A Captured Life free essay sample

Some people may live to make a difference, some people may to just make the money; some may just live to live.But me, I live for photography. I live knowing one day I will take that perfect picture, a picture that will capture the very heart, soul and beauty of this world. My passion for photography was set in motion in the beginning of 8th grade. My only options for electives were beginners photography or teachers aide. Of course I chose the teachers aide, what kid wouldnt? But to pick that elective a parents approval was needed, so my counselor called my father. To my disbelief my father said no and so I wasnt allowed to become a teachers aide. So I was stuck with this photography class I had absolutely no interest whatsoever in. I vowed to myself to get back at my father that I would put forth no effort in achieving a good grade. We will write a custom essay sample on A Captured Life or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Class after class I sat through it knowing that if I let go of this idea of getting back at my father, I would truly enjoy photography. Finally one afternoon my teacher asked me to stay after class so we could talk. She opened my eyes to how much I truly loved it, telling me I was hurting only myself when I didnt strive to reach my potential. After letting myself go, my distaste for photography developed into love and passion. I began to listening to everything my teacher taught, started coming after school and during lunch just so I could spend more time in the darkroom. My teacher would joke, saying I was having a love affair with the darkroom. Some times it would take me days just to get the picture perfect, fixing each mistake over and over again. It was maddening some days, knowing that in the end I was only making a minuscule change that probably only I would see. But to me that was the difference between greatness and mediocrity. As I began to mature and proceed into high sch ool, my passion for photography still blazed inside of me, never ceasing to die. Seeing my appetite for knowledge about photography my father brought me and a friend of his together. His friend, to my disbelief had worked for vogue photographing top models of his time, photographed top models during the infamous fashion week in Milan, and traveled around the world capturing pictures for National Geographic. What I laid in bed envisioning and dreaming about for years, he had actually experienced. Unbelievable. I became his shadow, soaking in every piece of knowledge he offered. Astonishingly enough he never got annoyed or aggravated with me and all the questions I seemed to have. After more then a year of immersing myself in the wisdom of this incredible man, he passed away. Leaving me with only the moment we had together, the knowledge he graciously gave me, and his favorite camera. Days turned into months and I still couldnt even take out his camera with out my eyes filling with te ars. In these moments, photography seemed irrelevant to me. Why should I have been granted the gift to take pictures while his was so hastily taken away? After months I finally realized the lesson I should have learned the first time around, I was hurting nobody else besides myself by not pursuing what I truly loved. And with that, to this day I am still cultivating my love for photography in every single possible way I can.

Quotes From A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

Quotes From 'A Farewell to Arms' by Ernest Hemingway A Farewell to Arms is a novel by Ernest Hemingway that was first published in 1929. The books popularity contributed to Hemingways status as an American legend in literature. Hemingway drew from his wartime experiences to tell the story of Frederic Henry, a volunteer in the Italian army. The novel follows his love affair with  Catherine Barkley as the first World War rages in Europe. Here are some memorable quotes from the book: Chapter 2 I was very glad that the Austrians seemed to want to come back to the town sometime if the war should end, because they did not bombard it to destroy it but only a little in a military way. All thinking men are atheists. Chapter 3 It was all as I had left it except that now it was spring. I looked in the door of the big room and saw the major sitting at his desk, the window open and the sunlight coming into the room. He did not see me and I did not know whether to go in and report or go upstairs first and clean up. I decided to go upstairs. Chapter 4 Miss Barkley was quite tall. She wore what seemed to be a nurses uniform, was blonde and had a tawny skin and gray eyes. I thought she was very beautiful. Chapter 5 American in the Italian Army. There were racks of rockets standing to be touched off to call for help from the artillery or to signal with if the telephone wires were to be cut. You see Ive been leading a sort of a funny life. And I never even talk English. And you are so very beautiful. Were going to have a strange life. Chapter 6 I kissed her and saw that her eyes were shut. I kissed both her shut eyes. I thought she was probably a little crazy. It was all right if she was. I did not care what I was getting into. This was better than going every evening to the house for officers where the girls climbed all over you and put your cap on backwards as a sign of affection between their trips upstairs with other officers. Thank god I did not become involved with the British. Chapter 7 I went out the door and suddenly I felt lonely and empty. I had treated seeing Catherine very lightly. I had gotten somewhat drunk and had nearly forgotten to come but when I could not see her there I was feeling lonely and hollow. Chapter 8 There were troops on this road and motor trucks and mules with mountain guns and as we went down, keeping to one side, and across, under a hill beyond the river, the broken houses of the little town that was to be taken. Chapter 9 I believe we should get the war over. War is not won by victory. I ate the end of my piece of cheese and took a swallow of wine. Through the other noise I heard a cough, then came the chuh-chuh-chuh-chuh- then there was