Career Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Vocation Plan - Essay Example Qualities and Weaknesses Concerning my qualities, I have solid relational abilities. For this situation, I am ready to interface and relate with individuals since I am a sharp audience and draw in individuals since I discuss well with them and make them communicate better by making them certain when we are imparting. This will assist me with building up great associations with my partners and assist me with accomplishing my profession objectives since I will have the limit of finishing my jobs and duties inside an association. Other than solid relational aptitudes, I am an efficient individual and a methodical individual as to my jobs as an understudy and my own life. Great association abilities are fundamental for powerful administration and specifically to an individual trying to manufacture a vocation in human asset the board. My qualities remember effectiveness for change the board and reacting basically to crises without being enthusiastic. This will be a fundamental expertise i n dissecting the territories that my association needs to react rapidly and proficiently to so as to guarantee compelling administration of changes in the work environment. ... For this situation, I have seen a few events wherein I have pushed my abilities difficult to guarantee there was flawlessness in accomplishing my objectives. For this situation, I make a solid effort to accomplish my objectives, and I even push others hard with the end goal for us to accomplish the objectives of the errands ahead. This character of being excessively energetic in accomplishing flawlessness makes me obstinate to a far degree. In any case, I will utilize my solid relational aptitudes to guarantee that I don't turn out to be excessively difficult because of my craving of guaranteeing flawlessness. Objectives and Objectives My primary profession objective is to turn into the best in the HR the board field and help my association to accomplish its vision and strategic proficiently utilizing the human asset capital. To accomplish this objective, my point will be to guarantee that faculty in my association were figured out how to the degree that permitted them to use their l atent capacity and work towards accomplishing hierarchical objectives. In addition, I will likely guarantee that there was expanded profitability consistently by tapping out the capacities of the organization’s staff and adjust their objectives to the authoritative objectives, which will improve efficiency. Other than these objectives, I need to add to the field of HR the board by recognizing different zones that an association should concentrate on so as to misuse the limit and capability of its work force. Accomplishing the objective of improving profitability will include different targets that I should achieve so as to accomplish my objectives. In the first place, I will enlist for a master’s qualification program in HR the board one year after my school graduation. For this situation, I need to concentrate on getting abilities and information that will

Human Resource Management Techniques of Business

Question: Talk about the Human Resource Management for Techniques of Business. Answer: Presentation It is obvious that human asset the executives is considered as generally the new way to deal with oversee individuals in an association. Individuals are considered as the distinct advantage in this specific methodology. Furthermore, it is for the most part worried about the individuals measurement in the board of an association. In this specific situation, Budhwar and Debrah (2013) have remarked that human asset the board is the method, which is comprising of four distinct exercises including the procurement, advancement, inspiration and the upkeep of the human asset. Besides, Renwick, Redman and Maguire (2013) likewise remarked that as the association is comprising of the individuals, its securing, improvement of aptitudes and inspiration for increment level of fulfillments seem, by all accounts, to be the huge exercises. In contrast to this idea, Ulrich (2013) have characterized HRM as the arrangement of the executives, which assume the liability of the workers for concentrating on all parts of the business activities that are altogether worried about the relationship the board to representatives alongside the advancement of individual and the gathering. The present report centers around the human asset the board of the association Flextronics to comprehend the parts of human asset the board and its adequacy in business. The association is known as one of the main Electronic Manufacturer Services with the income of US$76.6 billion. The association is running its activity in excess of 30 nations. Flextronics work in various fragments of the market, which incorporate the foundation, figuring, purchaser advanced assistance, modern, semi-conductor, clinical gadgets and some different sections. As the association manages an enormous activity, they require talented individuals and administrative methodolog y. In such a case, the association applies distinctive methodology of HRM to discover the issues and build up the arrangement. HRM rehearses in the association As referenced by Renwick, Redman and Maguire (2013) human asset the board is known as the administration work, which is worried about recruiting, keeping up, rousing individuals. It centers around the individuals in the association. In a portion of the cases, it has been seen that because of successful human asset the executives in the inner condition, the association performs better in the outside condition. It is likewise obvious that by building up the acts of the human asset the executives, the association could energize the representatives in building up their exhibition. In such case, they could give certain preparation to representatives and show important abilities. This likewise encourages the workers to exclusively perform better, which results to better hierarchical execution. Then again, it is likewise seen that poor practices in human asset the board could prompt poor hierarchical and representative execution. In this specific situation, Marler and Fisher (2013) remarked that HRM incorporates all administration choice just as the practices that straightforwardly impact the individuals. In like manner, it could impact the human asset of the association or the tasks that is performed by the association. Furthermore, it is additionally seen that each association is essentially a mix of physical just as the human asset. Henceforth, the human asset is alluded to the aptitudes, training and efficiencies of the workers of the association. It is important to build up the human asset the board rehearses as poor practice could prompt undesired outcome. For instance, the contextual investigation demonstrates that the Austrian site of Flextronics is developed with the exceptionally talented and experienced workforce just as the well working work routines. Despite what might be expected, the recently framed site at the Hungarian encountered a few issues toward the start of beginning the activity. The organization needed to run the activity with deficient faculty, high vacillations and profoundly unstable deals advertise. In this way, it very well may be referenced that it tends to be referenced that association needs to play a genuine regard for the human asset the board of the association. In this unique circumstance, Dellinger et al. (2013) remarked that when the association acts in the worldwide condition, it needs to manage various obstructions that originate from the worker base of the association. For instance, it can likewise be included that workers that originate from various social foundation. Along these lines, the requests and necessities of the workers depend on the social, custom and way of life of individuals. Thusly, representatives in various nation search for interest for circumstances and advantages. In such circumstance, the association faces the challenges. As the outcome, the associations feel the surge of executing the methodologies of broadened the exe cutives, which likewise comes as human asset the board. As opined by Ruigrok and Van Tulder (2013), the associations are the board by individuals and through individuals. Along these lines, without individuals or the workforce, the organizations would never stand itself in the serious condition. In this unique situation, De Waal (2013), it tends to be included that individuals who manage the human asset of the association, depending on their degree of duty, commitment just as the association. In this manner, the association, subsequently, necessities to concentrate on the parts of the HR. There have been some various fields of the human asset the executives, for example, intrinsic piece of the executives, inescapable capacity, essential to every single utilitarian territory, individuals focused methodology and the individual exercises or the capacities. The individuals focused methodology of HRM, all classes of faculty associated with the business exercises of the associations are included. For instance, in Flextronics, the staff are arranged here and there, which may incorporate the laborer who chip away at the machine and associated with stacking and emptying, administrative just as the non-administrative faculty and the expert just as the non-work force staff. In actualit y, while applying the work force exercises or the elements of human asset, the HRM may incorporate some specific capacities that spin around the individuals of the executives. Ti may incorporate the workforce arranging, arrangement, business, evaluation and preparing just as the pay of the representatives. So as to play out these exercises, a specific division called Personal Department is framed in the vast majority of the enormous associations like Flextronics. In contrast to this act of the human asset the board, the directors or the pioneers at various levels in the associations lead the unavoidable capacity of human asset the board. Be that as it may, in such practice, the supervisor should hand over the duty to somebody. In such case, the administrators could accept recommendation just as guide in managing individuals from the specialists who have capabilities about the individual administration (Ruigrok and Van Tulder (2013). Assorted variety the executives and culture As opined by Alegre, Sengupta and Lapiedra (2013), the quickly developing globalization of the world may require a viable correspondence among the individuals from different foundation. The facts confirm that individuals don't like to live or work in socially compelled condition, as they presently become the noteworthy piece of the worldwide economy and contending with the worldwide economy. In such circumstance, the chief or the directors of the associations need to comprehend or discover the ways dependent on which the work environment is changing just as advancing. As contended by Seuring and Gold (2013), overseeing decent variety in the work environment or managing the assorted variety is one of the genuine difficulties that association ought to consider. The compelling administrative abilities ought to adjust to frame a multi-social workplace. In this specific circumstance, Golicic and Smith (2013) remarked that assorted variety could be characterized as the affirmation, tolerat ing, esteeming and understanding the distinction among the individuals in regard age, culture, sex, inabilities and different contrasts. For instance, the association Flextronics is running the activity all inclusive; accordingly, it needs to manage individuals who originate from various social, strict and different fields of the nation. Along these lines, dealing with these assortments of workforce is not kidding challenge (Seuring and Gold (2013). The contextual investigation shows that while beginning the assembling activity at Hungarian, Flextronics needed to manage some human asset issues such poor experienced of the workers, incapable ability to fulfill the buyer need. Hence, to determine the arrangement, the heads of Flextronics have campaigned inside for a Flextronics Academy in the CEE district and in the long run led the methodology. By actualizing this, the association would give certain preparation and instruction to the representatives and supervisors. The organization had built up a high-potential program for the future framework of the directors and the line administrators. Notwithstanding, this extraordinarily intended to offer some chosen people. In any case, as the association runs the activity comprehensively, culture determines end up being a critical angle for the drawn out accomplishment or achievement of the program. For example, it is recognized that members at Hungarian are more averse to finish the program or work with the association. Because of the high installment and advantages, individuals began leaving the organization and joining the rival in the business. Thusly, it can positively be included that necessities and request s of the individuals may change as that depends on the requirements and prerequisites existing in the districts. Additionally, the correspondence style and the learning approach of Austrian and Hungarian are distinctively unique. All the more uniquely, it tends to be included that bury individual correspondence, formal conduct is kept up in Austrian site than Hungarian. In such case, the association broadly needs to create and execute the

