Bernard Montgomery, World War II Field Marshal

Bernard Montgomery (November 17, 1887–March 24, 1976) was a British soldier who rose through the ranks to become one of the most important military leaders of World War II. Known to be difficult to work with, Monty was nevertheless exceptionally popular with the British public. He was rewarded for his service with promotions to Field Marshal, Bridgadier General, and Viscount. Fast Facts: Bernard Montgomery Known For: Top military commander during World War IIAlso Known As: MontyBorn: November 17, 1887 in London, England Parents: The Reverend Henry Montgomery, Maud MontgomeryDied: March 24, 1976 in Hampshire, EnglandEducation: St. Paul’s School, London, and the Royal Military Academy (Sandhurst)Awards and Honors: Distinguished Service Order (after being wounded in WWI); after WWII, he received the Knight of the Garter and was created 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein in 1946Spouse: Elizabeth CarverChildren: John and Dick (stepsons) and DavidNotable Quote: Every soldier must know, before he goes into battle, how the little battle he is to fight fits into the larger picture, and how the success of his fighting will influence the battle as a whole. Early Life Born in Kennington, London in 1887, Bernard Montgomery was the son of Reverend Henry Montgomery and his wife Maud, and the grandson of noted colonial administrator Sir Robert Montgomery. One of nine children, Montgomery spent his early years at the familys ancestral home of New Park in Northern Ireland before his father was made Bishop of Tasmania in 1889. While living in the remote colony, he endured a harsh childhood that included beatings by his mother. Largely educated by tutors, Montgomery seldom saw his father, who frequently traveled due to his post. The family returned to Britain in 1901 when Henry Montgomery became secretary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. Back in London, the younger Montgomery attended St. Pauls School before entering the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. While at the academy, he struggled with discipline issues and was nearly expelled for rowdiness. Graduating in 1908, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and assigned to the 1st Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment. World War I Sent to India, Montgomery was promoted to lieutenant in 1910. Back in Britain, he received an appointment as battalion adjutant at the Shorncliffe Army Camp in Kent. With the outbreak of World War I, Montgomery deployed to France with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). Assigned to Lieutenant General Thomas Snows 4th Division, his regiment took part in the fighting at Le Cateau on August 26, 1914. Continuing to see action during the retreat from Mons, Montgomery was badly wounded during a counterattack near Mà ©teren on October 13, 1914. He was hit through the right lung by a sniper before another round struck him in the knee. Awarded the Distinguished Service Order, he was appointed as a brigade major in the 112th and 104th Brigades. Returning to France in early 1916, Montgomery served as a  staff officer with the 33rd Division during the Battle of Arras. The following year, he took part in the Battle of Passchendaele as a staff officer with IX Corps. During this time he became known as a meticulous planner who worked tirelessly to integrate the operations of the infantry, engineers, and artillery. As the war concluded in November 1918, Montgomery held the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel and was serving as chief of staff for the 47th Division. Interwar Years After commanding the 17th  (Service) Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers in the British Army of the Rhine during the occupation, Montgomery reverted to the rank of captain in November 1919. Seeking to attend the Staff College, he persuaded Field Marshal Sir William Robertson to approve his admission. Completing the course, he was again made a brigade major and assigned to the 17th Infantry Brigade in January 1921. Stationed in Ireland, he took part in counter-insurgency operations during the Irish War of Independence and advocated taking a hard line with the rebels. In 1927, Montgomery married Elizabeth Carver and the couple had a son, David, the following year. Moving through a variety of peacetime postings, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1931 and rejoined the Royal Warwickshire Regiment for service in the Middle East and India. Returning home in 1937, he was given command of the 9th Infantry Brigade with the temporary rank of brigadier. A short time later, tragedy struck when Elizabeth died from septicemia following an amputation caused by an infected insect bite. Grief-stricken, Montgomery coped by withdrawing into his work. A year later, he organized a massive amphibious training exercise that was praised by his superiors, which led to his promotion to major general. Given command of the 8th Infantry Division in Palestine, he put down an Arab revolt in 1939 before being transferred to Britain to lead the 3rd Infantry Division. With the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, his division was deployed to France as part of the BEF. Fearing a disaster similar to 1914, he relentlessly trained his men in defensive maneuvers and fighting. In France Serving in General Alan Brookes II Corps, Montgomery earned his superiors praise. With the German invasion of the Low Countries, the 3rd Division performed well and, following the collapse of the Allied position, was evacuated through Dunkirk. During the final days of the campaign, Montgomery led II Corps as Brooke had been recalled to London. Arriving back in Britain, Montgomery became an outspoken critic of the BEFs high command and began a feud with the commander of Southern Command, Lieutenant General Sir Claude Auchinleck. Over the next year, he held several posts responsible for the defense of southeastern Britain. North Africa In August 1942, Montgomery, now a lieutenant general, was appointed to command the Eighth Army in Egypt following the death of Lieutenant-General William Gott. Serving under General Sir Harold Alexander, Montgomery took command on August 13 and began a rapid reorganization of his forces and worked to reinforce the defenses at El Alamein. Making numerous visits to the front lines, he diligently endeavored to raise morale. In addition, he sought to unite land, naval, and air units into an effective combined arms team. Anticipating that Field Marshal Erwin Rommel would attempt to turn his left flank, he strengthened this area and defeated the noted German commander at the Battle of Alam Halfa in early September. Under pressure to mount an offensive, Montgomery began extensive planning for striking at Rommel. Opening the Second Battle of El Alamein in late October, Montgomery shattered Rommels lines and sent him reeling east. Knighted and promoted to general for the victory, he maintained pressure on Axis forces and turned them out of successive defensive positions, including the Mareth Line in March 1943. Sicily and Italy With the defeat of Axis forces in North Africa, planning began for the Allied invasion of Sicily. Landing in July 1943 in conjunction with Lieutenant General George S. Pattons U.S. Seventh Army, Montgomerys Eighth Army came ashore near Syracuse. While the campaign was a success, Montgomerys boastful style ignited a rivalry with his flamboyant American counterpart. On September 3, the Eighth Army opened the campaign in Italy by landing in Calabria. Joined by Lieutenant General Mark Clarks U.S. Fifth Army, which landed at Salerno, Montgomery began a slow, grinding advance up the Italian peninsula. D-Day On December 23, 1943, Montgomery was ordered to Britain to take command of the 21st Army Group, which comprised all of the ground forces assigned to the invasion of Normandy. Playing a key role in the planning process for D-Day, he oversaw the Battle of Normandy after Allied forces began landing on June 6. During this period, he was criticized by Patton and General Omar Bradley for his initial inability to capture the city of Caen. Once taken, the city was used as the pivot point for the Allied breakout and crushing of German forces in the Falaise pocket. Push to Germany As most of the Allied troops in Western Europe rapidly became American, political forces prevented Montgomery from remaining Ground Forces Commander. This title was assumed by the Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight Eisenhower, while Montgomery was permitted to retain the 21st Army Group. In compensation, Prime Minister Winston Churchill had Montgomery promoted to field marshal. In the weeks following Normandy, Montgomery succeeded in convincing Eisenhower to approve Operation Market-Garden, which called for a direct thrust toward the Rhine and Ruhr Valley utilizing large numbers of airborne troops. Uncharacteristically daring for Montgomery, the operation was also poorly planned, with key intelligence about the enemys strength overlooked. As a result, the operation was only partially successful and resulted in the destruction of the 1st British Airborne Division. In the wake of this effort, Montgomery was directed to clear the Scheldt so that the port of Antwerp could be opened to Allied shipping. On December 16, the Germans opened the Battle of the Bulge with a massive offensive. With German troops breaking through the American lines, Montgomery was ordered to take command of U.S. forces north of the penetration to stabilize the situation. He was effective in this role and was ordered to counterattack in conjunction with Pattons Third Army on January 1, with the goal of encircling the Germans. Not believing his men were ready, he delayed two days, which allowed many of the Germans to escape. Pressing on to the Rhine, his men crossed the river in March and helped encircle German forces in the Ruhr. Driving across northern Germany, Montgomery occupied Hamburg and Rostock before accepting a German surrender on May 4. Death After the war, Montgomery was made commander of the British occupation forces and served on the Allied Control Council. In 1946, he was elevated to Viscount Montgomery of Alamein for his accomplishments. Serving as Chief of the Imperial General Staff from 1946 to 1948, he struggled with the political aspects of the post. Beginning in 1951, he served as deputy commander of NATOs European forces and remained in that position until his retirement in 1958. Increasingly known for his outspoken views on a variety of topics, his postwar memoirs were severely critical of his contemporaries. Montgomery died on March 24, 1976, and was buried at Binsted.

