Rfid in Pharmacy …

RFID in Pharmaceutical Industry In 2004, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has called for the implementation of RFID technology to track the distribution of prescription drugs in order to protect the medical supply chain from counterfeit drugs by 2007. Initially, California State Board of Pharmacy has mandated RFID technology but later extended implementation date until 2015. In 2007, Kalorama Information predicted in a report that market for RFID solutions in pharmaceutical industry would worth around $3. bn by 2012, but this got affected by the current global recession, extension given by California State Board of Pharmacy, and other challenges regarding implementation of RFID. A new research report of Jan 2010 revised the market for RFID products and services in the pharmaceutical industry that it will be worth $884m (â‚ ¬631m) in 2015. In 2008, RFID market was worth around $112m and predicted value of around $884m in 2015, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34 pe r cent. Of the current market, 60 per cent is believed to be generated by hardware, with the remaining 40 per cent coming from software and services. RFID Cost As of today, a RFID tags, which is passive only (read-only) can store up to 2KB of data (96bit Serial Number), can cost up to 40 cents US. In case of an active tag (read and write) can cost between $5 to $10, depending upon the material and type of tag. Benefits/Potentials of RFID Counterfeiting Help in fighting against counterfeiting. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 6 percent of the world’s drugs are counterfeit. Fake prescription drugs costs Pharmaceutical companies around US$30 billion each year. Patient safety This is also related to counterfeiting, as fake drugs may look and feel like the real thing, but they are not. A report by WHO indicated that about 93 percent of cases it tracked didn’t have the correct amount of active ingredients. Brand protection Brand protection is very important for drug manufacturers, as single product-tampering incident can wreak long-term havoc on a company’s reputation. Operational efficiency Easy to identify expired or damaged products, and also they can be monitored not to enter into another supply or order. Retailers and distributor can have a better and clear understanding of inventory in warehouses. RFID Drivers for the Pharmaceutical Industry RFID presents the potential to provide tremendous benefits to the pharmaceutical and health care industries. Some of the key benefits projected with the use of RFID include: †¢ Drugs could be identified easily even if they are inside a container. †¢ Counterfeit drugs could be identified easily. †¢ Assurance that the ID on the bottle has not been forged or mislabeled. †¢ Helps in keeping track for drug’s expiry. †¢ Helps in fighting against products from being re-imported and resold at lower cost, which were exported to other developing countries. Unlike bar codes, RFID do not required to be in line-of-sight to read product information. †¢ If implemented across the whole supply chain, product movement and location can be tracked remotely. †¢ More information can be stored on RFID chip and unlike bar code prints, RFID chips can survive harsh conditions. †¢ Provides ability to reads more products per second as compare to bar code scanning procedure, requiring less human involvement. †¢ Increased potential for reducing clinical trial times by reducing errors and improving delivery accuracy. [pic] RFID Challenges for the Pharmaceutical Industry Lack of standards in technology i. e. whole supply chain should be using same standard. †¢ Unclear or poor businesses case about return-on-investment for pharmaceutical companies †¢ Wide spread deployment of RFID technology throughout the supply chain. †¢ Cost of implementing RFID infrastructure is very high, which is not attractive for distributors with low profit margin. Passive tag price ranges from 40 cents to $1 USD. †¢ A major retailer will have to invest around $400K at each distribution channel. †¢ Integration issue of RFID with current applications and technical infrastructure. Concerns over which RFID solution to pick which is flexible enough to accommodate multiple business processes. †¢ In case of hundreds of read per second, concerns over data quality and synchronization, if tag has been read multiple times or no read at all, or data error while reading and etc. †¢ Privacy and security concerns such as eavesdropping, tracking attack, fraudulent tags and readers, physical tamper attacks, denial of server (DOS) attacks, how much and what information drug manufacturer or supplier will store on tags and etc. [pic] [pic] References: ttp://www. tompkinsinc. com/publications/competitive_edge/articles/02-04-RFID_Pharma. asp http://www. ascet. com/documents. asp? d_ID=3435 http://www. rfidjournal. com/article/articleview/2435/1/1/ http://scm. ncsu. edu/public/facts/facs030123. htm http://www. aimglobal. org/technologies/rfid/rfid_faqs. aspl http://www. atkearney. com/index. php/Publications/busting-the-myths-of-pharma-rfid. html â€Å"Radio frequency identification technology: applications, technical challenges and strategies† by Suhong Li, John K. Visich, Bashee r M. Khumawala, Chen Zhang.

Adolsent Habits of Spending Money Essay

I think that many people are familiar with the economic crisis that has plagued the front of newspapers and run rampantly across countless television news networks throughout the day. Billions of dollars are flying around to help businesses in hope of avoiding a catastrophic financial meltdown. A barrel of oil has dropped to the lowest price anyone has seen in months, and multibillion-dollar companies are crashing into the rocks. In all honesty I really don’t have any opinion on the financial crisis. Of course I know the economy is failing. I see the stock market plunging and then slowly coming up for breath and quickly plunging once more, but in my mind this really doesn’t affect me because I don’t know what I am looking at. It doesn’t interest me, and I almost forget that it exists at times because I don’t have anything invested and I didn’t lose anything but 20 minutes in a day sitting on the couch watching some numbers drop. This is by far not the healthiest way to perceive something as serious as this. I really only care about financial aid as of now, which is quickly dwindling by the way, in the hope that when I finally leave this place and move on with whatever I plan to do to make a little money in my life, I will not have to pay anything for a college education. Second on my list is surviving until that point, and I plan to take it from there — what I have always done through financial turbulence and what many others should begin to think about. So when I read an article in the New York Times yesterday titled, â€Å"The Frugal Teenager, Ready or Not† written by Jan Hoffman, I was quite intrigued. It seems that most teenagers are being spoiled to an extravagant degree. Parents have had success in their lives after the late 1980s, ultimately giving them the ability to care for their children and essentially give their kids whatever they ask for, generally. I can admit I was spoiled as a child and when I was a teenager as well. My parents have done everything to their ability, and so have many other parents. What interests me more than anything is that many of the teenagers in this article took spending less on designer clothes or whatever else teenagers want as an insult. Many of these kids have never been told no and they really don’t like the sound of it. This is fairly sad. I know that parents want the best for their children and feel the need to do whatever they possibly can for them. This is perfectly understandable, but I believe that it has gone way too far, and the fact that it takes an economic meltdown that debilitates the United States and erases millions of people’s savings, investments, bank accounts and jobs to actually say no to privileged children is quite ridiculous. What does this really mean, though? Nothing. I guess that 20 years of good fortune has led parents to think that their financial situation would stay pretty much consistent, and the cash crunch got the better of them. My parents experienced this almost 15 years ago when my mom lost her job. When a family’s budget goes from over $100,000 a year to less than $30,000, it is quite unimaginable. Your standard of living is completely pulled out from underneath of you and the only way to continue is to move on. I had to be said no to — quite often actually — and it has done me well, and the teenagers today do not seem to know what money is. The only way to reverse this is to simply tell them there are going to be cutbacks and you will have to sacrifice just as much as we do. I was surprised by some of the teenager’s reactions, though. They seem as though they actually care about helping their parents in this difficult situation, which is quite relieving, by agreeing to a lower spending limit, shopping at lower brand stores and helping out with household chores to earn their allowance. This is how it should be. The value of a child growing up with responsibility is the greatest gift a parent could possibly give to his or her child, and instead of a teenager entering a completely new world after graduating high school and moving on to college or right into the workforce, they will actually realize that the world just isn’t something in Google Earth. The responsibility that my friends and I have learned while we were teenagers is priceless, and I wouldn’t trade making food for a bunch of tourists 40 or 50 hours a week when I was barely able to work for anything.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Essay

   Tragedy followed them: of their four children, only one lived very long. Then in 1822, aged just thirty, Mary’s husband drowned when on a cruise with her husband, his ship having capsized due to a summer storm. Mary’s life was effectively over: even though she lived for another thirty years, her flame never again burned as brightly as it had done in the company of her husband. She pursued to live as a professional writer until her death in 1851. Mary was constantly tormented in life by death and depression, which may have led her to write ‘Frankenstein’. Frankenstein is a book about man’s thirst for knowledge, about the way he is not satisfied unless he knows all the wonders of the world. In many cases, this can lead to the destruction of a man’s soul, as it did to Victor Frankenstein. His quest to learn the secrets of heaven and earth ended in disaster. The monster was the embodiment of evil, bringing death and destruction wherever it laid foot. It brought death to Frankenstein’s family, in a pure quest for revenge. Symbolic of most evil, the monster was manmade. In many ways Mary Shelley’s life can be compared to that of Victor Frankenstein’s. Mary must have felt that wherever she went, evil followed, as those closest to her were snatched away. She portrayed this in Frankenstein as Victor’s family was destroyed by the monster, symbolic of the evil she felt followed her. Mary’s marriage is also represented in Frankenstein. Mary’s marriage to Percy Shelley was the happiest time of her life before he was killed. In the same way, Victor’s marriage to Elizabeth was the only joy he had felt in a long time, when just as suddenly she was murdered by the monster, again symbolising the evil that Mary felt killed her husband. Mary also describes very vividly the pain that Victor felt, leading us to believe that she must have felt the same pain and agony. She reveals this in many situations such as the quotes, ‘the overflowing misery I now felt, and the excess of agitation that I endured rendered me incapable of any exertion’ and, ‘a fiend had snatched from me every chance of future happiness; no creature had ever been so miserable as I was’. The ending of the story was that the death of Victor Frankenstein led the monster to believe that his work was done, and so the monster burned himself to death. The creation had ironically led to the death of the creator. Mary believed that in the event of a man’s demise, the evil inside him dies as well. Frankenstein contains a sad ending, with the destruction of a whole family due to a man’s insatiable quest for knowledge. Mary’s life also consisted of a sad ending, in which she was never as happy as she was when with her husband. She died a lonely death, without her loved ones surrounding her, the same fate shared by Victor Frankenstein. The monster in Frankenstein can be compared to the beast in Lord of the Flies. There are both similarities and differences. In both novels, the idea of a monster/beast represents the pure manifestation of evil. Mutually they lead to the destruction and death of those around them. They are equally spawned from the mind and hands of humans. They both originally spring from the minds of humans. To explain, in Lord of the Flies is the imagination of the boys representing evil, and in Frankenstein it is Victor’s wild imagination and thirst for intellect that leads to the creation of the monster. However, this can also be viewed as a particular dissimilarity. In Frankenstein, the monster is bodily real and physically inflicts harm on Victor’s family. However in Lord of the Flies the beast is just as deadly and evil, but is inside the children’s minds. William Golding was born in Cornwall in 1911. His family was progressive and it was the first source of influence for Golding’s talent. He studied physics and English literature at Marlboro and Oxford University of England. From the first years of his life, he faced the atrocities of war. Fuelled with stories his parents related to him about the first war, he took part in the second great war by joining the British Navy at 1940. After the war, William became a teacher at a boys school in Salisbury. Here, he started to act as a writer. He observed many children in their natural environment, and must have witnessed the negative side of a child’s nature countless number of times. This led him to write Lord Of The Flies which was his first published book. William Golding lived through the two biggest wars in history. During his time in the Navy, he had a constant reminder of the evil and brutality in the hearts of men. He saw countless lives lost around him, some belonging to his friends. It had been revealed to him that the pure evil inside a man can start world wars. This, along with his teaching experiences, was his incentive to write Lord Of The Flies. After surviving the war, he saw during his teaching that children were not bereft of evil either. Combining these two topics he wrote Lord Of The Flies, the conflict between humanity’s innate barbarism and the civilizing influence of reason. In the book, he portrays Jack as the embodiment of evil. It is Jack’s thirst for power that causes the breakdown of civilisation. In this way, Jack can be compared to Hitler. Jack did not want to stop murdering until the whole of Ralph’s group were killed. In the same way, Hitler did not want to stop until the world was rid of Jews. Jack’s tribe wore face paint whereas Hitler and the Nazis wore the sign of the Swastika on their arms. Jack is aided in his quest of destruction by Roger, who can be compared to the Nazis. Roger also represents pure evil and wrongness, moreso even than Jack. He derived sadistic pleasure from torturing pigs and the other boys on the island. Similarly, the Nazis tortured the Jews from which they obtained a sick sense of fulfilment. Roger is one of Jack’s most loyal helpers, and gladly carries out his orders, in the same manner the Nazis obeyed Hitler. The ending of the novel can be interpreted in two different ways. The first would be to interpret that William Golding does actually have a positive outlook on life and believes that the end of life will be a happy one. This can be portrayed as the naval officer who has come to end the evil and escape the boys from the clutches of death, and thus the arrival of authority seems like a happy and ironic ending. However if one digs deeper it is just a continuation from one war to another. Once all the boys get on the Navy cruiser, they’ll most likely just be subjected to more battle and fighting, this time on a worldwide level, due to the war taking place in the outside world. To conclude, the common theme in both novels was the evil in man. Both authors had their own experiences that led them to believe that evil resides amongst all of us. They both took their experiences and portrayed them in novels filled with symbolism. Mary Shelley believed that evil is constantly around us, and that no-one can escape. She believed that man has an evil inside of him so powerful that it can lead to the destruction of his own soul. William Golding’s understanding was that every man is born with evil inside him. He didn’t believe in man’s innocence after the second world war. He found that even children are not innocent, saying, ‘No one is innocent until the society and the way of his life make him to pretend that he’s innocent. But sometimes, when a man is facing a difficult situation then he will probably show his other nature, the dark and guilty nature. ‘ Shyam Kanabar Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mary Shelley section.

