RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

ASSIGNMENT - Research Paper Example Moreover, TCPD serves four districts of the Texas City. 1.B. The present Chief of TCPD is Robert Burby. Beneath the leadership and the direction of Police Chief, TCPD serves the Texas city with their primary objective which includes providing safety to the city people and reducing the crime along with creating a positive relationship within the communities among others. 1.C. Generally, the Chief rank is considered as the highest authority in the TCPD. With due consideration to this fact, it can be observed that in certain emergency situations the Chief Robert Burby takes orders or assistances from the Texas City Mayor Matthew T. Doyle and City Commissioners namely Mike Land, Dee Ann Haney, Thelma Bowie, Scooter Wilson and Dedrick D. Johnson, Sr. as well as Rick Wilkenfeld in order to take relative measures according to the prevailing situations. 1.D. Contextually, Robert Burby had been selected from outside of the department. This is because he had served several years in Law Enforce ment departments and also in the United States Air Force. He also served as a patrolman as well as was a member of 25th Judicial District Narcotics Task Force. He had served as the Chief of Police in City of Holy Springs, Mississippi before joining TCPD. A. The primary function of TCPD is to control or reduce the crime by keeping the police in the forefront of the community. Every officer is assigned to ensure a strong neighborhood vigil throughout the day of their service and to work as a crime stopper. 2 A. Is the law enforcement agency C.A.L.E.A. certified? If yes since what date? B. Is the law enforcement agency STATE accredited, if yes since what date? C. Sometimes only sections, like the communications unit, are C.A.L.E.A., if that's the case, then advise the details. 2.A. From the assessment of TCPD’s history it is revealed that the department is not certified under the C.A.L.E.A. 2.B. In the year 2004, under the leadership of the Chief Robert Burby, TCPD was honored b y the TCPA as the foremost Texas State Accredited Police Department. 2.C. TCPD’s none of the units has been certified under C.A.L.E.A. 3. A. Sworn personnel staffing number (How many sworn officers are there? - Do not give a phone number i.e. For example: MBPD has approx. 372 sworn personnel working. B. Civilian personnel staffing number- How many civilian personnel are there- for example: MBPD has approx. 249. 3.A. TCPD has 80 sworn officers who serve and operate the department’s operation or function. 3.B. TCPD’s force generally does not have any civilian personnel in the force. 4. Diversity- A. Provide the sworn personnel diversity total percentage? (example: 68% of the xxx agency or Dept. is classified as a minority). B. List either how many (actual number) or the percent that are White, African American, Asian, Hispanic or Latin, other, etc. 4.A. Approximately 30% of TCPD is classified as a minority. 4.B. White 63.77%, African American 30.28%, Asian 0.54% a nd Hispanic 4.44% along with others 0.58%. 5. Jurisdiction information (include ALL: square miles?, population?, type of areas and approx. percentage of each , i.e. residential 35%, business 65%, also type of community policed, i.e. tourist, seniors, etc.). Include any Major crowd drawing, famous landmarks, tourist locations. Like if you did,

English Language Learners Essay Example for Free

English Language Learners Essay English Language Learners (ELLS) are usually foreigners who composed the minority students of the country. Even if they are not native citizens of the United States there needs and rights should be properly respected and protected especially in terms of the process of their learning of the English language. The succeeding paragraphs will discuss some cases that affect the rights of these ELLs. The cases of Lau v. Nichols (1974) and Plyler v. Doe (1982) have substantial improved the education of ELLs. The unanimous decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Lau v. Nichols orders that all students should have an equal access not only to facilities, textbooks, teachers and curriculum but also in learning the English language. The court believes that difficulty in comprehending the English language deprives the student of meaningful education. Moreover, the case of Plyler v. Doe opens the doors for immigrants to enroll their students in public schools. This gives immigrant children the right for free public education regardless of whether their parents are documented or not (Legal Responsibilities of Education Agencies Serving Language Minority Students). Other judicial rulings like in the case of Serna v. Portales (New Mexico, 1974), Cintron v. Bretwood (New York, 1978), and Castaneda v. Pickard (Texas, 1981) have also contributed in enhancing the rights of ELLs as well as in addressing their needs. These are clearly shown by the bilingual and bicultural instruction programs that were implemented after the court found out that Spanish students are discriminated in the Serna v. Portales case. Equal treatment among ELLs are also further emphasize by the remaining two cases wherein it made sure that the bilingual programs would uphold both languages rather than subordinating the other one. Lastly, the Castaneda v. Pickard case has a very important role in the enhancement of the right of ELLs because it served as a basis in assuring a school’s compliance with the Equal Educational Opportunity Act of 1974 (Legal Responsibilities of Education Agencies Serving Language Minority Students). In all these, it is seen that judicial rulings are indeed important because there interpretation of the law had been a way in order to improve the situation of ELLs in their learning process. Work Cited â€Å"Legal Responsibilities of Education Agencies Serving Language Minority Students†. 1995. 28 August 2008 http://www. maec. org/legal. html.

Essay --

Many students from all over the globe seek to take admission in different universities of USA but unfortunately many are unable to do so due to different problems like financial need, etc. So many different foundations have started funding the international students who are meritorious, talented and due to financial need or some other problem can’t afford to take admission. Scholarships for the Indian Students at any University in USAGiven below are some of the scholarships available for admission in Masters’ degree in any university of USA for the international students. Though the list contains mainly those scholarships for the Indian students in which they are eligible. The scholarships available here are: 1. Fulbright Foreign Students Program in USA This scholarship enables graduate students and young professionals from other countries of the world to research and study in US for a year or more at US universities and institutes. Eligibility: Any international candidate who is holding bachelors’ or equivalent degree is eligible for this scholarship Scholarship Amount: Full funding for the duration of study which includes tuition fees, airfare, living stipend, health insurance, etc. How to Apply: The applications are processed by the bi – national Fulbright Commission / Foundation or US Embassies. So the candidates need to apply through the Fulbright Commission / Foundation or US Embassies of their home countries, but it must be done before the deadline. For more details visit: http://foreign.fullbrightonline.org/about/foreign-fullbright 2. OFID Scholarship Awards for International Students OFID stands for The OPEC Fund for International Development. This foundation offers scholarship to those international stu... ...ime Minister Obuchi. He actually believed in â€Å"people building the next era†. This scholarship is to support innovative and imaginative post – graduate research in the areas of development. Eligibility: Any international candidates who have completed their bachelors’ or equivalent degree and must be a person of high intellectual promises are eligible. The candidate must be within the age of 40 years. Scholarship Amount: Between $ 6,000 and $ 10,000 in two or three installments How to Apply: All the candidates need to submit the application form along with the documents mentioned in the form before the deadline to the address â€Å"Fellowship Programme Section, UNESCO, 7, Place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07†. Also an advance copy may be sent by fax to 33.1.45.68.55.03. For more details visit: http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=14635&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Inner Peace- religion Essay

Analyse how the individual is guided towards acheiving inner peace in TWO religious traditions. (18/20)Inner peace is defined as an internal quality of calmness and security which puts the mind at ease and fills the adherent with a sense of tranquility and assurance. For adherents to Christianity and Islam, inner peace is an inevitable and hugely rewarding consequence of genuine faith. It is developed rather than striven for, through a unique combination of personal, communal, scriptural and doctrinal means. Christians believe that inner peace is obtained by being in a close relationship with God. This involves accepting the gift of love from God and accepting that grace is given and not earned. Christianity teaches God lives in the hearts of His people, all are made in His image and likeness, therefore Peace lies within. The Bible states: â€Å"Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God† (1 Peter 1:2). Christianity seeks to bring adherents to recognit ion; all who love God will gain peace, by living a life modeled after Jesus Christ. Essentially, faith in God instills within the adherent a sense of security and meaning conductive to the development of inner peace.The Christian tradition indicates the primary way of focusing inner peace and improving efforts at peacemaking is by returning to the Gospels and the sacred writings of Christianity. The reason for doing this is to renew the Christian’s knowledge and understanding of Jesus as the model peacemaker. Throughout the New Testament, Jesus’ teachings are echoed by recalling his words and actions: â€Å"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you† (John 14:27). The individual is guided toward inner peace through the Bible, which facilitates greater familiarity with the nature of God and acts as a source of practical, ethical and spiritual guidance. Christianity provides guidance for many forms of personal prayer using such means as scripture, writings from religious figures and various forms of meditation and contemplation. Centering prayer provides guidance for the Christian to go to their ‘inner’ place and there encounter God. This sustains the adherent in everyday life and contributes to a sense of peace and wellbeing. In being thankful and expressing gratitude to God, believers experience inner peace. The World Community for Christian Meditation proclaims: â€Å"Meditation and prayer is a practice that can bring peace, not only to individual meditators, but also to the whole world†.A significant means in which Christianity guides  adherents to find inner peace is through the concept of forgiveness. Jesus of Nazareth taught his disciples to pray:â€Å"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us† (Matthew 6:12). Through the death of Jesus, forgiveness is available to the repentant sinner, allowing them to have peace with God which is the very foundation of ‘inner peace’. Failure to forgive others leads to stored anger and resentment. The Protestant tradition places the emphasis on each person having the responsibility of speaking directly with God, who will grant absolution. It is the acceptance of the gift from God of forgiveness or wrongdoing which is the obtaining of inner peace for the Christian. Islam teaches that inner peace may only be found through complete submission to God’s will, which is primarily achieved by adherence to a prescribed set of guidelines for living. â€Å"In remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction† (Qur’an 13:28). Acceptance of the will of Allah not only removes the fear and anxiety about the future, but concentrating on God can protect humanity from being overwhelmed by all aspects of life such as greed and fear which destroy inner peace. Jihad is central to this life of submission. Greater Jihad is the concept relating to the ongoing struggle to make oneself and one’s community ‘ perfectly’ Muslim. It embodies peace on a personal level, working through the individual and their role in the community.Inner peace is only possible when the Five Pillars are lived in faithful obedience to God’s will. Obligatory prayers, known as Salat, remind Muslims of Allah’s closeness to them. The Qur’an states: â€Å"Perform the prayer for my remembrance† (Qur’an 20:40). Attention is drawn repeatedly to Allah, marginalizing earthly distraction in order to devote more fully to the divine. Sawm or fasting, reminds participants of those who do not have enough to eat or difficulty living. In being reminded on these things, Muslims are reminded to place too much importance on material goods. They are reminded to place their trust in God for provision of food, which can help them to achieve inner peace. Hajj involves the spiritual, mental and physical journey from one’s normal place of living to Makkah. In the midst of a million pilgrims, the individual Muslim experiences the inner peace of the Ummah. Sufism is an Islamic theology that began to develop in the first century of Islam. Sufism stresses that the traveler on the spiritual path must first abandon himself or herself to the will of God and then only will God’s peace enter their heart. A frequent  Sufi proclamation is: â€Å"There will be no peace until there is inner peace†. The Australian Centre for Sufism and Irfanic Studies offers courses in spiritual development and Sufi psychology that aim to bring people closer to God and inner peace. One of the centre’s aims is to make people more aware that self-centeredness can be a barrier to spiritual enlightenment.Therefore, the religious traditions of Christianity and Islam present several means in guiding the individual to achieve inner peace. It is through the belief systems, actions and thoughts of these religious traditions, that those individual adherents can learn how to achieve inner peace and develop an understanding of peace so that it may be en acted.

