What Spanish Students Need To Know About Spain

Zynga From Jewel Quest to Worl of War Craft - 2608 Words

Zynga From Jewel Quest to World of War Craft, gaming has become a nook online. Combing power socials networks such as Facebook, a social network game was developed. Zynga, an American company is the provider of popular social media games today. Zynga was founded in July 2007, and headquartered in San Francisco, California by Mark Pincus. Zynga became one of the world’s fastest growing companies online. Zynga the name originated by the company’s CEO Mark Pincus’ late African bulldog, Zynga. The company uses a bull dog as their logo. Zynga launched its best known game, Farmville on Facebook in August 2009. Farmville reached 10 million daily active users within six weeks of the launch. As of January 2013 Zynga reached over 265 million daily users. Zynga had reached three of the top five games on Facebook which included Farmville, Texas Hold’Em poker and Chef Ville. Advertising on Facebook was fairly low, buying traffic was cheap. Many of Zynga games were played by desktop. Zynga was doing fairly well but soon everything changed and they could not recover back. â€Å"We founded Zynga with the simple premise that people could put play back in their lives,† Zynga CEO Mark Pincus said at the start of the event. â€Å"We have a lot further to still go to accomplish our mission of connecting the world through games.†(Mark Pincus- CEO of Zynga) Zynga games are available on almost all major platforms which include, Apple IOS, Google Android, Google plus +, Facebook and

Latinos in America Free Essays

What is an American? This is a difficult question to address, especially concerning Latinos who only speak English. Many Latinos in the United States, consider language a point of high controversy. Some consider speaking spanish an essential part of being Latino , while others consider it a barrier that will prevent the assimilation into the American culture. We will write a custom essay sample on Latinos in America or any similar topic only for you Order Now Tanya Barrientos, like many other Latinos, wrestled with this very issue her entire life. Growing up as a Latina came with many stereotypes, speaking Spanish being one of the most negative characteristics for Barrientos. As society changed its views and learned to accept this diversity in language, Barrientos learned to embrace her heritage. The true question lies within her reasoning for this change in her perception, but was it for the right reasons? What makes this country great is that you can be both: A Spanish speaking latino that is fully emerged in American society. Being American is not about the language you speak but about your ideals and how they fit in the American way of life. Many Americans don’t realize that the choice in language is not determined by the individual but lies in the choice parents or caregivers. This choice is one that will haunt individuals for the rest of their lives. In Barrientos’ case, her parents decided it would be best for her to only speak English. As Barrientos grew up, she embraced her parents choice, saw this as a positive trait, one that differentiated her from most Latinas. She enjoyed defying expectations. Since childhood, she felt that speaking Spanish translated to been poor, holding less desirable jobs and discrimination towards the Latino community. It is because of this that she enjoyed attending a public school that attracted few Latinos, she wanted to distance herself from the rest. In her opinion, not speaking Spanish gave her an edge over other Latinos and allowed her to successfully fit into the American Anglo society. In her own words, it made her feel superior and American. Society pushed her to want to stay away from her heritage and embrace the melting pot as a full fledge citizen. Prejudice or stereotypes should not affect the way you feel about your ulture or background. If society is going to view you in a negative way because the way you look or where you come from, they will do so regardless of what you do. This should make you embrace your heritage and take pride in what makes you unique. This is especially true when it pertains to language, which is something that cannot be perceive by looking at a person. In Barrientos’ case it did not make sense to refuse a language when society would already perceive t he stereotype due to ethnicity. In her situation, not speaking Spanish made her feel like as if society did not view her as a Latina, when clearly by the comments from school staff and most likely other untold accounts, it didn’t make a difference. To others who did not know her, she was still a Latina, no different than the rest who were Spanish speaking. She had very little sympathy or affection for other latinos and held many negative views of her own culture. She tried to differentiate herself from the Latino community as much as possible, and succeeded. In a way she had become what she was avoiding, holding prejudice and acquired a feeling of superiority towards Spanish speaking Latinos. Barrientos was concerned about blending in with society, this meant being seen as â€Å"white†. In her mind white meant American, you could not be American if you spoke Spanish. As she puts it Spanish associated you with the radical thinking of Mexican-Americans or Afro-Americans. While emerging yourself in the society you live in is positive, refusing/denying your culture is not the best way to do it. She pushed her culture away because it did not have anything positive to give her, it would only bring her problems and misfortune. Barrientos did not care to even be considered Latina. That is what a selfish, insecure individual would do. It wasn’t until society view about Latinos and Spanish changed, that she started relating her culture to something positive. Once the realization that being Latino and speaking Spanish was not a negative but a positive, she began to change. In her own words it was time to take pride, but as she puts it, it felt fake, because in a way it was. It wasn’t until she had something to gain, that she wanted to fit in. It seems that is the overall theme of her life, always trying to fit in, but only when its most convenient for her. This attitude will never truly allow her to belong. Even after trying to learn Spanish, other Latinos notice that she was different. Her entire life she worked on putting up walls between her and the Latino community. She outcasted herself for so long and then found it very difficult to connect with her own community. I suspect it was not just the language but her attitude and demeanor as well. In a society as complex as the one in the United States, it is important to realize that you can never fit in with the entire population. If you try to conform to what others want, you lose a part of your individualism. It is also important that in the process of assimilating you do not end up alienating others in your same situation. At the end of the day, you can not change the preconceived notions that come with belonging to a specific ethnic group, but you can choose to embrace your culture and enjoy that part of your life while still emerging in the American way of life. 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The doctrine of Part performance free essay sample