Database Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Database - Essay Example Sensitivity is required in order to detect the smallest hints of attack. It should have the data that will enable it to detect between toxins and non-toxic materials. The system ought to have the aptitude to run a number of samples of data simultaneously, while still being able to accurately give the results (Ward & Dafoulas, 2006). Information being entered into the system should be electronically obtainable, since this will save time. The surveillance system should be web-based; to ensure that data collected is from a variety of resources. Data collection can also be done by visiting emergency departments. Data collected should include date and assessment time, age and address of patients and their various complaints and symptoms. The information collected should also give possible diagnosis of the symptoms (Banoub, & NATO, 2011). For the system to ensure that it is up to date with the changing sets of data, the symptom levels of the diagnosis will have to be checked and counterchecked. This is because presenting the diagnosis and complaints might prove to be less helpful. Examining the symptom levels updates the present sets that are in the proposed system, thus keeping it up to date. Data access and integrity is essential in this system, along with the recovery of information after certain failures (Ryan & Glarum,

Social movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social movement - Essay Example Still, I actively participated in the rallies and protests. Being a part of a crowd striving for a common cause made things easier for me. A: As I have already told you, at the start the aim of the movement appeared to be mostly about Mexican American pride and identity. Yes, largely these ideals constituted the backbone of the movement. However, as I attended the protests, rallies and meetings, my understanding of the aims of the movement evolved over time. I realized that our angst and struggle was not only about disrespect and humiliation, but against a more powerful social, political and economic agenda that not only failed to extend to the Mexican Americans there rights as a citizen, but also deprived them of a worthy place in the American social, economic and political life. This movement was encouraged not by some sort of an uneducated, raw and gross anger, but a realization stimulated by the rising number of educated young people in the Mexican America community. We were no more willing to be a source of cheap labor, when the educated and qualified amongst us were no less then the educated Anglos or Blacks. We wanted access to health, education, political representation, economic justice, if not more then at least equal to the one available to any average American. Yes, the movement was as much about food, clothing and shelter as about pride, power and just wages. Note: Social movements certainly enhance the participants and followers understanding about the nature and goals of the movement. The movement educates the adherents, and educated followers strengthen the movement. A: There were many sweet and bitter things about the movement. Being a part of a group in which individuals shared same aspirations, hopes and aims provided me with a sense of identity and belonging. I always harbored a sense of being lost. However, once I became a part of

Law of tort Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Law of tort - Essay Example ill be obliged to pay damages for a breach of duty of care and the Court will not question whether or not the defendant has acted in a justifiable manner. On the other hand in a case of no fault liability, it is possible that a victim may not receive damages for the harm caused if there has been a good justifiable reason for the wrong that has been perpetrated on the victim. Bearing these factors in mind, there are two avenues that Ron could consider in recovering damages in tort. On the one hand, he could bring a tort for negligence and breach of duty of care on the part of Nurse Emmanuel, and/or hold the owners of the property, i.e, Rapidbuild, responsible for his injuries under Occupier’s liability. Both the options are discussed in detail below, in order that Ron’s parents may opt for one or both the options. There is no doubt that Ron can indeed bring an action in tort, because for such an action to be actionable, some harm should have been suffered due to a wrongful act and Ron may be able to prove both of these. The Occupiers Liability Act of 1957 imputes liability upon owners for premises that they may own, including fixed and immovable structures on it1. The fence on the land would therefore qualify as immovable property upon the land owned by Rapidbuild. The Company will be deemed to be the occupier in this case, because it is owns the property and is also in a position whereby it can exert a sufficient degree of control over the premises. Although Ron and Kevin would be deemed to be trespassers for purposes of this Act, there will be recourse available for the children. Prior to 1972, occupier liability was limited, for example in the case of Robert Addie and Sons v Dumbreck2, where a child died but Lord Hailsham limited the liability of the occupier, especially towards trespassers, when he stated that an occupier would be liable only â€Å"where the injury [was] due to some willful act involving something more than the absence of reasonable

The Western Treatment of Illness versus Alternative Therapies of Essay

The Western Treatment of Illness versus Alternative Therapies of Probiotics, Herbs and Cleansing Regimens - Essay Example Bacteria which are immune to the traditional treatments of antibiotics have become a serious issue for practitioners and the general public. Over-reliance on antibiotics by family doctors, and non-compliance by patients (usually through lack of understanding about the nature of antibiotics and bacteria) has produced infections such as Clostridium difficile, known as C. dif, which require very intensive therapies and are very resistant to treatment. It therefore makes sense for scientists to consider whether alternative therapies are of any benefit in providing an alternative to antibiotics. Complementary therapy such as herbs may actually cheaper than conventional medications. A study comparing standard anti-depressants with St John's Wort found that the side effects of the herb were only 10 percent that of the medications, and the herb was only one-fourth the cost of the anti-depressant. (Jonas, W. 209). Treatment of Helicobacter Pylori through antibiotics is : The side effects of antibiotics often result in a significant failure to complete the course - this has repercussions both in the duration of the illness, and the likelihood of the bacteria becoming resistant to treatment. Studies have shown that probiotics act rapidly (Mattila-Sandholm et all, 2000). In addition, it is widely acknowledged that patients are complacent about antibiotics, (Guardian 2005), and complementary therapy could provide a solution to that problem (Jonas, 208) Alternative therapies also provide a 'holistic' treatment, though some clinicians feel that it is nonsense to claim that conventional medicine does not treat the whole person (Baum, 1988)However, there is evidence that probiotics strengthen the immune system (Kailasapathy, Chin, 82; Senok, Ismaeel, and Botta, 959-960), providing long-term benefits for the patient. In cases where the patient is vulnerable to infection, this may be of particular interest. Problems with CAM Although many people take CAM without problems, there are safety issues which mean that alternative therapy is not benign. Firstly, the herbs themselves may be toxic in large doses (Silverstein et al, 162), they may be contra-indicated with conventional medication (Silverstein, 162; Jonas 209), and generally less well regulated (Senok, 959). There is also little hard evidence that CAM's are more effective than conventional treatments (Mattila-Sandholm, 394; Langmead, Rampton, 348), and despite some clinicians' feelings that CAM's have a beneficial effect, some studies seem to show the opposite (Gionchetti, et al, 492). The biggest concern over the use of CAM in treating bacterial diseases, however, is the fact that many probiotics and herbal medicines are targeted at the healthy

The Relationship Between Lobbying, Businesses And Political Decisions Essay

The Relationship Between Lobbying, Businesses And Political Decisions - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that lobbying is the process of trying to influence the decisions made by an administration, for example, the government especially the members of legislative assemblies of regulatory agencies. Economic lobbyists represent, educate and advocate on the behalf of their business clients’ interests. Politics and economics affect each other in complex sometimes inexplicable ways. The aim is to make the people in the administrative capacity to look favorably on the side of the business. Politics and economics are tied together with some scholars even arguing that politics is merely an extension of economics. Political economists strongly speak out on the proactive position of governments in economic policy and for their ability to regulate the business cycle. Regulation of the business cycle involves putting in place fiscal and monetary measures in order to mitigate or avoid adverse effects of economic depressions and recessions. These mea sures also pertain to economic policies such as taxation, economic barriers, price fixation et cetera. The aim of the economic lobbyists is to make sure that the policies the government makes favor them and provide a conducive business environment for the success of their businesses. The lobbying involves delivery of data or opinions to a government decision maker at local or national level. They do this by presenting the interest of their company or client in the context of public interests.

In what ways has technology ended the physical and intellectual Essay

In what ways has technology ended the physical and intellectual isolation of Americans - Essay Example Young students today have trouble grasping the idea that the human race had lived without modern communication gadgets, CD’s and computers but our current technology levels had to start somewhere, and most historians agree that the Industrial Revolution was the instigator of improved technologies in communication, agriculture, transportation and energy. Although America’s industrial revolution started slightly later than in Britain (first half of the 19th century) the impact was quickly felt as people moved from agricultural lifestyles into the cities to work in manufacturing and trade (Duiker, 2005). One of the biggest impacts of the Industrial Revolution in America was the establishment of infrastructure (Bowles, 2011). In terms of size America was a lot larger than Britain so for the other technological advances to mean anything people and goods need to be moved around. From 1830 America started building thousands of miles of roads and canals linking one side of the country to the other. Steamboats transported goods on the Great Lakes as well as coastal waters. But the crowning glory of the time was the railroad system. More than 27,000 miles of railroad tracks were laid in the thirty years from the 1830’s. ... hanks to Henry Ford Americans not only wanted a car, they could afford to buy one and this one innovation alone had a huge impact on the way American’s lived, played and worked (Ford, 1922). America’s technological advances also increased its food production. New methods of planting and harvesting crops meant that America had a surplus of food to sell and crops like corn and potatoes were being sent as far away as China. But it was in the industrial area that America really shined in the early 1900’s. Steel companies were producing massive amounts of products and as the expansion of trade increased, did the need for workers and so by 1900 40% of America’s population lived in urban areas (Bowles, 2011). The technological advances were not without their challenges however, especially when it came to aspects like the quality of life for those people who had moved into urban areas so that they could work. In 1890 for example it was found that only 9% of Americ ans shared in 71% of the wealth. There were complaints about working conditions which were almost cruel by today’s standards and racism was still an equally huge issue. Slavery might have been abolished but negative attitudes about African Americans and Native Americans were still widespread (Bartells, 2008). The Progressive Era as it was called was the government’s response to the plight that affected such a large proportion of the population – low wages, high unemployment, atrocious working conditions, plus a lack of decent housing, healthcare and education. At first the initiatives were done at a state level (Noggle, 1966). This included some state governments bringing in laws to help reduce or regulate the number of hours a person could work, regulating wages and improving work conditions especially