Olympic Games Ap World Dbq

Will someone check and grade my essay for me please! The Olympic Games There are many factors that shape the modern Olympic movement from 1892 to 2002. The original reason was so people of many people of different races, religions, or genders could come together and compete against each other in various competitions. The Olympics first started in 776 B. C. E. but ended 393 C. E. they later started back up in 1892, but it was a bit different than before. Today, many of the factors that shaped the Olympics reflect what has changed and what has taken place since the last games.Some examples would have to do with women, the economy, and world wars and other region battles. From 1892 to 2002, things kept changing around for women. In document 2 you could see that from the year 1908, only 2% of the Olympic athletes are women, the other 98% are all male. Those 2% of women were also wearing full clothing; the only skin that was allowed to be shown was their face and hands. From document 8 in 1992, 29% of the athletes were women, this time most of them were able to show off their bodies and not wear as much clothing.The big difference in the percentage of women competing in the Olympics and the amount of clothing they wear shows a good reflection in the transformation of women’s rights in the Olympics. Another reflection of the Olympics is the state of the economy. If you read document 5, it talks about a major from Japan wanted the 1964 games to be held in his country. Ryutaro Azuma wanted the games to be held in Tokyo because he believed that it would help the economy and the trades in Japan get stronger.It worked well and in document 7 you can see that Japan is one of the countries, as well as the United States, that gets selected to be one of nine of the sponsors for the 1988 Olympic Games. To be able to become a sponsor, your country has to be able to avail itself of an opportunity to display its industrial and economic power to a worldwide televised audienc e. The author of the journal that wrote document 7 believed that becoming a sponsor would bring your country a lot of money. In document 9, it shows that more and more money is being spent on the media for the Olympics.These documents show that a factor of the Olympics is earning money for your country; Japan proves it and raised the economy and its trade power during the Olympic Games. In the 1940s, World War II happened, which is right in the middle of the time period of these documents. The war dealt mainly with the Nazis and the Americans. Being that both Germany and the United states were in the war, both countries felt like that had to win it all to show a dominance for their government and to prove who had the better athletes.Documents 3 and 4 both are point of views from capitalists; but in document 3 it shows how the Nazis felt about things. They had the Olympic Games held at home and they wanted to win it. In a ski race, they wanted to prove that Nazism was the best Democr acy. The downhill course was closed for practices before the race, but apparently Nazis practiced the course without anyone knowing. The Olympics were shaped as hateful things between the two nations, and they both clearly wanted something to prove. In document 4, instead of the Nazis being the enemy in the Olympics, it was the Soviets.In the 1952 games, the United States team felt a lot of pressure because of the soviet team. It was during the Cold War and they felt like they just had to beat the Soviet team, whether they were good or bad, they felt they had to. In documents 1, 6, and 10, the people writing the documents wanted to show the whole world was these athletes are capable of. Pierre de Coubertin from document 1 felt that the Olympics should be used for a time of peace and friendship between other nations. In document 6, it talks about how the Soviets had a really bad reputation as communists.The Olympic committee wanted the Soviet Union to be more peaceful and democratic. Document 10 deals with the feelings of a new nation that thinks they are as capable as the nation they broke away from in competing in the Olympics. Pakistan wanted to break off from India and become nationalists, they felt that they would be able to compete in the Olympics and do just as well as the India. In the 1956 Olympics, the men’s field hockey team finished second to its rivals from India, but greatly won their first gold medal in 1960. Unfortunately, the national team is not nearly as good as they were back then.To conclude, the Olympic Games have satisfied many goals from countries. The Olympics brought many people together and it eventually created peace in the world. If people closely studied the Olympic Games after reading those 10 documents, you could see that they have caused some problems in the world, but most of the good things out weigh the bad things with the Olympics. Many global events factored out and shaped the modern Olympic movement from 1892 to 200 2, and they reflected the great well beings of the physical competition in it.

Free Essays on Mythology Short Story

For ages man has looked up at the Moon with wonder in his mind. Why does the Moon exist? Why hasn’t the Moon come crashing into the Earth and destroyed us all? While these questions have been answered by modern ideals and science, I will tell you the real reason the Moon exists. Long ago when the world was just spec of dust in the universe, and life had not found its way to the planet, a great struggle occurred between the two most powerful gods, Sunubious and his smaller brother Moonous. Sunubious was the creator of the world, and between the two of the planned to rule over all life for all time. Sunubious had started the creation by creating powerful immortals to form the Earth. He shot down powerful flames of all colors to help him make the Earth. These colors turned into several lesser gods. The blue flame was responsible for creating great oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, ponds and all the life that would reside in them. The red flame had to create the rock and lava that made up the surface of the Earth. Next, he sent down the green flame or Natures flame. She began to make trees and other vegetation grow from the earth. She also formed all the different landscapes that make the different ecosystems on the earth. Sunubious had ordered her to make t he entire world the same, but she openly defied the great god. Before Sunubious could send down the white flame, the flame of creation, he had to decide where to create life. His original plan was to have all kinds of life all over the world, but since natures flame had defied him, he was stuck in an awkward position. He consulted his younger brother Moonous, who had not grown his mighty flames and was thus still a young god. Moonous was very clever and not the most trustworthy of siblings. When Sunubious asked for his help he quickly agreed. Moonous told Sunubious that life could be created anywhere, since he was such a powerful god any life he creates will be able to ... Free Essays on Mythology Short Story Free Essays on Mythology Short Story For ages man has looked up at the Moon with wonder in his mind. Why does the Moon exist? Why hasn’t the Moon come crashing into the Earth and destroyed us all? While these questions have been answered by modern ideals and science, I will tell you the real reason the Moon exists. Long ago when the world was just spec of dust in the universe, and life had not found its way to the planet, a great struggle occurred between the two most powerful gods, Sunubious and his smaller brother Moonous. Sunubious was the creator of the world, and between the two of the planned to rule over all life for all time. Sunubious had started the creation by creating powerful immortals to form the Earth. He shot down powerful flames of all colors to help him make the Earth. These colors turned into several lesser gods. The blue flame was responsible for creating great oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, ponds and all the life that would reside in them. The red flame had to create the rock and lava that made up the surface of the Earth. Next, he sent down the green flame or Natures flame. She began to make trees and other vegetation grow from the earth. She also formed all the different landscapes that make the different ecosystems on the earth. Sunubious had ordered her to make t he entire world the same, but she openly defied the great god. Before Sunubious could send down the white flame, the flame of creation, he had to decide where to create life. His original plan was to have all kinds of life all over the world, but since natures flame had defied him, he was stuck in an awkward position. He consulted his younger brother Moonous, who had not grown his mighty flames and was thus still a young god. Moonous was very clever and not the most trustworthy of siblings. When Sunubious asked for his help he quickly agreed. Moonous told Sunubious that life could be created anywhere, since he was such a powerful god any life he creates will be able to ...

lasers essays

lasers essays Laser stands for Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Lasers work by producing an intense beam of bright light that travels in one direction. The laser has the unique ability to produce one specific color or wavelength of light, which can be varied in its intensity and pulse duration. The newest laser systems have become remarkably precise and selective, allowing treatment results and safety levels not previously available. All lasers contain an energized substance that can increase the intensity of light that passes through it. This substance is called the amplifying medium and it can be a solid, a liquid or a gas. Einstein can be considered as the father of the laser. 80 years ago he postulated photons and stimulated emission and won the Nobel Prize for related research on the photoelectric effect. This section discusses the historical evolution from microwave lasers to optical lasers and finally to x-ray lasers and lasers discovered in space. Some theorists were on the right track, especially Planck, who proposed that nature acted by using "quanta" of energy. But it was the young, unknown Albert Einstein who explained everything and started the field of quantum mechanics with his paper on the photoelectric effect. Einstein showed that light does not consist of continuous waves, nor of small, hard particles. Instead, it exists as bundles of wave energy called photons. Each photon has an energy that corresponds to the frequency of the waves in the bundle. The higher the frequency (the bluer the color), the greater the energy carried by that bundle. Einstein's Nobel Prize was not awarded for either one of his relativity theories - the Nobel Committee thought them too speculative at the time. Rather Einstein won the prize for explaining the photoelectric effect. Two of Einstein's 1905 papers were on the theory of atoms and molecules, yet there were still many scientists in 1905 who did not believe in atoms ...

3 Sentences That Confuse Instead of Explain

3 Sentences That Confuse Instead of Explain 3 Sentences That Confuse Instead of Explain 3 Sentences That Confuse Instead of Explain By Mark Nichol In each of the following sentences, the manner in which the statement is constructed hinders rather than aids comprehension. In each example, discussion describes the problem, and a revision provides a solution. 1. To what extent are you expected to know your customers, a term that refers to identifying and validating client identity? â€Å"Know your customers† is referenced in this sentence as a concept, not as a term for a concept, so the definition of the implied term should be set off as an entirely distinct parenthetical (perhaps even defined in a footnote): â€Å"To what extent are you expected to know your customers? (The phrase ‘know your customer’ refers to identifying and validating client identity.)† Alternatively, to avoid the issue, revise to something like â€Å"To what extent are you expected to adhere to the know-your-customer principle, which pertains to identifying and validating client identity?† 2. Supervising flight operations in the control car or gondola, Pruss ordered the Hindenburg back down the Jersey Shore coastline. The location of the person supervising flight operations is described as â€Å"the control car or gondola,† but there are two problems with this description. First, the phrase includes two alternate names for a single location, but it is incorrectly uninterrupted by parenthetical punctuation, suggesting that the entire phrase represents a single term. Second, why use the more familiar term followed by a more technical one? Doing so in that order renders the latter superfluous. Better to introduce the less well-known term, followed by the first term as a helpful parenthetical gloss: â€Å"Supervising flight operations in the gondola, or control car, Pruss ordered the Hindenburg back down the Jersey Shore coastline.† 3. The EPA’s regulatory reform task force’s pending 30-day public comment period is intended to gather such input. Avoid stacking two possessive constructions in sequence. Here, the first possessive can easily be converted to an adjective: â€Å"The EPA regulatory reform task force’s pending 30-day public comment period is intended to gather such input.† Better yet, however, reorder the sentence to eliminate one apostrophized term: â€Å"The pending 30-day public comment period established by the EPA’s regulatory reform task force is intended to gather such input.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:75 Contronyms (Words with Contradictory Meanings)8 Writing Tips for BeginnersMay Have vs. Might Have

Connection Between Human and Nature Research Paper

Connection Between Human and Nature - Research Paper Example However, over the years, this connection between man and nature is seen to have been steadily dwindling as a result of scientific and technological innovation. Humans in some degree are trying to segregate and themselves from nature either through alternative ways of satisfying his or her basic needs. Personally, I ascribe to the school of thought that advances the theory that humans are part of nature and that a connection between the two exists. However, other schools of thought advance the theory that humans are only God’s creation and do not have any connection with other animals or nature at large. For this reason, I am motivated to attempt and create artistic impressions that communicate, support and will be able to remind the whole universe how important our connection with nature is, especially in these times of persistent natural disasters. Almost each and everyone living human being depend on nature by consuming the products of nature for survival. For instance, in m y culture, an essential or staple food for humans is rice which is a product of nature which keeps people of my culture connected to nature. I will utilize rice and its various characteristics in an artistic way to try and illustrate the connection humans have with nature. In addition, I will also investigate works by other prominent contemporary and historical artists that have illustrated in one way or the other, the connection between humans and nature. Discussion One day as I sat in my room looking at my roommate who spends almost all his days and nights seated on a chair playing computer games and consuming un-natural junk food, and barely steps out of the room, an inkling struck me. Is there a connection between humans and nature? How does this relationship between human and nature work? I decided that I would use art to visualize my thoughts regarding the connection between human and nature. To do this, I chose to use rice since coming from South Korea where rice is the stapl e food consumed by almost every Korean on a daily basis, it indicates the existence of the connection between human and nature even if one is living in a city. In my artwork, I use rice to represent people. According to my understanding of nature, there are three different kinds of people. There are those people like my roommate who cannot live without technology whose only true connection with nature is food. However, this group of person depend on a lot of junk food which are in some way unnatural and thus their connection to nature is very weak. In my artwork, I use whole white rice to represent this group of persons. The other group of people are those who live in towns or cities and depend on technology too, but still want to reconnect with nature through the type foods they consume or their environment. This group I represent using half white and half brown rice. The third group of people are those native people living in jungles or in natural environments and wholesomely depe nding on nature for their survival. I represent this group of people with whole brown rice. Why white and brown? Rice is naturally brown when it is first harvested. As it is being refined, it becomes whiter. This in relation to humans and nature, before the advent of civilization, humans wholly depended on nature for everything. With time, and through science and technology, this dependence and connection have gradually diminished. Therefore, using brown to represent people who are still connected to nature, and white for those who

