Who Is Free To Choose :: essays research papers

Who Is Free To Choose?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Internet started out as a tool for transmitting information to learn and study. Free expression on the Internet is one of the things that makes the Internet so great. People can get information on a subject from many different areas. This gives the chance for people to see an issue form other points of view. The Internet has developed into a vast medium of knowledge with many users contributing to its growth. With the growth of the Internet, many people have seen it as a source to express their ideas to the public. Some would even view the Internet as a virtual community, and say it is a democracy. People argue that with such freedom, the Internet should be censored to protect children form pornography, and others from sites that may concern 'objectionable'; material. There are people who live under the 1st Amendment and they use the Internet as an outlet to express their ideas and to incorporate ideas from others. Censorship of the Internet is wrong because it obstructs other pe ople from accessing what they want to see and it inhabits people's free speech. Censorship on the Internet has been a growing concern for the past three years. The wide range of information available has made it a tempting target for those who want to control what a person can see and read. The Random House Webster's School and Office Dictionary defines censorship as, 'An official who examines books, films etc., to suppress anything objectionable';. (CD ROM) The next question is who is going to decide for the millions of users on the Internet what is objectionable for them to see and read. The Internet has developed into a vast medium of knowledge with many users contributing to its growth. In this country, many activists for censorship on the Internet mainly have one thing on their minds. They want to protect children from pornography. Although I view this as big concern, there is a grater issue at hand. Since censorship involves all forms of expression, censoring the Internet woul d hurt many people. The Internet is an international community; we must view it as pertaining to other countries, not just the United States. Not all countries have the privilege of living in a democracy and under the Bill of Rights. As a result, the Internet has brought a new sense of freedom to most people who oppressed by tyrannical governments, or those that disagree with a government but are not allowed to express it.

Background of Firefly: Subsidiary of the Malaysia Airline System Berhad

Background of Firefly Firefly is established on April 3rd 2007 and it is the wholly-owned subsidiary by the Malaysia Airline System Berhad (MAS). While, it’s also the first community airline in Malaysia that operated under Fly Firefly Sdn Bhd. the Malaysia’s first community airline also known as a new Malaysian no-frills airline. The name of Firefly is come from the characteristics of agility, brilliance, charm, and fun. Firefly offers a full service point-to-point carrier. The head office of Firefly is located at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, Selangor.The first flight of the Firefly was from Subang Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport to Penang International Airport, on the 2nd April 2007. Besides Airline of Air Asia Berhad, Firefly is another low-cost airliner. It mean that Firefly has the separate management compare with MAS even though it is wholly-owned subsidiary by MAS. Firefly is operated in two hubs that are located at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Suba ng, Selangor and Penang International Airport. Penang is the second big hub after the Kuala Lumpur.Operating out of our hubs in Penang and Subang, Firefly provides new and exclusive routes to various points within the Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Thailand and Sumatera of Indonesia, aligning itself with the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMTGT) agenda. Become the Malaysia’s first community airline, Firefly most emphasis on the safety and comfort it its flying experience. However, Firefly try their best to provide the best service to their customers such as getting their customers to the destination in the shorter time, cost effective and make flying Firefly as a fun.

