying that it was better to have both "because you wont get paid enough just with women". Each woman had a different idea of this but essentially it was because of the money. My questions consisted of 20 questions that I asked each woman and then there were other questions for clarification (Ive listed questions at the end of this paper). As I went through the transcripts of these women I was struck by how casual and nonchalant they were about the business. I can see that because it is legal in the UK these women may not feel the constraints or the fears that some women would feel in other countries. None of them seemed to be upset with the questions I asked nor did they seem worried that someone would find out about them as we talked. I spent time getting to know each woman so she would feel comfortable talking with me. Each interview was unique and one of the women identified herself as bisexual, though she saw many more women clients than she saw men. Katie was 22 years old and started her career as a prostitute when she was eighteen. She started because she needed to pay for university and had to earn her rent. She was one of the most outspoken in the group. She saw her work as a normal job and she felt that people who understand this are better able to understand her. She had a great sense of humour about it all. Katie identifies her self as a lesbian and she is in a romantic relationship with a woman

Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Civil Rights and Civil Liberties - Essay Example General opinions are that just as prohibition was ineffective through rebellion, so is likely to be the case with prohibiting use of such recreational drugs as the marijuana. The exercise of imposition of such an amendment is definitely much high and this would caution ratification for the impending likelihood of inefficiencies as people would reason thus supporting the legalization of the same. Among pointed out arguments in support to the legalization of these recreational drugs is increased government income through tax and the likelihood of controlling drug abuse. Reasons against the success of the prohibition revolve around the likelihood of the ban to lead to increased drug abuse besides heightened crime, as was the case with the 18th amendment. There have been heated debates within the US in support of or against legalization of such drugs as marijuana, which are considered recreational. According to Swift, 7the support to legalization of Marijuana has increased substantially to double since 1970. The boost to the increase in acceptance comes with the flexibility exhibited by the current administration under president Obama who shows high flexibility on the topic. Swift points out the increased acceptance in the use of marijuana for medical reasons as a reason enough to support the benefits that would be derived in the legalized use of the same. However, he also points to the shortcomings that are pointed out from the medical perspective in increased use of the same. It is argued that increased use of marijuana has the potential of increasing health problems such as through respiratory complications, memory problems and increase in heart rate. These are arguments that would be raised to counter the presumed benefits that would be derived from the legalization (Swift, para 1-6). It is worth noting that marijuana is currently a prohibited drug within US under federal law though recent moves have seen increased legalization of the drug among member states, a move that the Obama government appear to support. For instance, Washington as well as Colorado had voters approve the legalization of such drugs in November last year through referendums. Other states are already in the record of decriminalizing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes and allow the public to be found in possession of small quantities of the substance. However, there are still rising concerns among medical specialists on the associated health drawbacks that result from the uncontrolled use of marijuana as a recreational drug (South Atlantic news agency, 2013, para 1-5). This are arguments that contradicts the arguments advanced by supporters of the legalized use of these drugs who argue that marijuana, for instance, has been in use for therapeutic purposes long enough and has accompanying benefits. This therefore points out to the existing tags between supporters who would advance reasons to favor legalization of such recreational drugs and their counterparts w ho advance support against legalization of the same. In my opinion, I would consider legalization of recreational drugs as an appropriate step within the modern world as it concerns US. This is because; prohibition has potential of resulting to increased crime in black market operations involving drug

Supermarket industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Supermarket industry - Essay Example Supermarkets are currently employing a wide variety of various low-tech and high-tech tools in their never ending struggle to try and grab a larger share of the $500 billion that American happen to spend each years on their supermarket purchases (CNBC 2011). The Marketing Strategies and Concepts Used by Supermarkets Supermarkets are constantly trying as much as possible to learn about their customers and their respective buying habits. To do this, they analyze and trail their customers from the moment that they entire the supermarket store using a variety of technological tools such as video monitoring, heat maps that actively track shoppers as they move around the supermarket and the loyalty cards that the supermarkets have given to their customers (Ryals 139). Attractive and appropriate packaging Supermarkets encourage producers to package their products in attractive packaging materials so as to be able to attract shoppers into buying the products. Companies such as Henkel Consume r goods have employed a large team of engineers, artists and technicians whose main role and focus is to ensure that they work on constantly developing the bottle design and packaging. Careful consideration is placed on every label and word that appears on the bottle. Some of the factors that are taken into consideration seek to answer questions such as: do the customers find it easy to handle the packaging? Do they find it easy to physically pick up the product and store it in their shopping carts? Do they find it easy to pour the product from the container? And is it easy for them to store the product in their houses in light of the shelves used in the average homes? (CNBC 2011)? Shopping Presentations In efforts to try and enhance the marketing concepts and strategies that are in use within the supermarkets, supermarkets have taken to employing the services of professional companies that help them create appropriate designs for their stores that will help them in maximizing their sales. The designs take into account everything about the customer’s shopping experience down to the product placement that will be used in the shop so as to ensure that the customer’s senses are well appealed (CNBC 2011). These design companies create â€Å"Stopping presentations† of various products which they stage theatrically. Supermarkets employ the use of cartons that they artfully arrange so as to ensure that they make the actual real product on sale appear to be more abundant than it really is. The most valuable space is usually the space at eye-level and most new products are placed at this level so as to further attract the customers (Graf 46). Common purchase products such as butter, milk and cheese are placed at the farthest corner of the store so as to ensure that customers are tempted to purchase more products on their way to the isle where these products are place. Instead of the more traditional isle design where the isles are arranged in a mea ndering fashion instead of row after row of straight isles, there are now more twists and turns that have been placed so as to ensure that a shopper comes into contact with more tempting goods to purchase (CNBC 2011). Some of the best supermarket stores today ensure that they appease the shoppers senses by stimulating them using various scents

Calories restriction and health in medical improvement Thesis

Calories restriction and health in medical improvement - Thesis Example Fasting prior to chemotherapy enhances the effect of the chemotherapeutic agent on the tumour and reduces the toxic side effects of the chemotherapeutic agent on the patient. However, before this benefit of calorie restriction could be used in human beings more studies are require to reinforce the findings of the twin benefits of calorie restriction. 1. Introduction 1.1. Calories Restriction Over the last seven decades evidence from insect and animal studies has pointed to the restriction of calorie intake resulting in increase in life span. These findings have led to interest developing for a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of calorie restriction that bestow the health directed benefits and translating these benefits to human beings, as a means of overcoming life threatening diseases and conditions for better quality of life and increase in life spans (Koubova & Gurante, 2003). ... od pressure are considered to be biomarkers for aging, since there is a correlation between these markers and those diseases normally associated with advancing age or ageing itself. Calorie restriction studies in animals has shown to reduce these biomarkers associated with aging and hence the holding out of the promise for the use of calorie restriction with the therapeutic potential to improve the treatment of diseases and conditions associated with aging to increase life span in humans (Brown, 2008). The modern interest in calorie restriction can be traced back to 1930s and the research of the nutritionist Clive McKay. McKay and his team conducting cancer research discovered that severe calorie restriction up to 60% ad Librium levels resulted in a measurable increase in life span in rats. This interesting finding remained in cold storage for nearly three decades, as the findings were not found to be relevant to cancer research as such. Michael Ross took up this thread of investigat ion in the 1960s using Sprague-Dawley rats, to study the incidence of tumours and its age relation. The results of increased life span in rats caused by calorie restriction sparked interest among gerontologists and gerontology research. In the 1970s two groups of research investigation on calorie started, one under Roy Walford at UCLA and the other led by Edward Masoro and B.P. Yu at the University of Texas (Sprott & Austad, 2006). Walford and his team, with particular emphasis on Richard Weindruch focused on the impact of calories restriction on different models that ranged from mice to rhesus monkeys to humans. Some of these investigations continue even today and has led to general acceptance that calorie restriction has turned to be the only intervention that results in life span