Marketing Research Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing Research Report - Essay Example Other than this, in order to analyse the problem, secondary research methods are used so as to evaluate the findings of the problems. Table of Contents Executive summary 2 Introduction and Problem Definition 4 Research Method and limitations 5 Research findings 10 Conclusion and Recommendation 12 References 13 Introduction and Problem Definition The Reliance group is recognised as one of the most reputed and largest private sector enterprise. It is established by Dhirubhai H. Ambani in the year 1932. Being headquartered in the city of Mumbai in Maharashtra, it performs its operations in the entire world. Moreover, Reliance group also enjoys dominance in varied segments such as oil and gas, petroleum, refinery, textiles, retailing, telecommunications and many others. As a result, it is regarded as one of the Fortune Global 500 companies among many others. This acted as a boon for the group thereby enhancing its profitability and brand image to a sky-soaring height. And it also amplifi ed the equity and market share of varied segments in an effective way. The corporate issue viewed in the organizations of Reliance is corporate social responsibility (CSR). It is described as one of the most important concept that reveals continuous commitment of the organizations towards the shareholders, employees, customers and stakeholders. Moreover, according to this concept the organizational members always tries to behave ethically that might enhance the economic condition and well-being of the society. Not only this, corporate social responsibility also aims to offer qualitative life and working environment to the workforces so as to improve their performance and productivity. However, in order to analyse the problem of corporate social responsibility within Reliance group, secondary research methods are used such as newspaper reports, journals and magazines. By doing so, the management of Reliance group might reduce the troubles of the employees and their families along wit h the citizens hereby amplifying their profit margin and reputation. Other than this, it might also help the organization in amplifying its productivity and sustainability in the global market among others. Thus, it might be depicted that, the prime objective of performing secondary research is to identify the corporate issue (CSR) and its solutions in an effective way. So that it might enhance the performance of the organization of Reliance in global perspectives among others. This report is divided in four phases. The first phase describes a brief overview about the corporate of Reliance along with the depiction of an ethical issue (corporate social responsibility) within the organization. The next phase includes a description of the research methods and process used to detect and analyse the impacts and consequences of the issues of CSR over the organization of Reliance along with the limitations of the selected research design method. Apart from this, the third part consists of the research findings so as to detect, whether it proved effective for the organization of Reliance or not. And finally the last part comprises of the conclusion and recommendation for further improvement of the organization in long run. Research Method and limitations According to Visser & et. al. (2010), research is the process used to evaluate and explore the underlining causes for any specific problem within an organization. By doing so, the defaults or defects of the organizati

Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man - Essay Example Because he is black, the narrator automatically finds himself straddling racial barriers and prejudices yet he only begins to realize how he is regarded through the divisions of the equal rights movement by recognizing that he himself is "both sacrificer and victim." (p. 506). This description is apt for every social circle that has accepted him, for the narrator has either been a tool or a symbol in each instance; whether the gathering is white or black, the narrator is never a full member of any group, but only included until sacrificed in the interest of the group. Ellison reinforces this notion that the narrator is "a disembodied voice" (p. 581) by never offering any real description of him to the point of never even giving the character a name, even when it is changed. The narrator at one point ruminates about his history of humiliations, observing that "They were me; they defined me." (p. 508). Working form this basis, the narrator's degree of invisibility can therefore also be measured by them and, since they hinge upon racial issues, a closer examination of these instances and the people involved underscore the narrator's ultimate lesson. Likewise, the narrator is not the only "invisible character in the book, given that it applies to an outsider's view of another he is just the only one in the novel that suspects the enormity of the injustice. This paper will attempt to examine both these issues.. The racial strata are divided into four rough categories: bigoted whites, whites sympathetic to the black cause, blacks who seek to achieve solidarity across racial lines (equality with whites), and blacks seeking to uplift/aid their race without the help (or interference) of whites. The first and last tend to believe the absolute worst stereotypes about the other race, while the border categories are often to blinded by their intentions to realize the full ramifications of their actions. The most extreme case of bigoted whites occurs in the scene of the battle royal, where the prominent whites of the narrator's hometown gather to witness a cruel brawl. The narrator, invited to give a speech, is instead forced to box nine other men black men, all of them blindfolded. The fighter are paid after the fight with money scattered across an electrified rug and they must get repeatedly shocked in order to get their reward. When the narrator is finally allowed to deliver his speech, which in cludes such platitudes as "cultivating friendly relations with the southern white man" (p.30), under constant heckling form the audience, which results in his accidentally inserting the phrase "social equality." By assuring the crowd that it is a verbal slip, he is allowed to finish his speech and is rewarded with a briefcase and a scholarship to college. In this scene, the narrator and his peers are essentially invisible as individuals to the white gathering, who in turn allow their hatred and prejudices to erase their own identity. Both groups then become faceless and unidentifiable other than by the color of their skin. Yet is the white gathering who are evidently in control, for, not only do they demean the black men, they reward the blacks only for adhering to the expected social order what

Airline Industry Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Airline Industry - Dissertation Example Cost of ASK (Available Seat Kilometres) An available seat kilometre in airlines is calculated by multiplying the total number of seats offered by an airline and the total distance flown by an airline (British Airways-a, 2010). The Available seat kilometres for British Airways was found to be 141178 in 2010 which represents a decline from its previous year figures of 148504 in 2009 (British Airways, 2010, p.128). The statistics for its competitors Emirates airlines states the corresponding figures at 161756 which represent a rise from its figures last year that was quoted at 134180 (Emirates Airlines, 2010, p.4). The low value of ASK for British Airways can be largely held accountable to the financial downturn which put a pressure on the profit and revenue margins of the firm. Emirates airlines owning to better fleet management and route optimisation generated a much better performance than its competitor British Airways. Revenue per RPK (Revenue Passenger Kilometres) Revenue passenge r kilometres (RPK) is calculated by multiplying the total number of revenue based passengers and the total air miles flown by the airline (British Airways-a, 2010). A good value of this statistic represents a healthy operational and financial aspect of the organization. The value of RPK for British Airways in 2010 was calculated at 110851 which represent a decline from its figures in the last year which was stated at 114346 in 2009 (British Airways, 2010, p.128). The slump in figures can be attributed to decline in the revenues per passenger as well as reduction in the total air miles flown due to route optimisation owning to pressures from the economic recession. The figures for Emirates airlines however show a distinct and definite opposite trend which is pegged at 126273 representing an improvement from its previous year’s figures of 101762 (Emirates Airlines, 2010, p.123). BELF (Break Even Load Factor) Break Even Load Factor or BELF is a value term expressed in percentage that represents a scenario in which revenues and operating costs become equal. This factor has different values for different flights and includes aspects like seasonal fluctuations and is largely based on the dynamics of demand and supply in the market (Radnoti, 2002, p.99). The Break Even Load Factor for British Airways was found to be 78.5 percent which represents a rise by about 1.5 percent from its figures in the last year. This was mainly reported due to a reduction in revenue from passengers by about 10.9 percent from the previous year (British Airways, 2010, p.16). The Break Even Load Factor for its competitor Emirates Airlines was found to be 64.4 percent which again represents a rise by about 0.3 percent from its corresponding figure quoted last year (Emirates Airlines, 2010, p.123). The major reason for this trend is accountable to the large scale dip in demand for air travel by business as well as individual passengers which was due to the reduction of disposable income and decline in profit margins of the other business travellers. The advent of low cost airlines has also led to a reduction in the

African cinema is a film world in search of a constituency and a Essay

African cinema is a film world in search of a constituency and a community, and it realises that it is potentially a borderless cinema - John Akomfrah (Givanni, 1995, 36) Discuss - Essay Example This is primarily the ground why J. Akomfrah claims that a sense of community and constituency are continuously yearned for by the borderless cinematic endeavor of an African film industry traditionally inclined to bring to exhibition various aspects of living especially the scenes at the wild, life under poverty, or tribal struggles across the vastness of an African land. The 1975 Algiers Charter on African Cinema placed emphasis on the need of the film to communicate the cultural identity of the people of Africa and develop this goal for the viewers to achieve a more sensible understanding of a Nigerian culture. New African cinematographers have come up with a serious objective of informing and educating the public, knowing how powerful a film is in delivering crucial expressions of African way of life in a simplified approach that may be comprehended by the majority whether educated or uneducated (The Algiers, 1975). In 1973, Djibril Diop Mambà ©ty directed â€Å"Touki Bouki† which is a movie about the meeting of a cowherd Mory and a university student Anta who seem estranged to their places of origin, Senegal and Africa, that they decided to consider travelling to Paris for a change of fate though this would entail fraudulent job of satisfying a monetary requirement. One may particularly note the significance of adventure for an African life in this film yet the context from which it sheds light toward conflict resolution is different from the perspective of the film â€Å"Yeelen† after the direction of Souleymane Cissà © in 1987. Yeelen demonstrates a personal conquest of a young warrior who possesses powers of magic and summons his other relative in combat against a sorcerer who happens to be his own father. Despite the amply differing themes of these two films, both reflect a necessary quest for settlement in favor of the situations that fit each character. On the other hand, Idrissa

Airline Industry Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Airline Industry - Dissertation Example Cost of ASK (Available Seat Kilometres) An available seat kilometre in airlines is calculated by multiplying the total number of seats offered by an airline and the total distance flown by an airline (British Airways-a, 2010). The Available seat kilometres for British Airways was found to be 141178 in 2010 which represents a decline from its previous year figures of 148504 in 2009 (British Airways, 2010, p.128). The statistics for its competitors Emirates airlines states the corresponding figures at 161756 which represent a rise from its figures last year that was quoted at 134180 (Emirates Airlines, 2010, p.4). The low value of ASK for British Airways can be largely held accountable to the financial downturn which put a pressure on the profit and revenue margins of the firm. Emirates airlines owning to better fleet management and route optimisation generated a much better performance than its competitor British Airways. Revenue per RPK (Revenue Passenger Kilometres) Revenue passenge r kilometres (RPK) is calculated by multiplying the total number of revenue based passengers and the total air miles flown by the airline (British Airways-a, 2010). A good value of this statistic represents a healthy operational and financial aspect of the organization. The value of RPK for British Airways in 2010 was calculated at 110851 which represent a decline from its figures in the last year which was stated at 114346 in 2009 (British Airways, 2010, p.128). The slump in figures can be attributed to decline in the revenues per passenger as well as reduction in the total air miles flown due to route optimisation owning to pressures from the economic recession. The figures for Emirates airlines however show a distinct and definite opposite trend which is pegged at 126273 representing an improvement from its previous year’s figures of 101762 (Emirates Airlines, 2010, p.123). BELF (Break Even Load Factor) Break Even Load Factor or BELF is a value term expressed in percentage that represents a scenario in which revenues and operating costs become equal. This factor has different values for different flights and includes aspects like seasonal fluctuations and is largely based on the dynamics of demand and supply in the market (Radnoti, 2002, p.99). The Break Even Load Factor for British Airways was found to be 78.5 percent which represents a rise by about 1.5 percent from its figures in the last year. This was mainly reported due to a reduction in revenue from passengers by about 10.9 percent from the previous year (British Airways, 2010, p.16). The Break Even Load Factor for its competitor Emirates Airlines was found to be 64.4 percent which again represents a rise by about 0.3 percent from its corresponding figure quoted last year (Emirates Airlines, 2010, p.123). The major reason for this trend is accountable to the large scale dip in demand for air travel by business as well as individual passengers which was due to the reduction of disposable income and decline in profit margins of the other business travellers. The advent of low cost airlines has also led to a reduction in the

Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Case - Essay Example lifications: a manifestation of exemplary expertise on the governance of all functional responsibilities, including planning, organizing, directing and controlling relevant operational facets of the River Woods plant; possessing considerable charismatic power through exemplifying attractiveness in physical traits, behavior and interpersonal skills, to enable the new manager to effectively influence the subordinates; must have the ability, commitment and determination to do whatever it takes to possible get the identified plant objectives done; and must possess the appropriate ethical, moral and legal value system to perform within organizational policies and adhering to the expected code of conduct. The new plant manager should possess these qualifications, pursuant to the sources of personal power. Since the responsibilities and accountabilities follow a decentralized management structure where significant reliance on personal power would be instrumental in the success of the plant and that of the overall achievement of organizational goals, the ideal candidate should possess a holistic personality with exemplary academic and work experience, in conjunction with leadership skills that would enable him to lead and influence his subordinates to achieve the defined objectives. By looking at qualities that address expertise, attractiveness, positive behavior, and effort, the potential candidate for the position would surely be manifest traits and personal qualities that are needed to perform the responsibilities expected as the plant manager of River

Business coursework; Fish and Chip shop (Burnham high street) Essay Example for Free

Business coursework; Fish and Chip shop (Burnham high street) Essay Introduction I am doing an investigation on a small local business to identify ways that it could be improved and what the business is doing wrong at the moment that is preventing it from making the progress that it could make. The local shop that I chose was the fish and chip in Burnham high street, SeaWorld. I chose this shop because I am a fan of seafood and when I go into a seafood place I expect to find many items that are actually seafood but normally they have different varieties of food but rarely any seafood. They normally have kebabs, chips, burgers, but chips are a necessity with fish. Preparation We started off making our individual surveys for both customers and workers and chose the best survey to be printed out. We also were planning on tasting the food in SeaWorld as well to see how good the product was. We thought of the types of shop that would be competitors. What we did For our research we had about an hour to go to the fish and chip shop in Burnham high street, but unfortunately SeaWorld was closed so we decided that some of us would take out the surveys on the public while the other group would see how the point of sale looked and find anything wrong with it. There were quite a few surveys done, and we managed to figure out some problems with the point of sale. Luckily there was a worker inside SeaWorld who did not mind us asking questions about his workplace. I think that we had taken a few surveys of people who go there regularly, but would have liked to see how the business was when it was open. Things like how many people go there, what there menu was, how well priced the food was, what majority of the regular customers thought of the seafood shop. We also looked out for competitors and how accessible their shops are, how their shops looked and how close they are to SeaWorld. Place SeaWorld is in Burnham high street and because it is quite a small high street even a small number of competitors would be a problem. There arent any seafood restaurants or seafood take-away as such in Burnham high street but there are cafes and fast food shops and there is a seafood shop in Burnham. These are also competitors because if people go into these shops it can pose a threat to the business of SeaWorld by reducing its market share. The other issue with the place is how easy it is for the customers to access the shop in terms of parking, distance and is there a contact number so they can order over the phone? The restaurant has a telephone number next to the restaurants name which is convenient for the customers and the business because it wont be crowded so they will have enough seats but they will still be getting the sales and revenue. The first take- away or restaurant that you see when you enter the high street from hog fair lane is SeaWorld which means that for ease of access and to save time people will go here. Therefore I think that the place that the seafood shop is not bad, but the look of the point of sale from the inside and outside needs to change. It needs to be re-painted and the inside needs to be looking more spacious to attract more customers. Product I did not have the opportunity to get a good look at their menu because at the time they were not open, but from what I saw there was a range of fried and battered fish food, chips and drinks which is what their customers would expect and this makes them look good. There was a problem though which was that on the outside of the shop there was a label that said kebabs that is something that you wouldnt expect in a fish and chip shop and I dont know if they do sell kebabs but if they didnt then that would be misleading the customers which would be irritating for them and they could potentially lose customers. If they did have kebabs then it would be inappropriate. Price I was not able to ask or look at the prices that they had for their food but the price needs to be below five pounds for each product and above a pound. If the products are priced too highly customers would not buy from that shop and if it was too low then they will be at a loss and will not be able to run efficiently. Theoretically the lower the price the more demand there is for that product, but you also need to balance between charging high enough to cover costs but low enough to keep the customers buying. Sometimes even if the prices are high the demand still remains the same, this is because things like customer service is good and the product also should be better than others. For the seafood shop it means that they need to be friendly to customers, deliver orders on time and put the customers needs and requests first. Promotion Walking along Burnham high street I did not see any form of promotion for the seafood shop. This is one of the crucial factors of getting a small business to succeed. If people do not know where you are or even if you exist then how will you get more customers? The seafood shop does not even have a website which means that it makes it harder for people find out about such a shop. The locals around Burnham high street might know about the shop but not many other people will. Therefore they need to find a form of promotion that will allow them to be known but not too expensive either. Picking the promotion The ways of promotion best for SeaWorld is through leaflets through letter boxes, this is a form of promotion suited to this business because it will be spread throughout the local area, because people from other areas are not going to travel a long way just to get to SeaWorld and it is not that expensive. The down side to leaflets is that it is often seen as junk and discarded, so it has a low success rate and you would need to find someone to hand them out or put them in letterboxes this means they need to pay that person as well. Another way that is cheap and affordable is advertising in the local newspaper, this would reach a wide local audience and there is only the cost of publishing it in the newspaper. The size of the advert can be adjusted so that it fits the budget of the seafood shop, but to get a large sized advert that is well designed it may be expensive. Another promotion that is totally free, very reliable and trustworthy is customer word-of-mouth recommendation; this is when customers recommend the shop to family and friends. When it is recommended by family and friends people trust that it is a good shop and go there, but it is the customers choice to do it and you cannot control it. You can aid this by providing excellent customer service, good value for money and good standard of food. A good thing to advertise is offers like buy one get one half price or tokens on newspaper or leaflets that have good offers which they can claim. Offers for a meal are actually cheaper than buying them all individually so it encourages customers to buy more and they would chose a place that has offers on food to one that does not. Loyalty cards are also a good incentive to get new customers and keep existing customers to come back for more and this would increase sales because a certain number of purchases would get them a reward, which is normally more food. Frequent customers would feel angry that they do not get discounts or complimentary food. Survey of worker We did a questionnaire on the worker about the Seafood shop, and working conditions and he seems to be very positive about working there, but from how he spoke we realised that he was being bias so we cannot really trust everything that he said. He said that it was a good environment to work in and that the working conditions were good. The environment would be good because it would be busy. The workers seem happy and motivated therefore I would expect the customer service to be good as well and the food to be of a good standard. I asked what kinds of fringe benefits or monetary benefits they get but it seemed that he did not get any. The staff cannot be kept well motivated for long without any benefits. The owners can make the staff more motivated by giving monetary benefits at first and then fringe benefits. At first they would find that money is what they need and will be motivated when money is at the other end and it will be cheaper to give small monetary benefits than fringe benefits. When the business grows it can afford fringe benefits and the workers need benefits other than money to motivate them. The easiest fringe benefit could be a discount on the food in the fish and chip shop, or free lunch for the workers. To keep them well motivated there needs to be a better fringe benefit that they will get for working well or achieving a target number of sales.

