Information systems strategy - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 16 Words: 4882 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Information Systems Essay Type Analytical essay Tags: Network Essay Did you like this example? PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Purpose of report: This report has been requested by Mr Frank Hedge, the CEO of Myer Department Stores- Australia. The reports purpose is to investigate and analyse the strategic role of information technology (IT) to Myers business, including an IT infrastructure audit. Cloud computing is evaluated, and recommendations made for its partial adoption. 1.2 Limitations: This report is limited by the lack of IT infrastructure details provided by Myer. Assumptions were made when required, to enable completion of the report. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Information systems strategy" essay for you Create order 1.3 Scope of the report: This report focuses on Myer and the potential use of cloud computing within its IT infrastructure. Divided into four main sections, the report covers Myer; IT infrastructure challenges; cloud computing costs/ benefits and recommendations for cloud computing adoption. It has been compiled from research literature and phone/email interviews with two Myer store managers. 1.4) Myer and its industry Homepage URL; https://www.myer.com.au/ Myer is Australias largest department store group with 65 stores and approximately 14,000 employees. It is present in 25 of Australias top 30 retail centres and attracted 185 million customers in 2009 (Myer 2010). Myer generated net profits of $106.8 million for the first half of the 2011 financial year (AAP 2011). Myer operates across major segments of the Australian non-food retail industry as a department store chain. This industry consists of four segments; household goods, clothing soft goods, department stores and other (eg newspapers, books) (Myer 2010). Myer competes with other department stores, discount department stores, and single store operators as well as internet retailers and direct retailers. Within the department store segment, David Jones is Myers main competition though the former targets a slightly higher income group (Myer 2010). Competition exists with other retailers on price, store location, product range and customer service. Additionally, consum er demand hinges on factors such as disposable income which are sensitive to macroeconomic conditions eg interest rate rises (Myer 2010). The industry has struggled recently, due to weak consumer confidence and increased competition from cheaper overseas internet retailers (GST free and strong Australian Dollar) (Brooks 2010). 1.5) Myers products services: Myer offers approximately 600 000 product lines from 800 suppliers globally including categories such as; clothing; beauty and cosmetics; electrical and homewares (Myer 2010). Myer provides additional products and services such as; Myer One customer loyalty program, over 3 million members. Gift cards Myer corporate sales- eg corporate gifts, office fit outs, VIP nights Insurance (home, contents, travel, car) Bridal gift registry Myer Visa Card (Myer 2010). 1.6) Myers corporate mission corporate structure: ‘At Myer we strive to offer customers a wide and relevant choice of brands, rewards and ideas in a way that makes them feel both welcome and inspired, (Myer 2010, p.3). Myers corporate structure is shown in Figure 1.1. Head office operates under a hybrid of divisional (eg apparel, electrical division) and functional groups (Finance, marketing etc). A national retail store manager oversees regional store managers, who oversee individual store managers. Head office functional groups, directly manage their particular function (eg HR) in the individual stores (Myer 2010; S Johnson 2011, pers. comm., 20 April). (Adapted from: Myer 2010, pp. 25-7). 1.7) Myers major business processes: Laudon and Laudon (2010), note business processes are sets of activities to produce a product or service. Due to its variety of offer, Myer has many business processes such as; Sourcing product to offer in store. Automating administrative processes. Reducing stock theft. Creating visual merchandise displays. Analysing potential sites for new stores. Refurbishing existing stores. Making sales (Myer 2010). 1.8) Myers business strategy Myer has invested substantially in its business since 2006 ($500 million) realizing a world class supply chain, improved retail execution and focused customer service (competitive advantages) (Myer 2010). Myer aims for additional margin and sales growth using specific strategies of; Opening 15 new stores in next five years. Revitalizing instore environments for a better customer experience. Expanding the Myer One program. Implementing a new point of sale system (POS) improving productivity customer service. Implementing a CCTV system to reduce losses (Myer 2010). 1.9) Myers relationships with external entities: Myer has significant relationships with a variety of entities which include; Its 800 global suppliers (Myer 2010). Global sourcing offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai (Algar 2011). Partnership with Melbourne Institute of Technology for paid internship for students (RMIT 2011). Myers involved with philanthropic and community programs including children and womens charities and Melbourne Christmas Carols (Myer 2010). PART 2: IT INFRASTRUCTURE: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES(727 words) 2.1) Description of Myers IT infrastructure: Laudon and Laudon (2010 p. 191) describe IT infrastructure as, ‘the shared technology resources that provide the platform for the firms specific information system applications. It includes investment in hardware, software, and services†¦that are shared across the entire firm†¦. Myers IT infrastructure was analysed according to Laudon and Laudons (2010 p. 203) model which comprises of seven components. The required information was obtained from Myers Head Office IT department and interviews with two store managers (Appendix 1). A summary of each component is presented in Table 2.1. The IT infrastructure differs between head office and individual stores, due to centralization (Slotty 2009). TABLE 2.1 Summary of Myers IT infrastructure ecosystem. Component Head Office Individual Stores 1) Computer hardware platforms Client machines- eg desktops (mainly IBM types eg Lenovo), laptops smart phones used. Servers- IBM types eg x86. Mainframes- N/A Floor staff- terminals only. Managers- Desktops (eg Lenovo and some older HP), mobile phones (voice only).IBM server/s present. 2) Operating system platforms Clients- Microsoft Windows 7. Servers- Linux Clients- Mainly Windows 7. Servers- Linux 3) Enterprise software applications An Oracle portal is present (middleware) to bring together Myers newer systems. SAP HR is a legacy system via the portal. Staff have access only to relevant systems via the portal. 4) Networking/ Telecommunication Networking hardware by IBM working with Cisco. Telecommunicating services by Telstra (voice data). LANs WANs based on Linux. Wireless internet in head office. As per head office, though wireless internet not available. Intranets (within store and with head office) extranets with suppliers exist. 5) Consultants/ system integrators IBM supplies a range of IT services to Myer, eg networking, desktop, applications, help desk. IBM supplies a range of IT services to Myer, eg networking, desktop, applications, help desk. 6) Data management storage Myer uses a 3rd party data center for main storage. Myers data accessed via Oracles retail data warehouse software (RDW). Localized content saved to a local server. RDW software available to managers for limited functions eg comparison of sales. 7) Internet platforms Website uses Microsoft.NET software as well as Java. Not aware of hosting services or hardware used.Website most likely outsourced. Stores internet access- email (managers only). Only electrical division has world wide web access. (Adapted: Myer IT department; Interview with two Myer Store managers 2011). The key findings from the analysis of Myers IT infrastructure presented above, are as follows; Computer hardware platforms: Client machines (desktops) are not standardized across Myer. A small number of servers exist at multiple locations (65 stores) doing replicated tasks (localized data storage, networking etc). Operating system platforms: Client and server machine software is licensed per computer with Windows variability on client machines. Large information asymmetry exists between managers and sales staff due to their limited access to software (Laudon Laudon 2010). Enterprise software applications: While an intranet portal exists to link to Myers applications, only newer applications (eg Mymerch- merchandising, POS) are fully integrated. Many legacy systems remain isolated and not integrated. Networking/Telecommunications: Myer operates both analog (phone system) and digital (data) networks using two providers (Telstra and IBM). While Myer accesses the internet, it also operates private networks (intranet) in the form of LANs and WANs. Networking is not possible between individual stores. Consultants System Integrators: Integration and implementation of new IT infrastructure is outsourced to IBM, including training. Data management storage: While the majority of Myers data is stored with a third party vendor, localized data storage occurs at individual stores (65). Internet platforms: Physical infrastructure and maintenance of Myers website is outsourced to third parties. Information asymmetry exists, with very limited access to internet for individual stores. Myers network infrastructure is further illustrated in Figure 2.1, which outlines information flows. Note information does not flow between stores, only between stores and head office. (Adapted: Myer IT department; Interview with two Myer Store managers 2011). 