Long-Overdue Responses

Long-Overdue Responses This is a long one. Apologies in advance! First, a quick response to this Id just like to remind folks that blogging is not in my job description, nor is it in Matts. Its something we do in our spare time because we think that keeping in touch with you guys on a personal level makes the whole admissions experience more fulfilling for everyone involved on both sides of the equation. I apologize to those of you who think these blogs are just a glorified PR trick. Im not going to waste any time attempting to refute that my blog is what it is, and the folks who get it will get something out of it. Others wont, no matter what I say here. That makes me sad, but I can live with it, thanks to the rest of you. Okay, here are a bunch of responses to my blog comments NoCreativity thanks for your post and I am so sorry to hear about the student at your school who was killed. You couldnt have said it better people do need to try to keep some perspective when it comes to life and disappointments. Thank you for saying that. At the end of my junior year of high school one of my friends died in a car accident. I remember how my class came together in the wake of that experience cliques ceased to exist, people stopped arguing about trivial things, folks started to look for the good in each other instead of the differences. Its such a shame that it sometimes takes such a loss to wake people up to whats really important. Thanks for doing your part to keep these threads on the right path. As you also point out, however, people have every right to be disappointed if they didnt receive the big envelope. For me, seeing the admitted students happy is no consolation to seeing the deferred students so unhappy, because the former all got what they deserved whereas many of the latter did not. It would be so much easier if the number of qualified applicants matched the number of open spots. Anyway if you are comfortable telling me who you are (email address below), Id be psyched to read your essay. It doesnt sound familiar, which means I wasnt one of your readers for Early Action, but I can still read it if I know which file to open. :-) If not, no worries, I definitely respect the folks who wish to remain anonymous here. (Edit one thing I should mention, as Ive already received a few emails about this: unfortunately I cant offer feedback or advice on an individual case-by-case basis I wish we could, but it wouldnt be fair to other applicants who werent able to receive the same attention. I apologize for being misleading above. Basically, I meant that Id really enjoy reading the essays that are discussed here; I just cant respond to them directly. Im only allowed to give general advice written for everyone via the blog.) As for what you can do Marilee has written a letter which will be published this week in your MyMIT account. She says pretty much what Ive said in earlier entries theres unfortunately not much you can do, as you were likely deferred for space reasons, not because your application wasnt great. Off the record and I say that because this is a personal instinct and not one that is in any way officially sanctioned by the MIT admissions office Id say if youre going to send in something additional, address the idea of the match in some way. If you feel your application hasnt done this already, let us know why MIT is the place you really want to be. Talk about the real you what makes you feel truly alive in the context of MIT. Why is this the best place to continue the pursuit of your dreams? And feel free to hijack my blog any day of the week if youre going to add such good, thoughtful posts to the conversation. :-) Sagar asked should I be busting my ass over classes like french, where getting an A is very difficult, or should I spend my time doing the things I love, like bettering my chess engine, or my Neural Network CS projects, or My C interpreter, or my miniature mock particle accelerator? My two cents: you should do both, but balance them. You should strive to do your very best overall, but recognize that your life will require compromises and sacrifices. In a nutshell, we understand that your best in French may well be a B if your brain and priorities are wired more towards other things and thats okay. We know you could sacrifice your true passions to get that A in French, but at what cost? Lets say it takes an investment of 2 hours a day to raise your french grade from a B to an A, but it feels miserable, like swimming upstream. If you applied those 2 hours instead to something your brain was truly excited about, wouldnt that be a much better (and productive) use of the time? Just dont waste the two hours. Do something magical with them that will stand out from the application to the point that a reader wont even notice the B in french. People run into problems when they sacrifice one thing for another but then fail to follow through. Make sure that your B in French is balanced by something amazing you did with all the time you saved. On the other hand, you dont want to swing too far in the opposite direction. Anything less than a B in french could hurt you, especially in the later high school years. But an application with a solid B in French and vast accomplishments in other areas is likely going to be more competitive than one with a perfect GPA and nothing else. Does this answer your question somewhat? Its not totally a black and white issue you really have to be the one to decide what the best use of your time is. Id say most importantly, make sure you are true to yourself. Live your life! If you follow your passions and use your time wisely, success will ultimately follow. Mike D Feel free to call and ask for me. (When they ask where youre calling from, say Brooklyn and then scream NO SLEEP TIL!!!!) Seriously, I am here until 5PM M/T/W of this week (although not always at my desk sometimes