The Russian & History Essay Example for Free

The Russian History Essay In 1918 and 1824, the Russian took over this Region of Kyrgyzstan. They included it in its union of member nations which was called U. S. S. R. The people of Kyrgyzstan instigated several revolts and demonstrations against the union. But the Russians were very brutal and stronger which caused many Kyrgyzstan people to free to the Parmir Mountains or to Afghanistan. In August 1991 the Kyrgyzstan regained there independence. Many organizations, groups and others who had freed the country were recalled to re-gather and reestablish into a solid group that included a backlash against the Russian. In 2000 February two rounds of parliamentary elections were held in Kyrgyzstan. The organization for Security and Cooperation engency (OSCE) was the international elections over seer. After the elections, this organization reported that elections failed to comply with commitments to free and fair elections and hence invalid. But the public remained calm over this matter, they never demonstrated or protested. (www. advantour. com/kyrgyzstan/history. htm) In 2005 February 25 another election was organized. The same organization which held responsibility over overseeing the election process in the previous election of 2000 was the same election overseer for that election. After the election president Akayev was announced the winner and sworn in. But the election observers reported that elections had some improvements over the 2000 election. The added that indelible ink was used, Transparent ballot boxes and general good access by election observers to the voting centers, but the concluded the election didn’t comply with the commitments of free and fair elections Sporadic protest against peeved manipulated and fraud during the elections of February 27, 2005, erupted into widespread calls for the government to resign, which started into widespread calls march 24, 15,000 pro-opposition demonstrators in Bishkek called for resignation of the President and his regime. Protestors seized the main government building, and Akayev hurriedly fled to resign and denouncing the events as a coup, he subsequently resigned his office on April 4. El Salvador (examples of ‘jihad and MacWorld’) In 1972 an election was organized, the two main political parties were the PCN and the UNO. The PCN was the party in power and had chosen Colonel Arturo Molina as its candidate. The candidate for the UNO (United National Opposition) was Napoleon Duarte. The campaigns in this election process were violent and dangerous, incidents of harassment, kidnapping, and assault against their activists where sighted. Finally after the casting of the votes, it was found out the Duarte from the opposition side had worn the elections. The ruling party recalled for a re-count which it claimed the winner. And Molina of the Ruling party was sworn in as the president. The blatancy of the fraud employed to maintain the PCN in power outraged and disillusioned many Salvadorans, including members of the armed forces. One faction of the officer corps, a new military youth wing, attempted to talk direct action to the official; exploitation of a system that had until that point shown some promise of evolving in a genuinely democracy direction. This group of young army officers, led by Colonel Benjamin Mejia, launched a coup (www. workmall. com/wfb2001/el_salvador/el_salvador_history_index. html) on March 25 1972. Their immediate goal was the establishment of a revolutionary Junta. â€Å"It seemed clear however that the officers favored the installation of Duarte as president. Kyrgyzstan (international global forces’ role in its power struggle) From 1900 Kyrgyzstan experienced about two direct/indirect influences in its power struggle. The first one was its integration into the U. S. S. R, Union of member nations which had negatives and positives towards its power struggles. The ruthless suppression of 1916 rebellions in central Asia, Kyrgyzstan inclusive triggered by the Russians imposition of them, caused many Kyrgyz flee to chain, Afghanistan and in the Pamir Mountains. All its national resources and other produce was collected and sent to Russia, where the cake was divided into and the Kyrgyzstan could be sent back the peanuts. However on the positive side of its integration into the union of the U. S. S. R, it got considerable cultural, educational, social development and economic improvements. This changes and developments where brought about by the U. S. S. R broadness and dives try (www. workmall. com/wfb2001/kyrgyzstan/kyrgyzstan_history_index. html) The second international/global force to influence its power struggle indirectly was the U. S. It is speculated that U. S directly or indirectly influenced the disintegration of the U. S. S. R union. And helped many their struggle towards their impendence. It also offered aid in the field of democratic politics, human rights economic aid and other. (www. advantour. com/kyrgyzstan/history. htm) However if there were no international forces in this country’s struggle toward achieving power. There would have been positive and negatives effects. After the World War II, the cold war began; it meant that you had to support the U. S or the U. S. S. R. Those who believe in communism like China, Cuba, North Korea and many others were on the U. S. S. R side. And those who support capitalism like Britain, Australia, Spain, France and many others had to be on the U. S side. These countries benefited fir the support of these systems. They got grants, aid and markets for their produce in return for their support from these big two giants. El Salvador (international/global forces in its power struggle) During the 12 – year civil war, human rights violations by both the government security forces and left-wing guerillas were rampant. The accords established a Truth commission under United Nations auspices to investigate the most serious cases. The commission reported its finding in 1993. It recommends that those identified as human rights violators be removed from all government and military posts, as well as recommending the judicial reforms. Thereafter, the legislation Assembly grants amnesty for political crimes committed during wars Among those freed as a result were the El Salvador Armed forces (ESAF) officers convicted in the November 1989 Jesuit murders and the FMLN ex- combatants held for the 1991 murders of two U. S service men. The peace accords also established the AD Hoc commission to evaluate the human rights record of the ESAF officers (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/History_of_El_ Salvador) The second direct involvement was by the U. S The carter administration had lost considerably leverage in El Salvador when the Romero government renounced United States aid in 1977. The United States there for welcomed the October 1979 coup and backed it up with its approval. When the economic aid package that by 1980 had become the largest western hemisphere recipients. A small amount of military aid also was provided. The United States advisers contributed to the third junta’s agrians reform program, particularly in phase III, of the reform, so called land to the Tiller decree of April 28 1980, granting title to small holders. (http://www. mongabay. com/reference/country_studies/el-salvador/HISTORY. html) However the United States had two motives why it involved its self in the El Salvador politics. First was to prevent the communism expansion threat through out the Central America. And to promote human rights this country. If there were no external forces in the politics of this nation perhaps the situation would have been worse. (www. hartford-hwp. com/archives/47/index) In El Salvador, there was violence through out the 1970s and 1980s, and thousands upon thousands died. In Kyrgyzstan, there was only very limited violence in 2005. With perhaps a dozen people dead as a result. Why was El Salvador so violent and why was Kyrgyzstan relatively peaceful? El Salvador These countries in the Central American Region were a high target in the cold war period. The U. S feared the expansion of communism could terminate its union states so it worked had to stop it rather if possible to eliminate it completely. Some countries were already converted like Cuba, Nicaragua, Chile and others. And the U. S. S. R put so much effort in these countries because they near to the United States. The Reagan administration initially appeared to stress the need to shore up El Salvador as a barrier against communism expansion in Central America. The United States Department of state issued a special report on February 23, 1981 entitled communism expansion interference in El Salvador which emphasized Nicaraguan, Cub and soviet support for the FMLN. The report was widely criticized in American media and the United States congress. Nevertheless, the administration succeeded in increasing substantially the United States military and economic aid to El Salvador appropriation. (http://www. mongabay. com/reference/country_studies/el-salvador/HISTORY. html) The second reason as to why there has been so much violence in El Salvador is the land issue. El Salvador is a small country, with a rapid growing population. Land in this country is not divided equally as much of the land was being divided by the rich and the high govern officials and little remain to the majority. Being the fact that most of the El Salvadorans people are farmers they don’t have a enough land for cultivation. So this has caused an influence in their politics. Whoever wants political power uses this land issue to win the attention of the majority landless in this country. (www. hartford-hwp. com/archives/47/index) In 1969 this land distribution wrangles went beyond their boundary to its most immediate neighbor Honduras. The El Salvador people crossed the boundary illegally into the Hondurans and encroached on their land. The Hondurans is a big country with a low population and most of the land is not development. President Oswald Lopez Arellan (1963-1971) influenced the law reform to evict the El Salvadorans back to their country. After their expulsion The government of El Salvador responded with a military offense to the Hondurans and a war between the two countries started. The people of El Salvador are power greedy. They didn’t have political willingness to take power democratically or by any peaceful means. When it means to rig elections they can do it, and the one who loses is not ready to give up and resort to military offences. They were used to coup way of taking over power. (www. politicalgraveyard. com/geo/ZZ/EL. html) Taking power and coup in this region had become the order of the day. In Cuba the regime which was in power used a barrier of a gun. In Nicaragua it was the same, Chile, Haiti and others. The only way of changing government in this region was not any other means but through military means. Kyrgyzstan (why has it been peaceful over the past years) There are many factors which have contributed to relative peace in this country over the past years. Kyrgyzstan’s union in the U. S. S. R meant the people of this country had little or non at political influence other than the union. Whenever the communist party choose some one for a position, it was final no question over that. Some how the people of this country got used to stay calm. The Kyrgyz Stan people had been deprived off their freedom of political choice. They never had before, any kind of greed for political power compared to the people of El Salvador. This speculated on their back ground before the 1900 and when the Russian included in to the U. S. S. R where Stalin had an iron hand to all who seemed like they wanted to oppose him This nation is a big country in relation to its population. It means the people of this country have more than enough land to cultivate and rear their animals without any interference. This gave employments to the youth who would have easily convinced in to acts of violence. (www. worldstatesmen. org/Kyrgyzstan. htm) The economy of this nation is big. Kyrgyzstan’s gross domestic product was in 2003 $1. 9 billion, in 2002 it was $1. 6 billion and in 2001 it was $1. 5 billion which contributes $536 for each Kyrgyz monthly. Kyrgyzstan have abundant hydropower, significant deposits of gold, rare metals, locally exploited coal, oil and natural gas. Agriculture produce includes tobacco, cotton, wheat vegetable (potatoes, sugar beets, beans) , fruits apple apricots, peaches grapes , berries etc. Its exports include small machinery transformers light industry and many others. Http://www. state. gov/r/pdi/bgn/5755.htm) Reference list Information about Kyrgyz Stan history, politics and economy (www. advantour. com/kyrgyzstan/history. htm) (Http://www. state. gov/r/pdi/bgn/5755. htm) (www. worldstatesmen. org/Kyrgyzstan. htm) (www. workmall. com/wfb2001/kyrgyzstan/kyrgyzstan_history_index. html) Information about El Salvador political history, economy (www. workmall. com/wfb2001/el_salvador/el_salvador_history_index. html) (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/History_of_El_ Salvador) (www. politicalgraveyard. com/geo/ZZ/EL. html) (www. hartford-hwp. com/archives/47/index) (http://www. mongabay. com/reference/country_studies/el-salvador/HISTORY. html)

