Personal and Social Uses of ICT Essay Example for Free

Personal and Social Uses of ICT Essay I use ICT personally as well as socially and at home which is sometimes very helpful for me as I can do my work faster and in a better quality. Here are some examples of technologies I use: * Mobile Phone * DVD Player * Digital TV * Calculator * MP3 Player * Digital Camera * Digital Video Camera * Printer * Game Consoles * Email * Projector * Cds, DVDs * Telephone Personal Use of ICT: DVD Player and DVDs:: I use the DVD player personally and socially to watch films or even listen to music. I use the DVD player personally to watch films with my friends and family or listen to music personally. I use the DVD Player at school to present my projects on it or watch educational Movies on it. There are sometimes faults in DVD Players such as the CD sometimes gets stuck in there and the drive doesnt opens. There are many types of DVD cds used in the DVD Player, one of the latest type of Cds is a Flexplay DVD that takes care of the rental period itself it hits a chemical stopwatch when you open the package, and when your time is up (in 48 hours, say), the disc stops working. Now you can return it or give it to get recycled. The idea of using these type of Cds is that even snack bars are able to sell these DVDs in a rental price and once they are soled no one needs to worry because as I mentioned it will get deleted by itself. Once I used a DVD player to present a Movie clip during my project at school which was very helpful as I didnt had much to explain. Evaluation: Currently use a DVD Player with an unknown brand, the reason for this is as I got it as a gift with my m mobile phone from the mobile phone provider, but according to my research the more quality a DVD Player has the more likely it reads discs with special formats, but the disadvantage is that it mostly blocks DVDs which are pirated or copyright protected. Internet: I sometimes use the internet socially to chat to my friends as well as cousins. I sometimes also use the internet to download games as well as music or DVDs. I also use internet for online shopping which is very helpful as I am able to find products cheaper then anywhere else. Such as games which are a lot cheaper on the internet then in any shops. The disadvantage of online shopping is that there is a bit of chance of getting hacked. Evaluation: I currently have TalkTalk Broadband at home which meets my needs fully and is very helpful to me as researches can be done very quickly, as well as online shopping or communication can take place socially. Calculator: I use the calculator to calculate the price of any products I want to buy or I use it. Personannly, for example at school to calculate answers. I have used the calculator a few times during my maths lessons to help me to find the answers of questions which were to hard to work out by my own. There are a few types of calculator the most known are simple and scientific calculators. The main difference between simple and scientific calculators are that scientific calculator have got more functions and can work out difficult questions where as the simple calculator can mostly only add, subtract, multiply or divide. Evaluation: In this case a Calculator is the most efficient way to calculate difficult equations as working the answer out with the mind an a pen and pencil consumes a lot of time whereas a calculator is the most time efficient and accurate way. Printer: I use my Inject printer personally; I use it personally to print out any research or receipts of any items I have bought. I also use it to print out pictures by connecting my digital camera directly to my printer. I sometimes use the printer to print out interesting researches or any coursework personally for the school. As I have chosen applied science I have to print out a lot of courseworks so I believe that the printer helps me a lot in my daily life. Once I had printed out my coursework but I lost it by mistake so I just printed it out again which saved me time and was very helpful as I didnt had to do all the hard work again. I also use the printer for home use to print out pictures or interesting researches which may be shared amongst other house members or shown to someone at home. Evaluation: The reason I have decided use the Inject Printer is as the ink Cartridges can be bought very cheaply and have a long lasting duration. Also the printing speed is reasonable and if someone does not print a lot just like me that printer can be made to a perfect use. MP3 Player: I use my Mp3 player only personally to listen to music when I am on my way to my friends or even school. I can listen to my favourite sound tracks at any time I want to and anywhere I am without disturbing other people. The MP3 player is connected to the computer using the USB connection and then tracks can be downloaded and stored on the MP3 player. The main advantage of a MP3 player is that it has got a smaller size then a CD player and a smarter look. It also has got a bigger internal size and you can save your favourite tracks on it. If you use a CD player you always have to swap the CD if you want to listen to any different track which is a disadvantage as it wastes time and sometimes you dont even are in the mood to do it. I personally use the MP3 player not to get bored and it keeps me active and awake. Evaluation: Currently I use a Phillips A260 MP3 Player as it provides me with brilliant sound quality and is not to expensive to purchase. Also he purpose of an MP3 Player originally is to provide music in as good quality as