Strategies for People Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategies for People Management - Essay Example There have been numerous research efforts in this area and a lot of organizations are devising strategies aimed at bringing more women into the upper levels of workforce. In its response to the DTI consultation on productivity indicators, the EOC has submitted that, â€Å"The achievement of gender equity is central to the three key elements of economic growth – an increased labour supply; flexibility, so as to be able to adjust to new growth opportunities; and rewarding workers according to their performance and skills.† (http://www.eoc.org.uk). Our main aim in HR terms is the recruitment, retention and development of the very best and creative staff and to provide them high quality support to strengthen our strategy of maintaining the cutting edge of functional ability. The challenge we presently face in HR is to maintain our present staff strength so that we can sustain our present momentum and stay ahead of our competitors. The shortage of skilled workforce is the main problem in UK and within the next years the position is likely to get worse rather than improve. The factors of aging, migration to other jobs, disparity between staff etc are some of the key issues that may serve the create shortage of manpower in our organisation. While we recognise that women constitute a proportionate portion of our research staff , photographers, copy writers, editors etc and do play a key role in delivering our overall strategic aims, their numbers in the middle and senior level executives are much less than their male counterparts. Our strategy, therefore, must reinforce the importance we attach in achieving equality of representation of both genders in the higher echelons of staff structure. Our present strategy is primarily focused on recruitment and retention, reward and recognition, training, learning and development, action to tackle poor performance, review of staffing needs. While our efforts in the area of reward, recognition

Hart & Dworkin Essay Example for Free

Hart Dworkin Essay H. L. A. Hart’s concept of legal positivism was heavily influenced by Austin. However, he breaks with Austinian positivism at three vital junctures. First, he believed that the sovereign law giver is defined by his office rather than being a person who has secured the habit of obedience. Second authority is vested in rule of recognition instead of through the threat sanctions. Finally, Hart believed that laws expand liberty rather than limit it. In a nutshell Hart’s Philosophy of Law builds upon the Command Law Theory established by Austin, corrects its errors and establishes its own doctrines. In his essay â€Å"Sovereign and Subject†, Hart proposed that the habit of obedience does not account for the relationship between subject and sovereign. This inclination to, or habit of obedience, propounded by Austin, asserts that there exists a relationship between a subject and his sovereign. Where this relationship exists we speak of a society. However, since the habit of obedience is a habit backed by threats, it differs little from the idea a gunman coercing a person to give him his purse. Hart opines that a law’s validity does not depend on the existence of social rules. Instead laws exist to promote social order. Hart contributes his conceptual analysis theory to jurisprudence of legal formalism. He postulates that jurisprudence aims to give analysis of the uses to which the concept of law is put in various social practices. Given that all rules have a penumbra of uncertainty, a judge must often choose between alternatives. Simply put, Hart takes legal thought beyond the simplistic Command Theory. To him a law can be valid despite its moral invalidity and sans any coercion backed by threats. Such views on the law can be seen today in the USA Patriot Act. This is morally reprehensible because of the many provisions that potentially violate citizens’ rights. However it is still a valid law promoting the security of American society at large. As a legal naturalist Ronald Dworkin rejects positivism. His chief objection is that moral principles can be binding by virtue of the fact that they express an appropriate dimension of justice and fairness. He espouses the belief that in interpreting the meaning of valid legal rules, it is often necessary to consult moral principles. Curiously, a posthumous edition of Hart’s seminal A Concept of Law gives space to Hart’s response to Dworkin’s criticism of Legal Positivism. In contrast to Hart, Dworkin believes that law is not simply a matter of rules. Moral principles are law even if they are not identified under the rule of recognition. Moral principles can also be said to be law because they have dimensions of justice. As opposed to Hart, Dworkin’s theory on jurisprudence is that judges appeal to binding legal standards that are more discretionary than hard and fast rules. An example is the gravamen of guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Instead of simply relying on their discretion, a judge uses jurisprudence to form a body of as yet unwritten legal standards to back up their decisions. To summarize, Dworkin champions the cause of Legal Naturalism: that laws must appeal to morality to have legal validity. Many of today’s penal laws can be said to espouse Legal Naturalism.