2.2) The issues and challenges of managing Myers IT infrastructure: Myer faces several challenges and issues in managing its IT infrastructure. Laudon and Laudon (2010) identify challenges arising from platform and technology change, management and governance and investing in infrastructure prudently. These challenges are also influenced by the strategic role of IT to the business and the impact of the industry in which the organization operates. By revisiting section 1.8 it can be seen that IT plays an important strategic role in achieving Myers medium term goals of increased operating margins and sales growth by; Facilitating increased supplier and sales volumes from new store initiatives (eg hardware and software required). Optimizing productivity, cost savings and customer satisfaction via implementation of new applications (POS system and CCTV loss prevention system). Catering for an expanded Myer One loyalty program (increased data storage and analysis needs for targeted marketing) (Myer 2010). As a result of ITs important strategic role, the challenges of managing Myers IT infrastructure are intensified. This is best demonstrated by specific examples; The challenge of platform and infrastructure change: To best accommodate expected future growth, improved productivity, cost efficiencies and increased data needs, infrastructure components need to be easily scalable (Armbrust et al 2010). This will be particularly true with regards to Myers hardware software platforms, its enterprise software applications and its networking, internet and data storage platforms. Currently, significant pressures exist within Myers industry. Consumer spending is down and offshore internet retailers are offering cheaper prices due to the strong Australian dollar and absence of GST (Brooks 2010). This poses further challenges to Myer to adjust components of its IT infrastructure quickly to generate database driven marketing programs or improve its operating efficiencies (Myer 2010). If cloud computing platforms are considered as future components of Myers infrastructure, then appropriate use guidelines and practices will be needed. Service level agreements (SLAs) for example would commit cloud computing vendors to minimum levels of performance and reliability for Myers systems (Hinchcliffe 2009). The challenge of management and governance: The management and governance of Myers IT infrastructure is significant, considering its strategic role, further evidenced by the commitment of $500 million to its IT program since 2006 (Myer 2010). Aspects to be considered include the location of IT control (centralized or decentralized model), the allocation of IT costs to functional groups or stores, the strategies and policies for using IT and measuring effective return on IT investments (Laudon Laudon 2010). The challenge of investing in IT infrastructure prudently: Considering the significance of IT infrastructure for Myer as it seeks its business goals, this is a crucial challenge. Whether Myer should rent or buy its infrastructure components will be further investigated in section 4 of this report. (Laudon Laudon 2010) PART 3: CLOUD COMPUTING ITS BUSINESS BENEFITS COSTS(986 words) 3.1)An overview of Cloud Computing: Zhang et al. (2010) note cloud computing is not a new idea. While many definitions abound, from an organizations perspective, ‘Cloud computing is an architecture in which companies consume technology resources as an internet service rather than as an owned system (Brandel 2009, p. 1). Most people have already experienced cloud computing through the use of Hotmail, Gmail or Facebook (Wyld 2009). Recent improvements in internet bandwidth, virtualization of servers and storage, open source software, adoption of Web 2.0 standards, has pushed cloud computing strongly into the business sphere (Kennedy 2011). Mell and Grance (2011) claim that cloud computing consists of five crucial characteristics, three service models (software, platform and infrastructure as services) and four deployment models (private, community, public and hybrid clouds) which are outlined in Tables 3.1 and 3.2. Potentially cloud computing can deliver to a business most of its IT needs (from computing po wer to collaboration tools to software) as an on demand service, wherever and whenever required. As long as an internet connection exists, computing becomes location and device independent (Agger 2009). TABLE3.1 The crucial characteristics, and service models of cloud computing. Crucial Characteristics Description/ Outline On-demand self-service Consumer can provision their computing capabilities automatically without needing human interaction with a services provider. Broad network access Capabilities are accessed via network, through standard mechanisms, promoting use by mixed client platforms (eg mobiles, PDAs). Resource pooling Providers computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model. Resources dynamically assigned/reassigned dependent on demand, include storage, processing, memory, bandwidth Rapid elasticity Capabilities can be rapidly elastically provisioned, to quickly scale out rapidly released to quickly scale in. Purchased as required. Measured Service Cloud system automatically control optimize resource use by using a metering capability relevant to the type of service. Resource usage can be monitored, controlled reported for the utilized service. Cloud Service Models Description/ Outline Software as a Service (SaaS) Offers renting application functionality from a service provider rather than buying, installing and managing software yourself. Examples include Salesforce.com and Gmail. Platform as a Service (PaaS) Provides a platform in the cloud, upon which applications can be developed executed. Eg Microsoft (Azure), Google AppEngine. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Vendors offer computing power storage space on demand. Eg Rackspace Amazon EC2 (compute) S3 (storage). (Adapted from: Mell Grance 2011, pp. 2-3; Department of Finance Deregulation 2011, pp. 12-3) TABLE3.2 The deployment models of cloud computing. Deployment Models Description/ Outline Private (internal) cloud Cloud services are provided solely for an organization are managed by the organization or third party. These services may exist on/off site. Community cloud Cloud services are shared by several organizations support a specific community that has shared concerns. Services may be managed by the organizations or a third party and may exist off site eg government. Public cloud Cloud services are available to the public and owned by an organization selling cloud services eg Amazon.EC2. Hybrid cloud An integrated cloud services pact that includes a cloud model something else (another cloud model, back end systems, etc), eg data kept in private cloud database, used by program running in public cloud (Adapted from: Mell Grance 2011, pp. 2-3; Department of Finance Deregulation 2011, pp. 12-3) 3.2) Current trends in Cloud Computing: Present studies suggest, ‘†¦the number of organizations using cloud computing to rise to 43% within four years as they continue to cut their costs (Cross 2011 p. 1). In addition to greater cloud computing use in general, there are several trends within cloud computing concerning areas such as; User type deployment models- ONeill (2011), notes small to medium enterprises using cloud computing are typically accessing public clouds for cost savings compared with private clouds. Alternatively larger enterprises use private clouds (third party or onsite) for greater control. Governments (federal level) are trialing SaaS and Ouellette (2011) believes state and local governments will soon follow. Purposes for using cloud services- Its principal use remains as a testing/developing environment and/or as a platform for less critical services and applications (Knorr Gruman 2010). Synder (in The Australian 2010) believes moving core applications to the cloud is still to come. ITs changing role- Hakala (2009) believes the need for IT workers performing maintenance tasks will contract as cloud computing is embraced and employees can ‘self serve directly from the cloud. Innovation- Cloud computing will continue to be a conduit for business innovation due to its low costs and rapid scalability of IT resources (Kennedy 2011; Information Age 2011) Pricing- Cloud computing pricing (especially commodity) continues to become cheaper and simpler for users. Thibodeau (2009) suggests models utilizing a set number of hours for a range of cloud services. SLAs improved security- Improving cloud computing reliability via strong service level agreements (SLAs) continues (Hinchcliffe 2009). Colley (2011) Violino (2010) expect most businesses will demand independent certification of cloud providers reliability in next few years. Cloud providers are targeting improved security to allay user concerns. Working groups such as the Cloud Security Alliance are focusing on this issue (Thibodeau 2009). Violino (2010) noted a need for better access control and identity management within and across clouds. Improved performance and service- The performance of cloud services rises, as more managed service providers enter the market (Ouellette 2011) and performance monitoring standardises (Thibodeau 2009). Typically IT staff connect cloud services individually, though cloud aggregators and integrators are emerging to smooth this barrier (Knorr Gruman 2010). 3.3) The business benefits of Cloud Computing: Cloud computing offers many benefits to business. Leighton (2009 p. 5) asserts, cloud computing will ‘transform the way IT is consumed and managed, promising improved cost efficiencies, accelerated innovation, faster time-to-market, and the ability to scale applications on demand. Sagari (c. 2010) notes the level of benefits cloud computing brings to an organization will vary dependant on the types of services utilized, the business processes evident and the degree of integration achieved. Major business benefits can include; Reduced costs (set up ongoing) * Increased flexibility response times Scalability increased efficiencies * Increased business focus. Increased innovation * Improved mobility Armbrust et al (2010) maintains, one of the most impressive benefits of cloud computing is scalability (elasticity of resources). The business pays for its hardware needs (servers, storage) on demand with the cloud providing great elasticity. Business needs can be scaled up or down as required, saving time, money and improving revenue in peak periods (Zhang et al. 2006; Waxer n.d.). Additional business benefits offered by cloud computing include; Smoothed cash flow * Increased strategic role for IT Reduced business risk * Improved sustainability. Greater computation power * Improved business continuity These benefits are further expanded in Appendix 2 with business examples and their references. 3.4) Cloud computing solutions for Myer: Section 4 details specific cloud computing recommendations to be adopted by Myer. In contrast, Table 3.3, outlines cloud computing solutions best suited to Myer for the aspect identified in column one. The reasons for these choices are as follows; Servers for serving applications- Amazon EC2 has been the market leader in this area and for good reason (Huang 2010). It exceeds Microsoft Azures new offering and it has a superior range of operating systems to use (eg Linux, Myer using), compared with Googles App Engine (Amazon 2011). Servers for storage- Amazon S3 was preferred over Microsoft Azure and Nirvanix for the reasons noted in Table 3.3 eg a price leader, very easy to use and highly reliable, SLA exceeding 99.99% (Huang 2010). Client productivity software- Microsofts new Office 365 retains the known office layout of which Myer staff are familiar. Additionally it incorporates email, calendar collaboration tools. Superior in features to Google Docs or Zoho (McAllister 2010). Private cloud- If recommended to Myer, Amazons virtual private cloud is a good solution. It integrates easily with a firms existing IT infrastructure, including firewalls and security systems (Amazon 2011). Applications- As an application development platform, Force.com has been suggested for its long history of business application development. Furthermore, to use this environment, subscription to Salesforce.com CRM applications are required, which may be beneficial to Myer (Force.com c.2011). TABLE 3.3Most suitable cloud computing solutions for Myer. Aspect Model Vendor Reasons Selected Servers-serving/ processing IaaS Amazon: EC2 Reputation, elastic, flexible- supports many uses and languages, ease of use, payment flexibility- on demand basis $/hr. secure. SLA- 99.95%, Storage IaaS Amazon: S3 Very easy to use, price leader (eg $0.15/GB/mth) and highly reliable SLA exceeds 99.99%. Client productivity soft SaaS Microsoft: Office 365 Familiar Microsoft Office platform via the cloud, email also other tools. Eg $6/user/mth, SLA 99.9% Private Cloud Multi Amazon Amazons virtual private cloud- integrates easily, firms security