Best Buy Case Study Essay

After acquiring a stake in Five Star, a retailer of appliances and electronics in China, Best Buy’s VP John Noble is responsible for launching a dual brand strategy to China as he did in Canada back in 2002. The plan was to open three stores in less than two years in China while Five Star was planning on opening 25 additional stores. Entering China would prove to be much more difficult than neighboring Canada as a country with 1. 3 billion consumers which is a lot of people to please. China was chosen as the second international expansion market primarily due to the overall market opportunity, consumer fundamentals and macro-economic factors (Ivey, 2006). † In addition to the Chinese being very frugal, there was also the issue of the concept of credit, or lack there of in China. About four percent of households in China used credit cards, compared to 75 percent in the United States (Ivey, 2006). Best Buy quickly realized that branding in China was not what really attracted the consumers (Ivey, 2006). Best Buy Inc Best Buy had been interested in entering China since the 1990’s. By that time, China had been hosting many of the United States and Europe as far as different manufacturing products. The option of dual branding was what Best Buy was thinking in order to essentially join forces with Chinas retailer of electronics and appliances, Five Star. By coming together, Best Buy in United States thought that the two companies would be even stronger as one. This sort of dual branding worked very well in Canada and presumably would have the same success in China. Competitors Some of the main competitors of Best Buy are Wal-mart and Costco. The competitors were constantly increasing their CE retail market and in particular they increased the products that were less complex therefore easier to sell. Internet shopping and distributors such as Amazon or sites like that are another example of a competitor in the CE market. Also, home improvement stores such as Home Depot and Lowe’s were also venturing into unknown territory which was competition for Best Buy. â€Å"Lines were blurring as retailers of all kinds were widening their product assortments in pursuit of revenues and margins (Ivey, 2006). † Dual branding in Canada seemed like logical step in that Best Buy and Canada’s Future Shop, the main CE retailer there could join together and become stronger with all of the competition coming about (Ivey, 2006). Dual Branding Canada Canada was paid $363. 95 million dollars to acquire Future Shop. Among several reason why the dual branding took place, the number one reason and most important was that Future Shop was an established brand â€Å"with over 95 percent unaided brand awareness among Canadians (Ivey, 2006). † Though dual branding seemed like a great idea there were also some downsides. Cannibalization was the main problem of course due to the products of Future Store eating the profits of Best Buy and vice versa. There was also the immanent issue that the consumer would not know which brand was which. Despite these issues, by the first year of operations the dual branding strategy seemed to be working and cannibalization seemed minimal. It seemed only natural to give it a try in China (Ivey, 2006). Dual Branding China â€Å"China was chosen as the second international expansion market primarily due to the overall market opportunity, consumer fundamentals and macro-economic factors (Ivey, 2006). However the Chinese consumer was different than that of the United States or Canada. Also, consumers were not really concerned with branding as much as they were messages relating to functional features. Therefore, the preference of brand did not really translate into revenue. There was also the issue of land acquisition as there were often delays which would force a store to take up to 6 months to even open its doors. The Chinese also preferred to deal with people they knew and had previous relationships with so pricing had to be up to par due to the consumer not providing much slack for it. With all of these problems, a dual branding in China did not seem as seamless as it was in Canada (Ivey, 2006). Conclusion It is understandable why Best Buy would want to go global to maximize its profit and consumer base all over. Though things seemed to work out in Canada, it would prove to be a much tougher hill to climb in China just based off the consumers alone and the way things are done there and simply the way of life. It will be interesting to see if the places like Turkey and Mexico, other potential targets will have the same success rate as Canada, and not resemble China’s issues.

