TQM in United Airlines Essay Example for Free

TQM in United Airlines Essay The notion of Total Quality Management has paved the way for many businesses to adapt to the ever changing demands of the market. Because of this principle, many large companies such as United Airlines have already involved TQM to back up their goals in maintaining superior customer satisfaction by providing the best product packages and services.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Why does an organization need to implement a customer targeted quality principle? Basically, the answer to this question will only divert in a single approach, to increase profitability. Of course, a business entity needs to strengthen its capacity to maintain a high level of business function. In order to do this, it should have at least a permanent group of client parameters which will support its operations for a long time. For a company, every aspect of its operations in the business primarily depends on how the customers influence its performance in the market share. That is why maintaining a group of customers longer than expected will sustain stability for the organization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the aspect of maintaining a customer base, the company should know that it needs to involve the direct approach in satisfying the requests of the customers. It should be able to support the needs of the clients as well as to satisfy their demands for a good service. Apparently, an excellent form of customer satisfaction predicts the level of customer retention a company may achieve (Kotelnikov, 2008). If the customers get quality products and services, then most likely they will have a good relationship with the brand. Thus, the company will get credit for such attention and will be able to strengthen its grip in the market.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Essentially, TQM has long been implemented by companies which are involved in the service sectors. The main reason for this is that business owners know that customer satisfaction can help produce larger profit generations when they are fulfilled with the services they need. Of course, this does not only involve the delivery of services but the functional rendering of quality service. For United Airlines, the value of quality has a direct contribution on the perception of the customers towards how the company projects its image to the commercial market. This ideal has let the air company to implement certain measures that will help it achieve the overall client-based satisfaction for many years of its operations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For United Airlines, the company has implemented a strategic TQM principle to make way for full customer satisfaction for its services. Since the organization is involved in the service sector, it has delegated its approach to sustain a better condition of flights to all of its passengers. This goal intends to keep the airline company operate at the maximum levels of quality while capturing a large share of margins in the airline industry segment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to help the company structure its TQM aspect, it has defined a 12-point customer satisfaction system. This format was established to help the organization be reminded of what their primary goal is aside from profitability (United Airlines, 2008). The list contains the most significant approaches that United Airlines can complete for customer satisfaction principles. Lowest Airline Rate – United Airlines’ quality service does not come only in the aspect of direct physical interactions. It also provides an economic fundamental to achieve customer satisfaction. The company offers some of the lowest air fare rates to various destinations. This approach in quality management helps boost the company sales in terms of satisfying the clients about financial considerations. There are also special discounts and privileges for passengers who are going to buy airline tickets in bulk or during holiday seasons. This extends customer service in economical ways. Customer Information – As part of the TQM principle of UA, one very good approach of the company is to send important messages and info about the status of flight schedules. Of course, if something is predicted to become a delaying factor of the operations, then the passengers should be made aware of it in order for them to adjust personal schedules. This will give the clients a perception of reliability and become more confident of the airline’s operations. Baggage Delivery – United Airlines employ the service fundamentals of on time delivery of baggage for optimum customer satisfaction. The airline employs responsible and efficient staffs in order to take care of the passenger’s baggage for scheduled delivery per flight. Baggage Limit – in addition to baggage delivery, the company also provides a fair structure when it comes to identifying baggage limitation principles for each of its passengers. Reservations – The Company provides the option for the customers to have a seat reserved to them or to cancel it. This helps the customer to involve a thorough decision making approach about his trips. Ticket – In cases when seats are requested to be cancelled, the company also provides an option for its passengers to have a ticket refund. This can optimize the trust of the clients to the company as part of the customer satisfaction program. Special Passengers – One of the distinct quality management of United Airlines is its capability to accommodate passengers with varying needs. It is very likely that flight operations will attend to passengers with disabilities. In this aspect, the company has designated facilities and personnel who will cater to the needs of these special clients. Customer Needs – On the part of basic customer needs, the company also employs a service commitment to help passengers get the things they need. A refreshing on flight drink or a very good TV program on board are just some of the customer satisfaction service offerings. Customer Treatment – United Airlines also instructed its personnel to treat denied passengers with optimum respect. They are also provided with the information of the case why such acts are necessary based on the situation. Current Flight Info – The staff of the airline also makes it a point to disclose information about other flight concerns such as cancellation policies, itineraries and technical aircraft configurations. Coordination – The Company also employs the use of coordination techniques for regional operations so that it can easily manage customer service needs in very efficient ways. Since the company is involved in cross-continent operations, it is advantageous for it to have an open communications with airports and air facilities in different countries. This makes it possible for the company to customize its services based on passenger nationalities. Customer Inquiries – One last customer service principle of United Airlines is its direct, simple and timely response to customer questions and inquiries about the operations of the airline. As a matter of fact, it is one of the pioneers in the airline industry which enable their clients to ask questions using different channels such as telephone, internet and mobile phones.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For a company to maintain its optimal business operations, it should have the necessary capability to address the organization’s needs both internally and externally. In the internal matters, it would be appropriate to select a leadership who can inject principles towards quality management. This does not only involve schemes of profitability immediately in the market scope but should also address the long term possibility of growth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For United Airlines, the leadership principles employed by its administration has provided so many advantages for the organization. Because of the formulation of the 12-point customer satisfaction system, the admin was able to capture the true needs of the passengers when it comes to reliable and efficient airline operations. The leaders very well know that having a business in the service sector demands a direct approach towards the impressions of the clients. If they will receive a very good service with all the aspects of quality, then most likely they will get the worth of their money. And if they experience these benefits, then it is not impossible for them to stick with the company as their major airline service provider. In the light of economic recession, Airline customer satisfaction falls while one of the reasons can be attributed to customer satisfaction (Boston, 2008). However, with United Airline’s TQM principle, it is less likely to experience client related dilemmas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Increasing the capability of the business towards economic strengthening goes beyond effective investment processes. Although it may be important to allocate the funds in the most diversified and profitable ways, the creation of TQM principles will ultimately predict how the organization will sustain long term market presence. In order for the business to flourish exponentially, it should always look at how its major clients will be affected with the use of business principles related to quality. References Boston. 2007. Airline customer satisfaction falls. Bsoton.com-Business. Retrieved January 23, 2008 from http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/05/15/airline_customer_satisfaction_falls/?rss_id=Boston+Globe++Business+News. Kotelnikov, V. 2008. Customer Satisfaction. Ten-3 Business E-coach. Retrieved January 23, 2008 from http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/customer_satisfaction.html. United Airlines. 2008. Customer Commitment. United Airlines Inc. Retrieved January 23, 2008 from http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,1506,00.html.