systems wrap around it. Applications Multi Salesforce / Force.com Salesforces-CRM application- sales service cloud, Force.com for application development platform. (Adapted from: Amazon 2011;Force.com c. 2011; Microsoft 2011) 3.5) Costs of cloud computing to Myer: Typically the IT industry uses ‘Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) to determine the total cost of a technology implementation (Laudon Laudon 2010). Table 3.4 provides an estimate of the costs to Myer in implementing the cloud computing solutions listed in Table 3.3. As can be seen, support, maintenance, space and energy costs pass to the cloud provider and hardware and software acquisition costs are essentially avoided. Some training costs of the IT staff involved in implementing and/or the staff using the cloud services would be incurred (Aggarwal McCabe 2009). A small amount of ongoing support to Office 365 users may also be required. Integration issues and costs are not expected, as the servers and software to be sourced via the cloud will not be critical systems. Additional infrastructure costs (eg bandwidth) resulting from cloud computings greater internet reliance, may occur. Downtime estimates from providers SLAs are less than typical IT departments of large compani es ie 44hrs/yr (Mann 2010). Moving data into and out of Amazon S3 storage, will incur costs (Amazon 2011). Finally, Aggarwal and McCabe (2009), reported TCO savings of some 50% over four years, for medium sized businesses implementing CRM software from the cloud, compared with on-premise deployment. TABLE 3.4 Total cost of ownership (TCO) for Myers cloud computing solutions. Infrastructure Component 1) Servers Processing (Amazon EC2) 2) Servers storage (Amazon S3) 3) Client soft. (eg Microsoft Office 365) 4) Applications Development (Force.com) Hardware acquisition Nil cost Nil cost Use existing Use existing Software acquisition Db small cost Nil cost Eg $6/user/mth Nil cost Installation Minimal cost Data in $0.1/GB Data out varies Need web browser Need web browser Training Minimal to IT Minimal to IT staff. Minimal to IT staff. Self taught to IT (2 -3 hours) Support By provider By provider Minimal By provider Maintenance By provider By provider By provider By provider Infrastructure Internet cost Internet cost Internet cost Internet cost Downtime 4.5hrs/yr. 52mins/yr. 8.75hrs/yr. 8.75hrs/yr. Space energy By provider By provider By provider By provider Cost to use service ~ $0.50/hr using Linux OS ~ $0.15/GB/mth Eg $6/user/mth $15 to $75/user /mth (Adapted from: Laudon Laudon 2010, p. 224; Amazon 2011; Microsoft 2011; Force.com c.2011 ) PART 4: RECOMMENDATION OF CLOUD COMPUTING ADOPTION/ ADAPTION(785 words) 4.1) Competitive forces model for IT infrastructure Investment: Specific recommendations for the adoption of a cloud computing strategy by Myer will soon be made. These recommendations will be based on the preceding analysis and also take into account the ‘competitive forces model for IT infrastructure as described in Laudon and Laudon (2010 pp. 222-3). Table 4.1 summarises the main points of this model as it relates to Myer. TABLE 4.1: Competitive forces model for IT infrastructure investment of Myer Model components Outcome 1) Market demand for Myers services (eg customer, supplier enterprise): Myers point of sale (POS) system supply chain improvements are based on extensive research of their services. These systems improved efficiency speed, and are satisfying customers, suppliers staff (Tindal 2010) Information asymmetry especially with sales staff is affecting performance. Current IT investment (CII) is meeting this aspect. 2) Myers business strategy: Myers five year goals are to increase operating margins sales growth. Major initiatives which are being implemented (section 1.8), are delivering many of these aims. Cloud computing capabilities could provide further cost savings. CII is mostly meeting this aspect. 3) Myers IT strategy, infrastructure and cost: As noted in section 2.2, the IT strategy is closely aligned with Myers goals and helping to drive growth and improved margins. Further centralization of IT (cloud computing) would reduce costs (Table 3.4 for TCO). CII is mostly meeting this aspect, cut costs further. 4) Information technology assessment: $500 million of IT investment over the last 5 years has Myer well situated in terms of technology uptake. It was previously lagging. Adoption of some cloud computing aspects at this date (maturing market) is positive (Gartner 2010). CII is mostly meeting this aspect, trial cloud service 5) Competitor firms IT services: David Jones is using IT by growing its etail business, maximising its store credit card system (David Jones 2010). Myers IT investments bring competitive advantage to its supply chain superior customer service compared with other department stores (Myer 2010). Internet is bringing challenges to Myer. CII is mostly meeting this aspect, cut costs further 6) Competitor firms IT infrastructure investments: Benchmarking Myers IT infrastructure spending against competitors was not attainable. Its expected Myer is at the forefront of IT investment in their field. CII is meeting this aspect. (Adapted from: Laudon Laudon 2010, pp. 222-3) The competitive forces model above, can help determine if Myers spending on IT infrastructure is adequate to sustain, grow and compete in their field (Laudon Laudon 2010). From this review, it appears Myers current level of IT investment is sufficient to attain their stated goals of improved sales growth and increased operating margins (ie decreased costs). The following points though, should be noted; Information asymmetry is affecting the performance of sales staff. Cloud computing initiatives and further centralization of IT could reduce costs. Cloud computing is maturing, providing a good time to trial services (Gartner 2010). Internet retailers (especially overseas) are challenging Myer, cost cutting is required. 4.2) Recommendations: Based on the results of the competitive forces model above, and sections 1 to 3 of this report, the following recommendations concerning cloud computing adoption by Myer, will now be made; The servers at the 65 stores to be replaced by Amazon EC2 and S3 cloud computing services. The client machines (eg desktops) throughout Myer to migrate to Microsoft Office 365 (SaaS) Head office sales/marketing staff to trial Salesforce.com CRM software (SaaS). Force.com to be utilized as a development and testing platform for non-critical applications. Investigate the use of a private cloud by Myer in the future (next 3 years). As discussed in section 4.1, Myers current level of IT investment is not inhibiting business growth. Rather, the cloud computing recommendations made, offer possibilities for increased productivity and cost reductions. They also provide opportunities to trial and test cloud solutions with non-critical systems and data, which should ease concerns over provider reliability or data security (Strickland 2008). Amazons S3 data storage for example is backed up at several diverse locations in the event of failure (Amazon 2011). Training of IT staff or other staff will be minimal as outlined in section 3.5. There should be no major issues or concerns regarding the successful implementation of these recommendations. Leighton (2009) noted, cloud computing can bring cost efficiencies, faster innovation, as well as ability to scale. These are all attributes Myer desires. The reasons for each of these recommendations will now be explained. Recommendation 1: Replacing the servers at the individual stores with cloud solutions will decrease operating costs (section 3.5). Servers currently performing networking and non-critical application serving can be replaced by Amazons EC2. Servers used for localized data storage at individual stores (excludes data in the data center) can be replaced by Amazons S3 service. This will help solve scalability issues, mentioned in Section 2.2. This recommendation further centralizes the role of IT at Myer as the maintenance of the servers at 65 stores will pass to Amazon. In large organizations such as Myer, a centralized role is advantageous due to cost efficiencies and increased production (Slotty 2009). Recommendation 2: Replacing Microsoft productivity software (eg office, outlook) on desktops/laptops with a cloud version (Office 365) will further drive cost efficiencies (section 3.5). Continuing to use a Microsoft product is comfortable for staff, and they can test ‘software as a service. Providing sales staff with access to some of these communication and collaboration tools will reduce information asymmetry and improve performance (Laudon Laudon 2010). Ideally, desktop hardware and operating systems (eg Windows 7) would also be standardized across Myer to improve efficiencies (Slotty 2009). Recommendations 3 4: Recommendations 3 4 achieve two goals. Firstly head office sales/marketing staff can trial the leading CRM cloud software for minimal cost (Salesforce.com 2011). They may find some functions useful to their work and/or generate new ideas for Myer applications. Secondly, IT can use the sister site, Force.com as a development and testing platform for non-critical applications. This provides the benefits of flexibility, rapid scalability for testing and allows greater innovation to occur as trialing new products becomes inexpensive and easy to provision (Knorr Gruman 2010). Recommendation 5: Myer should investigate the future use of a private cloud to further streamline operating efficiencies and drive innovation. This cloud could be outsourced to a third party or built in house and managed by a cloud provider eg Amazon virtual private cloud. Its envisaged this cloud would host all data and core enterprise systems. While potentially several years away, as data security and reliability of cloud services continues to improve, this is a stronger possibility (Hinchcliffe 2009). Finally, its advised that Myer also moves fully to an internet based architecture for its networks (eg LAN WAN). Its analog phone system could be moved to the internet via VOIP technology, further reducing costs (Laudon Laudon 2010). These measures would help to open up lines of communication between stores, which are currently missing. PART 5: CONCLUSIONS This report has investigated the strategic role of Information technology (IT) to Myers business and particularly the position cloud computing can take in its future. After extensive consultation with Myer and relevant literature several points were noted. Myer is operating within a challenging retail environment with increased competition from overseas internet retailers. IT infrastructure investment and systems of Myer are generally sufficient for their stated goals of continued sales growth and improved operating margins. Information asymmetry between staff members exists, as does restrictions to internet access. A detailed cloud computing analysis produced several recommendations for the partial adoption of cloud services. Migration of non-critical data and replicated systems at individual stores to a cloud environment, would provide Myer with further cost efficiencies, increased innovation and the ability to scale infrastructure quickly. Minimal disruption to Myer and it s staff would result from the cost effective implementation process. Finally, improving internet access and reducing information asymmetry amongst staff will deliver improved performance and continued sales growth for Myer.

Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Essay - 821 Words

The body has a natural response to immanent danger approaching. Often it undergoes a â€Å"flight-or-fight†, a physiological response to a harmful event or threat of survival. However, this reaction to danger can be damaged or altered due to Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD usually occurs after a terrifying event that involves physical harm, or the threat of it. Instead of the body having a natural response to danger, this â€Å"flight-or-fight† reaction could occur at any given, uncontrollable moment. Traumatic events including rape, child abuse, natural disasters, and car accidents are one of the many things that can trigger PTSD. PTSD was originally brought to attention when war-veterans were experiencing these symptoms. One veteran†¦show more content†¦As mentioned before, one suffering from a recent traumatic event can have a higher probability of obtaining PTSD, although it is not very likely to obtain it at all. Before being diagnosed with PTS D, there are a few symptoms to consider as well. PTSD can lead to a handful of symptoms. These symptoms categorize under, re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance symptoms, and hyper-arousal symptoms. Re-experiencing symptoms occur from things that remind a person of the traumatic event that happened and will affect one’s daily routine. These symptoms include flashbacks, bad dreams, and frightening thoughts. By having these symptoms occur, one would try to avoid performing daily routines if it reminds them of the traumatic event. Avoidance symptoms affect one’s personal routine. One would avoid everything that would remind them of the scenario that occurred. These symptoms include, guild, depression, worry, staying away from anything that reminds them of the event, difficulty remembering the traumatic event, and incapable of experiencing emotions. Lastly, hyper-arousal symptoms involve being easily scared, feeling tense, or insomnia. This last symptom is very common for mos t traumatic events, however it must be constant for at least a month to be an indicator for PTSD. Children and teenagers express symptoms differently than adults, however it can be just as severe. PTSD symptoms in children involve bedwetting, the inability to talk anymore, unusualShow MoreRelatedSymptoms And Treatments Of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder2995 Words   |  12 PagesAdam Baggs Mrs. Guzzo ENG3UI Monday, October 20, 2014 CAUSES, SYMPTOMS, AND TREATMENTS OF POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN RELATION TO HOLDEN CAUFIELD INTRODUCTION Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can affect any person who experiences a traumatic event throughout their life. Experiencing death at a young age and lack of parental support through a hard time can lead a young adult to develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (P.T.S.D.). In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, When Holden’sRead MorePost-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Causes Symptoms and Effects Essay1382 Words   |  6 Pagesor suffered from a Traumatic Brain Injury during Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom. What this number does not include are the 39,365 cases of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (more commonly known as PTSD). (Department 2009) Although we usually think of war injuries as being physical, one of the most common war injuries is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and the effects can be devastating to a redeploying soldier who has come in contact with severely traumatic experiences. PTSDRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Essay1450 Words   |  6 Pagesexperiencing symptoms of PTSD usually start experiencing them, within 3 months of the traumatic incident (National Institute of Mental Health, 2016). If an individual is experiencing symptoms, they must last for more than a month and be severe enough to interfere with the individual’s everyday life for a physician to diagnosis the condition as PTSD (National Institute of Mental Health, 2016). There has been success with patients recovering from the condition within 6 months of the traumatic event, whileRead MoreSymptoms Of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder1740 Words   |  7 PagesAcross the nation there are children, both male and female, who suffer from symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) each day. These children are victims of a variety of trauma, such as â€Å"natural disasters, war, sexual abuse, witnessing violent behavior on another person, serious life-thr eatening illness, and community violence† (Sauter Franklin, 1998). For years, â€Å"studies have been done to understand the relationship [of] the prevalence of PTSD in children who experience trauma† (SauterRead MoreSymptoms Of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder843 Words   |  4 PagesThe client is showing symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD. Under the DSM-V the diagnostic code follows 309.81 (F43.10) and finds the criteria by clinically significant distress or impairment in social and/or occupational dysfunction for a period of at least one month and symptoms are not due to medical condition, medication or drugs and alcohol. PTSD symptoms include nightmares, flashbacks, sleep disturbance, mood disorders, suicidal ideation, avoidance, and hyper-arousal in responseRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder1103 Words   |  5 PagesPOST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER ADDAE Y. ATTAKORAH PRAIRIE STATE COLLEGE PSYCHOLOGY 101 5/3/16 INTRODUCTION Many of the war veterans who came home from the Vietnam War came home with PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder which is a mental health condition that is triggered by a terrifying event- either through experiencing it or witnessing it. Although it happens most to those who serve in the military, it can happen to anyone who goes either goes through or witnesses a traumatic eventRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder2753 Words   |  12 Pagesexperience PTSD. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can last for many years, though some recover after 6-12 months. (Anxiety, n.p.) Like panic disorders, a person with PTSD may look to alcohol to cope with their feelings. Those with PTSD may have another type of anxiety and depression may also accompany the symptoms of the anxiety disorder. Do you ever feel self-conscious in situations with a lot of people? Do you get nervous thinking about standing in front of people and what they will think of youRead MorePost-traumatic Stress Disorder: Symptoms and Treatment1612 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Statement of Thesis Post-traumatic stress disorder is a serious condition and one that is challenging in terms of identifying the disorder and effectively coping with this disorder. Introduction Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that the individual develops following a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of physical harm. The person who develops PTSD may have been the one who was harmed, the harm may have happened toRead MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder1033 Words   |  5 Pagesdepressive disorder that I chose for my final paper is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or more commonly known as PSTD. This is a very complex disorder and effects men, women, and children alike. Most people associate PSTD with servicemen or women returning from defending our country. However, statistics show these people do experience PTSD, they are not the only people this disorder effects. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a reaction a person has after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic, lifeRead MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder1189 Words   |  5 Pagesbattle fatigue, Post Traumatic Stress Diso rder has been around since the history of stressful events themselves. First discovered in the 1600’s as nostalgia, it was usually left untreated as it was seen as a sign of weakness in men. In the early years of diagnosis’s, PTSD was most commonly present in soldiers due to their always present high stress situations. PTSD is a mental illness caused by traumatizing events or series of events. As defined by healthline.com, a traumatic event is â€Å"an incident

Engineering Experiment on Friction free essay sample

This paper tests the co-efficient of friction and how it differs when weight and surface type are changed. The following paper aims to find the force required to move blocks of different weights across different surfaces, thus finding a value for friction and comparing the results with that of a textbook and recording any differences. The conclusion found in this paper is that friction is directly proportional to the weight force applied and is measured in terms of the coefficient of friction, represented by the Greek letter mu (m). The coefficient of friction is the ratio of the frictional force present and the normal reaction to the mating surfaces and is represented as, m = Ff Rn Rn = Normal reaction, weight force Fn = Frictional force But may also be worked out by dividing the force required in Kg by the weight of the object. Eg the force required to move a 25Kg object is 5Kg so to work out the coefficient of the object we would divide 5 by 25 to give a coefficient of 0. We will write a custom essay sample on Engineering Experiment on Friction or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 2. Because of this the surface area of the block is independent to that of the coefficient and is not needed when determining a value for friction. The coefficient of wood against wood is 0.35 giving a relatively low value for friction whereas rubber against concrete is 0.8 meaning it would be hard to slide rubber on concrete. The coefficient can be greatly reduced if a lubricant of some sort is applied in between the surfaces as it forms a layer preventing the bumps on the surfaces rubbing together making it easier to slide the objects past each other.