The Needs of American Cities for Policing Policy

In analyzing the needs of American cities for policing policy for the future, race has to be considered in the equation. Researchers note that it is not possible to ignore the variable of race when describing the nature of policing in the United States. This includes efforts to develop a community policing concept, and race enters both for policing in the minority community and for the way policing does or does not use racial profiling so as to antagonize the minority community. In much of America, relations between the police and the African-American community have long been tense. In some regions, the police are viewed as an occupying army present not to protect the people but to control them and to keep them in their place. Numerous civil disturbances in recent decades can be traced to tensions between the police and the black community, from the riots of the summer of 1965 to the riot in Los Angeles after the first Rodney King verdict, from the problems in Crown Heights in New York to any number of disputed police shooting incidents in cities across the country. Even without a specific incident to set off a disturbance, there is often an underlying tension between poor black communities and the surrounding society, with the police serving as a symbol of that society: The very complex, diffuse, interrelated, but still independent nature of the social, political, and economic institutions within American society, supported by layers and layers of public and private bureaucracies often manipulated by elusive, anonymous power brokers, perpetually frustrate the attempts of Black Americans to modify and reorder societal arrangements in their favor. Therefore, the â€Å"system† is identified as the culprit (Wintersmith, 1974, p. 2). The fact that the police are the most likely target for black hostility and aggression, however, does not mean blacks do not have a real reason to fear the police or the rallying cry of â€Å"law and order†: For Black Americans this slogan connotes oppression, police occupation of Black communities, inequitable and selective police treatment, disregard for human and constitutional rights of Black citizens, and continued denial of equitable opportunity (Wintersmith, 1974, p. ). Community Policing is a program that links the actions of the police with citizen participation as part of an overall effort to solve the problems of the community by involving the community, and such an approach can help inform the public and gain public acceptance for the minority hire program a well. The community policing model is based on that sort of assumption and on the view that crime has many complex causes and that police departments cannot keep the streets safe by themselves. If crime is to be controlled, police must reach out to other local institutions, and indeed to the broader community at large, and create partnerships. Among the features of such a program are integrated investigations, team and neighborhood rather than a shift and divisional basis for officer deployment, foot patrols, and community service as a focus along with problem-oriented policing instead of mere crime-fighting. Programs of this sort mean a different structure for the police as well as altered functions, allocations of resources, and general attitude. This can be a challenge to traditional police department structures because the traditional method is to respond to citizen demand rather than to try to ascertain the underlying forces creating patterns of problems. The community policing method is proactive rather than responsive. The approach also calls attention to the degree to which the police are dependent on the public for support, information, and cooperation. A recent study suggests that the benefits of community policing may have been oversold to the public, but there are also indications that community policing needs to be given time to work and that the police and the community must become more comfortable with one another to create a better atmosphere (Moran & Bucqueroux, 1995, p. 1057). One way for the police to learn more about the neighborhood and the residents is to be residents themselves. Requiring officers to live in the community is seen as a way of enhancing the community policing effort in a variety of ways and of adding to the comfort level on both sides. Police and citizens should see themselves as part of the same community. Informal and casual contact between police officers and the public occurs at different rates in different communities. Often, members of the public keep their distance from police officers out of concern that they will be investigated or somehow drawn into police activity or because of a general distrust of the police: â€Å"American studies show high social isolation of police officers in comparison with people in other occupations (Guyot, 1991, p. 279). Some see the police as having isolated themselves intentionally, leaving them open to charges of abusing their authority by coming into neighborhoods in which they have no stake and using their power unwisely. Community policing is seen as a way of reversing this. Wilson and Kelling (1989) note of crime, â€Å"Most crime in most neighborhoods is local: the offenders live near their victims† (Wilson & Kelling, 1989, p. 46). This makes people in these neighborhoods feel less safe, just as they can be made to feel more safe if police offices live in the neighborhood. The officers need to be comfortable with the victims and to understand the perpetrators, and living in the community they serve. Bringing more minorities into the police department is also often emphasized as a way to reach and include the black community. The proper model for bringing new hires into the department and for finding more qualified minorities is recruitment rather than hiring. Most departments emphasize hiring, which means that applicants come in on their own and ask to join the department, after which they are evaluated. Recruitment involves seeking out qualified applicants and selling the idea and the department to them. This is a practice approach that can be conducted throughout the community, for individuals of all backgrounds, and this also avoids the quota stigma while including more minorities by identifying those who would fit the needs of the department. This still leaves a barrier in the form of the requirements for qualification, which need to be more flexible in order to emphasize training after acceptance rather than having the skills needed before applying. This idea would also extend the reach of the recruiter more deeply into minority groups (Carter & Radelet, 1999, p. 173). The development of a proper plan for implementing recruiting means determining need on several bases, including short-term needs, medium-term needs, and long-term needs. For all, the department needs to develop â€Å"a marketing plan for recruiting that includes operational, tactical, and strategic objectives† (Carter & Radelet, 1999, pp. 174-175). Developing a plan for hiring more minority officers can begin with analyzing what other departments have done to address the same issue, and some of what is found in a survey on the subject includes good recommendations for an approach to take. For instance, an Action Plan offered by the department in the Canadian city of Brantford includes noting that the minorities already in the department can be a great help in recruiting new minority hires by serving as the face of the department in certain communities. For instance, these officers can be depicted in recruitment materials in the law enforcement role whenever possible to encourage potential female and visible minority candidates. These officers can also be used to give active encouragement for the recruitment of potential candidates. They can also represent the department at high schools, colleges, and universities to attract potential candidates through continued participation in such things as the student co-op placement program, anti-vandalism program, and the High School Resource Officer program. These officers can also work with groups in the community representing the community diversity to build relationships and encourage potential candidates, which will also involve sitting on police liaison committees and hosting Citizenship Court (Recruiting Process, 2004). Allen (2003) suggests that the only way to keep police departments focused on minority hiring is by instituting an affirmative action program, but given recent court rulings and public attitudes, that is not a viable solution. Allen does note that keeping up with minority hiring is a problem because what is required always changes, as noted with reference to mesa, Arizona: The minority population is slowly yet steadily increasing. Both the increase in population and changes in ethnic demographics have affected the city's public safety needs and contribute to the department's difficulty in becoming more diverse (Allen, 2003). Among the problems noted for programs to hire more minorities are resistance from within from officers who feel threatened by change, community resistance, suits from those who believe they have been the target of reverse discrimination, and simple difficulties in finding qualified applicants. Programs useful in police hiring can be adapted to the specific needs of minority hiring. In order to improve the quality of police recruits in general, programs have been set up at the college and university levels in order to recruit better-educated officers. Such programs can be used effectively at traditionally back colleges and universities in order to garner attention and attract minority recruits from that population. Such an approach would also be key to bringing in more recruits who would be good candidates for advancement in order to improve the mix in managerial roles. One of the complaints leveled at some departments when they use affirmative action for minority hiring is that the level of recruits goes down, but this would not be the case with recruits attracted from minority colleges. Within the department, a mentor program can be created to empower existing minority officers to give assistance, training, and advice to new recruits, a program that would help all officers and the department as a whole and that would also be especially useful for keeping new minority hires on track so they do not get discouraged and resign, as often happens. The mentors also serve as role models of what advancement brings. Once the department is on it way to a more varied and advanced status, it can offer incentives to minority officers from other departments to transfer. This can be another way of gaining qualified recruits, especially for the management level, as such a move up can be offered as the incentive that attracts them in the first place. They can then serve as mentors to other minority applicants and help expand the reach of the department. Their experience can also be invaluable. Once these programs are in place, they must be maintained in order to keep the department fresh, at a proper level of minority employment, and at a high level of community involvement and service and a high level of overall competence. The degree of change in the department in terms of the makeup of the force will show how well the program is working, just as normal evaluations of the work performance of new hires and old will show that the change is beneficial to the department. This analysis shows that there is a need to consider race first in terms of the community and second in terms of the make-up of the police force. In both cases, this is because race remains a dividing issue and one that is exacerbated by most poling programs. Community policing offers at least the chance of improving the system and reducing both the threat to the community and antipathy from the community.

