Tuesday, November 26, 2019

What’s New on LinkedIn †October 2015

What’s New on LinkedIn – October 2015 Exciting news! The print version of my book, How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile, has been uploaded to cyberspace (Ingram Spark for those in the know) and will be available any week now on Amazon. Plus, the 12th edition of the e-book of How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile is in the works! Thankfully for those who purchase either the print or the e-version of the book, it comes along with a link to get my free lifetime updates. LinkedIn is constantly changing, and the last several months have been no exception. Here are a few of the top changes I want you to be aware of. These will all be in the 12th edition of the e-book, and some of them made it into the print book too. Also note, I will be talking about some of these changes as well as tried and true LinkedIn strategies on Chicago’s WGN Radio with Rob Hart on Wednesday, October 28, 7:30pm Central! Tune in to WGN Radio 720 AM, WGNRadio.com or the WGN radio app. Here come the changes: 1. You can now send customized messages via mobile! Up until recently, I recommended never to connect with people via the LinkedIn mobile app because it did not support customized invitations. That advice is changing for those who have newer phones (both Android and iPhone). But be careful! The platform is not intuitive. And you must have the latest operating system installed. Since I have an iPhone now, I only have screen shots for you of how to do this on an iPhone. But you can do it with Androids too! NOTE: Never send an invitation from the People You May Know feature. These invitations can’t be customized. To send a customized invitation via iPhone 6, go to your contacts profile and click the †¦ button in the upper right (do NOT click on CONNECT!!): Then click Customize invite: And write your message. On Android devices with an updated operating system, after going to a member’s profile, tap either the Menu or More button, then Customize Invite, then write your message and Send! (If you mess up, you can always send another message with a customized invitation later.) 2. Groups There are multiple changes happening in LinkedIn groups, most of which people don’t like so much. As of September 22, 2015, LinkedIn says they have â€Å"simplified† group features and made the experience â€Å"easier.† You can view all these changes at LinkedIn’s New Groups Features help page. Some highlights: All LinkedIn groups are now private and can’t be seen by non-group members (and they are no longer searchable on Google). Conversations will automatically be posted without requiring manager approval (striking fear in the hearts of many group managers). The Promotions tab has been removed (good move- no one ever looked at it anyway)! There are no more subgroups (another good move) and you can now join up to 100 groups! You can mention people in Group conversation using the @ symbol (I believe this feature will encourage more interaction in conversations). Images can be posted to conversations. (Yay! We like pictures!) It’s also worth noting that LinkedIn fairly recently limited the number of one-to-one emails you can write to group members to 15 per month if you are not directly connected with the members. For one blogger’s opinion on the changes in LinkedIn Groups, see Donna Serdula’s article, Big Changes Coming. 3. Inbox Messaging You’ve probably noticed if you are even an infrequent user of LinkedIn that your inbox looks a lot different than it did three months ago! LinkedIn has created an Updated Messaging Features help page which will give you the details. Here’s some of what’s new: Mail is organized by conversation rather than by sent vs. received mail, so your entire conversation with someone will show up in the same place (Sent messages will have a blue background, left aligned, and received messages will have a gray background, right aligned). You can now manage your invitations from the People You May Know page. (I’m not sure of the value of this. Why move these from the messaging center?) Deleting a message really and truly deletes it. Forever. No archiving option (so be careful)! There is now a choice to Send messages by hitting the Enter key. Apparently due to this option, I’ve gotten up to five separate messages that were meant to be one single message! Hopefully the kinks in this feature will be worked out soon. 4. Introductions LinkedIn claims that you â€Å"can request to be introduced to someone from a mutual connections profile page. When you click Request an Intro, youll now be taken to a pre-populated messaging template that can be customized as needed.† This feature appears not to be working correctly. When I click on Request an Intro, I am taken to the most recent conversation in my inbox. Hopefully LinkedIn will correct this bug soon. 5. How you View Content Feeds You can now choose to organize the content feeds that come into your box either by Top Updates or Recent Updates. Go to your Home Page and click on the 3 dots below â€Å"Publish a post† to choose your preferred way of viewing current content. 6. Limit on Number of Searches Per Month Although LinkedIn hasn’t said HOW many searches each member can make per month, they have capped the number at something or another (I believe this happened in January but (slap on hand) I did not report it. Thankfully, another change is that you can now see the first and last name of everyone who appears in your search results list, rather than being blocked from seeing full information on certain members. Here’s what LinkedIn has to say about their new Commercial Use Limit on Search. Theoretically this system will do better at sussing out people who are overusing LinkedIn for commercial purposes, and making them pay for enhanced services, rather than penalizing the average user. Note I am not able to provide an image of the bar that says 30% of my searches are left, because I have not approached that limit. The waters are still safe for the average, or even the active, LinkedIn user! OK savvy LinkedIn users, have fun with all these changes. As soon as you get used to this bunch, there will be more. And if you have questions about any of these changes or others you are noticing, let me know and I’ll do my best to address them in future blogs and e-books! I do hope you’ll be able to tune in to my spot on WGN Radio this Wednesday at 7:30pm Central. I will also be speaking for the Yale Club of Chicago next Thursday, November 5 at 7:00pm Central, so if you live in Chicago please come see me LIVE! Here’s information on that event: How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile – with Brenda Bernstein Where:  Dentons US LLP, Downtown Chicago, 233 South Wacker Drive, Suite 5900 When:  Thursday, November 5th, 7-8:30PM RSVP: Click Here Whether you are an executive, a professional, a student or a business owner, LinkedIn plays a central role in your career path. Are you getting the value you want from your LinkedIn profile? Join us to learn the latest tips on LinkedIn in a workshop tailored specifically to you. Brenda Bernstein (’91), author of the bestselling book How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile, will teach you how to maximize your LinkedIn visibility and impact, while communicating your unique value to your audience. Register early and you might have the chance for Brenda to coach you on your LinkedIn profile during the session!