possible. Game consoles: I use Game consoles for my personal life to have a bit of fun after doing hard work. Game consoles are not really helpful but it is fun to use them as you are able to play games such as football which would be hard to play outside if it would be bad weather. The advantage of Game consoles is that you can play multiplayer with your friends or family members. The best thing about game consoles is that the latest game consoles have got special function which make it even more fun for example the Xbox 360 is one of the latest game consoles which has got a Xbox live function, this is used to connect to the internet and play with someone you dont know if he has go the same game. Secondly it has got wireless pads which help you as normally a lot of people step over cables which may get annoying. You can also store music or DVDs on the Xbox 360 or even watch it. With the use of XBOX Live, Xbox can be used socially to play and communicate with other people using XBOX Live. Evaluation: Currently I have a XBOX Console; the reason for me buying this system was as I used to have a playstation 1 and as I got bored I decided to try something new, for this reason I bought the XBOX Console. Digital still and video camera: I use Digital cameras in my personal life which are helpful as I am able to take pictures or videos of the things I have enjoyed with my friends or family. There are many digital cameras available these days which are very helpful as most of the latest once have got a LCD screen at the back which helps you to view the picture during the time you are taking it or after you have taken it and show it to someone directly without giving them to photo shops so that they can create them for you. So basically you can retake the picture if you dont like it with out doing a lot of work. Of course there are some disadvantages such as that if your memory card is full you cant store any pictures any more and you have to delete some but now days you can get memory card with a very great size which make it able to take more then 200 pictures until it is full. The other disadvantage is that digital cameras take a lot of battery however there are special batteries called Nimah batteries which make it able for me to use the battery a lot longer until it is finished. I use the digital camera at home to take pictures of my family or cousins and then I can remind me using them or I just connect them to the printer and I got the pictures without even doing a lot of work. Evaluation: At the moment I have a Panasonic Digital Camera, the reason for this is as it has an external display as well as a night view system and a brilliant quality. Also it is not to expensive to purchase but provides full performance. The battery life is also not too bad for home use but can be upgraded if required. Social Use of ICT: Mobile Phone: There are many new mobile phone models out these days which have got a lot of functions and mobile phones get improved daily as more softwares and also hardwares are added to it. Examples of hardwares are: Bluetooth, Infrared, Camera, 262000 colour display etc. I use my Mobile Phone Socially to contact any companies for information about any products I dont know how to use. I also use a mobile phone personally to talk to my friends as well as my parents if I am not at home. I sometimes use my Mobile Phone personally to listen to music or play games on it. For example once I used my Mobile to contact my parents to inform them that I am going to come home later as I have got work to do. In these cases mobile phones are very helpful as you can talk to people anywhere the net is available. There are sometimes faults in mobiles such as sometimes if your Bluetooth is turned on viruses are able to attack your mobile and destroy the software so that the mobile can sometimes not work again. Evaluation: I currently use the Motorola L7 as it is reasonable cheap to purchase and does not weight a lot, also it is very thin so is able to fit into a pocket very easily, also it Is able to serve me with the requirements I have, these include: sending text messages, camera, phone Email: I use the Email software personally and socially to help me as it has got many advantages as well as some disadvantages. I use the Email software socially to contact my friends or sometimes remind them about anything such as the homework. I use it socially to email to companies for any inquiries I have or I use it to send emails regarding eBay to people to ask them about any information such as delivery time. The main advantage of the Email is that it is much faster then sending a letter and can be send to many people at the same time. Where as a letter has to be packed in separate envelopes and then the address has to be written on it before it can get send. The disadvantage of email software is that it may get hacked or sometimes even can contain a virus. Evaluation: Currently I have a Hotmail Email address, the reason for this is as Hotmail have a website very easy to use and new softwares are being developed by hotmail very quickly which may be a great help to me. Another reason for me using hotmail is as at the time I created my email address only hotmail email addresses worked in MSN Messenger and MSN Messenger was the only software to be able to provide webcam for free. Telephone: I use the telephone socially to talk to friends or even my cousins. I use it socially to make phone calls to company to contact them for any inquiries or for any help. Nowadays there are wireless telephones which have got a range of meters but are very