Pros And Cons Of Electric Power Engineering Environmental Sciences Essay

Pros And Cons Of Electric Power Engineering Environmental Sciences Essay Electric power has becoming a necessity in our daily lives. As the use of fossil fuels are slowly running out and phasing out, the use of environmentally friendly energy is now becoming popular and cheaper too. Electrical power is then transmitted after an electric charge has been generated and converted into electricity. It is then distributed to substations then to the homes at a level of voltage, which is safe for us to use. And that is how scientists and engineers have made electricity such as a success to date. Electric power is the use of electric energy to do work. Through electric power, machines are run, and through the running of machines electricity can be generated. Electric power is used in all industries and therefore become an essential tool in our lives. No-one is certain as to where the future of transmission and distribution of electric power lies, but scientists are certain that the energy sources of the future definitely lie in the emission-free sources. Over the years of electric power production various energy sources have been used to produce electric power across the world. These energy sources have been used according to its availability in that specific area, the cost to build and maintain the station, how it will be transmitted and distributed and lastly its affect on the environment. Engineers are trying to find an alternative of clean and cost effective energy to produce electric power. These are some of the electric power used from the past, to date. Hydro-electric power Hydroelectric power is the conversion of energy from free falling water into electrical energy. It uses the water stored in dams. The water flows through a tunnel pipe to the power plants hydraulic turbine. As water rushes through the turbine, it spins the turbine, which drives the electric generator.[1,2] [see figure 3.1 and 3.2]. Pro: It costs less to operate than fossil-fueled stations. There are no emissions produced. Cons: There is generally a deterioration of fish spawning in the areas when dams are used. This process of producing hydro electric power is limited to availability of water and suitable locations for dams and reservoirs [1,2,3] Nuclear power Nuclear power uses a device called nuclear reactor to produce enormous amount of heat by fissioning the nuclei of atoms of a heavy element like Uranium. The heat converts water into steam, which drives the turbine that runs the electric generator. After the steam has turned the turbine, it is left to be condensed in the cooling towers and then later recycled in the plant [4]. Pros: It is carbon-free electricity as it hardly emits any carbon dioxide. It requires much less fuel than fossil-fueled stations to produce an equal amount of electricity. Cons: It produces tons of radioactive waste annually, which is a health hazard to all living organisms. Uranium mining scars the land and pollutes the water supplies as all types of mining do [4,5,6]. Geothermal power Geothermal energy is generated wherever water comes into contact with hot rocks below the Earths surface. The rocks give off heat that makes the water hot enough to turn it into steam. The energy is captured by tapping into earths crust through a process called hydrothermal convection, where a cooler water seeps into the Earths crust, is heated up and then rises to the surfaces. When the water is heated it turns into steam. The steam is then captured and used to drive electric generators [7]. Pros: It releases no harmful emissions as it is a natural source of energy. It is far more efficient than heating and cooling and can move 3-5 times more energy Cons: Geothermal heat pumps have higher up-front costs. Theres a risk that while trying to drill into earths crust, it might trigger seismic activity fracture rock stability, thus resulting in the collapsing of infrastructures.[7,8] And now it is rumored that the use of biofuels might be the energy source for the future as they are the third generation biofuels (made from algae and other microbes). Despite the type of energy source used, the bottom line is they all have to create enough force to turbine a turn a turbine that will then run a generator. The generator has a rotating electromagnet called a rotor and a stator. A separate generator called an excitor powers the rotor creating a magnetic field that produces an electric charge in the stator. The charge is transmitted as electricity [1,7].[see Figure 3.3 and figure 3.4] Electric power transmission There are mainly two ways electric power can be transmitted either overhead or underground. As electric current moves along transmission lines, the lines resist the current flow. The resistance within the lines causes the current to lose energy. Power stations therefore limit energy losses by transmitting electricity at high voltages. As the voltage is increased, the amount of current needed to transmit a particular amount of electric power decreases. Because there is less energy lost due to the resistance. Electric current may either be DC or AC. Direct current flows in only one direction. Alternating current is therefore easier to transmit than direct current [1].[see Figure 5]. The history behind the way electric power is transmitted today. In 1878, Thomas Edison [see Figure 6:] developed and sold commercially viable replacement for gas lighting and heating locally generated and generated direct current electricity. He opened the worlds first public electricity supply in the late 1881.this system was powered from a water wheel , which drove a Siemens alternator that supplied a number of arc lamps with electricity within the town as well as shops and premises. As the years went by Edison opened more power stations in various parts o the world. All his methods of supplying electricity were using direct current (DC). Later on that year it was discovered that there was a demand for electricity, so Edison decided to increase the voltage so that the high demand for electricity could be supplied, and also because the increase in voltage reduced the resistive losses in the cable. But it was after a series of fatal accidents that he also realized that increasing the voltage increases the danger from direct contact and also incre ases the required insulation thickness. Furthermore some loads were difficult or impossible to make for higher voltages. Nikola Tesla, who worked for Edison for a short period of time and appreciated electricity in a way that Edison did not, devised a alternative system using alternating current. Tesla realized that while doubling the voltage would halve the current and reduce losses by three quarters, only an alternating current system allowed the transformation between voltage levels in different part of the systems. This allowed efficient high voltages for distribution where their risks could be easily migrated by good design while still allowing fairly safe voltages to be supplied to the loads. He went on to develop alternative for DC appliances. In 1888, Tesla worked with George Westinghouse, who owned a patent for type of transformer that could deal with high voltages and was easy to make. They both built a power system for a gold mine in Colorado. Almarian Decker finally inve nted the whole system of the three-power generating in California. Edison was force to sell his deal with General Electric to Teslas new system. Thus Teslas alternating current system remains the primary means of delivering electric power to consumers throughout the world. While high-voltage direct current is increasingly being used to transmit large quantities of electricity over long distances.