Rhetorical Devices In The Death Of The Moth - 1224 Words

Many people attempt to avoid death, and many times those people are successful; however, more often than not, when people face the predicament of dying, they are not fortunate enough to escape the misfortune. Whether a person surpasses the curse of death at one point in time, eventually they will come to meet death; death is inevitable. Virginia Woolf, author of the essay, â€Å"The Death of the Moth,† captures the message death is inevitable. Throughout the essay, Woolf follows the short life of a day moth. In following the moth, Woolf comes to the realization that regardless of what she attempts to do to proliferate the decay of the moth, the moth will still succumb to death. To encapsulate the theme in the essay, Woolf uses numerous†¦show more content†¦Analyzing her newfound appreciation sanctions Woolf to remind herself that life is precious. Reminding herself of life s grandeur enables Woolf to then transfer the tone into her writing. Conveying the value of life , changes Woolf’s perspective. She values life more, but as she has learned earlier from the moth, sadness is inherent; sadness is brought by tragedy, like dying. Conclusively, Woolf’s use of pathos in her writing enabled her to present a clear tone, which contributed to the theme that death is inevitable. Next, Woolf employs imagery in her writing to further develop the theme. Specifically, Wolf uses imagery to capture the moth’s final moments in life. Woolf adds descriptive phrases such as â€Å"stiff or so awkward that he could only flutter to the bottom† and â€Å"he slipped from the wooden ledge and fell, fluttering his wings,† to encapsulate the moth’s initial difficulties of living. She creates a visual that enhances the moth’s struggle to survive; the moth continues to attempt to fly, but only meets difficulty. To expand on the idea that the moth is struggling, Woolf, herself in the essay, attempts to aid the moth’s in its dying struggle. She writes, â€Å"The helplessness of his attitude roused me. It flashed upon me that he was in difficulties; he could no longer raise himself; his legs struggled vainly.Show MoreRelatedRhetorical Analysis Of The Death Of The Moth And On Keeping A Notebook 1427 Words   |  6 Pages 19, September, 2014 9th Ni Device Use Analysis Rhetoric devices are often used by writers to clarify ideas, emphasize key points, or relate insights to the reader. In both â€Å"The Death of the Moth† and â€Å"On Keeping A Notebook, † the authors heavily rely on such devices to get their points across to the audience, and these devices help strengthen overall theme the authors want to communicate. Though several may argue that Didion’s use of metaphor and rhetorical question compliment her essay veryRead MoreRhetorical Strategies Are Techniques Writers Use For A Particular Effect3632 Words   |  15 PagesRhetorical strategies are techniques writers use for a particular effect. In previous classes, you might have been introduced to them as â€Å"literary devices† – others will be completely new to you. When thinking of language choices that we make when writing or speaking, think of it like this -- everyone draws from a â€Å"toolbox† of rhetorical strategies as they express ideas an d evoke responses in their readers. The more â€Å"tricks† of language that you know, the more effectively you can say what youRead MoreThomas Hardy Poems16083 Words   |  65 Pagesdetermine man s merits or fortunes. The pain the â€Å"doomsters† (judges) dispensed could have readily been blisses for all they cared; neither reward nor punishments for man’s actions are considered. The poet uses techniques such as rhetorical questioning in lines 10-12, to enhance the flavour of this poem, as it also gives off a dramatic irony as the writer proves his point that god does not exist so he in turn has to answer the questions that he asked. Lines 3-4, is an oxymoron as twoRead MoreEssay on Silent Spring - Rachel Carson30092 Words   |  121 Pages.......11 Chapter 1 A Fable for Tomorrow.........................................................................12 Chapter 2 The Obligation to Endure....................................................................14 Chapter 3 Elixirs of Death.....................................................................................16 Chapter 4 Surface Waters and Underground Seas.............................................18 Chapter 5 Realms of the Soil..................................

Impact of Baby Boomers on Today’s Workforce Free Essays

Baby boomers are those born between 1945 to 1964, the boom of the US population. Data from the Department of Labor BLS, in 1998 indicate that there were 77 million baby boomers and this represented 37% of the country’s population. As of 2008, baby boomers make up 40% of US workforce. We will write a custom essay sample on Impact of Baby Boomers on Today’s Workforce or any similar topic only for you Order Now This percentage is expected to increase dramatically in the next decade and baby boomers will make up majority of the employees in many companies. (Department of Labor, 2008) Companies are now at a dilemma on the effects of this population boom of older workers. Human Resource Departments are torn between decisions to retain or terminate their services. At one hand, older workers have the experiences and technical expertise; many are valued employees. Retiring or terminating them may mean significant loss to many companies. On the other hand, many older employees have not kept pace with modern technologies; their skills have become obsolete. Older employees also are more expensive considering higher salary rates, pension and other benefits. An article from ABC by John Strossel and Frank Mastropolo, â€Å"Fired for Being Too Old: Unfair or Good for Business? † (2008) presented various age discrimination cases filed against companies. Like many, disc jockeys of 99. 7 KY Max Floyd and Tanna Guthrie were fired from work and without any warning. Though they were told that the company was changing formats, they knew that they were fired for being too old and they felt hurt and betrayed. Why couldn’t they keep us? We’ve been there, been loyal with the company, and they didn’t change the music a lot† (Strossel Mastropolo, 2008, p. 1). They sought protection of the law for age discrimination and filed million-dollar lawsuit against the company. Sympathy may be given to baby boomers that end up being replaced with young, fresh talents. But in the competitive industry, businesses have to survive a nd be able to replace their aging employees when needed. How to cite Impact of Baby Boomers on Today’s Workforce, Papers

Fiercely Feminine free essay sample

I am so lucky to have been able to spend the last 17 years of my life in a home filled with all of the comforts of a woman’s touch. Walking into my house, one can immediately sense the female influence: the scent of perfume in the air, the pile of fashion magazines on the coffee table, a vase of flowers centered in the room. Although this setting may not seem very significant, it truly is. All of the superficial ‘girly’ perks of my household reflects the strong feminist pride that has made me the person I am today. Throughout my life, I have been surrounded by generations of women. My sister in her early twenties, my mother in her late forties, and my grandmother in her middle sixties. Their years of experience and knowledge has helped to bring out my most dominant traits and attributes. My sister has instilled in me a sense of determination. We will write a custom essay sample on Fiercely Feminine or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page She always has a clear idea of what she wants and has the resolve and will to go out and get it. From becoming valedictorian to winning a competitive internship at a local newspaper, my sister has always pulled through to achieve her goals. Drive is a very important attribute of mine for I set high goals for myself and in order to accomplish these I will persevere over all of the exhaustion, sacrifice a lot of time, and work with passion. My mother has instilled in me a sense of independence. She is divorced from my father and has been single ever since. Even when she accomplishes the smallest tasks, I feel inspired by her. Whether it involves moving heavy furniture around the house or dealing with car problems, my mother has been able to handle all of the typical household responsibilities a man would handle. Because of her, I have become a fiercely independent person. When I accomplish something all on my own, I feel satisfied and proud. My grandmother has instilled in me the desi re to be generous. My grandmother is one of the most giving, caring people I know. She always takes care of the family and will do whatever it takes to make our lives a little easier. She has helped me to realize that I want to make a difference in people’s lives and give as much as I can. Whether I decide to pursue a field in humanities or a career in non-profit organizations, I know I want to make a positive impact on the world around me. Living in this world of strong ‘girl power’ has instilled in me a pride like no other. I am proud to be a sister, a daughter, and a granddaughter. But most importantly, I am proud to be myself.

The most important part of Emergency Planning Introduction

How to Fill Out the Standard Application to Private School

How to Fill Out the Standard Application to Private School The Standard Application, provided by the SSAT, facilitates the process of applying to multiple private schools for grades 6 through the PG or postgraduate year by using a common application. There is a standard application online that applicants can fill out electronically. Here is a breakdown of each section of the application and how to complete it: Part One: Student Information The first section asks students information about themselves, including their educational and family background, and whether or not their family will be applying for financial aid. The application also asks if the student will require a Form I-20 or an F-1 Visa to enter the U.S. The first part of the application also asks whether the student is a legacy at the school, meaning that the student’s parents, grandparents, or other relatives attended the school. Many schools offer a relative advantage to legacies in comparison to similar non-legacy students in admissions. Part Two: The Student Questionnaire The student questionnaire asks the applicant to complete the questions on his or her own in his/her own handwriting. The section begins with a number of short questions that usually ask the student to list her present activities and her plans for future activities, as well as her hobbies, interests, and awards. The student may also be asked to write about the reading she has recently enjoyed and why she liked it. This section, though short, can allow the admissions committees to understand more about the applicant, including her interests, personality, and the subjects that excite her. There is no one right â€Å"answer† for this section, and it’s best to write honestly, as the school wants to make sure applicants are a good fit for their school. While it may be tempting for a hopeful applicant to write about her compelling interest in Homer, admissions committees can usually sense insincerity. If a student really likes ancient Greek epics, by all means, she should wri te about her interest in honest, vivid terms. However, if she is really interested in sports memoirs, it’s better for her to write about what she really reads and to build on this essay in her admissions interview. Remember that a student will also go through an interview and may be asked about what she wrote on her admissions essays. This section of the application also allows the student to add anything he or she would like the admissions committee to know. The student’s questionnaire also requires the applicant to write a 250-500 word essay on a subject such as an experience that has had an effect on the student or a person or figure the student admires. Writing the candidate statement can be difficult for students who have never completed this type of essay before, but they can write the essay over time by first starting to brainstorm about their meaningful influences and experiences and then outlining, writing, and revising their essay in stages. The writing should be produced by the student, not by the parents, as admissions committees want to understand what the student is truly like and whether the student would be a good fit for their school. Students generally do best at schools that are right for them, and the candidate statement allows students to reveal some of their interests and personalities so the school can evaluate whether the school is the right place for them. While it is again tempting for the student to try t o appear to be what the school wants, it is best for the student to write honestly about her interests and thereby find a school that’s appropriate for her. The Parent’s Statement The next section on the standard application is the parent’s statement, which asks the parent to write about the applicant’s interests, character, and ability to handle private school work. The application asks whether the student has had to repeat a year, withdraw from school, or has been put on probation or suspended, and it is best for the parent to explain the situations honestly. In addition, the more honest, though positive, a parent is about a student, the better chance the student will have to find a school that’s a good fit. Teacher Recommendations The application concludes with forms filled out by the applicant’s school, including a recommendation by a school head or principal, an English teacher recommendation, a math teacher recommendation, and an academic records form. The parents sign a release and then give these forms to the school for completion.