John Locke An Essay Concerning Human Understanding Essays

John Locke: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding John Locke: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding: Book 1: Chapter 1 Go: To the Table of Contents | This is the first Chapter | Forward to Next Chapter Book I - Neither Principles nor Ideas Are Innate Chapter I - No Innate Speculative Principles 1. The way shown how we come by any knowledge, sufficient to prove it not innate. It is an established opinion amongst some men, that there are in the understanding certain innate principles; some primary notions, koinai ennoiai, characters, as it were stamped upon the mind of man; which the soul receives in its very first being, and brings into the world with it. It would be sufficient to convince unprejudiced readers of the falseness of this supposition, if I should only show (as I hope I shall in the following parts of this Discourse) how men, barely by the use of their natural faculties, may attain to all the knowledge they have, without the help of any innate impressions; and may arrive at certainty, without any such original notions or principles. For I imagine any one will easily grant that it would be impertinent to suppose the ideas of colours innate in a creature to whom God hath given sight, and a power to receive them by the eyes from external objects: and no less unreaso nable would it be to attribute several truths to the impressions of nature, and innate characters, when we may observe in ourselves faculties fit to attain as easy and certain knowledge of them as if they were originally imprinted on the mind. But because a man is not permitted without censure to follow his own thoughts in the search of truth, when they lead him ever so little out of the common road, I shall set down the reasons that made me doubt of the truth of that opinion, as an excuse for my mistake, if I be in one; which I leave to be considered by those who, with me, dispose themselves to embrace truth wherever they find it. 2. General assent the great argument. There is nothing more commonly taken for granted than that there are certain principles, both speculative and practical, (for they speak of both), universally agreed upon by all mankind: which therefore, they argue, must needs be the constant impressions which the souls of men receive in their first beings, and which they bring into the world with them, as necessarily and really as they do any of their inherent faculties. 3. Universal consent proves nothing innate. This argument, drawn from universal consent, has this misfortune in it, that if it were true in matter of fact, that there were certain truths wherein all mankind agreed, it would not prove them innate, if there can be any other way shown how men may come to that universal agreement, in the things they do consent in, which I presume may be done. 4. What is, is, and It is impossible for the same thing to be and not to be, not universally assented to. But, which is worse, this argument of universal consent, which is made use of to prove innate principles, seems to me a demonstration that there are none such: because there are none to which all mankind give an universal assent. I shall begin with the speculative, and instance in those magnified principles of demonstration, Whatsoever is, is, and It is impossible for the same thing to be and not to be; which, of all others, I think have the most allowed title to innate. These have so settled a reputation of maxims universally received, that it will no doubt be thought strange if any one should seem to question it. But yet I take liberty to say, that these propositions are so far from having an universal assent, that there are a great part of mankind to whom they are not so much as known. 5. Not on the mind naturally imprinted, because not known to children, idiots, &c. For, first, it is evident, that all children and idiots have not the least apprehension or thought of them. And the want of that is enough to destroy that universal assent which must needs be the necessary