A Cause For Concern

A Cause For Concern Subject of language and identity, which leads to the death of a language, if language dies. Language and identity comes under my course, part 1, under language and cultural context. On the 4th of February 2010, while browsing through BBCs website I stumbled upon a captivating and according to me a very sad article. It read last speaker of ancient language of Bo dies in India, Boa sr.s story saddened me, she died at the age of 85 and for almost thirty years she didnt have anyone to converse with in her native language. Imagine not being able to use English for thirty years, you loose the freedom to express in your first language. As a journalist I knew what it meant for the world to loose a language, its disheartening, in essence a piece of history and culture is lost, I believe it is as important to preserve and save a language as it is to save and preserve the environment, but everyone is not aware of the adverse affects language death can cause. As a journalist, I thought of it as my moral responsibility to throw light on language death and its adverse effects. Thus, I wrote this article and decided on publishing it in a newspaper as it would reach a larger gr oup of people and educate them on why they should preserve their native language. Language death Approximately 7000 languages exist in todays world and this number is rapidly dwindling, is it a cause for concern? As globalization spreads around the world, it is natural that smaller communities would like to move out of their seclusion and seek interaction with the rest of the world. The number of languages dying is sorrowful. People naturally tend to shift their language use due to globalization and they leave behind their native language if it is not spoken by a lot of people. Asking them to hold onto a language they do not want anymore and preserve it, just for the sake of linguists and not the community itself, it is a bit too much to ask for, isnt it?But theres actually more to it than what meets the eye. Why fight this? A national geographic study states that every 14 days a language dies. By 2100 more than half of the languages spoken on the earth may disappear, taking away with them a wealth of knowledge on world history, culture and natural environment. Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going. Rita Mae Brown This quote by the American writer Rita Mae Brown gives us an insight into why preserving a language is of importance. A language defines a culture, through the communities who speak it. Every language has words that portray a particular cultural practice or idea, when translated into another language, the precise meaning might not come across. What we essentially lose is cultural heritage. The way of expressing the relationship with nature, with the world, it is also the way in which people express humor, their love, their life; most importantly communicating effectively with family is lost. Languages are living, breathing organisms holding connections that define a culture. When a language dies a culture is lost. Because of the close links language and identity share, if an individual or group thinks of their language as useless, they think of their identity as the same. This could have adverse effects; it could lead to depression, drug abuse and social disruption. And as parents no longer pass on their language to their children the connection between grandparents and children is lost which leads to traditional values not being handed on and theres a vacuum that remains where people for generations realize they have lost something. Many languages are in danger of extinction that have rich oral cultures with stories, songs, and histories passed on from generation to generation, but with no particular written form. Much of what us humans know about nature is encoded in oral languages. For thousands of years now native groups have interacted closely with the natural world and have insightful understanding on local lands, plants, animals, and ecosystems. Many still are not documented by science itself. Therefore studying indigenous languages proves to be beneficial while learning about the environment and conservation. Sanskrit is one such ancient language that is loosing its prominence and its speakers decreasing everyday. It was said to be the mother of all languages. Sanskrit is not practically used and maybe that is one of reasons of its decline but I believe it should be conserved because of the traditional values it possesses and because of its richness in culture. Take for instance Arthashastra, it is an Indian treatise written in Sanskrit which deals with statecraft, economic policy and military strategy it was written all the way back in 4th century BC. These concepts are not new and modern, they have been around for a long time now, if we do not conserve Sanskrit we will loose all of this valuable knowledge and also lose a piece of history. Another such language dying out is Palenquero. Palenquero is thought to the one and only Spanish-based Creole language in Latin America. Fewer than half of the community speaks it. It is spoken in the village of San Basilio De Palenque. Many children and young adults understand the language and pronounce a few phrases, which is a great sign as the village of San Basilio De Palenque is trying to preserve its language and spread it, the villages resilience is commendable. Looking at the village of San Basilio De Palenque other communities whose languages are endangered, should take inspiration and not loose hope in their endeavor to save their language. Why do languages die out though? Throughout history, the languages of powerful groups and imperial countries have spread while the languages of the smaller cultures and groups have become extinct. This happens due to official language policies and also the allure of speaking a highly prestigious global language such as English. These trends explain why a small country like Bolivia would have more of language diversity rather than a big country like the USA. As big languages spread, children whose parents speak a comparatively smaller language tend to grow up learning the more dominant language. Those children may never learn the smaller language, or they may just fail to recall it as it falls out of use. These trends have occurred throughout history, but what is alarming and worrying is the rate at which languages are disappearing, it has significantly accelerated over the recent years. Associations and initiatives such as Enduring voices, Living tongue, and the endangered languages project by Google are trying to preserve language and that is a sign of hope. The organizations that are involved and that have come up with these ideas are national geographic and Google. The death of a language is an indication of a human crisis: the loss of a store of wisdom, the sense of a community being thrown away. As we try to stop global warming and save the environment, we should also try and save our languages, as they are an integral part of our heritage.