Property is one of the most fundamental elements of the socio-economic life of an individual. Juridically, property can be said to be a bundle of rights in a thing or a land. However, the word has gradually been given a wider meaning. Economic significance of the property, therefore, rests more on its dispositions. Property law has therefore become an important branch of civil law. The Transfer of Property Act, 1882 deals with the transfer of immoveable property inter-vivos (although some provisions deal with the transfer of moveable as well as immovable property). Before this enactment, the transfers of immovable property were mostly governed by English equitable principles as applies by Anglo-Indian Courts. The â€Å"doctrine of part-performance† is one of the equitable doctrines applied by these Courts. Doctrine of part performance Doctrine of part performance is an equitable doctrine. It is also known as â€Å"equity of part-performance†. In law of contracts (for e. g. , a contract for sale), no rights pass to another till the sale is complete. But if a person after entering into a contract performs his part or does any act in furtherance of the contract, he is entitled to reimbursement or performance in case the other party drags its feet. This doctrine is based on this part performance of contract. If a person has taken possession of an immovable property on the basis of contract of sale and has either performed or, is willing to perform his part of contract then, he would not be ejected from the property on the ground that the sale was unregistered and the legal title had not been transferred to him. Section 53A provides that â€Å"Where any person contracts to transfer for consideration any immoveable property by writing signed by him or on his behalf from which the terms necessary to constitute the transfer can be ascertained with reasonable certainty, and the transferee has, in part performance of the contract, taken possession of the property or any part thereof, or the transferee, being already in possession, continues in possession in part performance of the contract and has done some act in furtherance of the contract, and the transferee has performed or is willing to perform his part of the contract. Then, notwithstanding that, where there is an instrument of transfer, that the transfer has not been completed in the manner prescribed therefore by the law for the time being in force, the transferor or any person claiming under him shall be debarred from enforcing against the transferee and persons claiming under him any right in respect of the property of which the transferee has taken or continued in possession, other than a right expressly provided by the terms of the contract: Provided that nothing in this section shall affect the rights of a transferee for consideration who has no notice of the contract or of the part performance thereof. The Section has been described by the Privy Council2, and by the Supreme Court3, as partial importation of the English of doctrine of part performance. By virtue of this Section part performance does not give rise to equity, as in England, but to a statutory right. 4 This right is more restricted than the English Equity in two respects: 1) there must be a written contract; and 2) it is only available as a defence. 5 So far as India is concerned, the section creates rights which were not in existence when the enactment was passed. This right to retain possession rests on the express provisions of the statute. It has been held that the doctrine of part performance is not applicable to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. 7 Section 53A was first enacted in 1929 by the Transfer of Property (Amendment) Act 1929, and imports into India a modified form of equity of part performance as developed in England in Maddison. 8 The enactment of the section sets at rest the considerable uncertainty prevailing in Indian law. Essential conditions for the application of section 53A. Analysis of the provisions of Section 53A makes it clear that following essential conditions are necessary for its application: a) There is a contract for the transfer of an immovable property. The contract must be written and it must be for the transfer of an immovable property for consideration. Also, the contract must be valid in all respects. b) The second essential is that the transferee has taken the possession of the property or continues possession in part-performance of the contract or, has done some act in the furtherance of the contract. When a person claims protection of his possession over a land under Section 53A, his own conduct must be equitable and just. That is the transferee has either performed his part of contract or is willing to perform the same. When the above mentioned conditions are fulfilled, the transferee can defend his continuance of possession over the property. In other words, if these requirements are fulfilled, the transferee is entitled to claim, under this Section, that he should not be dispossessed or evicted from the property. Comparison of 53A with English Doctrine of Part Performance Under English law, the equity of part – performance was developed by the Chancery Courts against the strict provisions of the Statute of Frauds, 1677. Sec – 4 of this Act provided that all agreements in respect of transfer of lands must be in writing. The transfer of immovable property on the basis of oral agreement was illegal and the transferee couldn’t get title in the land. Strict application of this law created great hardships and a bona fide transferee who performed his part of contract of by paying the price in full or in part and who had also taken possession of land couldn’t get title merely because of the absence of the legal formalities. Such transferees were helpless and were being harassed. Equity then came to their help. Chancery Courts held that part – performance by such transferees would take their cases out of the Statue of Frauds. Since then, the equity of part – performance developed further and passed through several stages for protecting the interests of the transferees who had performed their part of contract in good – faith and the transferor attempted to harass them on the ground of technical defect in the contract. Walsh v. Longsdale9 and Maddison v. Alderson10 are two of the major cases that have helped develop the doctrine of part performance in England. In India, this doctrine has been enacted with a few modifications. A had promised B a certain property as life estate, meaning B could enjoy the property during his life time. B served A for years upon this promised life estate. The will bequeathing such interest and property to B failed due to want for proper attestation. After A died, one of his heirs brought action to recover the property from B. It was held that the act of part performance could not be proof of the contract since the performance was a condition precedent to the contract. The heir of A was able to recover the said property. WALSH v. LONGSDALE12 Walsh took a cotton mill on lease for 7 years from Longsdale, the owner of the mill. The agreement was prepared but not signed. In the meantime, rent arrears started to accumulate as Walsh could not keep up with the quarterly payments of rent. An advance of one year’s rent could be demanded by Longsdale as per the contract. Lonsdale demanded the advance rent for one year and seized some goods of Walsh when he defaulted. Walsh sued for damages. The House of Lords decided in favour of Lonsdale stating that by running the mill, Walsh had admitted he was a lessee and evidence of his consent to the unsigned lease deed. The rule laid down in Walsh vs. Longsdale is not applicable in India – as it did not constitute the doctrine of part performance. Before 1929 (when Section 53A was inserted in the Transfer of Property Act), the application of English equity of part-performance was neither certain nor uniform. In certain cases it was applied whereas in other cases it was not applied. The Privy Council in Mohd Musa v. Aghor Kumar Ganguli13 held that doctrine of part performance is applicable in India. In this case there was a compromise deed which was in writing but not registered. Under this deed there was division of certain lands between the parties who had taken possession over their respective parts of the land on the basis of the compromise deed. The parties continued possession over their lands for many years. After about forty years, the heirs of the parties repudiated the compromise deed on the ground that it was not registered. The Privy Council applied the doctrine of part-performance as stated in Maddison v Alderson and held that although the compromise deed was unregistered but, since it was in writing, it was a valid document and can’t be repudiated. But there were divergent views a few years later stating that doctrine cannot be used to override statutory provisions. Finally in 1929, the Transfer of Property Act was amended and the English law of part performance became a part of Indian Laws though a little modified. The law contained in Section -53 A of the Act is almost same as laid by Privy Council in Mohammed Musa’s case, which had applied the English equity of part-performance with certain restrictions. The law incorporated in TPA is more restricted than English equity in two respects. Firstly, in England the equity protects the interest of also such defendant who has taken possession on the basis of oral agreement, whereas under Section – 53-A, the agreement must be written. Secondly, in England the equity gives also a right of action against the evictor, but Section – 53-A gives no such right. Scope of Section – 53A The following postulates are sine qua non for basing a claim on Section 53 A of the Transfer of Property Act: a) There must be a contract to transfer for consideration any immoveable property. b) The contract must be in writing, signed by the transferor, or by someone on his behalf. c) The writing must be in such words from which the terms necessary to construe the transfer can be ascertained. d) The transferee must in part performance of the contract take possession of the property, or of any part thereof. The transferee must have done some act in furtherance of the contract. f) The transferee must have performed or be willing to perform his part of the contract. 14 So far as applicability of Section 53A is concerned, what is to be seen is that the Section provides for a shield of protection to the proposed transferee to remain in possession against the original owner who has agreed to sell to the transferee, if the proposed transferee satisfies the other conditions of Section 53A. It doesn’t confer any title or interest to the transferee in respect of the property in possession. Except the right to continue his possession, no other title or interest is created is created in favour of the transferee. In the absence of pleadings and evidence of all the essential conditions, making out a defence of part-performance to protect possession claimed by the plaintiff, would not be attracted. 15 The plea under Section 53A of the TP Act raises a mixed question of law and fact, and therefore, cannot be permitted to be urged for the first at the stage of second appeal. 16 Is The Section Retrospective? There is sharp cleavage of judicial opinion on this question. The Madras High Court has consistently held that the section has no retrospective operation and does not apply to transfers effected prior to 1st April, 193017. The Calcutta High Court has held that the section applies retrospectively, except that the section would not apply to transactions which were subject matter of pending actions on 1st April, 1930. 18 This is also the present view of Patna High Court though there are earlier decisions of the Court to the contrary. The Allahabad High Court holds that section 53A applies to transaction that took place prior to 1st April, 1930, provided that the suit is brought after that date. 19 The Bombay High Court agrees with this view. The present view of all High Courts is that Section 53A does not effect any proceeding commenced before the Amending Act of 1929. 20 Limitations Of Section 53A Available only as a defence The Privy Council in Probodh Kumar Das v. Dantmara Tea Co. 21 has held that the right conferred by Section 53A is a right available to the defendant to protect his possession. The Section is so framed so as to impose statutory bar on the transfer; it confers no active title to the transferee. The above law laid down has been followed with approval by the Supreme Court in the case of Technicians Studio Pvt. Ltd. v. Leela Ghosh. 22 It has been held that Section 53A is only a partial importation in the statute law of India of the English doctrine of part performance. Thus, a person who is lead into possession on the strength of a void lease does not acquire any interest in the property, but gets under Section 53A only a right to defend his possession. It can be used only as a defence. 23 Following Probodh Kumar, the Supreme Court again in Delhi Motor Company v. U. A. Basrurkar24 has held that Section 53A is only available as defence to the lessee, and not as confirming a right as the basis of which the lessee can claim rights against the Lessor. This Section does not confer title on the defendant in possession25; and he cannot maintain a suit on title. 26 The Supreme Court has approved this principle. Thus it can be concluded that this section does not create a title in the defendant but merely acts as a bar to the plaintiff in asserting his title. It is limited to the cases where the transferee has taken possession, and against whom the transferor is debarred from enforcing any right, other than that mentioned in the contract. But the words of the Section do not warrant a conclusion that the plaintiff as such is necessarily debarred from the benefit of this Section. 27 The true position as explained by Justice Subba Rao, in a case decided by Andhra Pradesh High Court is: â€Å"whether the transferee occupies the position of a plaintiff or a defendant, he can resist the transferor’s claim against the property. Conversely, whether the transferor is the plaintiff or the defendant, he cannot enforce his rights in respect of the property against the transferee. The utility of the Section or the rights conferred there under should not be made to depend upon the manoeuvring for positions in the court of law, otherwise a powerful transferor can always defeat the statutory provisions of the Section by dispossessing the transferee by force and compelling him to go to the court as plaintiff. Doubtless, the right conveyed under the Section can be relied upon only as a shield and not as a sword but the protection is available to the transferee both as a plaintiff and as a defendant so long as he uses it as a shield. †28 Thus, the correct interpretation of this section is that this section gives to the transferee only the right to defend his possession; this defence of possession may be in the form of plaintiff or defendant. Transfers and Agreements Covered By This Section This Section applies to leases and agreements to lease. Where an agreement to lease is evidenced by correspondence, the lessee is put in possession, and there has been acceptance of rent by the lessor for several years, the Supreme Court held that section was applicable, and the lessee could defend the suit for ejection. 30 It also applies to usufructuary mortgages and mortgages with possession. 31 It however does not apply to a family agreement which does not involve a transfer of property32, or to a partition which is not transfer at all. 33 It also doesn’t apply to license or to the transfer of moveable property. Right Expressly Provided By The Contract The transferor may enforce a right which is expressly provided by the contract. So, if the contract were an agreement of lease not provable for the want of registration, the lessee could resist a demand for rent. Of he did so, he will be disentitled to the benefit of the Section as not being willing to perform his part of the contract. So also where a lessee has already put in possession of certain premises in part performance of an unregistered lease, the lessor can enforce the term of the lease entitling him to re-enter, if there default in payment of six months? Similarly, if the unregistered lease was only for a term, there would be no right to continue in possession after the expiry of the term. 35 Proviso: Transferee for Consideration Without Notice The proviso to this Section protects the rights of a subsequent transferee for value without notice of previous transferee’s rights of part-performance. Therefore, this Section does not affect the rights of transferee for consideration who has no notice of the contract of sale or of part-performance. The purpose of the proviso is to defeat the claim which would otherwise, have succeeded under the main part of this Section. 36 The question of proviso does not arise until and unless the claimant has substantiated his claim under the main part of this Section. 37 The proviso to the Section saves the right of a transferee for consideration who has no notice of the contract or its part-performance. The burden for proving that he is a transferee for consideration without notice is on the transferee. This was so held prior to the enactment of Section 53A. When is Doctrine of Part-Performance not Available This doctrine was not available against other co-owners, i. e. , the two brothers who were not the signatories to the agreement or the consenting party or the recitals show that the agreement was entered into with the consent of the adult members; therefore, the protection of doctrine of part performance was not available to defendant no. 3 against the plaintiffs. Therefore, even if the agreement was valid to the extent of the share of the widow, as held by the lower appellate Court, the remedy for the appellant was to institute a suit for decree for specific performance to the extent of the share of the widow and also a suit for partition as it was a Hindu undivided family property. Conclusion The doctrine of part performance is an equitable doctrine designed to relieve the rigor of the law and provide a remedy when a transfer or an agreement for transfer falls short of the requirements laid down by the law. In England the doctrine was developed by the Equity Courts. In a modified form it has been recognized statutorily in India being embodied in Section 53A. Section 53A of the Transfer of Property Act applies to a person who contracts to transfer immovable property in writing. If the proposed transferee in agreement has taken possession of the property or he continues in possession thereof being already in possession, in part performance of the contract and has done some act in furtherance of the contract, and the transferee has performed or is willing to perform his part of the contract, the transferor shall be debarred from enforcing any right in respect of the property. Also, Section 53A does not confer any title or interest to the transferee in respect of the property in his possession. Furthermore, it does not give to the transferee any right of action. It provides merely a right of defence. This is the essence of the principle incorporated in Section 53A of the Transfer of Property Act.

