Domestic Violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Domestic Violence - Essay Example The purpose of this paper is to analyze domestic violence in our society. Domestic violence is a serious problem that is hurting the quality of life of many American families. This social deviant behavior is a problem in the United States and abroad. Victims of domestic violence must speak out in order to get help. Domestic violence is a crime punishable by the law. Nobody deserves to be physically and emotionally abused by another person. It is better to get out of bad relationship than to continue to suffer from an abusive spouse. Women are five to eight times more likely to be victims of domestic violence (Aardvarc, 1998). In order to battle against domestic violence victims have to tell someone about the problem to then eventually get the courage to file formal charges against the abuser. Our society will be better place once domestic violence is eradicated forever. Aardvarc.org (1998). From â€Å"Violence by Inmates: Analysis of Data on Crimes by Current or Former Spouses, Boyfriend and Girlfriends, U.S. Department of Justice, March 1998† Retrieved December 11, 2010 from http://www.aardvarc.org/dv/statistics.shtml Helpguide.org (2010). Domestic Violence and Abuse: Signs of Abuse and Abusive Relationships Retrieved December 12, 2010 from

Sentencing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sentencing - Term Paper Example Contextually, there are various considerations and provisions under the aforementioned clause, wherein courts are required to perform a review of every case in relation to proportionality (Gardner & Anderson, 2011). The major considerations and provisions that are included in proportionality in the US Courts are as follows. The magnitude of the crime committed and the severity of the punishment sentenced Sentences that are enforced for identical criminal acts in similar jurisdictions Sentences that are enforced for identical criminal acts in relation to other jurisdictions Source: (Gardner & Anderson, 2011) The principle of proportionality came into practice following the case rule in Solem v. Helm, 463 U.S. 227 (1983) and subsequently, the Supreme Court of the US implemented the procedures in accordance with which proportionality amid crime and penalty were to be evaluated. The case of Pulley v. Harris, 1984 can also be regarded as a landmark case in the history of developing the pr inciple of proportionality by the US Supreme Court Gardner & Anderson, 2011). ... Contextually, there are certain groups of individuals who cannot be offered with the death punishment sentence. These individuals include defendants who are (i) mentally retarded or insane, or (ii) are juveniles under 18 years of age and (iii) defendants who are found to be guilty in aiding a felony act but restrains from committing a homicide or a similar category of felony themselves (Gardner & Anderson, 2011). For an example, in the case of Graham v. Florida (No. 08-7412) (2010), the delivered judgment advocated that Graham (the defendant) committed robbery and armed burglary crimes. Later, Graham was charged with additional crimes and accordingly, the trial court canceled his probation terms, convicting him with life imprisonment punishment sentence. Graham then appealed and charged against his sentences under ‘Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause’. Contextually, in accordance with the principle of the clause, because Graham was a juvenile, it was ruled that he could not be sentenced with life imprisonment of death penalty without parole in case of non-homicide crime (Cornell University Law School, 2010). The ‘Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause’, under the provisions of the US Supreme Court, also states that mentally retarded people or insane convicts cannot be deemed eligible to be punished with death sentence, but can be or life imprisonment [Ford v. Wainwright (No. 85-5542) 752 F.2d 526, reversed and remanded] (Cornell University Law School, n.d.). As mentioned above, the principle also prohibits the US courts from delivering a death sentence to a convict who is found guilty to aid and/or abet a homicide crime or equivalent criminal offence(s) but is not directly responsible for the committed crime [Enmund v. Florida (No. 81-5321) 399 So.2d

Europe and the Great Depression of the 1930s - Study Notes Essay Example for Free

Europe and the Great Depression of the 1930s Study Notes Essay The Great Depression of the 1930s was a result of World War I. Germany had to pay off war debts to France and Britain, but in the meantime, they borrowed money from the U.S. There was a chain connecting everyone, and when Germany finally failed to pay France and Britain, the chain of money stopped. France and Britain could not pay the U.S. back, and the stock market crash ensued shortly afterwards. Its severity was due to the chain reactions and interlocking of the different countries. Germany was suffering major inflation, and simply could not pay or make up its debt to the other countries. If France and Britain were equally blamed for the war, it may not have happened, because Germany would not be supporting the countries economically. The National Government took three decisive steps to attack the depression. First, to balance the budget, it raised taxes, cut insurance benefits to the unemployed and the unemployed and the elderly, and lowered government salaries. Its leaders argued that the fall in prices that had taken place meant that those reductions did not appreciably cut real income. Second, in September 1931, Britain went off the gold standard. The value of the British pound on the international money market fell by about 30 percent. This move somewhat stimulated exports. Third, in 1932 Parliament passed the Import Duties Bill, which placed a 10 percent ad valorem tariff on all imports except those from the empire. Gold and free trade, the hallmarks of almost a century of British commercial policy was abandoned. The Popular Front, on June 8, 1936, immediately raised wages from 7 and 15 percent, depending on the job involved. Employers were required to recognize unions and to bargain collectively with them. Workers were given annual, paid two-week vacations. The forty-hour week was established throughout French industry. Everyone was terrified of the Third Republic. The outflow of foreign capital from Germany beginning in 1928 undermined the economic prosperity of the Weimar Republic. The resulting economic crisis brought parliamentary government to an end. In 1928 a coalition of center parties and the Social Democrats governed. All went reasonably well until the depression struck. Then the coalition partners disagreed sharply on economic policy. The Social Democrats refused to reduce social and  unemployment insurance. The more conservative parties, remembering the inflation of 1923, insisted on a balanced budget. The coalition dissolved in March 1930. Hitler came into office by legal means, he was eventually elected Chancellor by the president and all the proper documents were completed. When the president of Germany died on August 2, 1934, Hitler combined the offices of chancellor and president. He was then the sole ruler of Germany and of the Nazi party. No, his dictatorship was not inevitable. His seizure of power was more by impersonal forces, especially because he only became ruler of Germany when the President died. Nazi economic policies maintained private property and private capitalism, but subordinated all significant economic enterprise and decisions about prices and investment to the goals of the state. Hitler reversed the deflationary policy of the cabinets that had preceded him. He instituted a massive program of public works and spending. Many of these projects related directly or indirectly to rearmament. The government sponsored canal building, land reclamation, and the construction of a large highway system with clear military uses. The government returned some unemployed workers to farms if they had originally come from there. Other laborers were not permitted to change jobs. The Nazi economic experiment proved that by sacrificing all political and civil liberty, destroying a free trade-union movement, preventing the private exercise of capital, and ignoring consumer satisfaction, full employment to prepare for war and aggression could be achieved. Terror and intimidation had been major factors in the Nazi march to office. The SS had originated in the mid-1920s as a bodyguard for Hitler and had become a more elite paramilitary organization than the much larger SA. The SS was the instrument that carried out the blood purges of the party in 1934. The police character of the Nazi regime was all-pervasive, but the people who most consistently experienced the terror of the police state were the German Jews. Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin each used terror to achieve their goals. With terror the number one populace concern, rebellion was less omniscient. The people would worry about staying alive and doing the things that please the ruler rather than make a mistake, plan a rebellion, or something close to that. Stalin felt that if Russia did not industrialize there would be no way to keep up the rest of the fast-advancing Europe. The production of iron, steel, coal, electrical power, tractors, combines, railway cars and other heavy machinery was emphasized. The labor for this development was supplied internally. Capital was raised from the export of grain even at the cost of internal shortages. The fact that Russia had a five-year plan probably allowed the Soviet Union to survive the German invasion. The targets of the purges were in all areas of party life. No one can explain why some were executed, others sent to labor camps, and still others left unmolested.