Survey says

Survey says… A lot of comments from my last entry touched on the leadership topics I’ve explored in the GEL Program, which I thought was pretty exciting. Thanks to those of you who read and commented! I then realized I shouldn’t be too surprised because I remembered this MIT News Office article from last November. According to this survey, 85 percent of freshmen said they held some sort of leadership position in high school. Out of a list of various skills and abilities, freshmen ranked themselves most confident in their the ability to “function effectively as a member of a team.” What do you guys think about these results? During the past week, I asked Leo McGonagle (GEL Executive Director), Dr. Diane Soderholm (GEL Education Director), and Professor Ed Crawley (GEL Co-Director) about their opinions on the article and some of the leadership examples they see in GEL applications. None of them were surprised about these statistics, but they all agreed that the results depend heavily on how students define a “leadership role.” They noted that sometimes a high school leadership opportunity can be more of a title than anything else, and I can definitely relate to this. I was a captain of my Cross Country and Track teams in high school, and basically that meant don’t get in trouble, don’t get the team in trouble, and cheer a lot at races. I don’t even know how I became captain. I think one day my coach just announced it to the team. Now, as a captain for the MIT Cross Country and Track teams, it’s a whole different picture. The entire team chooses the captains, who are expected to keep in touch with the team during the off-season, organize team dinners and other team events, prepare supplies for meets, oh and, of course, cheer. A lot. Being a captain now takes a lot more forethought and communication skills than the identical role in high school. It’s a delicate balance of quality vs. quantity when it comes to leadership roles. “Many students feel they need to have positions/titles like that to compete for admission to highly selective colleges,” Leo said, adding, “Others have actually had real leadership positions in high school.” When I asked Leo about his leadership experiences growing up, he said that it wasn’t until college that he had a memorable experience. “I decided to develop my leadership skills at the next level through participation in Army ROTC in college,” Leo said. Since then, he’s been Executive Officer of a 600-soldier engineer construction battalion in Iraq, Commander of a 100-soldier mechanized engineer company in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Platoon Leader of a 30-soldier engineer platoon in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) during the Persian Gulf War, according to his bio on the GEL website. Diane, who supervises leadership activities in several classes across the MIT departments, emphasized that “GEL gives students opportunities to practice and reflect on their leadership style and effectiveness.” A distinction that Ed made was that the goal of the GEL Program is to develop leaders, not recognize them and give them some sort of “gold medal.” In past applications to the program, he’s seen students who are already leaders on campus and others who are simply interested in leadership. During the GEL admissions process, each applicant is interviewed, and Ed says the interview reveals a lot about the applicants’ leadership experiences and aspirations. The two questions he says that the staff asks during admissions are: 1) Has the student demonstrated that he/she is on track to be a future leader? 2) Would this student benefit from the type of opportunities GEL provides? In other words, does this student want to improve? When looking at GEL applicants, Ed carefully considers students’ interest and intentions. He wants students to not just have something they “believe they can do,” but also something they simply “believe in.” He told me a story about a Rhodes Scholar from Zimbabwe whom he met at Oxford University. Ed invited the grad student to come to MIT for his postdoc work. When the grad student said he planned to resurrect the economy of his nation as President, Crawley said he “hired him on the spot,” reasoning, “why wouldn’t you hire someone with aspirations to help his own people?” Last he heard, Crawley says his former student is in fact leading the Opposition Party in Zimbabwe, facing frequent arrests and brutality for the sake of his country. Thus far in GEL I’ve learned a lot about leadership styles and when to use them. The academic lessons aren’t nearly as valuable as the hands-on activities, when I don’t really have time to cull through a catalog of leadership styles; most of the time I rely on experience and instinct to pick the right one. Now that some of the GEL staff have had their say, I plan to talk with a couple fellow GEL students in my next entry to hear their stories about their GEL experience thus far!

An Explanation of 25th / 75th Percentile SAT Scores

Much of the SAT data on this site and elsewhere on the web show SAT scores for the 25th and 75th percentile of matriculated students. But what exactly do these numbers mean, and why dont colleges present SAT data for the full range of scores? Key Takeaways: SAT Percentiles The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the boundaries for the middle 50% of admitted students. Half of students scored above or below these numbers.Having a score above the 75th percentile does not guarantee admission. Grades, essays, and other factors are important parts of the equation.Having a score below the 25th percentile does not mean you should not apply. Just be sure you consider the school a reach. How to Interpret 25th and 75th Percentile SAT Score Data Consider a college profile that presents the following SAT scores for the 25th and 75th percentiles: SAT Critical Reading: 500 / 610SAT Math: 520 / 620SAT Writing: 490 / 600 The lower number is for the 25th percentile of students who  enrolled in (not just applied to) the college. For the school above, 25% of enrolled students received a math score of 520 or lower. The upper number is for the 75th percentile of students who enrolled in the college. For the above example, 75% of enrolled students got a math score of 620 or lower (looked at another way, 25% of students got above a 620). For the school above, if you have an SAT math score of 640, you would be in the top 25% of applicants for that one measure. If you have a math score of 500, you are in the bottom 25% of applicants for that measure. Being in the bottom 25% is obviously not ideal, and your admissions chances will be lessened, but you still have a chance of getting in. Assuming the school has holistic admissions, factors such as strong letters of recommendation, a winning application essay, and meaningful extracurricular activities can all help compensate for less-than-ideal SAT scores. Most important of all is a strong academic record. Numerous studies have shown that high school grades are a better predictor of college success than standardized test scores. What the SAT Numbers Mean for You Understanding these numbers is important when you plan how many colleges to apply to, and when you figure out which schools are a reach, a match, or a safety. If your scores are below the 25th percentile numbers, you should consider the school a reach even if other parts of your application are strong. Note that this does not mean you wont get in—remember that 25% of students who enroll have a score that is at or below that lower number. However, when your scores are on the low end for admitted students, youll have an uphill fight to win admission. Because SAT scores still play a significant role in the admissions process for the majority of selective colleges and universities, youll want to do all you can to get the best scores possible. This may mean taking the SAT more than once, often at the end of junior year and again at the beginning of senior year. If your junior year scores arent what you had hoped for, you can use the summer to take practice tests and learn test-taking strategies. Fortunately, with the redesigned SAT, preparing for the exam focuses much more on learning skills that will help you in school than memorizing obscure vocabulary words. SAT Score Comparison Tables If youre interested in  seeing what the 25th and 75th percentile scores are for some of the countrys most prestigious and selective  colleges, check out these articles: Ivy League | top universities | top liberal arts | top engineering | more top liberal arts | top public universities | top public liberal arts colleges | University of California campuses | Cal State campuses | SUNY campuses | more SAT tables Keep in mind that many of these tables focus on the countrys most selective schools, so youll see a lot of schools for which SAT scores up in the 700s are the norm. Realize that these schools are the exceptions, not the rule. If your scores are in the 400 or 500 range, youll still find plenty of good choice. Options for Students with Low SAT Scores And if your SAT scores arent what youd like, be sure to explore some of these excellent colleges where the SAT doesnt carry much weight: 20 Great Colleges for Students with Low ScoresColleges that dont require SAT scores Hundreds of colleges have joined the test-optional movement, so if you have good grades but simply dont perform well on the SAT, you still have lots of excellent options for college. Even at some top schools like Bowdoin College, College of the Holy Cross, and Wake Forest University, youll be able to apply without submitting SAT scores.

How Does Electrical Energy Work

Electrical energy is an important concept in science, yet one that is frequently misunderstood. What exactly is electrical energy, and what are some of the rules applied when using it in calculations? What Is Electrical Energy? Electrical energy is a form of energy resulting from the flow of electric charge. Energy is the ability to do work or apply force to move an object. In the case of electrical energy, the force is electrical attraction or repulsion between charged particles. Electrical energy may be either potential energy or kinetic energy, but its usually encountered as potential energy, which is energy stored due to the relative positions of charged particles or electric fields. The movement of charged particles through a wire or other medium is called current or electricity. There is also static electricity, which results from an imbalance or separation of the positive and negative charges on an object. Static electricity is a form of electrical potential energy. If sufficient charge builds up, the electrical energy may be discharged to form a spark (or even lightning), which has electrical kinetic energy. By convention, the direction of an electric field is always shown pointing in the direction a positive particle would move if it was placed in the field. This is important to remember when working with electrical energy because the most common current carrier is an electron, which moves in the opposite direction compared with a proton. How Electrical Energy Works The British scientist Michael Faraday discovered a means of generating electricity as early as the 1820s. He moved a loop or disc of conductive metal between the poles of a magnet. The basic principle is that electrons in copper wire are free to move. Each electron carries a negative electrical charge. Its movement is governed by attractive forces between the electron and positive charges (such as protons and positively-charged ions) and repulsive forces between the electron and like-charges (such as other electrons and negatively-charged ions). In other words, the electric field surrounding a charged particle (an electron, in this case) exerts a force on other charged particles, causing it to move and thus do work. Force must be applied to move two attracted charged particles away from each other. Any charged particles may be involved in producing electrical energy, including electrons, protons, atomic nuclei, cations (positively-charged ions), anions (negatively-charged ions), positrons (antimatter equivalent to electrons), and so on. Examples Electrical energy used for electric power, such as wall current used to power a light bulb or computer, is energy that is converted from electric potential energy. This potential energy is converted into another type of energy (heat, light, mechanical energy, etc). For a power utility, the motion of electrons in a wire produces the current and electric potential. A battery is another source of electrical energy, except the electrical charges may be ions in a solution rather than electrons in a metal. Biological systems also use electrical energy. For example, hydrogen ions, electrons, or metal ions may be more concentrated on one side of a membrane than the other, setting up an electrical potential that can be used to transmit nerve impulses, move muscles, and transport materials. Specific examples of electrical energy include: Alternating current (AC)Direct current (DC)LightningBatteriesCapacitorsEnergy generated by electric eels Units of Electricity The SI unit of potential difference or voltage is the volt (V). This is the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying 1 ampere of current with the power of 1 watt. However, several units are found in electricity, including: Unit Symbol Quantity Volt V Potential difference, voltage (V), electromotive force (E) Ampere (amp) A Electric current (I) Ohm ÃŽ © Resistance (R) Watt W Electric power (P) Farad F Capacitance (C) Henry H Inductance (L) Coulomb C Electric charge (Q) Joule J Energy (E) Kilowatt-hour kWh Energy (E) Hertz Hz Frequency f) Relation Between Electricity and Magnetism Always remember, a moving charged particle, whether it be a proton, electron, or ion, generates a magnetic field. Similarly, changing a magnetic field induces an electric current in a conductor (e.g., a wire). Thus, scientists who study electricity typically refer to it as electromagnetism because electricity and magnetism are connected to each other. Key Points Electricity is defined as the type of energy produced by a moving electrical charge.Electricity is always associated with magnetism.The direction of the current is the direction a positive charge would move if placed in the electrical field. This is opposite to the flow of electrons, the most common current carrier.