Apple Present Strategy

Vision A lot of people attribute the level of competitiveness that has been attained by Apple to the vision of the company. The company was molded on the vision of its deceased leader, Steve Jobs. Under Jobs, the vision of the company was to ensure the production and supply of Apple computers across the world. This is found in the vision statement: â€Å"An Apple computer on every desk†. The contemporary vision statement of Apple is: â€Å"To be the global leader in the consumer electronics industry†.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Apple Present Strategy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Having begun with the manufacture and distribution of personal computers in the market, Apple has grown through investment in innovation to become one of the most competitive companies as far as the production of high quality features consumer electronics is concerned. The company has fully ventured in the productio n of information and communication technology tools (Upadhyaya para. 3-6). The bigger idea behind the visionary leadership of the company and the thriving of the company in the consumer electronics industry lies in the establishment of a culture of creativity and innovation in its products. This depicts the company as an evolutionary company, implying that each set of new products that are released by the company in the market are an improvement of the prevailing sets of products that were released earlier in the market by the company. Apple solely relies mostly on its internal structures in enhancing innovation, a factor that eliminates competitive wars in the industry between Apple and other competitors in the market. As a matter of fact, the competitive wars are often directed by Apple to other companies in the industry that try to use unethical tactics in aping the technology of Apple (Upadhyaya para. 3-6). Mission The mission of the Apple Company is to lead the revolution in th e digital media by building on the platform that was laid down by the Apple computers. The company is still leading the revolution in the personal computer industry, besides the full venture in the production of digital media tools that aid in revolutionizing information access and communication. The OS X operating system is one of the most advanced operating systems in the modern personal computers and other digital media communication tools. The company has sprouted its operations in the industry by joining the mobile phone market through the invention of a series of iPhones, whose level of creativity and innovation has shaken the industry. What can be said about the advancement of the mission of Apple is that the company values the growing needs of customers. This is replicated in the products of Apple. These products have a higher level of utility and quality compared to products along the same lane that are produced by other companies in the market (United States Securities and Exchange Commission para. 1-3). The Apple Company has continued to keep pace with the dynamics in the market. The company does not only concentrate on the development of innovative products, but in the recent times it has also focused on corporate social responsibility as part of advancing its presence and influence in the market. This is one way of easing the competitive pressure in the market and the establishment of closer ties with the customers considering the fact that the company has gone globally in terms of its market size. One critical thing that is upheld by Apple is the embrace of value by customers. This is brought out in the company products and corporate social activities.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Objectives As a business company, the objective of Apple is to maximize profits. However, the manner in which the profits are maximized matters a lot. Apple seeks to maximize profits and its growth through the production of high quality products that attract high prices in the market. Based on the fact that Apple has been in the limelight in the recent times over allegations of tax avoidance, the other objective of the company is to streamline its profit derivative mechanisms. The company seeks to increase transparency in its operations as a way of boosting its relations with the business regulators in the environment in which it operates (Schwartz para. 2-8). Business ethics is a critical factor in the sustainable operation and thriving of the company in the market. Therefore, Apple seeks to embrace the ethical standards of operation in order to boost the stature and image of the company to its global network of customers. The company also seeks to increase its level of competitiveness in the market owing to the competitive pressure from other companies in the market, like Samsung. This can be attained through the active engagement of the company with the customers and the expansion of the opportunities that prevail in the market (United States Securities and Exchange Commission para. 31-33). Apple’s Modified Mission and Vision Apple Company has been under immense pressure coming resonates from a number of companies that are investing heavily in the development of information and communication tools. Therefore, there is need for restructuring of the mission and vision of the company in order for the company to maintain its level of competitiveness in the industry and the larger market in which it is operating (Upadhyaya para. 8-10). In the modern business environment, firms are required to incorporate issues of corporate social responsibility in their business activities. This emanates from the increasing importance of sustainable business practices. Sustainability is a serious issue and is bound to be one of the key determinants of the success of companies in the prevailing and future business environment s. The vision and mission are crucial guiding factors in the enhancement of business operations by a firm. The vision and mission of Apple need to incorporate the aspect of sustainability, besides the issues of innovation and quality as a way of capturing and embracing the sensitive issue of sustainability in the business practices of the company. As such, the vision and missions statements of the company can be changed to factor sustainable management. The new vision of the company will be: â€Å"To be a global leader in providing quality and environmentally sound information and communication tools across the globe†. This statement brings out the issue of sustainable management that can be further expounded in the long term business plans and activities of the company (Motee para. 1-5). The other critical issue that has been brought out in the vision is the aspect of information technology (IT). Information technology is seen as a critical driver of business in the contempo rary economic environment. In this regard, featuring IT in the vision of the company expounds on the broader focus of the company on enhancing information technology (Niu para. 7-9).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Apple Present Strategy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Just as has been incorporated in the vision of Apple, sustainable management should also feature in the mission of the company. The improved mission of Apple should be to digitize the world and improve lives and standards of the environment through the production of efficient and effective digital communication tools across the world. Sustainability features in two critical aspects: the production process that has to ensure that the process and quality of products is environmentally sound. There is also the aspect of improving lives and the environment. This purely entails the corporate social practices embraced by the company (Mootee para. 1-5). Works Cited Mootee, Idris. Apple – A Rare Case of Sustainable Competitive Advantage, 2011. Web. http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/08/24/apple-a-rare-case-of-sustainable-competitive-advantage/ Niu, Evan. Can Samsung Squeeze Apple Where It Hurts? 2013. Web. https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/05/28/can-samsung-squeeze-apple-where-it-hurts.aspx Schwartz, Nelson D. â€Å"Apple Avoided Billions in Taxes, Congressional Panel Says.† The New York Times, 2013. Web. https://www.democraticunderground.com/10022872971 United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Apple Inc., 2011. Web. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/320193/000119312511282113/d220209d10k.htm Upadhyaya, Preeti. Mr. Cook. â€Å"What’s Your Vision for Apple?† Silicon Valley Business Journal, 2013. Web. This essay on Apple Present Strategy was written and submitted by user Reese Nolan to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) invested internationally with the intention of sourcing capital to expand its operations in china. The bank targeted the international markets as they readily have adequate capital. In addition, ICBC wanted an opportunity to increase its wealth, manage bank risks, and increase its loan productivity.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Industrial and Commercial Bank of China specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More ICBC is China’s biggest bank, with 6.45 trillion in assets. Due to high demand of money, the ICBC issued equity to both domestic and the global markets. The aim of the Initial Public Offer (IPO) was to upgrade its domestic operations and extend its lead in corporate lending and the potentially huge credit card market in China (Akerlof, 1970) Due to the excellent performance of the Chinese economy, the investors felt a strong need to invest in ICBC’s IPO; as t hey expected to make huge profits. By then, China’s economy was growing by 10 % a year. Many corporate investors were attracted by the banks IPO, including Goldman Sachs Group, American Express and Germany’s Allianz just to mention but a few. Diversification was a critical consideration that inspired ICBC in its decision to go international. Essentially, the bank wanted to spread risk by investing in other companies, individual investors and firms outside China (Akerlof, 1970).). Hedging the banks currency against risky exposures was a very essential benefit that ICDC expected through issuing of equities in the international markets. As such, the currency exchange value was a significant factor in making such a global investment. ICBC wanted to generate monetary gain from those economies that had lower money value in comparison with China, therefore selling more equities with the same amount of capital (Abbey, 2007) One of the key factors that attracted international i nvestors to China’s ICBC was the fact that China had been voted as one of the best attractive investment destinations in the world .The American Chamber of Commerce had continually reported that American firms’ that operated in China were more profitable than its counterparts in the United States, hence drawing attention to foreign investors. Indeed, ICBC had consistently rewarded investors with higher stock prices and dividends hence sending the attractive signals to foreign investors. In addition, ICBC investors were promised higher interest rates in their fixed deposits. ICBC’s returns on equities were associated with multiple indicators including interest rates, exchange rates, stock prices, commodity prices and minimum returns. Similarly, ICBC offered attractive customized products for its home and foreign investors (Abbey, 2007)Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More One of ICDC’s recent reviews revealed that the banks experienced critical default risks on more than a quarter of more than 8 Billion Yuans lent to local governments and other investors across the country. This puts the investors at a risk in the event that the bank is liquidated. Apparently, ICBC scrutinized its loans at some point, spreading the risk among other investors. Lack of transparency could also be an issue to investors as it can lead to loss of money especially through corruption (Lee, 2003). The process of Chinese capital market modernization can create complications. For instance, foreign strategic investors’ participation in China has dropped drastically because of barriers stemming from bank reforms and recapitalizations in recent times. Another challenge that the ICBC faced was the complex relationship between Chinas balance of trade and the value of its currency. In conclusion, global market is a large market that helps investor s raise capital from foreign markets. Such a move helps the banks across the world to increase wealth, manage bank risks, and increase loan productivity (Abbey, 2007) References Abbey, N. H. (2007) The Methodology of Positive Economics, Essays in Positive Economics. London: University of Chicago Press Akerlof, G. A. (1970). The Market for International Banks: Quality Uncertainty and the Market Mechanism. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 84(3), 488–500. Lee, A. (2003). Do We Really Need Central Bank Independence? A Critical Re- examination. London: University of Connecticut