Health and Safety Regulations in Hotels

Health and Safety Regulations in Hotels As the facilities Manager of our hotel that I am very concerned about the lack of awareness of safe working practices amongst our employees. Therefore, this presentation will help them to understand and practice health and safety regulations at workplace. This presentation helps to ensure that our hotel operation run well and meet our customers expectations as well. But I should keep our hotel functioning at its best and want to assure that you work safe and healthy at the hotel. It can be seen that all legislation regarding to health and safety regulations have been developed since 1970s to ensure that management responsible for providing and maintenance of adequate policies and standards. Under the common law assure that employers have a duty of care about their employees who work at workplace. It is very important of having health and safety regulations at workplace. Because, employer fails to take care of an employee means that employee may have a number of claims. It would include the ability to resign and claim constructive unfair dismissal and claiming personal injury as well. The necessity of Health and Safety regulations This chapter draws the attention of the necessity of health and safety regulations. Health and Safety regulation may help various ways to business. It can be highlighted that the one of the main reasons of the necessity of health and safety regulations is to ensure that the work premises is running safely thus reducing accidents at workplace. One of the biggest risks for hotel workers is ergonomic injury from strains, sprains, and repetitive work. It helps to protect workers back and limbs by practicing safety regulations when performing your job functions. On the other hand every persons objective should be to maintain the maximum level of health and safety in the hotel. There are regulations and rules that manage this issue. Each employee of the hotel should be made aware of these rules and regulations. It is to say that once the hotel workers read through the health and safety regulations they realize that most of those are common sense. The knowledge about these regulations would help them to know how to react if there is a crisis. As the hotel management, that would not enough to give our employees to read down the health and safety regulations. We should encourage them to practice it. The best way is to practice this by example. If this practice starts right from the top level of the hotel it spreads down to the entire employee. It should be mentioned that this is vital for the well being of the hotel workers. Once hotel employees make understand that these health and safety regulations are for their wellbeing and benefit them will be more willing to act in accordance with hotel management. All these health and safety regulations are a must in the workplace which is required by law. Importance of health and safety within the hotel environment It should be mentioned that health and safety is one of the most important part within the hotel premises. Keeping poor level of health and safety leads to accidents and illness and significant costs for our hotel. Successful health and safety regulations practice means that improve our hotel reputation with hotel customers, regulators and our own hotel staff. We have both legal and moral obligation to ensure that our employees work in healthy and safely at the hotel. Hotel management cannot force workers to work in an environment where their wellbeing is risk. On the other hand those hotel workers are both healthy and safe during their working hours. Injured or sick hotel workers lead to drop in service and a subsequent loss of profits. Good health and safety practices successfully pay for themselves as service keep remain from minimising insurance costs, disruption, the hotel workforce remains contended and customers also are happy with hotel service. The hotel workers need training in specific areas. For example, workers may need to learn how to handle and dispose of cleaning liquids. On the other hand all supervisors also may need to deliver health and safety policies towards our hotel employees. Key health and safety issues in the hotel Safety Audit Safety audit is able to identify the possible problems before they have an impact on hotel safety. Its object is to reveal the strengths and weakness, to determine areas of non tolerable risk and devise rectification measures. Safety audit is able to ensure compliance with all current regulations related to safety and health at workplace. The main object of safety audit is to collect information, using a predetermined protocol or a checklist, whether how workplace safety services are currently going on. The safety audit can cover the particular aspects or whole system. It is important to hold this safety audits that helps to highlight all positive and negative aspects of safety in the workplace. Safety audit may include the current system in workplace to control hazards, the record of incidents at the workplace and a physical inspection of the premises. Finally, that would help to report findings, as well as suggestions to improve the current safety policy and system. Benefits of safety audit at the Hotel Safety audit mainly evaluate hotels safety services. On the other hand it can cause to great cost savings by injuries at work. According to Roger regular safety audits are very important to minimizing risks and safety hazards in the workplace. Process of the safety auditing Method Review of documentation Interviews with staff Observations by the audit team. Outcome Benefits Observations and recommendation Conclusions substantiated with references Minimising risk and hazards Cost savings HASAWA and its importance for our hotel service HASAWA Health and safety at work act considers both physical and mental well being of employees, and freedom from risk of injury. Main object of the act can be outlined as health, safety and welfare of persons at work.It is clear that this act mainly focuses on employees at workplace. Not only workers, it protects persons other that persons at work, against risks to health or safety arising out of or in connection with the activities of persons at work. The act refers to control the keeping and using of explosive or highly flammable or otherwise dangerous substances, and generally preventing the unlawful acquisition, possession and use of such substances. On the other hand HASAWA control the emission into the atmosphere of noxious or offensive substances. I would disclose the duties of employers at workplace. The act provides that employer has duty of care about their employees. It can be clearly understood according to the chart below. Duties of Employer On the other hand it should be cited that employees also have to follow the duties and responsibilities which is under Health and Safety at Work Act. It is clearly cited below table. Responsibility of employee Hazard Spotting Hazard spotting is one of the most important things in the hotel. It will be of benefit to our hotel, staff and our guests as well. Therefore, I would like present and suggest action to be taken to resolve hazard spotting in our workplace. This would cover as many hazards as possible. To get reduce hazards in our hotel you will need to walk through our hotel, speak to employees. It is important that paperwork alone will not prevent injuries. It is very important to take action once a hazard has been identified. Therefore, I suggest taking action to prevent any hazards in many areas in the hotel premises. It is easily identify hazards that you may have not been previously identified once you work through the hotel. Hazard spotting involves looking for possible issues such as changes in working processes, temporary trip hazards, make sure only approved chemicals are used, etc. Any new hazards that you are found can then be dealt with either immediately or, if this is not possible, brought to the attention of the hotel administration. It is to be mentioned that there should be specify Hazard spotting exercises to conduct throughout the hotel regularly. Therefore, Nominate few persons who should be responsible for conducting the Hazard Spotting exercise Each one should be familiar with the area which the carry out the Hazard Spotting exercises Each Hazard Spotting need to be noted down with any new hazards as well Keeping a hazard spotting records which can be accessed by online. Use a checklist and make hazards list that you can see Accident reporting It is legal requirement that keeps a record of injuries in the hotel using an accident book. Employer must report certain serious workplace incidents to the hotel authorities. Accident reporting records must keep for at three years. As we employer that we have to provide an accident book for our staff and that should easily be understood. As you are the employer of work premises you are required to report some types of work-related diseases, accidents, and dangerous occurrences. Reporting ill health and accidents at workplace is a legal requirement under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences. Gathering information helps to Health and Executive and the Local Authority to recognize how and where risks arise and to prevent reoccurrence and prevent further suffering and pain to employees. Legal requirements ask to report a death, a major injury, an over three day injury, a work related disease, a dangerous occurrence and where a member of the public is taken directly to the hospital. Reporting accidents are required in time limit and it is vary depending on the severity. A major injury or where the accident has resulted in someones death need to be reported immediately. Over three day injuries need to be informed within ten days. It is noted that a work related diseases must report after the doctor diagnosis it. I have provided a sample of accident report form that would be getting clear picture about reporting accident.   ACCIDENT REPORT FORM Details of person injured: Surname  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Forenames  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Age  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   DOB Department  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Position Held Date of Accident  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Time  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Was Accident Reported in Accident Record Book? How did Accident Occur? Nature of Injuries Was First Aid given?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By Whom? Was Injured Person sent to Doctor, Medical Centre or Hospital? (Give Details) If so, accompanied by whom? Name(s) of Witness(es) of the Accident Any Previous Accident which may have been due to same cause Was Accident caused or contributed to by any defect in working conditions or premises or the conditions   of the furniture, equipment or tools used? Signature of person reporting the accident   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Date The Health Safety Policy I would like explain about safety policy. It is to mention that we must have a written policy of safety. We are a hotel who has employees more than four. It is to say that health and safety policy should be available for our staff. On the other hand safety policy must be reviewed regularly. (eg: annually) meaning of policy in place in order to establish who is responsible for what aspects of safety in our hotel. It is an important duty of this hotel to ensure that our employees work under a safe and healthy environment. An effective health and safety policy requires the full co-operation and collaboration of all employees. I suggest all the hotel staff read this policy and accept their own personal responsibilities for safety at work. I would like to write down some responsibilities both hotel management and its employees. Responsibilities of management of the hotel; to maintain the principles of relevant legislation to ensure the safest systems of work and a safe, healthy working environment by consultation and joint involvement of management and employees, to enlist the active interest, participation and support of employees in promoting good standards. Responsibilities of the hotel employees; to take all reasonable care for the health and safety of him/herself and of fellow employees and to report any hazard which cannot be controlled personally to co-operate with the organisation by observing safety rules and complying with any measures designed to ensure a safe and healthy working environment. The role of safety co-ordinator is of vital importance for maintaining a continuous and critical scrutiny of working conditions throughout the workplace, reviewing safety performance and promoting safer working. The managing director accepts ultimate responsibility for health and safety within the organisation as a whole. All managers and employees generally are expected to support and implement this policy wholeheartedly. HACCP HACCP refers to prevent any kind of hazards that would be caused for food-borne illness by applying science based controls. It enables you to show your commitment to food and customer satisfaction. HACCP is an international principle defining the requirements for effective control of food safety. HACCP is built on seven key principles: hazard analysis, critical control points identification, establishing critical limits, monitoring procedures, corrective actions, verification procedures and record-keeping and documentation. Hazard analysis analysis of chemical, physical and biological food hazards Critical control points identify the critical points at the raw materials, processing, storage, distribution and consumption steps Establishing critical limits establishment of critical preventive measures and control limits, eg: minimum cooking time and temperature Monitoring procedures observing of these control points Corrective actions establishment of corrective actions Verification procedures Record keeping record; and Record-keeping and documentation Systematic and regular auditing of the systems in place by independent third party certification bodies. All those measurement can be maintain HACCP in workplace easily. Summary It can be seen that health and safety is good for hotel employees and the hotel as well. If employees are getting sick or injured that could result in time and money being wasted. We have planned to place the health and safety regulations in a variety of areas where the hotel employees can read them easily. Once you realize that these regulations are for your well being and benefit you will be more willing to comply with the hotel. It means we have been successful in cultivating a culture of health and safety at the hotel. It is to be advised to practice safe ergonomic principles when performing your job functions. Furthermore, keep your body and back straight and neutral while you work. Read the safety data sheets and labels to know the hazards and safe work practices for the chemicals products you use. It is important that you get training and inspect your cleaning and maintenance tools before use. The above recommendation and evaluations are general guidance only and should not be relied upon for legal compliance purposes. Therefore, you have an obligation to practice them for benefit of the hotel, customers and yourself.