Im out and about doing MyMIT stuff). Then Im out until 1/3. Matt is already gone for the holidays But if we can connect Id love to chat. Anonymous there is a space for the question you described. Its #14 in Part 2. (Thanks Sean for beating me to it!) You are welcome to send in additional materials, I think Matt was just saying that in most cases theyre not necessary your application is probably already very strong (see above for further discussion). Another personal opinion of mine I think its always good to check in with a school between getting deferred and Regular Action. It shows the school that youre still really interested (assuming that you are!). This can be done with supplemental materials or just a simple email or letter. Any of these will be recorded into your file and seen when your application is reviewed again. Earlier I wrote that trying to define admissions with a formula is like trying to explain poetry using calculus to which Marcus replied I thought calculus was a form of poetry. Marcus you are absolutely right (although the farthest I ever got was AB Calc, which didnt seem very poetic Im assuming it gets moreso in upper-level Calc?). Regardless, it was a bad analogy, especially in the company of all you math stars. Let me put it another way I read a ton of Shakespeare in high school and college and hated most of it until my Dad said Shakespeare was never meant to be read, it was meant for the stage. So I went and saw Shakespeare, and it changed everything it was brilliant. Trying to define admissions with a formula is like reading Shakespeare and thinking thats the extent of the experience. Accepting admissions for what it really is a wholly human endeavor thats like seeing Shakespeare on a stage, brought to life by the finest actors in the world. An anonymous poster asked how to email me its benjones at mit dot edu. I trust you can rearrange the anti-spam wording of that. ;-) And to the person who suggested the RSS feed for my blog fantastic idea. Ive been planning that for awhile and just havent gotten around to it, but it will be coming soon. Sorry for the delay, I know Im behind the times! Thanks to all of you for posting feedback for me. It makes this blog so much more fun. Happy holidays to everyone! -B

History of Holy Roman Emperor Otto I (Otto the Great)

Otto the Great (Nov. 23, 912—May 7, 973), also known as  Duke Otto II of Saxony, was known for consolidating the German  Reich  and making significant advances for secular influence in papal politics. His reign is generally considered to be the true beginning of the Holy Roman Empire. He was elected king Aug. 7, 936 and crowned emperor Feb. 2, 962. Early Life Otto was the son of Henry the Fowler and his second wife, Matilda. Scholars know little of his childhood, but it is believed he engaged in some of Henrys campaigns by the time he reached his late teens. In 930 Otto wed Edith, the daughter of Edward the Elder of England. Edith bore him a son and a daughter. Henry named Otto  his successor, and a month after Henrys death, in August of 936, the German dukes elected Otto king. Otto was crowned by the archbishops of Mainz and Cologne at Aachen, the city that had been Charlemagnes favorite residence. He was twenty-three years old. Otto the King The young king was bent on asserting the kind of firm control over the dukes that his father had never managed, but this policy led to immediate conflict. Eberhard of Franconia, Eberhard of Bavaria, and a faction of disgruntled Saxons under the leadership of Thankmar, Ottos half-brother, began an offensive in 937 that Otto swiftly crushed. Thankmar was killed, Eberhard of Bavaria was deposed, and Eberhard of Franconia submitted to the king.   The latter Eberhards submission appeared to be only a facade, for in 939 he joined with Giselbert of Lotharingia and Ottos younger brother, Henry, in a revolt against Otto that was supported by Louis IV of France. This time Eberhard was killed in battle and Giselbert drowned while fleeing. Henry submitted to the king, and Otto forgave him. Yet Henry, who felt he should be king himself in spite of his fathers wishes, conspired to murder Otto in 941. The plot was discovered and all the conspirators were punished except Henry, who was again forgiven. Ottos policy of mercy worked; from then on, Henry was loyal to his brother, and in 947 he received the dukedom of Bavaria. The rest of the German dukedoms also went to Ottos relatives. While all this internal strife was going on, Otto still managed to strengthen his defenses and expand the boundaries of his kingdom. The Slavs were defeated in the east, and part of Denmark came under Ottos control; the German suzerainty over these areas was solidified by the founding of bishoprics. Otto had some trouble with Bohemia, but Prince Boleslav I was forced to submit in 950 and paid tribute. With a strong home base, Otto not only fended off Frances claims to Lotharingia but ended up mediating in some French internal difficulties.   Ottos concerns in Burgundy led to a change in his domestic status. Edith had died in 946, and when the Burgundian princess Adelaide, the widowed queen of Italy, was taken prisoner by Berengar of Ivrea in 951, she turned to Otto for aid. He marched into Italy, took up the title King of the Lombards, and married Adelaide himself.   