Criminal justice case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Criminal justice case study - Essay Example As there is a possibility of conflict between State and Federal law resulting in jeopardy, US attorneys are directed to check with the Attorney General before prosecuting any case that shows the possibility of a double jeopardy. There is a possibility of double jeopardy when the defendant in a trial prefers not to testify his defense and later on asserts that he is not given ample opportunity to defend his side. So, it is for the trial judge to see that the defendant’s refusal to testify his own defense properly comes on the trial record. Otherwise, it later leads to double jeopardy. In cases like the present one where the defendant adopts ‘nolo contendere’ or no contest by not testifying his defense, there is a high possibility of double jeopardy as the different States in the US have different laws relating to the acceptance of nolo contendere. However, the general notion is that it is considered similar to guilty plea, and as it saves time and money, and as it calls for mercy, there is a possible reduction in sentence. At this juncture, as Justice Bhatt (n.d), depending on the circumstances of the case, the court can even immediately impose sentence. It seems that by not taking the stand in his own defense, the defendant has not made any influence on the jury. It seems like the usual way of concluding a case when the defendant does not defend his own stand. In this particular case, the victim identified the defendant in a lineup. In addition, the defendant did not care to take his defense. In normal course, either the defendant can plead ‘not guilty’ or ‘guilty’; in addition, the defendant can also plea ‘nolo contendere’ which means ‘no contest’ (Mueller & Kirkpatrick, 1999, p. 355). This simply means that the defendant is ready to accept any sentence handed down, but does not admit the factual guilt. Thus, in

Developments And Changes Music Over Time Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Developments And Changes Music Over Time - Essay Example Music publishing is the process concerned with valuing, developing, and protecting music in the wider music industry. Music publishers are the people charged or tasked with the duty of developing new music and taking care of the business side. They do this to help songwriters and composers to concentrate their efforts on the creation of new music. This therefore leads to the definition of a music publisher as that person who seeks out music, composers and songwriters, goes ahead to promote their catalogues, manages the business exploitation of those catalogues through registration of works and collection of due royalties in order to protect and enhance the work of songwriters and composers (Dolfsma, 2000). They achieve this by doing the following tasks; finding new talents then supporting and encouraging them. Coordinate work flow and secure commissions. They also register the works of songwriters to the appropriate societies and agencies. They produce demo recordings and performance materials in contemporary classical music. They also license and produce printed music.

Introduction to Businsse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Introduction to Businsse - Essay Example Social responsibility contributes to positive impact on the corporate by the society hence improved performance. In the recent past, customers have become more sensitive of not only the quality of products and services they receive, but also the means used by organizations to produce the products (Aras and Crowther 494-496). Organizations demonstrating any form of inhumanity in goods production such as child labour, discrimination, or environmental degradation face the possibility of lacking good market for their products. Operations of various organizations create social problems thus it is important that they address such problems to retain their acceptability. Social responsibility also helps corporate gain long-term favourable environment for their operations, products, and services (Aras and Crowther 566). Corporate social responsibility towards its stakeholders and society to ensure they also thrive together with the organization. Corporate social responsibility helps display business as unselfish and suitable community contributor earning the business a pleasant reputation. Corporate social responsibility may fail to recognize by society but lack of it is easily noticed results in negative repercussion. Corporate social responsibility contributes to improved economic performance, increased potential to attract and maintain employees, boost brand image, improved sales, and customer allegiance (Aras and Crowther