helpful as you are able to use it and mover around with out any problems so they dont stop you from doing work and talking to mated or someone at the same time. The telephone is a very simple technology as the phone only has three parts named microphone, hook switch and a speaker. The latest phones however have got more technology in them so that in older phones you could hear your own voice which people found very annoying but in new phones it is not like that. I believe that the telephone will remain as one of the simplest devices. Evaluation: Currently I have a Phillips phone which was expensive but has an external loud and good quality speaker, is wireless and also has a function to send and receive SMS. The reason for me buying this phone was as it had the longest warranty and seemed to be the one with the functions I required and functions which were required at home. School Related Use: Projector: I use the projector socially at school to present my presentations. It is very helpful as it can make a computer screen or anything else look bigger then it really is. So basically you dont need to have a big screen TV to show it in a way so that the whole class can see it. Because of the projector I can present my work in a way that everyone can see it. The main advantage is that it doesnt weights a lot so that you are able to move it easily without any problem. You can not move a big TV easily. I once had produced my project on a projector which was very helpful as everyone was able to see what I was trying to say. The main disadvantage is that some projectors dont display the picture very clearly. Evaluation: Currently we have Epson Projectors at School which are very helpful and are truly the best way to meet the schools standards as Presentations or explanations can be presented to everyone very clearly. Microsoft office: I use Microsoft office socially at school and at home. I use it at school to write reports or produce risk assessments. Also sometimes I use Microsoft office at school to do my courseworks or save my research results. Microsoft office is very helpful and is used in many offices or even businesses. Microsoft office has a lot of functions and can be used for many purposes such as creating database. Microsoft office is also secure as you can password protect your documents so that even if someone steals it he will be unable to use it. The main advantage is that you can update your documents without rewriting it again and again. It also saves a lot of space and you can find your documents quickly. As normally you would use paper which will get together and it will be hard for me to store them somewhere so that they are safe and I can find them whenever I need them. I use Microsoft office a lot at school and it helped me a lot of times when there was a need to write letters I was able to write it quickly and in a descent layout , also a copy was saved which can be very helpful In case the letter needs to be resend etc. Internet: I use Internet at school to do researches. Also I use the Internet to find pictures and put them into my coursework. Internet is very helpful as it helps me in a lot of ways and if there would be no internet there would even be no email. I use the Internet at school to do my homework as well as find pictures for any courseworks needed any shops. The disadvantage of online shopping is that there is a bit of chance of getting hacked. Evaluation: I currently have TalkTalk Broadband at home which meets my needs fully and is very helpful to me as researches can be done very quickly as well as courseworks can be improved at a great speed and efficiently, this saves me a lot of time. Overall Evaluation: For my personal use of ICT as I have mentioned above I use a lot of technologies as they enable me to work more efficiently, save time, save paper work. I also personally and socially use technologies just to enjoy or have fun with such as the Game Consoles. I also use technology Socially at School such as Projectors, Computers but in this case they do not meet my needs up to the full limit as the Computers mostly seem to have a problem at School as well as the Personal Space Limit on the Computers does not meet my requirement. I personally believe this can be improved by making the computers much more stable and by improving the Space limits for each user. Also the Network Cards and Cables have some problems as the network crashes a lot of times which again does not meet my full requirement. At Home ICT is able to meet my needs as I use a Phone, Speakers, Computers, Modem and other technologies as mentioned above, but all of them work up there full capability and meet my needs. For this reason I do not truly require any more technology for home use, but for social use technology has still not met its full capability at every place such as at my school, as technology makes problems in some cases or could be set up more efficiently at my school. E.G As Network Cables are available and all the computers are networked the school should be able to set up the network in such a way that if one computer is updated with a new windows or software, the other computers should be updated automatically at the same time Conclusion: Finally I believe that the Technology will have along way to go and I am looking forward to see more interesting pieces of technology. I dont really know what I would like to get produced but I know that if something new and interesting product will get produced I will be looking forward to it. I hope that a new technology gets produced which will help us and the community.