Meanwhile, back in Germany, Ottos son by Edith, Liudolf, joined together with several German magnates to revolt against the king. The younger man saw some success, and Otto had to withdraw to Saxony; but in 954 the invasion of the Magyars set off problems for the rebels, who could now be accused of conspiring with enemies of Germany. Still, fighting continued until Liudolf at last submitted to his father in 955. Now Otto was able to deal the Magyars a crushing blow at the Battle of the Lechfeld, and they never invaded Germany again. Otto continued to see success in military matters, particularly against the Slavs. Otto the Emperor In May of 961, Otto was able to arrange for his six-year-old son, Otto (the first son born to Adelaide), to be elected and crowned King of Germany. He then returned to Italy to help Pope John XII stand against Berengar of Ivrea. On February 2, 962, John crowned Otto emperor, and 11 days later the treaty known as Privilegium Ottonianum was concluded. The treaty regulated relations between pope and emperor, although whether or not the rule allowing emperors to ratify papal elections was part of the original version remains a matter for debate. It may have been added in December, 963, when Otto deposed John for instigating an armed conspiracy with Berengar, as well as for what amounted to conduct unbecoming a pope.   Otto installed Leo VIII as the next pope, and when Leo died in 965, he replaced him with John XIII. John was not well-received by the populace, who had another candidate in mind, and a revolt ensued; so Otto returned to Italy once more. This time he stayed several years, dealing with the unrest in Rome and heading south into Byzantine-controlled portions of the peninsula. In 967, on Christmas Day, he had his son crowned co-emperor with him. His negotiations with the Byzantines led to a marriage between young Otto and Theophano, a Byzantine princess, in April of 972. Not long afterwards Otto returned to Germany, where he held a great assembly at the court in Quedlinburg. He died in May of 973 and was buried next to Edith in Magdeburg. Resources and Further Reading Arnold, Benjamin.  Medieval Germany, 500-1300: a Political Interpretation. University of Toronto Press, 1997.â€Å"Otto I, the Great.†Ã‚  CATHOLIC LIBRARY: Sublimus Dei (1537), www.newadvent.org/cathen/11354a.htm.REUTER, TIMOTHY.  Germany in the Early Middle Ages c. 800-1056. TAYLOR FRANCIS, 2016.

Fitzgerald s Pursuit Of Wealth - 1487 Words

Fitzgerald’s Pursuit of Wealth F. Scott Fitzgerald, ‘’who was not only part of the irresponsible and extravagant life of The Roaring Twenties, but he also helped named this era, The Jazz Age with his novels.’’(Mescal Evler 587) The Roaring Twenties gave people the opportunity to become wealthy. Many people at the time of this era were making a lot of money and partying. Fitzgerald most well-known novel, The Great Gatsby, was based on The Roaring Twenties. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald makes us wonder and speculate whether the pursuit of wealth is a noble aspect of life or does it lead to corruption and shower greed upon an individual. The main theme throughout Fitzgerald’s novel is that wealth leads to corruption. Several characters in the novel have corrupt aspects, such as Jay Gatsby, Tom Buchanan, Daisy Buchanan, and Myrtle Wilson. This can be seen through the indirect and direct characterization of the characters. Each of the characters corruptness is evident in their perspectives and actions. The motivation of wealth also corrupts an individual. Wealth makes a person act a certain way and do certain things. Fitzgerald uses imagery to embody the personality of Myrtle as being corrupt. Fitzgerald’s use of irony shows that society wants to be with you only if you have money. In order to be with someone you have to be up to their standard. Gatsby’s corruption can be seen by the indirect characterization of him and his business. Gatsby takes Nick to meet MeyerShow MoreRelatedThe American Dream By F. Scott Fitzgerald1134 Words   |  5 Pagesability to achieve wealth or anything if one works hard enough for it. While for others, the Dream is believed to be living a simple, happy and fulfilling life. Essentially, the American Dream is theoretically for every American individual, regardless of their race or social class. Many historians and novelists, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, have accepted that these different beliefs and set of ideals make up the core components of the American Dream. In F. Scott Fitzgerald s novel, The Great GatsbyRead MoreThemes Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby1503 Words   |  7 Pagesthe American dream is an evident theme in the novel. The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, uses the character Jay Gatsby to symbolize the corruption that the pursuit of the American Dream holds. The Ameri can Dream highlights equality and is the quintessential idea that all humans are equal. However, this idea is perceived as an illusion. Due to the social strata, humans are accordingly placed in a hierarchy based on status and wealth. 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The irony of this is that Fitzgerald himself lived like many of the wealthy character in the book, despite his contempt for the lifestyle. The story, narr ated by a man named Nick Carraway, who is an aspirant of wealth, follows the quest of Jay GatsbyRead MoreScott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby and John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath1720 Words   |  7 PagesThe Great Gatsby and John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath In the novels The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald and The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, the authors present similar ideas, but use different methods to portray them. Similarities in themes can be made between the two texts; these include the pursuit of the American Dream and the use and misuse of wealth. 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Spleen In North India Health And Social Care Essay Free Essays