Investigating Islamophobia in the Daily Mail

Investigating Islamophobia in the Daily Mail Islamophobia is defined in the dictionary as being: hatred or fear of Muslims or of their politics or culture. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11th and the London 7/7 bombings amongst others, some say islamophobia within the media has increased significantly. This work intends to discuss the coverage of Muslims and the religion of Islam as a whole within the middle market newspaper The Daily Mail and explore whether publications such as the Mail are representing the Muslim race in a negative light. Ones interest in the subject matter involved is one that has derived from what is seen, amongst others, as bad journalism; middle market and tabloid newspapers inaccurately reporting issues concerning races such as Muslims. On a daily basis one can pick up a newspaper these days and spot numerous flaws, incorrect language or overall representation of a religion such as Islam. Also, a personal affliction or view in the area is the way in which Muslim communities within the UK are slowly being isolated and are being criticised collectively for the actions of a small population of the religion. When exploring the relationship between the modern West and the East, one should look upon the concept of Orientalism. Saids (1978) work draws on the concept of us and them: Orientalism is never far from what Denys Hay has called the idea of Europe, a collective notion identifying us Europeans as against all those non-Europeans (Said, 1978: 7). This notion refers to the historical manufacturing of Eastern beings as alien, the Other, by the West. It is the negative portrayal of extremist Islamic images within frameworks such as the Mail that progresses, as Halliday (1996)(remember reference for this!, see notebook [2]) suggests, this myth of confrontation that pardons the West of any need to excuse its enmity towards the East and religions such as Islam. Before this paper looks at effects of the theory of islamophobia, it is worth evaluating the polarity of the term itself. Whilst some could say the branding of the term can draw attention to the issue for positive means, further comprehensive literature on the subject and enquiries commissioned (e.g. 1997 Runnymede Trust, Islamophobia: A Challenge for Us All), there is a flipside. Academics have inferred that this is just another, more refined form of new racism according to many sociologists. Sociologist Professor Gerard Delanty describes the use of the term islamophobia: It is rooted in mainstream hostility to migrant workers and asylum-seekers, and is based to a considerable degree on ethnocentrism and xenophobia à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ on ignorance and fear of the other' (Delanty: Conference, see notebook for full reference[1]). Delanty is saying here that the categorisation of the idiom of islamophobia could be creating a new form of acceptable racism. The UK media industry is said by some to be institutionally racist: This racism is rooted in the countrys imperial past, with feelings of racial superiority and crude nationalism now deeply embedded in the dominant culture. (Keeble, 2009: 175) 2 per cent of the NUJ membership was black, Asian and Arab in the first media-industry wide survey in 1995 by Anthony Delano and John Henningham. Comparing this alongside the national ethnic minority population percentage of 5.26 percent at the time, and it does speak volumes. My research will include a plan to address this view and explore how far or to what extent this reflects an islamophobic nature within newspapers such as The Daily Mail. However, to discuss how deep rooted this patriotism, or national feeling of superiority over other races goes would be discursive from the intended discussion of the titles topic. The role of a national newspaper such as the Mail needs to be highlighted to display the contextualising link between islamophobia and the public. The fact that a familiar newspaper offers a sense of identity and possible security to its regular readers is an important contextualising factor when considering questions of race and ideology. (Ferguson, 1998:175) Considering middle market newspapers such as The Daily Mail and Express along with the tabloids represent more than two thirds of the national daily readership figures (1997 survey: do footnote for this), this is a first base argument for explaining the negative (potential) effect of the press on the masses. A matter to take in to consideration is the recent resignation of Daily Star journalist Richard Peppiatt, on the grounds of the papers islamophobic content. Albeit a personal letter to the Daily Stars proprietor Richard Desmond, the letter highlights a wide range of anti-Islamic features in the everyday characteristics of national newspapers such as the Star and Mail and labels the former as anti-Muslim propaganda. The letter does refer to how closely the content of the Star is to the Mails through criticism of how the newspapers editors build a newspaper from cut-and-paste-jobs off the Daily Mail website. Where he admits to stirring up a bit of light-hearted Islamophobia himself on the basis that this was in his professional duties at the Star, his disapproval of this demonization is prevalent throughout. He refers to a story the paper published concerning the condemnation of taxpayer-funded Muslim-only public toilets: I was personally tasked with writing a gloating follow-up declaring our postmodern victory in blocking the non-existent Islamic cisterns of evil (Peppiatt, 2011). This could just be seen as one individuals personal attack on a proprietor and therefore not have much worth but it does relate to, and support the theory of institutional racism within the British media. For the proposed intentions of this paper, it is worth noting the presence of Muslims within Britain. In the 2001 UK Census the population of Muslims from all ethnic groups within Britain was just short of 1.6 million (insert reference to table of figures in appendices here). The age old argument from many anti-immigration supporters is that the Muslims within Britain do not attempt to immerse themselves within British culture or our way of life, owing to increased tensions between the two cultures. Figures show that nearly half (46.4%) of all British Muslims now living in England were born in the country. It could be said that those Muslims who came to the country as adults (first generation) are grateful for the chance to live in a more open society and therefore more willing to integrate themselves within our culture. The sooner Western societies such as Britain aid this process of integration with the likes of first generation Muslims, the better. As the younger (3rd and 4th) gen eration of Muslims born in England grows, we could see Muslim communities become increasingly ostracised due to young Muslims anger towards the role of the West in Muslim lands and issues such as islamophobia within the media becoming more customary. It is also worth presenting the PCC editorial guidelines with regards to discrimination: The press must avoid prejudicial or pejorative reference to an individuals race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation or to any physical or mental illness or disability. The second part of the guideline refers to the details of those minority groups and how one should avoid inclusion (of those details) unless necessary to the story. The way in which newspapers such as the Daily Mail steer their content around these guidelines, in order to include xenophobic views will be explored later in the literature review. As this paper explores the surrounding themes of discrimination and false representation within the media and directs them towards the influence of a certain publication, it is important to draw from relevant history of the Daily Mail. Some would say the newspapers prejudice against religions such as Islam is a product of its deep-set DNA shown via the papers sympathetic views of Nazi Germany during the war period. The first joint proprietor and owner Lord Rothermere was known to be a friend and supporter of both Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler and praised the Nazi regimes accomplishments, which directed the Mails political stance and was consequently used as propaganda by them. Lord Rothermere published quotes such as: the minor misdeeds of individual Nazis would be submerged by the immense benefits the new regimes already bestowing on Germany (Rothermere, 1933), as well as printing headlines such as Hurrah for the Blackshirts (Mail, Jan 1934). The Mail was also sympathetic to Osw ald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists. The support for this group was withdrawn after violence at a BUF rally in Kensington Olympia in 1934, which displays the potential harmful influence of newspapers on the masses. Muslims within Britain have struggled with issues of integration and racism ever since there was an increased focus of attention from the media on the Iranian Revolution of 1979 (Asad 1990, see references in muslim britain book). Television screens across the world showed three million people celebrating on the streets of Tehran when Ayatollah Khomeini, known for his support of hostage takers and his calling for the death of British citizen Salman Rushdie, came out of exile; a disconcerting image for most Westerners. The Salman Rushdie affair in 1989 demonstrated the degree to which the media and British Muslims who protested against the books (The Satanic Verses) publication became emotionally unhinged (Parekh 1992, see same book + ref) over the issue. The book deeply offended Muslims and ignited debate on blasphemy laws and freedom of speech. Other historical events have all played a part in what Huntingtons (1996) thesis describes as a clash of civilisations, these being: The Gulf War (1990-1), the genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina (1993-6), the Oklahoma bombing (1995), the Taliban in Afghanistan (1997-2002), Grozny and Kosovo (1999), the recent Palestinian Intifada (since September 2000) and the War on Iraq (2003) (Abbas 2005: 14). These events have and the media , some say (Huntington 1996) widened the gulf between East and West, Islam and Christianity and amplified the theory of Orientalism. (maybe do a little on September 11 attacks here) This paper intends to explore and discuss the different factors owing to the islamophobic content displayed in the Mail and how far it is damaging the representation of Muslim communities within Britain. It would be pointless to explain how islamophobic reporting increased or decreased over the past decade or so as it would be plain to see the increases in islamophobic content around the times of terrorist activities. One will analyse contributing factors such as the origins of islamophobia, the identification of islamophobic content, how closely does that content abide by editorial guidelines and the effect on Muslim communities through critical discussion of the topic and data analysis. The reason as to why one thinks this subject is important and would be of interest to others is the increasing multi-cultured population of Britain. As more ethnic minorities such as Muslims continue to live in Britain, increasing tensions towards people of a particular race can only put more strain on an already weak relationship with Muslim communities. The purpose of the paper is to critically evaluate and characterize publications, specifically The Daily Mail and its role in reinforcing or articulating racism, and in damaging ethnic cultural identities. The ways in which these issues are to be addressed and analysed will be explained through my research and its content analysis. Literature review The aim of this chapter is to identify themes relating to the title topic from previous published literature and critically analyse those premises. The intention here is not just to identify those relating themes, but to analyse, criticise, interpret and evaluate those themes in connection with supporting or opposing the underpinning arguments of this paper. Over the past decade or so there is has been an increase in the amount of writing, due to rising concerns from Muslims worldwide, explaining how discourses such as newspapers in Western media are misrepresenting ethnic minorities such as Muslims through presenting a negative image of Islam. My research will however focus on the Daily Mail in particular, portraying negative stereotypes, and the effects those portrayals have, on Muslim communities within Britain. In summary, this chapter will draw from prior literature and examine the complex structures and strategies of news reports and how they affect the interpretations of reade rs. How much does the role of publications such as the Mail play in the reproduction of racial and ethnic inequality in British society. Some of the earliest writing relating to British newspapers such as the Mail portraying Islam as a threat to Western interests comes from Teun van Dijks: Racism and the Press. The issue of immigration within British newspapers is one that allows anti-Muslim voices to be heard, subjectively criticising the rise in the multiculturalism of Britain: The Mail specifically focuses on alleged abuses of British hospitality, and calls for stricter immigration rules. It does not hesitate to publish, with apparent approval, overtly racist statements by right-wing politicians who claim that without further curbs on immigration Britain may become the worlds dustbin. (Van Dijk, 1991: 96) What Van Dijk is inferring is that through government policies concerning issues such as immigration, any right-wing anti-immigration views from politicians or people within the public eye will be published by the Mail with the noticeable support of the paper. Whilst highlighting the political stance and nationalistic nature of the publication, a defence for the paper would revert to free press every time. The earliest and most relevant research in this topic area has also been carried out by Teun Van Dijk. His work in the collection of empirical data surrounding the press and issues of race is a starting point for anybody analysing institutional islamophobic contents effect on British Muslims. Van Dijk started this foundational research in plain content analysis of British newspapers, analysing content such as the repetition of certain words used in headlines in attempt to rouse certain meanings from them. He describes the repetitive use of certain topics of discourse such as black and race and how they are dealt with by the press as semantic macro structures. These global, overall meaning structures of a text consist of a hierarchically arranged set of macro-propositions, which are derived from the meanings (propositions) of the sentences by way of macro-rules. These rules reduce the complex information of the text to its essential gist. (Van Dijk, 1991: 72) Van Dijk is correct in some ways in saying that the prevalence of such vocabulary would suggest that the discursive agenda of newspapers is entrenched in concerns with race. In his book Representing Race, Robert Ferguson agrees there are some uses of Van Dijks research: It would seem from this as though the media are enganged in an endless process of reproducing already existing prejudices and stereotypes. The extensive content analysis which was undertaken by Van Dijk also demonstrated that ethnic minorities and anti-racists are systematically associated with conflict, crime, intolerance and unreliability.' (Ferguson, 1998: 130) The flaws in Van Dijks research are that using empirical data, or strictly content analysis, to develop an understanding of representation can somewhat distort the power of ideology in newspapers text or framing. However, without being blatantly racist, newspapers such as the Mail through concepts of normality can still give strength to negative representations. (Maybe use this paragraph in methods) The detrimental representations of Muslim asylum seekers to Britain, in publications such as the Mail, are highlighted in Arun Kundnanis The End of Tolerance. Phrases such as we have to look after our own people first, a regular idiom in the Mail, gives strength to the inherent belief within Britain that we cannot satisfactorily provide for ourselves, never mind foreigners or them as well. Thanks to the opportunism of media and politicians, asylum seekers and migrants had been made in to potent symbols for the loss of a nation-state that once belonged to its people and afforded them certain privileges as citizens. (Kundnani, 2007: 65) This argument is stating that through newspapers persistence in covering issues of economy and well being, the Mail amongst others, tend to shift the blame of these national problems on to asylum seekers, from communities such as Muslims, for increasing the population and adding to pre-existing problems such as rises in unemployment. The only critique of this concept adding to the misrepresentation and islamophobic nature of the Mail, is that this problem spans over a huge area and is historically embedded within a nations way of thinking. My research aims to uncover the day to day anti-Islamic features of the Mail and expose the problems of intentional or institutional racism that could potentially be fixed. In some ways, previous literature has explained that events such as 9/11 and other Islam related terrorist activities give acceptance to emerging islamophobic voices or views within the media. Chris Allens chapter in Muslim Britain: Communities under pressure, highlights the enabling of publishing extreme right views on terrorists religions without backlash. In the wake of Baroness Thatchers condemnation of Muslim leaders in the Times, insisting that all Muslims as a homogeneous group should share responsibility for the attacks (4 October 2001). The Telegraph days later published an article entitled This War Is not about Terror, Its about Islam (7 October 2001). This article sought not only to praise Baroness Thatchers stance, but also confirm that Western fears were justified because some three-quarters of the worlds migrants in the last decade are said to have been Muslims (these) escapees, victims, scapegoats, malefactors and sleepers are awaiting their moment. (Allen, 2005: 61) Jonathan Birts chapter in Muslims in Britain also agrees with this post 9/11 islamophobic reaction from the press without simply analysing the textual content of a newspaper: After 9/11, the more prejudicial media comment portrayed British Muslim communities, and especially their young men, as a dangerous and unpatriotic fifth column, which were sympathetic to anti-West resistance and, indeed, the use of violent terror. Mass communications today shape and order these Islamophobic moral panics and the reactive defence to them. (Birt, 2009: 217) Here, we can see Birt is agreeing that post terrorist activities, the media is allowed to give a free press voice to racist views and opinions without fear of backlash from media regulators. The defect in analysing the islamophobic nature of publications such as the Mail surrounding terrorist actions is that it is to be expected. There is bound to be a bad press reaction to national identities and religious viewpoints, how far the negative portrayal of those identities goes without trepidation of media regulators punishment, is an issue that needs to be addressed. The British Journalism Review (March 2006) argues that the same harmful representation of Muslims within the media is the same for other terrorist groups such as the IRA. One can see similarities between views of Catholics from Ulster in the 1980s and Muslims today, that religious affiliations trumped all other affiliations: In Britain and the United States the popular line was that if you were a Catholic, you probably supported the IRA. Today, if you are a Muslim, the popular line is that you are probably anti-western or fundamentalist. This is not to say that journalism was and is responsible for these views, but rather that de-contextualised coverage did and does little to throw cold water on old stereotypes. The closest literature relating to the topic title comes from Elizabeth Pooles Reporting Islam: Media Representations of British Muslims. The book analyses the current situation regarding the image of Muslims by tracking the development of this form of new racism from earlier works. Poole says that the theme of immigration as a problem has now transferred to Muslims (van Dijk 1991), due to, as Lueg (1995) says a population explosion in the Middle East. British Muslims and their homogeny to other Muslims become the feared fifth column within (Runnymede Trust 1997). This combined with the discussion of numbers of people invading the country depicts aspirations of taking over the world, not seeking asylum. The combination of the hostile threat and movement of Islam promotes the idea that it needs to be managed in a way that allows varied prejudicial practices to continue (Poole, 2002: 47). What Poole is saying is that a plain dislike of the notion of Islam cannot be seen as the central feature of hostility towards Muslims. Attitudes to Muslims derive from a mixture of xenophobia and racism whereby newspapers such as the Mail can discuss or mainly criticise some of the practices of Islam without being seen to be unashamedly prejudice towards Muslims. Another adjoining piece of literature that many academics have drawn from when discussing this topic, is Edward Saids Covering Islam: How the media and the experts determine how we see the rest of the world (1981). Said argues that the siege of the American embassy in Iran in 1981 and its media coverage initiated an increased attention and portrayal of Islam with danger, militancy and anti-Western sentiment. The text examines the genesis and ramifications of the medias monolithic images of Islam and reveals the twisting of fact that underlies objective coverage of the Islamic world. Said says the application of a Western ideological framework or an ethnocentric way of seeing (Dahlgren and Chakrapani 1982: 45) has meant we see a domesticated Islamic world or those aspects considered to be newsworthy (Said 1981: 27). This has created a dichotomy between the West and Islam whereby the West is seen as judicious, civilized, developed and superior, and Islam as abnormal, undeveloped and in ferior. There are a small number of published journals that closely share the intentions of this paper. Diane Frosts Islamophobia: examining casual links between the media and race hate from below (2007) analyses the media reporting on recent and ongoing terrorist attacks in Britain and the effect on Muslim communities. The paper discusses islamophobic tendencies within British tabloids and their connections with government policies and violence that concerns religion. Whilst it highlights the medias promotion of moral panics such as problems of asylum and race, it is saying British tabloids breed on these moral panics, going further than the threat that is actually presented. Thus, the media have represented Muslims as a collective problem who threaten the very fabric of British society as supporters of al-Qaida and potential suicide bombers. They are the folk devils of the twenty first century (Diane Frost 2008 find out how to reference journal). It is worth noting that there are strong links between increased anti-terror legislation and other government measures and the way in which publications such as the Mail criminalise Muslim communities when reporting on such measures and legislation. This type of research will be considered in the methods section of the paper. Ian Hargreaves writes a piece in the New Statesman that demonstrates the negative coverage of immigration from the Mail in relation to fuelling racist attitudes. He says: It is not that I view with cynicism the Daily Mails efforts to achieve balance in its reporting of racial issues. Rather, I think the paper is misguided in discounting the encouragement its asylum coverage gives to racist sentiments (Hargreaves 2000). Reverting back to the theory that newspapers such as the Daily Mail have colonial instincts and an anti-foreigner viewpoint established within its DNA, Hargreaves is trying to say that these publications are not intending to be racist; they simply believe the types of stories concerning Islam being published are due to the public-interest factor. Christopher Allens journal discusses the dangerousness of the concept of Islamophobia in analytical relation with the findings of the Runnymede Trust Report (1997). The reports findings concluded that Islam is inherently seen as other to the West, reinforcing the them and us dualism. Taking this in to consideration, Allen says we should not be surprised to see such headlines as The Daily Mails offering, Fanatics with a death wish: I was born in Britain but I am a Muslim first. Here the Mail is merely reiterating those beliefs that are lodged at the heart of Islamophobia (Allen 2008: 4). The intention of this chapter was to identify underpinning theories, themes and issues published in previous literature in order for readers to understand the intentions of the research and findings that will be developed in the methods and data analysis. Methods and methodology This chapter will discuss the research that this paper will be carrying out, the reasons for using those methods and what results are to be expected. The most appropriate methods will be discussed along with their advantages and limitations, with ethical considerations ensured so that the data is collected in an ethical way. Previous research philosophy approaches to the medias role in the reproduction of racism are mainly content analytical; quantitative studies picking out the use of stereotypical words, phrases or images used when representing ethnic minorities (see, for example, Van Dijk 1991, 1997). This discourse analytical method systematically describes different structures and tactics of text in relation to a social or political framework. The method enables for the identification of focus on certain topics in a semantic analysis form as well as allowing examination of the overall organisation of news reports. Essentially this means discourse may thus be studied as the crucial interface between the social and cognitive dimensions of racism (Cottle 2000). So, publications such as the Mail as a discourse in the social practice of racism can be seen as a main source for peoples racist views/beliefs. According to Berger (1998: 23) content analysts assume that behavioural patterns, values and attitud es found in this material reflect and affect the behaviour, attitudes and values of the people who create the material. The advantages and reason as to why this paper will be adopting a similar style of research is there is no technology or major funds necessary and it has been known to lead to fundamental changes in the practices of an institution, profession and society as a whole. Another method of research that will be employed is that of conducting surveys to gauge the attitudes and opinions of Daily Mail readers on the subject of Islamic and Muslim issues. This will be cross referenced with readers of other newspapers to see if there is differing attitudes toward issues concerning Muslims, and of the role of The Daily Mail in these perceptions from people who read different newspapers. This intends to highlight the negative effect a newspaper has on readers views of a religion such as Islam and the race of Muslim. One could condemn this research method data saying the views of readers are only the views of the reader and not the publication, how far those views are affected by the discourse would be research that is virtually impossible, or not possible within the means of this author. (Explain the inductive approach to research with reference here) For the content analysis of the Daily Mails inciting of racial hatred, the content that will be analysed will be the amount of articles within a time period of 6 months the issue of Islam and Muslims is reported on in a negative manner. Albeit a personal opinion, a list of examples of this negative portrayal type of article is provided in the appendices. These are articles presenting Muslims and the religion of Islam as a problem and their difficulties with conflicting issues within British society. The research will compare the amount of times within a 6 month period these types of articles concerning Islam are presented in the Mail against how many times an article concerning the neo-Nazi anti-Muslim group The English Defence League (EDL) is shown. This will hope to demonstrate a correlation between increased amounts of Islamic coverage at a certain time with articles on/activities of the EDL. With regards to the questionnaires that will be collected, the scope and design need to be established. The scope or amount of participants that the research intends to gather are as follows; 150 readers of The Daily Mail and double that amount, 300 of readers of all other newspapers. As the research method employed to gather this amount of data means standing outside a busy newsagents (W H Smiths in Lime Street Station, Liverpool) and asking people who have bought newspapers to answer a short survey, to attempt to gather any more than that provided would be take a considerable amount of time and effort. As people are normally quite reluctant to take part in surveys due to time constraints the survey will not ask for some of the standard demographic information such as age; gender; nationality; ethnicity; religion etc. The questionnaire will ask what newspaper the participant reads, usually a quick and easy question to answer when the people who I will be asking have just recently bo ught a newspaper from the newsagents and will realise this is what my questionnaire is concerning. The questions will then be presented by me reading the statement and asking their opinion on that statement from a spectrum of answers, these being: strongly agree; agree; neutral; disagree and strongly disagree. This method does not force a yes or no answer that some participants may be reluctant to give considering the invasive nature of the questions. At the same time it could be considered to be avoiding leading questions. Where the participant may realise the questions are intended to produce certain types of generalisations so they would answer accordingly for the purposes of the research, they have some form of choice in which to express their opinions. These two forms of quantitative and qualitative research are used in order to arrive at a degree of triangulation when forming the findings and conclusions of the data collected. The two types of research methods that this paper will be employing will be that of content analysis within a theoretical framework and surveys conducted. The aim is to achieve a form of triangulation in which to infer meanings from when analysing and evaluating the collected data. Data, analysis and discussion Conclusion