Family as Theater in Eudora Weltys Why I Live at the P.O. Essay

Family as Theater in Eudora Welty's Why I Live at the P.O.      Ã‚  Ã‚   The outspoken narrator of Eudora Welty's "Why I Live at the P.O.," known to us only as "Sister," intends to convince us--the world at large--that her family has "turned against" her, led on by her sister, itella-Rondo. To escape her family, she explains, she has left home and now lives at the P.O., where she is postmistress. As she delivers her monologue, the narrator reveals more about herself than she intends. We see her as a self-centered young woman who enjoys picking fights and provoking melodramatic scenes in which she is the center of attention. Not too far into the story, we realize that others in the family behave as melodramatically as Sister does, and we begin to wonder why. The story's setting may provide the answer: In a small town in Mississippi, sometime after World War II and before television, entertainment is scarce. The members of this family cope with isolation and boredom by casting themselves in a continning melodrama, with each person stealing as many scenes as possible.    The first-person point of view is crucial to the theme of Welty's story. It is both quicker and funnier to show that the narrator is self-centered and melodramatic than it would be to tell it. Sister is definitely the star in the melodrama. She begins her tale with "I," and every event is made to revolve around herself, even her sister's marriage:    I was getting along fine with Mama, Papa-Daddy and Uncle Rondo until my sister Stella-Rondo just separated from her husband and came back home again. Mr. Whitaker! Of course I went with Mr. Whitaker first, when he first appeared here in China Grove, taking "Pose Yourself" photos, and Ste... ...eful to show us, the narrator is not the only self-centered, melodramatic member of this family. Given the family history, we can be fairly sure that things will soon be back to normal. The narrator will move back home, and the family, welcoming the diversion, will no doubt find a way of turning her homecoming into a new round of excitement.    Works Cited Prenshaw, Peggy Whitman, ed. Conversations with Eudora Welty. Jackson: UP of Mississippi, 1984. Romines, Ann. "How Not to Tell a Story." Eudora Welty: Eye of the Storyteller. Ed. Dawn Trouard. Kent: Kent State UP, 1989. 94-104. Welty, Eudora. The Eye of the Story: Selected Essays and Reviews. New York: Vintage, 1979. ---. One Writer's Beginnings. New York: Warner, 1984. ---. "Why I Live at the P.O." The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty. New York: Harcourt, 1980. 46-56. Family as Theater in Eudora Welty's Why I Live at the P.O. Essay Family as Theater in Eudora Welty's Why I Live at the P.O.      Ã‚  Ã‚   The outspoken narrator of Eudora Welty's "Why I Live at the P.O.," known to us only as "Sister," intends to convince us--the world at large--that her family has "turned against" her, led on by her sister, itella-Rondo. To escape her family, she explains, she has left home and now lives at the P.O., where she is postmistress. As she delivers her monologue, the narrator reveals more about herself than she intends. We see her as a self-centered young woman who enjoys picking fights and provoking melodramatic scenes in which she is the center of attention. Not too far into the story, we realize that others in the family behave as melodramatically as Sister does, and we begin to wonder why. The story's setting may provide the answer: In a small town in Mississippi, sometime after World War II and before television, entertainment is scarce. The members of this family cope with isolation and boredom by casting themselves in a continning melodrama, with each person stealing as many scenes as possible.    The first-person point of view is crucial to the theme of Welty's story. It is both quicker and funnier to show that the narrator is self-centered and melodramatic than it would be to tell it. Sister is definitely the star in the melodrama. She begins her tale with "I," and every event is made to revolve around herself, even her sister's marriage:    I was getting along fine with Mama, Papa-Daddy and Uncle Rondo until my sister Stella-Rondo just separated from her husband and came back home again. Mr. Whitaker! Of course I went with Mr. Whitaker first, when he first appeared here in China Grove, taking "Pose Yourself" photos, and Ste... ...eful to show us, the narrator is not the only self-centered, melodramatic member of this family. Given the family history, we can be fairly sure that things will soon be back to normal. The narrator will move back home, and the family, welcoming the diversion, will no doubt find a way of turning her homecoming into a new round of excitement.    Works Cited Prenshaw, Peggy Whitman, ed. Conversations with Eudora Welty. Jackson: UP of Mississippi, 1984. Romines, Ann. "How Not to Tell a Story." Eudora Welty: Eye of the Storyteller. Ed. Dawn Trouard. Kent: Kent State UP, 1989. 94-104. Welty, Eudora. The Eye of the Story: Selected Essays and Reviews. New York: Vintage, 1979. ---. One Writer's Beginnings. New York: Warner, 1984. ---. "Why I Live at the P.O." The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty. New York: Harcourt, 1980. 46-56.

Cruelty and Insanity in Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys Essay -- Wide S

Cruelty and Insanity in Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys Wide Sargasso Sea provides unique insight into the gradual deterioration of the human mind and spirit. On examining Antoinette and her mother Annette, the reader gains a new perspective of insanity. One realizes that these two women are mentally perturbed as a result of numerous external factors that are beyond their control. The cruelty of life and people drive Annette and her daughter to lunacy. Neither mother nor daughter have a genetic predisposition to madness, and their downfall is an inevitable result of the actions of those around them and the unbearable nature of their living situation. Antoinette's condition owes its beginnings to the solitude of her childhood, thus the cold, unfeeling treatment she receives from her husband does not create her mental instability, only exacerbates it. At the beginning of the novel, it becomes apparent that solitude is a primary cause of theCosway women?s insanity. Antoinette?s narration reveals that her mother is not accepted by other white people in Jamaica because she originated from Martinique, and the Jamaican ladies in particular ?never approved? of her mother ?because she pretty like pretty self?. Her only friend, Mr. Luttrell, commits suicide after he tires of waiting for monetary compensation for the loss of his slaves. Annette is left with no one of her colour or class to associate with. In describing her childhood, Antoinette only speaks of one friend, a Negro girl named Tia, but this was an ephemeral friendship. Antoinette had no one belonging to her age group or class that she could associate with. For the most part, the young girl is very isolated and alone, quite like her mother. Utter lon... ...umstances of the lives that Annette and her daughter lead in Coulibri serve as the foundation for their insanity. The reader cannot attribute their downfall to a genetic trait, but must instead understand that the process of going insane would not have started if their life at the beginning of the novel was not so lonely and miserable. Fate is cruel to these two individuals, and the cruelty of the Negroes is the only human cruelty inflicted on Annette and Antoinette at Coulibri, thus their lunacy begins as a result of both sources. Antoinette?s childhood leaves her with emotional scars and prohibits proper mental and personal growth, thus she marries her husband with these already established problems, and her husband?s actions only serve to develop the existing unstable tendencies. Work Cited Rhys, Jean. Wide Sargasso Sea. New York: Norton, 1982.

Essay --

Coltan Downey Ms. Littlefield AIDS Research Paper 16 December, 2013 Haitian Success HIV/AIDS has become so prevalent throughout the world that it is now rated as the second deadliest infectious killer behind tuberculosis. Over 35 million people in the world are currently living with HIV/AIDS and approximately 262 new infections occur every hour. On the small island nation of Haiti, in 2005, about 190,000 citizens lived with HIV/AIDS, which was approximately 3.8% of the entire population. Since then, there has been a dramatic decline in the percentage of the infected population. It has recently been recorded that the disease currently infects about 120,000 citizens, which is only just over 1% of the entire countries population. Since 2005, there has been more than a 47% decline in HIV/AIDS related deaths, showing that a country, suffocated by poverty, and disease, as well as overcoming the overwhelming earthquake, can do something to lower the infection rate of HIV/AIDS and raise awareness with little to no medical technology or healthcare. Haiti also has a very uns table political center, which begs the question†¦ Why can’t any other countries do the same thing? HIV/AIDS emerged in Haiti in the late 1970’s, which was just about the same time that the disease started to break out in the United States. At about this time, in the United States, the disease was discovered in Haitians who immigrated to the United States in search for a better life. When this was discovered, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) did not want to believe that the disease that infected homosexual men and drug users in the United States was the same disease that had infected Haitian immigrants. In 1982 however, the CDC named four risk factors for the disease... ... news about AIDS all the time, but we can give you some good news about AIDS in Haiti.† Yes the rates in Haiti have declined but not all of the news in Haiti surrounding HIV/AIDS is positive. The rates have decreased but only mostly in rural areas and, children in Haiti are becoming sexually active at a younger age and only about 28 females and 15 males ages 15 to 24 are educated about HIV prevention. This lack of knowledge as well as the younger population becoming sexually active may cause the rates in Haiti to spike if the situation is not controlled or, if education is not a primary concern in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Haiti. Haiti has been a â€Å"Top Prospect† when it comes to countries fighting HIV/AIDS and has shown promise but the declining rates of infection may not last long if Haiti does not keep up with educating the population on HIV/AIDS prevention.