Spleen is a reticulo-endothelial and lymphoid organ and sometimes works as hematopoietic organ. Otherwise this organ is cemetery of RBCs. Spleen is enlarged in assorted clinical upsets e. We will write a custom essay sample on Spleen In North India Health And Social Care Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now g. infection, metamorphosis or storage upset and haematological abnormalities1,2. Spleen is ne’er tangible boulder clay it is enlarged two-three times of its ain size3. There are many manners of probe to place the hypertrophied spleen e.g.-plane radiogram, echography, computed imaging, MRI and radionuclide scan. Out of these modes echography and computed imaging are most dependable for intra-abdominal organs4. Assorted surveies were done by echography to analyze the additive dimension of spleen-length, breadth, and thickness. But CT-based additive dimension are still unavailable. Unfortunately, dimensions determined by 2-D USG are limited preponderantly by the variable, irragular contour of lien but besides by the trouble in wholly scanning the full organ or visualising complete contours as a consequence of the presence of overlying constructions such as bone, intestine gas or kidney5. CT imagination is more accurate than echography because this drawback doesnot occur with com puted tomography6, 7, 8. CT scans of 126 patients ( 72 male and 54 female ) were used to mensurate the volume of lien. The age of patients ranged from 20 to 70 years ( 50.33Â ±18.9yrs ) ( Table-I ) . The information was collected from December 2006 to April 2007 with permission of Department of Radio-diagnosis, KGMU Lucknow and informed consent taken from each patient. CT scans were obtained for assorted clinical indicants and followup of abdominal injury, abdominal hurting and to except an abdominal mass or adenopathy. The patient ‘s organic structure weight and tallness at or near the clip of the CT scrutiny were recorded. Spleen axial and transverse sectional image were obtained a CT Helical instrument. The proficient parametric quantities were 120 kv potency, 120 ma current, 10mm piece breadth with indistinguishable Reconstruction index and a rotary motion clip of 1.5 secs. The medical records of all patients were reviewed. Patients whose liens appeared unnatural on CT scans were excluded. Additio nally, any patients who had clinical, biochemical or imaging grounds of conditions that could impact the size of the lien, haematological upsets, abdominal malignances, infection and portal high blood pressure, splenetic injury, cyst, and auto-immune diseases were excluded from the survey. CT-scan dicom images of each patient were opened in Able-3D-doctor package. Spleen is identified in each cross subdivision and longitudinal subdivision of CT-scan images. The length of lien recorded in longitudinal subdivision along 10th rib in cephalo-caudal way ( figure-1 ) . Width of lien besides recorded in longitudinal way ( figure-2 ) but thickness measured in cross-section image ( figure 3 ) . All dimensions were recorded maximal appreciated in subdivisions for better truth. All statistics were generated by SPSS version 10.The pupil T-test was used for comparing of agencies. P A ; lt ; 0.05 was considered important for comparing of agencies and for arrested development analysis. Association between splenetic dimensions and physical criterions of patients was assessed with the Pearson correlativity coefficient ; to place the exact form of relationship, non-linear arrested development every bit good as additive arrested development was applied. Multiple arrested development analysis was applied in backward stepwise manner to prove the independent consequence of all physical criterions on splenetic parametric quantities. Frank et Al used conventional echography to measure 793 healthy patients ( 17-82yrs. ) and found that 95 % of patients had splenetic length A ; lt ; 11cm, breadth A ; lt ; 7cm and thickness A ; lt ; 5cm9. Niederau et al studied 915 healthy topics utilizing echography and found that average longitudinal and cross diameter of lien to be 5.8Â ±1.8 centimeter and 5.5Â ±1.4 centimeter severally. These dimensions were much smaller than other surveies because writer did non mensurate maximal dimension10. Picardi et Al. found average longitudinal dimension of spleen ranged from 8 to 11 centimeter ( average: 9.5 centimeter ) 11. Mittal et Al. performed pilot survey of normal measuring of spleen by echography on Rajasthani population and found mean length of spleen 9.40Â ±0.91 centimeter in males and 9.34Â ±0.95 centimeter in females12. In older topics they found average length of spleen 9.64Â ±0.64 centimeter. Spielmann et Al, mean length of lien was found to be 11.4Â ±1.7 centimeter in males and 10.3Â ±1.3 centimeter in females13. Konus et Al. found average longitudinal dimension: 10.1Â ±1.03 cm13. In our survey intend splenetic length in North Indian population was 10.67Â ±1.62 centimeter ( female: 10.34Â ±1.58 and male 10.91Â ±1.67 centimeter, P A ; gt ; 0.05 ) 14. Mittal et Al. measured mean breadth of lien in male every bit good as female 3.45Â ±0.59 centimeter and 3.59Â ±0.55 centimeter. Average breadth of lien measured by Spielmann was 5.0Â ±0.8 in males and 4.2Â ±0.7 centimeter in females. In our survey average breadth of spleen 8.61Â ±1.58 centimeter ( male: 9.74Â ±1.62 centimeter and female 9.26Â ±1.66 centimeter, P A ; gt ; 0.05 ) and average thickness of spleen 4.86Â ±1.22cm ( female: 4.70Â ±1.19 centimeter and male: 4.97Â ±1.29 centimeter, P A ; gt ; 0.05 ) .These all dimension of spleen best correlated with tallness of the patients ( scatter plot-1.1, 1.2, 1.3 ) . Age of individual had important negative correlativity with cephal o-caudal length of spleen but rest of splenetic dimension did non hold important correlativity with age ( scatter plot-1.4, 1.5, 1.6 ) . How to cite Spleen In North India Health And Social Care Essay, Essay examples

Southwest Airline case study free essay sample