Investment analysis: AirAsia Berhad

Investment analysis: AirAsia Berhad 1.0 Market analysis Before we can proceed further in deciding whether investing in AiraAsia is a good choice or not, we have to do a market analysis on the market condition of the airline industry. Our market industry is based on five main elements which are: 1. Legal Like all industries in the market, the airline industry is also tied to certain legal policy of the government so as to ensure the safety and the consumers rights. For the airline industry worldwide, the rules and regulation are set by the International Civil Aviation Organization and is revised from time to time. The rules and regulations are mostly about flights safety measurements and also the management of safety during flight such as making the providence of first-aid kit compulsory on every aircraft in case anything happen during flight. Not only that, the air stewardess and air steward must have basic knowledge of first aid. 2. Politics Politics play a major role in the performance of the airline company as well. Any political policy that is to the airline companys disadvantage will affect the performance and annual profit of the airline. When the very first airline company was established in Germany, which is Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft(DELAG), on 16 November 1909, it was under Germanys government service. But as the 20th century approaches, airline companies are ‘deregulated. Airline deregulation according to the Wikipedia encyclopedia is the process of removing entry and price restrictions on airlines affecting the carriers permitted to serve specific routes. Airline deregulation began in the United States of America in 1978 and from there exist the Airline Deregulation Act 1978 whereas for Europe, deregulation only began in the 1990s. Before deregulation happened, the airline company has to abide by the instructions of the government concerning the routes and the choice of which airports to land on and depart from. Whereas after deregulation, the airline company has the freedom to choose any routes that they want and whichever airports that they want to stopover at. There are pros and cons to the deregulation of the airline company. The pro is the airline company has the freedom to decide on the operation of the airline whereas the con is that the entry barriers for new airline entrants are lower. Thus, creating a more competitive market for established airlines. This is when the low cost carrier airline starts to appear in the market, such as Tiger Airway (Singapore), Jetstar Airways (Australia) and Pacific Blue Airlines (New Zealand). The appearance of these airways will lower the profit margin of the existing airways as Low Cost Carrier (LCC) airlines tend to price their airfare at the very minimum price as possible. Another political aspect is the existence of bilateral agreements between two or more countries regarding the authority of stopovers at different airports. Bilateral agreement is normally based on the concept of ‘freedom of thee air where it gives the airline the freedom or rights to fly in the air space of another country and also be permitted to stop at the airports of their choice. And sometimes, some country may even allow foreign airline to operate on their domestic routes, but this is very rarely to be found. This move by the government will remove many of the barriers to competition and allowing their own airlines to have foreign partners or code sharing partners. This will further increase the airline access to more international routes and also further exposed the airline to foreign countries. Both the airline deregulation policy and the bilateral agreements play a major role in determining the successfulness of an airline company. A policy set by the government may in hibit or aid in the success of an airline company. 3. Economics When we look at the economic side of the market, we will first look at the overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the world. GDP is the value of all final goods and services from a nation in a given year. GDP is the best tool to use when accessing the performance of a country as it takes all the industries and products into consideration. A few of countrys GDP and the contribution of agriculture, industry and services to the total of GDP are listed in the table below. Country Growth rate (%) Agriculture (%) Industry (%) Services (%) China 8.7 10.9 48.6 40.5 Egypt 4.5 13.1 37.7 49.2 India 4.4 15.8 25.8 58.4 Nigeria 3.8 33.4 34.1 32.5 Thailand -3.5 12.3 44 43.7 Venezuela -1.5 4.0 34.6 61.4 America -2.4 1.2 21.9 76.9 Singapore -2.6 0.0 26.8 73.2 Malaysia -2.8 10.1 42.3 47.6 Source: CIA The World Factbook and Wikipedia Encyclopedia All the countries have different GDP, some countries may have negative growth and some countries have positive growth. This is normal as during 2008 is when the financial crisis happened. But not all countries did not benefit from the global economy downturn as some countries have positive growth rate for their GDP. This may be due to the fact that the countries benefited from industries that bring losses to another country which results in a tradeoff between the benefits between countries. The services industry contributes to most of the total of the GDP of the countries listed above except for china, Nigeria and Thailand. All three of these countries are more focused on industrial industry which may be due to the fact that these countries have more labored intensive industries. Thus, this shows that service industry plays an important role in the performance of a country and service industry includes airline industry. From the GDP of a country; we can look at the purchasing power parity (PPP) of the consumers. If the GDP of the country is low or is a negative value, this means that the PPP of the citizen is low and vice versa. The PPP of consumers can also be linked directly to the inflation rate of a country. As the inflation rate increase, the PPP of consumer will drop. Inflation rate will increase the price of goods in general as the demand exceeded the supply of the goods. Thus, decreasing the amount of extra money allocated for luxurious goods which also include travelling and entertainments. So the changes in the GDP of a country will affect all the industries, including the airline industry. There are times when not only the GDP will affect the performance of an airline; it may be due to natural disasters which include earthquake, tsunami and flash flood which have been happening quite frequently nowadays. All of these can disrupt the operation of the airline companies as facilities and airports maybe destroyed in the process. Thus, causing an airline company to face loss in the event of natural disasters. Another event that might affect the economic performance of an airline company is terrorism such as the event of the ill-fated day of September 11, 2001where American Airlines and United Airlines was hijacked. This had caused both airways to face huge losses due to the decline in value of the airways stocks. This can reflect the confidence of the customers towards both the airlines had declined extremely as an aftermath of the hijacking event. Below is the graph depicting the change in stock price for both companies. 