National Waste Law

National Waste Law â€Å"It is unfortunate that the difficulties of interpreting the pronouncements from the EC are compounded by the failure of the national authorities to agree a common approach to the definition of waste.† Critically assess whether case law shows a â€Å"common approach† to the definition of waste. Introduction In OSS Group Ltd v Environment Agency, an appeal case concerning the question of when lubricating oil ceased to be waste, it was apparent that the Environment Agency (the Agency) and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) held different views about the definition of waste and, specifically, when a waste ceased to be a waste. The Agencys view was that if the intended use of the material was combustion, the material remained a waste until the material had been burned, irrespective of whether the waste material was similar to a raw material. DEFRAs view was that while the combustion of waste lubricating oil was a recovery operation and therefore the waste oil would remain waste until combustion was completed, material burned as fuel that was recovered from waste lubricating oil was not being discarded, and therefore was not a waste, where the material had the same characteristics as a virgin material. The judge in the original case, Burton J, concluded that t he Agencys view was correct, and that even where a waste ceased to be waste after processing, it would revert to being a waste when burned. While the differences between the Agency and DEFRAs views may not have seemed particularly significant, in practice they resulted in a situation where a recovered substance could be both a non-waste and a waste depending upon the proposed end-use of the product. This was the situation faced by Solvent Resource Management (SRM), who produced, for onward sale, product grade distillates (PGD) from recovered solvents. As a saleable product, PGD was a non-waste; however, when the material was used as a fuel in SRMs plant, it reverted to being a waste even though there was no intention by, or requirement for, SRM to discard the material. Carnwath LJ provided some clarity in the appeal by OSS, where he concluded that the Agencys view was too narrow, and OSSs products could be burnt other than as fuel. Carnwath LJ considered that a â€Å"practical common sense† approach was required that was consistent with the aims of the WFD. He went on to conclude that: â€Å"†¦in the light of this judgment, it may be possible for [the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] and the [Environment Agency] to join forces in providing practical guidance for those affected. It is unfortunate that the difficulties of interpreting the pronouncements from Luxembourg are compounded by the failure of the national authorities to agree a common approach.† Evidently, Carnwath LJ considered that a common approach to the definition of waste was not being taken. Through a consideration of the European and national case law relating to the definition of waste, it is intended that this paper will demonstrate that the European Court of Justice (ECJ) takes a consistent approach to the definition of waste, that being that any material or substance can be waste within the meaning of the Waste Framework Directive (WFD), while Member States and national authorities (including national Courts) do not take a consistent approach to the definition of waste. Article 1(a) of the WFD defines ‘waste as: â€Å"†¦any substance or object in the categories set out in Annex I which the holder discards or intends or is required to discard†. The categories set out in Annex I cover items that would typically be considered waste and would therefore require discarding, such as out of date or off-specification products, materials spilled or contaminated, unusable parts, and various production residues. However, the WFD ensures that the definition is wide by specifying an additional category, which refers to: â€Å"any materials, substances or products which are not contained in the above categories†. Additional information on the materials and substances that are waste is provided in the European Waste List. However, the introductory notes to the list state that â€Å"the inclusion of a material in the list does not mean that the material is a waste in all circumstances. Materials are considered to be a waste only where the definition of waste in Article 1(a)†¦is met.† Determining whether a substance or object is indeed a waste will therefore depend wholly on the waste holders intention or requirement to ‘discard the material. Varying approaches have been taken to determining whether something has been discarded, or whether the holder intends or is required to discard it. The Advocate General in his opinion in Tombesi considered that if a material was consigned to a recovery operation, it was an indication that it had been discarded and it was therefore a waste. He stated that: â€Å"Under the Directive the sole question is whether the substance in issue is subject to a disposal or recovery operation within the meaning of Annex IIA or B† The need to identify whether something had been discarded had effectively been bypassed by considering that all materials consigned to a recovery or disposal operation were waste. If it was identified that a material had been subject to an Annex IIA or B operation, it could be concluded that the material was discarded and was therefore waste. This approach was not supported in the judgment from the ECJ, however. The Advocate Generals approach in Tombesi was followed in other subsequent cases, for example Inter-Environnment Wallonie v Regione Wallone, where it was concluded that substances that were subject to a recovery process would normally be waste, and in Mayer Parry Recycling Ltd v Environment Agency, where the UK court held, on the basis of Tombesi, that scrap metal that was to be reused without being subject to a recovery process was not a waste. The so-called ‘Tombesi-bypass presented problems, however, since a number of the specified recovery processes could also be normal industrial processes using ordinary raw materials that would not be classified as wastes (e.g. coal (fuel) combusted in a power station to generate electricity would not be classified as a recovery process). In ARCO Chemie Netherland Ltd vMinister von Volkshuivesting, the Advocate Generals opinion in Tombesi was not followed. It was considered that a substance consigned to a recovery operation listed in Annex IIB of the WFD was not necessarily to be considered as a waste, and it was first considered necessary to establish whether the material in question constituted waste (i.e. whether or not it had been discarded). The approach taken in ARCO and subsequent cases was different to that of the previous cases, and the need to establish a holders intention or requirement to discard a material became the determining factor when identifying whether a mate rial or substance was waste. The underlying concept of the ECJs approach to the definition of waste was stated in ARCO as follows: â€Å"Whether [a material or substance] is waste must be determined in the light of all the circumstances, by comparison with the definition set out in article 1(a) of the Directive, that is to say the discarding of the substance in question or the intention or requirement to discard it, regard being had to the aim of the Directive and the need to ensure that its effectiveness is not undermined.† Essentially, the definition of waste therefore turned on the term ‘discard. In his judgment in OSS, Carnwath LJ defined ‘discard, as he had done previously in Mayer Parry Recycling Ltd v Environment Agency, as follows: â€Å"The term ‘discard is used in a broad sense equivalent to ‘get rid of; but it is coloured by the examples of waste given in Annex I and the waste catalogue, which indicate that it is concerned generally with materials which have ceased to be required for their original purpose, normally because they are unsuitable, unwanted or surplus to requirements †¦Ã¢â‚¬  He noted, however, that it was clear that this was â€Å"only part of the story†, and referred to a number of cases subsequent to ARCO where the ECJ had attempted to provide objective criteria that could be used as evidence that a holder of a substance or material intended to discard that material and, therefore, the material should be considered as waste. Some of these criteria were summarised by Lord Reed in the conclusion to his judgment in Scottish Power Generation Ltd v Scottish Environmental Protection Agency: â€Å"[F]or example, whether the material is produced intentionally; whether further processing is required before the material can be used; and whether the material is certain to be used[;]†¦whether the material is commonly regarded as waste; and whether, if it is used as fuel, its use as fuel is a common method of recovering waste. Since the status of a material has to be assessed on the basis of a comprehensive assessment of the circumstances of the particular case, it follows that none of the factors mentioned is conclusive in itself. The fact†¦that a material is produced intentionally, requires no further processing before it can be used, and is certain to be used, cannot be taken in isolation as determinative of its status.† He went on to consider the criteria that could be used to assess when a substance ceased to be waste: â€Å"The danger which is typical of waste is a danger of harm to human health or the environment caused by the manner of its disposal. The [WFD] seeks to address that danger by making waste subject to supervision designed to ensure that it is recovered or disposed of in a manner which is controlled so as to protect human health and the environment. Once a material has been classified as waste, it therefore remains subject to that supervision at least until that objective has been achieved. It is only then that the material may cease to be waste†¦When it is claimed that what was waste has ceased to be waste†¦it is accordingly necessary to assess whether that claim is well founded. That assessment requires consideration not only of whether the material in question can and will be used without further processing in the same way as a non-waste material, but also of whether the material can be used under the same conditions of environmental protection as the non-waste material with which it is otherwise comparable, without any greater danger of harm to human health or the environment. Other factors†¦may also be relevant in considering whether waste has been subjected to a recovery operation or merely to pre-treatment†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The general approach taken by the ECJ to the definition of waste, that is that any material or substance may be waste where it has been or is required or intended to be discarded, is therefore considered to be consistent throughout the case law reviewed. However, as demonstrated in the remainder of this paper, the insistence of the ECJ that whether or not a material is waste, or ceases to be waste, must be determined on the basis of whether or not its holder intended or was required to discard it, even where this has no practical relevance, results in varying approaches being taken by Member States and national authorities to the definition of waste. In 2007, the Commission of the European Communities published a document intended to be used by Member States in interpreting the judgments from the ECJ. In Annex 1 to the document, a number of examples of wastes and non-wastes are given; however, the examples are introduced as follows: â€Å"†¦There are many other examples that could have been used, and even the examples here may vary across the EU in some circumstances, notably if there is no certainty of use for a given by-product, or on the contrary, if use is certain for a material in a region or Member State, where this is not the case across the whole EU.† Clearly, the position of the Commission in considering that a material might be waste in one Member State but not in another would appear to be wholly inconsistent with the aims of the WFD, and therefore inconsistent with the approach taken by the ECJ to the definition of waste. The seventh recital of the WDF is particularly noted in this regard: â€Å"Moreover, discrepancies between Member States legislation with regard to waste disposal and recovery may affect the quality of the environment and the smooth operation of the internal market†¦Ã¢â‚¬  While the ECJ may be consistent in its approach, the Commission of the European Communities does not appear to be adopting an approach consistent with the aims of the WFD. Varying approaches to the definition of waste can also be seen to be taken by the Member States. In the case law this is apparent in relation to Member States failure to fully implement aspects of the WFD, and in submissions made by Member States on these and other European and national cases. In relation to Member States implementation of the WFD, the following examples highlight well the varying approaches adopted. Germany historically excluded certain categories of recyclable waste from the scope of its domestic waste legislation, while the United Kingdom excluded agricultural waste from its definition of waste. Similarly, and more recently, Italy was found to have failed to fulfill its obligations under the WFD by excluding from its national legislation materials such as excavated earth and rock, food scraps and leftovers, and substances intended for recovery. Italian legislation historically also excluded substances or objects that were considered to be capable of economic reuse. It distinguished between ‘waste and ‘residues, and provided for simplified procedures for the collection, transport, treatment and reuse of residues. Moreover, certain materials with specific commodity characteristics were excluded from the relevant legislation altogether. In Tombesi, ARCO, Castle Cement, Palin Granit Oy, Mayer Parry, Saetti, and Thames Water v Bromley Magistrates Courtsubmissions to the Court were made by various Member States governments. Their submissions highlight the differing approaches adopted by the Member States, and as an example, a brief discussion of the submissions made in Tombesi is provided. The Danish government considered that the concept of waste included all residual products, defining residual products as those that are not the primary goal sought by the production process, do not have a constant economic value, and their use depends on the markets available for them. The French government agreed that waste included residues, and considered that waste continued to be waste until it was recovered. The Italian government argued that the definition of waste in the WFD placed too much importance on the subjective element of the intentions of the waste holder, and that it was legitimate to employ the possibility of use a s a basic criterion and exclude from the notion of wastes substances that have recognized properties and are normally traded on markets. The Netherlands and UK governments took an intermediate view, with the Netherlands highlighting that secondary raw materials would not be waste, while the UK government argued that something was a waste when it left the normal commercial cycle or chain of utility and was consigned to a recovery operation. The Member States approach to the definition of waste clearly varies significantly. As a final example of the approach taken to the definition of waste, it is useful to return to the OSS case and contrast this with other similar cases that have been concerned with a material derived from waste that was subsequently used as fuel. Such cases include ARCO, Castle Cement v Environment Agency, Scottish Power Generation Ltd v Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Saetti v Frediani,and Lcopower BV v Secretary of State. On the facts of each case, materials in the first three cases were considered likely to be wastes despite the ‘recovery processes that the materials had been subjected to, while the materials in the remaining two were not considered to be wastes. The OSS case followed the general approach taken in ARCO, where it was statedthat â€Å"[t]he operations to which a substance is subsequently submitted are not of crucial importance to its classification as waste†. However, in Castle Cement, which concerned a material recovered from waste solvents and liquids derived from waste sources by Solvent Resource Management, the fact that the material was burned as fuel was an important consideration in determining that the material remained waste. This was in spite of the fact that it had been produced to a specification specifically for use as fuel. This can be contrasted against Saetti, where petroleum coke, which was produced to a specification although was considered to be waste by its producer, was held not to be waste. In Scottish Power, the waste-derived fuel was again made to a specification; however, here it was considered that since the material could not be used as fuel in the same conditions of environmental protection as the raw material it was replacing, it must be considered waste. In relation to the materials characteristics, however, in Castle Cement, Stanley Burnton J considered that: â€Å"Whether material is ‘waste cannot depend on whether any particular holder of it stores and uses it in an environmentally and otherwise safe manner. Its categorisation should depend on its qualities, not on the qualities of its storage or use.† This view can itself be contrasted with the ECJs approach to the definition of waste, which depends not on the quality of the material but on the intention or requirement of the holder to discard that material. In conclusion, while it appears from the case law that the ECJ has, on balance, taken a consistent approach to the definition of waste, its insistence on relying on the holders intention or requirement to discard the material has resulted in Member States and national authorities (including the national Courts) taking, unsurprisingly, an inconsistent approach to the definition of waste. The self-proclaimed ‘clarification document published by the Commission of the European Communities collates and prioritises the judgments from the ECJ, but it is questionable whether the approach taken is consistent with the overall aim of the WFD. Stanley Burnton J confessed to finding parts of the ECJs judgments ‘Delphic and, while apparently consistent throughout the relevant cases, I would tend to agree. The third recital of the WFD states the following: â€Å"Common terminology and a definition of waste are needed in order to improve the efficiency of waste management in the Community.† Perhaps it should read â€Å"†¦and a workable, comprehendible definition of waste†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ? References ARCO Chemie Netherland Ltd vMinister von Volkshuivesting and EOPN [2003] Env LR 40 (Case C-418/97) 15 June 2000 Bell, S. and McGillivray, D., Environmental Law (Oxford: OUP, Sixth Edition, 2006 Castle Cement v Environment Agency [2001] EWHC Admin 224 Commission Decision 2000/532 of 3 May 2000 ( [2000] O.J. L226/3 ) replacing Decision 94/3 ( [1994] O.J. L5/15 ) establishing a list of wastes pursuant to Article 1(a) of Council Directive 75/442 ( [1975] O.J. L194/39 ) on waste and Council Decision 94/904 ( [1994] O.J. L356/14 ) establishing a list of hazardous waste pursuant to Article 1(4) of Council Directive 91/689 ( [1991] O.J. L377/20 ) on hazardous waste, as amended by Council Decision 2001/573 ( [2001] O.J. L203/18 ) of 23 July 232001 amending Decision 2000/532 as regards the list of wastes Commission of the European Communities v Italy (Cases C-194/05, C-195/05, and C-263/05) 18 December 2007 reported in EU Focus 2008, 225, 15-17 Commission of the European Communities v United Kingdom [2004] All ER (D) 279 (Case C-62/03) 16 December 2004 Commission of the European Communities, 2007. Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the Interpretative Communication on waste and by-products. Brussels, 21 February 2007, COM(2007) 59 final Commission of the Eurpoean Communities v Germany [1996] 1 CMLR 383 (Case C-422/92) 10 May 1995 Council Directive 2006/12/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 April 2006 on waste Criminal Proceedings against Niselli (Case C-457/02) Criminal Proceedings against E. Zanetti and Others [1990] I ECR 1509 (Case C-359/88) 28 March 1990 Euro Tombesi and Others [1997] 3 CMLR 673 (Joined Cases C-304/94, C-330/94, C-342/94, C-224/95) 25 June 1997 Icopower BV v Secretary of State (Unreported May 14, 2003) cited in OSS Group Ltd v Environment Agency [2008] Env LR 8 Inter-Environnement Wallonie v Regione Wallonne [1998] All ER 155 (Case C-129/96) 18 December 1997 Mayer Parry Recycling Ltd v Environment Agency [1999] 1 CMLR 963 OSS Group Ltd v Environment Agency [2007] Env LR 19 OSS Group Ltd v Environment Agency [2008] Env LR 8 Palin Granit Oy v Lounais-Suomen Ymparistokeskus [2003] All ER (EC) 366 (Case C-9/00) 18 April 2002 Saetti v Frediani [2004] Env LR 37 (Case C-235/02) 15 January 2004 Scottish Power Generation Ltd v Scottish Environment Protection Agency (No.1) [2005] SLT 98 OH Thames Water Utilities v Bromely Magistrates Court [2008] Env LR 3 (Case C-252/05) 10 May 2007

Political Dilemmas and the Theories of the German Idealists :: Politics Political Science Papers

Does the Solution to our Present Moral and Political Dilemmas Lie in the Theories of the German Idealists? ABSTRACT: In the wake of the postmodernist onslaught one thing is certain: morality is in crisis. Where are we to look for answers? Perhaps to the German idealists—that is, to their bold synthesis of right and freedom. This paper seeks to bring the timely issue of absolute freedom and the possibility of its total realization back into ethical-political discussion. Through a close comparison of the theories of Fichte and Hegel via a critique of the former by the latter, I show that the antidote to many of our political, moral and theological distresses may well be found in Hegel’s concept of the State and Sittlichkeit-i.e., truly understood as the realization of absolute freedom, or the "We that is I." In the wake of the postmodernist onslaught one thing is certain: morality is in crisis. Where are we to look for answers? Perhaps to the German idealists.—That is, to their bold synthesis of right and freedom. This paper seeks to bring the timely issue of absolute freedom and the possibility of its total realization in today's world back into the center of ethical-political discussion. Through a close comparison of the theories of Fichte and Hegel via a critique of the former by the latter, I hope to show that the antidote to the bulk of our political, moral and theological distresses may well be found in Hegel's concept of the State and Sittlichkeit—i.e., truly understood. Namely, as the realization of absolute freedom, or the "We that is I." In a recent interview, Derrida was asked the following question: "We are . . . in a period of highly perfected, nearly consummate nihilism. Everyone is waiting to know where we are going, toward what should we be moving ourselves. Toward what does work such as yours lead?" Derrida responded: "I don't know. . . . I have no message."(1) In the wake of the postmodernist onslaught—or charade—one thing is certain: morality is in crisis. Where are we to look for answers? Perhaps to the German idealists—and to their bold synthesis of right and freedom. This paper seeks to bring the timely issue of absolute freedom and the possibility of its total realization in today's world back into the center of ethical-political discussion. Through a critical comparison of the theories of Fichte and Hegel I hope to show that the antidote to the bulk of our political, moral and theological distresses may well be found in Hegel’s concept of the State and Sittlichkeit—as truly understood.

Norma Rae and A Respectable Trade :: Films Movies

Norma Rae and A Respectable Trade In this essay I shall compare the two economic systems of capitalism and slavery within the context of films, Norma Rae and A Respectable Trade. In the film Norma Rae, workers in a textile mill attempt to form a union with the leadership of a disgruntled employee named Norma Rae. In a Respectable Trade, a woman of the aristocracy marries a slave trader named Josiah when she comes to realize that her time spent in her uncle's estate must come to an end due to the social aspirations of her aunt and that because she has no talent as a governess she has very few options left. This series, from the book of the same name, is about the relationship between her (Frances) and her slave, Mehuru from Oyo in addition to being about the several other interpersonal and economic relationships occurring within the system of slavery in 18th century Bristol. In Norma Rae, the equipment and other resources necessary for textile production in the town were owned by the textile company. The majority of the population did not have any control over the productive resources necessary for the development of enterprises. This is consistent with capitalism where there is a concentration of control over productive resources by a small subset of society, in this case the textile mill. In a Respectable Trade, the aristocracy had majority control over the means for production. It was only through them that the merchants could for example get the monetary means to expand business or start out if they were not fortunate enough to have inherited some means of trade as Josiah and Sara did. The common folk of Bristol, England did not control the means by which they could have started their own businesses. Here too, the control over productive resources is concentrated in the hands of the few. So we see that slavery shares this quality with capitali sm and as yet I have not cited any unique properties of these two class processes. One important and defining difference between the two though is that in slavery, human beings also constitute a productive resource that can be bought and sold and done with as one would a piece of furniture. Capitalist and Slave Economic Systems have singular ways of resolving the question of how to get workers to labor.