Competitive advantage is a position of a company in a competitive landscape that allows the company earning return on investments higher than the cost of investments. Competitive advantage should be relevant, unique and sustainable. Therefore sustainable competitive advantage, it’s a long-term competitive advantage that a company own over others in the same sector that is not easily duplicated or surpassable by its competitors (wikipedia, 2009). Competitive advantage can also be seen as a superiority gained by an organization when it can provide the same value as its competitors but at a lower price or can charge higher prices and providing greater value through differentiation (Porter, 1985) For a company to sustain its competitive advantage its must possess a core competence which is a unique ability that he as develop over time that cannot be imitated by its competitors. Core competence is what gives a company one or more competitive advantage, in creating and delivering value to its customers in its chosen field. The sustainability of competitive advantage depends on three conditions, the first is the particular source of the advantage, secondly sustaining advantage requires change, it demands that a company exploit, rather than ignore industry trends, it also demands that a company invest to close off the avenue along which competitors could attack and lastly, to sustain its position a firm may have to destroy old advantages to create new higher ones. (Portal, 1990) For the purpose of this study we shall be taking southwest airline as a case study, Southwest Airline is a major U.  S. airline that primarily provides short haul, high frequency, point- to point, low fare service. Southwest was incorporated in Texas and commenced operations on June 18, 1971 with three Boeing 737 aircraft serving three Texas cities- Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Today Southwest operates nearly 400 Boeing 737 aircraft to 59 U. S. cities. Southwest has the lowest operating cost structure in the domestic airli ne industry and consistently offers the lowest and simplest fares (wordpress. com, 2012). Southwest also has one of the best overall customer service records. Southwest is an entrepreneurial frame-breaking company that has chosen to play by a different set of rules in the airline industry. Some of its major rules are: -Having one type of aircraft(boewing 737) -Keeping cost as low as possible -Great customer service -Reward programme -Employee’s benefit and salaries -Utilization. Southwest Airline uses only one type of aircraft which is boewing 737, with this system they only need to train all their mechanics on only one types of airplane thereby reducing the cost of labour from manpower. Because they fly on on type of plane through all their routes they keep inventory for that type of airplane, if they need to swap a plane for maintenance at the last minute the plane is changeable on the spot without the stress of incurring extra cost that may arise as a result of swapping planes and time wasting. Southwest airline major business strategy of lowering cost is that they concentrating on airport that are underutilized and close to metropolitan areas thereby reducing airport charge cost and brings service close to their customers. The fleet of aircraft they use is fuel efficient boewing 737s, aside the fact that they reduce mechanic maintenance cost they also reduce fuel consumption cost by using boewing 737 aircraft. Unlike other airline rewards programs, which credit points for each mile traveled, the Southwest Rapid Rewards program awards credits for each leg of a trip. Once you reach the equivalent of 8 roundtrip legs in any 2-year period, you’ll earn a credit for a roundtrip flight between any two operating cities. Another key to Southwest Airline success is there employee’s salaries and benefits, southwest airline employee’s are paid lower than most of its competitors in the airline industry but they work more hours, pilots and flight attendants are paid by trip but seniority brings higher salaries. You get paid according to your grade and level. Southwest airline run a program that allow its employee’s to own its share on a discounted price, 85-90% of its employee’s own southwest airline stock, i.  e 12% of its total stock is owed its employee’s because of the discount purchase program put in place by the management. Mostly importantly, another very important strategy adopted by southwest airline is utilization. Each plane in the fleet flies extra flights per day, saving on maintenance and training costs. Utilization of cost effective revenue streams have been critical to their success. Southwest were one of the first airlines to have a website in early 19 95. In 2006 70% of Southwest’s revenue were generated from bookings online. Southwest gained a reputation for outside the box thinking and proactive risk management, including the use of fuel hedging to insulate against fuel price fluctuation. From a cost point of view, Southwest have maintained a cost per seat mile of $0. 12, which is around 25% cheaper than competitors. Aircraft turnaround time is 15 minutes, this is facilitated by multi tasking crews, with pilots and air crew cleaning the plan while on the ground. On average there are 94 employees per aircraft in contrast to competitors who have 130, and the south west staff serve on average 2500 passengers per year compared to competitors 1000. Another major strategies used by Southwest Airline to sustain competitive advantage and to maintain its market share was its fuel hedging strategy and passenger friendly technology which was introduced by Gary C. Kelly. The executives of southwest airline Know that its impossible to pass higher fuel prices on to passengers by raising ticket prices due to the highly competitive nature of the industry. The fuel hedging strategy was employed to reduce amount spent on jet fuel per annual.  