The Flight English short story Free Essays

The Flight â€Å"This is gonna be so cool† Ryan said, staring at the 12inch model aircraft his twin sister, Beth got him for his Christmas. â€Å"Come on Ryan, you’ve never stopped staring at that since I got you it and you still haven’t even said thank you† Beth said. â€Å"Oh yeah,† he grinned â€Å"thanks. We will write a custom essay sample on The Flight English short story or any similar topic only for you Order Now † Ryan was 17, well built and his jet-black hair was nearly always spiked up with gel. Beth was 17 and looked exactly like Ryan apart from the obvious fact that he was a boy, probably what you would expect if you had a twin. â€Å"When’s Jack coming?† Beth asked. Jack Forrest was Ryan and Beth’s best friend from school and they had been friends ever since they had started school. â€Å"He said he’d b here at 10pm, Ryan said, looking at his watch. â€Å"its ten-to ten now sp we better put these suitcases in the car, that way we can head to the airport as soon as Jack comes.† They wheeled the cases out the door and put them into the boot of the car. â€Å"I still can’t believe we won those tickets to Canada on the new 5 star luxury plane.† Ryan said as he lifted his suitcase and positioned it on top of Beth’s massive holdall, â€Å"it’s always been a dream on mine to fly in one of those planes, and it even has a restaurant!† Just as Ryan said that, Jacks taxi pulled up and he got out of the back with a giant suitcase and a rucksack. â€Å"Hey Ryan,† he grinned, â€Å"Hey Beth!† â€Å"The flight’s gonna leave with out us if we don’t get to the airport by eleven so we better get a move on, its already five past ten,† Beth said, pointing to the car. They all piled into the car and Ryan pulled out of the driveway. It took about half an hour to get to the airport and about an hour to go through the check-in and passport control, so when they got to the welcome lounge they all headed straight to the gate. â€Å"Here we go† Beth smiled as they reached gate 22, â€Å"Our plane’s gonna be boarding in a minute so I’m gonna quickly get a pack of smarties from that vending machine.† Just as a packet of smarties dropped out of the vending machine, a woman’s voice came up on the tannoy, â€Å"Flight 2780 is now boarding from gate 22† They all went up the steps and boarded the huge plane. It had four floors, a bar, restaurant, widescreen TV and loads more extras. â€Å"Whoa,† Ryan gasped as he took his first step into the newly built luxury jet, â€Å"This is amazing!† There was fancy lighting, a bar in the middle of the 1st floor, a huge red carpet stretching the whole length of the plane, and recliner seats. â€Å"This is nothing I ever imagined,† Jack joined in with the dazed expressions on both Ryan and Beth’s faces. They all found their seats and buckled up their seatbelts. * Once the plane levelled off in the air all of the seatbelt signs went of. â€Å"I’m gonna go and get a coke from the bar,† Ryan said, â€Å"you two coming?† â€Å"Ok,† Beth and Jack said in unison and they all headed towards the bar. Just as they were about to sit down a guy came barging through and knocked Jack over. He was middle-aged and was bald. He was the type of guy that you didn’t want to mess with. â€Å"Watch it!† Jack shouted back at him but he didn’t even turn around to look at him again, he just kept walking purposefully. Jack was about to shout back at him â€Å"Are you gonna say sorry or what?† but he changed his mind when he saw a vague outline of something bulging from his trousers – a gun – â€Å"Oh my God† Jack said, â€Å"Ryan, Beth, that guys got a gun†. They looked round and saw it too. â€Å"We’ll have to do something† Ryan decided. â€Å"What if he hijacks the plane?† The three kids all came to a decision to follow him. If they stopped and told a stewardess about the gun, it would cause panic and they would lose him. They walked quickly and followed the mysterious man. The three kids all went to karate and judo classes when they were about 10 so they all knew how to defend themselves. The guy led them down to the basement of the aircraft, three floors down from were their seats were. He opened a hatch, which was concealed by a bin and stepped down some stairs into the very bottom of the aircraft. Here there were all sorts of controls like lighting, radiators, fridge temperatures, fuel, and all sorts of controls for everything. Ryan, Jack and Beth all sneaked down the ladder and hid behind a huge metal board. The man went of to the other side of the room and looked closely at a set of labelled toggles and controls. He flicked a switch and suddenly the lights went out. â€Å"Whets happening† Beth whispered, with a touch of panic in her voice. â€Å"I haven’t a clue but it’s definitely something serious if he’s turning the lights out, it could be the fuel next.† â€Å"What if he’s going too hijack the plane?† Beth asked. â€Å"We cant take that risk, we all know how to take him down and its one against three so I bet we will be better off than him when its over† Jack said. They sneaked behind another metal divider but Beth tripped up and fell over, giving the man a warning and he reached for his gun. Before he could reach it, Jack and Ryan lunged forwards and kicked him to the ground. Beth had twisted her ankle from the fall but still managed to haul herself up and grab the man’s gun. â€Å"What are you doing here?† Beth asked, pointing the man’s own gun at him. â€Å"Do you seriously think I’m gonna tell you?† The man replied, unable to get away from Jack and Ryan’s powerful hold. She was about to boot him, but she heard the sound of another man in the doorway and looked around to see him standing with a gun pointing towards them. â€Å"Let him up† he ordered, still pointing the nozzle of the gun at them. Ryan and Jack released their grip on him and he stood up. They both looked around but they realized that Beth was missing. Just as the man got up she launched herself at the guy in the doorway. He was caught by surprise and he crashed to the ground, sending his gun sliding across the floor. â€Å"Don’t move† She said to the other man who was about to make a gab for it. Ryan and Jack ran forwards and grabbed it before he got the chance. â€Å"I’ll go up and tell someone† Jack said, â€Å"You two keep them on the ground. It wasn’t long before the whole crew were in the basement, including the captain. It turned out that the captain was an old enemy of the two hijackers and they were going to crash the plane and parachute out before it hit the ground. â€Å"Well done† the captain said as he shook Ryan, Beth and Jack’s hands. â€Å"You should have seen the faced of everyone when the lights went out,† one of the crew members said, â€Å"Some people said they were going to die!† * Ryan, Beth and Jack all wore their bravery medals and the flight was still showing on the news. â€Å"This has been the best holiday ever† Beth grinned, â€Å"The snow here in Canada is great!† The all got on a taxi to take them to the airport. â€Å"To the airport please† Ryan said to the taxi driver. â€Å"Ok he said and turned around to give them an evil grin. It was the man who had tried to crash the plane . . . How to cite The Flight English short story, Papers