Challange Faced by University Students Essay

Education is the most important aspect of learning for every generation established in every mode. In university there are different field of studies with different years of each program. It is obvious that new students are going to face further challenges in university. In this case, these challenges could be the burden which can pull them out of the school without completing their studies. This essay will discuss these challenges in condition of financial, social, and academic. To begin with, financial problems are a major challenge for university students includes tuition fee, rent expenses, and text books. Tuition fee is the most common challenge for these students. Though, for some they only take one or two units per semester because of financial problems. The high costs of fee causes many problems for those who are not sponsored. Besides, fee expenses for each semester cost of thousands of dollars. So, tuition fee is a great burden for the unsponsored students. Furthermore, text books are the most essential property students must have in university. First year students also suffered in buying text books regarding to financial problem. Those who are not sponsored are suffered the most on the high cost of these books. Another challenge is that some of them have not enough money in a pocket. But in this case, such challenges can create lot of troubles in their minds throughout their time in the university. Moreover, rent is also a challenge for these students. These students might live in different hostels where some are cheap but isolated from the campus, and some are nearby the campus but expensive. It is better to live nearby the campus for new students to avoid troubles. However, they have problem with monthly rent where it is expensive but must be cleared. Another reason is based on a small amount of their allowance which cannot meet their expenses on rent and others. However, these financial challenges make them concern the most. Another major†¦ [continues].

The Lady from Lucknow

Stereotypes and racism are all around us, many times affecting what we do and how we act. Quite often however, we do not realize the impact that they have on others and even ourselves. Bharati Mukherjee's short story, â€Å"The Lady From Lucknow† is about Nafeesa Hafeez, a young woman who moves from Lucknow, a city in India, to America with her husband and family. Although they are well off, Nafeesa struggles to enjoy her life and fit in with the world around her. Nafeesa then meets James Beamish, an older, married man, and the two have an affair.I will argue that Nafessa's suicide is caused by the varying degrees of racism that she experiences through her numerous attempts to assimilate in this new country and be recognized as an equal to others. Nafeesa first encountered James Beamish and his wife, Kate, at a reception for foreign students where both the Beamishs and the Hafeezs would play host to an international student. While the Beamishs were trying to find the student t o whom they would host, Nafeesa decided to strike up a conversation with them.Kate however mistakes Nafeesa as just another student and says to her, â€Å"I hope you'll be very happy here. Is this your first time abroad? † (Mukherjee 323). Each host wears a blue name tag to differentiate them from the students, and Kate could clearly see this, yet she still assumed that because Nafeesa was Indian that she was just a student. Kate continued to talk down to Nafeesa, and refused to accept her as an equal. After this initial meeting, Nafeesa and James continue to meet in secrecy, engaging in an affair.While at James' house one day, she was looking at pictures of his daughters and realized that she was more worried and afraid about what they would think about her than, â€Å"any violence in my [Nafeesa] husband's heart† (Mukherjee 326). The woman is so desperate to find belonging that she is more worried about what complete strangers will think of her, than how her husband will feel when he discovers what she is doing. One day while Nafeesa and James are together, Kate comes home unexpectedly and catches the two of them together.Instead of getting mad or yelling, Kate instead sits on the bed next to Nafessa. The look that Kate gives Nafeesa is what hurts her most, for it made her feel like she was, â€Å"a shadow without dept or colour, a shadow temptress who would float back to a city of teeming millions when the affair with James had ended† (Mukherjee 327). Nafeesa feels absolutely invisible to Kate. Despite having just caught the woman sleeping with her husband, Kate still looks down on Nafeesa as though she will never be her equal.Nafessa eventually is unable to deal with the pain she feels from living in this invisible state any longer and hangs herself. Her constant attempts to be viewed as equal, and the racism she battles in society while wanting nothing more than to fit in, push her over the limit and lead to her taking her own life. W orks Cited Mukherjee, Bharati. â€Å"The Lady from Lucknow. † 1985. Elements of Literature. Fourth Canadian Edition, Eds Robert Scholes et al. Don Mills: OU Press, 2010. 321- 327. Print.