a flash, as when a blast-furnace door is swung open, and a roar that started white and went red and on and on in a rushing wind. Chapter 10 I will send Miss Barkley. You are better with her without me. You are purer and sweeter. Chapter 11 Still even wounded you do not see it. I can tell. I do not see it myself but I feel it a little. I would be too happy. If I could live there and love God and serve him. You do. What you tell me about in the nights. That is not love. That is only passion and lust. When you love you wish to do things for. You wish to sacrifice for. You wish to serve. Chapter 12 The next day in the morning we left for Milan and arrived forty-eight hours later. It was a bad trip. We were sidetracked for a long time this side of Mestre and children came and peeked in. I got a little boy to go for a bottle of cognac but he came back and said he could only get grappa. When I woke I looked around. There was sunlight coming in through the shutters. I saw the big armoire, the bare walls, and two chairs. My legs in the dirty bandages, stuck straight out in the bed. I was careful not to move them. I was thirsty and I reached for the bell and pushed the button. I heard the door open and looked and it was a nurse. She looked young and pretty. Chapter 14 She looked fresh and young and very beautiful. I thought I had never seen anyone so beautiful. God knows I didnt mean to fall in love with her. Chapter 15 I have noticed that doctors who fail in the practice of medicine have a tendency to seek one anothers company and aid in consultation. A doctor who cannot take out your appendix properly will recommend you to a doctor who will be unable to remove your tonsils with success. These were such doctors. Chapter 16 I dont. I dont want anybody else to touch you. Im silly. I get furious if they touch you. When a man stays with a girl when does she say how much it costs? Chapter 17 Catherine Barkley took three days off night duty and then she came back on again. It was as though we met again after each of us had been away on a long journey. Chapter 18 She had wonderfully beautiful hair and I would lie sometimes and watch her twisting it up in the light that came in the open door and it shone even in the night as water shines sometimes just before it is really daylight. Dont make up a separate me. Chapter 19 Always I wanted to see Catherine. Its all nonsense. Its only nonsense. Im not afraid of the rain. I am not afraid of the rain. Oh, oh, God, I wish I wasnt. Chapter 20 Dont you like it better when were alone? Chapter 21 In September the first cool nights came, then the days were cool and the leaves on the trees in the park began to turn color and we knew the summer was gone. The Chicago White Sox were winning the American League pennant and the New York Giants were leading the National League.  Babe Ruth  was a pitcher then playing for Boston. The papers were dull, the news was local and stale, and the war news was all old. People have babies all the time. Everybody has babies. Its a natural thing. The coward dies a thousand deaths, the brave but one. Chapter 23 I wish we could do something really sinful. Chapter 24 I watched his face and could feel the whole compartment against me. I did not blame them. He was in the right. But I wanted the seat.  Still, no one said anything. Chapter 25 It did not feel like a homecoming. You are very good to say so. I am very tired of this war. If I was away, I do not believe I would come back. I kept this to remind me of you trying to brush away the Villa Rossa from your teeth in the morning, swearing and eating aspirin and cursing harlots. Every time I see that glass I think of you trying to clean your conscience with a toothbrush. Chapter 27 Its Germans that are attacking, one of the medical officers said. The word Germans was something to be frightened of. We did not want to have anything to do with the Germans. Chapter 28 What does she ride with me for if she doesnt like me? Chapter 30 The sides of the bridge were high and the body of the car, once on, was out of sight. But I saw the heads of the driver, the man on the seat with him, and the two men on the rear seat. They all wore German helmets. The hay smelled good and lying in a barn in the hay took away all the years in between. We had lain in hay and talked and shot sparrows with an air-rifle when they perched in the triangle cut high up in the wall of the barn. The barn was gone now and one year they had cut the hemlock woods and there were only stumps, dried tree-tops,  branches, and fire-weed where the woods had been. You could not go back. Chapter 31 You do not know how long you are in a river when the current moves swiftly. It seems a long time and it may be very short. The water was cold and in flood and many things passed that had been floated off the banks when the river rose. I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding on as easily as I could with both hands. I knew I would have to get out before they got to Mestre because they would be taking care of these guns. They had no guns to lose or forget about. I was terrifically hungry. Chapter 32 Anger was washed away in the river along with any obligation. Chapter 33 It  is now hard to leave the country but it is in no way impossible. Chapter 34 I know what sort of a mess you have gotten this girl into, youre no cheerful sight to me. If you had any shame it would be different. But youre God knows how many months gone with child and you think its a joke and  are  all smiles because your seducers come back. Youve no shame and no feelings. Often a man wishes to be alone and a girl wishes to be alone too and if they love each other they are jealous of that in each other, but I can truly say we never felt that. We could feel alone when we were together, alone against the others. It has only happened to me like that once. Chapter 36 I saw her white back as she took off her  night-gown  and then I looked away because she wanted me to. She was beginning to be a little big with the child and she did not want me to see her. I dressed hearing the rain on the windows. I did not have much to put in my bag. Chapter 37 I rowed all night.  