Case Study Review & Questions Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Review & Questions - Case Study Example Every unit in an organization should perform its responsibilities effectively for an overall favorable outcome. CCT’s customer service agents include one administrative assistant, seven Customer Service Representatives (CSR’s), and the Customer Service Director. These make up the department’s call center. Current customer complaints show that the team is underperforming. This may be due to bad organizational culture or lack of professionalism among workers. The article reveals that the call center may be having too much work to handle. For instance, current high demands for CCT’s services exceed the sustainable capacity that the call center can serve. This is especially in peak periods that have the heaviest call volumes. In a recent internal report, thirty percent of customers who abandoned their call did not call CCT back. Instead, they were lost to competitors (Roberts, 2011, P.3). Hence, it is mandatory for the CCT CEO to find an effective solution to this problem before it gets out of hand. If the call center continues to underperform, the best case scenario is that the majority of its customer base will shift to another organization with better services. This is because the competitors are likely to take advantage of this situation and offer attractive ideas aimed at showing customers, the inefficiency of CCT indirectly. In addition, the worst case scenario is that CCT may face permanent dissolution in the future. If this happens, research shows that it is ultimately impossible for the company to attain the same level of success even if it re-enters the market base. This is especially due to the recession that started in 2008. Thus, the size of this problem is huge. Approaches to quality improvement are diverse. In CCT, the Customer Service department maintains a website that describes its services and the promotional offers that come from time to time. It refers all customers to the call center unit. Furthermore, the call cent er has an Automated Call Distributor (ACD) machine automatically shares incoming calls among the unit’s nine agents. These features prove that the CEO, Syme, was right in concluding that the staff may be ignoring the waiting calls. The other problem was that the company’s organizational framework was not clear. For instance, call center agents did not know if they should log off or not if they had a special project. Alternatives to the problem As an alternative, Customer Care could modify the website such that customers have direct access to the services that they require. This will require upgrading the computer software to a more advanced system with the capacity of sustaining a large database. An example is the customer relationship management software. The advantage is that it will decrease the number of incoming phone calls to the call center. Hence, calling customers will experience lesser time-waits or none at all. It will also ensure that the staff at the call center is not overworked. Hence, customers will experience better service delivery and satisfaction. The disadvantage is that the system upgrade will lead to increased operational costs. It is because online hosting services in the U.S are expensive (Bullen, 2012, P.76). Increased reliance on the website means that the company will have to pay for more data charges than accustomed. Another alternative would be to abolish the website system and implement another way of service

Industrialization After the Civil War Thesis and Outline Research Paper

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Reading Responses of Trifles by Susan Glaspell Essay

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Business Essays Ryanair Airlines Transportation