[9] Electrical power distribution Some large industries require high voltage current and receive it directly from transmission lines. But high voltages are unsafe in homes, offices and most factories. The voltage must therefore be decreased before the electricity is distributed to them. High voltages are carried by the transmission line to sub transmission substations near the substations to 12500 to 138000 volts. The voltage is then further reduced at the distribution substations to 2,000 to 34,000 volts. Distribution lines may carry this medium voltage current voltage to commercial, industrial or institutional users. Distribution lines may also carry electric power to distribution transformers on poles , on the grounds , or in under ground vaults. Distribution transformers are what reduce the voltage to the levels needed by most users. Wires from the transformers run to homes, stores, offices, and other users. Nearly all consumers receive electric power at a level of 110-240 volts. And we use it to run our daily li ves [1] [see Figure 7:] . Conclusion Electricity has evolved over the years for it to be where it is today. The electric power demand continues to grow. Power companies as well as engineers must plan carefully for expansion to meet the ever-increasing demand. However, construction of new power plants is costly and takes several years. Many planned nuclear power have been cancelled due to the soaring construction costs and public concern over safety and nuclear waste [see Figure 8 ] :. Extensive research is being carried out into nuclear fusion, but it may take decades to succeed. If the consumption of fossil fuels continues as at present, then the supply will eventually run out. However, many scientists believe that energy from the sun, earth, wind and oceans can be used more extensively to produce electric power cheaply and efficiently in the future [1]. References : electric power. The World Book Encyclopedia. International edition. 6th vol. 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992 pp 159. Hydro electric power. The World Book Encyclopedia. International Edition. 6th vol. 1995,1994,1993,1992 .pp 159. United States geological Survey. (n.d.). Retrieved 11 09,2010, from Water Science for Schools: http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/hyhowworks.html nuclear power stations. The World Book Encyclopedia. International edition. 6th vol.1995,1994,1993,1992.pp159. Pros and Cons of nuclear power http://www.greenenergyhelpfiles.com Pros and Cons of nuclear power http:// timeforchange.org. Geothermal energy. The World Book Encyclopedia. International edition. 6th vol.1995, 1994, 1993,1992.pp 245. Department of energy-Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).2008. Geothermal (Ground-Source) Heat Pumps: Market status, Barriers to Adoption, and Actions to Overcome Barrers. Report ORNL/TM-2008/232. http://en.wikipedia.org./wiki/electric_power_industry.

Sex,Slavery And Human Trafficking

Sex,Slavery And Human Trafficking In some cases, sex slavery and human trafficking are connected to one another. Human trafficking is the practice of being tricked, lured, coerced, or otherwise removed from their home or country. In most instances, human trafficking of women and children had led them to being sexually exploited by traffickers. It is believed that more people are being trafficked across the border against their will now then at any point in the past. Adult victims are lured into this hidden industry with false promises of good jobs in other countries, false marriage proposals, or kidnapped. Children are also kidnapped into the sex industry, sold by their own families, and at times families are manipulated into selling their children. Traffickers would tell parents or family members that the children would have a brighter future if they left their families. Families believed that these traffickers would take their children and teach them a good trade to ensure their future, or be educated. But in reality, women and children are sold to brothels and held captive. Victims are kept in deplorable conditions, beaten, raped, and threatened. Medical care does not exist for those victims and many are exposed to deadly sexually transmitted diseases. History Viviene Cree (2008) wrote that women and children are especially vulnerable to sex trafficking because of their experience of powerlessness, poverty, gender-based discrimination, and the history of sexual and physical violence. Unfortunately, human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation is not something that happened overnight. History has shown us that the selling and using of the human body for sexual gratification was happening then and practice is continuing today. While searching for some information on the history of sex slavery, we found several academic articles that dealt with the owning of women and children for sexual use. Yaron Ben-Naeh (2006) wrote that from the 16th to the 19th century, female slaves were kept in Jewish household during the Ottoman Empire. The slaves that were being kept in these households were of Slavic origins captured during the Ottoman Campaign, or by their Tator collaborators in Eastern Europe. Because these slaves were of Slavic origins, the documented physical descriptions of these slaves were that they had fair colored hair and light colored eyes. Females were sought out for their domestic skills, strength, and their obedience. It was also suggested that the slaves were considered as beautiful objects that were present in the household. Court records, from that period, listed a wide range of prices of slaves. Prices were given according to the slaves physical attributes, skills, appearance, age, and the length of service agreed upon. These females were not only used for domestic servitude, but some were used as concubines to the males of the households, usually the master o f the domain. Sexual relationships with their masters were part of the slaves domestic duties. There was some documentation that female slaves were freed from their owners, if they were loyal and obedient. It was also written that some slaves mentioned in the wills of their deceased masters. Sometimes these slaves were left some money or items in the will. Some slaves are transferred to different family members or sold to neighbors when their owners passed away. It was not uncommon for some female slaves to be married off to family members, relatives, or friends. Children of the female slave, if they converted to Judaism and the Jewish owner acknowledged paternity, were legitimate heir and were legally allowed to their fathers inheritance. Viviene Cree (2008) wrote that public concern about human trafficking is not new. In the 19th and the 20th century, organizations were put together to stop the trafficking of human beings. One of these organizations was The National Vigilance Association (NVA), which was launched on August 1885 in London, UK. The purpose of the organization was to undertake private prosecution and alert the police to the infringements of the newly passes Criminal Law Act. The main provisions were: *1. It became an offense to procure a woman under 21 years of age for prostitution. *2. The age of sexual