4. Social As the years goes by, consumer demands are evolving gradually. The consumers nowadays want anything that is their convenience, cheap and can be done instantly without going through painstaking procedures. So as to accommodate the change in the demands of the customers, the airline company has to improvise themselves from time to time. Most of the airline companies nowadays have their own websites. This is to make it easier for the consumers to check the availability of tickets, the schedule of the airline and also enabling the consumers to purchase their ticket through e-ticketing. All of these are to the customers convenience. So as to attract more customers, some airlines are now practicing online check-in of luggage where luggage can be checked-in within 24 hours of the scheduled flight. Social and economic factors are closely related to each other as any changes in the market economy will directly affect the consumer behavior. As stated above under the economic factors, the event of financial crisis will affect the PPP of the customers as prices of goods have been increased due to inflation. In order to save more money, consumers will opt for cheaper goods. The same goes to the purchase of airfares. The lower the airfare is, the better it is and this even applies to business travelers travelling on premium class. This can be proven by a study done by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) where it shows that the consumers choice of seats have changed as the number of premium class travelers have decreased. This can be seen clearly from the graph below. The graph shows that the number of premium passengers had started to fall since july 2008 and keeps dropping until sometime in may 2009 before it the number of passengers travelling on premium class starts to increase gradually. Even though there is an increase of passengers travelling on premium class, it still takes time for the airline company to rebound back from the huge amount of losses that they have incurred. 5. Technology With the advancement of the technological changes in the world, the technology used by the airline company also improvised with time. In the past, whenever the customers wanted to buy air tickets, they will have to go to either the airlines office or any travel agency to purchase their tickets. But now, customers can just purchase their ticket with a click of the mouse. They do not even need to step out of the house, as long there is internet available. Advanced check-in can also be done through the internet 24 hours prior to the flight departure. All of these technologies are to the consumers convenience. Advancement in the technology of the airline industry can also be seen on the safety and the comfort of the aircraft. Aircrafts nowadays are more comfortable, safer and in-flight entertainment is also provided for long haul flights. This is very different from the olden aircraft where the main purpose of the aircraft is just to transport passengers from one point to another. Both the Airbus and Boeing Company are improvising their aircraft from time to time in so as to ensure that their aircraft is the best in terms of safety and also the comfort level. Airline companies in the market are also using the advancement in technology to implement risk management by providing good and reliable databases for risk analysis and targeting, providing faster and more effective business processes, more efficient recordkeeping and providing better services to the customers. 2.0 Airline Industry Analysis The airline industry had always been a highly regulated industry from the beginning of its establishment. The deregulation or liberalization movement initially started in the US in 1978. Governments usually treat the airline industry differently compared to some other industries due to the sensitivity of the aviation business, which involve some national security and sovereignty issues. In this report, Porters Five Forces Model is being used to analysis the aviation industry structure to provide an overall view of the industry. This is a well-established model, in which the industry can be simulated as a model influenced by five different factors called ‘forces as shown in Figure 1.1. A suitable dynamic interaction of these five forces shapes the basic structure to determine the profitability and attractiveness of the industry. 2.1 Industry Competitor The degree of rivalry is one of the most important factors that determining profitability of the industry. The market growth and number of competitors are some of the causes that will affect the industry rivalry. For the airline industry where its fixed cost is usually very high and the variable cost is low, competition is fierce as airlines are trying to generate revenue to reach break-even level in order to survive. Competition in the airline industry can be divided into competition between low cost carriers (LCCs) and full service carriers (FSCs) in both regional and domestic markets. There are 6 budget airlines in Malaysia which are Air Asia, Firefly, Tiger Airways, Cebu Pacific, Jetstar, and Lion Air. The competition among low cost carriers is usually fiercer as offering the cheaper airfare is utmost important for them. One of the main reasons that passengers choose to use a LCC is â€Å"cheaper airfares†. Since most of the low cost carriers do not have frequent flyer program to impose switching cost on customers, it is rather difficult for them to build up customer loyalty except constantly offering a cheaper airfare to retain their customers. On the other hand, there are a lots of full service airline in Malaysia such as MAS, Cathay Pacific Airway, China Airlines, Eva Airways Corporation, and so on. Thus, the competition between full service carriers is more complicated. This is because FSCs are competing in many aspects of their services, such as network coverage, flight frequency, and service quality and ticket prices. While the competition between FSCs and LCCs are mainly focused on attracting each others market as they usually have different customer groups. Customer base of LCCs are largely made up of leisure traveler while FSCs appear to be more attractive for business traveler. 2.2 Suppliers Suppliers are those who provide necessary raw material, equipment and labor for an airline to perform their daily operation. Suppliers strength can greatly affect the industrys profitability, if there is a high concentration in the supplier power, they can exert influence on airlines thus increasing their bargaining power. Major inputs for airline to provide their services to passengers are aircraft, labor, fuel and landing slots. The fleet is the most important assets for airlines to generate revenue. However, there are only two major aircraft manufacturers in the West, Boeing and Airbus, which almost monopolizing the wide-body civil transport aircraft market worldwide. Hence, the bargain power of aircraft manufacturers against airlines remains very strong, as the concentration of aircraft supplier market is very high. Some airline employees are considered as highly specialized and professionals, such as pilots and aircraft technicians. Due to their specializations, it is almost impossible for an airline to find replacements for pilots or maintenance workers in short time, which may cause an increase in the bargaining power of their employees over the airlines. In this regard, the labor cost is one of the biggest operating costs of most airlines. However, cutting cost is the main agenda of airline nowadays, and the labor cost is always the first to be the victim. 