Music Concert Paper

Emily Scott Music Appreciation 28 Feburary 2013 West Michigan Concert Winds Concert On February 24th, I attended the West Michigan Concert Winds â€Å"Winner and Winds† concert. West Michigan Concert Winds is a volunteer group that performs instrumental music to the community. This ensemble contains a wide range of musical talents from all different backgrounds. Some members are college students, some teachers. There was also many current or retired band directors apart of the ensemble. They performed all different genres of music from a Sousa march to an Irish wake by A.J. Potter. There was also a scholarship acceptance performance by a local high school junior who was amazing at the clarinet. The first song was titled â€Å"Fanfare for Saint Cecilia. † This piece was composed for Saint Cecilia on a special occasion called â€Å"Three Countries Day. † This is an example like we talked about in class where a composer had a job of composing music for a certain eve nt because prerecorded music wasn’t available at that time. The song had a magnificent and triumphant feel to it with many brass heavy parts specifically trumpet.Woodwinds played the accompaniment underneath but were not heard exclusively. Some parts I liked about this piece was the overall excitement that it had and the energy that the ensemble put into it. It was very easy to tell that the instrumentalists enjoyed playing the song. Polka and Fugue from the Opera â€Å"Schwanda, The Bag Piper† was another piece I found fascinating. It was a Chek Folk tale which told the story about the lonely bag piper and his adventures. It started out with the woodwinds playing the theme of a cheery thrill note and triplet.The feel of the music was cheery and you were almost able to hear the story being told. I also enjoyed hearing the Fugue part of the song because that was also something we discussed in class. The fugue was characterized by imitation and variation on the imitation by different sections throughout the band. The band also played a Sousa but surprisingly this piece was not a march but a waltz. Although this song was characterized as a waltz, I felt like it had the elements of a march in it like clearly defined beats and ascending and descending full ensemble runs.The music was very bouncy and you could almost picture the dancers waltzing on stage. I was very impressed with the brass section because of their strong tone and intensity. I throughly enjoyed my experience of listening to The West Michigan Concert winds. I was impressed with the talent of the ensemble and the professional way they looked on stage. They provided a wide variety of music compositions and kept me entertained throughout the concert.

Babe Ruth Research Paper

The Great Bambino George Herman Ruth was born in Baltimore Maryland on February 6th 1895. His mother gave birth to him on the second floor of her father’s house. George is the oldest of 8 children. He was often missing from school. George was officially named a juvenile delinquent after his bouts skipping school. At a very young age George began drinking, chewing tobacco, and stealing (Berke 18). People around him were fed up with his behavior and he was sent to Catholic school. During his stint there, George made a positive out of it and made a 360 turn around.He was taken care of by Xaverian brothers from the School, St. Mary’s  (Berke 19). Ruth’s baseball career began when he was attending St. Mary’s (Berke 19). In the early 1900s, baseball was at its prime. Oddly, he pitched and batted left-handed, but started out catching in his young years. The last two years spent in school he was a staggering six feet, two inches and weighed in at 170 pounds. Ris ing to popularity at school, he became a major asset to the baseball team, and was promoted to pitcher and became the teams lead hitter and pitcher (Berke 22).Orioles signed Ruth to a six-month contract that paid him $600. It is said that in batting practice alone babe attracted up to 30,000 fans (Berke 22). Twenty-two games were won while Ruth was with Baltimore. In the early part of his career, Babe Ruth walked a batter and struck an umpire, getting himself thrown out of the game. In the series against the Dodgers, he pitched 4 games to one (Berke 23 – 24). The rising star soon was sold to the Boston Red Sox. The great Bambino’s salary jumped from a six hundred dollar check to a whopping thirty five hundred dollars.His primary position for Boston was pitcher. Ruth was one of few in the league that pitched left-handed and this would help Boston become exceptionally well. The first game Ruth ever pitched with Boston was a 4 – 3 win over Cleveland. Ruth’s first year with Boston he became good friends with Map, another great ball player at this time. He would also become teammates with him again in the future Yankees team. George Herman Ruth’s first recorded homerun was a game against New York and it was a straight shot to the upper deck of right field in the polo grounds off of Jack Warhop.The year was 1915 and the Bambino was named best pitcher and hitter for Boston (Berke 31,32,33). This year the Red Sox was named the best team in the Major League. Ruth led the team to the 1915 World Series and brought them a win. With all the hard work and determination from the Bambino his salary took another leaping hop from thirty five hundred dollars to five thousand. Ruth claimed that the 1915 Red Sox champion team was his favorite team he had ever played for, even in his later years. Another year passes and yet again the Red Sox make it back to the world series with the help of Ruth and win their second world series in a row.By 1917, Babe Ruth was by far statistically and fan based declared Boston’s best Ace pitcher and left handed hitter in the league (Berke 35 – 36). In 1915 Babe Ruth struck out 112 batters with a season record of 18 – 8. He also had a 2. 44 run average. (ERA) In the year 1916 Babe Ruth lead the Red sox to a 23 – 12 record and had an ERA of 1. 75. The Boston Red Sox family would be the first to help the Great Bambino achieve such an amazing goal as a major league pitcher/player and that was to win a back to back world series. Babe started the1917 Red Sox season 10 – 1. He would go on to end that season with a 24 – 13 record with a 2. 1 ERA. 1917 Ruth went on to end the season with a total of 128 strikeouts, the leagues fifth highest total. This milestone was not broken until more than 4 decades later by Whitey Ford of the New York Yankees. The Bambino set a World Series record of twenty-nine and two thirds scoreless innings (Berke 37). 1918, game one R uth shut out the Cubs tossing a 1 – 0 six hitter and won game 4 of the World Series. With all of the pitching experience in high school, minor league, major league, and four World Series later the Bambino ended his pitching career with this 1918 World Series win against the Cubs (Berke 38).George Herman Ruth married a waitress by the name of Helen Woodford after meeting her in a Boston Restaurant. In the off-season the newly weds spent the winter with Babe’s father. The year 1919 Babe Ruth was now ranked as the greatest pitcher of all time. Being called the greatest pitcher of all time comes Celebrity status. Due to the Bambinos pitching success and batting prowess everyone looked him up to in this time period. Ruth was just as well known with his batting as much as his pitching with Boston. At the beginning of the 1919 season, Ruth became a full-fledged left fielder.He predicted he could help win more games playing every day in the outfield and getting to swing his ba t more than he did pitching every fourth game (Berke 39,40,41). In this day in age a home run hitter was an oddity and completely unheard of especially with the materials of the time frame. The bats weren’t as up to date as ours today and weight lifting is by no means as advanced as it is today. It was more of a game of strategy than a game of power hitters. 1919 was a very dark period of baseball other than Ruth’s home run exploits.The 1919 World Series is best remembered for the Chicago White Sox purposely throwing the game to the Cincinnati Reds to illegally gain money from gambling (Berke 42). 