The Sales Force Compensation Business Essay

The Sales Force Compensation Business Essay For most of the organizations, compensation plan is the main driving force for motivating the entire sales force as they are the key people interacting with the customers on regular basis. According to Skiera and Albers (2008), the total rewards approach comprises of all the tools available with the employer for attracting, motivating and rewarding the employees appropriately. The main aim of this approach is to accelerate desired behaviors in the entire workforce along with reinforcement of overall business strategy that will boost the firms performance (Mia Evans, 2007). Unilever ensures that is total rewards program is supportive to achieve the desired targets of the company and the Human Resource (HR) professionals of the company have ensured that it possesses six features that are vital for the effectiveness of this program (WorldatWork, 2007). The main features of the total rewards approach are as follows: Compensation It is the most important part of the entire program as it is the basic pay structure that comprises of both fixed and variable pays along with long-term and short-term incentives. The fixed amount is the base salary which remains constant for every salesperson and the variable pay is dependent on the method used i.e. commission, pay-for-performance, piece-rate pay, time-rate pay and others. The other incentives comprise of bonuses, profit-sharing, ownership share and etc. Enhanced flexibility The employees are looking for flexible working hours that allow them to utilize their skills appropriately while working on the job. Benefits These are the factors that the employees are looking for in their jobs in addition to the monetary payment that they receive such as medical benefits, life insurance benefits, social security, unemployment and etc. Rewards and Recognition When employees achieve something highly desirable or challenging, they need to be shown the appreciation either by giving them rewards in the form of bonuses, profit sharing, share ownership or announcing the success within the organization to declare the persons valuable contribution in the company. Work-life balance The employees have to provided support in maintaining adequate balance between the work, personal life and community responsibilities. They can be provided financial support, paid and unpaid vacations, caring for dependents and community involvement opportunities. Opportunities for development and career progression In order to retain the employees for long-term, the program should outline the career progression path that is vital for the enhanced motivation level of the complete sales force. Question 2 Describe the behaviors of the sales force that are targeted with the compensation plan. Answer 2 With the help of an effective and well-integrated compensation plan, Unilever tries to boost the productivity of its sales force so that they can help it in meeting the long-term objectives. The key behaviors that are targeted in sales force with a highly effective compensation plan are bringing new ideas and concepts in the company, suggesting innovative products that are desired by the customers for enhancing their satisfaction level, creating competition among salespeople so that they strive to make increasing sales and promoting proper and ethical course of business activities for meeting the organizational objectives effectively (Zoltners, Sinha Lorimer, 2006). When employees will be satisfied with the compensation plan and will believe that they are being compensated for their efforts adequately, they will become loyal to the company and the employee turnover rate will reduce drastically. The entire employee cost will go down and the organization will be able to maintain a proper balance between the employees value and organizations goals. Question 3 Assess how a value proposition is achieved for current and future employees in the plan you have outlined. Answer 3 According to Cichelli (2010), the compensation plan designed by Unilever comprises of the following factors: Base Pay Commission (Depending on the sales made by each salesperson) Bonuses (10% of the base pay) Benefits Health care, Life insurance, Retirement, Social security, community support programs, paid holidays and financial support. Rewards and recognition Merit based increase at the year end after performance appraisal and profit sharing for exceeding the target level. Career advancement opportunities Each sales person will be given specific targets to provide chances for moving ahead in their careers and try to get promoted to more additional levels. The basic philosophy underlying the total rewards approach is that the employees should be provided complete value from the entire compensation plan. The key elements required for creating the most effective value proposition for all current and potential employees are colleagues, work responsibilities, organization culture, values and total rewards. Most of