2.3 The Buyers Power The buyers power is defined as the influence that customers can have on the airlines revenue affecting ticket prices and service charges. If the buyers power is strong enough, customers can set the ticket price, and vice verse. Strong buyer power can bargain away potential airline profit and extract other benefits from airlines such as quality-improved services. Some of the favorable factors to strong buyers power in the airline industry are relatively low customer switching cost, low product differentiation, and freely available information on Internet. Nevertheless, the buyers power may be weaken by low buyer concentration or small purchase volume. Although fierce pricing war dispute among the airlines, it is notably that buyers do not play proactive roles in the pricing war. Current price impacts in the market is aimed to keeping the airlines competitors out of the market rather than providing the low pricing power of the airlines to their customers. Besides, travel agents, who us ually buy air tickets in large volume, yield greater power but they use this concept to strengthen their position in the market rather than transferring the cost benefit to costumers. 2.4 New Entrant â€Å"New entrant† refers to any new player in the aviation market which will compete with the incumbents. A key criterion to analyze the threat of new entrant in the industry is to analyze the level of entry barriers. Entry barriers are obstacles that may discourage others from entering the market hence affect the competition of the industry. New entrants will also lower the potential profits of the industry as a whole. Most common entry barriers in airline industry are regulation restrictions, labor, access to distribution channels and high capital requirement. However, the entry barriers to the airline industry had generally been lowered recently, especially on the regulation restrictions and distribution channels. The example of new entrant to Low Cost Carrier s is Firefly airline, which was growth recently and become a strong competitor to Air Asia airline. 2.5 Substitutes â€Å"Substitution† represents the threat that other industries or transportation may offer a product, which can replace air transport. The threat of substitution depends on the type of flight, namely long haul or short haul, and travel purpose such as business or leisure. For short haul and leisure travel, the main substitution threat in the Asia Pacific comes from surface transport such as road and sea transport. Even though some of the airfares from LCCs are lower than bus fare, but after paying for the airport charges and insurances, customers will find that generally the total cost of air travel is still higher than that of road transport. Although surface transport is cheaper in term of money, it still costs the passenger more in terms of time and efficiency. Furthermore, road transport generally will not compete with long haul travel, especially for cross nation traveling. On the other side, latest technology inventions such as videoconference pose a bigger threat for business travel. In the aftermath of 911, many worries that the airline industry will be substituted by video conferencing companies as they assumed that people will be less willingly to travel since then. However, the speedy traffic recovery proved them wrong. Although the international passenger flow havent returned to the pre-crisis level, but it seems the recovery is on the right path. 2.6 Low Cost and Budget Airline Air Asia Berhad Air Asia is one of the largest low fare and no frills airline. in Low Cost Carriers (LCC) industry which providing guests with the choice of customizing services without compromising on quality and services . It operates scheduled domestic and international flights and it is also the first airline in the region to implement fully ticketless travel and unassigned seats. On 12 November 2008, Air Asia abolished fuel surcharges. In doing so, it claimed to be the first airline in the world to abolish fuel surcharges. From this statement, we can conclude that Air Asia is successful to expand their market as well as they airline had flown 55 million cumulative passengers by 2009. In 2010, it has the worlds lowest costs for an Airline, at $3.21 per seat-kilometer. Air Asia is able to attract more customers in future since they can offer lower price tickets to flight around the world. Last but not least, Air Asia is a corporate that potential to growth among the LCC industry due to its competence strategy holding. This corporate was emphasize on leanest cost structure; transparency in decision making and information sharing; safety; invest and enhance the Air Asia brand to maximize shareholder`s value; human capital development; and passion for guest satisfaction. Hence, investor can be confidence with their performance as well. 3.0 Company Analysis AirAsia is one of the award winning and largest low fare airlines in the Asia expanding rapidly since 2001. With a fleet of 72 aircrafts, AirAsia flies to over 61 domestic and international destinations with 108 routes, and operates over 400 flights daily from hubs located in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Today, AirAsia has flown over 55 million guests across the region and continues to create more extensive route network through its associate companies. AirAsia believes in the no-frills, hassle-free, low fare business concept and feels that keeping costs low requires high efficiency in every part of the business. Through the corporate philosophy of â€Å"Now Everyone Can Fly†, AirAsia has sparked a revolution in air travel with more and more people around the region choosing AirAsia as their preferred choice of transport. AirAsia creates values through the following vision and mission. (Resources : http://www.airasia.com/my/en/aboutus/irorganizationalstructure.html?) 3.1 Mission †¢ To be the best company to work for whereby employees are treated as part of a big family †¢ Create a globally recognized ASEAN brand †¢ To attain the lowest cost so that everyone can fly with AirAsia †¢ Maintain the highest quality product, embracing technology to reduce cost and enhance service levels 3.2 Vision To continue to be the lowest cost short-haul airline in every market we serve, delivering strong organic growth through offering the lowest airfares at a profit. Leanest Cost Structure †¢ Efficient and simple point to point operations †¢ Attracting and retaining hardworking and smart people †¢ Passion for continuous cost reduction Maximise Shareholders Value †¢ Resilient profit growth through our lower cost base †¢ Expansion of the AirAsia network in a prudent and disciplined manner †¢ Invest and enhance the AirAsia brand to increase investors returns Safety †¢ Comply with the highest International Aviation Safety Standards and practices †¢ Keep operations simple and transparent †¢ Ensure the security of our People and Guests Passion for Guests Satisfaction †¢ Maintain simplicity in every application †¢ Practice the unique and friendly AirAsia experience at every opportunity †¢ Recognise the linkage between guests satisfaction and long-term success Transparency †¢ Transparency in decision-making and information sharing †¢ Optimum disclosure higher than industry norms †¢ Timeliness in disclosing information Human Capital Development †¢ Invest in both hard and soft skills †¢ Recognize all our People as contributors to our success †¢ Reward excellence and individual contributions †¢ Maintaining one brand across the Group (Resources : http://www.airasia.com/my/en/aboutus/irstrategy.html?) 3.3 Strategy (Resources : http://www.airasia.com/my/en/aboutus/irstrategy.html?) 3.4 Values 1.Safety Adopting a zero tolerance to unsafe practices and strive for zero accidents through proper training,work practices, risk management and adherence to safety regulations at all times. 