2008 was a bad year for the airline industry in general, but not too bad for Southwest. During 2008, the cost of fuel fluctuated greatly, as the price of a barrel of crude oil soared from near $100 in January 2008 to almost $150 in July 2008, south west was able to maintain a reasonable production because of its fuel hedging strategy. Compare and contrast between the strategies adopted by Southwest Airlines and those of other airlines in the industry. Southwest as adopted a major strategy which as di fferentiate its operation from other airline in the industry. Why other airline uses different types of aircraft, southwest adopted the strategy of using just one aircraft (boewing 737) for all its route. Southwest operates a single aircraft type – the Boeing 737. This lowers personnel training and maintenance expenses for the airline. Costs related to spare part inventory management are also lower for one aircraft type compared to multiple aircraft types. Additionally, the use of a single aircraft type simplifies scheduling, flight operations and training activities. In the case of Southwest, the airline could employ an all Boeing 737 fleet as its operations are primarily focused on the domestic U. S. market with no long haul international flights. Thus, the Boeing 737 which is a short-to-medium range airplane is sufficient to serve its current flight operations. Problem solving: At most airlines (and many other businesses), when problems arise, everyone wants to avoid the blame. With that goal in mind, nobody likes to be the bearer of bad news. As usual, Southwest turns this around to its advantage. Southwest employees are openly encouraged to report problems as soon as they become aware of them so everyone can get involved in figuring out the best way to solve it. Just this subtle change has a huge impact on the quality of the communication taking place. â€Å"When something goes wrong, according to a Southwest pilot: ‘We figure out the cause of the delay. We do not necessarily chastise, though sometimes that comes into play. It is a matter of working together. No finger pointing, especially here, and I’m sure that’s the case elsewhere at Southwest. A Southwest station manager explained his philosophy: ‘If there’s a delay, we find out why it happened. Say there was a 10-minute delay because freight was excessive. If I’m screaming, I won’t know why it was late. The freight handlers will think, ‘He’s an idiot. If only he knew. ’ Then they’ll start leaving stuff behind or they’ll just shove it in and I won’t know. If we ask, ‘Hey, what happened? ’ then the next day the problem is taken care of. You have to be in that mode every day. There’s no one person who can do it. We all succeed together – and all fail together. You have to truly live it. I think we do here’. † (Gittell, 2003, p. 8). Southwest airline offers a free luggage checking to its customer why other airline charges for luggage checking. Southwest airline operates a 15minutes turnaround time which makes them fast than most airlines in the industry. While southwest operates a No sit reservation policy, which makes all its sits fully occupied before flight takeoff, other airline tickets are purchase based of sit. Southwests open-seating policy encourages passengers to get aboard faster and this also saves turnaround time. Southwest airline uses new technology of self checking and counters and boarding gate, to reduce the number of people standing in queue and to hold down the wait time in the ticket counter line. Contrary to most airlines, Southwest Airlines was able to withstand the shock from the September 11 attack. Describe the major steps taken by its management to make this possible. Lower fare as always been the biggest competitive advantage, driving passenger traffic and increasing market share for southwest airline. Lower fares have been critical in allowing southwest to post its 39th consecutive year of profits in 2011 and have helped the carrier in the past decade when the events of 9/11occur the low fare strategy was fully implemented. Southwest airline was able to withstand the shock from 9/11 through lower airfare. In 2002 after the September 11 terrorist customer level reduced greatly due to the fear of flying by customers, one way south west hope to retain customer trust was through lower airfare. In 2002 no airfare was more than $399, the company reduced airfare even further by lowering last minute fare to the minimum to further stimulate travel. In 2003 south west was offering fare as low as $39, they keep ticket price as low as possible to increase demand. Aside lower fare southwest was able to gain customer trust during September 11 attach by working with congress, the DOT, FAA and the law enforcement agencies to enhance maximum security of passengers. Security onboard board and anti-weapon system were put in place to guarantee passenger security. With this security measures put in place, southwest airline was able to gain customers trust. Another strategy used southwest to withstand the 9/11 shock, was continue streamlining and automation, this was an important strategy for south west to cut cost and maintain its competitive advantage. Southwest expanded it ticket counters and security checkpoints and has increased airport workforce. Southwest airline streamline its board process by replacing the traditional plastic boarding system with an automated one, and plan to introduce the new self check technology to reduce boarding times and reduce queuing in boarding gates. Critically evaluate the threats faced by Southwest Airlines and the airline industry in general. Illustrate how to overcome these possible threats. Weather Uncertainty: As we have seen most recently with Hurricane Sandy, natural disasters can cause major losses in business for the airlines, and because Mother Nature is so unpredictable, there is always major uncertainty revolving around the company Immense Competition: The airline industry is incredibly competitive, and the race to get the consumer’s business often leads to margin contraction. The major competitors of southwest are JetBlue Airways and US Airways JetBlue is significantly smaller than southwest and directly