Finally, my hands were so sore I could hardly close them over the oars. We were nearly smashed up on the shore several times. I kept fairly close to the shore because I was afraid of getting lost on the lake and losing time. At  Locarno, we did not have a bad time. They questioned us but they were polite because we had passports and money. I do not think they believed a word of the story and I thought it was silly but it was like a law-court. You did not want something reasonable, you wanted something technical and then stuck to it without explanations. But we had passports and we would spend the money. So they gave us provisional visas. Chapter 38 The war seemed as far away as the football games of someone elses college. But I knew from the papers that they were still fighting in the mountains because the snow would not come. She makes  little  trouble. The doctor says beer will be good for me and keep her small. I do. I wish Id had it to be like you. I wish Id stayed with all your girls so we could make fun of them to you. Chapter 40 When there was a good day we had a splendid time and we never had a bad time. We knew the baby was very close now and it gave us both a feeling as though something were hurrying us and we could not lose any time together. Chapter 41 I will eat from a tray in the next room, the doctor said, You can call me any moment. While the time passed I watched him eat, then, after a while, I saw that he was lying down and smoking a cigarette. Catherine was getting very tired. I thought Catherine was dead. She looked dead. Her face was gray, the part of it that I could see. Down below, under the light, the doctor was sewing up the great long, force-spread, thick-edged wound. I sat down on the chair in front of a table where there were nurses reports hung on clips at the side and looked out of the window. I could see nothing but the dark and the rain falling across the light from the windows. So that was it. The baby was dead. It seems she had one hemorrhage after another. They couldnt stop it. I went into the room and stayed with Catherine until she died. She was unconscious all the time, and it did not take her very long to die. But after I got them to leave and shut the door and turned off the light it wasnt any good. It was like saying good-bye to a statue. After a  while, I went out and left the hospital and walked back to the hotel in the rain.

Through representation of poverty in particular ways, NGOs have been Essay

Through representation of poverty in particular ways, NGOs have been more a part of the problem than a part of the solution. Discuss with relevant examples - Essay Example In the media, image representation not only via virtual means but also with the aid of TV ad artists has selectively utilized those disturbing pieces meant to compel uninformed potential donors part with own money (Coulter, 1989). These depictions fail entirely in relaying the exact situation in the developing states whereby through the media end up blindfolding donors in yielding to support their â€Å"humanitarian† antics. Therefore, this study seeks to relay information on how NGOs despite somehow helping grossly have ended up being problem in their destined respective regions. The formation of many NGOs mainly happens with a certain perspective in mind most of which aim at ending poverty in world at large rather than concentrating in a particular region in the world. While their initial intentions are noble, they end up creating a greater problem in the efforts to curb poverty than helping. This is mainly because they do not clearly elucidate goals of their campaign thus they end up not achieving what they had initially intended (Harrison, 2010). Like in the case of the coalition consisting of various NGOs forming a campaign dubbed â€Å"Making Poverty History† (MPH) in 2003, their focus was on the G8 summit which was to happen in 2005. Their original purpose was to end poverty globally rather than concentrating on a particular segment especially Africa which already had been a matter of discussion for several years (Harrison, 2010, p. 393). The minimal use of images in illustrating poverty conditions diminished their efforts since there was no cle ar representation of what the true condition of poverty was. Their resolution not to specifically use Africa in their main agenda to end poverty blurred the significance of imagery representation. Therefore, instead of them otherwise choosing an image representation elsewhere they

Counter Terrorism Operations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Counter Terrorism Operations - Essay Example If you ask, none can track my past as the commander of ‘xxx’ jihadist organization because I possess a fake personal profile (including the information disclosed in my passport). By the by, the mission authorized upon me is to conduct a bomb blast in Edinburgh, Scotland. After conducting thorough research, I did attain a conclusion that I can organize the plot with ease because counter terrorism planning in Edinburgh is comparatively ineffective. Vick (2002) stated that, â€Å"In the past, Special Operations Forces accomplished the active counterterrorism mission; conventional forces protected themselves against terrorism and provided security to civilian activities† (p.61). The most important measure to protect myself from counter terrorism operations is that I am an international tourist. I am so interested in performing arts and I wish to visit the Edinburgh International Festival. Can anyone read my mind and unearth my aim? No. As an international citizen, I c an visit Edinburgh as an international tourist, who is deeply interested in performing arts. But my aim is to warn the international community by conducting an explosion at ‘The Hub’. I am aware of the fact that the month of August is the best possible opportunity for me to conduct an explosion in Edinburgh. For instance, in August, the international tourists flow to Edinburgh to visit the Edinburgh International Festival. ... This will be most helpful for me to have direct involvement in the proposed operation. To be specific, my aim is to