Economic Downturn Effects On The Uk Hotel Industry Economics Essay

Economic Downturn Effects On The Uk Hotel Industry Economics Essay The UK hotel industry, as well as the hotel industry world wide, has been hit hard by the recession which started at the end of 2007 and is predicted by many to last until at least 2010. In the course of a few months the UKs economy has gone from boom to crisis and by early 2009 the attitudes and beliefs of consumers and businesses in the marketplace had altered radically from previous optimism (Mintel Reforecasts 2009 [online]). Prior to the credit crunch which commenced in August 2007 when the European Central Bank and the US Federal Reserve put  £45bn into the financial markets (Elliott 2008 [online]), Europe, the USA and the UK were enjoying an economic boom with rising house prices and high consumer confidence (Budworth 2008 [online]). Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose to  £381,565 Million in 2007, and household disposable income per capita to  £14,321 in the same year (Key Note 2008, p. 18). During these boom years, lending was high and borrowers able to raise large sums of money due to relaxed lending restrictions by banks. Individuals whose circumstances would have at one time barred them from borrowing were allowed to access many times their salary (Budworth 2008 [online]). Debts secured upon property were sold on to investors. Property prices thus became vastly inflated creating a bubble which burst when borrowers started to default on their loans and the value of the investments therefore fel l heavily. The huge losses by the banks leading to the collapse of Lehman Brothers in the US and the near collapse of Northern Rock in the UK meant that lending became much more difficult and banks stricter about who they lend money to. (Budworth 2008 [online]). The resulting shortage of funds due to fears about lending and lack of loans has led to a downturn in the economy, falling house prices and increasing unemployment with many firms going out of business altogether and many more making drastic savings (Budworth 2008 [online]). Further consequences include a vast increase in public spending which is predicted to take years to pay off, a predicted rise in unemployment (by the British Chamber of Commerce) to 3.2 million, wage freezes or cuts and massive job losses (The Economy News 2009 [online]). The collapse in available credit started in the USA but in these days of global trading the implications were soon felt around the world with the UK quickly facing problems. Germany, Fr ance and Italy the three largest economies in the Eurozone were officially in recession by late 2008, and others rapidly followed suit. Both Spain and Ireland have witnessed a housing bubble burst and contraction in wider economic activity (Foresight 2008, p. 7). 2.2 The Pound Against the Euro and Dollar One factor that complicates the situation somewhat is the pounds weak status against the Euro and Dollar. Sterling has lost value rapidly over the last year or so. In July 2008, one pound would still buy $2, but by November 2008 it was worth only $1.48, the lowest point for 6 years. Similarly at one point  £1 was almost equal in value to 1 Euro. While this is bad news for people buying goods or traveling outside the UK, it also means that UK goods and services become more attractively priced from the point of view of Eurozone or USA travellers (OGrady 2008 [Online]). Specifically, hotels in the UK will appear relatively cheaper since this fall in the value of sterling, and hence more attractive to inbound travellers and tourists. At the same time, it means it is less attractive for the UK holidaymaker to travel to the Eurzone or USA, and more attractive to stay at home. 3. Hotel Industry Background 3.1 Introduction The Growth Years to 2007 Hotel operators in the UK cater both to the corporate sector and consumer sector. Both are significant parts of their operations and both includes not just accommodation but also facilities such as meeting and conference rooms in the case of the corporate sector and add-on services like food and beverages for both sectors. The UK has been historically an important business destination with the growing importance of the London stock market and financial sector (Key Note 2008, p. 11). In the consumer sector most activity is accounted for by holidays and short breaks with a significant minority for wedding or party venues. The UK hotel market grew in 2008 to a value of  £11.5 billion, which is an increase of nearly 20% since 2002. This growth took place against the backdrop of a healthy worldwide economy with the global travel market recovering after the 2001 terrorist attacks (BMRC 2009, p.1). Factors influencing this growth were varied and included an increase in the number of tourists coming in to the UK in the years since 2002 and a diversification in the hotel market with increases in the budget sector as well as luxury brands. There was an increased call for upmarket brands as London in particular saw an increase in the ultra wealthy market sector for which money was no object (BMRC 2009, p.1). Other factors driving growth include the growth in internationalisation and global business, rises in disposable income, and the development of tourism from emerging economies such as former East Europe and India. The growth of the internet and online booking also paid a part as well as increased marketi ng by hoteliers (Key Note 2008 pp. 19-21). During 2008 this boom came to an end. The hotel industry was hit relatively late by the depression, and even during 2008 industry experts were proclaiming that the previous 12 months had been a time of overall growth (Cater Hotelkeeper 2009, p. 6). Occupancy rates were static in the first part of 2008, but then hotel transactions started to decline and during September 2008 occupancy fell steeply as did revenue per room (Cater Hotelkeeper 2009, p. 6). Further, developments for new hotels and improvements were cancelled and budgets reduced. 3.2 Strengths and Weaknesses of the UK Hotel Market A Key Note report identifies aspects of the UK hotel market influencing the vulnerablity or resilience to recession. On a positive note, the UK hotel market is a strong and sophisticated one with a wide range of different options to appeal to a range of different types of customer and including internationally recognised brands as well as smaller individual operators. Developments in technology and the increase of internet use over the last 10 years mean selecting and booking a trip is easier than ever before. The fact that most UK residents do not use hotels further offers an opportunity for growth, as does the potential for further increase in internet use. Restaurants attached to hotels and other such add on services provide further expansion potential. Finally, the UK is experiencing a growth in its older population, who have more time to travel. On the negative side, the hotel market is particularly vulnerable to an economic downturn as travel and trips are often seen as an area in which spending can be cut back. (Key Note 2008, pp. 48-50). Research also suggests that despite the apparently rosy outlook of the years immediately prior to 2008, the market had other issues to contend with even without recession. The long-stay leisure market (defined as those travellers staying away for five nights or more) has been in decline since 2004: the number of long-stay hotel rooms booked in 2008 was half that in 2006, at 11 million (BMRC 2009, p. 1). 4 The Impact of the Recession on the Hotel Industry in the UK: Specific Factors 4.1 Introduction This section looks at some of the factors which impact upon the Hotel industry, and why they are important. The messages are mixed. Some of the factors are detrimental to the industry while others have more positive impact. 4.1 Air Travel in Decline Although long-term growth in demand for air transport is projected, growth rates in the short to medium-term are likely to be affected by the general slowdown in the economy and by the rising cost of air travel. A market-wide study indicates that although long-term growth in demand for travel by air is expected, short to medium term projections are for negative growth in 2009 with the beginnings of recovery in 2010 (Key Note 2009, p. 10). This will have an impact upon the UK hotel market as there will be fewer travellers into the country. However, it should be bourne in mind that fewer UK holiday makers will want to holiday abroad due to financial considerations, thus boosting demand for hotels. 4.2 Collapse of the Property Market One of the hardest-hit sectors of the economy in the recession has been building as house prices have crashed and loans to finance building projects have dried up together with the market for the finished product. The UK enjoyed some of the highest periods of growth of house and other building prices, and the construction industry has been particularly badly hit by the latest recession. Developers are unable to access credit to fund large scale building schemes, so many hotel projects have been stalled (Blitz 2009 [online]). Aside from new developments, hotel owners who are unable to access further credit are also finding things more difficult. While larger operators and branded chains are able to look to the medium and long-term, over which a boom for hotel and travel are predicted due to emerging markets, smaller operators have less access to the resources which will see them through the next couple of years (Blitz 2009 [online]). The domestic travel area offers some possible positives for the industry as a whole. It is arguably the case that tourism and the hotel industry in the UK are better placed to withstand the results of a recession than either other industries or other holiday destinations. The reputation of the UK as a whole is very strong as a destination, as is that of England in particular.A 2008 survey by Visit Britain of 614 respondents based in the UK who regularly take short breaks reported that 9 out of 10 people consider England when choosing a short break. The branding of England has improved over the course of this tracker study, 58% of respondents say it is their favourite holiday destination considered. It is considered easy to get around and seen as having beautiful scenery (Visit Britain 2008, p.2). Short breaks account for almost 2/3 of breaks taken in the UK, so these findings are significant for the industry as a whole. (Bainbridge 2009, p. 1). Another consideration is the rising concern with being green and the impact of frequent air travel on the environment (Bainbridge 2009, p. 1). Consumers who want to reduce their carbon footprint and impact upon the environment are increasingly opting to stay within the UK (Bainbridge 2009, p. 1). What Bainbridge does not highlight, however, is that the new concern for green issues is not completely beneficial. Tourists from overseas will be equally concerned to cut their travel abroad, so this could also reduce inbound tourism into the UK. Research is conflicting with some showing that interest in saving the environment is fairly low priority for the majority of consumers and other studies confirming the idea that green issues will become increasingly important (Key Note 2009, p. 49). Hoseasons, the self-catering leader, also take this view, claiming that more people are choosing to holiday in the UK because of a demand for a green and alternative to flying abroad. Similarly, the fer ry lines entered 2008 assuming that demand would increase for their services as a greener alternative (Key Note 2009, p. 49). The UK has the most expensive rates for hotels in Europe, and average prices rose by 12% in 2007 to an average of just over  £100 per night. Londons exceptionally expensive rates influence this figure (Key Note 2009, p. 50). Against this background, and bearing in mind the recession, a move towards increasing the number of budget hotels seems inevitable. Previous expansion in the hotel industry has concentrated on the luxury end of the market with the growth of boutique hotels and the interest in catering to the super-rich. While this seems unfortunate given the recession, it is not obviously a bad strategy as historically the luxury market has been shown to reflect the economy more slowly than the rest of the market. (Key Note 2009, p. 92) In October 2007, Marriott estimated the growth in revenue per available room at between 5% and 7% in 2008; however, by May 2008, this had been revised to between 3% and 5%. As clients reduce their spending, it is likely that over-supply will be seen in the market and this will lead to some brand rationalisation (Key Note 2009, p. 92). One predicable result of the recession is to increase interest in budget holidays and cheaper hotels. The Visit Britain survey of UK residents who take short breaks reported in March 2008 that price had now overtaken other factors in choosing where to stay (Visit Britain 2008, p.2). This is likely to increase as the UK moves deeper into recession. The budget hotel market was under development even before the recession set in. Established brands such as Travelodge and Premier Inn expanded their operations, and they were joined by the Purple Hotels from the Real Hotel Group. Hilton also developed plans for a budget hotel chain, and CitizenM, a design-led brand, was developed. Other brands include Nitenite and Yotel, built at low cost using prefabrication techniques. The growth in the market has led to further segmentation in the sector with introduction of upmarket tiers to the budget range (for example Holiday Inns Express brand (Key Note 2008, p. 16) A Key Note report written at the beginning of the recession predicted that the mid-range hotels would be the main casualty of shrinking demand. The problems with the economy were exacerbated in the hotel industry by the recent increase in energy and food costs ( Key Note 2008, p. 11) 5.4.2 Business Budget Hotels As Bainbridge points out, budget hotels have benefited by both business and holiday customers downgrading in the recession. Some budget hotels have increased the range of facilities they offer to includes free wi-fi, breakfast and similar to accommodate a new business clientele. Whitbreads budget chain, Premier Inn, for example (the UKs biggest hotel brand) is upgrading its rooms with flat screen TV, air-conditioning and Freeview, and has seen sales for its business account scheme increase 36% over the previous year to February 2008. (Bainbridge, 2009, p. 1). This increase in the number of business travellers using budget hotels since the start of the recession in 2008 is corroborated by research by BDRC in 2009. They report that budget brands are consciously aiming to compete with mid-market brands by strategies such as the ones mentioned above. This drive has been rewarded by better standing in business advertising awareness for the budget hotel brands. (BDRC 2009 [online]) Key Note also report that mid-market business hotels are likely to suffer as they are positioned between the value and luxury hotel options, and what they call tiering, or introducing of levels in to the budget range, will also affect the mid-market brands (Key Note 2009, p. 92). 5.4.3 Consumer Budget Hotels For the non-business traveller, accommodation quality is very important in UK breaks. While travellers abroad endure less than perfect accommodation because costs are low and the weather good, within the UK they demand better quality. One issue is that bed-and-breakfasts and guest houses are notoriously prone to poorly-run individual establishments, leading to calls for the market to be tightened. However the budget hotel sector has grown and has mopped up some of the non-business market as well. The fact that there are many chains available in this sector means travellers can be reassured regarding expectations and quality as they are buying into a brand name. This is particularly true in London a popular choice for consumer short breaks where hotels are notoriously expensive (Key Note 2009, p. 50). 5.5 Staff and Recruitment Impact The recession has had a severe impact on the hotel recruitment market, and it is unlikely to recover before 2010. Job cuts look set to reach 600,000 as businesses and consumers cut spending. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development warned of the toughest year in more than 2 decades, and their predictions were backed up by a survey of 150+ senior management in the hotel industry carried out by the recruitment specialists Admiral Group which revealed that over 2/3rds of those surveyed were going to delay recruitment decisions, and put fast-track graduate programmes had on hold (Sharkey 2009, p. 7). These findings are reiterated by the results of a study by Deloitte in 2008 which predicted that the downturn could cut new jobs in the sector by 100,000 with a corresponding dramatic shrink in the UK tourism industry. A recession could see a  £11b reduction in the economic input by visitors to the UK, currently worth  £114b or 8.2% of the UKs GDP. The British Hospitality Ass ociation also criticised the lack of help from the Government (Thomas 2008, p. 9) One less gloomy prediction is that the recession will have less impact as the hospitality market in general and the hotel market in particular is more diverse than in the past, with some opportunities actually being created particularly in the casual and budget dining and contract catering sectors. This is reinforced by a survey carried out by the British Hospitality Association which shows that the contract catering sector has grown and will continue to do so in the recession (Druce 2009, p. 7) 5.6 Room Occupancy and Prices Room occupancy rates the percentage of nights that hotel rooms are in active use have been increasing since 2005. This is good for hotel operators as it allows them to repay investments and reap more return for their money. In 2007 there was a 1% point rise in domestic occupancy (61% in 2006, with the 2003 rate being 59%). This pre-dated the recession and was a result of the strength of sterling at this time (Key Note 2008, p. 14) Returns in terms of paid accommodation in the UK show a surprising result. Gains were still made in 2008, and a report by Deloitte showed that in the early part of the year revenue per room grew strongly (Caterer Hotelkeeper 2009, p. 6), which is unusual as the recession started to set in during this year for most parts of the UK economy. However, this seems to be a function of gains made at either end of the booking season. Early bookings would have been made before worries about the economy set in, and late bookings made might have been as a result of last-minute demand and hence prices paid were higher (Key Note 2008, p. 15) 5.7. Smaller and Specialist Sectors The result of the recession can also be traced in the smaller and specialist areas of the UK hotel market. For hotel operators, boom areas in these sectors are not necessarily a good thing, as will be shown. 5.7.1 Activity Holidays Activity holidays overseas were enjoying a boom in recent years, however for the next few years the market is predicted to grow less rapidly, whereas activity holidays in the UK are predicted to rise. In 2010 for example the total no of activity holidays in Millions taken by UK residents was predicted before the recession at 11.5; this was revised to 10.8, with 2011, originally predicted to total 12 million was revised to 11.4. By contrast, predictions about UK activity holidays have been revised upwards: the 2011 level was predicted at 5.0 million, and this was revised to 5.3 million. (Mintel Market Reforecasts 2009 [online]). The impact for hoteliers is mixed. If the holiday involves hotel stay, then the news is good; however if the accommodation is self-catering the hotel operator will lose out. 5.7.2 All-Inclusive Holidays All inclusive holidays, a sector which has been in decline in recent years due apparently to the increasing ease of online booking and ease of finding information, are now predicted to rise over the short-term as they allow all holiday costs to be known in advance and paid for up front. Both Thomas Cook and TUI are aiming to increase their all-inclusive capacity (Mintel Market Reforecasts 2009 [online]) 5.7.3 Camping and Caravaning Holidays This sector enjoyed a boom in the 1960s and early 1970s but with the advent of cheap overseas package holidays has been in decline. However, Mintel predict that these holidays are an attractive option for the budget conscious consumer, and will benefit from the increase of families who elect to stay in the UK in 2009 and 2010 for financial reasons. They point out that the Camping and Caravanning club had their best ever year for recruitment of new members in 2008 (Mintel Market Reforecast, 2009 [online]). Domestic camping holidays are predicted to do rather better over the next couple of years before the long-term trend towards decline reinstates itself. The growth in this area is not good news for the hotelier, as by definition a stay in a hotel is ruled out for this holiday type. 5.7.4 Others Other sectors, for example boating holidays, have also been affected. Even where the market remains buoyant boating and luxury holidays growth prediction has been downgraded and is expected to occur at a slower rate than predicted (Mintel Market Reforecasts 2009 [online]). Sectors of the UK market which are predicted to do well include coach holidays within the UK which are seen as a budget option and so are fairly resilient to an economic downturn, and heritage tourism as well as holiday centres like Centre Parcs. Mintel see the latter as particularly resilient as they are both percieved as a budget option and are attractive to the UK consumer as they offer pay in advance all-in-one packages. An increase in coach holidays is also good to some extent for the hotelier, although the bulk of coach holiday operators chose low-cost hotels where price margins are cut very low, as the coach holiday is seen as a price-conscious alternative to the consumer. 6. Lessons Learned from Previous Economic Downturns The last time a recession occurred in the hotel industry was in the wake of the 2001 September 11th terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York. The Sept 11th attacks and anthrax scare which followed caused uncertainty about the short and medium-term economic futures and had an impact upon travel and tourism plans leading to a reduction in hotel use and travel. In the US these areas, along with airlines were significantly affected in the aftermath of the terrorist attack. (Mintel Market Reforecasts, 2009 [online]). In the recession of the early years of the 21st century, the response to the challenge was to discount room rates heavily, however this strategy was of questionable use. The heavy discounting was intended to boost occupancy level, however this necessarily led to less profitability and income; it took years to recover from this as consumers became used to the lower prices. As Bloss (2009) points out, the tactic is also very easy to copy by competitors and hence a risky one. 7. Conclusion. The UK hotel market has certainly been affected by the economic downturn. The above looked at the background to the recession and how it has affected the corporate and consumer sector. While the sector has certainly been impacted with job cuts, slower, stagnating or declining predictions and less building projects, there are some positives for the UK market as holiday makers elect to stay at home rather than travel abroad.