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Beware the shifting tense

Beware the shifting tense Beware the shifting tense Beware the shifting tense By Erin Many writers, students and professionals alike, struggle with the problem of tense shifting. Your writing will be easier to follow if youre sure to keep your tense consistent. A verbs tense lets the reader know when the action is taking place. Is it in the past (ran), present (run), or future (will run)? Since most of the problems occur in the past and present, well leave future tense out of the conversation for now. In academic writing, the general rule is to use present tense when citing published sources. For example, In her book The Artist’s way, author Julia Cameron writes that†¦. The signal phrase â€Å"author Julia Cameron writes† lets the reader know that information from an outside source is being used. Signal phrases should have present tense verbs. Most fiction and other narrative writing takes place in the past tense. A narrator is telling a story as it happened. Sometimes, though, a writer will accidentally slip into present tense without realizing it: I walked down to the edge of the water and dipped my toe in. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Jason grabs my arm and pushes me in the pool! In the second sentence, the author has slipped from past tense (walked/dipped) into present (grabs/pushes). Most of us do this in casual conversation all the time, so its important to be aware of it when were writing. Sometimes, a writer will choose to tell an entire story in the present tense for a sense of immediacy. In any case, its important to stick to the tense youve started with. Any necessary tense changes should have a clear purpose, and should be done smoothly. Otherwise, your reader will be unnecessarily distracted. 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 Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a UK Business LetterHow to Play HQ Words: Cheats, Tips and TricksList of Prefixes and Suffixes and their Meanings

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Esl423 8 reflection journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Esl423 8 reflection journal - Essay Example s that lay ahead in the actual working environment while the latter gives us confidence that as teaching techniques evolve with the help of ideas from experts, it has become better adapted to the rapidly changing environment of our classrooms. Inputs from the first module were about the legal, historical and educational foundations of the Structured English Immersion (SEI). America has always been a multicultural nation that it is surprising to learn how relatively new the SEI concept is. This only tells us that there is still so much room for development which educators need to be constantly updated about. It’s good to know that we can always turn to academic internet sources maintained by experts for the needed information, including models and the latest findings in language research. Books (including e-books) and websites dedicated to helping teachers in the profession also abound. For example, there are books that give methods on making basic math easier for kids. With my knowledge from ESL 423, I can slightly modify such methods so that academic English is reinforced while content learning is unaffected, if not improved. Teachers can also make use of multimedia such as PowerPoint presentations and video clips to improve learning (qtd. in Stansbury, 2008). Really, with a little creativity, there are so many resources a teacher could use in this age of information. This makes the job easier and enjoyable for us that I’ve become highly motivated to further develop my skills in ESL instruction in a multilingual/multicultural classroom. This course, no doubt, has enhanced my professional abilities by introducing the standards that teachers are required to follow to ensure quality instructions. I believe this helps teachers greatly to gauge students as well as their own efforts. My students’ failure is also my own failure and with the standards as my guide, I can properly address which areas need improvement, both on my students’ and my part. Also

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Domestic Violence as Social Misogyny Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Domestic Violence as Social Misogyny - Essay Example Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound someone[they include] physical abuse (physical abuse also includes denying a partner medical care or forcing alcohol and/or drug use), sexual abuse, emotional abuse, economic abuse, and/or psychological abuse (ES 1)." As indicated, domestic abuse is not pick-pocketing. It is not a crime whose adverse effects can typically be righted by insurance payments or trials. Many domestic abuse victims suffer throughout their entire lives, and are severely compromised as human beings as a result of their abusive experiences. 11 percent of murder victims are said to have been killed by an intimate; additionally "Female murder victims are substantially more likely than male murder victims to have been killed by an intimate (ES 2)." The same calculations continue: "In recent years, Additionally, "it is very difficult to estimate the rate of domestic violence because the majority of victims never disclose that they are involved in partner violence. It is estimated that, regarding violent behavior toward females within the context of an intimate relationship, only 20% of all rapes, 25% of all physical assaults, and 50% of all stalking are ever reported to the policeThe following statisticsshed light on the prevalence of domestic violence (statistics are for the U.S. only): 20-30% of American women will be physically abused by a partner at least once in their lifetimes 1.3 million women and 834,732 men are physically assaulted by an intimate partner annually 201,394 women are forcibly raped by an intimate partner annually 11% of women in homosexual relationships and 23% of men in homosexual relationships report being raped, physically assaulted, and/or stalked by an intimate partner 503,485 women and 185,496 men are stalked by an intimate partner annually 1-25% of all pregnant women are battered during pregnancy 30-40% of women's emergency room visits are for injuries due to domestic violence 30% of women killed in the U.S. are killed by their husbands or boyfriends 50% of men who assaulted their female partners also assaulted their children 3.3 million children witness domestic violence each year (ES 3)". As the data clearly shows, domestic violence is primarily a problem of violence against women. To ignore this problem is to ignore a problem whose primary impact is upon the women of this society, and as such, is a sexist and misogynistic action. The National Center for PTSD goes on to note "There are also many psychological effects of domestic violence. Depression remains the foremost response, with 60% of battered women reporting depression. In addition,

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Duffy-Exploitation of Women Essay Example for Free