Business Essays Ryanair Airlines Transportation Ryanair Airlines Transportation Ryan Air Case Study 1.0 Introduction Ryanair was set up by the Ryan family in 1985. The company went public in 1997 and the Ryan’s subsequently sold the bulk of their share to other shareholders. Ryanair traditionally developed organically, i.e. by growing its assets by itself. Every year, it opened new hubs in Europe, started flights from new airports, and added to its aircraft fleet. This model proved to be rather successful. By 2003, Ryanair was the most profitable and valuable airline in Europe ahead of Lufthansa and doubling its value over British Airways. However, as the market started to saturate and as the competition got tougher, the company decided to buy Buzz, another low-cost airline. It did so in 2003. Many said that Buzz was a financial disaster but acquiring it was strategically important for Ryanair that wanted to increase its market share and get Buzz’s airport slots and other facilities. 1.1 Ryan air’s objectives are: To open at least one new base in Europe each year for the next three or four years To grow at a rate of thirty percent (30%) for the next two years to just under twenty million passengers To maintain its position as Europe’s leading low fares airline To operate frequently point-to-point short haul flights, mainly out of regional and secondary airports 1.2 Mission and Vision The mission of Ryanair is to keep the lowest fares among all the other European airlines and to have a friendly and efficient service that satisfies the customer’s needs. The vision to the future of Ryanair is to keep going up and be Europe’s largest airline in the next six years. The heart of its strategy is based on providing a no-frills service with low fares designed to stimulate demand, particularly from budget conscious leisure and business travellers, who might otherwise have used alternatives forms of transportation, or who might not have travelled at all. 2.0 No-frill Ryan Air (refer to appendix A for more details) Over the last decade, European Aviation has moved from a highly regulated market, based on bilateral agreements between countries, towards an oligopolistic structure and finally to a highly monopolistic competitive single market. In this new situation the discretionary powers of the authorities have been curbed and airlines have enjoyed greater freedom to set fares, open new routes and determine what capacities to offer. This has eroded the dominance of the Flag Carriers like British Airways, Lufthansa and Air France, due to the upsurge of low cost airlines. In the United Kingdom however, the industry is still oligopolistic in nature, as there are many barriers to market contestability: Availability of desired take-off and landing slots at airports. The necessity of entering a new route on a large enough scale to achieve acceptable cost levels. The costs of leasing or buying new fleet of aircrafts. Securing contracts with ground-handling companies who may already have contracts with other airlines. Retaliatory behaviour by rivals. The necessity of applying for and securing an air operators’ licence from European Union. Overcoming existing customer loyalty achieved by companies who have exploited their advantage of being the first carrier. Direct intervention in the industry to control externalities e.g. aviation taxation. Ryanair a ‘no frills’ low cost airline was able to introduce pricing strategies that worked. Financial statements from 2002 – 2003 were compared; the results showed that Ryanair enjoyed after tax profit growth of fifty-nine percent (59%). This was possible through an aggressive pricing policy. 3.0 Internal and External Analysis In reference to the competitive structure of this newly formed low fares airline market in Europe and how it has developed during the 1990’s. 3.1 The Porters Five forces model shown in Appendix A, summaries these dynamics under the various influencing factors. The most influential of these are discussed. As entrants developed in this market, rivalry increased although no major head-to-head battles with the mainline global airlines occurred due to the ‘low fares’ market developing their own routes. Competition only existed from various new airlines catering for this growing sector, along with tailor made sub-divisions of the major airlines e.g. GO parent group British Airways. As the market became over crowded, however, the threat of entry was reduced, not only due to the large capital investment required. But the basic factors of congestion in the skies and the lack of take-off and landing slots at airports deterred potential new entrants. The suppliers of aircraft to the sector have relatively low power, second-hand aircraft entailed high maintenance low fuel efficiency costs and some new entrants required new aircraft to promote their new image. Although new aircraft suppliers also have low power due to the fierce competition within their manufacturing industry (Airbus, Boeing), the main force of supplier’s power comes from the price of aviation fuel which is directly related to the cost of oil, as individual companies within the airline sector they do not have the power to alter this. Customers have little power due to their large number and relatively small individual contribution to sales revenue, although this level of power will vary on the travel route in question depending on its level of competition. Porter (1998) highlighted potential risks that companies adopting any of the three generic strategies might face. For a strategy competing on costs, the main risks are when competitors are able to imitate the strategy itself, or technology changes. When the target segment becomes structurally unattractive, it also poses a risk to the company. This can happen when the demand for low fares disappears due to changing consumer taste. From the fact of the case study, Ryan air is a dominant player in the sector, and this risk is particular high at this stage. Ryan air ‘no-frill’ policy may have to change as they are actively expanding their flight route network and distance. It would be impossible for Ryan air not to provide meals on longer haul flights and as a result their cost focus strategy may become blurred. Ryan air continues to set prices lower than mist of their competitor. Bowman’s Strategic Clock may be a better tool for analysing the case study as it focuses on pricing (refer to appendix C). 3.2 Swot Analysis Opportunities for Ryanair There is still potential for more regional departures to satisfy business travel demand and the growth in short breaks. The Internet can provide a simpler route to the market for consumers and businesses. It makes searching for availability and the lowest fares easier and reduce distribution costs for airlines. There is potential for more direct bookings to reduce distribution costs. Increasing collaboration with alliance partners and code sharing partners can increase sales and reduce costs. This could lead to higher levels of cross-shareholdings and consolidation in the industry. There is also considerable potential for further development of low-fare services in Europe. Ryanair can use its reputation as a resource to expand into Internet cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s or car rental services. They can also cut down on the use of intermediataries who sell their tickets for them by getting to publicise through the Internet or airports 3.3 Threat for Ryan Air The threat of substitutes is however a main area of power, smaller geographical space and shorter distances between major agglomerations allow a greater competition from alternative transportation, notably the high-speed train. The main business challenge during the 1990’s for the ‘low fares’ airline sector was how to convince customers to take the plane instead. The threat of September 11 has proved traumatic for the mainstream European airlines. By contrast, in the no-frill airline sector, traffic calmed sharply, buoyed by strong sales promotions and heavy discounting. However, for Ryanair, the mainstream airlines’ losses were the budget airlines’ gains, strengthening their bargaining position with respect to aircraft procurement, airport deals and staff recruitment. 3.4 Strengths for Ryan Air (refer to Appendix B for more details) By looking at the strengths in appendix B, by the end of 2003, Ryanair’s route system had expanded from its primarily Irish-UK emphasis to serve 86 destinations on 133 routes across 16 countries. Ryanair’s no-frill services allowed it to priorities features important to its clientele, such as frequent departures, advance reservations, baggage handling, and consistent on-time services. Ryanair’s strength (appendix B) is that it offers travel insurances, car rental and connecting rail services, and commission on sales of other services such as hotel reservation. Ryanair website is acclaimed as being one of the most user-friendly and visited travel websites in Europe. (Refer to Exhibit 6 in the handbook for details on operating statistics for Ryanair) 3.5 Pestle Analysis: (refer to appendix A for more details) By looking at the Pestle Analysis, its suggests that Ryan air has to keep a lot of things in mind before taking any further step to increase it awareness. It has to make sure that it follows that law. Also, have to look at the people behaviour on spending the money and keep its price reasonable to attract its rival customers. 4.0 Financial Status: In 2003 Ryanair had delivered its 13th consecutive years of increased profitability. Its net margin had increased by 4% to 28%, surpassing its own long-term net profit margin target of 20%. The staff efficiency ratio had improved by 15% (see exhibit 1 in the handbook). The group’s market capitalisation had grown from  £392m in 1997 to  £4.7 by 1 July 2003, as its profitability was seen to be unique among airlines worldwide. In fiscal 2003, Ryanair had delivered extra ordinary growth in fleet, routes; traffic, revenues and profitability (refer to exhibit 1a, b and c in the handbook). Ryanair advertises its low fairs, primarily on its website, in newspapers, and on radio and television. In 1997, Ryanair was one of the first European airlines to cut its rate of commission to travel agents, from 9% to 7 and half percent. In 2002, Ryanair launched its website. This has had the effect of saving money on staff cost, agents’ commissions and computer reservation charges, while significantly contributing to growth. 5.0 Benchmarking: Comparing Ryanair to other airline companies is almost impossible, while the airline industry is blurring through competitive activity and industry convergence. Airlines offer nowadays a lot of extra services, for example, car rental, internet access in the plane et cetera. All those extra services don’t belong to the core product, the flight. Because of every airline company offering something else it makes it hard to compare Ryanair with them. Ryanair could compare itself to other low-budget airlines, despite the product Ryanair offers is very unique and Ryanair is one of the most profitable low-budget airline. 6.0 Resources Available resources Available resources can be grouped under the following four headings: Physical resources The nature of these resources, such as the age, condition, capability and location of each resource, will also determine the usefulness of the resource. Ryanair possesses everything that is needed to have the company operating in the airline industry. For example, an aircraft fleet (the average age was considerably higher than that of the fleets of Ryanair’s current or potential competitors), headquarter in Ireland, secondary airports to use for landing et cetera. Human resources Ryanair has several hundred employees who issued a statement asserting that they are happy to work for the company. Financial resources Ryanair has different shareholders: The Ryan family The employees Michael O’Leary An investment group led by David Bonderman Irish Air EU nationals Intellectual capital The intellectual capital is the intangible resources of an organisation and is often overlooked or undervalued. The intellectual capital of Ryanair consists for example of the knowledge that the individual employees have. They are all well trained, are able to use the customer databases and have good relationships with the customers. These resources are not tangible, but very important in this knowledge-based economy. 7.0 BUZZ – A Low Price Purchase: Ryanair protects and strengthen its position in the current EU Budget airline market through acquired BUZZ, and appointed two deputies, however, in the fierce competition; Ryanair should seek to some other new markets or new products. Enter the long-haul flight market with the existing cheap, no-frills flights or launch the business class in flight for the business travellers are both the good future directions for Ryanair, because these options are more or less relate to the current business which Ryanair is doing, it is easier for sharing the resources and controlling. Diversification into long-haul market with business class flights, seems not a wisdom choice for Ryanair, since choose to do something is not linking to Ryanair’s current business at all; it would make Ryanair into a very risky situation. 7.1 Robustness: (see appendix D) Rarity Michael O’Leary has a lot of experience and knowledge that can be seen as a unique resource for Ryanair. In 2004, the Financial Times named Michael O’Leary as one of 25 European ‘business stars’, who are expected to make a difference. Ideas can not be patented; they are in the public area. So advantage of Michael O’Leary will be short-lived and only if Ryanair is good at learning, adapting and moving to new bases of competition, Ryanair will be the long-term winner. Another rarity of Ryanair is the extremely low costs and low prices. This can be imitated by other airlines by introducing a new cost-cutting policy and by doing a lot of research. Complexity Entering the airline industry is very hard. Surviving in the airline industry as a low budget company maybe even harder, while Ryanair is so unique, innovative, with a very aggressive marketing policy, Ryanair is impossible to imitate. Culture Ryanair operates only in Europe, so the cultural differences are not so big, and does not give any problems. Casual ambiguity Other airline companies know that the basis of success for Ryanair is the cost-cutting policy. But how Ryanair manages this policy is unclear to them. It is hard to imitate. Ryanair is Europe’s first low-fares and no frills carrier, and it believes that it has made a sufficient gap over its competitors. But the question is can Ryanair maintain its objectives and strategies within the next 2-5years. 8.0 The detailed proposals recommended and previous objectives that can be enhanced. The Strategy that can help Ryan air to increase its competitiveness in the airline industry in short term and long term and the things that it can do to attract more customers. 8.1 Short-term strategy (refer to appendix C for more details about Ryan air strategic position) In short-term strategies, Ryanair must ensure that they are very competitive in terms of their low cost services. By keeping customers satisfied with the price of their tickets, thus reducing the complaints from flight changes and price changes, and ensuring that their day-to-day activities are constantly kept up-to-date with the constant use of the value chain analysis. 8.2 Medium-term Strategy In medium-term Ryanair face continuous competition, due to the fact that they are not number one in the low fare airlines market share even with the merger with BUZZ holding the largest low fares airline, BA and its seven alliances are number one. There should be some goals to under pin other competitors in a market penetration and new product development. Maybe by implementing own branded items into the market, as well as the subsidy’s, to maximise profits with the aid of research and development. Ryanair want to compete against BA. In which Ryanair is continuing its long-term goals of expansion, in order to compete with the larger companies. But they can only achieve this by undercutting BA, i.e. in sectors they fail to break even. 8.3 Additional Service for Customers: The use of secondary airports causes people to catch other modes of transport to reach the main city. Ryanair can take advantage, by offering an additional service to drop people at their locations. This can be done through contracting to a taxi service or a coach company. With a well-researched marketing strategy that can be used to attract the customers thereby boosting Ryanair’s passengers in unfilled seats and thus aiding in the reduction of complaints in short-term strategy. By having more people working on the help desks as the Internet has no middle man, thus no commission has to be paid to travel agencies. In terms of the Internet direct sale, it not only can reduce labour administration costs, but convenience for customers and save their time. In order to provide customers with an efficient and courteous service, it is inevitable that Ryanair have to improve their service. Generally such as the cargo services, well arrangement of booking tickets (in the internet and telephone) and while flights are being cancelled, they will give priority to resolve the situation. 8.4 Promotional Activity for Ryanair: Ryanair needs large amounts of aggressive promotion, to be noticed by the whole world in similarity to Easy Jets marketing tactic of a TV programme that was successful in making a profit and its name being remembered. In comparison, the name Ryanair is not that well known but a market research would be needed to verify this. Ryanair must achieve a new tactic to be known in the market but this may lead to a high risk factor, if they decided to focus on advertisements on TV with their special offers other than travel agencies using their airlines. Another option is the low risk factors by advertising on radio and billboards, then aiming the marketing strategy towards the targeted customers i.e. entrepreneurs and students 8.5 What Ryan air should in terms of its customer’s safety? In points of safety for their customers since the US attacks during September 11th and the recent attacks that took place in 2003, the planes must be kept and insured that they are safe to use otherwise there will be no customers. For example, if a budget air-line had an accident it can be argued that the low costs on ticket prices, cost peoples lives. This strategy will always need constant up-to-date measures in short-term and long-term, because anything can happen. 9.0 Conclusion The aim of this report was to carry out a strategy analysis of Ryanair, Europe’s largest low-cost no-frills airline. From this it became evident that the organisation operates in a complex environment with fast changing influences that affect its business both beneficially and unfavourably. It also enabled identification of some of the sources of Ryanair’s competitive advantage: core competencies, unique resources, key linkages and the superior cost performance compared to its closest competitor. However, it also became clear that the organisation still has a lot to learn from best practice. In general, Ryanair’s strategies match its task environment although it fails to address certain crucial issues. If these are not dealt with they could lead to future problems and reductions in profits. Reference: Cole, G. A. 1996, Management Theory and Practice, DP Publications, London Hornby, W., Gammie, B., Wall, S. 1997, Business Economics, Pearson Education Limited, England Kotler, P., Armstrong, G. 2001, Principles of Marketing, Prentice Hall, New Jersey Sloman, J. 2000, Economics, Pearson Education Ltd, England. Wright, W. 1999, Marketing: Origins, Concepts, Environment, Business Press, London Gerry Johnson. Kevan Scholes, Richard Whittington. 2007, Exploring Corporate Strategy, 7th edition Appendix A Porters Five Forces related to Ryanair: The Threat of Entry High requirements for capital investment Some economies of scale High marketing costs Experience in operation needed, established airlines already have trained staff High congestion of main airports, difficulty of obtaining landing and take-off slots Advantage in brand recognition, first mover advantage Expectation of retaliation from traditional airlines in price cutting and marketing strategies such as British Airways, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines and BMI New EU ruling on overbooking can add to the increasing costs posed to airline companies The Threat of Substitutes Mainstream airlines are losing market share due to September 11 aftermath Substitution depends on the relative strengths of other airlines such as daily flights frequency, punctuality, price and certain destinations Availability of other transport alternatives such as charter airlines, car ferries, high-speed trains and cars. Substitution for land travelling is dependent on journey time distances, destinations, convenience, flexibility, and customer preferences Bargaining Power of Buyers Large population base in EU Switching cost is relevantly low as there is no high differentiation of services Internet booking allows customers to research relative costs between airliners easily; perfect knowledge Price is major factor in the choice of airlines apart from flight frequency and punctuality Services provided is similar among airlines Bargaining Power of Suppliers Concentrated and small number of aircraft manufacturers i.e. Boeing and Airbus Many budget airlines have been opting for standardized Boeing 737 aircraft will lead to Boeing having more power. The power of main airports is increasing due to air traffic in EU is mounting. Secondary airports are desperate for business from budget airlines. The price of aviation fuel is directly linked to the cost of oil, hence budget airlines like Ryanair is difficult to alter this. The more Ryanair expands the more power it will possess over its suppliers. Competitive Rivalry The European low cost airline industry is very competitive. Ryanair has fierce competition from Easy Jet, Virgin Express and Aer Lingus New competitors in the budget sector increase the buyer power. Mainstream airlines have more control over take-off and landing slots in main airports Mainstream airlines are trying to retaliate by decrease cost on domestic flights, introducing internet booking and set up low-fares subsidiaries Low switching costs and customer loyalty High costs of leaving market Pest Analysis: Political and Legal Regulations for the air travel industry are getting even more stringent. The European Union authorities demand that airlines operate in an open, transparent manner. Any state subsidies to airline companies are prohibited in order to make working conditions equal to anyone and to boost competition in the industry. There are also regulations in place for airlines not to exceed certain levels of noise and air pollution. All of the legislation and regulations make operating in the industry harder. Economic Europe is undergoing economic slowdown. People therefore spend less, in general, and tend to travel less, as a result. High oil prices inflate costs of fuel and impact margins negatively. At the same time, people are ready to travel for less and thus willing to opt for low-budget airlines. Business travel is on the surge. E.g., business travelers count for 40% of all Ryanair’s passengers. At the same time, overall traffic in the industry as well as profitability levels plummeted in the aftermath of 11 September and after the war in Iraq and the SARS. This had a devastating effect on the majority of airlines but also gave an impetus to the development of low-cost carriers. Social People’s mobility has been increasing during the last decades. People travel for leisure, business, and in search of new jobs. Personal disposable income of people is rising in Europe as well as the number of senior citizens who enjoy traveling. Traveling low-cost has become a norm. Technological Airlines set up websites through which they sell tickets and other ancillary products and services such as car rentals and travel insurances. This led to cost decreases and to greater reach to customers. Airlines now provide satellite TV and phone services on board as well as broadband Internet and thus enhance value to customers. Information systems allow airlines collect data about passengers, cost, prices as well as ensure better service when boarding and handling luggage. Environmental Companies now have to comply with strict environment protection regulations and laws. Should they breach them, they may be liable to enormous fines or court hearings. This can have a greater impact on low-cost carriers as they have more take-offs and landings due to higher frequency of flights, and therefore need to pay more environment related taxes. Appendix B Strengths and weaknesses of Ryanair Airline Strengths Ryanair first budget airline in Europe, market leader. Most developed route system with frequent departures on Dublin–London route. Pre-empting potential competitors on the same routes, unless they can offer better value than Ryanair through lower prices (which requires them to have lower costs or take the pain of losses) and/or extra services (but customers must consider these worth paying for). Pursuing clear strategy, efficient and effective low cost operator; activities fit together to create low cost  ® difficult to undercut Ryanair on cost, and therefore on price (but see weaknesses for some cost vulnerabilities). Low and reducing breakeven load factor, easily cleared, reduces financial risk. Similarly, average length of passenger haul is moving in the right direction, as is number of employees per aircraft  ® reducing cost per available seat mile ®good operating profit. In fact, in 2001 Ryanair was considered the most profitable airline in the world Low debt, relatively high p/e ratio makes it possible to raise finance for growth Leadership – testimony of awards for management. Michael O’Leary and Tony Ryan are determined competitors, turned Ryanair around very effectively Weaknesses In an inverse way, Ryanair’s weaknesses can be listed and assessed to see whether any of them create critical vulnerabilities that impair Ryanair’s positioning and viability. Cost structure – aircraft utilisation in question with lowest number of hours per day of any budget competitors; older aircraft entail higher fuel and maintenance costs; currency fluctuations make fuel costs unpredictable. Overly cost conscious? Could be irritating to passengers, e.g. withdrawing free ice with paid for drinks – especially when budget rivals are actually adding perks, and mainstream airlines are discounting. Capital structure – very vulnerable to financial markets sentiment and high expectations, so any profit disappointment could be disastrous for share price, which is especially important in absence of dividends. Also, majority free floating shares could result in over 50% ownership outside EU  ®loss of airline licence. Staff issues – EU legislation regarding compulsory trade unions, alongside history of industrial relations problems; question marks over staff commitment and loyalty. Outsourced services outside Ireland may mitigate against employee commitment and intense company knowledge necessary to create superior customer service. Ryanair penalized more than other airlines by loss of intra-EU duty-free because cabin staff remuneration dependent on it; Ryanair had to compensate staff. The Value Chain The value chain model was suggested by Michael Porter. He maintained that an organization can provide value to its customers in two major ways: by lowering costs in a particular operation or by enhancing perceived value-added through differentiation. A company can add value using both methods in its different operations. The value chain consists of primary activities and supporting activities. Primary activities include: a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Inbound logistics, i.e. suppliers, purchases, inventories, lead times; b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Operations, i.e. manufacturing or processing; waste and distribution management; inventory control; efficiency; location management; customer service; information systems; c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Outbound logistics: selling, delivering, transportation, distribution; d)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Marketing and sales; e)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Service: customer satisfaction and retention, customer loyalty. Supporting activities entail: f)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Infrastructure: structure of the organization (centralized or decentralized etc); culture; managers’ involvement and support; vision; frequency of communication between managers and employees; g)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Human resources: motivation; respect of employees, which leads to happier staff and lower turn-around; h)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Technology development: Internet bookings, satellite communications, ERP information systems all lead to greater efficiency and lower costs; i)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Procurement: relationships with suppliers; storage. When bargaining power towards suppliers is high, then costs are low. A succes