Honest Injun and the Okieburger Essay Example For Students

Honest Injun and the Okieburger Essay Grandpa grew up in Muskogee. He says he is proud of it, too. He lived with his mom and dad, three sisters and a brother on the west side of town. Boston street, he says. Grandpa went to sixth grade there, then junior high (7-9th grades then) and one year of high school. Central High was on the east side of town. About a mile walk. No school buses then; either had to get a ride or walk. Walking was ok, except in the winter, when it could get really cold. Had to walk through downtown, then cross a bridge over the railroad tracks, then about another 10 minutes to the school. Right at the foot of the railroad bridge was a little hamburger stand. Steves Place grandpa remembers. Best hamburgers in town, so he says. Had some tables outside during the spring, summer and fall, and a counter with stools so you could sit there and eat your burger. Coneys, too. In the winter they only served inside; six or eight tables and chairs and the counter facing the grill; always a lot of onions on the grill. The aroma was inviting, so grandpa remembers. Mom and Dad would take him there once a month, or so; if he had any extra of his allowance, he would occasionally stop on his way home from school and enjoy a treat. Hamburger with lettuce, tomato and onion slice, and a Grapette soda. Hamburger was fifteen cents and soda a nickel. Didnt have that much extra very often, so was a special occasion when he did. Steves was also the gathering place for the town council.   A group of the older men got there early in the morning for their coffee. Liked the china cups and free refills. Would discuss the football team that year. Oklahomans are fanatics about football. Then they would set straight the mayor and what he was doing or not doing. Steve would also fix up some sage sausage, eggs, and biscuits and gravy for those who wanted. Sometimes hickory smoked bacon. Most days Bluebird would walk by Steves on his way to the high school. Bluebird was the janitor at the high school. Most people didnt know if he had another name or not; they sometimes referred to him as Bluebird Jones. He was a Cherokee Indian; lived out on the far west end of town, out by Honor Heights Park. There was a museum of what was called the Five Civilized Tribes out that way; and a group of Indian folk living in the area. About a two mile walk from the Park to the School; but Bluebird walked it every day. Once in a while Bluebird Jones would stop in at Steves and get a cup of coffee, especially in the winter. Didnt talk much with any of the other men; maybe just a nod or hi  . Get his coffee with a cream and two sugars, and move on. Didnt want to be late. On Saturdays about every other week, Bluebird, his wife and two kids would walk to town to do some grocery shopping. If there was any money left afterwards, they would go over to Steves for lunch. Mom and Dad would get a hamburger, and the children would usually get a hotdog with ketchup. They would order some French-fries and share them. Grandpa didnt remember what they would get to drink; probably just water. He didnt know the names of the mother or the kids. Kids went to Longfellow Elementary school, just about a quarter of a mile from where they lived. Mom had a part time job somewhere, but no one seemed to be sure where it was; generally it was thought that she did cleaning for some people on the west side of town. So said the Council. They all sorta of kept to themselves; not much was known about them. Steve was in his mid-sixties; had been running his hamburger stand for about 25 years. Thinking about retiring if he could find someone who wanted to buy his business. Began letting word out about it. Mentioned it to some of the town council  . .ub624bb66507ec6436426f42bf4bbc122 , .ub624bb66507ec6436426f42bf4bbc122 .postImageUrl , .ub624bb66507ec6436426f42bf4bbc122 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub624bb66507ec6436426f42bf4bbc122 , .ub624bb66507ec6436426f42bf4bbc122:hover , .ub624bb66507ec6436426f42bf4bbc122:visited , .ub624bb66507ec6436426f42bf4bbc122:active { border:0!important; } .ub624bb66507ec6436426f42bf4bbc122 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub624bb66507ec6436426f42bf4bbc122 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub624bb66507ec6436426f42bf4bbc122:active , .ub624bb66507ec6436426f42bf4bbc122:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub624bb66507ec6436426f42bf4bbc122 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub624bb66507ec6436426f42bf4bbc122 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub624bb66507ec6436426f42bf4bbc122 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub624bb66507ec6436426f42bf4bbc122 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub624bb66507ec6436426f42bf4bbc122:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub624bb66507ec6436426f42bf4bbc122 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub624bb66507ec6436426f42bf4bbc122 .ub624bb66507ec6436426f42bf4bbc122-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub624bb66507ec6436426f42bf4bbc122:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Satan and Jesus in John Milton's Paradise Lost Par EssayThey werent too happy about the news; coffee wouldnt be the same, and nobody could top Steves loaded hamburger. Muskogee and Steves were like a pair of kid gloves; ones not much good without the other. Bluebird Jones and his family stopped in one Saturday in October after shopping. He had a little extra that week and groceries didnt take all his paycheck, so each family member got to choose what they wanted. The two boys didnt often get a hamburger so were excited about the opportunity; each got their own drink, an RC and orange soda. The town council was sitting at a table and the Smith family sat on the bar stools. There was conversation that day about Steves wanting to retire. As Steve served up the burgers, Bluebird casually asked, Hear youre wanting to retire  . Yeah  , replied Steve. Got a place between here and Tulsa, out in the country. Got a little cabin on the lake. Like to get in some fishing. Havent done that in years.   Wont be the same without Steves hamburgers   said Bluebird. What will we do for lunch on Saturday? They kids look forward to it.   Gotta find a buyer. Ill leave my recipes. A hamburgers fairly easy to fix. About anyone could do it.   So, what are you asking for the place? asked the Indian. Well, its in a pretty good spot, right here in town. Everybody knows where it is. With a little fixing up it could do a good business. If I could find the right buyer. Know anyone with some money?   Maybe do   replied Jones. Maybe do.   Well, I really need sixteen hundred dollars for the place â€Å" location and all, equipment, and inventory. Ill admit it needs a little fixin up; so tell your friend with money that Ill let it go for fifteen hundred, lock, stock and barrel.   Bluebird didnt reply; he asked if he could have another Grapette. After they left, one of the council hollered over to Steve: Wonder who he knows who has some money. Surely no one in the tribe. Can you imagine one of them buying this place? They would probably be serving up buffalo burgers and poke greens.   The rest of the council chucked. Yeah   shouted another; and armadillo steaks with road-runner fries.   Someone else added that he would likely have the entire tribe in here smoking their peace-pipes. There goes the neighborhood.   They would build a fire out back and send up smoke signals to their tribe to come get some goat-burger   jested another. I know this; I wont be getting my coffee here mornings   said one of the more outspoken council members. The diner over on third street will do just fine. Well move our meetings there if you sell to Bluebird.   Oh, I think he was just curious what a place like this would cost. He probably has never done any real business transactions and has no idea whats involved. Just asking. He doesnt have any friends with money, you know. The Injun folk work mostly odd jobs and live pretty low  , said Steve. No worry, fellows. Ill find someone wholl keep coffee going for you.   Grandpa was there that Saturday morning. He had finished collecting for his paper route for the month, and came to get an ice-cream with his earnings. He went home and told his mom and dad about Steve wanting to sell, and Bluebird Jones asking about the selling price; and what the town council had said. Mom and Dad advised him to just wait and see. Its true that the Indian folks arent too highly thought of around here. Oklahoma was once their land, and most people dont want them trying to get any of it back. Too bad.   The following Tuesday, the local banker walked in to Steves about mid-morning. .uaee3dbecf7eb0b3db24eb85bde985827 , .uaee3dbecf7eb0b3db24eb85bde985827 .postImageUrl , .uaee3dbecf7eb0b3db24eb85bde985827 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uaee3dbecf7eb0b3db24eb85bde985827 , .uaee3dbecf7eb0b3db24eb85bde985827:hover , .uaee3dbecf7eb0b3db24eb85bde985827:visited , .uaee3dbecf7eb0b3db24eb85bde985827:active { border:0!important; } .uaee3dbecf7eb0b3db24eb85bde985827 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uaee3dbecf7eb0b3db24eb85bde985827 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uaee3dbecf7eb0b3db24eb85bde985827:active , .uaee3dbecf7eb0b3db24eb85bde985827:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uaee3dbecf7eb0b3db24eb85bde985827 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uaee3dbecf7eb0b3db24eb85bde985827 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uaee3dbecf7eb0b3db24eb85bde985827 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uaee3dbecf7eb0b3db24eb85bde985827 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uaee3dbecf7eb0b3db24eb85bde985827:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uaee3dbecf7eb0b3db24eb85bde985827 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uaee3dbecf7eb0b3db24eb85bde985827 .uaee3dbecf7eb0b3db24eb85bde985827-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uaee3dbecf7eb0b3db24eb85bde985827:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Gerontology EssayThe town council was still there discussing the football team, the mayor and President Trumans handling of the war. I think I may have a buyer for you   said the banker. Someone came in yesterday, checked their bank account, and asked me if I could handle the transaction. Still wanting to sell for fifteen hundred dollars?   Sure am!   replied Steve. Whos is it wanting to buy. Someone from around here I hope. Not an outsider from Tulsa or Oklahoma City wanting to make a buck off of us small town folk.   Oh, hes from here all right. Lives on the west end of town. Jones is his name. He can meet you at the bank this afternoon if youre interested.   One of the council members choked on his coffee. All right. Tell him Im come and talk. Nothing definite. Just talk.   Better not do it   said a council member. Be the ruination of this place. You really going to the bank to talk to that Injun?   Just to talk. Probably nothing will come of it, once he finds out how much work there is to this business.   The council left the building. Over the year end holidays a new sign went up at the building at the foot of the railroad bridge. Honest Injuns Okie Burgers   it read. On January second of the new year the doors opened to the smell of coffee, sausage and fresh made biscuits. Bluebird and his wife had cleaned up the place, painted the walls, hung a few pictures of the city sites on the walls, and had new menus printed. The hamburgers were as good as ever; better say some, with the best pickles and potato salad in town. Mrs. Smith really knew how to make hash-browns; perfect with sausage, eggs and toast. And fresh-brewed coffee in real china cups. There was no armadillo, bison or goat advertised. Some say those in the know could get it on special request. The boys would come in after school to sweep floors and do dishes. The aroma of onions cooking on the grill still brought in the customers, many of them new, and most of the past regular customers. A certificate hung on the wall from the high school principal thanking Mr. Jones for his years of service. The Chamber of Commerce gave him a plaque with his first dollar of pure profit. Twenty years later Bluebird turned over the business to one of the boys. It was still there the last time grandpa visited. The town council went to another place and drank their coffee from Styrofoam.

Personal Constructs Essays - , Term Papers

Personal Constructs Beatrice Taylor Ashford University / Teresa Plummer COM 321 Communication Theory June 11 , 2017 /Personal Constructs Family Member: Lecture, has all the correct answers, A Helper, Love's working with children, encouraging, and educator, role model. A Teacher: Lecture, all the answers, A Helper, Love's working with children, encouraging, and educator, a role model. Family member: Is a mother of five, works in the recovery field, has a husband, has a religious faith, provides outreach to those in need, grandmother of one. A Teacher: Single female, no children, attends yoga twice a week, belongs to a bike club, meditates once a day, only eats vegetables and fruits, speaks three different languages. Female friend: Mother of two, rides a motorcycle, outgoing, educated, supports others, works hard, owns her own home. Male friend: The father of three, drives a spider three-wheeler, likes to have fun, helps when help is needed on cars, live skills instructor, homeowner, works twelve-hour shifts five days a week. Female friend: Has a husband, bus driver, monthly cycle, long hair, pretty, wears high heels, wears a bra. Male friend: works in the law enforcement, stands up to use the restroom, handsome, works out four days a week, balled headed no hair. Family member: Mother of five, work in the recovery field, a husband, religious faith, grandmother of one. Myself: work in the helping field working with the mentally ill population, mother of seven, attend church often, grandmother of five, two degrees. Family member: Short, overweight, small car, likes to be waited on as being needy, needs to be the center of attention, Myself: Low key, tall, supportive, nice body form, active listener, strong personality. I think I give a person the benefit of the doubt, and try not to be close-minded because there's no one perfect, but I must look at myself before I can look at anyone else, but I think I did a pretty good job with my constructs of others and myself. I'm a low-key person and I don't talk a lot, but I'm very observant, and I try to get a feel of the person behaviors and action, yes it plays a part in how communication takes place. Stereotyping I think plays a part in all thoughts, but I know for myself that I can't go through life pointing fingers, others cultures in a box, as all are the same and have the same behaviors just because of what one or two people of the same culture doesn't speak to others of this culture with that being said we cannot place all of this culture in the same box. I try not to stereotype, but I have, to be honest with all of the things taking place in the world today; there are a few cultures that make me a little nerve. No, I don't place men and women in the same constructs. Men and women are like night and day. Boys are knotty, and girls are sweet. I feel that my separate constructs with male and female. I don't feel that I place myself on a higher level of anyone. Who am I to feel that I'm all that and a bag of chips. There are people with millions and billions of dollars, and that's the only thing that would make you different from me. Having money and authority changes peoples and their behavior. When all that has been removed, you are as human as the other man I thank taking the time to get to know a person before making your personal constructs; get to know the person not just your first impression of a person due to not knowing what's going on with the person. You must be open-minded and be approachable, and most of all don't judge a book by its cover. We should try and work on avoiding stereotyping because as I stated earlier you never know what a person is going through. For example, you see a classmate you don't really know her, but you have seen her in a couple of classes, in addition, you have greeted each other with a Hello, You observe this person in the hall, and you say hello, and she just