the employees make their final decision on the basis of the rewards that are visible to them and they give less importance to the non-monetary rewards that are given during the job tenure (How, Sundram Tack, 2011). From the compensation plan outlined, it is evident that the company highly values its sales people and has taken every important measure to provide a conducive, encouraging and accommodating working environment to them that will elicit desired working behavior along with enhanced motivation level. In order to create the effective value proposition, the compensation plan of each employee is aligned with the organizations objectives and they are provided the right tools and opportunities that can help them in attaining their yearly goals successfully. Question 4 Based upon the type of plan you have created, indicate how attracted you think future salespeople may be to this plan. Answer 4 Since the compensation plan is one of the vital methods used by organizations to attract, retain and motivate the employees, it is important for them to keep on incorporating the changes within the plan so that it is up-to-date. Although the designed compensation plan is a general one but the most effective one is that which takes account of each employees needs and develop the plan in accordance to their expectations. Sometimes the employers overlook the individual requirements of every sales person and design a plan that is beneficial for the organization. In order to attract more sales people, there are various features that will have to be added in the compensation plan such as employee engagement activities, off-the-job training programs, promoting the concepts of vacations for boosting the productivity level and including attractive rewards that will keep the sales person glued to the job and will find the work interesting and captivating. Hence, it is important to upgrade the compensation plan on an ongoing basis so that there are no loopholes in them and the sales force is satisfied with the rewards strategy. However, the key to keeping the employees motivated and enhancing their retention desire is to offer them the compensation and rewards in accordance to their requirements so that they feel valued and are willing to go an extra mile to support the company in fulfillment of its mission and objectives.

Religion Essay -- Catechism, Catholic Church

In 1999, police officers killed a man who they were chasing for three-consecutive hours. While he was being chased, five California TV helicopters broadcasted the event live, and the entire public, including his family, saw his death. The Church’s teaching reveals whether the live broadcasting of violent acts is ethical or unethical. Throughout the years the media has increased the reporting of real violent acts, but they are not beneficial to the common good due to the negative effects it has on human dignity. Firstly, the Catechism Of The Catholic Church teaches that all media is limited to what the common good requires. To illustrate, Pope Paul VI says that, â€Å"The information provided by the media is at the service of the common good† (CCC 2494). This shows that all information disclosed by the media must be beneficial to the common good. Secondly, the Catechism states that all media that is broadcasted to the public must never oppose the common good. For example Pope Paul VI says the, â€Å"[the media] must adjust their economic, political or artistic and technical aspects so as never to oppose the common good† (Inter Mirifica 11). Revealing that the media must not disclose any information that may â€Å"oppose the common good†. Thirdly, the media releases wanton violent acts, which u ndermine the value of human dignity. For instance, the Catechism Of The Catholic Church teaches that, â€Å"Social justice can be obtained only in respecting the transcendent dignity of man† (CCC 1929). This means that â€Å"real† news reports can only be beneficial to the common good if they respect the dignity of man. Lastly, The Catechism Of The Catholic Church teaches that no matter what physical or mental state the person(s) are in the media must still respect ... ...s and dignity of† the person(s) must be always respected. Thus, the media must take into consideration the harm they may cause to the public and the loss of respect for human dignity. To conclude, the media's coverage of real violent acts in the news does not benefit the common good. The media uses the human right to information as a tool to broadcast as much news as possible for profit. They do not censor any of the gratuitous violence. The journalists are left to blame due to the responsibility they hold when disclosing the information they have learned to the public. Also, the uncensored violence can harm the public and it disrespects the dignity of the person(s). Over the years the media’s perspective of what â€Å"news† is has changed drastically, from information to entertainment. No matter where you go or what you watch, for some reason there is always violence.