Revenue Management in the Tourism Industry

Revenue Management in the Tourism Industry Introduction Revenue management is an important element in the prediction of consumer behaviour and optimisation of product availability in the market. The concept is also used in setting prices for products through the application of analytics.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Revenue Management in the Tourism Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The objective of revenue administration is to maximise the growth of income generated by a firm (Phillips 2011). Another goal involves determining the right time to sell a particular product, the target market, and the ideal price. Through revenue management, organisations can determine the right package to sell to the consumers alongside the product (Legoherel, Poutier Fyall 2013). For this reason, it is said that this concept involves segmented pricing. Analysts in this field focus their attention on two main factors. The two are revenue growth and consumer behaviour . To predict the behavioural patterns of customers, the availability of the product in the market is optimised with a hope of maximising on revenues. Tourism is a multibillion industry in the world. A number of organisations offer a combination of tour related services. Just like any other robust sector of the global economy, the tourism industry is characterised by stiff competition among the players (The Emirates Group 2013). As a result, businesses operating in this segment must make smart choices to maintain or improve on their market share (The Emirates Group 2013). In the tourism industry, yield is the term used to refer to the actual revenue generated by an airliner or a hotel. The term is used in comparison to the income that would have been achieved in the event that the capacity of the operator was optimally utilised at the same published price (Shaw 2011).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In this paper, the author is going to conduct an up-to-date literature review on revenue management in the tourism industry. In the essay, the author will identify the various challenges faced by marketers in this sector today. The impacts of these problems in hospitality and tourism marketing will be reviewed. To achieve this objective, a number of academic journal articles will be used. Revenue Management in the Tourism Industry To understand the concept of revenue management, it is important for organisations in the tourism industry to familiarise themselves with the notion of yield administration. Through improved yields, organisations can effectively grow their revenue (Harewood 2008). In light of this, yield management becomes an important tool for marketers since they can use it to strike a balance between the marketing segments they are dealing with. It is important to establish this equilibrium in order to generate more revenue for the fir m. The focus of the organisation should not be limited to the idea of increasing the number of consumers. Challenges Facing Marketers in the Tourism Industry As stated earlier, most businesses in the tourism sector include hotels and airlines. The author of this paper puts more emphasis on airliners. It is important to understand that most of the organisations operating in the industry are mainly service providers (McKenna 2014). The business firms rarely offer tangible goods to their customers. Goods are only used as incentives. At times, they are included in packages to lure customers. They are often small and branded, such as key holders. The goods do not in any way improve the amount of revenue that is generated by the tourism company.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Revenue Management in the Tourism Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They are considered to be part of the variable costs incurred in the pr ocess of doing business. Marketers in this industry have to identify the best combination of segments in order for them to improve the efficiency of their revenue management undertakings. In the process of managing the revenue of their organisations, marketers in the tourism sector face a number of challenges. Different authors adopt varying perspectives with regards to the challenges facing marketers in the tourism industry. One of the greatest obstacles encountered by these professionals is the need to comply with Vision 2050 (Cathay Pacifi ­c Airways Limited 2012). As the aviation industry grew, it became necessary to come up with ways to address issues related to financial sustainability, conservation of environment, safety, and capacity. That is where Vision 2050 came in. To comply with the guidelines provided in this document, the airlines will have to invest heavily in the industry. More revenue will need to be generated to enable the companies implement the set guidelines. For this reason, marketers are required to calculate the best combination of segments. The pricing of the segments should enable the firms to retain and increase the number of customers. At the same time, the companies need to remain profitable. Striking a balance between the two requirements is a challenge to the marketers (Jones, Lee Chon 2011). Players in the tourism industry are also faced with the challenge of cutting on operational costs while at the same time improving the quality of services offered to the customers (AirAsia 2012).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is important to note that airlines, just like any other businesses operating in the contemporary global market, incur both fixed and variable costs. For this reason, the companies have come up with yield management systems. They are required to cut on their variable costs in order to remain profitable. Discounts offered by to the consumers should also be reduced. However, such initiatives only increase the amount of revenue collected per seat. The negative consequence of the move is that the number of customers is likely to go down as a result of the declining quality of services offered. Failure to offer discounts and incentives also makes the airlines lose potential customers, lowering their market share in the process (McCool McCool 2010). Another problem faced by marketers in the tourism industry involves inefficiency in baggage handling (Qantas 2013). Airlines and hotels need to deal with baggage in the most efficient way. However, at the same time, they are expected to red uce their operational costs. Important aspects of baggage handling include arrivals, check-in, manual handling, security, and transfers. Efficiency in this sector translates to improved quality of services. However, additional revenue needs to be allocated to this section to achieve this objective. The cost of such operations is likely to be passed down to the consumers, leading to an increase in the cost of services offered (Schwartz Chen 2012). Businesses in the tourism sector also have to contend with marketing issues related to the environment (Shaw 2011). In aviation, the marketers should take into consideration environmental regulations in their promotional activities. Compliance with these regulations is costly to the airlines. It translates to an increase in the cost of doing business. The airlines will in turn raise the prices charged on the various packages offered to consumers. Increasing the cost of services discourages customers from using the services of the company. On their part, hotels are also required by law to adhere to specific environmental policies. As a result, adjustments have to be made in a bid to comply with the regulations. The prices of some of the packages offered are raised to meet the costs incurred in making these adjustments (Vinod 2009). Change in customer loyalties has also been cited as one of the greatest challenges that marketers in the hospitality and tourism industry have to deal with (Cathay Pacific Airways Limited 2012). Hotels and airlines plan for their capacities in advance. They estimate the number of customers who are expected to use their services within a given duration of time. In most cases, the services are requested by customers and paid for in advance. However, changes in customer loyalties mean that hotels and airlines are likely to operate under capacity. The reduced earnings notwithstanding, the organisations are expected to meet their fixed costs. The low revenue generated as a result of lack of loya lty affects profitability, leading to increased prices in some of the segments. The Impacts of the Challenges on Tourism and Hospitality Marketing The challenges facing marketers in the tourism and hospitality industry have significantly impacted on the competition among segments in the sector. Such segments include accommodation, attraction sites, food and beverage, adventures and recreation, as well as travel trade (Cathay Paci ­fic Airways Limited 2012). Today, investors in the industry are engaged in cut-throat competition in an attempt to gain control of the market share. The operators have come up with improved revenue management systems to enhance their pricing schemes. Competition is important as it improves the quality of services offered to the customers. The costs of operations incurred by the competing businesses are also minimised, which leads to conservation of resources. Through competition, matters to do with convenience, control, and speed when dealing with passen gers have improved. Competition requires businesses to provide unique and quality services in order to retain and attract potential customers (Vinod 2009). Customers are likely to be on the lookout for high quality services, which are characterised by timeliness and consistency. The revenue management strategies put in place are expected to ensure that the most attractive packages are given at the best prices possible. Enhanced revenue management strategies among firms in the tourism and hospitality industry have also led to improved customer experiences (Schwartz, Stewart Backlund 2012). Airlines and hotel companies have devised mechanisms to provide their customers with valuable and vibrant experiences. Through successful marketing strategies, segmentation is made possible, allowing for different classes of tourists to get the best value out of their money. For example, major airlines have specialised on different classes of customers. For instance, for the past few years, Emirat es has focused on offering the best first class flight services in the industry (The Emirates Group 2013). Cathay Pacific Airline, on the other hand, specialises in the provision of services for business class tourists. Qantas and AirAsia focus on economy and low class groups of passengers, respectively. It is also possible for airlines to accommodate the four groups of passengers. Likewise, hotels offer different packages for varying groups of people. As a result, they are in a position to attract a diverse base of clientele. A number of revenue management policies are concerned with baggage handling (Vinod 2009). It is estimated that these strategies will help save over $1.25 billion by the reducing cases of baggage lost and mishandled. The approach is also likely to promote customer loyalty. The airlines and hotels that pay attention to the luggage of their customers are viewed as responsible and attract more clients. Complaints from customers are also reduced. Enhanced revenue m anagement strategies have made it possible for persons to travel from one point to another with ease. The development is brought about by improved price regimes in the industry (Lindenmeier Tscheulin 2008). As a result, many flights are been made to different destinations across the globe. The result of the increased movement of persons is increased congestion in many tourist destinations (Nason 2007). Tourists also pollute the environment around their destinations. Gases produced following the combustion of fuel by the airplanes also cause massive air pollution. It is worth noting that degradation of the destinations will lower the number of visitors. The development will hurt businesses in the sector as a result of reduced number of customers. In light of this, stakeholders should strive to deal with the problem of pollution in order to remain in business. A number of airlines, such as Emirates, have in the past engaged in charitable activities, which include cleaning the environ ment (The Emirates Group 2013). Conclusion Revenue management predicts customer behaviour through analytics. It is used to optimise the prices of goods and their availability in the market in a bid maximise revenue generation. Organisations can determine the most profitable packages through revenue management. In addition, segmented pricing can be implemented using this approach. Competition in the industry is stiff. For this reason, businesses have to come up with appealing packages to remain profitable. Revenue management provides such organisations with a chance to offer high quality services. At the same time, the businesses remain profitable without having to hike the prices of services provided. References AirAsia 2012, AirAsia annual-report, airasia.com/iwov-resources/my/common/pdf/AirAsia/IR/annual-report-2012.pdf. Cathay Pacific Airways Limited 2012, Cathay Pacifi ­c Airways Limited stock code: 00293 annual reports, cathaypacific.com/content/dam/cx/about-us/investor-rel ations/interim-annual-reports/en/2012_annual-report_en.pdf. Harewood, S 2008, ‘Coordinating the tourism supply chain using bid prices’, Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, vol. 7 no. 3, pp. 266-280. Jones, D, Lee, A Chon, K 2011, ‘Future issues in sales, marketing, and revenue management in greater China: what keeps you up at night?’, Journal of Travel Tourism Marketing, vol. 28 no. 6, pp. 598-614. Legoherel, P, Poutier, E Fyall, A 2013, Revenue management for hospitality and tourism, Goodfellow Publishers Limited, New Jersey. Lindenmeier, J Tscheulin, D 2008, ‘The effects of inventory control and denied boarding on customer satisfaction: the case of capacity-based airline revenue management’, Tourism Management, vol. 29 no. 1, pp. 32-43. McCool, B McCool, A 2010, ‘Incorporating lessons learned into tourism industry strategic planning for disaster management’, International Journal of Revenue Management, vol. 4 no. 3, p . 259. McKenna, R 2014, ‘Revenue management for hospitality tourism’, Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, vol. 13 no. 1, pp. 74-76. Nason, S 2007, ‘Forecasting the future of airline revenue management’, Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, vol. 6 no. 1, pp. 64-66. Phillips, R 2011, ‘Efficient frontiers in revenue management’, Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, vol. 32 no. 1, pp. 229-236. Qantas 2013, Qantas 2012/13 full year financial results, qantas.com.au/infodetail/about/investors/mediaReleaseResults13.pdf. Schwartz, Z Chen, C 2012, ‘Hedonic motivations and the effectiveness of risk perceptions-oriented revenue management policies’, Journal of Hospitality Tourism Research, vol. 36 no. 2, pp. 232-250. Schwartz, Z, Stewart, W Backlund, E 2012, ‘Visitation at capacity-constrained tourism destinations: exploring revenue management at a national park’, Tourism Management, vol. 33 no. 3, pp. 500- 508. Shaw, S 2011, Airline marketing and management, 7th edn, SSA Ltd., Oxfordshire. The Emirates Group 2013, The Emirates Group complete financial report and accounts 2012-2013, theemiratesgroup.com/english/facts-figures/annual-report.aspx. Vinod, B 2009, ‘The complexities and challenges of the airline fare management process and alignment with revenue management’, Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, vol. 9 no. 2, pp. 137-151

Relationship of the United States and Japan

Relationship of the United States and Japan The earliest contact between both countries was through merchants and explorers. Later in the mid-1800s several representatives from the U.S. traveled to Japan in order to negotiate trade agreements, including Commodore Matthew Perry in 1852 who negotiated the first trade treaty and the Convention of Kanagawa. Likewise, a Japanese delegation came to the U.S. in 1860 in hopes of strengthening diplomatic and trade relations between both countries. World War II World War II saw the countries pitted against each other after the Japanese bombed the American naval base at  Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1941. The war ended in 1945 after Japan suffered tremendous causalities from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the firebombing of Tokyo. Korean War Both China and the US got involved in the Korean War in support of the North and the South respectively. This was the only time when soldiers from both countries actually fought as the U.S./U.N. forces battled Chinese soldiers upon Chinas official entrance in the war to counter American involvement. Surrender On August 14, 1945, Japan surrendered leading to an occupation by the victorious Allied forces. Upon gaining control of Japan, U.S. President Harry Truman appointed General Douglas MacArthur as Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers in Japan. The Allied forces worked on the reconstruction of Japan, as well as consolidating political legitimacy by publicly standing on the side of Emperor Hirohito. This allowed MacArthur to work within the political system. By the end of 1945, approximately 350,000 U.S. servicemen were in Japan working on a wide variety of projects. Post War Transformation Under Allied control, Japan undertook a remarkable transformation characterized by the new constitution of Japan which emphasized democratic principles, educational and economic reform, and demilitarization which was embedded in the new Japanese constitution. As the reforms took place MacArthur gradually shifted political control over to the Japanese culminating in the 1952 Treaty of San Francisco which officially ended the occupation. This framework was the beginning of a close relationship between both countries that lasts until this day. Close Cooperation The period after the San Francisco treaty has been characterized by close cooperation between both countries, with 47,000 US military servicemen remaining in Japan by invitation of the Japanese government. Economic cooperation has also been playing a large role in the relationship with the US providing Japan with significant amounts of aid in the post-war periods as Japan became an ally in the Cold War. The partnership has resulted in the reemergence of the Japanese economy which remains one of the strongest economies in the region.