conduct a serial bomb blast at ‘The hub’. One can see that serial blasts defeat the disaster mitigation measures adopted by the governments. To be specific, serial blasts can kill more people and can attract international attention. Within this scenario, the government will become helpless. I selected 21 of August as the date for the proposed explosion. I did select this date because I need a little bit time to settle myself in Edinburgh. The grass root level reason behind my aim to conduct a serial bomb blast in Edinburgh is interconnected with our decision to terrorize Europe and America. Kepel (2006) opined that, â€Å"The terrorism of September 11 was above all a provocation-albeit a provocation of gigantic proportions† (p.4). Within the context of our organization, the ultimate authority (say, the leader) does not allow anyone to know more about secret plans. This preventive measure is generally adopted by our leadership to operate from distant places. Besides, this indirect involvement of our leader can prevent the governments from adopting counter-terrorism measures. On the other side, we are aware of the different tactics made use by the governments. Here, the military cannot find out any evidence on my presence because my real identity is hidden under the mask of an international tourist. In short, the reason behind the proposed bomb blast is to exhibit the strength of our organization. As pointed out earlier, my aim is to make use of the Edinburgh International Festival as a medium to create terror among the world nations. In Edinburgh, I will not make use of any specific place for boarding and lodging because this will help the

Value Chain Management Essay Example for Free

Value Chain Management Essay Explain how operations strategy is influenced by customer and business prospective and where in a standard value chain you would expect to see your chosen topic addressed. INTRODUCTION Every organization’s operations strategies are concerned with getting things done; ie producing merchandise for customers. However, most people believe that operations management is only concerned with short-term, day-to-day issues. In essence, all business organisations are concerned with how their business will survive and prosper in future. In contemporary terms, most business strategies are recognised with a plan as part of or a set of intentions that will set theirr long-term directions of their actions that are needed to ensure future organisational success. Thus, no matter how strong their plan is or how noble their intentions, are, any organisation’s strategy can only become a meaningful reality, in practice, if it’s operationally instigated. Every organisation’s operations are equally important because most organisational activity comprises the day-to-day activities within the operations function. It’s the process of daily actions of operations, when considered in their totality that constitute the organisation’s long-term strategic direction. The relationship between an organisation’s strategy and the operations involved is a key determinant of its ability to achieve long-term success or even survival. Organisational improvement is only likely to result if short-term operations activities are consistent with long-term strategies and hence, make a contribution to competitive advantage. The relationship between corporate operations and the other business functions is similarly important. The objective of the operations function is to produce goods and services required by customers whilst managing resources efficiently. This can then lead to conflicts within an organisation. Conflicts between operations and selling functions are likely to centre on the marketing aspect to ensure that operations concentrate on satisfying customers. Whilst this may seem enduring, marketing will usually want operations to suit customer needs under usual circumstances. Therefore, this is likely to lead to demands to produce  bigger volumes, more varieties, better quality, a faster response, and so on, all of which are likely to lead to less efficient operations. Conflicts within the operations, the accounting and finance functions, on the other hand, are likely to centre on the desire of accounting and finance to want operations to manage resources as efficiently as possible. This will pull operations in exactly the opposite direction of that desired by marketing. Conflicts within operations and the human resource management function are likely to centre on issues of recruitment, selection, training, management and the reward of those employed within operations. For example, operational managers may want to vary organisation-wide policies in order to meet local needs; a move likely to be resisted by human resource managers. The operations function lies at the heart of any organisation and interacts with all the other functions. As such, achieving agreement about what decision areas lie within the remit of operations, and what should be the basis of decision-making within operations is an essential part of ensuring the consistency of action over time necessary for a successful organisational strategy. OPERATIONS STRATEGY My introduction towards operational strategic purposes has highlighted the strategic importance of operations to organisational performance. The importance of operational strategy is essential to an organisation as this will determine the extent to which its business strategy can be implemented, but also as its operations can be a source of competitive advantage within any businesses value chain. First I will outline what exactly is meant by the term operations strategy. Slack et al, argues that an operations strategy concerns the pattern of strategic decisions and actions which set the role, objectives and activities of operations. His use of this term ‘pattern’ implies a consistency in strategic decisions and actions over time. This concept is consistent with a theorist guru, Henry Mintzberg’s view of strategy as being a ‘pattern in a stream of actions’ (Mintzberg and Waters, 1985). Henry Mintzberg, views strategy as being realised through a combination of deliberate and emergent