Child Labor Essay examples -- Children Work Poor Poverty Essays

Child Labor   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Child labor is one of the biggest issues around the world because it puts children in danger, it deprives them of an education, it is widespread and it's often hidden or invisible especially in agriculture, big industries and mines especially in poor countries. In this document of child labor it's explained what the meaning of child labor is, why it exists, also why it is so widespread in poor countries. There are also examples of children working in deplorable conditions. This document also discusses the reason why parents send or allow their children to work in an environment as a result it finally mentions the possible solutions to end child labor. Child labor is morally intolerable. It exists because it is the best response people can come up with to unacceptable circumstances. It is usually very dangerous because it involves of a child?s future well being. One of the other reasons child labor exists it is because an associated reduction in investment in the child?s human capital that occurs mostly because child labor interferes with education. (Udry, 2). The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated approximately 250 million children between the ages of five and fourteen. Child labor appeared in earlier ages in agricultures societies, but during the Industrial Revolution of the 18th. Child labor first appeared with the development of domestic systems. It was generally performed in England, America, and other countries. Many of these children worked in factories, mines and other horrible places. The problem begins when factories and mines employed children. They are forced to work long hours under dangerous conditions for little pay. They put up with abuse, starvation, and sometimes never being paid for their work. (Henne et al 2005) In many countries, it is considered inappropriate or exploitative if a child below a certain age works, except for some household chores and of course schoolwork. An employer is often not allowed to hire a child below a certain age. This minimum age depends on the country. There is also no consideration for their safety or health. Most of the very dangerous work that child laborers perform is Agriculture; especially in Latin America almost 250 million child laborers between ages 5 to 14 years old are estimated worldwide. Children usually work next to thei... ...y should realize that it is in the best interest of their child not to work as working may put in danger the health and development of their child. In general, all the efforts must be directed towards the elimination of poverty. As a result, the world would be a better place for all children when they are brought up in a loving and caring environment and do not have to work and sweat right from the early stages of their lives. References   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A, O. Ajayi and D.O Torimiro. Early Child Development and Care   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  February 2004, vol. 174(2), pp 183-191   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chao, Elane L. Advancing the Campaign against Child Labor   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Washington, DC U.S Department of Labor, 2002 vol. 2 Henne, Kurt, Maury, David. Combating the Worst Forms of Child Labor in Bolivia 004468, winter 2005 vol. 32 EBSCO host The Story of Child Labor   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://library.thinkquest.org/o3oct/01980/800   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nike and Child Labor   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.american.edu/ted/nike.htm   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Udry, Christopher. Child Labor   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yale University, June 2003 http://ssrn.com/adstract=419862   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is Child Labor?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://fieldsohope.org/homeroom/   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Billie Holiday Essay -- essays research papers

To understand the controversy that Billie presented one must first go to the root or source of such controversy and examine Billie's childhood. Billie was born Eleanora Harris to her father Clarence Holiday and mother Sadie Fagan who were just fifteen and thirteen years old, respectively, at the time (A 91). Born between 1912 and 1915 in Baltimore, the date unsure, Billie grew up without her father, who moved away early on in her life. Billie and her mother used to fight a lot, when her mother was around. Much of the time Billie was left in the care of relatives or friends, many of whom were unloving (E). Billie's relationship with her family was very weak, as Billie throughout her life and career never or rarely got family approval or recognition (W 13). The extent to which Billie did not get along with her family is evident as she was chastised for her grandmother's death at the age of six (E). The turmoil within Billie's family was manifested when Billie commented later on in life that "As far as I'm Concerned, all the Fagans are dead" (W 14). This made her family very mad and lead to their further abandonment of Billie. Aside from the superficial tension between Billie and her mother, they did their best to remain loyal to one another and provide for each other (W 201). As Billie grew older, life grew harder and reality slowly became more and more real for her. At age 10, Billie was raped, further strengthening Billie's image of reality. As Billie grew old...