consent was raised from 13 years to 16 years *3. Anyone who detained a women or a girl for the purpose of unlawful sex, in an brothel or other premise. *4. Financial penalties or imprisonment were imposed on anyone found guilty of keeping, managing, assisting, owning, or renting out premises used as a brothel or for the purpose of prostitution. In the beginning, the organization was focused on local activities in their area. For instance, prostitutes were blamed for the declining health of the nation and the armed forces. The NVA created campaigns to eradicate prostitution. To accomplish this task, members investigated brothels, dance halls, and dangerous houses. Members of the organization were able to remove women and children whom they believed were at risk. At the end of the 19th century, the NVAs executive committee formed the International Bureaus British National Committee to handle international activities. In 1921, the League of Nations took over the responsibilities of the International Bureau and combined their forces with the NVA on seeking agreements between countries on the repatriation on prostitutes, on the traffic of women and children, and on the abolition of licensed houses (regulated brothels), and on the assistance of expelled foreign prostitutes. The organization targeted the white slave trade, which dealt with child prostitution and the entrapment and removal of white British girls from overseas brothels. The panic was over the kidnapping of innocent (white) girls who were being forced into the life of prostitution. Socialist believed that prostitution, at that time, was the inevitable by-product of capitalism. Women had to use their bodies because the economic structure did not offer women legitimate opportunities of earning a wage. Another part of history has shown us that war was another excuse used to violate womens bodies, such as trafficking women across to the battlefield to service soldiers. The comfort women use by the Imperial Japanese Army during WWII, was one of the most extreme forms of institutionalized forms of violence against women. It was institutionalized because the Japanese military felt that if they set up brothel stations it would reduce the amount of rapes. Until recently, the comfort women of WWII have been silent and lost in the written pages of history books. The military called these women military comfort women to disguise the horrific nature and true purpose of these women. In December 1991, Korean women had started to come forward claiming to be comfort women and exposing sexual crimes committed against them by the Japanese army during the war. Pyong Gap Min wrote that the victimization of Korean Comfort Movement has three major components: (1) their being forced into military sexua l slavery, (2) their suffering inside military brothels, and (3) their half-century of agonizing experiences after their return home. These women came forward because they felt that they deserved any official apology from the Japanese government. They also were seeking compensation, prosecution of offenders and war criminals, proper education of the public on the nature of this war crime, a rewritten history of war crimes in the textbooks to include the sexual violations, and memorial tablets for the deceased comfort women. Young girls, between the ages of 14 to 17, were taken off the streets by Japanese soldiers and were forced to service an average of thirty to forty soldiers a day. George Hicks wrote in his book, The Comfort Women: Japans Brutal Regime of Enforced Prostitution in the Second World War that these women were rotated between some many men that their pudenda grew swollen and inflamed, and they were constantly attempting to gain relief by applying cold towels. Hicks also mention, that women were taught tricks of the trade by maximizing time and effort. They were taught to douche between rapes, or hurriedly apply cotton wool soaked in disinfectant. As supplies started to run low, the women had to reuse condoms by rinsing them off between uses. These girls were made to service in military brothels established in China and other Asian and Pacific countries during the Asian and Pacific War (1932-1945). The girls came from Korean, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Europea n women were also used by the military. These women were of Dutch, taken from prisoner of war camps in Indonesia. The estimate numbers of women taking and transported across the battlefield was about 200,000, and less than 30 percent survived to the end of the war. Korean women made up the higher percentage of the women taking, about 80 percent of the total population of comfort women. The Japanese army divided the women according to race, class, nationality, and the ranks of the officers they were made to service. Korean women and Asian women were taken an advantaged of by the lower class soldiers. Japanese and European women were saved for the upper class officers of the military. Korean women were treated more cruelly than Japanese women, mainly because of Japaneses colonization of Korea. It was not until recently, that the Japanese government would not acknowledge the use of comfort women during WWII. For years, Japan had denied the recruitment and transportation of these women. On January 16, 1992, Yoshimi Yoshiaki, a Japanese history professor, discovered documents found information about the military comfort women in the library of Japans Self Defense Force in Japan. Finally, with the discovery of documentation and victims stepping forward, Japan admitted to this part of their history and issued a formal apology in August of 1993 with no compensation. Instead the government solicited donations from their citizens and put the funds into the Asian Movement Fund. By doing this, the government avoided any legal and financial responsibilities. Another war that contributed to the trafficking of females to service male soldiers was during the Vietnam War. During the war, the Thai government received billions of dollars in military and economic aid because of its alignment with the United States (Ratchada Jayagupta (2009). In exchange, the Thai government authorized 700,000 U.S military troops in north-eastern and eastern Thailand. Because of the increase of foreign men coming into their areas, criminal networks started to recruit females from costal towns of Pattaya and Bangkok for sexual services. These women were used to service military men on their leave time. To help facilitate the migration process, immediate family member of the women, locals, and traffickers would be involved in the transportation. When the U.S government withdraw its troops from Thailand, which did not stop sex tourism in Thailand. As a matter of fact, by 1982 tourism had become Thailands top foreign exchange earner. In most cases involving crime and criminal activities, the males exploitations of females was/is for the purpose of sexual gratification and for profit. In the animal kingdom, some species exploit their females not for the purpose of satisfying their lust but to ensure the continuation of the species. One of these animals is a species of copepods, called a sea louse. The sea louse males start recruiting females by giving off a chemical smell that females find irresistible. The female would follow the chemical trail that lead up to the males lair. When she gets close enough, the male would capture her and bring her inside the lair. The male would repeat the same procedure