Duffy-Exploitation of Women Essay To what extent is Duffy a poet who exposes the exploitation of women and fights against their further oppression? In your response, you must include detailed critical discussion of Standing Female Nude and at least one other poem by Duffy. In response to the question above, I feel that Duffy is a poet who portrays the exploitation of women and does at times fights against their further oppression. In my view, simply by raising these controversial issues Duffy is drawing attention to the matter and consequently fighting against their further oppression. The title Standing Female Nude is in itself significant. Apart from sounding possibly slightly inappropriate, the title reveals the objectification of women and their position in society. The word Standing however, gives the reader the impression that the character does have some sort of empowerment, as it is usually referred to as who has a high reputation or a position in society. This is apparent later on in the poem. Duffy immediately presents the issue of the exploitation of women and in my view, as a result is fighting against their further oppression by making people aware of the problem. The poem starts six hours like this for a few francs. This shows the reader how dismissive the character is towards whatever she is doing. The fact that she is so dismissive suggests that she is being treated unjustly. The harsh alliteration few francs really emphasises how the character feels she is too good to be doing that particular job or that she is simply not being paid enough for her services. Either way, it reveals how Duffy highlights the exploitation of women by being mistreated and underpaid. In the third line of the first stanza, the poem reads he drains the colour from me. This could be either in a literal sense due to the fact someone is doing a painting of her or in a metaphorical sense in that the painter is actually taking part of her, possibly suggesting that her dignity is being taken away. The way that the character is being bossed by the male painter shows that the woman is not in control of the situation. Although, the man refers to her as Madame, which could be a sign of respect towards the character I feel however, that it could possibly be interpreted to be said in a sarcastic and condescending tone. This adds further weight to my view that Duffy is exposing the exploitation of women and is fighting against their further oppression by making the reader aware of situation and the problems that women face. The word hung in the fourth line suggests that the character is no more than a piece of meat. It implies that the female character will have very little benefit from her work compared to the artist and emphasises the inferiority and exploitation of the woman. The fact that the painter is given a name and the female character in the poem is not, insinuates that she is of no great importance and again highlights how the woman is exploited. In my opinion, this is another key point Duffy includes in the poem to reiterate the issue of womens exploitation. It is an attempt to fight against their further abuse by forcing people to think about the issue. In the first two stanzas all the negative points were directed towards the female character. However, in the third and fourth stanza Duffy completely turns it around and focuses on the painters downfalls. This is demonstrated in the third stanza when she refers to him as little man. This is a sign of empowerment on her behalf, as she exploits his sexual attraction towards her by belittling him, referring to his sexual attributes. This is another example of how Duffy possibly fights against womens further oppression. However, I can understand how some people may disagree with Duffy as her view could be seen as a generalised representation of men and thus could lead some people to draw the conclusion that her poem verges on being hypocritical. Nevertheless, I still feel that Duffy is simply exposing how women are exploited in an attempt to fight against their further oppression. The second poem I am going analyse is Whoever She Was. Like the title in the previous poem, the title Whoever She Was is significant in relation to the poems meaning. The past tense verb, was in the title implies that the character has no identity and suggests she is not the same person as she was before. This perhaps indicates that as the character has lost her identity possibly due to her exploitation. The female character in the poem is described as a flickering figure on a shilling screen. The word flickering gives off the impression that the character is not constant in the sense that a candle flutters. This gives the reader an image of something going on and off and thus not constant. This could also be interpreted as her moving back and forth between reality and past memories of her children. This gives the impression that she is defined by her role as a mother. Although, the exploitation of the women is shown in a different light and is perhaps, not as apparent as in Standing female Nude, Duffy is still exposing the exploitation of women. In the second line of the first stanza, the poem reads My hands, still wet, sprout wooden pegs. The reference to sprout wooden pegs is metaphorical in that it reveals the determined roles of women as mothers. It is a very stereotypical view of mothers and the fact that the woman is saying this emphasises how she herself is defined by these roles and has herself been exploited. The mothers exploitation is also made apparent to the reader when the poem describes how she smells the apples burning as I hang the washing out. By including this Duffy is perhaps trying to show us how the character is living her life through the past memories of her children. I believe this as the smell of burning apples is quite distinctive and this could bring back memories of when she used to cook for her children. This would underline how she has been defined by her role as a mother and not through her individual character. This shows that Duffy exposes the exploitation of women and highlights the attitudes towards mothers in an attempt to fight against their further oppression. The exploitation of the character is shown further when the poem narrates Mummy, say the little voices of the ghosts of children on the telephone. Mummy. The children are referred to as ghosts implying that they are no longer children. However, the mother still views them as children, perhaps because she has been identified by her role as a mother all her life and she considers this to be normal and true. Again, this reiterates Duffys purpose and meaning of the poem by presenting the exploitation of women to the reader, which as result opposes their further oppression. The quote in the second stanza the film is on a loop is possibly a metaphor to the characters life. The word loop indicates the repetitiveness of her life because of the fact she is always characterised by her role as a mother and nothing else. It suggests that the character is stuck in a continuous cycle and cannot let go of her duties and responsibilities of being a mother. This is again reflects her self-perception of only having worth and purpose as a mother. In my view, Duffy is trying to show the reader how the conventions and expectations of motherhood have influenced her personality and perception of herself. By doing this, Duffy is exposing the issue, possibly in an attempt to help people to understand how society has left the character to feel isolated. Consequently, Duffy is fighting against the injustices suffered by women. In the fourth stanza, Duffy deliberately mixes the narrative of the poem from first person to third person. This gives the reader the concept that the character in the poem does not know herself. Because of this, we also get the impression that the character does not have a definitive sense of identity. This is also the case for the character in Standing Female Nude as she also has no distinct identity because of what she has to do in order to survive. In my view, Duffy purposely gives the characters no definitive identity to emphasise how their character and personality has been taken away because of their exploitation. Therefore, Duffy is revealing the exploitation of women to draw attention to the issue, in an attempt to combat womens further oppression. To conclude, although some people may find Duffys poetry to be an unfair representation of men and to a certain extent be sexist, I feel that Duffy is simply trying to raise awareness of the exploitation of women. Therefore, I feel that Duffy is opposing womens further oppression. The two poems Standing Female Nude and Whoever She Was are generally quite dissimilar they do have certain aspects which are similar. For example, both characters do not have a real identity and although in very different circumstances, the two characters have been exploited. Once again, I believe that Duffy is simply a poet who exposes the exploitation of women in an attempt to help improve the situation for others.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

macbeth as a tragic hero Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Shakespearean tragic hero starts out as a noble person; a great exceptional being who stands out. A tragic hero has a tragic flaw of an exaggerated trait that leads to their downfall and eventually to death. William Shakespeare often made his main characters tragic heroes in his plays. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the role of the tragic hero is given to the main character: Macbeth. This is because he starts off as a loyal and well liked man in the beginning, but has a tragic flaw of ambition which ultimately leads to his downfall.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macbeth started off a great and noble man of Scotland and was honoured by the king and his people. He was thought of as a great man and brave among the soldiers. â€Å"†¦for brave Macbeth- well he is worthy of that name†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (I, ii, 26) The king thought so highly of Macbeth that when he killed the traitor Macdonwald, Duncan crowned Macbeth with the title of thane of Cawdor. â€Å"And for an earnest and great honour, He bade me, for him, call the thane of Cawdor: In which addition hail, most worthy thane! For it is thine!†(I, iii, 109-12) As every tragic hero does, Macbeth also has a tragic flaw: ambition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macbeth can be considered a Shakespearean tragic hero because he possesses the tragic flaw of ambition. He is thought of to be a very ambitious man by himself and other characters, like his wife, Lady Macbeth. â€Å"Thou wouldst be great:/Art not without ambition, but/ Without ...