2. Valuing Our People Committing to our peoples development and well-being and treating them with respect, dignity and fairness. 3.Customer Focused We care and treat everyone in the same manner that we want to be treated. 4.Integrity Practicing highest standards of ethical behaviour and demonstrate honesty in all our lines of work in order to command trust and mutual respect. 5.Excellence in Performance Setting goals beyond the best and reinforcing high quality performance standards and achieving excellence through implementing best practices. (Resources : Air Asia Annual Report 2008) 3.5 Logo 3.6 Motto â€Å"NOW EVERYONE CAN FLY† 3.7 Directors Biography Dato Abdel Aziz @ Abdul Aziz bin Abu Bakar(Non-Executive Chairman) Dato Sri Anthony Francis Fernandes (commonly known as Dato Sri Tony Fernandes) Dato Kamarudin bin Meranun (Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer) Conor Mc Carthy (Non-Executive Director) 3.8 Independent Directors Dato Leong Sonny @ Leong Khee Seong (Independent Non-Executive Director) Fam Lee Ee (Independent Non-Executive Director) Dato Mohamed Khadar bin Merican (Independent Non-Executive Director) Datuk Alias bin Ali (Independent Non-Executive Director) (Resources : http://www.airasia.com/my/en/aboutus/irdirectorsbiography.html?) Share Registrar Symphony Share Registrars Sdn Bhd Level 26, Menara Multi-Purpose, Capital Square 8 Jalan Munshi Abdullah 50100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel: 603-2721 2222 Fax: 603-2721 2530/1 Corporate Broker ECM Libra Berhad Stock Exchange Listing Main Board of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad (Listed since 22 November 2004) (Stock code: 5099) Auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers Level 10, 1 Sentral, Jalan Travers, Kuala Lumpur Sentral 50706 Kuala Lumpur Tel: 603-2173 1188 Fax: 603-2173 1288 Audit Committee Dato Leong Sonny @ Leong Khee Seong Fam Lee Ee Datuk Alias bin Ali Dato Mohamed Khadar bin Merican (Resources : Air Asia Annual Report 2008) 3.9 Major Shareholders As of 12 November 2009, about 26% of the total share capital was owned by TuneAir Sdn Bhd. AirAsia is a substantially owner managed company, the cumulative ownership by the board of directors constitutes approximately 28% of the share capital. Shareholder name No. of shares owne What Is Atherosclerosis Disease? What Is Atherosclerosis Disease? Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory condition affecting mainly the medium sized and large muscular arteries in the vasculature. Research suggests that the role of statins as a cholesterol lowering agent is only one of their many pharmacological purposes, and that they can also be used in the treatment of inflammatory conditions such as atherosclerosis. A lot of funding has gone into this area of research as its predicted that in the next 15 years, it is expected that cardiovascular related events are going to be the main cause of death worldwide. Thus there is a greater need to consider novel strategies in management of cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. In the course of this essay I will attempt to describe how and why atherosclerosis is an inflammatory condition and how statins can be exploited as anti inflammatory agents in reducing the overall cardiovascular risk associated with the disease. There is a lot of laminar blood flow through the medium sized and large arteries in the vasculature which are the prime positions for atherosclerotic plaques to grow, making the blood flow more turbulent. This leads to the build up of ischemic tissue in organs where blood flow becomes limited leading to major vascular events as a consequence. The composition of this atheroma is the first indication that the disease is of an inflammatory origin as it matches that expected at the intermediate phase of injury. Also, as seen in other inflammatory states, monocytes are attracted to the site of inflamed tissue and differentiate into macrophages. This leads to an increase in production of inflammatory cytokines and an upregulation in toll like receptors. The plaque is largely made up of macrophages, mast cells, T cells, fibrin, collagen and platelets aggregates which indicate that the immune system has been activated to produce an inflammatory response to the insult. It is now also evident that the actual stenosis is less of a contributing factor to ischemia and that it is more of a result of the activation of plaque content, eg, macrophage and mast cells, which elicits the prothrombotic and procoagulant factors involved in thrombus formation. The role of cholesterol in plaque formation is considerable as macrophages found in the plaque composition are heavily saturated with cholesterol ester giving them their name, foam cells. Additionally, there is a lot more LDL in the circulation which has been proven to be pro inflammatory and is raised in atherosclerosis. Raised LDL in it self is a big contributing factor to the formation of foam cells as the LDL becomes oxidised and reduces de-novo synthesis of LDL receptors on endothelial cells and macrophages. Running parallel to this, CD34 scavenger receptors on these cells become unregulated so macrophages and endothelial cells engulf cholesterol and cholesterol esters in an uncontrolled manner leading to the formation of foam cells. These then set off a series of events leading to more foam cell production and plaque formation. This illustrates the important role cholesterol has in worsening the inflammatory processes involved in atherosclerosis thus foregrounding the need of s tatins to utilise their lipid and non lipid pharmacological mechanisms involved in cholesterol lowering as well as controlling the inflammation. There is a lot of evidence from experiments which link the involvement of cholesterol and inflammation in atherosclerosis. There is evidence which suggests that the presence of cholesterol results in an over expression of cell adhesion molecules, eg VCAM-1, ICAM-1 and E-selectin. Also, increased release of cytokines such as MCP-1 within the plaque as well as macrophages TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma and IL-1 which is all consistent with the inflammatory process. Additionally, mast cells are attracted and degranulated at the site of plaque formation. Other experimental evidence also shows that when cholesterol fed rats are treated with immunosuppressants; there is a reduction in the atherosclerosis. There is research into the possibility of there being some angiogenesis in the area which is consistent with the proliferative phase