International Court Of Justice :: essays research papers fc

Overview   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The issue of international terrorism is one that has engulfed the global community. With terrorism on the increase, we have seen that its importance has increased. Whether domestic or international in nature, terrorism is having an ever-increasing impact upon the international community. The United States has fallen victim to acts of terrorism recently, most notably the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, OK, and the 1998 bombings of U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Upon investigation, it was revealed that the embassy bombings were linked to Osama Bin Laden, a former Saudi Arabian National whose excessive bank accounts fund a worldwide terrorist operation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Further investigation revealed that Bin Laden was living in Afghanistan in a camp protected by his own 200-man private army and a sub-unit of the Taliban, a quasi-religious organization operating within Afghanistan’s borders (MSNBC, 10/12/99). The United States, backed by other nations who have had terrorist attacks related to Bin Laden, appealed to the United Nations Security Council to call for the extradition of Osama Bin Laden for trial.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In response to the request, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1267 on October 15, 1999. The resolution called for sanctions to be placed on Afghanistan effective November 14, 1999 unless the Taliban turned over suspected terrorist Osama Bin Laden to the appropriate authorities. Bin Laden is currently a suspect in financing terrorist activities in nation-states such as Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, Israel, Kenya, and even the United States of America. Worldwide intelligence networks have been attempting to maintain constant surveillance of him in order to help deter further acts. However, he is still free, protected by the Taliban, who share many of the same fundamentalist beliefs with him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  International Law has established several procedures for the extradition and trial of international terrorists. Currently, there are eleven documents of international law, which address the issue states’ responsibility for combating terrorism (USIA, Feb. 1999). Bearing in mind the precedence established in international law as well as the nature of these activities that have been associated with Osama Bin Laden, it is appropriate to impose sanctions upon the Taliban for the surrender of Osama Bin Laden to the proper authorities. I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  History of International Terrorism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  International terrorism has changed in structure and design over the centuries. Jewish zealots conducted campaigns against the Romans in the first century AD, and the Hashshashin, a Shi’ah Muslim group who gave us the word assassin, systematically murdered those in positions and leadership during the 19th century (CSIS, July 1999).