Anne Frank Remembered: Review Essay example -- essays research papers

Anne Frank Remembered: Review Anne Frank Remembered is the autobiography of Miep Gies, the woman who helped the Frank family survive during their two years in hiding. Her book is a primary source or first hand account of the persecution of Jewish people in Nazi occupied Holland during the second world war. It is also the first hand account of the hiding of Jews such as the Frank family, the Van Daan family, and Dr. Albert Dussel during this time. In regard to the book's autobiographical format, the author, Miep Gies, does not present the reader with a clear thesis statement. Instead, throughout the book the author discusses her main views toward the actions of the Nazis and their oppression of the Jewish people. Her disapproval of German Nazi actions is evident in the following quotation, when she was asked to join the Nazi Girls' Club: " 'How can I join such a club?' I icily asked. 'Look at what the Germans are doing to the Jews in Germany.' ...Let her take a good look at me and see with her own eyes that some 'Aryan' woman was not to be swept in by the Nazis." (Gies, p. 41, 1987). The main source of background to the author's viewpoint is her own story. In order to further discuss her main points and views, a summary of her story must be given. The book began with a brief history of the childhood of Miep Gies. She was born in Vienna, Austria in 1909, where she lived with her parents until the age eleven year. She was then sent to Amsterdam by a program in the aid of undernourished and sick children and was to be adopted by a Dutch family. She became used to the Dutch way of life as she grew older and soon she began to consider herself Dutch, not Viennese. Her association with the Frank family began when she was given a job with the Pectacon Company, owned and operated by Mr. Otto Frank. His company made and sold pectin, which was used for making jam. Miep's first part of the job was to make jam with different formulas of pectin. After becoming an expert jam maker, she was placed at a desk in the office to do office work. She became very close to the Frank family and was invited to their home regularly for meals. She also began a relationship with a man named Jan, whom she later married. &... ...e Nazis were doing to people. It indicates an intended audience of most likely those who have already read The Diary of Anne Frank and are looking for further investigation on the topic. However, it is not required that the reader has read The Diary of Anne Frank before reading this book. Miep Gies starts from the very beginning of her association with the Frank family and completes the story of their life. Although this book is recommended to anyone who is interested in this topic, the book may also be directed towards those of Jewish decent who experienced similar instances and want to find out what happened to others. In final evaluation, I have found this book to be very convincing, as it is a true story. The reader is left at the end of the book to draw their own opinions on the topic and the author's account of the story. I found that the author's use of evidence in her book was very good because her main source was her own story as an eye witness, with pictures and copies of documents to prove that the information is true. The book is very useful in understanding the issue of the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust in the second world war.