for the next three months until he has enough females. The male sea louse can have up to three dozens females in his harem. He will line all the females in a row in his tunnel to monitor them closely. When the females begin to molt, he will then mate with each of them. The females will sacrifice their lives in order for their offspring s to survive. Each female will become swollen with eggs, and when it is time those eggs will hatch. It takes a lot of energy to hold such a large number of young in her shell. By the time the young are ready to be born, she will died of exhaustion. Profits Money is the incentive of most crime and criminal activities. Unfortunately, sex slavery or human trafficking is a highly profitable underground industry. Rachada Jayagupta (2009) believes the human trafficking has now become the third largest criminal activity in the world, next to drugs and arms trafficking. Jennifer Ludden (2009) wrote that human trafficking is the second largest illicit business in the World after drugs. After narcotics and arms sales, trafficking is estimated to be the largest source of revenue for organized crime (U.S. Department of State 2004). Trafficking of human beings is such a lucrative business, that it profits are estimated to be in the billions every year. The selling of the human body is considered more profitable than drugs. In 1990, the trafficking of human, mostly for prostitution, generated an annual profit between $1.9 billion and $3.2 billion Canadian (Janet Bagnall (2002). Drugs are sold and used once, but the body of the person can be used and sold over and over again. Women, who are sold into prostitution, can be earners for their pimp for years. Most of the money that these women make goes directly to the hands of their pimps, with little or nothing going to the victims. On February 5, 2010, The Sun reported that an Irish Pimp, who ran a multi-million euro prostitution ring in Wales, was sentenced to seven years in prison. Thomas Carroll, his wife Shamiela Clark, and his daughter Toma Carroll, were all sentence for trafficking women and forcing them into prostitution. The girls, who would charge their clients 250 euro for an hour, had to lodge their earning into Toma Carrolls account. Carroll would than transfer the money to her fathers account. In 2006, 111,000 euros was deposited, 113 million euro was deposited in 2007, and 500,000 was lodged by September 2009. Trafficked women retain little or nothing of the money they earn. Women and children of these sex industries are immediately discarded when they no longer become attractive to their potential clients, or are no longer profitable to their pimps. In Cambodia, children are considered commodities, and are often tortured and killed when they have outlived their usefulness. Another reason for the short lifespan of these victims is they are more susceptible to diseases. With inadequate health care and poor hygiene, many victims are infected by AIDS and other transmitted diseases. Victims are giving drugs and rape repeatedly by their captures to break their wills and prevent them from escaping. These captures would usually be the first to rape their victims, in order to give them lessons on how to please their clients. If these trafficked women or girls do no meet the quota or the requirements to satisfy the clients, they would be quickly sold off to another person or brothel. Women and children are also given drugs so they can earn more money by taking on more clients. Some women and girls choose to take methamphetamines, in order to endure the physical and mental pain. They also take the drugs to be able to take on more clients. Kuntea Pang, left her home in Kampong Cham, to find her sister in the city. When she arrived there, a woman and said that she would help Kuntea find her sister. Instead, this woman brought her to a brothel and gave her methamphetamines. The drug made her not want to eat and not want to sleep, qualities that are desirable in sex worke rs. The methamphetamine also made Kuntea forget what happened to her as she was being held captive. When women and children are discarded, new recruits must take her place in the sex industry. Traffickers target victims according to the taste of their customers. In Thailand, young virgins in the sex tourism industry are considered a prize commodity. Virgins are prized because of their youth, inexperience, and the lack of sexually transmitted disease. Child virgins are especially prized because of their beauty and lack of sexual transmitted diseases. Larry Hilblom, the founder of DHL courier service, was one of those people who preferred the innocent of children. Generic testing had confirmed that he fathered at least four children from three Pacific Rim countries (Scheer, 1997). Shared Hope International (SHI), a non-profit group, undertook a 12 month long operation of commercial sexual exploitation in Jamaica, Japan, Netherlands, and the United States. SHI revealed a sophisticated business model for the sex tourism and sex trafficking. They compared this business with being in a m all. In a mall, buyers are able to choose from a variety of human products of different ages and different colors. David Hodge wrote that traffickers increase their market by being able to provide younger and younger females to be used for prostitution. The United States Central Intelligence Agency, estimates that traffickers can earn about $250,000 for each trafficked women. Child pornography is another type of sex industry that has become highly profitable for pimps and child sex operators. Child pornography includes magazines, videos, photographs, books, pictures, audiotapes, motion pictures, and images on the Web that show children in sexually explicit acts. Barri Flowers (2001) said, Some children are forced into child pornography by pimps and operators of sex rings or sex tourism, where they turn into sex slaves. In Germany, the sales of child porn are estimated to exceed $250 million. The biggest consumer of child porn comes from the United States, with their numbers to be about 6 million dollars annually. Eighty-five percent of the worldwide sales of pornography come from America (Flowers, 2001). So how much does a human body cost in this underground economy? The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) gave an example of how profitable the selling of human being is. They used the example of a girl who was kidnapped in the village of Nepal. This girl would be trafficked to India and sold for $1000 and then trafficked into the United States and sold for $20,000. Janet Bagnall from the Gazette, wrote that young girls from Nepal are sold at the Indian border for four dollars. They are then sold a second time to brothel owners in Bombay for $500 to $1000. These girls would not be able to leave the brothels until their purchase price has been paid off. The purchase price plus interest would be a debt that these Nepali girls must pay off, which might stretch on indefinitely. The United Nation estimates that human traffickers can earn about 10 billion dollars per year, and the average sale price for a slave is $12,500. Globalization Traffickers, pimps, organized groups have found another way to increase their profit margins. Instead of staying within their own countries, these opportunists have found a way to take their industry globally. By being able to transport women and children to a wider range, they are able to supply a larger clientele. Criminal gangs have