competes with Southwest in most of their core markets. Jetblue will continue to be a major threat for southwest because the fly different type of airplane that are more spacious and offer first class facility to the same locations as southwest, almost at the same price. Vulnerability to Rising Oil Prices: When jet fuel prices rise, airline companies are faced with the decision of passing the pain onto their customers and possibly losing business, or swallowing the costs and ruining their margins Exposure to Shaky American Economy: The Company operates mainly in the United States of America, and thus any economic slowdown exclusive to the American economy could drastically hurt Southwest’s business, while other international companies possess the ability to weather the storm. Other major threat faced by southwest is Threats of new airline security measures, terrorist attacks, and stricter airline industry regulations are affecting all firms throughout the industry and southwest is no exception. Southwest is faced with increased war risk, insurance and passenger security laws and directives. The three greatest threats that Southwest faces are the decrease in air travel, the increase in competition and security threats. Southwest faces competition from low fare airlines with similar business models. Because southwest has been a leader in the industry forging the groundwork for low-cost airlines, many other airlines have emulated its business model. This is causing a significant threat for Southwest because the decrease in commercial air travel has lessened the opportunities for airline service. One of the way to Neutralize these threats is by increasing its customer service and building on customer loyalty, and introducing rewards programs to attract more customer and ease of use for booking flights. Conclusion Conclusively the management of southwest airline should take advantage of the new fuel-efficiency technologies, which will help to reduce the fuel consumption of their aircrafts and thereby reducing cost of flying an aircraft. A reduction in operating cost will lead to further reduction in the prices of ticket. They should also try as much as possible to increase the capacity of some long-haul fights, and expanding their discreet collection of ancillary fees. Aside the current reward program management should introduce other programs, like promotion (buy two, get one free) ticket or buy a round trip ticket and get 10% offer your next purchase.

Facts About Marijuana Essays - Entheogens, Medicinal Plants

Facts About Marijuana Marijuana originated in the middle east (Taiwan, Korea). China plays an important part in Marijuana's history. Hoatho, the first chinese physician to use Cannabis for medical purposes as a painkiller and anesthetic for surgery. In the Ninth Century B.C., it was used as an incense by the Assyrians Herbal, a Chinese book of medicine from the second Century B.C., was first to describe it in print. It was used as an anesthetic 5,000 years ago in ancient china. Many (*) ancient cultures such as the persians, Greeks, East Indians, Romans, and the Assyrians for many things. These were what they used it for: the control of muscle spasms, reduction of pain, and for indegestion. Imagine that if they still practiced this, instead of taking an Alka Seltzer after you had mom's Chili or Tacos, you might be sitting in the living room on the LAY-Z Boy, smoking a joint or however they would take it. The folk medicine of Africa and Asia have used it as an herbal preparation. A "mythical" and "legendary" pharmacist and emperor Shen Nung thought using it as a seditive was all right. In 2,700 B.C. that same "mythical" emperor said it helped female weakness, gout, rheumatism, malaria, beri-beri (?), contipation, and absentmindedness. In 1979 (A.D.) Carlton E. Turner visited China and found marijuana was not in use in formal medical places. J. D. P. Graham of the Welsh National School of Medicine wrote, "One not need take to seriously the anecdotal use of it's use for many purposes in China or by the Hindus in the pre-Christian Millennia ...and by the Arabs!" In 1890 in England's "Lancet" said cannabis extract was good for neuralgia, fits, migraine and psychosomatic disorders but not for rheumatic conditions. It is not easy to tell the dosage because of the variations in potency and the irregularity in absorbtion. The time delay before the onset of the possible effects of marijuana lowered it's popularity as a medicine as did the introduction of a variety of new and better medicines like aspirin, morpheine (habit forming), chloral, barbituates tranquilizers, and when it got on the list of drugs thought by the world community to require legal restrictions. Our first President, George Washington, grew cannabis on his plantation. The cannabis he grew was more fibrous and is better known as hemp. Hemp was used to make rope, twine, paper and canvas (the word "canvas" comes from Cannabis) and was an important crop in the american colonies. In Jamestown, Virginia it was grown for it's fiber qualities in 1611. (Snyder, 1985) The U.S. Pharmacopeia had it listed as a useful medicine from the year 1870 to 1941. A Pharmacopeia is "a book of directions and requirements for the preparations of medicines, generally published by an authority; a collection or stock of drugs." This tells us the U.S. Pharmacopeia was an authority on the use of drugs for medical purposes, and said that the use of marijuana for said purposes was helpful. The U.S. Pharmacopeia last listed cannabis ("the dried flower tops of the pistillate plants of cannabis sativa") in 1936.