Functioning Of Municipal Schools Education Essay

With the feverish competition today youth want to be perfect in whatever they attempt to make whether it is in academic surveies, athleticss or cultural activities. Therefore the instruction in A.P. Municipality Act 1965 under subdivision 130 with Rule 42 of Taxation and Finance, regulations appended to the APM ACL 1965, have become more flexible in the constitution of their schools and conveying flawlessness in their attack. Harmonizing to this policy the municipality can incur outgo connected with instruction on the points like preparation of instructors and care of schools etc. Aiming at flawlessness the municipal schools besides aim at excellence and that is possible by presenting the undermentioned policies: Constitution and care of schools Construction and care of school edifices Training of instructors Excellence would intend giving our best in whatever we do. Our best attempts are different from another individual ‘s best attempts, and these can non be compared because everyone has strengths and restrictions. Therefore, â€Å" instruction in the A.P. Municipality Act as mentioned in the subdivision 31, would name commissions to tap the interior resources of their staff and pupils. They would name commissions to preparation of reappraisals, and general supervision of development programmes, associating to instruction and public assistance of SCs, BCs and adult females and kids among others. The station – Independence India placed great significance on the instruction of its citizens, and making literacy to the nook and corner of the state. The establishing male parents of the state and the fundamental law shapers did non experience the necessity to do instruction a cardinal right as they thought that the State will go forth no rock unturned in doing everyone educated all literate. But the State and the cardinal Government failed to populate up to the outlook of the establishing male parents of the state and both fell level on this basic and cardinal responsibility. Education is non even mentioned explicitly as an country of nucleus concern for municipalities in A.P. and it is a gray country. It is taking cue from subdivision 31A above that the function of municipalities in â€Å" managing † instruction is restricted. The administrative map of naming caput Masterss and instructors in the municipal schools, managing and pay outing their wages, advancing and reassigning the staff, and keeping the care of the municipal schools under their direction is taken attention by the municipal governments. But most of these academic maps rest with the instruction section. The mark of cosmopolitan instruction remained a mirage with big subdivisions of the society unable to direct their small 1s to school. Even primary instruction, non to talk of higher instruction did non make the door – stairss of larger figure of people. In A.P. Municipal schools exist merely in 13 territories of the 23 territories in the province. About 2100 Municipal schools are working in the province. About 1400 primary schools, 400 Upper primary schools, and 300 Secondary schools are working in the province. Over 3.5 lakh kids are enrolled in these schools, and 8100 instructors are working in the municipal schools with teacher – student ratio of 1:45, 1:49, and 1:40 in primary, upper primary and secondary schools severally. But one tends to oppugn these pupils who are enrolled in these Municipal schools, how far they have acquired cognition in ego confidence/ one tends to oppugn the regularity of the instructors to the school and the credibleness of their work.1.5. 2 Municipal Schools in Vijayawada – Krishna District, A.PVijayawada, besides called â€Å" Vidyalawada † ( topographic point of instruction ) occupies a big sum of the educational substructure of Andhra Pradesh. The metropolis was named â€Å" the educational Sahara † by a foreign embassador. Education in the metropolis is implemented by both the authorities and private establishments. Vijayawada Municipal Corporation ( VMC ) takes attention of the authorities educational establishments. Municipalities responsible for opening / up-gradation of schools in the urban countries are under Municipal Corporation. A Municipality is a unit for all intents. All instructors in a municipality are under one unit for intents of publicity or reversion etc. Panel commission in the municipality has the authorization for publicity of instructors. Teachers are transferred from one school to another in the same municipality. Municipal governments inspect the schools. Wages of instruction and non instruction staff are paid by the authorities. But it is reduced to the extent of educational revenue enhancement collected by the municipality. RTE Act 2009, reminds the schools to include in the course of study â€Å" basic hygiene, environmental cleanliness, good societal etiquette and political behaviour. † ( Act 6.5 ) every bit good as life accomplishments ( Act 6.6 ) together with the accent on, non merely on one ‘s rights but on one ‘s surveies specially to society. ( Act 6.8 ) ( Act 7.6 B ) insists on developing and implementing â€Å" criterions for preparation of instructors † . The policy ( 4.14 ) provinces that â€Å" thorough periodic developing the instructors are equipped with up – to – day of the month cognition and pedagogical accomplishments including the usage of new educational engineerings. In the changed and quickly altering scenario good wonts of work-ethics are inculcated † . Tendencies in registration show a clear displacement to private schools in urban countries like Vijayawada. The municipal schools slowdown behind in the undermentioned countries – deficiency of motive to the staff, hapless substructure, deficiency of sanitation installations, deficiency of topic, deficiency of equal instructors, teacher absenteeism, use of the age old methodological analysiss in learning English, faulty scrutiny system etc are some of the factors taking to hapless public presentation of pupils, ensuing in low demand for these municipal schools. It is said that instructors must make bold to larn things beyond the course of study and do acquisition gratifying utilizing some utile instruction AIDSs. There is a slow and gradual realisation among the educationalists, that the households of the hapless pupils who attend municipal schools still remain hapless in malice of their traveling to school. This is due to miss of proper learning installations in authorities schools which stick to minimum instruction. Professor Martin Woodhead besides said that there is a demand to reform authorities schools to present choice instruction at least for the interest of those hapless who will still go on to direct merely their male childs to private schools. Government schools will still be a blessing to girl child instruction. While the world reflects the above outlook what is noticed among the municipality schools is much distant and out dated from the world.InfrastructureClass suites: Insufficiency of suites to suit is a job in municipal high schools. Problems exist with respect to airing and sufficient infinite for all the kids in all the category suites. Headmaster ‘s office and staff room: In the urban municipal schools in Vijayawada there is one room that is used as the Head Master ‘s room every bit good as the office with the files stacked behind. There is no equal topographic point to hive away and exhibit the assorted shields, trophies and souvenirs won by the school and its squads. Labs: There is no sole infinite for a research lab in any of the schools visited. There are a little figure of incontrovertible AIDSs and equipment in high schools, but the same are stacked in closets inside schoolrooms. In the instance of an upgraded school, research lab equipment is being borrowed from a neighbouring school and the same is returned after presentation in the category. Library: Libraries ideally provide entree to books in add-on to the schoolroom texts and make a nexus with the developments taking topographic point outside. Storage of books in the best of municipal schools is found non satisfactory. Books are non made accessible to the pupils for whom they are meant to be extra reading stuff. Common suites for misss: The Government of India has embarked on a mission to retain misss in schools through the National Programme Education for Girls at Elementary Level ( NPEGEL ) . Urban slums in Municipalities and Corporations of the four territories including Krishna territory was covered under the programme. It was seen that such room existed in one high school, but was non being utilized for the intent. The freshly constructed suites were being used as staff suites for female instructors. Drinking H2O and Toilets: Drinking H2O for kids has non been uniformly provided in all municipal schools. Sanitation installations or lavatories in schools are shared by the pupils and the instructors. This is a cause for concern as bead out among misss is usually attributed to hapless sanitation conditions in schools. Resort areas: Due the scarceness of infinite in urban countries, it is difficult to happen municipal schools with equal infinite for drama land for the pupils. Furniture for Staff and Students: Municipal schools have been missing in furniture for its pupils. There are barely any municipal schools, at all degrees, which have been benches for all the kids. This could perchance be one of the grounds for the parents in switching their kids to private schools. Performance: Look at the consequences achieved by municipal schools over the old ages, it is found that the base on balls per centum has been a assorted bag of success and failures. Some of the pupils of VMC have excelled academically despite hardships. The public presentation of Municipal School pupils in SSC Board exams over the last three old ages is systematically on an mean 60 % .Performance of Municipal School Students in SSC ExamsYear Municipal Schools All Schools No. Appeared No. Passed Pass % No. Appeared No. Passed Pass % 2008 – 09 21899 13084 59.75 799324 585781 73.28 2009 – 10 23140 13385 57.84 880252 643974 73.16 2010 – 11 22959 14607 63.62 956887 722137 75.47 As is seen from the tabular array above the public presentation of municipal schools is about 60 % while the overall public presentation in all schools is systematically about 74 % . Inspite of these consequences which indicate quantitatively good public presentation, their public presentation in English linguistic communication appears to be qualitatively hapless. As per the recent G.O. Ms No: 76 ( 2008 ) , English medium has been introduced at all degrees in municipal schools. However, the system is non adequately equipped to manage kids who wish to inscribe in English medium schools. A four twenty-four hours developing programme on Communicative English has been organized by the Education Department to all the instructors to heighten their cognition and accomplishment. But this does non look to to the full fit them to manage the categories.1.6 The Problems of Teaching / Learning EnglishThe manner English is taught in schools, particularly in municipal and authorities schools to a great extent responsible for the lowering of the criterion of English in India. The purpose of teaching/learning English linguistic communication is surely really high and the agencies are unequal to recognize them. The followers are some of the jobs faced by the instructors of English in Municipal schools:Dearth of Competent instructorsThe instructors of English at municipal schools do non update themselves with the recent developments in the field of linguistics and latest methods of instruction ; hence, they are non able to learn English on par with the English instructors in the private schools. Though the instruction functionaries conduct developing programme one time a twelvemonth, the instructors give least importance to fit themselves with the latest methods of learning English. And besides these preparation programmes are conducted together along with the other capable instructors. So, the English linguistic communication instructors are non given much importance to fit themselves with the latest techniques.Job SatisfactionTeachers are non satisfied with their occupation. Most of the instructors look at their work as a load, do non take much involvement than what is compulsory. They are besides engaged in tonss of activities other than learning. They are really much comfortable utilizing the interlingual rendition method of learning E nglish.Competence of TeachersMost of the instructors ‘ competency of English is low. They have really limited or no pre-service preparation at all and had undergone barely any in-service preparation for the English linguistic communication. They are witting of it and therefore seem to endure from low self-pride.Constraint of clipThe instructors focus on syllabus completion. They do non hold sufficient clip to make other activities like brace work, group work, dramatisation etc. in the category. The instructors do non interact with the scholars. Teacher is the Centre of the linguistic communication category.Crowded ClasssThe size of the categories everyplace is well big and therefore, pupils ‘ engagement in the category work is rather impossible. The ratio of pupils in relation to teacher is non relative. This is one of the grounds why the instructors are unable to pay single attending to the pupils.Lack of CreativityLearners normally live in less supportive ( for instruc tion ) household and societal ambiance in stuff, emotional and fiscal footings. Most of them are first coevals scholars. They prefer to utilize the age old readymade notes for the scrutiny to go through. The pupils are non tapped to utilize their creativeness.Teacher ‘s and Student ‘s Regional Dialect impacting proper pronunciationThis is a really important job with most of the instructors learning English. When the instructors try to talk English, they carry their ain regional idiom into English. They have trouble in pronunciation and are non cautious about the emphasis and modulation of their ain address. They teach wrong phonic written texts, pronunciation, emphasis and modulation to the pupils. A big figure of instructors learning at school degree are unqualified. They have small thought of right use and none at all of right pronunciation. Their vocabulary is every bit limited as their reading. They are non familiar with the usage of modern learning techniques. Though the text books prescribe for different categories are skill-oriented, instructors are non equal plenty to learn them. The frequent alterations made in the policy sing English by the province and cardinal authorities has besides proved to be greatly damaging to the instructors and scholars of the linguistic communication.Teaching AidssClass room learning AIDSs and stuffs are by and large in short supply in schools, non to speak of audio-visual AIDSs like tape recording equipments, lingua phone programmes of movie strips. In some instances even pieces of chalk and black board are hard to obtain.ExaminationsIt is a commiseration that most of the scrutinies are in content oriented instead than skill-oriented. If at all any accomplishment is required to be displayed by the testers, it is their writing ability. Though reading, listening and talking accomplishments are given in the text books, they are neglected wholly in the scrutinies. With the constitution of organic structures like National Council of Educational Research and Training ( NCERT ) , National course of study has gained popularity and being progressively adopted by more and more provinces. Many of these syllabi provide adequate range for the development of the scholar ‘s abilities. However, the strangeness of the English instructor with both the purposes and aims of these course of studies and their usage about ever succeeds in get the better ofing the very intents for which they were ab initio framed. Teacher ‘s instruction is one major country which needs drastic alterations if quality instructors are to go available to develop the English linguistic communication accomplishments of the pupil.