of repair involving the immune system. All of the above illustrates, with evidence, the inflammatory origins of atherosclerosis. Infectious agents are also associated with activating the immune system to produce a pro inflammatory response to a foreign organism. There is further evidence which illustrates that this is also true for atherosclerosis. There have been suggestions which say that infectious agents such as Chlamydia pneumoniae damage the endothelial cells in the same way as cholesterol. Infection with this organism can cause increased cell activation and expression of adhesion molecules as well as programmed cell death at site of damage. Also, there is increased cytokine expression in smooth muscle cells and the increased size of cells correlates to the neointimal thickening (plaque) associated with the disease. Overall, this leads to the recruitment and activation of immune cells such as leucocytes which are a major contributor to the inflammatory process. It was also shown through experimental models, that this infection causing the plaque formation can be treated by azithromycin which is a well es tablished immunosuppressant. All this evidence again foregrounds the strong correlation of inflammation in atherosclerosis. Now that we have established that atherosclerosis is indeed an inflammatory condition which can be exacerbated by high cholesterol and infection, the treatment strategy should therefore involve the use of statins for their cholesterol lowering and non lipid properties allowing them to be effective in resolving the inflammation. The conventional role of statins is the inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase enzyme which intern stops all the enzymatic steps occurring downstream of this enzyme to ultimately reducing hepatic cholesterol production. This leads to the inhibitory effect cholesterol has on LDL receptor synthesis being lifted so more receptors are synthesised leading to a greater uptake of cholesterol from the circulation thus lowering overall blood cholesterol levels. There is a lot of novel evidence suggesting the benefits of statins occurring before blood cholesterol reduction which illustrates that some other process must be involved. Apart from the conventional HMG-CoA reduction, statins also have non lipid related activity. They inhibit the production of mevalonic acid and isoprenoid metabolites which accounts for the apparent immunosuppressant activity of statins in atherosclerosis. In the case of inflammatory diseases, statins can also reduce smooth muscle proliferation, reduce over expression of ce ll adhesion molecules, reduce infiltration of macrophage and T cells to site of damage, inhibit antigen dependant T cell activation and reduce other inflammatory mediators such as IL-6, TNF alpha, C reactive protein and INF-gamma. Some studies have also shown the action of statins in vivo when an small experimental amount of 2ng/kg of LPS from E coli was injected into volunteers taking simvastatin or a placebo. The results of this study illustrated the non lipid effects of statins in response to insult as there was no change in blood TNFalpha in the group taking the statin which shows that statins have a role in affecting the bodys immune response to external insult. This clearly foregrounds the roles of lipid and non lipid mechanisms of action of statins in reducing serious outcomes related to the occurrences of cardiovascular events. In conclusion, it is clear from experimental evidence that atherosclerosis has been identified as an inflammatory disease. There is significant information to support the notion of using statins in a clinical setting for their lipid and non lipid effects to aid the over all reduction in the atherosclerosis and the role it has in activating an immune response. Therefore, statins can be used for their pleiotropic effects in inflammatory disease such as atherosclerosis to help alleviate the body of the inflammatory response related to the condition.

Humans Impact On Biomes Environmental Sciences Essay

Humans Impact On Biomes Environmental Sciences Essay Human beings have continuously continued with interference of different biomes and thus bringing various modifications to these biomes. If efforts are not enhanced in conserving the natural world, we shall continue experiencing deteriorating weather factors like the global warming. Failure to conserve our biosphere will ultimately hurt the human race. This annotated bibliography gives insight on the resources that provide useful information on impact of human beings on different biomes The authors provide a discussion on the loss and degradation of natural habitats that has continued unabated. It recommends on the assessment of the progress that has been achieved for the last ten years since the World Summit on Environment was last held. Various systems are discussed which are important with economic benefits as per the available data on habitat conservation. The reader will have insight on events discussed during the World summit and issues that were recommended. The events are discussed in a systematic manner providing the reader with easier reading. This article is recommendable to any researcher or student in this field. Carpenter, Stephen. Ecosystems and Human Well-being, Volume 2. Washington D.C., DC: Island Press, 2005 In this book, the author implores various scenarios which provide an important tool for the analysis of complex systems. In addition, they give a good understanding of different outcomes which have a chance of occurring. There is a growing demand for ecosystem services and thus this book provides four approaches which are highly sought. The first is Global Orchestration approach which focuses on equity, the growth of the economy and the issue preventing ecosystem problems. The second is the order from strength which lays an emphasis on security and economic growth. The third is mosaic which focuses on management of ecosystems. Finally, is the technogarden which is concerned with green technology as a form of managing ecosystems? This book is important in giving insights to the learner on different biomes and various management approaches Chapin, Francis. Principles of Ecosystem Stewardship: Resilience-based Natural Resource Management in a Changing World. Stockholm: Stockholm University, 2009. The author implores the implementation of a steady-state theory and policies. This tends to invest in controlling a few selected ecosystem processes, at the expense of long-term social-ecological resilience. Loss of resilience makes systems more vulnerable to both expected and unforeseen changes. Achieving desirable outcomes for humanity, such as those of the UN Millennium Development Goals on poverty, food security, and environmental sustainability, will require new integrated and adaptive approaches to social and economic development. This is where the complex interconnectedness between humans and nature, at all scales, is considered and the existence of uncertainty and surprise accepted as the rule. The author provides a new framework for resource management that is based on the necessity of managing resources in a world dominated by uncertainty and change. This book is essential to readers as it links recent advances in the theory of resilience, sustainability, and vulnerability