actions. An organisation can have an intended strategy, perhaps as a set of strategic plans. However, only some  of his intended strategy may be realized through deliberate strategy. Some of the intentions may be unrealized. Strategies which take no regard of operational feasibility are more likely to have low marketing prospects, remaining merely as a set of intentions. Strategies may also emerge from actions taken within the organisations functions, which over time form a consistent pattern. Actions of this kind will, almost inevitably, arise from within the operations of the organisation. So, whether intentionally planned or otherwise, the business operations are bound to have a major impact on the formation of organisational strategy. It’s often said that strategy is an issue which is somehow separate from day-to-day organisational activities. If taken to extremes, this can result in strategies being regarded as some kind of cerebral activity performed by superior’s who need to be removed from day-to-day operational pressures. Theorists such as Mintzberg is amongst those who point out to the dangers of managers becoming detached from the basics of the enterprise. Mintzberg and Quinn (1991) call this the ‘don’t bore me with the operating details; I’m here to tackle the big issues’ syndrome. They caution that, ‘the big issues are rooted in little details’. Operational strategy, the processes and content: A. Operational strategy processes: How an organisation sets about developing appropriate operation strategies and B. Operational strategy content: What the key decision areas are and what needs to be addressed in developing any operational strategy. OPERATIONS STRATEGY PROCESS As discussed above, operational strategies have a vertical relationship in the corporate hierarchy within business and corporate strategies, and horizontally with the other functional strategies, mostly recognised within marketing strategies. Operations strategy might come about in a top-down or a bottom-up process with regard to business and corporate strategies. Similarly, an operations strategy might be developed in response to market requirements (i.e. market-led) or be based on the capabilities of its operational resources (i.e. operations-led). As this gives rise to four  perspectives on operation strategy (Slack and Lewis, 2002). Each perspective places a different emphasis on the nature of the operations strategy process. Top-down The top down perspective is the operations strategy which it comprises of, and is supportive of the organisation’s business purposes; an operations strategy that the organisation uses to realise its business strategy within any value chain. This concept follows in line with the perspective of the Hayes and Wheelwright stage 3 organisational strategy process. According to this theory, the process of developing an operations strategy would follow Skinner’s approach of identifying an operation’s ‘task’ (Skinner, 1969). The task for operations would be determined logically from the business strategy. Using Slack et al.’s, five operations performance objectives theory, as one way of articulating the operations task. For example, if the organisation’s business strategy involves the offering of low pricing, then the operation’s task should be one of achieving low costs in operations. If the business strategy is based on offering customers fast delivery, then the operations task should be one of achieving speed in operations, and so forth. In a multi-business organisation, the top-down perspective emphasises operations strategy being linked to corporate strategy via the business strategy of each business unit. This then raises the question of whether it is possible to talk of ‘corporate’ operations strategy. If corporate operations strategy means commonality, in all aspects of operations, then this would only be possible if each business unit has similar business strategies and similar operations tasks. (Johnson and Scholes, 1999) However, some theorists such as Hayes et al would argue that any corporate operational strategy does not mean that every facet of operations must be the same in each business unit. Rather, operations decisions are considered enormously at the corporate level with a view to meeting corporate strategic objectives. A failure to do this means that operations decisions are taken only at the level of the business unit, with a view to meeting needs of that business unit. The dangers of doing this have been pointed out by theories, who caution against letting the needs of the business unit dominate strategic thinking. This can lead to operational competences being confined  within individual business units, thereby restricting their future development, which includes preventing their spread to other business units and limiting opportunities for synergistic developments across the corporation. This can be particularly important in multi-site, multi-national enterprises. ( Prahlad and Hamel, 1990) Bottom-up The bottom-up perspective is one which sees the operations strategy as an element emerging through a series of actions and decisions taken over time within operations. These actions or decisions might at first seem to appear to be somewhat risky as operations managers respond to customer demands, seek to solve specific problems, copy good practices in other organizations, etc. However, they usually coincide over time to form a coherent pattern recognisable as an operations strategy. The actions then taken within this kind of strategy are likely to be characterized by a continuous series of sporadic improvements rather than the large one-off technologically led changes that require large capital investments in new plant and machinery. The bottom-up perspective is one where the organisation learns from its experiences, developing and enhancing its operational capabilities as operations managers try new things out in an almost experimental routine using their workplaces as a kind of ‘learning laboratory’ (Leonard-Barton, 1992). Easy Jet Case Study Although EasyJet only undertook its first flight in 1995, when it operated two routes (London Luton to