Continuum Of Care Outline Essay

I. Introduction II. Stakeholders A. The â€Å"description of the roles of various stakeholders in the health care industry who are involved in the continuum of care† (University of Phoenix, 2015). 1. Who the patients are. 2. Who the employees are. 3. Who the payers are. 4. Who the providers are. B. â€Å"How the component contributes to or detracts from the overall management of health care resources† (University of Phoenix, 2015). 1. Is this a positive or negative affect? III. Services provided and employees’ role(s). A. â€Å"Discuss the services provided and how these services fit into the continuum of care† (University of Phoenix, 2015). 1. What services are provided? 2. How do these services fit into the continuum of care? 3. â€Å"The role of transitioning patients from one level of care to another in the health care continuum† (University of Phoenix, 2015). See more: 5 paragraph essay format B. â€Å"Description of the health care delivery component’s role in providing services† (University of Phoenix, 2015). 1. Who provides these services? 2. How the services are delivered. IV. Current and Future of Home Health Care A. What are the current trends and how they are changing? B. What the potential trends are. 1. How these potential trends will change delivery components and services in the future. 2. Accommodating for the future trends. V. The Characteristics of Integrated Delivery System (IDS) A. Health Care organizations. B. Community health. VI. Conclusion References University of Phoenix. (2015). Continuum of Care Presentation. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, HCS/235-Health Care Delivery in the U.S. website.

Gap for Sony Essay Example

Gap for Sony Essay Example Gap for Sony Essay Gap for Sony Essay Gap and Current Strategy Analysis * Macro Environment: The major trend in the macro-environment which affects Sony’s future strategy is socio/cultural/demographic. Since the Nintendo Wii emerged, it attracted many of non-traditional gamers came into the videogame console market, especially females and elderly people. Traditionally, non-traditional gamers think PlayStation is not ease of use for them. For instance, the joystick is difficult controlled or the instruction of the games are not easily understood for them how to play. Due to the non-traditional gamers want simpler products, high level of technical and graphical complexity are not concerned by them, so Nintendo Wii seems more suitable for them as it is ease of use, simple but fun games. Moreover, as the obesity epidemic is an important social factor within countries such as America and Australia, unlike PlayStation, the Wii Fit as a platform for the people to do exercise with its innovative motion-sensitive controller. Therefore, the current business strategy of Sony is not matching the non-traditional gamer’s needs. However, as we mention before in macro environment analysis, society is becoming more intelligent and technology savvy, the gamers are increasing their demand for more challenging and stimulating game story lines and features, so the high technology feature of PlayStation matches this factor, the gamers can be played over the internet. Therefore, Sony PlayStation still maintains competitiveness by keeping up with technological advancements. * Industry Environment: The major trend of industry environment comes from the power of competitor. : As we know, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii are the main competitors of Sony PlayStation. There is a threat of Sony PlayStation while Nintendo Wii emerged. As Nintendo knew that it had competitive disadvantage of competing with Sony and Microsoft in the traditional gamer market, so when Sony and Microsoft was competing each other in the traditional gamer market with technological advanced console, Nintendo used a business strategy called ‘blue ocean strategy’, which is where they went after uncontested markets (non-traditional gamers) and created a new market based on â€Å"value† and innovation†. Unlike PS3 and Xbox360, Wii is focusing on non-traditional gamers whose want simpler products. Although Wii is technologically far less advanced than them, but it’s ease of use, innovative motion-sensitive controller and simple but fun games had made the console a hit with all demographics which 9-year-olds to 65-years-olds, males and females. As a resul t, Wii had created an opportunity of new generation of videogame console market; and it had stolen a march on its two larger rivals by appealing to people who were traditionally not play videogame. Obviously, it seems Sony need to change its business strategy in the future in order to improve its market position, even though Sony remains target at the traditional core gamers whose are 18 to 34 years old males. However, Sony does not seem to think they need to create these products as they continue to create more high quality graphic and technologically advanced consoles, for instance, PS3 with BlueRay player. Although the sales of Wii is overlapped than PlayStation, the leaders of Sony do not think they need to keep up with Nintendo and have a degree of arrogance within the company that they believe they are leaders of the industry. However, this may change in the future if they do not decide to close the gaps. Because the market of PlayStation is limited, the people who did buy PlayStation were the core early adopters (traditional gamers), but once they got it, they would not buy another one PlayStation. Therefore, Sony will require to creating simpler and ease of use devices for PlayStation to eliminate learning curves for people interested in playing on consoles and bridge the gap between core and casual gamers in the future, otherwise its market share of console market will become shrunk by Wii or need to exit the market as well as Sega. * Internal environment: Appendix : Gap Analysis of Sony Macro Environment Business Strategy Gaps Trend| Date of Impact| Business strategy match or mismatch? Non-traditional gamers increasing | Next 5-10 years| Mismatch- the console is too complexity for non-traditional gamers| People create more disposable money| Next 1-3 years| Match- people can spend on entertainment| Society is becoming more intelligent and technology savvy| Next 5-10 years| Match- keeping up with technological advancements | | | | Industry Environment Business Strategy Gaps Industry environment element| Opportunity or threat| Effect on industry profitability| Business strategy consistency or inconsistency| Suppliers| -| High| Consistency | Buyers| Opportunity | Average | Consistency | Substitutes| Threat | Varying | Consistency | Threats of new entrants| Threat | High | Consistency| Industry rivalry| Opportunity | Average | Consistency | Competitor Environment Business Strategy Gaps Competitor| Financial performance| Market position| Technological performance| Service performance| Microsoft Xbox360| Excellent| Good| Excellent| Excellent| Nintendo Wii| Excellent| Excellent| Good| Excellent| Reference: W. Chan and Mauborgne, R (2004), Blue ocean strategy, Harvard business review, vol. 82, no. 10, pp. 76-84

Napoleon the Tyrant essays

Napoleon the Tyrant essays Ideals of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution were both rooted from the desire to abolish absolute authority, ensure the natural rights of men, and develop a stable government. Napoleon Bonaparte, a prominent military general and French Emperor, strove for these political ideologies, but was corrupt in his way of approaching them. He was strictly egotistical and selfish; these characteristics served only as a catalyst to his abolition. Mohandas Gandhi, a pacifistic revolutionary that led Indias emancipation, stated that power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment. Napoleon, however, seized control over France by ruling oppressively and ruthlessly; citizens followed him only in fear of his boundless power. Although Napoleon did help establish political and social equality in France, his uncontrollable desire for personal supremacy suppressed the ideals of the revolution and violated the basic principles of t he enlightenment. Napoleons personal greed for power drove him to infringe the basic principles of the revolution on the rights to hereditary and absolute rule. Robespierre, an enlightened leader of the Jacobins, stated that the purpose of the French Revolution was to abolish absolute monarchy and institute a democratic or republican government that could help increase political equality within a nation (Robespierre). However, Napoleon rejected any republican form of government; he was solely concerned with maintaining a hereditary power, which... may endure for generations, even for centuries (Selected). Ironically though, in hopes to gain popularity among members of the 3rd estate, he abolished the power of the nobility and appointed governors that were loyal to the central government. Not only did he crown himself emperor of France, but also, he established an imperial court and the members of his...

The Gulf War from the American perspective Essay

The Gulf War from the American perspective - Essay Example In any case, once thing is clear; the publicly stated reasons of Iraq war were not digestible to many people. This paper analyses Gulf War from American perspectives. George Bush thought that Gulf War may help him to win the presidential election once again. He thought that this war might help him and his party (Republicans) to increase the popularity and hence he may get an easy walkover in the coming presidential election. However, Bill Clinton proved that such beliefs were wrong. â€Å"Clinton successfully made the economy the issue in the next election and managed to win it†1. â€Å"For years Saddam received US support while committing atrocities. His was not the only government committing atrocities. His atrocities were never publicly discussed until he invaded Kuwait†2. The invasion of Kuwait brought Saddam Hussein into the public lime light. It was difficult for America to justify Saddam further. It should be noted that democracy is prevailing in America and Amer ica believes themselves as the saviour of human rights. Under such circumstances, it was impossible for America to stay blind while Iraq was questioning the sovereignty of an independent country. Moreover, many Americans thought that Saddam is trying to become another Hitler. Increased influence of Saddam in the Middle East was not good for the American interests. â€Å"Saddam was repeatedly compared to Hitler. Then he was publicly defied and demeaned. The president said he has "had it" with "Sad'm" Hussein. Under U. S. leadership, the world was mobilized against him†3. America suspected the possibility of another world war unless they prevent Saddam from conquering neighbouring countries. It should be noted that the military power of other gulf countries were negligible in front of Iraq’s military power at that time. In short, many people believe that America attacked Iraq to save the world from the possibility of another world war. Another argument claims that Americ a attacked Iraq to control the oil resources. However, this argument seems to be far from reality since America’s oil imports from Iraq account only 5% of the total energy needs in America. There are plenty of other countries in this world which rely heavily on Iraqi oil resources for their energy needs. â€Å"So oil is not the whole answer. Other possible aspects of the answer include "a new world order," collective security, interdependence, prevention of regional hegemony, and reversal of American decline†4. Even though Iraqi oil does not cause much direct problems to America, it has the potential to cause indirect economic problems in America. If Saddam Hussein had raised oil prices to $27 a barrel, the increase in our import bill would have been about $20 billion a year, or less than one half of one percent of GNP. The greater harm comes when sudden rises depress the economy, but this effect is harder to estimate. Some economists believe that a temporary oil price of $40 a barrel, for example, helped to trigger the recession, which represented a loss of several percent of GNP5. â€Å"U.S. policy toward the Middle East is characterized by an intention to ultimately control the oil there, and keep other powers--not just the Soviet Union, but also Britain and France--away, if not dependent on the United States6. It is a fact that oil resources in America are rapidly exhausting even though the demand for oil increases. The oil needs or the energy