started trafficking their victims to area where they believe there will be a high demand for sexual services, such as rock concerts, football games, and other major sporting events. During the World Cup games in 2006, there was an increase of sex trafficking to meet the demand for commercial sex during that event. It is estimated that more than 40,000 women and children were transported to Germany for the month long event. Many victims were placed in mega brothel, quickie shacks, and other underground networks that existed in Germany during that time. The Internet has made it especially easy for clients to find their victims in other countries. Technological advances have made it possible for a much broader, international group of consumers to travel long distances to have sex with minors in the 20th and the 21st century. The Internet is highly unregulated and the fastest growing communication network in the world. In just a matter of minutes, a man can book a plane ticket, get a hotel, and reserve the body of a female all in the comfort and privacy of his own home. Donna Hughes said that advertisements and endorsements for sex tourism, mail order brides, brothels, strip bars, and escort services are openly and easily found on the World Wide Web. Men are able to go onto internet discussion groups and find information on the sex industry. They are able to find names of brothels in other countries, information on the price of women and girls. Descriptions on sex tours found in The World Sex Guide would have information on hotel pric es, taxi services, telephone numbers, cost of alcohol, what kinds of sex act that can be bought, the price for each act, and the comments about the women. In 1995, an American man who operated Pimps R Us, organized a sex tour to the Dominican Republic. The tour was four days and three nights and included oral sex from a prostitute chosen by the tour guide. As of 1996, 25 companies in the United States offer sex tours to other countries. These packaged deals will include plane tickets, accommodations, ground transportation, local guide, and the promise of sexual encounters with local girls. One U.S based sex tour operator promises customer that they will never sleep alone in this tour. Women and children are trafficked everyday to underdeveloped and developed countries. It is not uncommon for women and children to be trafficked from countries that have economic and political problems. The flow of the trafficked is from poorer to richer countries. From Latin America to the United States and Western Europe, from Eastern Europe to Western Europe, the Middle East, Japan, North America; from Africa to Europe; from Nepal to India; from Burma, Cambodia, and Vietnam to Thailand; from Thailand to Japan and Australia (Baird, 2007). Many of the women and girls are taken and trafficked into the commercial sex industry. The United Nation (UN) believes that the victim of trafficking spans the globe, from 127 countries to be exploited in 137 countries. Most of the slaves come from Albania, Belarus, China, Romania, Russia, and Thailand. They are then trafficked to destinations such as Asia, western Europe, North America, and the Middle East. It is estimated that as many as half of the 100,000 women and children working in brothels in Bombay came from Nepal (Wilson, 1997). Since the 1990s, girls are being trafficked to Thailand from neighboring countries. These countries are Myanmar, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Yunnan Province in China. Women and girls are trafficked from Cambodia primary from Vietnam. The victims are brought from Cambodia and sent to brothels in Phnom Penh to work. Some Cambodians are transported out to other countries like Thailand, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The regions with substantial child trafficking burdens include West Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, and Latin America (Beyrer 2004). In Quebec, organized crime network can recruit and transport Russian women from their homes and into Quebec message parlors with 3 weeks. Foreign tourists who travel to these countries come from fairly rich, developed countries. A large number of foreign sex tourists are males from wealthy industrialized countries like the United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Australia, France, and Japan. A high number of tourists come from the Unites States. Each year foreign travelers from predominantly Western countries pump billions of dollars into the economies of developing nations when they purchase sexual services (Andrews, 2004). Foreigners feel that paying for sex with a female or male is part of the travel experience. It is hard to estimate how many foreign tourists frequent these Southeast Asian countries because many tourists evade arrest in these countries that they commit the crimes. Child sex tourist face little fear of being caught because there is a relatively low risk of being prosecuted in the countries that they committed their criminal act. Police corruption and the government turning a blind eye is another rea son these men get away with their crimes. Most developing nations have little incentive for domestic enforcement because tourism is one of the main driving forces behind their economies (Andrews, 2004). It is very difficult for victims to seek help from institutions that were mandated to protect people; instead these institutions also become the puppets of organized gangs. Some peace officers are paid to look the other way by pimps, organized gangs, or traffickers. Corrupt law enforcement officials are giving bribes or sexual services in return for not arresting pimps or brothel owners (Andrews, 2004). In Cambodia, Dr. Kek Galabru, president of a human rights group, said that public official profit greatly from protection of child sex trade and that they themselves are frequent patrons of the brothels where the children are sold. Sri, a fourteen year old girl from Thailand, was sold to a brothel owned by an investment club. The members of this club were business and professional men , government bureaucrats, and local politicians. These men would leave the management of the brothel to pimps and a bookkeeper, to keep their hands clean. When Sri tried to run away from the brothel, a policeman found her and brought her back to her pimp. Slave trade requires the direct or indirect involvement of national governments (Kapstein, 2006). Since the profits are so high, traffickers have plenty of money to pay off government officials and local law enforcement. The U.S House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary said, sex tourists often escape prosecution in the host countries, because of factors ranging from ineffective law enforcement, lack of resources, corruption and immature legal system. Sex slavery is not only happening in other countries, but also in the United States. In the United States, brothels are operating as legitimate message parlors, spas, and acupuncture clinics. The U.S. Department of Justice prosecuted 555 people for human trafficking between 2001 and 2005, of those cases 129 cases involved child sex trafficking. The State Department revealed that 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States every year against their will. Shared Hope International and the Federal Bureau of Investigation estimated that every year 100,000 underage girls are forced or lured into the world of prostitution. Las Vegas is one city where minor sex trafficking