Trafficking from Africa to Europe :: essays research papers

Morocco’s slum swarm with desperate African refugees risking their lives to go to Europe. The human smugglers are their rescuers - because all legal roads to the European Union end blind. In this essay I will look in the situation on the Straight of Gibraltar and see how the smugglers work. This summer I went from Tangier, a harbor city in the north of Morocco, to Ceuta, crossing the border from Morocco into Spain. The control was extremely tight and it took a very long time to get permission to enter Ceuta because we went through passport check 3 times. Around us, there were a high fence, which was impossible to jump over, and there was police everywhere, also in the sea where they were constantly on patrol. It was really strange to go from a poor, messy place, cross the border and suddenly be in the European Union. And even more strange to look back and imagine all those refugees and poor people behind us, for whom to enter Europe is their biggest dream, though they aren’t getting permission to cross the border because they have a passport from the wrong country. In the slum district of Tangier most of the refugees begin their risky journey to Europe, crossing the dangerous Straight of Gibraltar. This place is also where the Moroccan mafia works and a lot of money is being earned. A human smuggler can in one night earn $ 10,000, which is more than a yearly wage for a Moroccan fisherman. But the work can be very dangerous. Many of boats have gone down because of the strong currents in the straight and because the boats are always extremely overloaded. If you ask a human smuggler, this is not what they are most afraid of. As a result of the European Union’s police cooperation, the Spanish coast patrol has increased the hunt for illegal Moroccan sailors and the punishment for human smuggling has been increased. If you get caught in smuggling people, you will now get 2 to 3 years of prison in Spain and even more in Morocco. Before, it was only Moroccan refugees who crossed the straight, but today people come from very distant places such as Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Mali and other West African states. The price they have to pay is $ 1000 for the 14-kilometer-long journey, but the smugglers only get one-third of that amount. The rest is for the Moroccan mafia which job it is to make the contact to the Africans and organizes the trips.

Resolving international disputes Essay

Differences that you should be aware of Property Law Sources of law and method of judicial reasoning Property Law Civil Law You are either the absolute owner, or you are not. 3 components of absolute ownership usus (latin term) i.e. use Right of use fructus ie. enjoyment of revenues Right to enjoy revenues abusus ie disposal Right to dispose of that thing dismemberment This does not mean that the absolute owner cannot give away certain rights of the property, as long as the rights transfer back to the owner E.g. usifruct farmer has a large piece of land and son wants to get married and have family. Farmer is not willing to divide up the farm, but offers him a part of the farm where he lets him build a house and farm on it, but after 20/30/40 years the land goes back to the father Lease if you lease an apartment from the owner of a building, or a piece of land to farm on, etc you get the right to use it in consideration of rent. In this sense, the owner is giving away one right (the r ight to use the property) as long as at the end they get the right of use back. Common Law Theory no absolute ownership of land King gives a portion of the country to the Earls. In common law, there is a difference between ownership and possession. The Earls possess it, they are holding the land for him. The Earls will provide him every year with something in return (e.g. bushels of corn, men for war, etc). Earl gives a portion of that land to the Dukes, and asks that they hold it for them, in exchange for bushels, men etc. Dukes to the Lords, all the way to the peasant/farmer. When the farmer died, he was not able to give it to his children it would go to the lord, etc up the chain and that person would redelegate it. Known as the feudal system. Leasehold is when you hold it for a limited period of time. A freehold is where you hold the land forever, and you can sell the land, leave the land to your children. The only way it reverts back to the king is if someone dies without leaving any heirs, which means it goes up the chain of ownership. 2 types of ownership Real Beneficial Origin and Concept of Trust William the Conqueror said I am Law, but there were problems with this as the king could not see every subject. Eventually, he became busy with other things (wars, etc) therefore he set up a system of courts. They did not have to see everybody, unless they issue a writ. System of writs a court order telling someone that someone complained about you therefore you have to show up at court on x  day. You only had a writ for certain problems. Trespass (tort) When someone caused you or your property personal injury Habeas corpus (produce the body) When someone grabbed a relative of yours and wrongly imprisoned them. This came about because of the idea of Where there is a remedy (ie. a writ) there is a right, but if you did not have a writ to cover a specific problem, then you did not have access to the courts lead to a parallel system of justice called Equity lead to new legal concepts such as the TRUST Trust you are too rich and do not want to be taxed. Therefore, you give some wealth to the friend who is going to hold it for you until the children are of age and you have died. The problem arises when the friend does not give it back. They have no writ therefore cannot take it back through court. When the friend goes to court, they argue that the land was given on a condition of trust (the friend was trusted by the father to give the property back). In addition to the possibility of someone being the absolute owner, they can also be the owner subject of a trust. Trust difficult to define, Underhill gave one of the best definitions under 5 parts An 1 equitable obligation, 2 binding a person (trustee), 3 to deal with property over which he has control (trust property), 4 for the benefit of persons (beneficiaries), of whom he (the trustee) may be one, 5 any one of whom may enforce the obligation Equitable obligation obligation created under the law of equity which was established by the courts of equity Who has the obligation The trustee What is the obligation To deal with the trust property over which he has control For what purpose For the benefit of the beneficiaries What is the consequence if the trustee does not deal with the property The Trustee can be sued by any one of the beneficiaries How a trust works There are 2 ways to set up a trust The settler gives trust property to one or more trustees for the benefit of one or more beneficiaries (essentially a gift) Can be through a will or agreement (intervivos trust) involving the settler or the trustee By way of declaration of trust a person simply declares that he is hold ing certain property in trust E.g. someone wants to set up a business, but does not want it known that they are the shareholders. Therefore, someone else holds that position, but signs a contract that states that all income goes to them, and they will exercise the wishes of the settler. Examples of trusts wills, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT), endowments You may set up a family trust for tax planning  purposes. You can spread your income across the beneficiaries of that trust. Shareholder agreements, where sometimes money is put into a trust. There are wide personal business and tax-planning purposes to trust. differences between civil law and common law ownership In Common Law, a property can have two owners. The real owner (whose name appears as the owner) or the beneficiary owner In civil Law, you are the owner, or you are not. Only one type of ownership. 2 Sources of law and method of judicial reasoning both systems have 3 sources Judicial Precedent ie. Court decisions Legislation Doctrine ie. scholarly writings articles or books that are written to explain the law, and very often to criticize it th e difference between the two systems is the weight and importance of each source Common Law JUDICIAL PRECEDENT (most important) Court Structure Supreme Court Court of Appeal Trial Court Each court is bound by its earlier decisions. Trial Court is bound by its earlier decisions unless overturned by the Court of Appeal, same thing for Court of Appeal with Supreme Court, etc (stare decisis stand by the past). The Supreme Court is also bound by its own precedents The Supreme Court has overturned its own precedents, such as the decision that people cannot be segregated but equal, as in the case with discrimination. Principal known as stare decisis stand by the past Abortion example of Row vs Wade (or something like that) How do you know when a judgement is a precedent To know that, you have to analyse the precedent Conditions for decision to be binding Decisions divided into two parts Ratio decidendi the reason for the decision for arriving at the decision (only this is the precedent) Obiter dictum other reasons that the judge has for coming to his/her conclusions It is often not clear which is the obiter dictum and which is the ratio decidendi. The facts have to be almost identical. What happens when they find a precedent they do not like They could try and find differences between the case then and now. What then happens is that if the judges can distinguish between it, they make judge-made law, which is an area of contestation and disagreement. Judges are not supposed to make the law. Legislation In the common law system, legislation is not as important as judicial precedent. If a court interprets a law in a manner in which the parliament doesnt like, parliament can pass a law countermanding that. Catch ( legislation is subject to judicial interpretation, and this means that the rules regarding stare decisis apply to interpretation. Therefore, when you  are looking in the common law system, and you are wondering what does this legislation mean, you look at any court judgements/precedents in order to understand its meaning and application. Additionally, from a business point of view, there is very little legislation on very important aspects of business law. (e.g. you find it on leases, contracts of sale, etc but other types of contracts such as agency, etc there is no legislation, and therefore strictly jurisprudence applies. Additionally, to a large extent there is no legislation regarding torts As a source of law, it can supersede jurisprudence, but does not feature as much. Doctrine Scolarly writings For historical reasons, doctrine is less important and less abundant than it is in the civil law system. They try to summarise the law and put it in a rational form. CIVIL LAW Judicial Precedent (Jurisprudence) Not as important as in common law because a) There is no concept of stare decisis (Courts are not formally bound by higher courts, they just carry more weight. Another level can just choose to overrule) (2) Legislation Originally, the first code of laws that was developed in the western world was developed by the Roman Empire. This was different for a huge number of places because it covered such a wide expanse. When Napoleon ruled, there were even differences within France itself He created a different set for France and the rest of the Empire, The Law of Paris, and codified it into one document, and in 1804 it became law. It dealt with things such as family law, property law, contract law, civil liability, etc A code does the following in regards to each area that it deals with, it sets out general broad principles then sets out certain principles within. They are so broad that it covers the subject matter. For example, in civil law under Quebec, civil liability is anyone that is capable, is liable for any damage he/she causes through a wrongful act to a third party. Once you have this principle you have rules of application (e.g. what is the liability of parents if their children does wrong) (3) Doctrine Doctrine is much more important than in the Common Law system. Before, in Common Law system, if you wanted to become a lawyer you didnt have to go to school, just work with lawyers and read books. Example Abraham Lincoln never went to school he studied on his own and ended up becoming a lawyer with the help of those he worked with. Ended up becoming one of the most renowned layers in the USA before h e went into politics. Difference between the two Civil law ( would read Justinian coda and make  annotations and commentaries and some would start publishing codes. When Napoleon made some laws, books came out analysing the books and laws. Judges read the laws and doctrines as a basis for their judgements (today there is more doctrine in the Civil Law system than common law) Common ( Lets see what the judgment says Civil ( lets see what the doctrine says LEGAL SYSTEMS SPREAD BY COLONIZATION AND CONQUEST Common Law Includes India, England, USA Why common law is different around the world English Common law applied to the Colonies, so far as it was adapted by its institutions and circumstances. This means that you apply the English Common Law as far as needed, then you apply a chain of precedents As colonies gained independence, they established a cut-off date after which British precedence would not apply to them Over time, jurisdictions formed their own supreme Courts under their own state of appeal. After a certain date, Canada said that their Supreme Court judgements were right, and people could not go to the British House of Lords for an over ruling, and this happened everywhere. Civil Law Formed out of Spain and all of her colonies, Germany, Italy, Portugal and its colony Brazil, and each country has its own civil code. The rules in France are not the same as the rules set out in Quebec, however the sources, the role, all of that is similar. Quebec Situation Was both a French and British colony. The French King was given a choice keep Quebec, or keep the islands of St Pierre and Miquelon. He decided to keep the islands. In 1774, the Quebec Act was adopted by parliament. In 1774, the 13 colonies started to push for independence. They adopted the Quebec Act, which was intended to protect the religion, language and culture. It created a hybrid system of Common Law and Civil Law. It said that local Quebec Law (Civil Law) will govern property, contracts, family law, civil liability. Basically, in Quebec, what was used was old Roman law and the custom of Paris. Under the Quebec system, the court system became a British system. The result was that Common Law heavily influenced civil law. July 1866, the Civil Court of Law in Canada codified the Civil Law in Quebec (like Napoleon and France). Much of the Civil Code of Canada was taken by the Napoleonic Code. Unlike what you would call the traditional Civil Law System, stare decisis was used in Quebec. If you read a judgement from a Court of Quebec and one outside Quebec, you would question whether it is not a Common Law system. This is because they are a Civil Law system, but they reason  similarly to the Common Law system.