Managing Diversity & Equal Opportunity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing Diversity & Equal Opportunity - Essay Example Provide a list of actions you would need to take as a manager to resolve this issue and also justify your answer. Introduction: Diversity is concerned with recognizing and valuing difference in cultures and ethnicities in the broadest sense. The thing that matters here is to create a working culture and related practices that recognize, respect, value and harness differences for the benefit of the organization as well as the individuals. Trust is an equal opportunities employer, which means that it is the Trust’s policy that there should be no discrimination, harassment, unfair treatment or victimization of any employee, job applicant, customer, provider of services or member of the public, neither directly nor indirectly on the grounds of race, nationality, gender, gender reassignment, marital or family status. Equality means creating a fairer society where everyone can participate and each individual has the opportunity to fulfill his or her potential. It is backed by legisl ations designed to address unfair discrimination based on membership of a particular group. Body: As an HR manager it is my responsibility and so I have the right to stop and prevent harassment and discrimination. Some of the ways in which I can fulfill my task is as follows: Supporting management by developing center policy and procedures for preventing and stopping ill and unfair treatment. Educating staff, particularly through induction and retraining, including specialized training for line managers. Helping the management to establish avenues of assistance at all duty stations for staff members who have experienced harassment or discrimination. Providing direct support and guidance to people involved in such issues Providing guidance to committees investigating harassment and discrimination complaints. Under the current situation, I have come to notice that in the organization some employees in my department are indeed upset, and I have found the reason to be an employee who is racially offensive towards individuals of non-white ethnic origins and discriminated as well as harasses them. As an HR manager, I am responsible for eradicating discrimination and harassment, which is the key to establishing a work place of dignity. To facilitate such an environment, I will ensure that All new appointees, including contractors and consultants, particularly, line managers and supervisors have relevant policies explained to them as part of their induction, early at the time of appointment. Appropriate retraining is given to the workforce from time to time, staffs are reinforced to understand the purpose, ramifications and implications for sustaining a workplace of dignity. Line managers receive specialized training on harassment and discrimination issues as they are the first line of defense and, therefore, must be made thoroughly aware of harassment and discrimination issues. They must act as role models, be alert to the emergence of such mistreatment problems in t heir workgroup and be aware of their responsibilities as they are empowered to act expeditiously and appropriately. It is my duty to solve this problem and as a solution, I would brief the alleged employee to stop his discrimination and to concentrate on the work assigned to him. If he still fails to understand the need to treat his colleagues with respect and