is happening in large numbers. Children are being trafficked to Las Vegas from all over the United States. Interstates and expressways are making it easier for pimps to transport their victims across state lines. Truck drivers are recruited to drive minors to different states and deposit them to truck stops. CV rad ios become a very useful tool for truck drivers and sex workers to find each other. Sex workers would announce that they are available by letting the drivers know what channel she is on. If a driver is interested, he would tell the prostitute where he is located and what color is house is. Truck stops are the perfect place for hidden crimes to happen because they are isolated and out of the public and law enforcement view. United States Department of State Report The major source, The U.S. Department of States annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) annual report, is utilize to determine the trafficking efforts from various countries and to connect it to foreign assistance that performs in that region (Schuckman, p. 85). The report is arranged from Tier 1 to be most compliant to Tier 3 as noncompliant (McKinney, 2009): Tier 1: Countries that fully comply with the acts minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. Tier 2: Countries that do not fully comply with the minimum standards but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance. Tier 2: Watch List: Countries on Tier 2 requiring special scrutiny because of high or significantly increasing number of victims; failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons; or an assessment as Tier 2 based on commitments to take action over the next year. Tier 3: Countries that neither satisfy the minimum standards nor demonstrate a significant effort to come into compliance. Countries in this tier are subject to potential non-humanitarian and non-trade sanctions. Italy According to U.S. Department TIP for June 2009, Italy has a Tier 1 status. However, Italy is one of many countries that traffickers harbor and transport women and children internationally for sexual exploitation. Women and children are trafficked for forced prostitution mainly from Nigeria, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Albania, and Ukraine but also from Russia, South America, North and East Africa, the Middle East, China, and Uzbekistan (McKinney, 2009). According to the NGO statistics, there are two-thirds of the ninety percent of illegal foreign seasonal workers in Italy. This provides a larger opportunity for traffickers to prey on these victims. Moreover, these traffickers make it difficult for law enforcements to track the victims by constantly rotating these victims from various cities for a short period of a time. Even with the challenges, the Italian Government will continue to comply with the limited regulations to stop human trafficking. The Government of Italy is not showing mercy when traffickers are prosecuted and convicted. Italy abides by the 2003 Measures Against Trafficking in Persons law. This law provides the convicted a sentence of eight to twenty years of imprisonment, punishment equivalent to other grave offenses (US Senate Subcommittee, 2000). If the convicted was charged for trafficking for forced labor, then other laws will be used. Incomplete data for 2008 show the government investigated 2,221 individuals, arrested 316, prosecuted 480 trafficking suspects, and convicted 225 trafficking offenders, compared to 163 convicted for the same time frame in 2007 (US Senate Subcommittee, 2000). According to NGO ECPAT, roughly 80,000 Italian men travel to Kenya, Thailand, Brazil, Latin America, and the Czech Republic for sex tourism annually. In May 2008, an Italian male committed an offense both Thailand and Cambodia for child sex tourism. The Government sentenced him a total of fourteen years of imprisonment. The Italian Government not only offers punishment, but also protection for the victims. According to Article 18, anit-trafficking law allows authorities to grant residence permits and provide protection and job training services to victims of trafficking. Also, Article 13 provides for six months assistance to victims. With these assistance provided, these victims will have some hope for independence and begin a new life. Another benefit provided for victims is that they are not generally penalized if they file complaints against their traffickers. This will assist in more prosecutions and encourages victims to become proactive. Russia According to the U.S. State Department TIP June 2009 report, Russian ranks Tier 2-watch list. This is alarming. According to Schuckman, the activists that work for human rights, international, and humanitarian organizations, argue that countries that are technically in Tier 3 are granted a higher Tier 2-watch list as a diplomatic gesture. Nevertheless, Russia continues to be an origin as a transit and destination country for

The Moon is Down :: essays research papers

Throughout known history the system of democracy seems to be the most just, the most logical and the fairest of all ruling systems. Its ability to adjust to changing times is only one reason for its perseverance. In John Steinbeck’s The Moon is Down, this durability is displayed through the townspeople led by Mayor Orden, under the oppressive heels of their conquerors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most obvious examples of democracy’s endurance is the resistance displayed by the townspeople against their invaders. The oppression and invasion of the conquerors arouse, instead of crush, the desire in the defeated for freedom. These people, who have lived with the idea of a free rule of democracy, refuse to be chained down under the oppressive rule of the conquerors. It is for this reason that they strike back at their invaders. As said by Mayor Orden to Colonel Lanser of the aggressors, â€Å" ‘The people don’t like to be conquered, sir, and so they will not be. Free men cannot start a war, but once it is started, they can fight on in defeat. Herd men, followers of a leader, cannot do that, and so it is always the herd men who win battles and the free men who win wars.’ † [pp. 185-186] Thus, it is because of their freedom that people believing in the free rule of democracy do not let down and die when conquered, do not accept their being robbed of their rights, and fight against what is unjustly done to them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The townspeople fight on again, perhaps with even more resolve, after the execution of Alex Morden, instead of their spirits being crushed, as was the intent. The entire purpose of Alex Morden’s public execution was to dissuade potential upstarts, but the result was the exact opposite of what was desired. The public display only empowered the townspeople’s resolve to fight back. To put it in Mayor Orden’s words, â€Å" ‘Our people are invaded, but I don’t think they’re conquered.’ † [p 139] Consequently, these people refuse to be put down, and, when faced with situations like Alex’s death, are not deterred but continue on with strengthened resolve.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While resistance is one aspect of democracy’s endurance, determination is another powerful ability it has, as it is shown in the Anders boys’ escape to Britain for help. Because of their overwhelming desire for freedom, the townspeople were willing to, and did, try anything possible to rebel against their invaders.