Credit and Debit Cards Pros and Cons

DEBIT CARD A debit card (also known as a bank card or check card) is a plastic card that provides the cardholder electronic access to his or her bank account(s) at a financial institution. Some cards have a stored value with which a payment is made, while most relay a message to the cardholder's bank to withdraw funds from a payee's designated bank account. The card, where accepted, can be used instead ofcash when making purchases. In some cases, the primary account number is assigned exclusively for use on the Internet and there is no physical card.In many countries, the use of debit cards has become so widespread that their volume has overtaken or entirely replaced cheques and, in some instances, cash transactions. The development of debit cards, unlike credit cards and charge cards, has generally been country specific resulting in a number of different systems around the world, which were often incompatible. Since the mid 2000s, a number of initiatives have allowed debit cards iss ued in one country to be used in other countries and allowed their use for internet and phone purchases.Unlike credit and charge cards, payments using a debit card are immediately transferred from the cardholder's designated bank account, instead of them paying the money back at a later date. Debit cards usually also allow for instant withdrawal of cash, acting as the ATM card for withdrawing cash. Merchants may also offer cashback facilities to customers, where a customer can withdraw cash along with their purchase. ORIGIN The First National Bank of Seattle issued the first debit card to business executives with large savings accounts in 1978.These cards acted like a check signature or a guarantee card, where the bank promised the funds would cover the transaction without the customer needing a check to complete the transaction. The bank only issued debit cards to those customers who had a long history with the bank and were in good standing, because like a check, the funds were no t immediately removed from the account. In 1984, Landmark implemented the first nationwide debiting system, built on the credit card infrastructure and ATM networks already in place.By 1998, debit cards outnumbered check usage around the world. Its preference over checks continues to grow every year. HISTORY The history of debit cards is an interesting one. Debit cards helped to change the way that people used money and bank accounts. Debit cards are used to pay for purchases at stores and other locations around the world. A debit card works by debiting the money from your checking account. For many people debit cards have taken the place of cash and checks. However, debit cards are still a relatively new banking tool.Credit cards paved the way for debit cards. Many people used credit cards to pay for transactions. This also put in place the infrastructure that debit cards needed to be practical as a method of payment. Seattle's First National Bank offered the first debit card to bu siness executives in 1978. Initially they were like a check signature or guarantee card, with which the bank would guarantee that the fund would be paid, but you did not need a check to do the transaction. They also required a large savings account be kept at the bank to cover the funds.These cards were only issued to people who had a long and good standing with the bank, because the funds were not directly debited from the account. These types of cards generally come with the Visa or MasterCard symbol on them. In 1984 Landmark created the first nationwide debit system, using ATMs and other networks that allowed debit cards to be used nationwide. This allowed the smaller banking systems within states to connect with banks systems outside of states. As technology improved the debit cards moved to a system that was able to directly debit the money from a checking account.When this happened the debit cards became available to more and more consumers. These types of debit cards may have the Plus symbol or other similar symbols on them. However many banks will also use the Visa or MasterCard symbol for a direct debit card because they are accepted at so many different places around the country. In 1998 debit card transactions first outnumbered the use of checks around the world. This number has continued to grow over time. Debit cards are now commonly used for most transactions at stores in the United States. Debit cards are more convenient to use than a check.Debit cards speed up transactions at stores. Additionally debit cards are safer than carrying cash, because banks can stop fraudulent purchases and consumers are not held liable for purchases made when the card is stolen. Debit cards have made banking a much easier process for many people. In the future transactions will continue to move away from cash and check. Debit cards may be left behind as well as banks move to using one card that you can quickly scan at a variety of locations. This will speed up trans actions as well as virtually eliminate the need for cash in the future.Over time the history of debit cards may be one step to moving to a completely cashless system. FUNCTION Although debit cards look like credit cards, they do not function like credit cards. Debit cards connect to the available balance contained in the holder's checking account. If the funds are not available, the debit card cannot complete the transaction. Unlike a check, the money does not float until the bank completes the funds transfer. Rather, the funds transfer from the customer's account to the seller's account in real time, providing the seller with a guaranteed exchange for their goods for money.Debit cards with the logo of a major company imprinted on them, such as Visa or MasterCard, can function like a credit card where the transaction does â€Å"float† for two to three business days after the transaction, until the bank can transfer the funds TYPES Debit cards began as a convenient method to e xchange money for goods or services in the late 1970s and early 1980s, over writing checks. There are several types of debit card available. One type of debit card is a tangible card that resembles a credit card. Historicallly, banks and credit unions only have issued these cards.Retailers now issue prepaid debit cards in specific amounts, similar to gift cards, imprinted with Visa or MasterCard. These debit cards, unlike gift cards, can be used anywhere. There are also intangible debit cards that transfer money from your bank account to a seller's bank account, like an ATM card. Advantages of debit cards * A consumer who is not credit worthy and may find it difficult or impossible to obtain a credit card can more easily obtain a debit card, allowing him/her to make plastic transactions.For example, legislation often prevents minors from taking out debt, which includes the use of a credit card, but not online debit card transactions. Research has shown that consumers with lower cred it scores use debit cards more intensively than those with higher credit scores. * For most transactions, a check card can be used to avoid check writing altogether. Check cards debit funds from the user’s account on the spot, thereby finalizing the transaction at the time of purchase, and bypassing the requirement to pay a credit card bill at a later date, or to write an insecure check, containing the account holder’s personal information. Like credit cards, debit cards are accepted by merchants with less identification and scrutiny than personal checks, thereby making transactions quicker and less intrusive. Unlike personal checks, merchants generally do not believe that a payment via a debit card may be later dishonored. * Unlike a credit card, which charges higher fees and interest rates when a cash advance is obtained, a debit card may be used to obtain cash from an ATM or a PIN-based transaction at no extra charge, other than a foreign ATM fee.Disadvantages of de bit cards * Use of a debit card is not usually limited to the existing funds in the account to which it is linked, most banks allow a certain threshold over the available bank balance which can cause overdraft fees if the user's transaction does not reflect available balance. This disadvantage has lessened in the United States with the requirement that an issuer obtain opt-in permission in advance to allow an overdraft on a debit card. Lacking this opt-in, overdrafts are not permitted for electronic transactions. Many banks are now charging over-limit fees or non-sufficient funds fees based upon pre-authorizations, and even attempted but refused transactions by the merchant (some of which may be unknown until later discovery by account holder).* Many merchants mistakenly believe that amounts owed can be â€Å"taken† from a customer's account after a debit card (or number) has been presented, without agreement as to date, payee name, amount and currency, thus causing penalty f ees for overdrafts, over-the-limit, amounts not available causing further rejections or overdrafts, and rejected transactions by some banks. In some countries debit cards offer lower levels of security protection than credit cards. Theft of a user's PIN using skimming devices can be accomplished much easier with a PIN input than with a signature-based credit transaction.However, theft of users' PIN codes using skimming devices can be equally easily accomplished with a debit transaction PIN input, as with a credit transaction PIN input, and theft using a signature-based credit transaction is equally easy as theft using a signature-based debit transaction. In many places, laws protect the consumer from fraud much less than with a credit card. While the holder of a credit card is legally responsible for only a minimal amount of a fraudulent transaction made with a credit card, which is often waived by the bank, the consumer may be held liable for hundreds of dollars, or even the entire value of fraudulent debit transactions.Because debit cards allow funds to be immediately transferred from an account when making a purchase, the consumer also has a shorter time (usually just two days) to report such fraud to the bank in order to be eligible for such a waiver with a debit card and recover the lost funds, whereas with a credit card, this time may be up to 60 days, and the transactions are removed without losing any credit. A thief who obtains or clones a debit card along with its PIN may be able to clean out the consumer's bank account, and the consumer will have no recourse. CREDIT CARDSA credit card is a payment card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows the cardholder to pay for goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for them. The issuer of the card creates a revolving account and grants a line of credit to the consumer (or the user) from which the user can borrow money for payment to a merchant or as a cash advance to the user. A cre dit card is different from a charge card: a charge card requires the balance to be paid in full each month. In contrast, credit cards allow the consumers a continuing balance of debt, subject to interest being charged.A credit card also differs from a cash card, which can be used like currency by the owner of the card. A credit card differs from a charge card also in that a credit card typically involves a third-party entity that pays the seller and is reimbursed by the buyer, whereas a charge card simply defers payment by the buyer until a later date. HISTORY The concept of using a card for purchases was described in 1887 by Edward Bellamy in his utopian novel Looking Backward. Bellamy used the term credit card eleven times in this novel, although this referred to a card for spending a citizen's dividend rather than borrowing.The modern credit card was the successor of a variety of merchant credit schemes. It was first used in the 1920s, in the United States, specifically to sell f uel to a growing number ofautomobile owners. In 1938 several companies started to accept each other's cards. Western Union had begun issuing charge cards to its frequent customers in 1921. Some charge cards were printed on paper card stock, but were easily counterfeited. The Charga-Plate, developed in 1928, was an early predecessor to the credit card and used in the U. S. from the 1930s to the late 1950s.It was a 2 ½ in Ãâ€" 1 ¼ in rectangle of sheet metal related to Addressograph and military dog tag systems. It was embossed with the customer's name, city and state. It held a small paper card for a signature. In recording a purchase, the plate was laid into a recess in the imprinter, with a paper â€Å"charge slip† positioned on top of it. The record of the transaction included an impression of the embossed information, made by the imprinter pressing an inked ribbon against the charge slip. Charga-Plate was a trademark of Farrington Manufacturing Co.Charga-Plates were i ssued by large-scale merchants to their regular customers, much like department store credit cards of today. In some cases, the plates were kept in the issuing store rather than held by customers. When an authorized user made a purchase, a clerk retrieved the plate from the store's files and then processed the purchase. Charga-Plates speeded back-office bookkeeping that was done manually in paper ledgers in each store, before computers. In 1934, American Airlines and the Air Transport Association simplified the process even more with the advent of the Air Travel Card.They created a numbering scheme that identified the issuer of card