1920, a year Boston will never forget. Honestly one of the most remembered years of Major League baseball history. The Sultan of Swat, the Great Bambino, the Colossus of Clouds, the Babe Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees. Ruth was sold for an astonishing amount of one hundred twenty thousand dollars. Twice the amount ever paid for a player up until that point in history.A t this point, in Ruth’s life, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he wasn’t going to take the offer from New York. Do you blame him? One hundred twenty thousand dollars in 1920 was an extreme amount to pay for a player. It is said that New York had to take out loans to pick up Ruth but it was a move that will set New York up to be the greatest Dynasty in the game of baseball (Babe N. P. ). Boston is soon to find out that they had just been left with the curse of the bambino. After Ruth’s transition from Boston to New York he decided to still stay a full time outfielder.He new exactly what he was doing when he decided to become an outfielder and end his pitching career on a good note. The great bambino dominated the game with amassing numbers that had never been seen in the history of baseball. He changed the style of baseball from a high intense grind it out strategy style of game to a power and high scoring kind of game (Babe Babe). The record books we re about to be opened and stay wet with ink as long as Ruth was playing. It would be useless to close the record books because every game it would be opened right back up.Ruth’s records from a hitting standpoint were insane! With a high batting average and an uncontrollable, unbelievable power he had an assault on baseballs most hallowed records (Babe About). 1920 Ruth surpassed the home run record in a single season that he had set a year before at Boston by belting out 54 in just one season. A season in which no other player usually hit more than 19 and that was considered outstanding at this time. There had only been one team that hit more home runs in one season than babe had individually up until this point in history.In the following season Ruth was not done breaking records, he was just getting started. 1920 was the first year that Ruth had won his first home run title and definitely not his last. The Bambino drove an astonishing 114 home runs with the Yankees in the 1 920 season, which is a major league high (Babe teen). All eyes were on Ruth and because of him baseball became Americas favorite past time. Adults, kids, and the retired all spent their time watching or playing the great game of baseball that once did not seem so interesting.George Herman Ruth is responsible for the term the grand slam. A grand slam in the game of baseball is when bases are loaded and the player at bat hits a homerun allowing your team to advance four points. Ruth had 4 grand slams in 1920, which remained a Major league high for forty years (Berke 45 – 46). The New York Yankees ended their 1920 season with a ninety-five –- fifty-nine record and finished just three games behind the AL champions the Cleveland Indians. This was the eighteenth season for the Yankees managed under the one and only Miller Huggins.The Yankees of the 1920’s were the first major league baseball team to have more than a million fans attends their game (Berke 46 – 4 7). The Bambino was built for the expanding New York City of the nineteen twenties and the New York City of the nineteen twenties was built for him, they were perfect for each other. Now the war was long over done and all of our soldiers were back home. America was on top, second to no one with New York City the center attention. Giant skyscrapers, new and fancy cars, shopping centers, Broadway, clubs, sports. Who wouldn’t want to be apart of this growing city of excitement?The famous New York sportswriter Westbrook Pegler once quoted â€Å"The Era Of Wonderful Nonsense† or as another New York sports writer Paul Gallico said â€Å" We were like children who had just been let out of school†. Ruth landed him in the right place at the right time. Ruth acquired several new and fashionable names already within months, Sultan of Swat, the Caliph of Clout, the Wizard of Whack, the Rajah of Rap, the Wazir of Wham, the Mammoth of Maul, the Maharajah of Mash, the Bambino, the Bam, the Big Bam (Montville 106 – 107). The center of a half mile racetrack in Jacksonville Florida is where the Yankees training field was located.They traveled her by train from New York City. The team was already off playing cards for real money before they hit New Jersey. Ruth roomed with Ping Bodie in the Hotel Brunswick. The first night they arrived, Ruth participated in a basketball game for the Shawmut Athletic Club, in which he scored eight points in the 41 – 25 win. Ruth, still tanned from California wearing a large leather coat handing out Cigars left and right, hit the clubs that evening. After a night of fun and excitement he arrived back to his hotel room where he proceeded in shinning his golf clubs.On the first day in Jacksonville, practice was optional since Huggins hadn’t arrived, so the big bam decided to go tour the 18 holes at the Florida Country club with his new clubs. Newspapers reported that he wore a silk shirt and white golf flann els and at one point he threw up a golf club while a ball was in flight and hit it out of the air (Monteville 108 – 110). The place of camp was casual, the Brooklyn dodgers also trained in Jacksonville but on the other side of the city at Barrs Field. From the start, Ruth lived a different way of life than all of his teammates.Yankees owner gave the players five dollars per day for meal money. This changed fast because the players would eat cheap hot dogs every day and saved the money for late night fun. Babe lived on a higher economic and social level than the people around him. Ping Bodie, Ruth’s roommate in Jacksonville gave the press the answer everyone had been waiting for. They asked him what kind of guy George Herman Ruth was and Ping answered, â€Å" I don’t know, I don’t room with babe. I room with his suitcase. † (Monteville 112 – 114). Finally the first day of practice starts and the million-dollar question is asked.Is it possible that the Bambino mysteriously lost his amazing ability to crush a ball higher and farther than anyone else in the league? Maybe, just maybe through winter and Ruth’s off time not keeping up on his skills he lost his ability. March nineteenth, seventeen days after the team had arrived. Babe Ruth hit a smashing ball 478 feet. 50 feet over the center field fence, the fence was 428 feet deep (Monteville 112 – 115) Babe Ruth went on to become not only the greatest baseball player of all time but also a celebrity of his era. Babe helped the New York Yankees win seven pennants and four World Series titles.The Bambino retired in 1935. Just one year later in 1936 Babe was one of the first 5 elected into the baseball hall of fame. The Bambino is credited for the popularity of the game of baseball. He helped pick the speed of the game up from a low scoring speed dominated game to a high scoring power game. Since then he has became one of the greatest sports heroes in American hi story. The legendary power and the charismatic personality made the bambino larger than life itself. He was famous for his charity off of the diamond but also known for his reckless lifestyle.He went on to coach after retiring from the game. August 16, 1948 cancer got the best of the Bambino and he died at the age of 53. The legend of Babe Ruth will live on forever (World). Works Cited â€Å"Babe Ruth a Teen to Adult. † Babe Ruth Central The Site That Ruth Built. N. P. , n. d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. http://www. baberuthcentral. com/biography/babe-ruths- personal-side/. â€Å"Babe Ruth. † About. com 20th Century History. N. p. , n. d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. â€Å"Babe Ruth Biography. † Bio. com. A&E Networks Television, n. d. Web 22 Oct. 2012. http://www. baberuthbiography. com/ Babe Ruth Biography. † N. p. , n. d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. http://espn. go. com/mlb/player/bio/_/id? 27035/babe-ruth. Berke, Art. Babe Ruth. New Yourk: F. Watts, 1988. Print. Fischer, David. B abe Ruth: Legendary Slugger. New York: Sterling, 2012. Print Hampton, Wilborn. Babe Ruth: A Twentieth-century Life. New York, NY: Viking, 2009. Print. Monteville, Leigh. The Big Bam: The Life and times of Babe Ruth. New York: Doubleday, 2006. Print. â€Å"World Biography. † Babe Ruth Biography. N. p. , n. d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. http://www. notablebiographies. com/Ro-Sc/Ruth-Babe. html.