Jet Blue Case Analysis Essay

Jetblue set out to provide its customers with a great airlines experience. Neeleman’s goal was to provide customers with â€Å"the types of amenities reserved for the pricier carriers, including wider seats †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦and 24 channels of in-flight television† ( Case study pg 400) One of Jetblue and Neeleman’s biggest challenges was to keep offering all these amenities while still competing with the big carriers by keeping their prices 50 to 60 percent lower on the same routes. As they grew and hired more employees they found it harder to maintain the same level of customer service across the board. Also other carriers began to compete with them in the lowprice arena. These bigger airlines had more planes and employees to they were better able to respond to the storm that blanketed New York in 2007. This storm proved to ruin many of Jetblues customer experiences due to the delays and cancellations. Jetblue gave all of their customers refunds and free flights in response to the delays. They were also feeling the effects of the storm longer than their bigger competition since they were understaffed because of pilots being stuck in other states. When the storm hit some flights set on the tarmac for up to ten hours still chancing to be able to leave during the storm. Jetblue could have cancelled these flights earlier and kept customers from having to endure sitting on planes for extended periods of time. If Jetblue had done this then they would have avoided much of the grief they experienced over the next week. Overall Jetblue should have better prepared for the storm by cancelling flights earlier and having extra staff on hand. Whomever was in charge of overall operations should have planned better and is the one who is the most responsible for the lack of preparation. Jet Blue did a great job handling the severe weather in February of 2007. They went above and beyond trying to compensate for the inconvenience and loss of time that their customers endured. They provided $26 million in refunds and vouchers to their passengers stranded in New York. None of the other major airlines offered compensation or even an apology. Even at the companies all time low they did an admirable job offering the JetBlue Experience. Although I commend the way JetBlue handled this difficult situation, there were steps that could have been taken to ease the inconvenience of their passengers. The day before the storm, there were multiple signs of severe weather on the horizon. Snow had already begun to fall and by the early morning the snow became ice pellets and freezing rain. The airline decided to ignore these signs, thus neglecting to warn its passengers of possible delays, resulting in six planes being boarded and ultimately stuck at their gates. Additionally, JetBlue had four incoming planes that should have been directed elsewhere and as a result those planes were unable to reach their terminals because all gates were occupied. If JetBlue would have paid attention to the warning signs and informed their customers, the ten planes and its passengers would have never been stuck at the terminals. The negative consequences JetBlue could face are primarily PR and financial. During the storm in February, the media was constantly covering JetBlue’s â€Å"trapped† customers. Some passengers even went so far as to start a blog called jetblueshostage.com. JetBlue was once known as the leader in service excellence in the airline industry. Now the company is faced with the difficult task of rebuilding its image in the public eye. Directly related to the company’s public image is its stock price. The market lost confidence in JetBlue following the events February of 2007, resulting in the companies stock price falling. In order to get everything back on track the company must first focus on its public image. In order to deal with the unfortunate quagmire the company had found itself in after the snowstorm in the northeast, JetBlue planned to launch a service guarantee known as the â€Å"Customer Bill of Rights† in order to make right what they had wronged. JetBlue announced it would spend $20 to $30 million in effort to appease thousands of stranded customers that were affected. The Bill of Rights works by offering vouchers to customers who experience delayed flights while flying with JetBlue. $25 for flights delayed one to two hours and up to a free round trip ticket for flights delayed up to 6 hours. Will the Customer’s Bill of Rights work in recovering the image JetBlue has tried so hard to create? In my opinion, yes I do think it will. Angry customers who had to deal with the delays on the initial happening will be provided an entire free ticket, and customers who deal with this in the future will be provided with vouchers or tickets as well. What else can an airline company do, errors happen and some may be out of the company’s control. The company must deal with how the error is handled and that is exactly what JetBlue is doing. Several actions and guidelines should be followed by JetBlue in order to insure the companies viability and future success. The launch of the Cutover’s Bill or Rights was a good step in the right direction, but company executives must work closely with their public affairs team to raise its awareness. JetBlue executives must also work with marketing executives to promote the Customer Bill of Rights with large stakeholder groups and already existing customers. JetBlue executives must support this bill of rights 100% in order to restore the company’s image. This means following their promise and actually providing vouchers for every single delayed flight. Customer Bill of Rights should also be leveraged as an advantage in comparison to its competitors. Considering JetBlue was the first to implement such a thing, advertising it as an advantage my pull customers in and keep current customers.