Glasgow and Edinburgh), ten years later, the budget airline offered 212 routes to 64 European airports and transported over 29 million passengers in 2005. EasyJet now carries more passengers within Europe than British Airways. Analysts expect EasyJet and its Irish based rival Ryanair, to both overtake all traditional airlines to become the largest short-haul operators in Europe by the end of the decade. The Luton based airline is known as continuously expanding, recently announcing the purchase of a further 20 Airbus A319 planes to service the ever increasing number of routes it operates. In 2005 EasyJet carried up to 30 million  passengers, up from 25.7 million in 2004, making it a  £1.3 billion business! Despite record high fuel level costs, profits were up and around 10 per cent to  £68 million. Passenger numbers rose 21 per cent to 29.6 million and the load factor, indicating how many seats are filled, was 85.2 per cent, reflecting the airline’s popularity. The low cost lines like EasyJet have revolutionised the airline industry in Europe. Modelled on South West Airlines in the USA, these airlines have not only helped create a whole new market of cost-conscious travellers but have taken market share from established operators like British Airways and become the most profitable airlines in Europe. To be profitable, these airlines have to achieve low costs to match the low fares, which are the main attraction to their passengers. With its head office as a large tin shed adjacent to the main taxiway at unfashionable Luton Airport, all of EasyJet’s operations are aimed at minimising costs. This is done in a number of ways: Use of the Internet to reduce distribution costs. EasyJet sells around 95 per cent of all seats over the Internet. Its online booking system uses a variable pricing system to try to maximize load factors.(Prices start very low – sometimes free, and rise as seats are filled.) The fuller the aircraft the lower the unit cost of travel. (Scholes and Johnson,1999, pg12) Ticketless travel Passengers are emailed with their travel details and booking reference numbers. This helps reduce significantly the cost of issuing, distributing, processing and reconciling millions of tickets each year. Neither does EasyJet pre-assign seats on board. Passengers sit where they like. This eliminates an unnecessary complexity and speeds up passenger boarding. No free on board catering. Eliminating free catering on board reduces cost and unnecessary bureaucracy. Passengers can purchase food and refreshments on board. Efficient use of airports. EasyJet flies to the less crowded airports of smaller European cities and prefers the secondary airports in the major cities. These also have lower  landing charges and normally offer faster turnarounds as there are fewer air movements. EasyJet’s efficient ground operations enable them to achieve turnarounds of less than 30 minutes. This means EasyJet can achieve extra rotations on the high-frequency routes, maximising the utilization of aircraft. EasyJet’s ability to offer point-to point travel means that it does not have to worry about onward connections for passengers and their baggage, further simplifying its operations. Paperless operations. EasyJet have embraced the concept of their paperless office, with all its management and administration undertaken entirely on IT systems. These can be accessed through the use of servers from anywhere in the world thereby enhancing flexibility in the running of the airline. (Scholes and Johnson,1999, pg12) Many of the manufacturing practices that are now considered leading edge such as JIT, TQM, Statistical Process Control, were developed in just; such a fashion by Japanese manufacturers responding to the constraints placed upon them in the aftermath of the Second World War. One of the problems associated with this perspective is that the organization may not recognize what its operations strategy is. Mills et al. (1998) have developed a technique that aims to overcome this by enabling managers to construct a visual representation of operations strategy as realized. It does this by tapping into the organization’s collective memory, whether written or verbal, to map all of their most significant events in operations over the previous number of years. This should enable managers to recognise the patterns that now make up the existing operation’s strategy. Market-led The market-led perspective is one where the operations strategy is developed in response to the market environment in which the organisation operates. There’s a number of approaches within operations strategy that suggest how this might be done. The best known of these theorists is that of Terry Hill (1985). He suggests that an organisation’s operations strategy should be linked to its marketing strategy by considering how its products and  services win orders in the market place. He believes it’s possible to identify two types of competitive criteria in any market. Market qualifying criteria are those factors that must be satisfied before customers will consider making a purchase in the first place. Order winning criteria, on the other hand, are the factors in which customers ultimately make their purchasing decision. For example, for many airline passengers, the order winning criteria is price, with criteria such as destination city, time of flights and convenience of travel to and from airports being market qualifying criteria. For others, notably business travellers, the order winning criteria may be factors such as in-flight service or total travel time. Consequently, an operations strategy should be developed which will satisfy market qualifying criteria, but excel at order winning criteria for the market segment that the operation wishes to serve. Platts and Gregory 1990, use an approach that audits the products or groups of products that the organisation offers to its markets. The aim is to identify any gaps between market requirements for particular products and services and the performance of the organisation’s operations in delivering those products and services. First the market requirements for the product or service are