The balance of power between the Executive and Legislative branches Essay

The balance of power between the Executive and Legislative branches has tipped in favour of a dominant Executive with negative c - Essay Example This means that no single arm of government should control the other two arms. However, this is not the case as seen in the study of the political system of Russia, United States of America and France, (Fitjar, 2010) Russia Russia emerged after the breakup of the United Social Soviet republic. It is made up of eighty nine republics and other jurisdictions. Russia’s political system is different from that of the United States of America and France. This is because the constitution, which was adopted in 1993 provided that Russia be governed by the three arms of government. However, the constitution did not give equal powers to all the arms of government. For example, the president is both the commander in chief of the armed forces and the chair to the Security Council. Vladimir Putin is said to have used this power to strengthen his office. The executive arm of the Russian government is comprises the prime minister, other cabinet ministers and the attorney general, (White, 2005) . The prime minister is appointed by the president and is the chair of the constitutional court which is the highest court in Russia. He is also the head of the Central Bank of Russia. Russia’s legislature is made up of two houses. The first house is the Federation council which is made up of 180 members who serve four years terms. The other house is the state Duma which is comprised of 450 members who also serve terms of four years. Both houses have different responsibilities. The State Duma has more powers than the Federal council which is viewed as a reviewing and consultation body. One important role of the legislature is to check and control the executive by making sure that transparency is observed in the operations of the government. However, in Russia the executive has dominated over the executive resulting in various consequences. The executive in Russia has dominated over the legislature in many ways. The president of Russia is allowed to appoint top government offi cials without consultation with the legislature. However, this is with the exception with the appointment of the prime minister where the lower house of the legislature should confirm the nominee for the position of prime minister. Despite this being the case, the president has the power to dissolve the lower house if they do not confirm a nominee to be the prime minister three times consecutively. This has resulted in the lower house accepting nominees for prime ministers since it faces the risk of dissolution if the nominees are not passed. It is said that it is through this that presidents like Vladimir Putin have taken advantage of this political system to empire their offices so that the government can be dominated by them. Another way that the executive in Russia destabilizes the balance of the executive and the legislature is by making sure they can control the federal council. The president does this by changing the process of ex official membership into presidential appoint ment. For example, in the year 2000 President Vladimir Putin replaced ex official members with those he appointed. This made sure he could influence decisions by the Federal Council in accordance with policies of the executive. Even though, the State Duma can pass a vote of no confidence for the government, the president has the powers to ignore the vote and even dissolve the house if they take another vote within the period of three months. United States of America The

PESTLE Analysis of Gazprom Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

PESTLE Analysis of Gazprom - Coursework Example As the paper outlines, Gazprom contributes nearly 10% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Russia and aims to make the company the leader in the energy sector (Green Peace, 2013). It supplies resources to the people of Russia and other countries and helps in generating electricity for the people. Much of the revenues of Gazprom are generated from exporting gas to the European countries. The prices charged from the foreign consumers are five times more than the Russian consumers. The growth of the company can be observed from its 5 Years Dividend Growth which is 17.63% with the current P/E ratio of 2.4931. Gazprom, in order to become the leader of the natural gas and oil segment, has explored its business in various European countries and thus has become a profitable corporation (Bloomberg, 2013; Victor, 2008). The objective of the company is to do a PESTLE analysis of Gazprom. The impacts of the political, economic, social and other factors on the operations of the company would be evaluated with a precise focus on the influence of Eastern Europe. PESTLE Analysis The business of Gazprom operates in an environment which is surrounded by several key factors. To evaluate the factors, to understand the opportunities and the threats of the environment PESTLE analysis is conducted. This analysis helps in understanding the environment and the future scopes of the company in the region owing to the social, economic and political perspectives along with the government policies of the region. In this regard, it is determined that Gazprom has its base in Russia and the maximum amount of revenue for the company comes from the Eastern European economy. PESTLE analysis would enable to derive an understanding of the influencing factors which are or would affect the company’s performance, especially in the Eastern European region. Political The government policies of Russia affect the business of Gazprom. Due to government policies, Gazprom enjoyed the power of monopoly for several years in its prices and distribution process of natural gas. The government of Russia submitted a proposal for the intergovernmental agreement which affected the cross border infrastructure. These treaties eradicated the monopoly of the company but made the trade easier. The political rationale behind the policy implication was to expand the business in Russia and in overseas. The traditional political policy was hampering the market share of Gazprom in the European market and hence the need for the tie-up with Qatar emerged to help the company and the country in gaining importance in Europe (Hulbert, n.d.). The investment from the Russia government would help in the development of Gazprom and the economy of the country as well. Moreover, it is also observed that the political dispute between Russia and Ukraine was affecting the gas prices and its trade. The use of gas by Moscow from the underground gas storage affected the transportation to Europe. The trade barriers and the high prices are affecting the business and the economy of Russia. To regain its market in the European countries, an agreement is being done by the government to lower the price of gases in Lithuania. Moreover, the Russian political environment used Gazprom as an instrument for foreign policy to remove gas supply to Georgia and Moldova.