Pauls Case and Sunnys Blues Essay Example

Pauls Case and Sunnys Blues Essay Example Pauls Case and Sunnys Blues Paper Pauls Case and Sunnys Blues Paper Essay Topic: Literature The stories that have been chosen for the essay are Sonnys Blues by James Baldwin and Pauls Case by Willa Cather. These stories have a lot in common but they are also very different in their approach towards life. It can be said that the similarities become the contrasts due to the negative use of ideas. The main characters in both the stories are rebels. Their ideas are radical and against the norms of the society. The love for music, art, theater and the ambience of beauty is in the rebels, both Sonny and Paul. This is a similarity they share but the contrast comes in when music uplifts Sonny from his blues or misfortune and gives him a reason to live, Paul does not want to work towards a better life in order to enjoy the art which he loves. The ending in the stories is the surprise element. The difference in the point of view of the characters changes the ending, completely. Sonnys outlook is of hope and the future is bright because of positive thinking while Pauls end is a long tunnel of depression which ends in despair where he gives up his life. In Sonnys Blues, Sonny is a rebel who in his very young days became a drug addict. His brother, the narrator of the story, had not met him for a very long time. The brother wanted to help Sonny to get on with his life. Sonny loved music. He loved to play the piano, it uplifted him. This was his world. It liberated him from his troubles and turbulation of life. Sonny takes his brother to the club where he plays, to make him understand his passion and conviction for music and how much he has suffered. He is now on the path to recovery. After his performance Sonny looks at his brother, nods and takes a sip of the drink sent by his brother for him. This moment describes the understanding which they share and how their relationship grows. In Pauls Case, Paul is a rebel who is in constant trouble at school with his teachers as he has an attitude problem. His defiant manner and his whole attitude was symbolized by his shrug and his flippantly red carnation flower which he wore when he had to appear before his principal and teachers. His relationship with his family, his father is nonexistent. He took Paul out of school and put him to work at a factory, while his job as an usher at Carnegie Hall which acted as his temporary refuge from his life was snatched away from him . Paul too loved music. He loved the ambience of Carnegie hall and even though the symphonies did not mean anything to him it freed some hilarious and potent spirit within him. He felt a sudden zest of life. He loved the good life which he tried to live with the stolen money in New York. He stayed at Waldorf Astoria Hotel, got fancy shoes, shopped at Tiffanys and this was how he wanted to live his life as he describes it as only for a moment, these were his own people, he told himself. However, the difference in the point of view of the main characters changed the end of the stories. Sonny is a recovering drug addict who makes music his source of inspiration to work towards a better future. His family is his support. He makes his brother understand what he has gone through and explains his need to get away from the atmosphere which had pulled him in the dark hole. In Sonnys Blues life is approached with a positive attitude. In Pauls Case, Paul had no reconciliation with his family, when he had to return to Cornelia Street (his home) he did not want to go back. He ends his life rather than face the reality of the situation. He lived in his dream world but had no intention of working for a better life. Hence, we see that the difference of attitude of dealing with problems of the main characters, Sonny and Paul affect the stories. Though the stories are set in different times, the characters and the problems are prevalent in every generation. The main thing is how we deal with them because that is what changes the direction of ones fate.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research task Paper

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander task - Research Paper Example The colonial rule developed new laws that segregated the minority groups from other Australians. Children were forced to abandon their culture and were subject to both physical and sexual abuse. In brief, the colonial period was a suffering period for the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders and this had long-term impacts for this minority group. The colonial period contributed to the disorientation of the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders. During the pre-colonial period, this group was diverse and comprised of over 1 million people. A large number of this population died during the colonial rule and there was a significant reduction of the population. In the 2001 census, the population of the aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders was 458, 000 people, contributing to 2.4% of the total population in Australia (Garvey et al., 2011). Besides, their displacement during the colonial period made them lose their original habitats. Currently, they reside in the New South Wales and Queensland with scanty of land to settle in (Rose, 2000). A close evaluation indicates that the population of the Aboriginal people is growing at a slow rate, a fact related to the nature of the problems that they face today. In the post-colonial period, the discrimination of the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Island people is a common feature. The end of the colonial period was expected to be end of the suffering of the indigenous people. However, it is clear that the Europeans had already created a social difference between the people and the spirit of racism was already high. The Australian government was slow to enact social justice and hence the Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander remained the weak race (Heffernan, Andersen & Kinner, 2009). They were discriminated by the other Australian races in all social spheres, which resulted to creation of enmity between the two

Writing to Evaluate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Writing to Evaluate - Essay Example This is because many razors in the market do not meet my expectations. Most of them do not last long; others are highly priced, while the rest cause irritations to my skin because of their poor design. I am sure a lot of men are reluctantly finding themselves in this quest as well. After a long search for a razor that could shave my tough beard and not irritate my sensitive skin, I settled on one of the popular blade manufactures, Gillette Company. I have been using their blades for the last fifteen years and although their products do not always meet my expectations, I find them better than most manufacturers in the industry (Adam 12). So, when the company released a new razor in the market a week ago; I was yearning to try it. The following is a review of the Gillette Fusion Power Gamer razor. This evaluation specifically focuses on its price, design, longevity and effectiveness. The Gillette Fusion Power Gamer comes only six months after Gillette released the Gillette Mach 3 late last year. This shaver is a cartridge razor which makes it simple to use and convenient. Fusion’s design is an improved version of the Mach 3. It bears a lot of similarities with the Mach such as the shape of its head. However, the Fusion razor has six shaving blades compared to the three that the Mach 3 has. I found the Fusion much lighter than the Mach, which is a good thing. Its small in size and rubber grip on the handle makes it very comfortable to hold. There are other additional features that make the Fusion a better blade such as the automatic shut off and the battery level indicator (Adam 15). Besides this, the sixth blade that is placed on the back of the cartridge is one of the best elements of this product. It made shaving under the nose and trimming of my sideburns using the Fusion less hectic. I did not cut myself on the nose-lip area which is something I frequently experienced with the Mach 3. Gillette also significantly reduced the size of the Fusion’s head. This is particularly useful when shaving tight spaces or looking for a closer shave. The blade manufacturer has distributed two versions of the product: the powered and the manual razor. I personally prefer the powered version for a quicker shave. For the powered version of the razor, drag across the face is highly reduced and the Fusion glides effortlessly. This is however the only good functionality of the vibrations caused by the powering, as I did not get a thorough shave (Adam 17). The Gillette Fusion also comes with a blade stabilizer which ensures the blades are at a fixed distance from each other and they do not shift as you shave. Gillette introduced another new feature in this product, what they called Low Cutting Force Blades aimed at reducing resistance on the skin. All this make this razor much smoother than its predecessor. This multiple blade razor also gives Gillette Company a competitive lead in the market against its competitor company, Schick. Apart from the design, cost is another key quality that I consider when purchasing a blade. The Fusion razor retails for 12 dollars, same to the Mach 3. This comes with a single cartridge and AAA battery. The consistency in price is a good thing for loyal Gillette customers, as we do not have to pay extra. However, this price is higher compared to other razors in the market. Further, the cost of the Fusion’s blades is higher compared to that of the Mach 3 blades. An 8 pack of Fusion’s blades cost 32 dollars compared to the 24 for the Mach. This is an 8 dollar variance in the two prices. This is a big deal for me. The high price is nonetheless compensated for by the long life of its cartridge (6 to 10 shaves) and the high number of shaves (4 to 5) the Fusion gives you before the blades are completely dull. This in