analysed in terms of various competitive factors (such as cost, quality, reliability). The performance of the organization’s operations against those factors are then assessed. An operations strategy should be developed which will enable operations to match the level of performance required by customers in each of the competitive criteria. Operations-led The operations-led perspective is one in which its excellence in operations is used to drive the organisation’s strategy. This is in line with the Hayes and Wheelwright stage 4 organisation and fits with the resource-based view (RBV) of strategy that currently dominates the strategic management literature. The premise of the RBV is that superior performance comes from the way that an organization acquires, develops and deploys its resources and builds its capabilities rather than the way it positions itself in the market place (Barney, 1991; Wernerfelt, 1984). Thus, the process of strategy development should be based on a sound understanding of current operational capabilities and an analysis of how these could be developed in  the future. This can then provide the basis for decisions about which markets are likely to be the best in which to deploy current and future capabilities, which competitors are likely to be most vulnerable and how attacks from competitors might best be countered (Hayes et al., 2005). Mills et al. (2002) have developed methods through which organizations can apply these ideas in practice. This involves undertaking an analysis of the resources that have underpinned the activities of a business unit over an extended period of time (at least the previous three to five years). Six resource categories, which are not mutually exclusive, are used: tangible resources, knowledge resources skills and experience, systems and procedural resources, cultural resources and values, network resources and resources important for change. The resources are evaluated against three criteria: value, sustainability and versatility. Resources that individually or collectively score highly in these criteria are considered to be important resources. They are sources of existing or potential competitive advantage to the organization. OPERATIONS STRATEGY: CONTENT What then are the key decision areas of operations management that need to be considered when an organization is developing an operations strategy? Although there are a number of classifications in use, operations management scholars generally agree (e.g. Leong et al., 1990) that the major strategic decision areas in operations can be conveniently divided into ten categories under two broad headings: structure (the physical attributes of operations; the hardware) and infrastructure (the people and systems of operations; the software). The structural decision areas comprise: Facilities: the location, size and focus of operational resources. These decisions are concerned with where to locate production facilities, how large each facility should be, what goods or services should be produced at each location, what markets each facility should serve, etc. Capacity: the capacity of operations and their ability to respond to changes in customer demand. These decisions are concerned with the use of facilities, for example through shift patterns, working hours and staffing levels. Decisions about capacity will affect the organisation’s ability to serve particular markets from a given location.  Process technology: the technology of the equipment used in operations processes. For example, the degree of automation used, the configuration of equipment, and so on. Supply network: the extent to which operations are conducted in-house or are outsourced. Decisions about vertical integration are also concerned with the choice of suppliers, their location, the extent of dependence on particular suppliers, and how relationships with suppliers are managed. Structural decisions often involve major capital investment decisions, which once made will set the direction of operations for many years to come. They invariably impact the resources and capabilities of an organisation, determining its potential future output. It may be prohibitively expensive to change such decisions once implemented, and hence these must be considered to be truly strategic decisions for the organisation. It may be much easier to change the organisation’s marketing strategy (e.g. its target markets, or its promotional activities) than it is to change its operations strategy with respect to the structural decision areas. Infrastructure decision areas comprise: * Planning /Control: the systems used for planning and controlling operations. * Quality: the use of quality management policies and practices. * Work Organisation: Business structures, responsibilities and accountabilities in operations. * Human Resources: recruitment and selection, training and development, management style. * New Product Development: the systems and procedures used to develop and design new products and services. * Performance Measurement: financial and non-financial performance management and its linkage to recognition and reward systems. These issues are important to every organisation as this involves the use made up of the operating hardware as discussed above. It is possible to change aspects of operations infrastructure more quickly and easily than the case for operations structure. Nonetheless the difficulty of doing so should not be underestimated or neither should the impact of making inappropriate infrastructural decisions parallel. Conclusion Organisational strategy is concerned with the actions a company takes in order to survive and prosper within the environment it operates over the long-term. Strategy can exist at three levels in an organisation: which are; corporate, business and functional. Any organisation’s operations strategy includes the totality of the actions and decisions taken within the operations function. The decisions or actions taken have a direct impact on the organisation’s business and corporate strategy. An organisation’s operations can be a source of competitive advantage if they are managed strategically in