as well as the customer account. This is the reason the modern UATP cards still start with the number 1. With an Air Travel Card, passengers could â€Å"buy now, and pay later† for a ticket against their credit and receive a fifteen percent discount at any of the accepting airlines. By the 1940s, all of the major domestic airlines offered Air Trav el Cards that could be used on 17 different airlines. By 1941 about half of the airlines' revenues came through the Air Travel Card agreement.The airlines had also started offering installment plans to lure new travelers into the air. In October 1948, the Air Travel Card became the first inter-nationally valid charge card within all members of the International Air Transport Association. The concept of customers paying different merchants using the same card was expanded in 1950 by Ralph Schneider and Frank McNamara, founders of Diners Club, to consolidate multiple cards. The Diners Club, which was created partially through a merger with Dine and Sign, produced the first â€Å"general purpose† charge card, and required the entire bill to be paid with each statement.That was followed by Carte Blanche and in 1958 by American Express which created a worldwide credit card network (although these were initially charge cards that acquired credit card features after BankAmericard de monstrated the feasibility of the concept). However, until 1958, no one had been able to create a working revolving credit financial instrument issued by a third-party bank that was generally accepted by a large number of merchants (as opposed to merchant-issued revolving cards accepted by only a few merchants). A dozen experiments by small American banks had been attempted (and had failed).In September 1958, Bank of America launched the BankAmericard in Fresno, California. BankAmericard became the first successful recognizably modern credit card (although it underwent a troubled gestation during which its creator resigned), and with its overseas affiliates, eventually evolved into the Visa system. In 1966, the ancestor of MasterCard was born when a group of banks established Master Charge to compete with BankAmericard; it received a significant boost when Citibank merged its proprietary Everything Card (launched in 1967) into Master Charge in 1969. Early credit cards in the U.S. , of which BankAmericard was the most prominent example, were mass produced and mass mailed unsolicited to bank customers who were thought to be good credit risks. But, â€Å"They have been mailed off to unemployables, drunks, narcotics addicts and to compulsive debtors, a process President Johnson's Special Assistant Betty Furness found very like ‘giving sugar to diabetics'. â€Å"[8] These mass mailings were known as â€Å"drops† in banking terminology, and were outlawed in 1970 due to the financial chaos they caused, but not before 100 million credit cards had been dropped into the U.S. population. After 1970, only credit card applications could be sent unsolicited in mass mailings. The fractured nature of the U. S. banking system under the Glass–Steagall Act meant that credit cards became an effective way for those who were traveling around the country to move their credit to places where they could not directly use their banking facilities. In 1966 Barclayca rd in the UK launched the first credit card outside of the U. S.There are now countless variations on the basic concept of revolving credit for individuals (as issued by banks and honored by a network of financial institutions), including organization-branded credit cards, corporate-user credit cards, store cards and so on. Although credit cards reached very high adoption levels in the US, Canada and the UK in the mid twentieth century, many cultures were more cash-oriented, or developed alternative forms of cash-less payments, such as Carte bleue or the Eurocard (Germany, France, Switzerland, and others).In these places, adoption of credit cards was initially much slower. It took until the 1990s to reach anything like the percentage market-penetration levels achieved in the US, Canada, or UK. In some countries, acceptance still remains poor as the use of a credit card system depends on the banking system being perceived as reliable. Japan remains a very cash oriented society, with credit card adoption being limited to only the largest of merchants, although an alternative system based on RFIDs inside cellphones has seen some acceptance.Because of strict regulations regarding banking system overdrafts, some countries, France in particular, were much faster to develop and adopt chip-based credit cards which are now seen as major anti-fraud credit devices. Debit cards and online banking are used more widely than credit cards in some countries. The design of the credit card itself has become a major selling point in recent years. The value of the card to the issuer is often related to the customer's usage of the card, or to the customer's financial worth.This has led to the rise of Co-Brand and Affinity cards, where the card design is related to the â€Å"affinity† (a university or professional society, for example) leading to higher card usage. In most cases a percentage of the value of the card is returned to the affinity group. Advantages of credit card s * Purchase Power and Ease of Purchase – Credit cards can make it easier to buy things. If we don't like to carry large amounts of cash with us or if a company doesn't accept cash purchases (for example most airlines, hotels, and car rental agencies), putting purchases on a credit card can make buying things easier. Protection of Purchases – Credit cards may also offer you additional protection if something we have bought is lost, damaged, or stolen.Both our credit card statement (and the credit card company) can vouch for the fact that we have made a purchase if the original receipt is lost or stolen. In addition, some credit card companies offer insurance on large purchases. * Building a Credit Line – Having a good credit history is often important, not only when applying for credit cards, but also when applying for things such as loans, rental applications, or even some jobs.Having a credit card and using it wisely (making payments on time and in full each m onth) will help us build a good credit history. * Emergencies – Credit cards can also be useful in times of emergency. While we should avoid spending outside our budget (or money we don't have! ), sometimes emergencies (such as our car breaking down or flood or fire) may lead to a large purchase (like the need for a rental car or a motel room for several nights. * Credit Card Benefits – In addition to the benefits listed above, some credit cards offer additional benefits, such as discounts from particular stores or companies, bonuses such as free airline miles or travel discounts, and special insurances (like travel or life insurance. ) While most of these benefits are meant to encourage us to charge more money on our credit card (remember, credit card companies start making their money when we can't afford to pay off our charges! ) the benefits are real and can be helpful as long as we remember your spending limits.Disadvantages of credit cards * Blowing Your Budget à ¢â‚¬â€ The biggest disadvantage of credit cards is that they encourage people to spend money that they don't have. Most credit cards do not require us to pay off our balance each month, so even if we only have $100, we may be able to spend up to $500 or $1,000 on our credit card. While this may seem like ‘free money' at the time, we will have to pay it off — and the longer we wait, the more money we will owe since credit card companies charge us interest each month on the money we have borrowed.High Interest Rates and Increased Debt — Credit card companies charge us an enormous amount of interest on each balance that we don't pay off at the end of each month. This is how they make their money and this is how most people in the United States get into debt (and even bankruptcy. ) Consider this: If we have a $100 in savings, most banks will give us at the most 2. 0 to 2. 5% interest on our money over the course of the year. This means we earn $2. 00 – $2. 50 a year on our $100 savings. Most credit cards charge us up to 10 times that amount of interest on balances.This means that if we have $100 balance that we don't pay off, we will be charged 20-25% interest on that $100. This means that we owe almost $30 interest (plus the original $100) at the end of the year. A good way to look at this is in comparison to what we would earn in interest from a bank or owe in interest to a bank loan: Savings accounts may pay us around 2% interest; if we have a loan from a bank we may pay them around 10% interest (5 times as much as our earn off our savings); if we owe money to a credit card company, we may pay them around 20% interest (10 times as much as you earn off our savings.* Credit Card Fraud – Like cash, sometimes credit cards can be stolen. They may be physically stolen (if we lose our wallet) or someone may steal your credit card number (from a receipt, over the phone, or from a Web site) and use our card to rack up debts. The good n ews is that, unlike cash, if we realize our credit card or number has been stolen and we report it to our credit card company immediately, we will not be charged for any purchases that someone else has made.Even if we don't realize our credit card number has been stolen (sometimes we might not know until we receive our monthly statement), most credit card companies don't charge us or only charge a small fee, like $25 or $50, even if the thief has charged thousands of dollars to our card. There are several things we can do to prevent credit card fraud: * If we lose our card or wallet, report it to ur credit card company immediately. * Don't loan our credit card to anyone and only give out our credit card information to trusted companies or Web sites. * Check our statement closely at the end of each month to make sure all charges are ours. we can find out more about protecting our personal information by visiting our Personal Safety course.Credit cards can make life easier and be a gr eat tool, but if they aren't used wisely they can become a huge financial burden. If we decide to use credit cards, remember these simple rules: * Keep track of all our purchases. * Don't spend outside our budget. * Pay off our balance on all of our credit cards at the end of each month. * Don't loan our credit or give out our credit card information to anyone but reliable companies. TYPES OF CREDIT CARDS Credit cards have come to the rescue of people with hot pockets.They, nowadays, put their trust in the innovation of credit cards where they need not carry large sums of money with them; instead simply carry a credit card which is linked up with their bank account enabling them to make payments without batting an eye. It is a trend, now, to make payments at a hotel, restaurant or a departmental store/ mall using a credit card. Because of the fear of one's bank account details being swiped and stolen, more and more credit cards are made secure so that even if a credit card is stolen , the money in one's bank account stays safe.Credit cards now are of various types with different fees, interest rates and rewarding programs. When applying for a credit card, it is important to learn of their diverse types to know the one best suited to their lifestyle and financial status. Different types of credit cards available by banks and other companies/organizations are briefly described below. Standard Credit Card: This is the most commonly used. One is allowed to use money up to a certain limit. The account holder has to top up the amount once the level of the balance goes down. An outstanding balance gets a penalty charge.Premium Credit Card: This has a much higher bank account and fees. Incentives are offered in this over and above that in a standard card. Credit card holders are offered travel incentives, reward points, cask back and other rewards on the use of this card. This is also called the Reward Credit Card. Some examples are: airlines frequent flier credit card , cash back credit card, automobile manufacturers' rewards credit card. Platinum and Gold, MasterCard and Visa card fall into this category. Secured Credit Card: People without credit history or with tarnished credit can avail this card.A security deposit is required amounting to the same as the credit limit. Revolving balance is required according to the ‘buying and selling' done. Limited Purpose Credit Card: There is limitation to its use and is to be used only for particular applications. This is used for establishing small credits such as gas credits and credit at departmental stores. Minimal charges are levied. Charge Credit Card: This requires the card holder to make full payment of the balance every month and therefore there is no limit to credit.Because of the spending flexibility, the card holder is expected to have a higher income level and high credit score. Penalty is incurred if full payment of the balance is not done in time. Specialty Credit Card: is used for bu siness purposes enabling businessmen to keep their businesses transactions separately in a convenient way. Charge cards and standard cards are available for this. Also, students enrolled in an accredited 4-year college/university course can avail this benefit. Prepaid Credit Card: Here, money is loaded by the card holder on to the card. It is like a debit card except that it is not tied up with a bank account.