Using Technology for Sustainable Strategic Advantage

Using Technology for Sustainable Strategic Advantage Author: Stephen Walsh For the purpose of this paper a review of current technology has been carried out in response to the question of technology providing little or no sustainable strategic advantage. In the last twenty years or so the digital revolution has transformed the way business carries out commerce in the developing world, whether on the ground or online, commerce has increased dramatically and technology has unquestionably facilitated that growth. Over ten years ago in 2003 author Nicholas Carr published a widely discussed article in the Harvard Business Review titled (Carr, 2003) IT doesnt matter. In the article Nicholas argued that the opportunities for gaining IT based advantages were receding. Best practices were built into software or otherwise replicated and as for IT encouraged industry transformations most of the ones that were going to happen had already happened or were in the process of happening. Carr argued that IT is like other infrastructure technologies that lost their competiti ve potential once they became accessible and affordable to all. Has technology enabled business decision makers to gain strategic advantage over competitors in light of the developments in technology of the last number of years. The following paragraphs will look at recent trends in technology and whether these trends can provide a sustainable strategic advantage going forward to decision makers. The attainment of strategic sustainable advantage from technology is immensely important to small and medium sized business and large organisations, in 2017 there is a myriad of ways in utilising technology and in particular information systems technology to improve business operations. Organisations can employ information systems to fundamentally shift the cost of doing business (Booth, 2011) or reduce the costs of business processes and or lower the costs of customers or suppliers, i.e. using online business to consumer business to business models and e-procurement systems to reduce operating costs. An example of a business to business model is an Irish start up by the name of Bullet HQ which is aiming to disrupt the accountancy marketplace with its online accounting and payroll software targeted at small and medium enterprises in Ireland. Eighty percent of companies in Ireland are SMEs with four staff or less and this software is tailored to business owners for the purpose of doi ng their books, payroll and all tax returns thus enabling them the time to run other business practices related to their operation and replaces the expense of hiring an accountant. This platform used by Bullet HQ is employing cloud technology which has become a great shift in the way business organisations manage their IT operations. The arrival of Software as a Service (SaaS) applications allow business organisations to run a virtual business in which business functions are outsourced to cloud services. (SaaS) applications have emerged as one of the advanced technologies utilising cloud computing and has great potential for the strategic management of IT technology in dynamic business environments. As the global economy has crept back from recession it has become paramount to organisations to reduce risks and assure safe returns for their investments. Most companies are now trying to find ways of reducing their operation and productions costs and reducing IT costs are part of it. Companies have started to find solutions to operate their information systems on a pay-as-you-go basis instead of investing huge amounts of funding in IT infrastructure and this has b ecome possible with the recent developments in cloud computing. With software-as-a-service models companies only need to pay for what is used and can adjust service agreements as IT requirements increase or fall over time. (Gartner, 2012) Has stated worldwide software-as-a-service revenue was forecast to reach 14.5 billion dollars in 2012. (SaaS) distribution will experience healthy growth through 2017, when worldwide revenue is projected to reach 40 billion dollars. Traditionally implementing business information systems is a major undertaking for business in that it can cost a significant amount of money for organisations small or large. Organisations need to hire IT consultants and IT professionals to deploy solutions with their current systems and data needs. The requirements for the timeframe, budget and human resource for the implementation of these business solutions pose a significant risk for organisations. The on demand model of software-as-a-service removes the typical re quirements related to traditional software delivery models. (SaaS) applications can be accessed anytime from any personal computer or device with an internet connection. Strategic benefits such as high adoption rates, lower initial costs, updates and provider managed upgrades, and seamless integration with existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems makes software-as-a-service as a major differentiator in the IT services management market. A study by International Business Machines Corporation (IBM, 2014) highlighted that software-as-a-service helps enterprises with the highest level of (SaaS) adoption to have strategic advantages by providing differentiation in enterprise efficiency, deeper collaboration, better decision making and market agility. The Internet of things (IoT) sensors plus actuators connected by networks to computing systems is not a futuristic trend but it is here now and has received enormous attention over the last five years. A report by Mckinsey states that internet of things has a potential economic impact of 3.9 trillion dollars to 11.1 trillion dollars a year by 2025. (IoT) is crafting a new world, a calculable world where people and business can manage assets in a better informed way and make more timely and informed decisions about what they want or need to do. This new connected world will bring massive changes to consumers and society as a whole. For the first time ever the mobile phone will no longer be the most common device used to connect people to the internet it will be cars, home appliances, industries, cities and wearables. It is expected by 2020 that there will be 28 billion connected devices worldwide with more than half being internet of things devices. As all these things are connected n ew opportunities will arise for industries, cities and organisations. Current examples of internet of things technology include connected smart buildings whereby the Ericsson group implemented solutions to assist facility managers in space utilization, space management, the planning of maintenance based on usage, temperature control, air quality and ventilation optimization thus in turn providing optimised funding channels. A large range of new technologies is emerging that enable new value and capabilities for connecting the next new (IoT) device to a new generation of analytics and applications. From a business strategic perspective internet of things represents an opportunity to collect real time information about every physical operation of an organisation. Internet of things sensors can transport information real time and transform raw (IoT) data into business and operational insights using effective data analytics. Assets equipped with sensors give an information system the ca pability to communicate, capture and process data and in turn that will create massive opportunities in distribution, innovation and production efficiency. (Jacques Bughin, n.d.) states that business to business applications will account for almost seventy percent of the value that is estimated will flow from (IoT) in the next ten years. Nearly 5 trillion dollars would be generated almost exclusively in business to business settings i.e. factories, agriculture, healthcare environments, mining, gas and oil, construction and office settings. Here in Ireland there has been many developments in the internet of things sphere, (Kennedy, n.d.) Crossmolina in Co.Mayo will be the first town in Ireland to implement a smart lighting system, the US technology firm Silver Spring whose tech manages over 23 million devices in cities around the world has deployed an internet of things platform for Mayo County Council for smart street illumination and also a residential energy efficient project for the council with the project been part funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority Of Ireland (SEAI). Peter Mcloughlin, executive engineer of Mayo County Council has stated that the technology enhances the councils objective off reducing energy usage, reducing cost and reducing C02 emissions and also increases the capacity of the community to relate with and understand their energy use. Another development is the rollout out nationwide of a Sigfox platform across Ireland by the the Irish startup VT Networks. Sigfox is an internet of things network that uses low power, wide area communications to connect up devices from smart meters, smoke alarms, interactive billboards and robots. VT is targeting Irish business with services that include home solutions, smart metering, smoke alarms, security sensors and security sensors on gates for farmers, machine monitoring devices and recovery and tracking of stolen farm items. The internet of things revolution will have a range of aids for dealing with health related issues, especially prolonged health issues that use up resources in Irish Hospitals. A project currently being tested using internet of things technology is a project by North East Doctor on Call to enable paramedics to see patients and enable remote diagnosis by GPs and consultants along with the use of internet of things sensors in the home. On the research front academic and industrial partnerships led by research groups such as Tyndall, CRANN, Connect, Insight, TSSG and Adapt have put Ireland on the world centre stage for internet of things breakthroughs. The previous paragraphs have given an overview of currently technological trends and it is clear that these trends are here to stay and in terms of providing a sustainable strategic advantage these technologies will provide long-term advantages to business going forward. The principal means of utilising these technologies for business decision makers is to be innovative in their thinking. It is vital for business people to understand the use of information technology and in order to stay ahead of the competition they should work with technical people to achieve this, by working with an IT consultant small business owners across Ireland for example can gain an advantage on competition by implementing streamlined processes to their business resulting in profitability, higher revenue growth and productivity growth. An information technology consultant will provide excellent guidance in helping a business gain an advantage over competitors. One of the ways the consultant would do this is by using (Porter, 1985) Michael Porters five forces model, looking at the rivalry of competitors within the clients industry, by looking at the threat of new entrants within the clients industry, the threat posed by substitute products which might capture market share, the bargaining power of customers and the bargaining power of suppliers. By analysing these five competitive forces and consultant can then implement a strategy to counter these forces, A business must develop and implement strategies to effectively counter the above five competitive forces. (OBrien, 2011) suggest that organisations can follow one of five basic competitive strategies, which are based on Porters three generic strategies of broad cost leadership, broad differentiation, and focused strategy. The five competitive strategies are: cost leadership, differentiation, innovation, growth, and alliance. The following conveys how Information systems could be a critical enabler of these five competitive strategies , 1. Cost Leadership: Organisations can use information systems to fundamentally shift the cost of doing business (Booth, Roberts Sikes 2011) or reduce the costs of business processes or/and to lower the costs of customers or suppliers, i.e., using online business to consumer business to business models, e-procurement systems to reduce operating costs 2. Differentiation: Organisations can use information systems to develop differentiated features or/and to reduce competitors differentiation advantages, i.e., using online live chatting systems and social networks to better understand and serve customers; using technology to create informediariesÂÂ   to offer value-added service and improve customers stickiness to your web site/business(Booth, Roberts, and Sikes 2011); applying advanced and established measures for online operations to offline practices (i.e., more accurate and systematic ways of measuring efficiency and effectiveness of advertising) (Manyika, 2009) 3. Innovation: Organisations can use information systems to identify and create (or assist in creating) new products and services or/and to develop new/niche markets or/and to radically change business processes via automation (i.e., using digital modelling and simulation of product design to reduce the time and cost to the market (Chui, 2011). They also can work on new initiatives of establishing pure online businesses/operations. At the same time, the Internet and telecommunications networks provide better capabilities and opportunities for innovation. Combinational innovation and Open innovation are two good examples. There are a large number of component parts on the networks that are very expensive or extremely different before the establishment of the networks, and organisations could combine or recombine components/parts on the networks to create new innovations (Manyika 2009). Meanwhile everyone is connected via personal computers, laptops and other mobile devices through cab led Internet or wireless networks or mobile networks, there are plenty of opportunities to co-create with customers, external partners and internal people. 4. Growth (including mergers and acquisitions): Organisations can use information systems to expand domestic and international operations or/and to diversify and integrate into other products and services, i.e., establishing global intranet and global operation platform; establishing omni channel strategy to gain growth (omni channel strategy looks at leveraging advantages of both online (or digital) and offline (or non-digital) channels) (Rigby, 2011). 5. Strategic Alliance: Organisations can use information systems to create and enhance relations with partners via applications, such as developing virtual organisations and inter-organisational information systems. To conclude, the potential to use technology for sustainable strategic advantage is evident and by innovative thinking it can be realised with the correct technological tools and strategies. Technology will undoubtedly change the way commerce is carried out and information systems combined with technology will improve business processes and living standards going forward. It is the job of the information systems practitioner to always be aware of developing technologies and make use of them to improve business needs and to find solutions to business problems and also look at the possibility of developing the applications (SaaS) or otherwise needed to solve these issues. Additionally information systems by itself or in conjunction with internet of things could be used strategically to improve not only business processes but human lives by utilising (IoT) technology and information systems to build out platforms for concerns surrounding health and climate change issues. References Booth, A. R. (2011). How strong is your IT strategy? McKinsey on Business Technology. Carr, N. G. (2003, May). https://hbr.org/2003/05/it-doesnt-matter. Retrieved from Harvard Business View. Chui, M. . (2011). Inside P Gs digital revolution. McKinsey Quarterly. Gartner. (2012). Forecast: Software as a Service, All Regions, 2010-2015. IBM. (2014). Champions of Software as a Service: How (SaaS) is fueling. Jacques Bughin, M. C. (n.d.). http://www.mckinsey.com. Kennedy, J. (n.d.). www.siliconrebublic.com. Manyika. (2009). Hal Varian on how the Web challenges managers. OBrien, J. A. (2011). Management Information Systems. McGrawHill,. Porter, M. E. (1985). Competitive advantage : creating and sustaining superior performance. New York : Free Press, . Rigby, D. (2011). The Future of Shopping. Harvard Business Review.