pursuit of a clear goal for operations. These are five possible operations objectives; cost, quality, speed, dependability and flexibility. It is unlikely that any operation can excel at all of these simultaneously, so competitive priorities must be determined on which to base the operations strategy. The process of operations strategy concerns the way in which an organisation develops its operations strategy. This might be top-down (i.e. formed in pursuit of its business and corporate strategy), bottom-up (i.e. formed from the actions and decisions taken with operations), market-led (i.e. formed in response to market requirements) or operations-led (based on the resources and capabilities within its operations). The content of operation strategy consists of the key decision areas concerned with the structure (i.e. the physical attributes of facilities, capacity, process technology and supply network) and infrastructure (i.e. planning and control, quality, organisation, human resources, new product development and performance measurement). Through a value chain, operations strategy would be placed in line with the company supply chain strategies and perspectives where business process are involved. This concerns the pattern of strategic decisions and actions which set the role, objectives and activities of operations. (Slack et al., 2004). References Johnson, g and Scoles, k Exploring corporate strategy, 6th Edition. England: Prentice Hall Ltd Miller, R Jentz, G (2009) Fundamentals of Business , 2nd Edition. England: Cengage Learning Soulsby, S Marsh, J (2002) Business , 8th Edition. London: Nelson Thornes Ltd Rush, J Ottley, M (2006) Business for students. London: Thomson Learning www.wikipedia.org Accessed: 15.20pm: 24.1.12

Theme of Isolation in Dekkers Blink and Taylors Julie :: essays research papers

Many people experience isolation throughout their lives. Isolation is withdrawal from society or feeling of being disconnected from a certain group. Why is there isolation? What causes isolation? What might it lead to? There are various factors that can lead to isolation. People can be easily isolated by their knowledge, background or by their differences. There are effects that can also occur due to isolation. There are a lot of questions regarding isolation and alienation. There are literatures and novels relating to this issue such as Blink and Julie. Blink is written by a famous author named Ted Dekker. The main theme of the book is about romance between two isolated characters. University student Seth Border, who is well known for his intelligence, falls in love with the princess of Saudi Arabia, Miriam Fahd. Seth develops the ability to predict the future as he come across Miriam. It is ironic that his name, Seth, means appointed or to be chosen (Origin and Meaning of the name Seth). He is given extremely high intelligence and is chosen to have supernatural power which eventually leads to isolation. As for Miriam, she escapes from Saudi Arabia, because she could not adapt to the environment and treatment of women in her society. She decides to go to United States for freedom. However, she feels more isolated in United States because she did not know anyone there. This is when she meets her destiny, Seth Border. Julie is one of brilliant novels written by well-known Canadian author Cora Taylor. Julie Morgan is the main character of this novel. She also has the ability to predict the future just like Seth. The difference between them is that she has this ability since birth. She is very emotional and sensitive. Her timidity causes isolation in her life. She believes that things she dreams about is true, however, her family think she is just too creative. She becomes doubtful and withdraws herself from society. Julie and Blink have a lot of things in common. Both involve characters with special ability to predict the future. Julie Morgan and Seth Border they are both very smart. For this reason, they are isolated. Julie and Seth have problem adapting to their environment which is another factor that has isolated them. They both go through unbearable pain, betrayal and other family problems. This eventually causes them to isolate themselves. On the other hand, Miriam, Seth’s lover, experiences alienation because of her ethnic group.

Ccj V Privy Council

†¢? The creation of a new court is one of the most important decisions for Jamaica. Jamaican citizens have the right to appeal to the Privy Council in criminal, civil or Constitutional matters. †¢ The Government of Jamaica proposes to take away your right of appeal to the Privy Council and replace it with a new court called the Caribbean Court of Justice †¢ A process of public education and debate is essential and the public must be involved in making the final decision. †¢ We don't know how much the Caribbean Court of Justice will cost. We know the Government has to borrow the money to set it up, and Jamaica is carrying too much debt as it is.The Privy Council gives its services at no cost to the Public Purse. †¢ A final court of appeal should be permanent. However members may withdraw from the Caribbean Court of Justice by giving 3 years notice †¢ Concerns remain about the full independence of the President of the Court, his/her special prominence and the security of tenure of the judges, which are absolutely critical factors. †¢ The judges of the Privy Council are entirely free from any interference or pressure from politicians in Jamaica or the Caribbean †¢ The atrocious state of our courts is a national disgrace.How can we talk about funding a new Caribbean Court, when our own courts are dilapidated, and lack basic amenities such as proper toilets? We must put our own house in order first. Justice should begin at home. †¢? Whether you support the establishment of a Caribbean Court of Justice or not, it is your right to express your opinion, and it is the Government’s duty to ask us if and when or whether we choose to replace the Privy Council as our Final Court of Appeal. †¢ The Government should not remove the right of appeal to the Privy Council without a referendum. The Government should not alter our rights