An Introduction for Ryanair

INTRODUCTION Background in Brief Ryanair was established by the Ryan family with a staff of 25. Its first route was launched in 1985 with a 15-seat aircraft ferrying passengers between Waterford in Ireland and London. In 1986, Ryanair launched its route from Dublin to London to challenge British Airways and Aer Lingus, the two dominant airline carriers on that route, by offering fares at lower prices. With two routes in operation, Ryanair carried 82,000 passengers in its first full year of operation. By 1993 Ryanair has carried over 1 million passengers.In 1995 Ryanair overtook Aer Lingus and British Airways to become the biggest international scheduled route carrier in Europe. The Organization Today Ryanair now operates more than 1,500 flights per day from 57 bases on 1,500 low fare routes across 28 countries. It connects 178 destinations and operating a fleet of 305 new Boeing 737-800 aircraft. In 2012, Ryanair had a team of more than 8,500 employees and carried over 78 million pas sengers. Ryanair’s main business is to provide â€Å"low-fare-no filling† airline services.Ryanair also offers various ancillary services including in-flight sale of beverages and food, car hire services, internet-related services etc. To expend its network, Ryanair, which already owns 29. 82% of Aer Lingus in 2012 announced its intention to acquire Aer Lingus by making an all cash offer of â‚ ¬1. 30 per share for its entire share capital. Ryanair recorded a profit of â‚ ¬503 million in 2012 fiscal year, increased 25% compared with year 2011 despite a â‚ ¬367 million rise in fuel costs. Revenues rose 19% to â‚ ¬4325 million as traffic grew 5% to 75. 8 million passengers. Ryanair’s return on equity (ROE) is increased from 12. 7% to 16. % in fiscal 2012. In addition, the company’s free cash flow is increased from â‚ ¬-610. 9m to â‚ ¬702. 7m due to high net income and reduced capital expenditure. Mission Ryanair' mission is to â€Å"become Europe’s most profitable lowest cost airline by rolling out our proven ‘low-fare-no-frills’ service in all markets in which we operate, to the benefit of our passengers, people, and shareholders†. To emphasis its focus on low fares, low frills, the CEO has stated, in response to criticisms of Ryanair's sub-standard customer service, that â€Å"any worthwhile passenger service commitment should involve commitments to low prices and high punctuality†.Ryanair has the cost minimizer's aim of generating the most benefit to both its shareholders and its passengers through offering the lowest fare service. It offers customers the choice of exactly which services they want to pay for rather than forcing them to pay a high price for the bundle of services the airline wants to offer, as legacy carriers usually do. Passengers benefit from paying less money by selecting and purchasing only the services they need. As a result, Ryanair is able to attract more cus tomers, which helps Ryanair to grow its market and profits. Goals and Objectives Generate greater passenger traffic through offering low fare services. †¢ Expand the air passenger market and network by opening up new bases and routes. †¢ Capture a larger market, such as by entry to the US airline market. †¢ Gain additional profits through increasing passenger traffic while keeping its cost base low. †¢ Maintain its low cost leadership position through continued cost efficiencies. Stakeholders There are many stakeholders involved in Ryanair’s business. As Table 1 shows, they have different expectations toward and demands on Ryanair. TABLE 1: Organizational Stakeholders Stakeholder Group |Group Demands / Attributes | |Product Market | | |Competitors |They want to carry more passengers at higher fares and would like to reduce Ryanair's market share. | | |They would like regulation to force Ryanair to offer travel agent commissions. | |Travel Agencies |They would like to organize Ryanair staff. | |Customers want the lowest fare price, and luxury services at no extra cost. | |Trade Unions |Boeing, Airbus would like to Ryanair orders at list prices. Airports would like regulations allowing | |Customers |them to charge higher fees to airlines, and to collude on capacity management. | |Suppliers |Legislators want to avoid high levels of controversial public complaints, and want higher airport and | | |route taxes. | | | |Government | | |Capital Market | | |Shareholders |Shareholders want to see Ryanair’s market and profit increased. |Banks |Banks want Ryanair to make loan payments in full on time. | |Leasing Company |They want Ryanair to lease more planes, i. e. expand routes. | |Organizational Market | | |Employees |Employees want higher income and better benefits | |Managers |Managers want to effectively use the human and capital resources of the company to meet the goals and | | |objectives set by top executives. |Top Executi ves |Maintain Ryanair’s cost-leadership position to gain profit while looking for more opportunities to | |(Michael O'Leary) |further expand its market | EXTERNAL ANALYSIS General Environment Demographic Segment: Airline travel passengers are mostly aged 18 to 65. Among them, passengers of age 25 to 55 years account for almost 75% of the total. The ageing of the post-1945 baby boom generation has reduced the numbers in the older higher income segment of this demographic.The resulting tendency is for a greater proportion of air travellers to be younger and less affluent and more oriented toward lower cost transport as opposed to seeking a luxurious flying experience. Political/Legal Segment The political and legal issues that concern Ryanair include regulations of regional and national governments and the European Union (EU), various legal actions, terrorism and security. Because many airlines are fully or partially owned by national governments, the airline industry has been affected by political regulation of both operation and ownership.For example, the EU regulations charging all airlines for their carbon emissions, and the rules on flight and duty time limitations, both increase the operating costs of Ryanair. Furthermore, O'Leary's ambition to start an ultra-low cost transatlantic airline using Aer Lingus planes and US airport landing rights has been blocked by the European Commission's Merger Office. The Commission has refused to allow Ryanair to go ahead with purchase of control of Aer Lingus. In addition, the threat of terrorism has increased insurance and security costs in the airline industry. Economic SegmentThe global economic recession and fuel price increases have greatly affected the European airline industry. The recession has impacted the purchasing power of consumers. Ryanair’s low cost strategy has enhanced Ryanair’s ability to compete in these conditions. Through offering low fares, Ryanair enables airline passengers to continue travelling despite the economic crisis. The floating exchange rate also has a direct effect on Ryanair’s profitability. Ryanair collects fares in various currencies and has its expense mainly in US dollars for fuel and in Euros for labour.In addition, the number of airline passengers could decline if their national currency loses value. Ryanair uses futures and options to hedge its fuel price, foreign exchange risks, and financing interest cost. The price for 90% of Ryanair's forecast fuel requirements for fiscal 2013 is hedged. Hedged prices for 2013 are significantly above 2012 prices. Socio-cultural Segment Due to changes in traveller’s behavioural  and psychological patterns, the European airline industry has changed from traditional patterns.People’s perspective towards air travel has been changed by the low cost revolution of air fares in Europe. Air travel is no longer being seen as expensive and is now accessible by low income people. Consequ ently passenger traffic in the Europe airline industry has increased. Ryanair's initial routes from Ireland to England were intended to provide a service to ethnic Irish people who had migrated to England to work due to lack of jobs in Ireland, but who still had most of their family in Ireland and wanted to visit often. Technological SegmentAdopting advantageous technologies has helped Ryanair constantly reinvent its processes to maintain its low cost advantage. For example, by using its online booking system, Ryanair reduced its distribution costs by eliminating travel agency commissions. Better technology has also allowed other transportation industries to cut costs such as the innovation of lower fuel consumption cars and high speed trains. These changes both increase the competitiveness of the substitutes for airline travel and also increase the complementarity of airline and other travelling tools.Global Segment Globalization increases the demand for international air travel. T here are an increasing number of people travelling between counties for work or to take vacations in foreign countries. Industry Environment Bargaining Power of Suppliers The bargaining power of Ryanair’s aircraft suppliers is relatively high. Because Ryanair wants very low prices and many special conditions on aircraft purchases, so Boeing has refused to extend their supply contract with Ryanair, and Airbus has not been interested to seriously negotiate with Ryanair.Moreover, the switching cost of changing supplier for Ryanair is moderately high due to the significant amount of expense needed in terms of pilot, mechanic retraining and spare parts inventories. Ryanair is reportedly negotiating to buy the new C919 aircraft being developed by COMAC, a Chinese manufacturer, due to its greater amounts of seats and the lower fuel consumption. This availability of this substitute increases Ryanair’s bargaining power with Boeing. Ryanair’s bargaining power with its sup pliers of airport services is high, due to the current overbuilding of regional airports.Bargaining Power of Buyers The bargaining power of Ryanair’s buyers is high. The competition in the European short haul airline market is very intense, and many airlines have cut their cost in response to deregulation and availability of new cost saving technologies. Though Ryanair offers travel fares to passengers at very low prices, there is low switching cost for customers to change to another airline. The lack of brand loyalty in the air travel market increases buyer’s bargaining power. Threat of EntryThe threat of new entrants in the European short haul air travel market is high due to the relatively low cost of entry and the commodity nature of the capital required. However Ryanair has achieved economies of scale which would be difficult for a new entrant to achieve. Ryanair has a large network which would require a moderately large capital investment to duplicate. Availabili ty of access to some routes is another barrier for new entrants due to the intense competition for primary routes and primary airport landing rights for some routes. Threats from Substitute ProductsThe threat of substitute products and services for Ryanair is relatively low. Substitute services of Ryanair include trains, ferries, cars, as well as other low fare airlines. However, according to the record, it was shown that usually the tickets of train, bus or ferry are more expensive than Ryanair’s flight tickets. According to Ryanair's 2012 financial report presentation, Ryanair's average ticket price including bag is â‚ ¬45 (2013Q3 â‚ ¬50) and its closest price competitor's average ticket price is â‚ ¬71 (2013Q3 â‚ ¬79). This shows the threat to Ryanair's from substitute low ost airlines is relatively low as they are unable to achieve Ryanair's economies of scale and offer similar fares. Competitive Rivalry The competitive rivalry for Ryanair in the airline marke t is high. Its competitors include Aer Lingus, easy Jet, Air Berlin, Whizz, IAG/British Airway, and Lufthansa etc, the carriers which also offering low fare flights. Many airline companies have lowered the prices of airfares to avoid losing more market share. Competitor Analysis An analysis of major competitors, Aer Lingus, Easy Jet and British Airways is shown in Table 2.TABLE 2: Competitor Analysis | |Aer Lingus |Easy Jet |British Airways | |Future Objectives |Aer Lingus focus on generating revenue per |Easy jet wants to build strong |British Airways want to become the | | |seat rather than maximization of load |number 1 and 2 network positions |world’s leading premium airline by | | |factor as well as more emphasis on |while maintains its cost advantage. offering the best customer services. | | |partnerships and connectivity. | | | |Current |Moving to discount airline model, focusing |Easyjet focus on primary airports, |British Airways focus on satisfied | |Strategy |on pr imary airport routes. Focus on serving|and especially slot constrained |customers.It provides high level | | |Irish travel to visit relatives in New |airports, to provide service on the|premium tickets and offers first class| | |York, Boston and Chicago areas of US. |top 100 routes in Europe |ticket holders access to premier | | | | |lounges. | |Assumptions |They assume that low fares are mbedded in |They assume passengers want |They assume that customers will like | | |the Irish market place. |convenience. |to pay more for a better and | | | | |outstanding service. | |Capabilities |Aer Lingus operates 43 planes with an |Easy Jet has 214 planes flying 605 |British Airway has a fleet of over 245| | |average age of 7. 3 years.Carries about 10 |routes serving 133 airports with 23|aircraft over 600 destinations | | |million passengers per year on 92 routes. |bases, which makes it the 4th |worldwide. It operates in engineering | | | |largest short haul carrier in |provides engineering se rvices to BA | | | |Europe with 8% market share. |and many other airlines. |General Notes |Aer Lingus is the lowest fare long haul |EasyJet focuses on low fares |It is the flag carrier airline of the | | |airline in Europe, partly due to having to |without removing the services which|UK & the largest airline in the UK | | |compete with Ryanair on 46 routes. |are standard on most airlines. |based on fleet size. | Analysis of Interaction of External Force In summary, the external environment provides Ryanair both opportunities and risks.Though some political issues limited its operation and the intense competition in the airline industry poses some threats to Ryanair, the company has great opportunities to grow. The demand for air travelling is increasing as the reduction in fares has expanded numbers of passengers who can afford air travel, and existing travellers are choosing low cost carriers due to the economic recession. Ryanair has put itself in the right position to generate pa ssenger traffic and market shares. INTERNAL ANALYSIS Resources Tangible ResourcesAirports: Ryanair has established distribution channels with low cost and uncongested airports, which enable it to deliver a 25 minute turnaround, which helps to create Ryanair’s competitive advantage. Not only secondary airports, Ryanair’s primary airports also delivered it a great value. Locations: More than 1,500 routes across 28 countries in Europe and North Africa to 178 airports (of which 57 are ‘bases’, where Ryanair bases aircraft and crew). Aircraft Fleet: Ryanair has a fleet consisting of a single aircraft type, the Boeing 737-800.The average age of its 305 aircraft is around 4 years, which is younger than the 9-11 years of typical European airline carriers. This gives advantages in terms of fuel efficiency, maintenance costs and customer perception. Ryanair also benefits from its planes higher seating capacity (189 seats per aircraft, compared with Easyjet’s 156 on A319s and 174 on A320s). Financial Resources: The financial resources of the company come from the Ryan family, shareholders, investors and creditors. In addition, Ryanair has a high cash flow balance, which enables it to make emergency adjustments or further investments.In addition, Ryanair has the Aer Lingus shares with a market value of â‚ ¬150 million which could be converted to cash. Organizational Resources: Very sophisticated and precise controlling and coordinating systems to allow high operational efficiencies including shorter aircraft turnaround times than competitors. Technological resources: Online booking and checkin system which allows near elimination of airport checking counter costs. Intangible Resources Human Resources: Ryanair employs approximately 8,388 employees, as of March 31, 2012, including 1,636 pilots and 2,867 cabin crew employed on a contract basis.Ryanair’s Brand Recognition: Ryanair has a strong brand image as a cost leader and no-fri lls carrier. Rights: The landing rights and airport terminal slot rights for Ryanair as well as the government approvals to fly each particular route. Innovation Resources: Ryanair's senior management team has a strong capacity to constantly innovate and to cut costs by negotiating with suppliers to pressure for supply cost reductions and to change service routes to drop high rising cost suppliers in favour of low cost suppliers. The senior management team has the capacity to innovate by nbundling the components of major airline service and offering the components individually allowing travellers to choose lower cost combinations. Innovative use of secondary airports distant form major cities allows Ryanair to profitably offer ancillary car rental and bus and accommodations services through the online booking and ticketing system. Capabilities Primary activities Inbound Logistics: Ryanair’s main supplier, Boeing, provided Ryanair discount reported as approximately one third o ff for purchasing aircraft.Ryanair outsources the labour, airport services, and employee training they need at low