(Lovinge,1985,p434) That years epitome of the pharmacopeia and the national formula described the drug for physicians thus:"a narcotic poison, producing a mild delirium. Used in sedative mixtures but of doubtful value. Also employed to color corn remedies." The next pharmacopeia released in 1942 (I gather they were relaesed every six years) did not have cannabis sativa in it. "The 1937 U.S. dispensatory said:"Cannabis is used in medicine to relieve pain, encourage sleep, and to soothe restlessness. We have very little definite knowledge of the effects of therapeutic quantities, but in some persons it appears to produce a euphoria and will often relieve migrainic headaches. One of the great hindrances to the wider use of this drug is the great variability and the potency of different samples of Cannabis which renders it impossible to approximate the proper dose of any individual smaple except by clinical trial. Because of occasional unpleasant symptoms from unusually potent preparations, physicians have generally been overcaustious in the quantities administered. The only way of determining the dose of an individual preparation is to give it in ascending quantities until some effect is produced. (The

Interview of Medical Information Professional Essay Example

Interview of Medical Information Professional Essay Example Interview of Medical Information Professional Paper Interview of Medical Information Professional Paper The debates in the arena of health care provision always center on the quality, availability and the sustainability of the medical provision system. There are a myriad of challenges facing both the receivers and the providers of health care In the center of all these is the state and federal government regulatory framework. To analyze these legal regulatory frameworks and th0eir correlation to health information practice it is prudent to analyze the views from health information professional. This is a comprehensive interview report carried out with a health information professional regarding the legal issues and regulatory challenges they face. The preceding report is presented in question-answer format for easy comprehension and reference. Interview of Medical Information Professional Question: To promote electronic data interchange in the health care system, a number of measure have been put into place including the HIPAA Act of 1996. what are the major contents of this act? Answer: The Health Insurance and Accountability act enacted by Congress protects workers and their families health insurance coverage in case they lose or change their jobs. Through the Administrative Simplification, usually known as AS provisions, it stipulated that national standards for electronic data interchange be established to offer a regulation in this sector. These provisions also address the privacy and security of such data. Title I of the act has specific articles that regulate health care access, the portability of health care provision and renewability. Title II has policies that ensure the prevention of health care fraud, the AS, and the medical liability reform. Several chapters ensure that there is privacy and security of data, that transactions are carried in accordance with the transactions and code rule. The regulation of the activities of the relevant health care providers are enshrined in the unique identifiers rule and the enforcement rule. All these sought to promote and provide a regulated free and safe electronic data interchange. Question: What major role does Medicare and Medicaid play in dealing with insurance coverage? Answer: The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is the principal organ controlling the countries health care insurance. Medicaid operates as a joint, voluntary entitlement program between the states and the federal government to offer health insurance coverage to the poor, disabled or the elderly impoverished members of the society. Guidelines are developed by the government prescribe minimum eligibility and coverage standards and requirements. Medicare healthy insurance program offers insurance to those over sixty five years of age. Question: What major role does Medicare and Medicaid play in dealing other   emerging challenges? Answer: CMS has both an administrative and a regulatory role. It administers health care insurance portability standards, administrative simplification standards, quality standards for nursing facilities and clinical laboratory standards. Using powers vested in the institution it therefore ensures that all health care providers work in compliance with laid down codes of conduct in clinical practice. Question: Are there other institutions that assist health care providers to ensure compliance? Answer: There are legal institutions that lead the sophisticated and sometimes very complex business transactions in health care. They also offer litigation in legal challenges for their clients. Additionally they are leaders in health care information systems and technology and health care insurance policies and plans. Because of the complex evolving rules and regulations,   through their billing and reimbursement services they assist medical providers in the development and implementation of legal strategies so that they can achieve Medicare compliance. As a health information professional these institutions form the yard stick of our operations because compliance to the stringent legal framework is the only way that an ethical practice can be achieved. Question: There is a growing concern of professional malpractice and negligence. Are these litigious claims substantive? Answer: There are cases where court cases have been won as regards professional misconduct or negligence by health information professionals. Such cases are individual isolated cases even though due to publicity and the sensitivity of such cases they have continued to draw unfathomable public furor. These cases are important starting points of carrying out full intellectual discourse and policy debates. However, malpractice litigation is a negligible variable in health care reform. There is infrequent compensation of victims of medical negligence while providers are rarely held accountable.