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

JetBlue Airways Case Essay

Problem Identification Presently, David Barger, former COO elected CEO of JetBlue Airways (JetBlue), faces a key issue of slowing down their growth. The issue at hand is: What is the best path for JetBlue slow down their growth in the future airline industry? External Analysis Macro Economics Analysis For an analysis of the Macro Economics of the JetBlue, a PESTEL analysis is shown below for the United States. PESTEL Analysis Political: N/A Economic: The United Sates was hit hard economically from the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. This caused fare wars amongst competitors in the airline industry and domestic airline yields to drop twenty percent. These yields wouldn’t recover from pre attack rates until 2006. In fact, as of October 2006, five major United States airlines were operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Fuel costs in the United States have seen a dramatic increase since the terror attacks in 2001. Social:  The airline industry, like every other industry, has been affected by the introduction of the internet and its users. People have made it the norm to purchase their airline tickets over the internet instead of by phone or travel agent. These sites have become user friendly and even offer incentives to the buyer. Another social trend is reoccurring business passengers that fly all over the country for work or meetings bringing in a whole other market. Technological: Mostly every industry is driven by technology and the airline industry is no exception. The development of new planes and newer ways of manufacturing them hold a great deal of value for a company. The current planes that JetBlue operate with are the A320 and the E190. The A320 was a proven plane that JetBlue had begun using since their introduction in 2000. The E190 was turning into a promising plane that had great growth potential showing a much lower cost margin compared to the A320. The downside of the E190 is that it is not liked by JetBlue’s employees and customers as much as the A320. Environmental: Weather is the biggest threat to any travel industry, airliners in particular. Severe weather may cause flight delays or possibly cancellations making airlines an unreliable way to travel. Legal: The size of an aircraft and the amount of passengers that one can fly is regulated by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). These regulations help ensure the relationship between regional airlines and legacy airlines. Pilots’ unions have even asked for scope clauses in their contracts to ensure that their routes are not encroached on by regional airlines. Airlines also operate under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which dictates to them when a flight can fly or not in certain weather conditions. To conclude, the airline industry like most industries has been dealing with economic downturn along with new social trends and the ever growing of today’s technology. Weather will always be an unpredictable travel flaw where such industries have no control of the results. Industry Analysis Industry: Commercial airline providers are separated by two divisions, long haul and short haul outings. The industry that JetBlue operates in is located in the U.S. and it is divided into three segments, legacy carriers, low cost carriers, and regional airlines. These segments serve each of the  divisions depending on the distance of the flight and the amount of passengers that can fit on the plane. This industry is a very competitive one and has been proven hard to turn a profit for most companies. Life Cycle: JetBlue, founded in 1999, achieved major airline status in 2004 by exceeding one billion dollars in revenue. JetBlue was also able to achieve the status of the ninth largest passenger carrier in the United States in 2005. JetBlue is currently in the mature stage their life cycle but they have several opportunities for future growth. Mark Powers, the senior vice president, was quoted saying that if JetBlue keeps on the same path of acquiring airplanes in bulk they will grow themselves to death. Competitors: As aforementioned the commercial airline industry is segmented into three types of carriers. Legacy carriers are the best known airlines in the U.S. and they got their name due to their long histories, some dating back to the 1920’s. These carriers also had a specific characterization called the hub and spoke system where these companies would have large hubs at specific airports where lots of their customers would catch connecting flight (spokes). Some examples of legacy airlines are United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Airlines. Low cost carriers, such as Southwest Airlines, operated by directly bringing the passengers to city to city, within the limits of 500 miles. This was attractive to passengers due to no layovers or connecting flights and utilized a market that would otherwise travel by car or bus. In fact, Southwest Airlines was the only airline in America who constantly that made profits each year from 1973 to 2005. Regional airlines services passengers on a plane of less than 76 seats, and were often used by legacy airlines to charter customers to large hubs to connect with their long haul flight. JetBlue competes directly with all these airlines and is often compared to Southwest Airlines, in terms of being a low cost carrier. Porters 5 Forces Model Degree of Rivalry: The degree of rivalry in the airline industry is very high, there are multiple companies offering the same service on a daily basis for customers to choose from. There have been price wars in the past usually low cost is the consumers ultimate decision criteria. Brand recognition makes rivalry even greater and incentives that each airline gives to their customers enable them to pick and choose which company they  prefer to travel with. Threat of New Entrants: Entry into the airline industry is very hard making the threat of new entrants very low. There are high barriers along with high capital costs to start operations. An airline is required to have certified pilots that include compensation and they must have substantial training in each aircraft in order to operate one. In order to benefit from economies of scale an airline must have a fleet of airplanes of at least forty to fifty, according to Tom Anderson the senior vice president of Fleet Programs. A new entrant would have a find it hard to compete in an industry with high brand recognition from the legacy airlines that have a loyal following of passengers with past experiences. Buyer Power: Customer power is extremely mixed between high and low in the airline industry. Customers ultimately get to pick and choose which airline best suits their specific needs making their power high, but the airlines have the power of setting industry prices and times for when flights depart. Customers are left with choosing between the criteria of a low priced ticket or a specific travel time making their power a little less high or even low. Supplier Power: The supply chain for JetBlue has a relatively high amount of power. Suppliers can pick and choose what airline they want to build for due to the highly specialized trade. JetBlue has found themselves buying airplanes as fast as their supplier, Embraer, can make them. Embraer entered into contract with JetBlue and has enabled them to customize their E190 aircraft in order to try and develop a competitive advantage over others. Fuel is a major source of supply in the airliner industry, with the ability to greater margins with lower costs. Fuel prices have seen a dramatic increase over the years from 2001’s price of seventy cents a gallon to two dollars and ten cents per gallon in 2007. Southwest takes some of this risk out of their operations with the use of fuel hedges. Threat of Substitutions: There are no substitutes for long distance air travel besides competing companies’ different airplanes, making the threat of substitution low. Planes can be substituted for other plans like the E190 to a regional jet (RJ), but the RJ has a 34% increase in cost per available seat mile. In a way JetBlue is operating as a substitute due to the fact that they offer 65% lower fares than legacy carriers. In terms of a travel substitutes, cars, buses, and trains are all viable substitutes for air travel if a customer decides to choose so. The above industry analysis shows that this is a highly competitive industry with varying power from consumers to suppliers. The overall conclusion is gaining loyal customers while keeping costs low in order to stay competitive in this industry. Most of the drivers of profitability are at a industry/market level rather than a general/firm level. Market Analysis Primary: By utilizing their different planes, JetBlue has been able to attract two types of primary customers. The A320, the larger plane for longer hauls, attracts the family that is