Air Canada Summary Essay

This paper is an in-depth analysis of the General Conditions of Carriage and all the clauses that one must abide by when flying with Air Canada. Each clause will be looked at and explained to see what it means and what is implied by the clause. All the business law concepts that we have learned in class will then be applied to the contract to help understand all the risks that Air Canada may or may not be vulnerable to and what further steps they can take to defend themselves. I will then make recommendations to both Air Canada on how they can improve their contract, as well as the customer, warning them about the dangers that can arise if they take the terms and conditions lightly when signing a contract or in this case, purchasing a plane ticket. Air Canada gives the customer fair warning that they should familiarize and feel comfortable with their rules and regulations before purchasing a ticket, and most people overlook this step. The lessons I have learned after looking into the clauses and analyzing them will then be looked at. These lessons will help me as the customer when dealing with an organization such as Air Canada. Finally, we will be looking at the legal corrective measures that can be used to fix the contractual issues that have been found in Air Canada’s General Conditions of Carriage. These measures are there to not only clarify any clauses that may be unclear that may cause confusion, but also to help put Air Canada in a better position, so that they don’t have to be responsible or take liability for any unfortunate events or situations that may occur on one of their flights. These corrective measures will also help the customer as well so they will feel more safe, secure and comfortable when flying with Air Canada and their staff. The objectives of this paper are to analyze all the clauses that Air Canada has provided when flying with their airlines. I want to be able to read and understand each one carefully. If there is any vagueness with one of their rules than it will be brought up as a point of discussion. Another goal is just to understand all the clauses and learn something that I did not know to begin with. I quickly became aware just after scanning over the conditions quickly that there are many rules I did not know existed and most people would be shocked to learn that they have to give up that right when flying with Air Canada. I also want to look at the clauses and see if I consider them to be fair. Most people would be shocked to learn of some of the clauses including the fact that in almost all situations where the end result is bodily harm or even death, Air Canada is protected and does not need to assume any responsibility for what happened. Of course, if something like this happens just due to negligence on the part of an Air Canada employee, that is a whole other story that will be discussed later on. If I find that I don’t think a point is fair, it will be a topic of discussion where I will recommend a solution that can help both parties. For the most part, customers and passengers of Air Canada must understand that they are not being forced to take a flight with their airlines. Air Canada is performing a service for them and if they decide to accept this service then they must be willing to abide and play with Air Canada’s rules. This is because the main objective of Air Canada when writing up this contract is to provide a service where they can make a profit, but do it in a way where they are not at risk and cannot get into legal trouble. People must remember that the contract is not being drawn up for their well being, it is being drawn up for the well being of the company so that they are protected at all times. Air Canada has done a pretty good job of this as will be discussed later. It is important to look into all this as a student in commerce because Air Canada is more than just an airlines, it’s a business. All businesses have the same mentality, whether it’s an airlines, a law firm or an ice cream service; this mentality is that they must look out first for number one which is themselves, make sure that they cannot be hurt by the legal system, and then secondly, attempt to satisfy their customers to the best of their ability. This General Conditions of Carriage for Air Canada is a very good example for a student like myself in a commerce program about how the business world really works. The reason for this is because we are studying an actual contract for an actual company in the real world that have to deal with all the concepts and principles we talk about in class on an everyday basis. General Conditions of Carriage for Air Canada Air Canada’s General Conditions of Carriage starts off with its â€Å"Important Conditions† section. The first point is that passengers must get their boarding pass and check in baggage by their check-in deadline. The deadline varies depending on where the plane is departing from and going to. If you are flying within Canada, the check-in deadline is 30 minutes prior to the plane’s departure with a boarding gate deadline of 20 minutes. If you are flying from Canada to the United States or vice-versa, the check-in deadline is 60 minutes prior to take-off with a boarding gate deadline of 20 minutes. Finally, if you are flying from Canada to anywhere else in the world, the baggage check-in deadline is 60 minutes with a boarding gate deadline of 30 minutes. All this is just to ensure that the flight can take-off promptly at the planned time so that there would be no unnecessary delays and so the airlines can continue running smoothly. Obviously, it takes longer to prepare a plane when it is going to a foreign country versus just staying in Canada. That is why the deadline for check in as well as the recommended check in times are both greater when flying outside of the country. The second point is that they strongly recommend that passengers reconfirm their flight prior to the day of their flight. Passengers can check their flight status online or call their flight information system number. This is so that customers can feel safe that they are on the flight. Also, when calling in, they can ask any questions they have about their flight. By doing this prior to the day of the flight, this can help speed up the boarding process on the day of. The third condition is that the passenger’s assigned seat is not a guarantee and can possibly change without notice. If this does happen, Air Canada will do their best to transfer the person to a seat close by, and will try to make it of the same class or service. Any applicable fees will be refunded. This would be an unfortunate event but sometimes these situations cannot be avoided. If this happens, the only option Air Canada has would be to try and offer you the closest possible arrangement that you were expecting and paid for. The fourth condition is that any travel credits banked for unused tickets are not transferable. When the credit is used, it must be used by the same person whose name appears on the original ticket or document. Air Canada has put this clause in their so that people can not just work together, building up credits and having it be used on one person and essentially getting to fly free because of all the credit that has been built up. This also encourages people to save up their credit so that they can get a larger discount on a flight in the future. The fifth condition is that voluntary changes to a passenger’s flying program may require the payment of additional fees for upgrades. If the person has a non refundable ticket, and this incident results in an unexpected trip cancellation or emergency, Air Canada will not be able to make any exceptions and the fee will still need to be paid. For this reason, travel insurance is strongly recommended. This condition is notifying the customer that trip cancellations, whether it is the customer’s fault or not, may still require that the person pays the ticket. This is the reason why travel insurance is important and is offered. Of course, they recommend this travel insurance because it is another way for them to make money for the company. The General Conditions of Carriage then discusses the Checked Baggage Policy. This policy says that passengers are entitled to a free checked baggage allowance depending by the person’s fare, destination, date of flight and frequent flyer status. If the passenger has paid more for the flight, they are entitled to more free checked baggage. I would assume that if the destination that they are travelling to is farther away, they would also offer more checked baggage since destinations that are farther away usually indicate that people will be staying there longer. For example, a vacation to Australia would most likely be longer than a trip to Calgary. The date of the flight also has something to do with the amount of free checked baggage one can bring with them on the flight. The busier the day is, the less flexibility a passenger would have with being allowed to bring a large number of luggage with them. Finally, people with a better frequent flyer status are also entitled to more free checked baggage because this indicates that they are a loyal customer that continues to go back to Air Canada and the company would like to reward them for that loyalty. Passengers who travel on a codeshare flight, which is an Air Canada flight number but is operated by another airline, the person is subject to the rules of the airline operating the first flight of their flying program. If at anytime the person must recheck their baggage with another airline for their next connecting flight, the rules of that airline applies. You can tell if your flight is being run by a codeshare partner by looking for the â€Å"Operated by† note appearing when you are selecting flights on aircanada. com. The checked baggage limitations are broken up into two classes, economy class and executive first class. For economy class, the maximum overall measurement (length+width+height) cannot exceed 158cm and the maximum weight is 50 pounds. For executive first class, the maximum measurement cannot exceed 158cm as well but the maximum weight is 70 pounds. If these limits have been exceeded, additional checked baggage charges will apply. Again, Air Canada is rewarding people that buy a higher priced ticket by allowing them to bring more with them onto the plane. They are probably also assuming that the majority of people riding in first class are flying for business related reasons and may require to have more things brought with them on the trip. If a passenger chooses to bring additional baggage, then Air Canada requests that they show up 120 minutes before departure. Each additional bag that a person checks may cost up to $100. This is a not a refundable transaction so if the additional bags are delayed the cost stands as is. A small suggestion would be that Air Canada should notify the customer about why some additional baggage costs more than others so customers can plan ahead to see if they want to explore this option. Codeshare flights have the same rules as previously stated. If these additional bags exceed the weight and size limitations, the passenger will need to contact their local Air Canada Cargo sales office for the shipment of the bags. Air Canada also stresses that all your checked baggage are properly identified. Air Canada tries their best to make sure that the person and their baggage is transported on the same flight, however, many things can make this task challenging and sometimes it cannot be avoided. Since this does occur from time to time, they suggest that a passenger should put their information inside the bags as well because sometimes external tags can be damaged or detached. If the tags on the outside of the bag are damaged it can sometimes be impossible to locate who the owner of the bag is. Many people have the same type of baggage so this can lead to even more confusion. Air Canada does not take responsibility for lost baggage but they are at least trying to help their customers so this type of thing doesn’t happen. There are some items that must be brought in your carry-on baggage which is what you bring with you on the plane to your seat. These items include laptops, house and car keys, medication, cash and high valued items such as cameras, jewellery and electronic devices. The reason why Air Canada wants these high valued and often breakable items to be carried with the passenger is so that if a checked bag gets lost, there would be a lot more complaints since that bag could potentially contain hundreds of dollars worth of stuff. If something inside the bag breaks, Air Canada does not