Create Writing Assignment and Grading Rubric for it Coursework

Create Writing Assignment and Grading Rubric for it - Coursework Example The main character was hugely affected by the process of confinement and torture. What role does psychology play in the analysis, understanding and relationship of the main character? During this era of feminism, John, the character’s husband contributed towards the attitude of men towards women. How does this attitude of machismo affect the character? How does it define the role of the character after the tumultuous relationship is observed? The paper should be 3 pages maximum. All the queries should be answered in precise and concise judgments that draw clear examples from the short story. American Psychological Association (APA) format, 6th edition should be effectively utilized in this written assignment. A succinct thesis statement will form the backdrop of the assignment. It is crucial to ensure that the thesis statement adequately maps out the direction of the written responses at each and every step. The essay should be as descriptive as possible, analyzing all written facts and presented evidences in line with the paper instructions. The main short story to be used in this analysis is Yellow Wallpaper. No other text other than the one mentioned should be used. Ensure accurate use of APA (6th edition), and in-text citations that include page

Personal Budgets in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Personal Budgets in the UK - Essay Example According to the paper, in response to the increasing demand and the rising public expectations based on choice and quality, the government decided to act. It set out to transform the way in which care and support were offered for the older and disabled adults. At the heart of this transformation was a very powerful idea that would potentially revolutionize how the disabled and older persons received their care. The idea was basically based on personalization. That is, instead of commissioning care and support services for people living in its area, the local authority would provide eligible persons with their own personal budgets so they could acquire help and assistance that would be more attuned to their individual needs and circumstances. Personalization is aimed at giving the people more choice and control over the kind of support they acquire. It is defined as the ability of an individual to determine what type of support to get despite the mode of payment used by the one seeki ng healthcare services. These may include direct payment or personal budgets. Direct ayments are defined as the direct cash payments given to service users in lieu of community services that are in demand based on assessments done they are aimed at giving a wider choice to the clients. Personal budgets on the other hand describe the allocations given to users after assessment which meets their assessed needs fully. This is all in part of the government’s wider agenda to improve efficacy and responsiveness of public services. These personal budgets can provide flexibility, choice and control to the service users. Further, they can improve health and well-being and ultimately, user satisfaction.  

Describe Risks and Possible Consquences Essay Example for Free

Describe Risks and Possible Consquences Essay There are many risks involved for children using the internet. this may be that the child has innocently mistyped on the keyboard and are exposed to porongraphic images. Parents have the option to block certain things popping up on the computer screen Children use networking sites, such as facebook, they will state their name, their age, address etc, they will also post photos of themselves onto the wall. They should go onto the privacy settings and set to friends only this means that no frien that is on the list can see their profile. This is because a paedophile will pose as a teenager with similar interests and hobbies to gain friendship. They will try to gain your trust and want to meet you in person. They could also lie in wait for you if you have stated that you will be meeting friends in a certain park at a certain time. Paedophiles, groom children. Children can be bullied, either on the internet or by the use of a mobile phone Could be a lone person doing the bullying or a group of people. They can torment, threaten, tease etc anytime of the day or night. Always keep a copy of the types of messages and day and time thay were sent and inform an adult. This type of bullying will probably lower the childs self esteem and cause them to become depressed. Children can also be hooked on cult websites or a suicidal site where they make pacts with each other to end their own lives