going on vacation say to Florida. The E190, the smaller plane for shorter hauls, has attracted the business traveller that might be going to another state for a meeting. Each plane can serve either purpose depending on the distance need travelled but these are the norms that JetBlue has found for their passengers. Secondary: A secondary customer is served primarily on shorter hauls between cities. These revelers, as they have been called, travel from city to city for a sports event or a celebration of sorts and need to be on time without delay due to scheduling. JetBlue has found it hard in the past to guarantee no delays but continue to be one of the best in flight completion. This makes these customers non frequent flyers due to their reputation. Key Success Factors In the airline industry the following are the key success factor for a company to have: a way of attracting customers, managing of their staff, managing of their fleet, customer satisfaction, the ability to meet competitive prices, have a low cost per seat mile, a high passenger load factor, and a high amount of connecting flights for long hauls. The above external analysis shows us that this is a highly competitive industry full of a variety of players. In order to stay successful companies must keep costs low and have good customer service. The external factors in this industry are mostly out of the companies control and should be taken for what they are due to the impact they have industry wide. The planes that JetBlue operates with are exploitable in a way that gives them a competitive advantage by being able to adhere to two markets instantaneously. The A320 allows them to accommodate long haul travelers while the E190 allows them to accommodate the rest of the market. The Customer Bill of Rights was established after the Valentine’s Day crisis in 2007 and it describes JetBlue’s responsibilities to its customers in information sharing, cancellations, departure delays, overbookings, and on-board ground delays for arrivals and departures. These rights are the first of its kind among the U.S. airlines. JetBlue’s investment of $800 million for their new terminal in JFK airport with 26 new gates and a wide variety of passenger amenities gives them a huge competitive advantage. This shall attract brand recognition from the state of the art design along with the exclusive access in a very busy international airport. JetBlue with help from their supplier have been able to customize the E190 to include leather upholstery and satellite T.V. screens for each seat giving the passenger a comfortable and luxurious experience when flying. JetBlue for years has prided themselves as being the best in flight completion. BusinessWeek even had them as forth on the top performing companies in customer service. Value Chain The activities that create value for JetBlue are as follows: To lower fares JetBlue provided customers with incentives to purchase their tickets over the internet on the company website instead of by phone. If a customer still wished to book via phone then JetBlue has part time reservation agents who worked from home which in turn lowered their reservation function costs. Having their pilots exclusively fly one type of airplane and not both. To fly both they needed dual certification and needed to have â€Å"training† flying which was a form of non-revenue flight time for JetBlue. This cuts down on fuel costs as well as training time giving JetBlue’s pilots expertise with their aircrafts. â€Å"Red-Eye† Flights. Red-Eye flights are a useful capability  due to the fact that not many airlines provide them. These flights are done in the early hours of the morning and connect California to the eastern cities. Leverage: As seen above all the leverage ratios are above one meaning debt is higher than the equity produced by the firm. This can be seen as a positive and a negative. The positive is that the company has the potential to generate more money with this debt then without it. As seen in the financial statements, liabilities increase every year and so does operating revenues, maybe from a direct correlation. The negative aspect is that this gives the company another expense in interest deductive from revenues. Liquidity: The single liquidity ratio shows a lot concerning where a business is at in terms of being able to pay off your debt when need be. JetBlue’s current ratio shows a positive and a negative aspect. The positive aspect shows that in most of the past years JetBlue has had a ratio over one meaning they could pay all their current debt if called upon. The negative aspect is that in 2005 they fell below one and below industry standards. Profitability: In the case of profit ratios, JetBlue has a minor gap in between their net income and their operating income. The major difference is that in 2005 and  2006 the operating incomes were positive and the net income negative giving an indication that there is a factor that is causing a negative impact out of operations. The industry overall has not been profitable as seen in the analysis but JetBlue who has been compared to Southwest, who was profitable in these years, must make some changes to keep up to par. To conclude the above internal analysis JetBlue has many resources that they can use to gain a competitive advantage over their competitors. They also have several strong activities that add great value to their operations. Their financial stability might be uncertain at times but the industry as a whole is structured this way in the United States. Alternatives Alternative 1: Stop buying airplanes. Put a halt to all plane acquisitions for at least 3 years to stop the growth temporarily. Pros:Cons: – Stops from growing to death – Will make supplier upset – Allows to pay off existing debt – No further benefit of economies of scale – Allows for employees to adjust – Less maintenance costs Alternative 2: Scrap the A320. Live out the rest of the days of all A320 planes then scrap them from business operations and exclusively use the E190. Pros:Cons: – E190 provides better cost margins – Employees do not like the E190 as much – Using proven Southwest model of one type of plane- Would need to have a central hub in Kansas – Not wasting the remaining life of the A320’s – Make suppliers upset – Unique market of medium range planes, opportunity for growth Alternative 3: Scrap the E190. Live out the rest of the days of all E190 planes then scrap them from business operations and exclusively use the A320. Pro:Cons: – Employees like the A320 better – Make suppliers upset – Using proven Southwest model of one type of plane – Miss out on better cost margins of the E190 – Proven to be profitable in the past – Utilization of the new hub at JFK being built Decision Criteria The aforementioned alternatives need to be weighted with the below criteria prior to choosing a recommendation. Employee Satisfaction Customer Satisfaction How upset the Supplier will be Potential growth in the near future Recommendation We as a team recommend that JetBlue use alternative two. The reason that we have picked alternative two is due to the fact that it best fit our decision criteria. Even though employees are not as fond of the E190 compared to the old A320 we feel that they would adjust to the new setting quicker if that plane was their only option, this also includes the pilots and maintenance crew. Customers seem to like the E190 and the satisfaction should come more from JetBlue’s new policies and procedure from the Bill of Rights. We believe that the supplier will not be as upset due to the fact that JetBlue will still be buying these planes from them as they are needed. The E190 gave the best cost margins for potential growth in the near future compared to the legacy carriers and regional jets making it a the clear choice. In order to completely satisfy the entire market of the United Sates JetBlue would need a new central hub located in Kansas City, as mentioned by Rob Maruster. By only having one type of aircraft in the fleet it allows JetBlue’s structure to act like Southwest Airlines, with their Boeing 737, and allow their ground and flight personnel decreasing the average turnaround time between landing and getting back in the air. Implementation Implementation should begin with the stopping of purchasing or fixing the A320 planes. Once enough debt has been paid off from the saved money begin to construct a new central terminal in Kansas City. In the long term additional E190’s will need to be purchased enabling JetBlue to service more cities throughout the U.S. and keep the turnarounds quick. Contingency Plan If failing to be competitive and popular with the exclusive aircraft model we suggest trying to become an international airline and flying across to boarder countries like Canada and Mexico. This would not require additional capital in planes but merely agreements with countries regulations.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Blue Gold Essay