want to be responsible for that. Air Canada makes it clear that oversized carry-on bags are not allowed as this can take up too much space, cause trouble and ultimately delay flights. Each person can carry two pieces of carry-on luggage with them on the plane. This includes one carry-on bag or suitcase which cannot weigh more than 22 pounds and cannot have dimensions larger than 23cm by 40cm by 55cm. A back pack, duffle bag or one of those over the shoulder purses would fall under this category. They may also bring along a personal article like a briefcase, laptop, camera case or something of that nature. This article cannot weigh more than 22 pounds and cannot have dimensions larger than 16cm by 33cm by 43cm. Items that may also be brought onto the plane in addition to your carry-on items include coats, infant care system, cell phones, mp3 players or a special need item. Special need items include objects that a person would need for mobility such as a cane, crutch or communication device. Generally anything that is small enough to fit inside your pocket or can easily be carried by hand is acceptable. A container carrying life sustaining items or personal medication is obviously acceptable as well. Ever since the terrorists attacks of 9/11, security and precautions for boarding an airplane are tighter and more thorough than they’ve ever been to prevent anything like that from ever happening again. This is why a new policy has been put into place which doesn’t allow passengers to bring liquid or gels in containers over 100ml/100g with them when boarding the plane. These items will be confiscated at the security checkpoint and additional charges may be applied in order to check the items’ safety. Bombs and other dangerous weapons can be made from certain types of liquids and Air Canada does not want to take any chances. Air Canada advises that passengers that are waiting for connecting flights do not buy these types of items until they reach their destination because this can be a waste of money if they are confiscated once again while boarding for the connecting flight. There are a list of items that are prohibited from being brought on as a carry-on item. These items should be stored in the passenger’s checked baggage. Some of these items include sharp, piercing or cutting objects such as scissors, knives, saws and drills as well as potentially dangerous sporting equipment such as ice skates or hunting equipment such as rifles and hunting gear of that nature. The only exceptions to this rule are syringes or needles that are for personal medical use. This must be accompanied by the prescription medication. Electronic devices that can interfere with the plane’s navigational or communication equipment are also not allowed. The use of Bluetooth headsets, radio transmitters and laser pointers will not be tolerated as they can interfere with the flight systems or the staff aboard the plane. These items should be stored in the checked baggage, however, as previously stated, Air Canada is not responsible for the destruction or loss of these items. There are other items considered dangerous goods that will be brought up. There are also items that are acceptable items to bring with you as carry-on items that people may be confused about. These items include electronic devices for entertainment such as cameras, portable video game devices, laptops and mp3 devices. One book of matches per person as well as a specific type of lighter are also items that are allowed to be brought with you on the plane. Everything else that cannot physically harm another person or are small enough to fit the size requirements of carry-on baggage are always acceptable. Passengers may also bring their cats or small dogs with them provided that they stay in its carrier under the owner’s seat at all times. For one way travel within Canada or to the United States, bringing a pet along costs $50, cannot weigh more than 22 pounds (carrier included) and the carrier cannot have dimensions larger than 23cm by 40cm by 55cm. This is because the airline attendants must be able to comfortably move around the plane as well as the fellow passengers. For one way travel to anywhere else, bringing a pet along costs $100 with the same limitations. For certain destinations such as Hawaii, pets must be stored under the plane with the checked baggage. To be eligible for this, the passenger will need to register their pet within 24 hours of booking the flight with Air Canada Reservations. The pet must be at least 8 weeks old and fully weaned as well. Other implications involve having to arrive 30 minutes prior to the recommended check in time as well as always be bestowed under the passenger’s seat. These requirements are for the pet’s safety as younger pets are not full developed, are weaker and may be more susceptible to sickness. There cannot be more than one pet per passenger and unaccompanied minors cannot bring a pet with them. No pets are allowed in the Executive First Suite and the carrier will count as the person’s one standard carry-on item. The reason why no pets are allowed in the Executive First Class Suites is because the people in first class have paid good money for these seats and they should not have to deal with the noise or nuisance that another passenger’s pet may cause. Since there are many allergy sufferers, Air Canada advises that you advise the agent at the check-in gate prior to departure and they will try as hard as possible to move you or the pet owner. Air Canada makes it clear that they will not be responsible for the loss, sickness or death of any pet even if it was accepted for transportation. For safety reasons, many items have been deemed dangerous goods and must not be brought in the checked baggage as well as carry-on baggage. These dangerous goods include compressed gases, explosives, flammable liquids, poisons or briefcases with installed alarm devices. Firearms, alcohol and oxidizing materials are all examples of items not allowed on a plane for obvious reasons. The last thing Air Canada would want is an unfortunate situation where one of their passengers have been seriously hurt because they allowed a dangerous item on board that clearly should not have been allowed. Air Canada is subject to the rules of the Montreal Convention and Warsaw Convention. These are both conventions that regulate the liability for international carriage of persons, baggage or goods performed by an aircraft. These rules are here to protect the airline if an accident occurs and bodily harm or damage to goods result. Going back to the General Conditions of Carriage, Air Canada states that they are not liable for perishables or liquids, nor are they responsible for the loss of valuable items such as money, jewellery, computers, business documents and so on. Air Canada also states that they are not responsible for the bodily harm or even death of one of their customers. When travelling, Air Canada requires that passengers provide information about themselves before boarding a plane. It is the passenger’s responsibility to provide these travel documents as well as the documents of any children travelling with them. Additional documents may be needed depending on the person’s country of origin. The passport is the best accepted piece of documentation proving a person’s citizenship. Air Canada indicates that a customer must bring their passport as part of their proof of citizenship. For Canadian and American citizens, a valid passport is always needed. Some other countries require that your passport be valid for at least 6 months prior to flying to their country. This is so that there will be no complications once arriving in their country that can cause unnecessary and lengthy delays. Children must also have their own documentation and cannot get by with just their parents documentation. Some countries allow this but this is not the case in Canada. For children, birth certificates showing the names of both parents, legal documents referring to custody and parental consent (if child is travelling with only one or neither of their parents) are all documents that must be showed on behalf of the child. The reason for this is they do not want one of the parents to have the authority or opportunity to leave the country with their child if they’ve had a feud with the other parent. There have been stories of couples that have gotten divorced and one of the parents take the child and leave to an unknown destination. Air Canada does not want to have to take responsibility for something like that happening on their airlines. For Visas, different countries have different rules and Air Canada suggests that you check with your travel agents for visa requirements of the countries you are planning to drive through. Some general rules include obtaining your visa well in advance to your flight because this may involve mailing your passport in briefly as well as the chance that there may be a long delay if you apply for a visa from a third country while travelling. Upon arrival in a foreign country, it may be required that a passenger must prove that they have sufficient funds to support themselves for their intended stay. This can include showing proof of a visa for that country if that is a requirement. The reason for this is countries don’t want to accept people that are going to end up stranded in their country because they don’t have the money to leave. This can only lead to trouble which they understandably do no want to deal with. Only Canadian permanent residents from non visa-waiver countries travelling outside Canada are required to carry a valid Canadian permanent resident card in addition to a valid passport to return to Canada from a commercial flight. This card proves your immigration status. Without it, the person will be unable to board the plane. Though most people are fit to take a plane, Air Canada realizes that there are some customers that may have special needs and they will try their best to accommodate these people. This assistance can include special meals or assistance for minors travelling without their parents. Anyone that may need assistance about checking in and boarding the plane will get the help they need as well as routine check ups to make sure they are doing fine. If a customer has a disability such as having to use an electric wheelchair, needs medical oxygen or has a severe medical or mental disability, it is important that they give 48 hours notice before departure as well as check in 2 hours before departure. This will give Air Canada and its employees enough time to plan and prepare for the passengers arrival so that there will be no delays and so that they can make the person’s flight experience as enjoyable as possible. If Air Canada decides that the person is in such a bad state that they think flying would be detrimental to their health, I believe Air Canada will not allow them to fly with their airlines for the benefit of the customer, but also for the benefit of their fellow passengers as well as the flight staff that would have to deal with this problem. There is also a section of the General Conditions of Carriage that talks about tariff regulations. The Montreal Convention or the Warsaw Convention system may be applicable to your journey. This may limit the liability that Air Canada carries for death or bodily injury as well as loss or damage to baggage as well as delays. If the Montreal Convention and Warsaw Convention systems both do not apply, the liability limit for loss or damage to baggage is $1500 per person. Any actions that one brings up in court must happen within 2 years of the date of arrival of the flight you were on. There is one final section in the General Conditions of Carriage which is an â€Å"Overbooking Notice†. This indicates that flights may become overbooked and there is a small chance that a seat may not be available for a person that has a confirmed reservation. No one will be denied a seat until an employee asked if there is anyone willing to give up there seat for that flight. If there are not enough volunteers, passengers will be denied according to the airlines boarding priority list. Passengers denied clearance for the flight will be compensated. The full rules are available at all airport ticket counters and boarding locations. The problem with this rule is that the boarding priority list is they give priority to the passengers that paid more for their ticket. This can be viewed as social discrimination as generally speaking, people that have more money to spend on luxury items will be the ones buying the more expensive ticket. This problem will be looked at and analyzed later on in the article.