with practical issues of resource management. Chapin, Stuart, et al. Consequences of Changing Biodiversity. Nature 405.2 (2000): 234-242. The authors outline various activities which causes alterations of the global environment. This has caused major extinctions to be exhibited in the history of man. As a result, there has been a marked change in the distribution and occurrence on various organisms. Ecological habitats have changed as organisms try to adapt to the changing ecosystems. The processes that take place in the ecosystem are altered and the resilience to the environmental changes is affected. As a result, various consequences are faced which are often not good. The huge ecological and societal consequences of altered biodiversity ought to be reduced. This will help in preserving available options for future answers to global environmental problems. The authors use simple language which can be easily understood by readers. It is relevant in providing answers to various global environmental problems. Cowling, Ricky, Richardson, David and Pierce, S. Vegetation of Southern Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004 The authors provide comprehensive details about different vegetation types that occupy various parts of southern Africa. Despite the region having a cohesive ecological unit, it has different ecosystems which brings a notable diversity. The author presents this book in three parts which are; part one covers historical perspectives providing an understanding to the different ecosystems, part two provides the reader with the different characteristics and the determining factors for the vegetations, part three gives an insight into particular ecological themes like fire, grazing among others. This book provides its reader with profound knowledge on vegetation and effects of various factors. Dickinson, Gordon, Murphy, Kevin J., and Murphy, Kevin. Ecosystems. New York, NY: Routledge, 2007 The authors give a thought provoking introduction about the ecosystems nature. In addition, various ecosystem types are discussed and their interactions with the actions of human beings are given. In this second edition, an update of recent research on this field of ecology is provided giving major discoveries and their addition to this wide field. The authors are able to incorporate a strong theme about the application of functional ecology in providing an understanding of the working nature of ecosystems. Moreover, this book provides the reader with more insight on how to apply the concepts of the ecosystems in the subject of science and applied science. The book contains various chapters like global environmental change and impacts on the ecosystem which serves in the understanding of the biomes in the earths atmosphere. The language used in this book is simple for the reader and the information given is relevant in the study of impacts of human beings on the biomes. Ellis, Erle and Ramankutty, Navin. Putting People in a Map: Anthropogenic Biomes of the World Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 6. 2 (2008): 439-447. The authors discuss how humans have essentially altered global patterns of biodiversity and ecosystem processes. The existing systems for representing these global patterns, including biome classifications, either ignore humans altogether or simplify human influence into, at most, four categories. The authors present the first characterization of terrestrial biomes based on global patterns of sustained, direct human interaction with ecosystems. The authors identify, eighteen anthropogenic biomes through empirical analysis of global population, land use, and land cover. More than 75% of Earths ice-free land showed evidence of alteration as a result of human residence and land use, with less than a quarter remaining as wild lands. This supports just 11% of terrestrial net primary production. Anthropogenic biomes offer a new way forward by acknowledging human influence on global ecosystems and moving us toward models and investigations of the terrestrial biosphere that integrate human a nd ecological systems. The authors present a comprehensive analysis presenting the reader with easier understanding. Goudie, Andrew. The Human Impact on the Natural Environment: Past, Present and Future. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2006. The author provides a wide coverage of environmental issues that are being exhibited in the current modern world. The book is a good resource to ecology students as it begins by covering past events on human impacts on earth, presents the current issues and finally gives a projection of the future. It tackles impacts man has on the vegetation, water, landforms, and animals among others. In addition, it provides current statistics about human impacts on the environment. The text is presented in a new design which makes it more presentable and easy to be used by the readers. This book is relevant to the topic of the study by giving important information on the past, present and future impacts of humans on the biome. Nilsson, Christer, Reidy, Catherine, Dynesius, Mats and Revenga, Carmen. Fragmentation and Flow Regulation of the Worlds Large River Systems. Science 308. 5720 (2005): 405-408. The authors provide a global overview of dam-based impacts on large river systems which show that over half (172 out of 292) are affected by dams, including the eight most biogeographically diverse. Dam-impacted catchments experience higher irrigation pressure and about 25 times more economic activity per unit of water than do unaffected catchments. In view of projected changes in climate and water resource use, these findings can be used to identify ecological risks associated with further impacts on large river systems. This article is recommended to students learning about different biomes and the impacts of man on them. The discussion is presented in an easily understandable language which students will find useful in their research and readings. Woodruff, David. Declines of Biomes and Biotas and the Future of Evolution PNAS 98. 10 (2007): 5471-5476. The article outlines details of a panel discussing the topic of study. To respond to the declines of biomes and homogenization of biotas, the panelists predicted changes in species geographic ranges, genetic risks of extinction, genetic assimilation, and natural selection and mutation rates. In addition, the shortening of food chains, the increase in nutrient-enriched niches permitting the ascendancy of microbes, and the differential survival of ecological generalists are also discussed. Action taken over the next few decades will determine how impoverished the biosphere will be in 1,000 years when many species will suffer reduced evolvability and require interventionist genetic and ecological management. Whether the biota will continue to provide the dependable ecological services humans take for granted is less clear. The discussants offered recommendations, including two of paramount importance (concerning human populations and education), seven identifying specific scientific act ivities to better equip us for stewardship of the processes of evolution, and one suggesting that such stewardship is now our responsibility. The article is relevant in providing the reader with insights in to the topic on human impacts on biomes.