Attributes Of A Global Brand Marketing Essay

Attributes Of A Global Brand Marketing Essay There are several attributes that makes Formula One a globalised brand. Firstly, it is highest class of one-seater auto racing in the world, driving the fastest cars on the planet. F1 holds the most exhilarating car races, young boys aspires to be F1 racers, millions of people buy tickets to the races and subscribe to media that streams every year to watch. According to Levitt (1983), different cultural preferences, national tastes and values, and business institutions are vestiges of the past; some inheritances die slowly; others prosper and develop into mainstream global preferences. F1 became a mainstream favourite sport of the world. The state-of-the-art technology used in the race such as engineering of the cars, time keeping, changing of tyres at the shortest time etc. attracts people of the current generation. Almost everyone everywhere wants what they have heard about, seen, or experienced via new technologies (Levitt, 1983). The unpredictability of F1 allows it to attract viewers constantly. It is a unique experience that cannot be duplicated easily e.g. crashing as different parts of the track, the seriousness of the crashes, different outcomes etc. Organising the race is very costly thus running a team is mostly and sometimes entirely sponsored by various big international brands that wish to gain exposure from F1. And thus, consumers of the brands would be aware F1, for the logo will be displayed on all kinds of products and media like advertisements, news and magazine interview articles etc., and promotions for F1 will include the brands logo as well; hence creating maximum awareness to F1 and the international brands market. F1 is a season consisting of series of races held around the world on purpose-built circuits and public roads. The annual calendar is global, taking 19 races in countries such as Australia, Asia (Malaysia, Singapore and Japan), the Middle East (Bahrain), Europe (the mainstay of F1), and North and South America (Canada and Brazil). It goes through major developed countries and with the gigantic scale of the event, F1 is known throughout the countries and their neighbours. Standardisation VS Adaptation According to Levitt (1983), most executives in multinational corporations are tactlessly accommodating; they wrongly presume that marketing means giving the consumer what he says he wants rather than trying to comprehend exactly what hed like, thus persisting with high-cost, customized multinational products and practices instead of pressing hard and pressing properly for global standardization. They are afraid to standardise for fear that the strategy will fail. But Levitt (1983) says that poor execution is often the cause of failure, not the standardisation. According to Levitt (1983), the worlds needs and desires have been irreversibly homogenized. This makes the multinational corporation outdated and the global corporation absolute. Thus we have successful global brands like F1 which are mostly standardised than adaptive to the countries and cultures they are in, with accurate execution. F1 is known worldwide for its attributes as mentioned above, and thus it does not have a need to adapt when entering a new market in another country as what is expected of them is their signature races. The products and methods of the industrialized world play a single tune for the entire world, and the entire world eagerly dances to it (Levitt, 1983). There are 19 races, half of which are held in other continents apart from its traditional base in Europe. Despite that, the only adaption is probably the nature of the course track built for the race or the public roads structure in the countries. For example, from the classic circuits, now countries such as Singapore, Monaco, Melbourne etc., have street circuits, using a combination of public roads and circuits for the race. F1 Grand Prix event spans over a weekend and throughout the practices sessions it has a specific set of rules and control. This set of regulations is by the F1 and is standardised. According to the case study, merchandizing is through specialist F1 outlets worldwide, selling replica model cars, baseball caps, jackets and other memorabilia, all custom-made and packaged with the F1 logo. These subsidiary products of the brand are also standardised, not adapted to whichever country the products are sold. Product Globalization Strategy Adapted from Jim Riley (2012), global strategy of F1 will involve appreciating that success demands a presence in every part of the world to compete effectively, which is what F1 had been doing; expanding to host the races at other continents. F1 make its product similar for each market by using the same set of regulations and control for the races, same technology and security and other elements in the operations despite being in different countries from Europe. Centralised control where the final say still belongs to F1 Management and F1 Administration. Ecclestone founded the F1 Constructors Association (FOCA) to fight for commercial control with Fà ©dà ©ration Internationale de lAutomobile (FIA). Taking advantage of customer needs and wants across international borders as F1 fans are spread across the globe, instead of only watching from screens, F1 made it live by hosting at major countries where their target markets were. Locating value adding activities where F1 can achieve greatest competitive advantage, thus the expansion to the most developed countries in the world. Integrating and co-ordinating activities across borders, F1 does by having management and administration team to be there at each different location. This part is significant where Ecclestone established the F1 Promotions and Administration (FOPA). According to Levitt (1983), as long as the marketing is good, consumers would be influenced to accept the product no matter what they claimed they want. This is where Ecclestone succeed in influencing people to crave to watch the race. Conclusion The changing patterns and structures of communication typically related to the demands of globalization require flexibility, responsiveness, speed, and efficient knowledge production, generation, and dissemination (Cynthia Stohl, 2004). A global industry is where firms compete in all world markets in order to survive (Jim Riley, 2012). Thus be like F1 where they venture into all the potential markets. A successful global corporation does not abjure customization or differentiation for the requirements of markets that differ in product preferences, spending patterns, shopping preferences, and institutional or legal arrangements (Levitt, 1983). A global strategy is successful when there are very minor differences between countries and competition is global, it has advantages in terms of economies of scale, lower costs, co-ordination of activities and quicker product development (Jim Riley, 2012). Given what is everywhere the purpose of commerce, the global industry will shape the vectors of technology and globalization into its great strategic fecundity; companies that do not adapt to the new global realities will become victims of those that do (Levitt, 1983). Environment Qantas Identify the Marketing Environmental Factors This paper will state how factors in the environment affect each other in Qantas Moment. The global marketing environment consists of 4 main environments. Refer: Appendix A. Organization environment can be controlled by the firm. Structure Company Image and brand equity are a vital parts in marketing as they help raise finance, form joint ventures and alliances seeking marketing intermediaries, get purchase or sales contract, launch new products etc. (Ebstudies, 2012). From the case we can see it takes very long to build a good rapport, but just one incident to tarnish the reputation. Strategy The technological capabilities decide companys ability to innovate and compete. The design and safety of the Trent engines are extremely important as one minor mistake might tarnish the prestigious reputation and injure people as seen from the Qantas moment. Process Rolls-Royce and Airbus aim to manufacture the desired quality and quantity products. Factors which influence the competitiveness of a firm or to sustain the firm are production capacity technology and efficiency of the productive apparatus, distribution logistics etc. (Ebstudies, 2012). Marketing resources like quality of marketing and distribution network have direct link to marketing efficiency. They are crucial for new product introduction and brand extension (Ebstudies, 2012). In intermediate environment, it is semi controllable by organisation. Supplier Purchasing goods and services from reliable external sources to make the engines and maintain engines is important. Thus suppliers can alter firms competitive position and marketing capabilities e.g. raw material suppliers (for engine parts), energy suppliers, labour and capital. According to Michael Porter, the relationship between suppliers and firm epitomizes a power equation between them; this equation is based on the industry condition and degree to which each of them is reliant on the other (Ebstudies, 2012). According to Ebstudies (2012), the bargaining power of supplier gets maximized in the following situations: The seller is a monopoly or oligopoly firm. The buyer is not important customer. The suppliers product is important input to buyers business and finished product. The supplier poses real threat of forward integration. Every producer has to have several intermediaries for promoting, selling and distributing the goods and service to consumers (Ebstudies, 2012). The intermediaries for Rolls-Royce and Airbus are the airlines and the ultimate consumers are the flight passengers. Stakeholders In the case study, the Qantas Moment had affected the stakeholders greatly. Airbus parent company European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) share prices fell 3.5% when it happened. Rolls-Royce, the aircraft engine manufacturer fell 5% in share prices right it happened. Rolls-Royce tried to stop the slide in share prices by convincing the City and investors that the incident is a one-off thing than a design fault. However within 2 days, share prices dropped to 9%, losing  £1 billion in market value. When chief executive of Qantas blame the incident on the engine maker, the situation got worst. Rolls-Royce engineers had to decipher the problem in Singapore and London to find out what is the main problem to address the market positively within a few days. Pictures of the blackened, shattered aircraft engine shared all over the world damaged the consumers confidence on its safety record. Qantas grounded all its A380 aircraft fitted with Trent 900 engine for three weeks, other airlines delayed flights for extensive flights and expensive checks to be carried out. It was found out that it was indeed a design fault; the report into the Trent 900 failure states that oil fire is the most likely cause of the explosion, leading Qantas to seek compensation claims. It was also found that there was a potential manufacturing defect in the oil pipes. Thus Rolls-Royce is liable for financial compensation of at least  £19 million to ground and replace the engines for Qantas and Singapore Airlines. Hence, the incident in November 2010 has not only caused damage to Rolls-Royce in financial terms, as well as its hard-earned reputation and the trust of its clients and the public. Only until February 2011 did Rolls-Royce improve its situation when they won a  £1.4 billion service contract from Emirates to maintain the Trent engines on 70 Airbus aircrafts that the carrier was due to take delivery over the next few years, then a  £700 million service deal for Emirates and a  £3.2 billion engine deal for British Airways. Macro environment factors are external to the company and are uncontrollable. They do not affect marketing directly but indirectly influence marketing decisions of the company. Socio-cultural Marketers are interested in the size and growth rate of population in different cities, regions, and nations; educational levels; age distribution and ethnic mix; households patterns; and regional characteristics and movements (Ebstudies, 2012). Social forces attempt to make marketing socially responsible; means that Rolls-Royce and Airbus should take a lead in eliminating socially harmful products and produce only what is beneficial to the society (Ebstudies, 2012). Economic The economic environment also has an impact on the business of an organization; example would be the share prices of Rolls-Royce. Technology Technological changes have also become particularly significant in the post-millennium world; this is particularly true in terms of modern communication technologies (Business Case Studies LLP, 2013). Thus the share prices dropped almost instantly as information was transmitted very quickly. The technological environment consists of factors related to knowledge applied, and the materials and machines used in the production of goods and services (Ebstudies, 2012). E.g. Rolls-Royce and Airbus produce top-notch engines to support commercial planes. Political and Legal Marketing decisions have to take into account government, pressure groups, law etc. Laws influence production capacity, capability, product design, pricing and promotion. Usually government intervenes in marketing process regardless of what their political ideologies are (Ebstudies, 2012). Legal factors are vital as organisations have to work within legislative frameworks; legislation can hinder business by placing onerous obligations on organisations if not dealt with properly (Learning Marketing, 2013). The physical environment consists of ecological factors beyond the organisations control. Physical forces such as non-renewal natural resources are finite e.g. oil, coal, minerals etc. Especially resources that contributes to the fuel the engines need in order to operate, affects the production greatly. Pricing AirAsia Steps to Implement Pricing Strategy Firstly, pricing is one of the key global strategic decisions as the concept of exchanging money for goods and services received, in the form of exchange of bank notes or credit or other credit facility, is widely accepted in todays world (Lee Carter, 2009). Price element of the marketing mix is one of the more controllable and fast in effect, it is the element that generates revenue (Lee Carter, 2009). According to Lee Carter (2009), for a firm that develops and implement pricing strategy for services internationally, AirAsia should go through a series of steps: Identify and analyse factors affecting pricing e.g. cost and revenue models, customer perceived value, legal requirements etc. which is to apply the no-frills, low-cost strategy, a unique cost and revenue model that has been proven successful from short-haul to long-haul Set pricing in the context of corporate objectives which is mainly low-cost flying Develop and select most appropriate price option of low-cost long-haul and low-cost short-haul flights Implement selected option of low-cost long-haul with AirAsia X Manage and finance international transactions Account for terms of trade Factors to Consider in Pricing According to Lee Carter (2009), based on Terpstra and Sarathy (2000), there are some factors to be considered in pricing products and services globally. They are classified under three main categories; organization-specific, environmental and market-specific. Corporate and marketing objectives of AirAsia can be seen from the CEO, Tony Fernandes saying, Our group thrives on innovation in disruptive market by taking the opportunities to fly where others dare not fly or have given up. Thus AirAsia proposed clear-cut comparatively lower fares, going against the tide believing on brighter side of its future. According to the case, AirAsia also has very positive corporate culture, leadership, and entrepreneurial skills and the right management philosophy. Domestic and targeted countries government influences are not significant in AirAsias case except for the fuel hike however it was eventually offset by its unique pricing model. Consumers expectations; the management believe that most customers do not have loyalty to any particular brand, because their choice is driven by prices, location; AirAsias established network of flights to over 60 cities in 16 countries with 126 domestic and international routes from and within Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, and connects to China, Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Australia and United Kingdom caters to a larger target markets due to operations in these countries, ability to pay; targeting the regular budget travellers and new customers who switch from premium flights to AirAsia due to the big difference in flight prices, market growth potential; losing some regular travellers but gaining new travellers from premium flights, frequency of purchase; focusing on maximising sales during off-peak periods but setting attractive promotions and discounts. The cost structure of AirAsia is basically to cut down to leaveonly the absolute necessary costs to operate a flight, reducing fixed costs and eliminating most of variable costs. This is done by maintaining a simple aircraft fleet and a route network based on low-cost airports, without complex code-sharing and legacy overheads that weigh down traditional airlines. During economy fluctuations such as inflation and deflation, people always look for cheaper alternatives, especially in recession times. Fluctuations also depend on seasonal changes during summer and school holidays. AirAsia adapts to the market as it the main airline deals with short-haul flights and the new subsidiary is a long-haul carrier, suiting needs of more customer segments. Product range of AirAsia is from the main short-haul flights what they started with to AirAsia X where they focus on long-haul flights. As a low-cost carrier for short distances, they grew to fly further when they came up with AirAsia X, providing options to travellers from more countries to use the airline. AirAsia can be considered a monopoly in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia due to the large numbers of hubs they have, and the number of domestic and international flights from these hubs, dominating from other low-cost carriers like them. A hike in fuel prices caused several low-cost carriers to cease operations as they cannot cope with the increase and thus boost AirAsias market share and enhances its position as the ultimate leader in the regions low-cost airline sector. Market analysts predicted that the AirAsia group would have the marketing know-how and X-factor to capitalise on such opportunities that arise from its competitors falling out of the game. Marketing factors such as product positioning; positions itself as a top-notch low-cost carrier, segmentation of customers by catering to short haul flights in ASEAN and longer haul flights in Asia and UK, image maintained as a good and affordable airline and differentiation of long and short distances flights. When faced with competition in the market, AirAsia targets cities least ventured to, to gain a competitive advantage. And due to its innovative business model, it is able to tide through the fuel price hike better than their competitors. Cost Reduction Strategies According to Lee Carter (2009), we can identify how AirAsia has used cost reduction strategies to contribute to their profitability and sustain from the continuous potential fuel hike. Refer to Appendix A. Economies of scale can be found by the increased number of domestic and international flights after the establishment of AirAsia X to fly new cities in China, Australia and UK. Economies of size are shown when the case said that AirAsia has nine regional hubs in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia instead of just one base in 2009. Learning curve can be seen from the shared service agreement where AirAsia and AirAsia X share pilots, cabin crew, service staff, website, IT platform, marketing and distribution to optimise efficiency on operating costs. AirAsia also invested heavily to build its brand and association with globally recognised organizations such as ATT William F1, British MotoGP etc. The significance in introduction of new technologies by AirAsia is the New Skies; a state-of-the-art booking system that contributed to expansion of booking capacity, allowing up to 1 million flights booking a day. The major competitive advantage over other airlines is that passengers can use the Kuala Lumpur hub to connect to a wide range of routes. And relocating by placing more regional hubs in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, these are areas with low labour costs to achieve the same advantage over the airlines at the cities too. Appendices Appendix A Appendix B Economies of Scale When additional cost per unit of production reduced overall per unit cost, given similar fixed costs Economies of Size Achieved from larger scale of operation through greater bargaining power Learning Curve Cost reduction from greater labour productivity, improved designs, and resource mix Introduction of New Technologies Improved efficiency gained through new technologies in innovation and processes Relocation of Production Moving production facilities to countries with substantially lower labour costs