Diagnosing Malaria †Case Study

Diagnosing Malaria – Case Study Free Online Research Papers Diagnosing malaria can be missed when there is a significant time lag from exposure and negative initial tests. As clinicians we must always consider the diagnosis in the appropriate clinical setting as a missed diagnosis can potentially result in serious consequences. A 27 year old female student from Nigeria presented with a two day history of headaches, mild photophobia, sweats and fever. She arrived from Nigeria eight months previously and had not been back since. On admission she was unwell with a temperature of 38.5?C, pulse 110/min but otherwise haemodynamically stable. Examination revealed a soft ejection systolic murmur and signs of meningism, but her neurological assessment was otherwise entirely normal. Her initial investigations showed a haemoglobin level of 11.8g/dl, white cell count 3.9109/l, lymphocytes 0.5109/l, platelets 118109/l, C-reactive protein 121mg/l; urea and electrolytes and liver function tests were normal. She was commenced on ceftriaxone 2g daily with a presumptive diagnosis of meningitis. She had a normal CT head, which was followed by a normal lumbar puncture. Two sets of blood cultures and a mid-stream urine sample had no growth after 48 hours. The initial admission pyrexic thick and thin blood film and malarial antigen test (Optimal, DiaMed) were negative. She improved initially with antibiotics and intravenous fluids. 24 hours into her admission, having been reviewed by a number of senior doctors, her working diagnosis was changed to one of a viral illness and plans were made for her discharge. Malaria was felt to be unlikely given that not only was she eight months post exposure for malaria, her blood film and antigen test were negative. However, on the day of discharge she was found to spike a temperature of 38?C and remained thrombocytopenic (108109/l). It was decided that in view of her origin (Nigeria) and the fact that she remained thrombocytopenic, malaria still needed to be considered. Even though a thick and thin blood film and malarial antigen test (Optimal, DiaMed) were negative, we felt three negative blood films were needed before excluding malaria and labelling her as a patient with a viral illness. Interestingly a repeat blood film showed malarial parasitaemia of 5% Plasmodium falciparum [Figure 1]. Her haemoglobin dropped to 9g/dl and platelets dropped to 93109/l over the next two days, which then recovered. She was treated with intravenous quinine (10mg/kg) for 48hrs and converted to oral quinine for seven days followed by three tablets of oral pyrimethamine with sulfadoxine (Fansidar). She was discharged home with a negative parasitaemia. Comment The Office of National Statistics reports increasing international travel in our population with 25 million visitors to the UK and 61 million trips abroad in 2003. According to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) there were 1722 cases of malaria in the UK in 2003, 78% were Plasmodium falciparum, all of which were diagnosed within five months of arrival in the UK. Their statistics also show that 59% of malarial cases in UK are from those of African ethnicity, and patients who were infected in Nigeria contribute one third of all Plasmodium falciparum cases in UK and 2 out of 16 deaths in 2003. Immunity to malaria is acquired slowly, is incomplete and on leaving the infectious environment falls over about 1-2 years. Those who have been out of exposure for greater than 1 year or been born in UK are classed as non-immune. These individuals if exposed usually develop malaria within one month of leaving the endemic area. In contrast those who are from endemic areas and arrive in the UK as an immigrant, visitor or student (our patient) are classed as semi-immune. In these individuals and those who have taken malaria prophylaxis, incubation can be significantly prolonged, and may have milder symptoms. In those countries with high transmission rates, severe disease is usually a disease of the young (1 month to 5 years) or non-immune adults (vast majority of travellers to endemic areas). Children in areas of high transmission often show tolerability of the parasites due to constant parasitaemia without signs of disease, and paradoxically those living in low transmission areas have high clinical disease burden 1. Reviewing the HPA statistics, of the 1722 cases reported in 2003, 52% were visiting family and friends in their country of origin and probably non-immune as they had been born or lived in the UK for some time, 22% were from endemic areas (immigrants, visitors, students), and 26% were almost certainly non-immune (business travel, holiday, expatriates). Diagnosis of malaria in the 22% group, who arrive from an endemic area and are semi-immune, is often difficult because they can present late with clinical malaria, as demonstrated with our patient being in the UK for eight months prior to presentation. Our case was notable in that our patient had an initial negative microscopy and malaria antigen test. The latter is a new method for detecting malaria. It is a rapid dipstick immunoassay that detects circulating antigens of either histidine rich protein-2 of falciparum (HRP-2f) or plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH). These are near-patient testing kits that have recently been developed to ease and speed up diagnosis, particularly in places that do not have access to microscopes or trained laboratory staff. The malarial antigen test Optimal (DiaMed) used in this case detects presence of pLDH. This assay can detect parasitaemia levels of 100-200 parasites per ?L of blood, equivalent to 0.002% 2 and has been found to have a sensitivity of 95.3% and a specificity of 100% for Plasmodium falciparum 3. However, a meta-analysis of ten popular brands showed that HRP-2 was more accurate than the pLDH tests 4. Though quick to use and easy to read they are not as accurate nor as good at dete cting species as microscopy using thick and thin films, hence why microscopy remains the method of choice. We believe most general physicians would have felt that on initial presentation our patient was unlikely to have malaria. She presented with non-specific symptoms and signs of meningism; over eight months had elapsed since her return from Nigeria and lastly initial investigations were negative for malaria. Many might have put her presentation down to a viral illness, though she had the characteristic lymphopenia and thrombocytopenia for malaria (sensitivity for thrombocytopenia in those with malaria is 60%, and specificity is 95%) 5. It is noteworthy however that a study in Nigeria found that headache, fever, chills and rigors were the commonest malaria symptoms in adults6. Further, a fact that we all forget is that the HPA advises us to consider malaria in a patient who has been potentially exposed up to 12 months. Finally if the clinical suspicion for malaria is high, three sets of malarial blood films must be taken before suggesting a negative result – easily forgotten by clinicians. In conclusion we would like to reinforce to all clinicians the advice by the Health Protection Agency that it is important to consider malaria due to Plasmodium falciparum as a differential in those who have had malaria exposure in the last 12 months and to always take three blood films if there is any clinical suspicion to make a diagnosis of malaria. Figure 1: Patients blood film showing malarial parasites References: 1. Reyburn H, Mbatia R, Drakeley C, Bruce J, Carneiro I, Olomi R, Cox J, Nkya WMMM, Lemnge M, Greenwood BM, Riley EM Association of Transmission Intensity and Age With Clinical Manifestations and Case Fatality of Severe Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Journal of American Medical Association 2005; 293:1461-1470 2. Palmer CJ, Lindo JF, Klaskala WI, Quesada JA, Kaminsky R, Baum MK, Ager AL Evaluation of the OptiMAL Test for Rapid Diagnosis of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Journal of Clinical Microbiology 1998; Jan: 203-206 3. Kolaczinski J, Mohammed N, Ali I, Ali M, Khan N, Ezard N, Rowland M Comparison of the OptiMAL rapid antigen test with field microscopy for the detection of Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum: considerations for the application of the rapid test in Afghanistan Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology 2004; 98(1): 15-20 4. Marx A, Pewsner D, Egger M, Nuesch R, Bucher HC, Genton B, Hatz C, Juni P Meta-analysis: accuracy of rapid tests for malaria in travelers returning from endemic areas Annals of Internal Medicine 2005; 142(10): 836-46 5. DAcremont V, Landry P, Mueller I, Pecoud A, Genton B Clinical and laboratory predictors of imported malaria in an outpatient setting: an aid to medical decision making in returning travelers with fever American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2002, 66: 481-486 6. Harrison NE, Odunukwe NN, Ijoma CK, Mafe AG Current clinical presentation of malaria in Enugu, Nigeria Nigerian Postgraduate Medicine J. 2004; 11(4): 240-5 Research Papers on Diagnosing Malaria - Case StudyPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyStandardized TestingResearch Process Part OneWhere Wild and West MeetLifes What IfsThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever Product