Demise of the Great Democracy Essays -- Education

Demise of the Great Democracy From the Declaration of Independence, where America’s forefathers had bounties on their lives; to the fight for integration in 1960- America strives to create equal opportunities within its boundaries. â€Å"Land of the Free† and â€Å"Land of Opportunity,† rightfully earned names America hold. Keeping the opportunities rolling, the G.I. Bill allowed war veterans to attend college at an affordable rate, giving every person a chance to attain their full potential, no matter their situation. Unfortunately, an educational gap still continued to stabilize, sending America into the hands of literate voters and a questionable future. The current solution to this gap, called the No Child Left Behind Act, (NCLB), insists that schools use standardized tests to show improvement in students each year. These tests attempt to stitch-up the educational gap but fails overall because it pushes the best and the brightest students down to an average level of a nation ranked numbe r forty-two in literacy in the world, (Mundi Index). While the No Child Left Behind Act delivers more accountability on education systems, and has a great intention of improving students to a proficient level, it also causes a detrimental, disadvantageous, and stunting growth of our democratic nation. Revised as The No Child left Behind Act, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, presented in President Lyndon B. Johnson’s â€Å"War on Poverty,† aimed to reduce the nation’s high poverty rate during 1965, (US Government). Closing the achievement gaps between the economical classes of America’s by providing equal opportunity provided the Elementary and Secondary Education Act’s (ESEA) goal. President Johnson only authorized this act until 1970,... ...p://www.nagc.org/index2.aspx?id=548>. "No Child Left Behind Act." New York Times. 9 2 2012: n. page. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. . Phelps, Richard P. Defending Standardized Testing. Introduction. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, 2005. Pollard, Jonathan. StandardizedTesting.net. 2002. January 2012 . US Government. U.S. Department of Education. 6 12 2010. January 2012 . US Legal. USlegal.com. n.d. February 2012 . White, Deborah. "Pros & Cons of the No Child Left Behind Act." US Liberal Politics . New York Times Company, n.d. Web. 14 Mar 2012. . Demise of the Great Democracy Essays -- Education Demise of the Great Democracy From the Declaration of Independence, where America’s forefathers had bounties on their lives; to the fight for integration in 1960- America strives to create equal opportunities within its boundaries. â€Å"Land of the Free† and â€Å"Land of Opportunity,† rightfully earned names America hold. Keeping the opportunities rolling, the G.I. Bill allowed war veterans to attend college at an affordable rate, giving every person a chance to attain their full potential, no matter their situation. Unfortunately, an educational gap still continued to stabilize, sending America into the hands of literate voters and a questionable future. The current solution to this gap, called the No Child Left Behind Act, (NCLB), insists that schools use standardized tests to show improvement in students each year. These tests attempt to stitch-up the educational gap but fails overall because it pushes the best and the brightest students down to an average level of a nation ranked numbe r forty-two in literacy in the world, (Mundi Index). While the No Child Left Behind Act delivers more accountability on education systems, and has a great intention of improving students to a proficient level, it also causes a detrimental, disadvantageous, and stunting growth of our democratic nation. Revised as The No Child left Behind Act, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, presented in President Lyndon B. Johnson’s â€Å"War on Poverty,† aimed to reduce the nation’s high poverty rate during 1965, (US Government). Closing the achievement gaps between the economical classes of America’s by providing equal opportunity provided the Elementary and Secondary Education Act’s (ESEA) goal. President Johnson only authorized this act until 1970,... ...p://www.nagc.org/index2.aspx?id=548>. "No Child Left Behind Act." New York Times. 9 2 2012: n. page. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. . Phelps, Richard P. Defending Standardized Testing. Introduction. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, 2005. Pollard, Jonathan. StandardizedTesting.net. 2002. January 2012 . US Government. U.S. Department of Education. 6 12 2010. January 2012 . US Legal. USlegal.com. n.d. February 2012 . White, Deborah. "Pros & Cons of the No Child Left Behind Act." US Liberal Politics . New York Times Company, n.d. Web. 14 Mar 2012. .

Coral Reefs :: essays research papers

Research Paper on Coral Reefs and their Habitat Uploaded by Buster57 on Dec 21, 2004 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Coral Reefs Coral reefs are complex and diverse habitat. They are perhaps on of the most interesting and colorful ecosystems to be found in the marine environment. They are very unique in many ways. Coral reefs play many important poles in the marine world. They must have certain conditions to be formed, and to survive. Lots of different sea life rely on reefs for habitat and sources of food, including some endangered species. Coral reefs are perhaps one of the greatest yet least known of wonders of our world. The formation of a coral reef is a long and slow process, taking about a year for a reef to grow about half an inch. Many factors affect the growth of the coral. The general pattern of coral reefs is a continuous cycle of growth and destruction, resulting from the growth of the coral and destructive activities of animals and storms. This pattern serves to keep the coral reef alive and at a fairly constant level. Coral reefs must have certain conditions to survive. They must be in reasonably shallow water. Low levels of sedimentation in the water are very important too, because too many sediments in the water can block the sunlight needed for the coral reefs. Because of the sunlight required for reefs to survive, they can only grow to depths of 45 meters deep. They only form in tropical seas and areas that stay above 20 degrees Celsius. The amount of oxygen is also important. Oxygen is produced in the daytime by plant photosynthesis, but the level drops dramatically at night. Ocean wa ves and water movement play a part in the amount of oxygen in the water as well, this allows diffusion of oxygen into the surface levels. There are three different kinds of coral reefs. There are fringing, barrier, and atoll. Fringing reefs are attached to margins of an island or continent, rough, table like surface, as much as 1 kilometer wide. On their seaward side they slope steeply to the ocean floor. Fringing reefs grow in shallow water near the shore and prefer dry climates with limited river runoff. There are also barrier reefs, which are similar to fringing but separated from mainland with a lagoon. The number of barrier reefs is greatly increasing due to global warming, because of the rise of the water’s level.