cost. Operations: Ryanair provides â€Å"low cost no frills† airline service. About 50% of Ryanair’s flight crew are contractors employed only when required. Ryanair uses uncongested airports and only makes point to point trips. Outboard Logistics: Ryanair has quick 25 minute aircraft turnaround times. Ryanair has developed an online booking, ticketing, and confirmation system which eliminated the role and margin of travel agents taking the Ryanair service direct to the traveller.Marketing and Sales: Ryanair has the biggest website in Europe which allows them to do the marketing- internet sales. They also generate ancillary revenues by selling products in flight and encouraging customers to buy alliance services such as hotel bookings, car rentals and travel insurance etc. Service: Ryanair provides limited free services to passengers, and a full variety of onboard and travel services is available to customers for purchase. Customers decide which services they want to pay for. Support ActivitiesManagement Information Systems: Ryanair has efficient MIS systems to minimize airport turnaround times and to very tightly control on-board fuel inventories to minimize the cost of carrying excess fuel carried any flight. Firm Infrastructure: Ryanair has 57 bases. The cost of Ryanair airports are low due to its use of airports are mostly uncongested secondly airports. Ryanair has only one type of aircraft (Boeing 737-800). Therefore, Ryanair only trains pilots to fly one type of plane, which cut costs of training employees.Human Resource Management: In order to reduce costs, Ryanair pays relatively lower salaries to employees than other airline companies. The employees are paid by the hour on contracts. Ryanair employees get no benefits from Ryanair, but pilots like Ryanair because they can build their hours of experience quickly and be promote d to senior pilot positions. Technological Development: Use of online booking by Ryanair reduced their costs. In addition, by introducing self-check service to the passengers, Ryanair was able to reduce staff and cost. Procurement: As Ryanair only provide services, they have to outsource the material they need, such as fuel and equipment as well as leasing some operated aircraft. Core Competencies Ryanair has the following core competencies based on the VRIO framework: | |V |I |R |O | |Fleet of 294 -737-800s |Very fuel efficient and |Boeing list price of $90 |No competitor has as large |Ryanair has organized a 1500| | |about 4years average age so|million per plane or $26. |a fleet of short-medium |route network and short | | |low maintenance costs |billion for a similar fleet|haul fuel efficient jets |turnaround times to maximize| | | | | |the flying time of the fleet| |Supply chain management and |Forcing irports to compete|Very costly to imitate the |Competitors try to do this |Or ganized to operate the | |operations management |on fees for Ryanair's |scale of Ryanair's |also but Ryanair does it |fleet of 737-800s on | |including MIS systems |business and forcing Boeing|operation of 1500 routes |better |whatever routes offer low | | |to reduce prices on their |between 178 airports, so | |costs | | |huge order of 737-800s are |smaller network operators | | | | |keys to Ryanair's low cost |have less bargaining power | | | | |structure |with airports | | | |O'Leary's strategic vision, |O'Leary's strategy is the |Not available in the market|There is only one O'Leary |O'Leary is dedicated to | |marketing strategy and PR |basis for the company's | | |building â€Å"ultra-low-cost† | | |profitability.His | | |airlines | | |controversial PR saves | | | | | |millions in advertising | | | | | |costs | | | | Performance: Ryanair’s performance compared with its main competitors: | |Ryanair |Easyjet |Aer Lingus |British Airways | |Revenue |US$6. 35B |GBP 3. 85B |â‚ ¬1. 39B |â‚ ¬16. 1 B | |Operating Margin |15. 3% |8. 1% |3. 94% |3. 2% | |Profit Margin |12. 54% |6. 62% |2. 44% |3. 49% | |ROA |5. 59% |4. 74% |1. 90% |3. 44% | |ROE |18. 99% |14. 58% |4. 07% |13. 21% | |Market Cap |US$11. 51B |GBP 4. 18B |â‚ ¬0. 679 B |US$ 6. 7 B | STRATEGYBusiness Level Strategy Ryanair follows a cost leadership strategy. By controlling the cost of operations, Ryanair has a low cost base, which enables it to offer the lowest fares to passengers with acceptable service across Europe. Corporate Level Strategy Ryanair has a low-level of diversification. Ryanair's dominant business is passenger transport, with ancillary revenue from its ancillary services. According to Ryanair’s 2012 annual report ancillary revenue accounts for about 25% of the total revenue, while 75% of revenue come from is major business, which is scheduled airline service. International Strategy Ryanair follows a global strategy.Ryanair offers standardized services to all passengers across Europe, while the strategic decisions centralized in headquarters office to achieve economies of scale. Ryanair does not customize its products to individual national or regional market demands. Cooperative Strategy Ryanair has cooperative or alliance relations with a broad range of hotel and other accommodation providers, as well as with airport car rental companies and airport bus transport companies. Ryanair offers the services of these companies through the Ryanair website and the companies rebate a portion of the revenue to Ryanair. SYNTHESIS Ryanair has the strengths, and weaknesses, and faces the opportunities and threats as shown in Table 3: Table 3: SWOT Analysis |Strengths |Weaknesses | |Customer Service |Low Fares: The advantage of Ryanair’s low cost base |Low Frequencies: Ryanair offers less frequent flights on some | | |allows it to offers the lowest average fares in |routes and often schedules departures at low demand times, | | |European shor t haul markets. It was report that |which may not be convenient to passengers, but provides lower | | |Ryanair’s fares are about 37% below those of easyJet. |costs and faster turnaround times. | | | |Brand Perception: Recently published surveys vote Ryanair to be| | |Unbundling Services: Unbundling of inflight services |one of the weakest brands in the European airline industry. | |allows Ryanair to expand the travel market by serving|Ryanair offers limited free services to passengers and the | | |lower willingness to pay customers, which supposedly |media portrayal of Ryanair is often of a mean and | | |is a large segment of Ryanair’s home market in |money-grabbing. | | |Ireland. | | | |Punctuality: Ryanair has the best punctuality | | | |compared to other airline companies, since Ryanair | | | |only offers point-to-point short haul service. | | |Financial Resources |Cash flow: According to Ryanair’s 2012 annual report,|Seasonality of Earnings: Many Ryanair ’s customers are vacation | | |Ryanair has Euro 3. billion in cash, which allows it |travellers who tend to travel in the July to September period | | |to make further investment. |so Ryanair’s earnings are highly seasonal. | |Network: Economies |Ryanair flies more than 1,500 routes across 28 | | |of Scale |countries in Europe and North Africa, 178 airports of| | | |which 57 are bases. It carried almost 80m passengers | | | |in year 2012 with a market share of 12%.It has the | | | |lowest cost per passenger, which is one third lower | | | |than its major competitor EasyJet. | | |Network: Secondary |Due to the use of secondary airports and its |Many secondary airports are many kilometres away from a major | |Airports |excellent operations systems, Ryanair has a 25 minute|city, which may cause travel inconveniences to passengers. | | |turnaround times, which allows the airline to | | | |maximise aircraft utilisation. | |Fleet |One type of aircraft, the Boeing 737- 800 |Fleet is not certified for transatlantic service expansion | | |Largest short haul fleet in Europe 305 aircraft | | | |Average age of fleet 4 years (9 to 11 years for | | | |competitors) gives better fuel efficiency, and lower | | | |maintenance costs. | | |Executive Management|Introduced a series of innovations to achieve low |Portrayed by the media as mean and uncaring. | |costs and economies of scale | | | |Eliminated check-in desks; put advertising on | | | |boarding passes and overhead bins; persuading | | | |passengers not to check in hold baggage | | | |World leading skill in negotiating low cost supply | | | |agreements | | |Management Systems |Highly efficient MIS and standard operating | | | |procedures to efficiently operate at lowest costs. | | | | | | | |Opportunities |Threats | |Customers |The CEO of Ryanair has talked of plans for a |Ryanair’s competitors may learn how to imitate its value chain | | |long-haul transatlantic service under a n ew company |and copy its operation strategy.In addition, by focusing on | | |named â€Å"RyanAtlantic†. Purchase of Aer Lingus is a way|efficiency, Ryanair may overlook changes in customer | | |of gaining landing rights at New York, Boston and |preferences. | | |Chicago airports, which are favorite destinations for|By using the cost-leadership strategy, Ryanair needs to carry | | |Irish people travelling overseas to visit their |the risks of losing competitive advantages due to the dramatic | | |relatives. In addition, Aer Lingus has transatlantic |change of technology. | | |certified aircraft. | |Supplier Competition|Ryanair has the opportunity to get a better deal on |Airport and navigation charge increases: Increased airport | | |aircraft ordering. Ryanair has indicated interest in |charges in Spain’s AENA airports and Italy's ATC airport will | | |buying the C919 aircraft as a strategy to negotiate a|boost the ex-fuel unit cost. | | |better deal with Boeing. |Air t ravel taxes: Increases in air travel taxes reduce the | | |Stansted Airport: Ryanair cut its flights at Stansted|demand of air travel.Airport travel taxes are charged | | |Airport as a result of increased airport charge |independently of ticket price and therefore make up a higher | | |increases, and offered that if the airport charges |percentage of lower priced short haul tickets. Ryanair's costs | | |are reduced Ryanair will reverse the reductions in |are affected proportionately more by these taxes than are its | | |service levels and frequency at Stansted Airport to |higher fare competitor's costs. | | |transport about one million more passengers per day |Fuel price and currency: The price of fuel is highly volatile. | |by using spare fleet capacity shifting some flights |The international oil market is priced in US dollars so fuel | | |and routes from competing airports to Stansted. |expenses are in US dollars. Ryanair does not have US dollar | | | |revenues, and therefore mu st hedge its US dollar costs against | | | |its British Pound and Euro revenues using futures, options, and| | | |currency swap. |Government |Regional or local governments build airport capacity |Possible regulatory backlash in response to bad publicity about| | |in excess of local flight demand to attract tourism |service levels | | |dollars provide an opportunity for Ryanair to obtain | | | |very low cost or subsidized airport services. | | SWOT Matrix | |Strengths |Weaknesses | |Opportunities |Low cost base and low fares help to attract passengers |Low flight frequencies reduce the appeal of Ryanair | | |and grow its market. services for some travellers | | |Ryanair’s strong cash flow enables it to make further |Low level of free services reduces the attractiveness of | | |investment in aircraft |Ryanair flights for some travellers | | |Ryanair's strategic negotiating ability allows it to take|Unfavourable publicity causes regulator resistance to | | |advantage of secon dary airport suppliers to provide air |Ryanair operations | | |services to major cities at low cost | | |Threats |Large pan-European network allows Ryanair to shift |Revenue seasonality with lower winter time cash flows | | |business out of regulatory jurisdictions which raise |could make fuel price fluctuations more problematic | | |travel taxes or airport fees |because fuel prices tend to have a seasonal peak during | | |Ryanair's expertise at hedging fuel and exchange rate |October to January | | |fluctuations allows it to minimize the impact of oil |Ryanair’s disregard for customer luxury and convenience | | |price fluctuations compared to legacy airlines |could worsen declines in customer numbers during periods | | | |of economic prosperity when higher income levels give all| | | |travellers more choices of travel service level. | SWOT Fit with StrategyRyanair’s cost leadership business strategy is built on (1) senior management’s strength at negotiating lo w cost supplier agreements, and (2) unbundling air travel services from basic transport fares to allow lower willingness to pay customers to choose lower cost service. The cost leadership strategy and ability to negotiate lowest cost supplier agreements also puts Ryanair in position to exceed competitors network scale and thereby achieve competitively superior economies of scale. Ryanair’s focus on cost leadership minimizes the negative effect that their disregard for customer inconvenience could have on a differentiated supplier. In summary Ryanair’s strategy is a good fit with its strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVESAlternatives 1. Shift to primary airports and move upmarket by focusing on primary airports and increased customer service levels and fares, competing more closely with EasyJet. 2. Expand secondary airports network, with the same customer service level but the lowest price. 3. Expand secondary airport network and upscal e the customer services with a bit higher price. 4. Expand Network to US through buying Aer Lingus. 5. Expand Network to US Irish destinations by buying planes, routes and airport slots. 6. Develop a greenfield network in a non-European regional market. Criteria for Analysis of Alternatives †¢ Increased Profit / ROE †¢ Financial Feasibility Maintain low cost leadership / Increase Economies of scale †¢ Government Issues Evaluation of Alternatives | |Government Issues |Profit/ ROE |Economic of Scale | Financial |Total Point | | | | | |Feasibility | | |1. Shift to Primary Airports (Increase |3 |2 |2 |2. 5 |9. 5 | |Price) | | | | | | |2.Expand Secondary Airport Network |4 |5 |5 |4 |18 | |(Low Price) | | | | | | |3. Expand Secondary Airport Network |4 |3 |3 |3. 5 |13. 5 | |(Upscale Services) | | | | | | |4. Expand Network to US through buying |1 |5 |5 |5 |16 | |Aer Lingus | | | | | | |5.Expand Network to US Irish |2 |3. 5 |4 |3 |12. 5 | |destinations | | | | | | |6. Develo p second Network in |3 |Short run: 2 |Short run: 2. 5 |2 |Short run: 9. 5 | |non-European regional market | |Long run: 5 |Long run: 5 | |Long run: 16 | Explanation of Evaluation: 1. Issues of government approval of new runs and cost of buying airport slots.As the primary airports will charge higher fees and tend to be more intensely competitive, the cost and fare price will be increased with a higher customer services level. The primary airport routes are served by many discount fare and major airline feeder service competitors 2. The lowest cost way to achieve additional economics of scale. 3. Shifts the company cost structure to a higher cost curve and may reduce its economies of scale. 4. Issue of European Commissions Merger office disapproval 5. Combination of regulatory issues and cost of acquiring transatlantic certified aircraft. 6. High start-up cost for a greenfield network and time required to build up revenue and profit. Recommended AlternativeBased on the evaluation, the best alternative for Ryanair is to continual to develop its network serving secondary airports, as it will generate more profit while and achieve greater economies of scale. Short Term Continue with company’s current strategy of expanding the network of secondary airports served. Maintain current levels of customer service and continue to emphasize the value of the levels of customer service provided to the Ryanair customer niche to avoid regulatory backlash. Long Term The secondary airport network in Europe will eventually be saturated by Ryanair’s expansion and to continue growing faster than demographic growth Ryanair will have to expand into other markets.The recommended alternative is to make greater accommodations to the European Commission Merger Office regarding routes where Aer Lingus and Ryanair currently compete in order to gain the Merger offices approval for Ryanair to buy Aer Lingus. This will allow Ryanair to expand to the US market with guaranteed prof its from the Irish traveller traffic visiting relatives in Boston, New York, and Chicago. Further the cost to buy the additional Aer Lingus shares to give Ryanair controlling a share in Aer Lingus is very inexpensive compared to other overseas expansion options. If the European Commission Merger Office does not give approval then Ryanair should consider development of an alternative regional network. IMPLEMENTATION Action PlanExpand the secondary airport network by expanding service to the Balkans, Macedonia and Morocco. |Time Line | |   |April |May |June |July | |Average fare: |Euro 50 |Euro 51 |2% |Low competition in new route area allows | | | | | |higher fare level | |Costs per passenger excluding |Euro 27 |Euro 25 |-7. % |Using excess plane capacity so reduces | |fuel: | | | |average fixed cost | |Revenue per passenger: |Euro 51 |Euro 51 |0% |Travellers in the new route area very frugal. | |Passengers per year: |75. 8 million |79. 6 million |5% |New route volume | |ROE: |16. 9% |18. 4% |1. 5% |Higher utilization of aircraft results in | | | | | |higher ROE | By meeting the figures in the Target column Ryanair will have succeeded in expanding its revenues, profits and economies of scale.