The short documentary, Blue Gold, presented an issue of our planet’s water supply. Our planet is made out of about 70% of water. However, less than 1% of that water is actually drinkable. The issue is that water is becoming scares and due to lack of rain, the precious water begins to dry out. As the water source rapidly declines, the corporations saw that as a chance to make profit. Therefore, we are forced to buy overpriced water. Summary: Blue Gold did a great job representing the issue and how it affects not only third world countries but first world countries as well. Not only does the documentary talk about the water scarcity problem but they also talk about how the big corporations decided to take control of the situation by owning water and selling it. As the documentary stated, â€Å"water is now a valuable asset†. I am very glad that I got the opportunity to watch this film. Blue Gold opened my eyes to a problem that has been in front of my face the entire time. Shocking information that caught my attention while watching the film is the fact that in Mexico, a plastic bottle of water is more expensive than a glass bottle of Coke-Cola! The idea that Coke-Cola, owner of Nestle, basically took over Mexico and their water supply yet citizens of Mexico are extremely deprived of water is disgusting. Big corporations that are sharks like Coke-Cola are the reason why water is scares. These corporations are they taking over and â€Å"owning† water by literally trapping water in large dams! By doing this, water is not getting is full nutrients because water is suppose to go through the cycle of natural water flow through rivers, lakes, oceans, etc. Not only are these corporations taking over water, they are the ones who are also polluting the water. These corporations dump their wastes into a nearby body of water. Like I stated previously, water needs to flow through a water cycle. As the water is partaking its natural cycle, it is carrying the waste created from the corporations and spreading it through out the world. After watching this movie, it is not even shocking that only less than 1% of the world’s 70% of water is drinkable. Water is no longer available for everyone. It is only available for those who are rich enough to afford it. How sad is that? Children in Mexico drink polluted water from rivers because they are not part of the higher social class that can afford a bottle of clean drinking water. These higher classes are taking over the water source and controlling who gets clean water and who doesn’t. Now that I have watched Blue Gold, I can see how water supply is deprecating. As I drive around, I can see swamps dried out from the lack of rain. We must act now to save this planet’s water because the longer we wait, the more polluted water gets which makes more of Earth’s water unusable. We must spread awareness as well as get some ground rules or laws to prevent these big industries from taking over water as well as dumping whatever they desire. Conclusion: Today, I bought myself a Ethos water bottle from Starbucks and it was sold at a whooping price of almost $3! That is more than a dollar more than a cup of coffee! Watching this movie definitely changed my perspective of water and I am more aware of the situation. I would recommend others to watch this short documentary because the more people aware of the situation, the more people that are willing to prevent and fix this situation.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Pandillas como MS-13 y leyes migratorias de EE.UU.