Individual Fundamentals of Macroeconomics Paper

Part 1 ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gross domestic product (GDP) – GDP is the total market value of all final services and goods produced in a given year in a given country. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Real GDP – Real GDP is the result of the production activity within a given country at a specific years prices. If one compares two or more periods of time using the same year’s prices for goods and services then the result is a purchasing power comparison as seen over time. This happens because the inflation effects have been mitigated by using constant prices.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nominal GDP – Nominal GDP is simply GDP that has not been adjusted for inflation. Nominal GDP does not reflect purchasing power but does show how an economy has expanded and contracted in dollars. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Unemployment rate – The most basic definition of an unemployment rate is those people who are unemployed but are actively seeking work and willing to work. It is typically expressed in the form of a percentage. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Inflation rate – inflation is usually expressed in an annual percentage and is the price increase for goods and services.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Interest rate – An interest rate is the percentage of the principal funds that is charged and paid for the use of money. It is expressed as an annual percentage rate (APR) for loans and annual percentage yield (APY) for interest earned. Whether one is experiencing a decrease in their taxes, is part of a massive layoff of employees, or is simply purchasing groceries, there is a resource flow from one entity to another and back again. Those entities cover government, businesses, and households.How those resources ebb and flow will differ with each situation and have an impact in a â€Å"trickle-down† effect from the government to businesses and finally to households. Decrease in Taxes When the Government decides to reduce taxes, the tax typically assumed to see the reduction is the income tax. â€Å"According to the  Internal Revenue Service (IRS), approximately 43% of tax revenues are generated through this tax. Personal income taxes are levied against income, interest, dividends and capital gains, with higher earners generally paying higher tax rates. (Investopedia, 2012) When a tax reduction occurs, the government will collect less taxes which reduces the amount of monies available for entitlement programs. Households can be affected in a couple of different ways. If a household is a higher wage earning household then less taxes can result in more discretionary income to spend at businesses who offer services the household members wish to utilize. If the household is lower income the decrease in taxes will increase their income but will adversely affect any entitlement programs in which they may be enrolled.For businesses, the reduction in income tax will affect their businesses per the consumer impact. If there is more discretionary income then more money is available to spend on their goods or services. If there is less discretionary income, then of course, the opposite would be true. Massive Layoff of Employees From a government standpoint and governmental employees, when there is a massive layoff of governmental employees, historically, there has not been more than a ripple in the unemployment rate overall.A 1995 survey and a subsequent 1999 follow up to municipalities in Illinois found that the average amount of people still unemployed after a governmental layoff was only 3. 8%. (Reason Foundation, 2012) From a governmental employee standpoint, there is not a large scale economic impact which means that the majority of affected governmental workers will still have income to spend at businesses and for their household needs. When private sector businesses have a massive layoff occur, they are required by Federal law to notify the affec ted employees 60 days in advance.The employees have an opportunity to look for other jobs in that timeframe, however, resources will begin to be held back by the households in the case of long term unemployment which will in turn cause business who offer the good and services to the affected families to experience a decrease in sales. Purchasing of Groceries Groceries are an inelastic product. People will purchase food regardless of the price because they need to eat.When a household purchases groceries, and pays a higher price for them in one grocery store versus another, the business which earned the opportunity for the sale will benefit. The government does not benefit from a tax standpoint on non-processed foods. Processed foods, however, are taxable; which is a benefit to the government. The Government may also pay a producer not to produce a food so as to stabilize the market. A couple of examples of this situation are in the commodities of rice and wheat.Producers are paid no t to plant as much so the market price of the end product is stabilized. In fact, those producers are paid not to produce so there is no loss of income to those households. Conclusion Whether one is experiencing a decrease in their income taxes, is part of a massive layoff of employees or is simply purchasing groceries, there is a resource flow from government, businesses, and households. Resource flow also has an ebb phase. The entire cycle is driven by an almost an amazing number of determinants.These determinants all have an effect on the final outcome as to where and how the Government, businesses, and households use their finite resources. References Richard Coultier, Do Tax Cuts Stimulate the Economy? (June 23, 2010) Retrieved on January 23, 2012 from http://www. investopedia. com/articles/07/tax_cuts. asp#axzz1kIPnIgcg The Reason Foundation, Privatization and Layoffs (March 1, 2001) Retrieved on January 23, 2012 from http://reason. org/news/show/privatization-and-layoffs