Iceland Crisis

Background Information In three year period of 2008-2011 Iceland suffered one of the worst financial crisis in history. It Is bewildering how a country with population of only 320,000 could gather massive sums of money per capital, lose It all In such a short time period, and then manage an incredibly quick recovery since. Let's start by shedding some light on the situation leading to the crash. Iceland has always been affiliated with nature and fishermen. Fishing was the most prevalent occupation in Iceland, and a major backbone of their economy for years.Things turned direction in the ass following the liberalizing of Icelandic banks. Deregulation of banks added a whole new dimension to Icelandic economy and money was flowing more than ever. Glitter, Gapingly. And Landsman were Iceland's three most notable commercial banks who were enjoying a great time. High savings interest rate offered by Icelandic banks attracted plenty of foreign investors . Fishermen slowly turned into financ ial advisers to manage the capital inflow from outside, particularly from Germany and the I-J and create more wealth for Icelandic economy in the long-term.As with every great financial crash, greed and carelessness played a part. Banks, having believed the hype and buzz, were careless handing out big mortgages to loads of under-qualified applicants on low interest and made under-thought Investments abroad, particularly in the US. Iceland's banking sector was pride of the country which had transformed Iceland into one of the richest countries in Europe in a couple of decades. What Went Wrong The banks were accountable for themselves. There was no precise rules set for them.They had to go out there and produce. Their capabilities was the most important hinging and all else was secondary. If the banks didn't have to give ethical answers to the government, then they could be capable of many unthinkable things, especially in the banking world of the ass's and early asses. The prime mini ster of Iceland in that period (1991-2004), DavidГÂ ¶ Dodson, was no fan of government owned banks in Iceland, so none of the banks In Iceland had to answer directly to governmental authority. Reliant on external financing.They used mass wholesale funding to finance their way into the local mortgage market and obtain foreign financial firms mostly in the UK and Scandinavia. The banks were following the international ambitions of a new generation of Icelandic entrepreneurs who set to form global empires in industries from retailing to food production to pharmaceuticals. By the end of 2006, the total assets of the three main banks were $150 billion, eight times the country's GAPS. Low interest rate offered by Icelandic banks had allowed financing for rapid and pre- mature expansion of various companies in various industries perhaps beyond the nation's capacity.In half a decade, Icelandic banks experienced a mass transformation from being pretty much entirely domestic lenders to b ecoming major international financial intermediaries. The shift and growth was almost too good to be true. This is where things started to go south. As wholesale funding markets seized up (e. G. Lehmann Brothers' bankruptcy in September 2008), Icelandic banks were shaken and started to collapse under a mountain of foreign debt. The Crash and Its Consequences On October 8th 2008, Suppurating was placed into administration. The government had to intervene. Iceland was on verge of national bankruptcy.Foreign investors were seeking their money from Icelandic banks and threatened to sue. Everything was a sees. The Icelandic government nationalized Glinting. The control of Lambskin and Glinting were given to representatives of FM (Financial Supervisory Authority). Prime minister, Geri Heard, believed those actions taken by the government prevented the country from national bankruptcy. The impacts of the crash were severe on Icelandic economy, however. At end of second quarter of 2008, Ice land's external debt rose to close to Ð ²?50 billions), more than 80% of which was held by the banking sector.The national currency (Icelandic Akron) fell sharply in value. Foreign currency orientations were basically suspended for weeks. The Icelandic stock exchange fell by more than 90% and as a result Iceland officially bid hello to a period of economic recession. Recovery Icelandic economy continued to suffer for two years, but the signs since late 2010 have been very positive. Islanders have taken the right steps and have shown urgency in their efforts to get their economy back on track and it has paid dividends. The government's priority was to minimize the impact of financial crisis on the country.They placed Iceland ahead of foreign investors. As a result, an emergency isolation was passed, allowing the Financial Supervisory Authority to take over the domestic operations of Iceland's three major banks. The state intervened by protecting domestic creditors and depositors, no t allowing the taxpayers to take the burden of a bailouts. Instead of bailing out the banks (e. G. I-J, Ireland, etc), Iceland opted for defaults of the banks. This fumed foreign depositors, but Icelandic quick recovery was devaluation of Icelandic currency and implementing measures of capital control. The Corona's value halved making Icelandic exports (e. . Fish) and ours cheaper and more attractive to foreigners. These two sectors flourished as a result and played a significant role in growing the Icelandic economy again. Iceland have worked hard in restoring macroeconomic stability and rebuilding the financial sector. They put the money they received from MIFF ($10 Billion) in use to a 3-year restructuring programmer. The results are impressive as since then, the GAP has grown 2. 5% in two consecutive years. Now that the Icelandic economy is doing better, the government is making settlements to gradually pay the foreign investors back.The unemployment rates have fallen in half an d those accountable for the crash, even the former prime minister, were persecuted at the courts. Iceland did the opposite of Europe and the US to the situation and it has proved effective. Of course, it's a different situation managing 320,000 people as opposed to millions. It's not all rosy yet, however, as other economic sectors, notably private and household must catch up to fishing and tourism sector to take the momentum to next level and fully take Iceland out of what could have been a fatal blow. Conclusion 2008 Financial crash shook the world.The impact in Iceland was more incredible than most places as it nearly brought depression to the country. Deregulated Icelandic banks bit more than they could chew and ambition turned into greed and gamble. Series of factors gave hands to each other and took Iceland on verge of national bankruptcy. What happened after, is perhaps a lesson for all other nations who are struggling with their economies. Icelandic government prioritize its own nation above anyone else, and allowed its banks to default, protecting its people. They have since taken the right measures to increase spending and business in the entry.