Pandillas como MS-13 y leyes migratorias de EE.UU. Ser miembro de una pandilla como la MS-13 o la Mara Salvatrucha, o incluso la simple sospecha de pertenencia actual o pasada causa problemas migratorios gravà ­simos para todos los extranjeros presentes en el paà ­s. Por su gran impacto migratorio, este artà ­culo informa sobre quà © es una pandilla, conocida tambià ©n como mara, cà ³mo las autoridades migratorias obtienen informacià ³n sobre quià ©n es o puede ser pandillero, cules son las consecuencias migratorias y quà © se puede hacer si se tienen problemas por esta razà ³n.  ¿Quà © se considera que es una pandilla o mara? No hay una definicià ³n legal à ºnica sobre quà © es una pandilla. Sin embargo, el Departamento de Seguridad Interna (DHS, por sus siglas en inglà ©s), del que dependen organismos migratorios como ICE y USCIS, considera que una pandilla es una asociacià ³n formal o informal de tres o ms personas que tiene como uno de sus principales objetivos cometer uno o ms delitos. Es decir, una mara no tiene que ser una organizacià ³n grande y conocida como la Mara Salvatrucha, la MS-13 o los Latin Kings.  ¿Cà ³mo saben las autoridades migratorias que un migrante es pandillero? Las autoridades migratorias consultan una o varias bases de datos que incluyen informacià ³n sobre las personas que pertenecen a alguna de esas organizaciones o de quienes se sospecha que tienen algà ºn tipo de afiliacià ³n con las mismas o, incluso, quienes pertenecieron en el pasado. Entre la informacià ³n que se registra en las bases de datos se encuentran los nombres de los pandilleros, apodos, direccià ³n, descripcià ³n fà ­sica y marcas, como por ejemplo lunares o cicatrices, tatuajes, nacionalidad, identificacià ³n de la pandilla a la que pertenecen o con la que se sospecha que estn afiliados y posicià ³n dentro de la misma. Entre las bases de datos ms utilizadas destaca GangNet. Se sabe que la utilizan al menos el FBI, ICE - la agencia encargada de ejecutar las leyes migratorias- , 14 estados y el Distrito de Columbia. En 2016, ICE dejà ³ de utilizar ICEGangs y ahora busca informacià ³n sobre posibles pandilleros en la citada GangNet y en otras bases de datos como, ICM, EID y FALCON. Adems, estados, condados o ciudades pueden tener sus propias bases de datos para este fin. Una de las ms completas es CalGang, a la cual aà ±aden informacià ³n todos los departamentos de policà ­a del estado de California. Se da por hecho entre los abogados migratorios que el Departamento de Seguridad Interna, del cual dependen ICE y USCIS, tiene acceso a la informacià ³n que contienen muchas de esas bases de datos locales o estatales, pero se desconoce el alcance de la colaboracià ³n.  ¿Cà ³mo se incluye una persona en una base de datos sobre pandillas o maras? Segà ºn el Centro de Recursos Legales Migratorios (ILRC, por sus siglas en inglà ©s), el nombre de una persona puede incluirse en una base de datos sobre pertenencia o afiliacià ³n con maras en cuatro situaciones. En primer lugar, como resultado de la investigacià ³n de un delito. En segundo lugar, por lo que se declara cuando se est en custodia de la policà ­a. En tercer lugar, por condena en un juicio y, en cuarto lugar, como consecuencia de lo que un agente anota durante lo que se conoce como una entrevista de campo (field interview, en inglà ©s). En este contexto, debe entenderse como una entrevista de campo una interaccià ³n entre un pandillero o sospecho de serlo y un agente de la policà ­a que tiene lugar en un vecindario de una ciudad con un alto à ­ndice de presencia pandillera. Cada estado establece sus propias reglas para determinar cundo el agente puede incluir a una persona en una base de datos de pandillas, por lo que es imposible brindar reglas generales. Sin embargo, en California, donde la presencia pandillera es notable, la ley permite la inclusià ³n de una persona en CalGang si cumple al menos dos de los siguientes requisitos: Ha reconocido pertenecer a una maraHa sido arrestada en compaà ±Ãƒ ­a de personas conocidas como pandillerosHa sido identificada como miembro de una pandilla por un informanteExhibe sà ­mbolos o gestos manuales propios de pandillasTiene tatuajes propios de pandillasFrecuenta lugares en los que se reà ºnen las pandillasViste ropa que se identifica con una determinada mara Como consecuencia de la laxitud de los requisitos para ser incluido en una base de datos sobre pandillas, entre los defensores de los migrantes se argumenta que muchas de las personas incluidas en las mismas no son, en realidad, pandilleros. Adems, cuando una persona est detenida en una crcel o prisià ³n no migratoria frecuentemente se registra su afiliacià ³n con una pandilla - verificada o presunta- para evitar colocar en el mismo mà ³dulo carcelario a miembros de distintas organizaciones. Asimismo, agencias migratorias como la Policà ­a Fronteriza (CBP, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) e ICE tambià ©n registran si una persona es sospechosa de pertenecer a pandillas e incluso agencias privadas que gestionan crceles migratorias, como CCA y GEO, tambià ©n realizan esta clase de anotaciones. Por otro lado, hay que tener en consideracià ³n que cada jurisdiccià ³n establece las reglas sobre si es obligatorio notificar a una persona que ha sido incluida en alguna de dichas bases de datos o registros sobre pertenencia a pandillas, por lo que en muchos casos el interesado no sabe que su nombre ha sido incluido. Una vez que el nombre ha sido incluido, es muy difà ­cil sacarlo de la base de datos. Estar incluido en una base de datos de maras,  ¿cà ³mo afecta a los asuntos migratorios? La pertenencia a pandillas se considera, desde el punto de vista migratorio, como una amenaza a la seguridad nacional de los Estados Unidos, lo cual significa que si un migrante es calificado como tal, tiene un problema migratorio gravà ­simo. Hay que destacar distintas situaciones. En primer lugar, si una persona extranjera est detenida por Inmigracià ³n y se sabe o sospecha que es miembro de una pandilla como los Latin King, MS-13 o Mara Salvatrucha, no va a obtener una fianza o, si la obtuviese, va a ser por un monto muy alto. Adems, se inicia un procedimiento de deportacià ³n o expulsià ³n en su contra. No cabe duda de que la pertenencia actual o pasada a una pandilla o mara es causa prioritaria de deportacià ³n. En el caso de migrantes no detenidos que solicitan un beneficio migratorio, como un ajuste de estatus, por ejemplo, DACA para jà ³venes indocumentados que llegaron a Estados Unidos siendo nià ±os o la visa U para và ­ctimas de violencia, dicho beneficio puede ser negado y, de hecho, eso es lo que sucede en la mayorà ­a de los casos. La denegacià ³n del beneficio migratorio puede deberse porque se pregunta especà ­ficamente en el formulario de aplicacià ³n sobre pertenencia a pandillas y, en caso de que asà ­ sea, se aplica lo que se conoce como causa de inadmisibilidad (a)(3)(B) que da lugar a que no se pueda estar en EE.UU. y se inicie un proceso de deportacià ³n. En otros casos en los que no se se realiza esa pregunta, como es el caso de los formularios de DACA, el beneficio ser negado casi siempre porque el oficial del USCIS tiene el poder discrecional de decidir si aprueba el beneficio que se solicita y, en el caso de los pandilleros, la regla general es no aprobarlo.  ¿Quà © se puede hacer cuando un migrante es sospechoso de pandillero? Estos son casos muy delicados y que deben ser siempre tratados en confidencialidad con un abogado que tenga experiencia en este tipo de casos y que conozca las reglas y reglamentos del estado respecto a pandillas y bases de datos. Si una persona extranjera se ha movido en cà ­rculos pandilleros, aunque no haya pertenecido a ninguna pandilla o si realmente ha tenido membresà ­a en alguna de ellas, deberà ­a consultar con un abogado antes de solicitar cualquier tipo de beneficio migratorio, ya que podrà ­a estar provocando el inicio de un proceso de deportacià ³n en su contra. Es importante que el abogado conozca si el estado est obligado a comunicar la inclusià ³n de una persona en la base de datos. En el caso de que se produzca dicha comunicacià ³n, se debe contratar a un abogado para que intente apelar y borrar el nombre del migrante de dicha base de datos. Si se vive en una jurisdiccià ³n donde la autoridad no est obligada a notificar la inclusià ³n de una persona en un registro de maras, es importante que el abogado intente recabar esa informacià ³n indirectamente. Por ejemplo, solicitando rà ©cords de posibles arrestos, de oficiales de libertad condicional o parole o, incluso, de high school, ya que en muchas escuelas se realizan anotaciones sobre posible pertenencia a pandillas de los estudiantes. Puntos clave Las pandillas o maras son consideradas una amenaza a la seguridad de EE.UU.Membresà ­a o sospecha de pertenencia a pandillas es causa de problemas migratorios graves.Existen varias bases de datos de pandilleros. Es posible estar en una sin saberlo. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Any