Corporate Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Corporate Strategy - Essay Example (Andrews, 1997). To properly formulate its corporate strategy, an organisation must assess its organisational strengths and weaknesses, as well as its environmental threats and opportunities, which will enable it choose among alternative courses of action. (Hofer and Schendel, 1984) cited in Schneider, (1998). This indicates that an organisation must perform a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis prior to formulating corporate strategy. A number of factors have been identified as having an effect on corporate strategy formulation: for example, Kets de Vries and Miller (1984) suggest that managerial personality and experience is an important determinant of the strategy formulation process; Janis (1972) considers group dynamics as an important factor affecting the formulation of corporate strategy while Frederickson (1984); Lyles and Mitroff (1985) suggest that organisational structure plays an important role in strategy formulation. Within the context of today’s global competition, businesses and firms no-longer compete as individual companies but try to corporate with other businesses in their activities (Wu & Chien 2007:2). These researchers went further to argue that, this strategy has become quite common in many businesses including the retail clothing chain stores. The conventional vertical integrated company based business model is gradually being replaced by collaborative relationship between many fragmented, but complementary and specialized value stars and constellation (Wu & Chien:1). The next section provides a brief history of Sony Ericsson and its activities. According to the company annual review report, Sony-Ericsson emerge from the merger of two entity, in October 2001, Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson to make mobile phones. This was due to expected

Types of Market Research to Undertake Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Types of Market Research to Undertake - Essay Example The macro-environment involves interactions with technological, socio-cultural, political and economic factors that emanate from without the company’s setting. For instance, since the market for ice ball moulds faces competition from other companies, the following types of research are suggested to be carried out (Loudon et al, 2006, p8). Research will be carried out to determine the level of market penetration by the company and the likelihood of reaching the most remote prospective customer. By facilitating research for market penetration by the company and its competitors, the company will be ensuring that the current market share is maintained and stretched if possible. Research recommendations would give such policies as competitive pricing as well as an aggressive sales promotion for the Soccer Ball Football Ice Mold. The company will ensure that the market dominance is secured by meeting customers’ demand and preferences. Increase in customer orders will be targe ted for research to come with solutions some of which could include loyalty scheme introduction. The existing logistics and distribution networks can be assessed to provide alternative distribution techniques to enhance market development. Product development will be analyzed to determine if the name Soccer Ball Football Ice Mold is enough competitive as a brand name. Market diversification is also another channel to unravel market potential strategies. Research recommendations would give such policies as competitive pricing.