Sarkar-Singer Hypothesis Essay -- International Trade

Sarkar-Singer Hypothesis Introduction Since terms of trade deterioration hypothesis was proposed by Prebisch and Singer in 1950, comparative advantage was doubted. Due to the export structure of developing countries (DCs) is dominated by primary products, and the export structure of industrialised countries (ICs) dominated by manufactured products; they compared primary products export of DCs and manufactured products export of ICs, and indicated that the terms of trade trend to deteriorate over time. This hypothesis is supported by many studies, such as Grilli and Yang (1998) and Spraos (1980); therefore the widening gap like existed. This hypothesis is confronted the traditional view, international trade and specialisation may not be better off. The Prebisch-Singer hypothesis also impacts on the trade policy of the majority of DCs to become inward looking. However, many studies appeal that the defected of Prebisch-Singer hypothesis, Sarkar and Singer analysis is the important appeal. Due to Singer (1958) views that the export structure of the DCs was dominated by primary products; export structure of the ICs by the manufactured products. Therefore, theearly studies use the terms of trade between primary products and manufactures as a proxy. Sarkar (1986) express that the growth of manufactured sectors, however, Singer (1987) proposes that even the change in the commodity composition of exports, the disadvantages in DCs lead the deterioration be continuous. Sarkar and Singer (1991) focuses on this subject, examines the impact of the shift in the commodity composition of exports of DCs. They proposed that the changes in commodity composition of exports are the important factor, as the primary sectors of DCs have a lower rat... ...ent, Vol. 19, No. 4, Page 333-340 Singer, H. W. (1950) The distribution of gains between investing and borrowing countries, American Economic Review, Vol. 40, No. 2, Page 473-485 Singer, H. W. (1958) Comment, Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 40, Page87-88 Singer, H. W. (1987) Terms of trade in John Eatwell, Murray Milgate and Peter Newman (Eds), The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics, London: Macmillan, Page 626-628 Singer H. W. (1998) The Terms of Trade Fifty Years Later – Convergence and Divergence, The South Letter (30) Sproas, J. (1980) The Statistical Debate on the Net Barter Terms of Trade Between Primary Commodities and Manufactures, Economic Journal, Vol. 90, Page 107-128 United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (2005) Trade and Development Report Chapter III: Evolution of the Terms of Trade and its Impact on Developing Countries

The War between Fox News Channel and Obama

The war between Fox News Channel and Obama began when Obama’s administration fired back against Fox, saying that Fox is ‘biased’ and not a ‘real news station’. Rahm Emanuel, the chief staff of president Obama said, â€Å"It is not a news organization so much as it has a perspective†. This dispute sparked controversial arguments from the public regarding the president’s decision to attack Fox channel. This also brings our attention to the news reporting channels like Fox and MSNBC. Are they really reliable? Are they ‘reporting’ the news, or simply giving their biased opinions? First of all, I do not think it is a good move for Obama and the White House to attack Fox news. For a president to attack a cable network is a very odd move to make because they are at a different status and levels in our society. Even though Obama’s claims might be true, I still feel that it is a bit arrogant to attack a person or organization that does not hold as much power as you. Furthermore, Obama is actually helping Fox’s ratings go up. Fox is receiving free publicity because the famous saying, ‘any publicity is good publicity’ is true. The public quarrel between Fox and the president brings up another concern and issue in journalism: the accuracy and quality of news reporting. Since I only moved to Boston a few months ago, I am not very familiar with the US news channels. I decided to compare Fox and MSNBC to see which network is less opinionated and biased. After a bit of research, I discovered that Fox is more conservative, and MSNBC is more liberal, however, both networks offer news and commentary. Their news stories are all very opinionated and their opinions are often influenced by their beliefs and values. This type of reporting is not ‘true’ reporting. Hopefully, people watch the Fox to be entertained, rather to be informed. True journalism should report both sides of the story, allowing readers themselves to feel what is right and what is wrong. Journalism should be a report of unbiased facts. Fox, MSNBC, and many other news networks will continue to be biased and opinionated in their news reports. What we can do as viewers, in attempt to avoid media bias, is to branch out and listen to a variety of news outlets, to learn to be well rounded in where we get our news.

Project Management Recommendation Essay

My team has pulled together the information you have requested and have come up with a recommendation for what we have found to be the most appropriate proposal for Piper Industries Corporation. The team has decided that the Stargazer proposal will be most beneficial to Piper Industries Corporation. This project proposal is forecasted to create the highest ROI compared to the forecasted project cost. A majority of the project costs are sunken costs of $450,000 which has been applied to the research and development of the new widget. The final project cost is estimated to be $575,000, which is an additional cost of $125,000. A key figure important in the decision was also the ROI, which is predicted to be $1,600,000 for the first three years on the market. The widget is expected to have a life-cycle of seven years. Based on the forecasted information from the first three years of sales, (first year $300,000, second year $550,000, and the third year $750,000) forecasted demand for the widget is expected to continue to grow. The difference between the ROI and the project cost is $1,025,000 (only estimated for the first three years). The reason that the Juniper and Palomino proposals were not selected was because of the projected costs in relation to the expected ROI. The Juniper project is expected to generate $250,000 ROI in a two to three year period, but the project costs are expected to be $325,000. The life-cycle is expected to be three years. The difference is -$75,000 in revenue, which means that the project does not have a profitable gain during its life-cycle. The Palomino project is predicted to generate a greater revenue of $450,000 in a five-year period ($90,000 yearly ROI), but the project costs are predicted to be $655,000. The life-cycle of the Palomino widgets is estimated to be seven years which increases the ROI to $630,000, and is still a loss to the company in relation to project costs of -$25,000 revenue. Neither of these  projects is estimated to create profits during their life-cycles. The setbacks in the Stargazer project include that the widget is an innovative product so there is a lack of historical data that can be used in the development. The specifications of the widget (based on R&D that has already been conducted) make it a high-risk product because of greater technological uncertainties. These uncertainties will be addressed early in the project process but will make it harder to meet the expected completion deadline. The project deadline is February 29, 2016, and the estimated delivery date will be determined in the first phase of the project. The phases of the project are broken down as follows: Phase One: Initiation This is the research phase of the project, where the goals and objectives of the project are defined clearly. In this phase, the forecasted budget, end-date (final deadline is February 29, 2016), resources required (including team members based on skills needed), and project milestones are addressed. Phase Two: Planning In this phase, all preparations are made for how the project will function. This is where the project objectives are defined, as well as key requirements of the project. The project is broken down into tasks and subtasks that are scheduled carefully to stay on track with other objectives. The schedules are made to reach the project delivery date, which is currently established for January 1, 2016 so the widget can be on the market by the project deadline of February 29, 2016. The cost of each task is determined, which gives a more precise picture of project cost. Phase Three: Implementation Actual work on the project begins in this phase. In this phase, cost accounts are created, work orders are issued, RFP are issued, contracts are made with vendors, and further resources are acquired (such as personnel). The project is officially set into motion. Phase Four: Control The project’s performance is carefully monitored for variances in actual activity and planned activity. The four main aspects that are monitored closely for variations include cost, schedules, risks, and the scope (the objectives of what the project is supposed to accomplish). This information is monitored by consistently collecting and analyzing data pertaining to these four aspects. The information is regularly reported through status reports and briefings to keep all interested parties up to date with the project’s progress. Phase Five: Closure In this phase, you are provided with the final product (widget), that has been tested and approved by all parties to the project. A complete history of the project is documented and given to you to be filed. The final payments to vendors are issued, and the cost codes for the project are closed, and the final invoice for services are submitted to you. Any equipment used for the project is disposed of accordingly, and the last step is to close the project site. My team is looking forward to your response to our suggestion. We are also looking forward to working with you on this project. If you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me.