Any Any Any By Maeve Maddox A reader asks, If a countable noun comes after any, then should it [the noun] be singular or plural? Like the indefinite article a/an, the word any derives from a form of the Old English word for one. Primarily an adjective, it is also used as a pronoun. As an adjective, any is most commonly followed by plural or uncountable nouns: In questions: Do you have any tomatoes for sale? (plural noun) Baa, baa Black Sheep, have you any wool? (uncountable noun) In negative statements: I don’t have any books by that author. (plural noun) The lion didn’t have any courage. (uncountable noun) In conditional statements: If your final draft contains any errors, it will be rejected. (plural noun) If you need any help with the proofing, let me know. (uncountable noun) Sometimes any is used to modify a singular countable noun: Any fourth-grader should be able to read that book. Any grammar book will have a section on relative pronouns. In these sentences, any is used in the sense of every: Every fourth-grader should be able to read that book. Every grammar book will have a section on relative pronouns. Sometimes a singular countable noun follows any in a question: Is there any rule that says I can’t dye my hair green? Is there any reason you slam the screen door every time you go through it? In the above contexts, the speaker does not anticipate more than one rule or reason, if any. On the other hand, a speaker who anticipates that there could be several rules or reasons would follow any with a plural noun: Are there any rules against further construction in this neighborhood? Are there any reasons we shouldn’t require job applicants to submit samples of their writing? As a pronoun, any stands for a noun that has already been expressed, or when it is followed by the preposition of: Of all the books I have read, this one is more memorable than any. If there are any of the pecans left after the sale, you may have them. 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 Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:8 Proofreading Tips And TechniquesPhrasal Verbs and Phrasal Nouns

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Factors Impacting Ethical Behavior in a Chinese State owned Essay

Factors Impacting Ethical Behavior in a Chinese State owned steelCompany - Essay Example To a larger extent, it can be observed that the work environment significantly impacts on the ethical behaviour of the employees in the organization. China’s business ethics is based on Confucianism and this also shapes the work environment in different organizations (Fu & Deshpande, 232). The ethical climate that exists in the organization greatly shapes the ethical behaviour of the Chinese employees. This environment shapes the values, perceptions as well as the beliefs that shape the behaviour of people. Likewise, Chinese employees are likely to learn from others within the organization and they will behave in a way that reflects the organization’s values and norms. In a country with uncertainty avoidance like China, it has been observed that the climate in the Chinese steel organization is shaped by such rule and this ultimately shapes ethical behaviour of the employee (Fu & Deshpande, 235). Thus, the prescribed values that obtain in the work environment significant ly shape the ethical behaviour of the Chinese employees. The other significant factor that shapes ethical behaviour of the Chinese is related to employee evaluation of self and other co-workers. As noted by Fu & Deshpande (235), employees in the steel industry share collectivist behaviour and this also shapes their ethical behaviour. The employees are greatly influenced by the behaviour of their co-workers since they would not want to be found on the wrong side of the law. In most cases, if the employees see other people in the organization behaving wrongly then they are not punished, they are likely to follow suit. Likewise, if the co-workers see others being rewarded for good behaviour, they will also behave in a positive way. Therefore, to a larger extent, it can be noted that the way employees evaluate themselves and their co-workers significantly impacts on their ethical behaviour in the

Friday, November 1, 2019

Marketing Conduct of the Superdry Fashion Brand Label of UK Essay - 1

Marketing Conduct of the Superdry Fashion Brand Label of UK - Essay Example This paper illustrates that Superdry brand is owned by the Super Group Plc with two brands CULT and Superdry. The brand started its business in 1985 with inspiration from the Japanese streetwear having a combination of bright colors and graphical prints. The Japanese style was mixed with the British style and high-quality fashion product that captured the market significantly. The global presence of the business in different parts of the world is presented in the paper. The company has expanded from using the Wholesale business format to the retail format with the strategy of expanding revenues and profits. Superdry has the business model of expanding its base in the geographical territory. A review of the five years’ revenue and the business has been illustrated in the paper. Though the political conditions of the UK are stable, there are growing concerns in businesses with respect to the general election and along with the probable EU referendum  to be held in 2015. Also, the independence of Scotland is to pose a challenge.Despite taking steps for the recovery from the economic crunch of 2008 and the inflation standing at 1.5%, the interest rate is maintained at 0.5%, to support the slowing growth. The competitive landscape is a critical for the business understanding, survival and winning a competitive edge. Superdry with its global existence has a deal with the range of competitive pressures in order to maintain the profitable balance. The leading competitors of Superdry include Primark, H&M, New Look and Rivers Island in addition to another leading fashion brand local and international players in both local and international market of its presence.