Nashville Predators Case Essay

The Nashville Predators have been going through a seemingly endless process since entering the NHL in 1998. It did not take the Predators long to establish a successful and competitive nature among the franchise. Their first five seasons they struggled becoming a team and missed the playoffs, however, they have come together and made the playoffs every year since. The Predator’s on-ice performance was consistently among the top three teams in the league, but still faced many challenges. Although the Predator’s on-ice performance continued to mature, they still struggled with growth in ticket sales. How does a number three ranked NHL team fall to twenty-three of thirty teams in overall ticket sales? Clearly something needs to be evaluated in the management marketing strategy. According to many officials, Nashville has all the tools to generate a profitable franchise. It seems that since a team plays well that they should attract a loyal fan base. It was not this easy for the Predators as they dealt with several contracts over the years to gain one full-time owner. The team’s franchise might be undergoing new ownership once again. This puts an immense amount of stress on the management team as they have several things to prepare, for a potential new owner. The team believes that a new owner might move the Predators to a location outside of Nashville. The management team needs to come up with an efficient marketing plan/ strategy for the new owner. Re-location suggestions are among the top issues to evaluate. The team has narrowed their approach to five potential cities for the Predators, as well as the possibility of leaving them in Nashville. Hamilton, Winnipeg, Kansas City, Las Vegas, and Houston were among the best-fit re-location options. Although the team needed to look at other cities, they were also determined  to prove Nashville could be a success. The management team believed that with the on-ice success and a new and exciting marketing campaign would increase the average attendance at games. Some challenges they faced along the way were mainly generating more revenue, and targeting a new clientele. NHL depends heavily on ticket revenue and less on broadcasting compared to any other professional sport. This alone tells the management team, much more focus needs to be applied toward selling tickets. While more tickets need to be sold, there is a separate approach within this strategy. The majority of NHL teams sell sixty percent of their tickets to corporations, and accommodate business suites. The Predators are generating seventy percent of ticket revenue through individual sales and only thirty percent from business packages. This is a number that needs to improve for the franchise as they look to increase rev enue. Gaining support from major corporations is always an upside for any business. Whether the team moves, or remains in Nashville, there are several key decisions that the management team must make. First off they have to establish a comprehensive strategy starting with a recommended location. Where the Predators will be best fit is a decision that must be set in stone. Once you have the location set is when the team can move into an overall strategy for the franchise. They will need to consider recommendations on promotions, pricing, and customer focus. What will the ticket prices be, and how will they obtain the brand (team) loyalty from fans? No matter what strategy they decide it must be viable and profitable. Ticket prices are directly correlated to the attendance in the building, and present a major challenge. Last but certainly not least; the team must develop a strategy for targeting new corporations among its new location. This is hockey, however, at the end of the day this is business and is about having, â€Å"a good product on the ice†. Upon further evaluation of the franchise’s relocation, an internal analysis of strengths and weaknesses helps to visualize potential. As I said before, the Nashville Predators have a good team, but things must be evaluated to understand what to and what not to stress in their marketing strategy. Nashville Predator Franchise STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES On-ice performance: achieved playoff contention every year since 2003; Ranked third of thirty teams in NHL Competitive Nature: a team that plays well and succeeds generates more awareness & fans Sommet Center: only twelve years old; over seventeen thousand in capacity Seventy luxury suites for businesses Newly Renovated Arena: updated game clock/ score board; hundreds of televisions added for better spectator views State of the art technology in Arena Majority of employees/ players have been together for a while now and know how to work together through changes As of right now they have no clear strategy Management team is â€Å"in the dark†: because the team has not confirmed whether or not they are gaining a new owner- the management team is forced to plan for multiple scenarios under new ownership; Preventing them from focusing on one effective strategy Lack of corporate interest in Predators franchise Due to the attempts/ failures of multiple ownership agreements: the franchise appears as unwanted and undesirable to outsiders Lack of customer Service Department- over five hundred thousand dollars Lack of consistency within franchise External Analysis: Customers- NHL tickets serve purely hedonic needs in the eyes of the consumers, as Sports games are a facet of the entertainment industry. One group that the NHL targets in ticket sales are fans of the sport, both diehard and casual. Diehard fans purchased season tickets regardless of winning or losing seasons or other conditions and as such they are not considered price sensitive compared to casual fans. Casual watchers of hockey perform more of a search to find the best entertainment option for their dollar and can be trickier to encourage buying multiple tickets. Based on statistical figures your average NHL fan is a male in his middle 40’s, although almost 40% of fans are women. An interesting fact is that according  to the article, NHL fans are wealthier than any other fan of a major league North American sport. Fans of the sport geographically speaking are spread out across North America, but NHL franchise attendance is highest in Canada and Northern U.S. regions. Cont ext: Political: the National Hockey League governs Major league hockey games. The NHL regulates how many games are in each season, controls where teams are located or relocated, and determines salaries for players, etc. Economic: Like any other entertainment option, success as a business depends on the customer’s amount of discretionary income. If the general economy is suffering, NHL games likely suffer in terms of ticket revenue. Social: NHL is a part of the sports entertainment industry, which continues to grow into a multi-billion dollar industry. Many in North America follow a sport one way or another and are a way to socialize with other fans. Technological: Not too many technological advances in the sport of hockey, other than to watch games while not in attendance. Company- The National Hockey League (NHL) is the governing body for professional hockey teams. The league, more than any of the other professional leagues, depends on ticket sales as a main source of revenue. According to Porter’s generic strategies, the focus of the NHL is to provide a different kind of professional sports experience at a competitive price point. Unlike football or baseball, hockey is generally not susceptible to fluctuations in ticket revenue based on weather since it is an indoor event. No other sport is played on ice so that is the NHL’s main source of competitive advantage. Collaborators- The NHL is in contract with venue leasing companies to provide the arena for the games and they are their biggest collaborators. Also contributing to the game day experiences are the firms that provide the food and beverages, manufacture the merchandising and player uniforms/equipment, security, etc. Most of these arenas aren’t built solely for hockey games so firms that design, build, and manage the ice rinks are crucial to delivering the product. Competition: Product Category Competition: NFL, NBA, MLB, and MLS Generic Competition: College sports games, race tracks (of horse and car variety), lesser league/amateur league sports games, high school sports  games, heater performances, concerts, other live events, etc. Budget Competition: Movie theaters, restaurants, PPV, etc. Power of Suppliers- Low/ If we are assuming the players are the suppliers since without Them the sport wouldn’t exist. The NHL has every player on a contract and while there Are other hockey leagues they are of lesser quality and do not pay as well as in the NHL. Providers of the food/beverage, merchandising, etc. are not in control because it is easy for the NHL and the individual teams to seek other sources. Power of Buyers- High/ Potential ticket purchasers can seek other forms of entertainment that is of more value to them. Powers of Substitutes- High/ There are other lesser leagues as well as a plethora of non-professional sports that the NHL has to compete with. Power of New Entrants- Low/ Each individual sport has their own governing body that regulates the professional games. To rival the NHL there would need to be massive capital costs, economies of scale, etc. Rivalry- High/ Other professional leagues compete to attract the casual sports fans to increase ticket revenue When looking at the Nashville NHL franchise, it is important to consider the competition it has with other league teams, such as the Tennessee Titans and the Nashville Sounds. In this situation, Nashville in particular doesn’t have any other major league team but within a couple hours’ drive is the Memphis Grizzlies, an NBA team. Nashville is also a popular destination for music lovers. This aspect of the entertainment industry poses a threat to the Predators franchise. The franchise is also at a disadvantage geographically as fans of NHL is more congregated in northern regions and into Canada. The NHL desired to reach into the southeastern U.S. region but based on the performance of Nashville and other franchises as Atlanta, Carolina, and the Florida Panthers, it seems that the experiment is failing. 4. Hamilton- The target market that this city should focus on is the casual fan. With its proximity to Toronto and Buffalo, Hamilton will have a difficult time luring diehard fans since they already have their team loyalties. Casual fans aren’t as willing to travel to watch games so targeting these fans would be an advantage. The team should be positioned as the closer, more hometown team since fans in the city probably had to travel to attend NHL games. Competition could arise from its close proximity to already established NHL teams; this location option in our opinion is seen as cannibalization more than already as ticket revenue would likely cut into Toronto, Buffalo, and other Canadian teams. Winnipeg- This location should target the diehard fans in particular as it is noted that the city once held an NHL franchise and many in the city are desperate to have another team again. Positioning the team would be easy, it’s the best games, the best players, and it’s the NHL, the pinnacle of hockey. As far as competition, it seems that the team would have no significant location competition, as there are no other professional teams in the area, just NHL affiliates. Kansas City- This location should target the casual fan or entertainment seeker, as there is intense competition from other professional teams such as the NFL Chiefs, MLB Royals, and an arena football league team. The franchise would have to be positioned as something different in the city, as a different way to enjoy an intense physical sport that compares to football in that regard. Las Vegas- An NHL franchise in this city would be the only professional league team in the city, and other than competing with the gambling/dining/other entertainment options offered by the tons in the â€Å"entertainment capital of the world† would have the ability to stand out as an elite sports experience that stays year round. Las Vegas hosts all sorts of other sports events, but this would be a year round sports experience. The target market would need to be both casual and diehard sports fans as this would be the only professional sport in the city and the franchise could easily capitalize on this. Hous ton- Competition from all the major professional league franchises would make this city a challenge for the Predators. Appealing to casual fans would be important for the team, although diehard hockey fans who regularly attend Dallas Stars could attend games in Houston if they lived closer. Houston  usually doesn’t endure any harsh winters so this team could be positioned as a way to cool off and get chilly watching intense physical hockey games. After carefully reviewing all the possible candidate cities, our group decided that we would select Las Vegas as the next location for the Predators franchise. One of the main reasons why we chose this city is because it is devoid of any professional league teams already, so the franchise would be the only one in the area. The franchise could easily capitalize on this and create a niche for itself against the wide assortment of gambling and other entertainment in the city. The city is also one that is quickly growing, with a population of 1.7 million at the time of the article and a yearly growth rate of 11.5%. While seat capacity is limited, creating high demand for the NHL experience in the city would allow the franchise to potentially raise ticket prices, therefore increasing revenues and profits. Median family income is also the highest of all the U.S. candidate cities with $58,465, which could further justify charging higher ticket prices. As the â€Å"entertainment capital†, Las Vegas is a popular tourist destination in the country and the world. Having a team in this city could see casual and diehard sports fans making the trip to Las Vegas and make a complete experience out of attending an NHL game. After attending a game, fans can explore all the casinos and nightlife hotspots that make Las Vegas famous. In our opinion, Las Vegas is the most exciting prospect for an NHL team and with the potential to charge more premium ticket prices could see the franchise turn around and become profitable. Ticket Pricing: In order to determine the ticket price that the Predators should charge, assuming they move to Las Vegas, we will need to determine the fixed costs associated to running the team in this area. Fixed Costs Nashville Predators Sponsorships Player Salary 48,300,000 MGM Casino 5,000,000 Lease 1,500,000 Corporate 8,500,000 Broadcast costs 1,000,000 Total 13,500,000 Arena Operations 7,000,000 Total 57,800,000 Sponsor -13,500,000 Total FC 44,300,000 Above are the fixed costs associated with the Nashville Predators moving to Las Vegas. Broadcast costs along with lease costs were used from historical data. Total fixed costs amounted to $44,300,000 excluding sponsorships from the MGM casino and corporate historical sponsorships. Next our group chose to use the historical average prices from the Predators and the average prices from the NHL. We decided to use these prices as reference because we wanted to get a general feel as to where the Predators sit in their pricing scheme compared to the national average. From this analysis we decided that the Predators are charging too low for their ticket prices. We did not want to charge above the national average though, after the Predators move to Las Vegas they can then get a better feel for whether or not they should increase the price even more. So our group decided to charge $48.72 for regular admission and $112.10 for premium tickets. If the arena meets capacity of 19,300, this would bring in revenues of $529,175.14. We also wanted to make sure that the Predators are able to recoup the initial investment they will make. To do this we ran a break-even analysis to see how many tickets they will need to sell to cover their fixed costs. Below is our break-even analysis. Break-even Analysis Total FC 44,300,000 Ticket price /(48.72*.79)+(112.10*.21) 62.0298 Total Tickets 714172.8653 We weighted the ticket prices by their percent of interested fans in that price. Then took the fixed costs and divided them by the ticket price to come up with 714,173 tickets that must be sold in order to cover fixed costs. This is solely in ticket sales and does not include the revenue from future concessions and other revenues from the arena in Las Vegas. This number is slightly higher than the number of tickets the Predators sold last year that was 611,328. This number was extremely low compared to the league. Our group believes that our estimated 714,173 tickets is a plausible number if the Predators move to Las Vegas. Promotional and Advertising Plan: TV/Radio Promotions: TV and radio ads are aired typically on sports-related media. The viewers and listeners to these stations were males between the ages of 25 and 54. In Las Vegas the median age of residents is 34, which is right in the middle of the TV/Radio viewer age. Also Las Vegas is primarily male, coinciding with the viewers of sports radio and TV. We would hit hard in promoting the Predators though radio and TV. The demographic for this type of promotion is perfect and we believe we would be very successful using this media. Player Appearances: As the main demographic for player appearances is a younger child, we believe that this tactic can only be used for specific events that may hit the city of Las Vegas. Most likely we would have players appear at charity events, and other found raisers that are hosted in the city. This way they can get in touch with an older generation that better fits the demographic of Las Vegas. Corporate Mail Outs: We would use corporate mail outs in our strategy. As Las Vegas is already thriving in businesses that are mainly casinos, shows, and shopping, asking them for sponsorships and advertisements would be competition against our main sponsor MGM, also the hotel where the arena would be located. Fan Giveaways: Fan giveaways will be very useful in promoting the Predators. Las Vegas is a place where people come to WIN! Having giveaways for our main ticket purchasers, such as a free stay at the MGM Grand, or simply cash, would be very effective in keeping out current fans interested and satisfied while also attracting new fans with the hope of WINNING BIG! Online Advertising: Online advertising is a medium that is becoming more and more successful with the increased use of technology. As research stated, 68% of avid sports fans had used the Internet in the past 30 days. We would take full advantage of this less-costly way of promoting the Predators. The website for the Pr edators would need to be updated to coincide with the likes of the Las Vegas demographic, and the surrounding area. The site would need to be exciting and captivating as well as very easy to access. Our advertising would also have to appeal to the nation, as it would be seen on ESPN.com, TSN.ca and NHL.com, all of which are viewed nationally and internationally. Ticket Sales: With using TV/radio and Fan Giveaways as our main ways of promotion and advertising, these two mediums would be where most of the  Predators ticket sales would generate.  Cost of Plan: In order to use these two mediums to create the most hype and ticket sales, it is going to be costly. The predators would need to spend about $3.5 million and up on TV/radio advertising, in order to sell the number of tickets they need per game. If TV/radio advertising is successful then the Fan Giveaways can become less and less costly. If TV were successful then the Predators would need to spend from $0 to $500,000 to make up for the rest of ticket sales. If TV/radio advertising is less successful then they will need to spend from $750,000 to $1,000,000. If they go higher than these costs, research shows that in Las Vegas they will still attract the same amount of ticket sales as they would if the only spent $1 million. As we are not completely utilizing corporate mail outs and player appearances, combined these would cost the Predators a maximum of $200,000, but most likely the cost would be much less. As previously stated we would use online advertising. Las Vegas stays rather consistent with the number of tickets that are sold related to online advertising so the Predators would only need to spend a maximum of $700,000, after this amount, historically the same number of tickets have been sold. Below is a table that shows the maximum that the Predators would have to spend on advertising and promotion in Las Vegas. Maximum Cost of Promotion and Advertising TV/Radio 3,500,000 Giveaways 1,000,000 Online Ad 700,000 Appearances/Mail outs 200,000 Total Cost 5,400,000