Jesus and Women Essay Example for Free

Jesus and Women Essay Jesus Jesus Christ is believed to be the son of God who is a historical person that lived in Palestine about two thousand years ago and research has it that Christians who are believed to be his followers traditionally acknowledged him as their Lord and Savior and they take the initiative of imitating him since they believe that He lived a life without blemish and thus it is their duty to imitate him as much as possible. As far as Christianity is concerned then the description of moral issues is based on the basis of the texts from the bible and is fully authoritative and bear the stamp of God’s authority and it can still be applied in our lives today directly without compromise. Though most people tend to give attention to the voices of Christian tradition that is outside the written scriptures, some to the psychological arguments, sociological, medicinal or even evolutionary biology and others to their personal intuition, we are all influenced by the culture of our times whether we like it or not. Character is a very important thing in our lives since everybody will want to know how to associate with you according to your character since character determines a lot about an individual and that everybody including those outside the church have the idea of seeking guidance that is authoritative in our habits and the culture of our present times and this gives a lot of problems to Christians who want to participate in debates that deal with morals. Research also states that reading the bible is like listening to a conversation that has many voices that continues to speak to us and arguing in our hearts and we feel like it continues in us as time goes by thus we need to have intelligence and creativity in the interpretation as we listen to it. Mostly when questions were asked to Jesus during his mission, they were surrounding the references of the laws of Moses since people wanted to know his attitude towards the laws and people also wanted to know what they could learn from his attitude in order to get help on how to address similar issues in their own days whether the bible has something to say about it or it is silent. The bible gives evidence that the attitude of Jesus to the Old Testament was not straightforward since he highly respected the law and giving interpretations that strengthened it though on the other hand he sometimes seems to set the law aside and finding himself in a position of arguing with legal elders of his time. As we try to learn the character of Jesus, it is noted that some of his actions such as the healing on the Sabbath and welcoming people who are unclean such as the woman who committed adultery tends to bring contradiction to the way people regard him and it also reveals an approach that is flexible to the aspects of the law. A woman who was found committing adultery was supposed to be stoned to death according to the laws of Moses but when it happened during the time of Jesus and the woman was brought to him his response contradicted the law completely because he did not condemn the woman nor judged her actions but instead asked anyone who had not sinned to throw a stone at her but they all left without doing so as Jesus wrote on the ground and asked the woman to go and leave her sinful life and she was forgiven her sins and all this was a critical point of view of many elders of his time. This action of Jesus triggers a lot of questions as far as women are concerned such questions as was Jesus a feminist? Or was he just showing love and compassion to the woman? And many questions that still remain unanswered to date because the verse in John 8:1-11 in King James Version gives a different meaning to what is recorded in other bible versions. The love and compassion that Jesus had mostly leaned on the side of the inferior people in the society such as the lame, the blind, sinners who needed to be saved and also the women who were seen to be inferior beings in the society by the people of his time and also the old testament times since they could not be allowed to read the torah and thus Jesus wanted to call all these people to the equality that he believes they have in the kingdom of God. The status of women during the time of Jesus and also in Palestine as a whole was that of people who were considered to be inferior although there were still heroines at that time. There are no negative attitudes that are indicated in the gospels by Jesus towards women and thus research has it that Jesus is considered to be a feminist because by his actions he tries to bring out the value of women that was not seen or was neglected by everyone and that women did not have any value in Palestine. The attitude of Jesus is considered to be a positive attitude since he is the only person who did not disregard women as people who are inferior in the society and he does not portray it through the primitive Christian communal point of view of women and this gives out his feminist attitude which is referred to as feminism and is the personalism that is highly extended to women and is considered to be the constitutive part of the gospel which is the good news of Jesus. Jesus action towards the woman who committed adultery is really not to be questioned as far as positive attitude is concerned because in many occasions in the gospels Women were treated as second-class citizens and also treating women not as persons but as sex objects and they also expected Jesus as he was one of them to do the same. Seeing a woman as an evil sexual creature does not necessarily mean that she is was one of the points that Jesus wanted to get to the minds of the Pharisees when they saw the woman who came to wash the feet of Jesus with her hair when they were having dinner at a Pharisees house. Jesus wanted to make a difference in the opinions that people had towards women since that was one of the only way he could give them hope because nobody could give the women a second chance due to their strong beliefs that women were not supposed to be treated as humans but did by showing them that women deserve equal treatment to men through his actions of forgiving the woman and not condemning her. The language that Jesus used when responding to the issue of the adulterous woman is seen to be a critical language that is used to enlighten the moods of the reader and to make the people who were hearing the message from Jesus to understand what he fully meant by telling them to throw a stone at the woman if they did not have any sin. Jesus is still not in a position to be condemned since the laws of Moses indicated that both the woman and the man should be stoned to death once caught in the act of adultery and this was not the case when the woman was brought to Jesus because the woman was brought alone and it is evident that she did not commit adultery alone and that the people were referring to the laws of Moses and so they were the people to be condemned anyway through their unfair action. Due to facts that women were never regarded as of any value, the character of Jesus proved to be unique and with a plan since he was the only person who could see the value of a woman in any given situation whether good or bad since the woman who committed adultery was considered to be an evil person who was not even supposed to be in the presence of Jesus and never expected that Jesus could treat her the way he did. The translations of different versions of the bible concerning this event of the adulterous woman has to be criticized since they all portray different opinions that don’t give a matching conclusion since the language that can be found in the New International Version is quite different from that in the King James Version and also the New King James Version of the bible. As part of this discussion of Jesus and the women it is good for us to take a close look at other instances where Jesus was seen to be supporting women in the bible or even in his mission. Most of Jesus disciples were men but he also had women disciples who also played a big role as far as his ministry is concerned. The attitude of Jesus towards women is seen to be a good attitude since he taught them the gospel, what the scriptures meant, and the truths in the Christian religion in general. According to Judaism some of the actions of Jesus towards women is considered to be very improper like teaching the women the scriptures and as it is recalled this was very wrong. Jesus was always seeing the potential of women which other people could not see and through this he tried his level best to break some of the customs deliberately in an extraordinary way since this custom was invidious to women As the men tried to tempt Jesus with a question regarding the adulterous woman he did not tense because he knew that the same people who were condemning this woman were also sinners, he used a style of rhetorical questions where he did not have to answer them the way they expected him to do so. There were many women who were following Jesus both the married and the unmarried and they all wanted to be part of his ministry since they had been given the privilege to have a say in his ministry that made them feel like they belong somewhere since they had been feeling rejected by all people and they had been feeling very inferior in the society since nobody was in the position to give them a helping hand in their weaknesses. In the book of Luke 8:1 the presence of women in the number of disciples that Jesus had is felt since there are those who are even mentioned by name in the sentences with the twelve disciples when Jesus made his way through towns and villages and the twelve were with him preaching and proclaiming the word of God which was the good news of the kingdom of God. At that time the twelve disciples were with him as well as certain women who were there to provide for them the resources that they needed. The roles that were played by these women in early Christianity are the same as those played by the present deacons of the churches today since in the Greek language the words used in the bible such as â€Å"provided for† has the same meaning as the word â€Å"ministered to† as used in the gospel of Mark. It is significant to appreciate the freedom of women being in a position to follow him and minister to him when it is recalled that women were not even supposed to leave their households whether married or still a daughter of someone and even being allowed to read the scriptures or study it in the more observant settings. The connection of women to Jesus is still very intimate even during his resurrection from the dead because there are other three accounts of the resurrection of Jesus in the bible that are all related to the raising of a woman, Jairus’ daughter in the book of (Mathew 9:18. ; Mark 5:22. ; Luke. 8:41. ) The second resurrection that was performed by Jesus was that of the only son of the widow that lived in Nain, Jesus had compassion on her and asked her not to weep and made his son well. The other resurrection that Jesus performed which was the third resurrection was that of Lazarus at the requests made by his sisters Martha and Mary who were also women in the book of (John 11:43-44). For Lazarus to be resurrected it was the efforts of the women who were his sisters, at first Martha and Mary had sent for Jesus when Lazarus was ill and when he finally came, Lazarus had been dead for four good days and Martha pleaded with Jesus to resurrect him. Thus Jesus raised one person and the other two were raised at the request of women. In the case of Jairus daughter Jesus touched her corpse but in the case of Lazarus and the Widow’s son Jesus just used words to raise them. We can wonder why He chose to violate the the laws of the rituals of purity in order to help a woman and not men and also the message about his resurrection is revealed to a woman. Jesus is seen to violate the common code that was concerned with the relation between men and women when he found a Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob and talked to her and yet the Jews were not allowed to talk to Samaritan women and a man would not also speak to a woman in public and once again the messianic nature of Jesus was also revealed to a woman. Jesus revealed himself as the â€Å"resurrection,† to Martha, the â€Å"risen one† and also revealed himself as the â€Å"messiah† which was his key role in his ministry to a woman again and she immediately bore witness of that fact to all the villagers that were around to come and see Jesus who was the messiah and this would seem like John the Gospel writer was trying to deliberately highlighting this event and clearly wished to reinforce thereby Jesus’ on the equal dignity of women to men that he saw. As the Samaritans approached Jesus was talking about the field and the sewers and the way people would reap what others had sown. He was speaking of the souls of men directly and he did it in general and not only Jesus in particular though it would seem like the evangelist was also meaning specifically to include the Samaritan woman among those Samaritans since he added the mentioned verse â€Å"Many Samaritans of that town had believed in him on the strength of the woman’s testimony†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . As far as marriage of women is concerned the most important stand of Jesus in relation to their dignity is his position on marriage. He had an unpopular attitude towards marriage though his stand highly sided monogamy and elimination of divorce since both the man and the woman were to have equal rights and responsibilities as they related with each other (Mk10:2; Mt. 19:3 New International Version) This is one of the instances that was rather thoroughly assimilated by the Christian church though it can be doubtless since it was reinforced by many sociological factors and historical accidents like the present strength of the Greek world of the Stoic philosophy though the notion of equal rights between man and woman and their responsibilities as far as marriage is concerned was not extended very far in the Christian marriage. Jesus had never thought of women as people who could only have their roles as in restricted terms such as only being a housekeeper like when he visited the house of Martha and Mary and Martha was taking the typical role of a woman of being in the house and preparing food for the visitors and complaining that Mary was not helping her and Jesus responded by treating Mary first as a person and applauded her for putting his service as the priority in her life and told her that she had chosen the better part compared to Martha and it was not to be taken from her. In short Jesus was trying to let people understand that Martha was not doing a bad thing but the way she had put her priorities was the problem that he had since he wanted women to know that women also have the right to engage themselves in intellectual life and also acquire religious authority and spiritual life just as men were called to. There is another instance in the bible in the gospel in the book of (Luke 11:27 Revised Standard Version) when a woman who was impressed with the way Jesus was teaching and she gave her compliment by mentioning the womb that bore Jesus and the breast that fed him and talked of how happy she would be to have a son like Jesus though it was not typical at that time for her to utter such a word since this reduced his sexual linage of a woman and Jesus felt it necessary to reject it by insisting on the personhood, the intellectual and the moral faculties of a woman by saying that blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it. Jesus has tried in so many ways possible to help people in whichever condition he has found them because even when he was busy teaching a group of men came to interrupt him with the issue of the woman that they wanted him to condemn for her actions of adultery. Jesus wanted to show the equality between men and women and mostly communicate the equal dignity of women and he did this through the parable of the woman and the lost coin and here Jesus projected God in a way that he put him as a woman when the despised tax collectors and the sinners were all gathered around him but the Pharisees and the scribes all complained about it. Jesus related three parables at a go and they all depicted that God was more concerned with those who were lost and the first story was that of the shepherd who left the ninety nine sheep for one sheep that was lost and the shepherd is God the second story is that of the woman and the lost coin and the woman is God and the third was that of the prodigal son where the father is God and in all this instances Jesus tries to portray a woman as a special being that has equal dignity to a man. A woman is still regarded as a dignified creature by Jesus Christ since there are other instances in Christian history where the Holy Spirit been associated with a feminine character that is woman like in the Syrian Didascalia where speaking of different offices in the church states that deaconess should be honored as the linage of the Holy Spirit. Giving the Holy Spirit a feminine lineage would give a rather negative result which would be a rather positive one since in many cases pictures show Jesus carrying the sheep on his shoulder as the shepherd, in the parable of the prodigal son the father takes the position of God the father and finally the woman who looks for the lost coin takes the position of God the Holy Spirit and if this interpretation has existed then it has not been common or maybe it might not be accepted by many people as far as male chauvinism is concerned. If there is lack of logic for the attribute of the general denigration of the culture of women of the pagan goddesses though Christian abhorrence of pagan gods has never resulted in a Christian rejection of God’s male linage. As far as the life of Jesus is concerned talking of his attitude in various events is quite hard to understand since his attitude changes from time to time and from event to event because if we take a look at his attitude towards the laws of the Old Testament then we should be in a position to point out that his attitude was not straight forward since he wanted almost everything to have new interpretations from the way they had already been written and that in another possible way he tried to strengthen the laws. The fact that Jesus ignored speaking the large or great towns in Galilee and using a wide imagery of rural areas in his teachings also tells a lot about his social character and are at variance with the predominantly urban character of the primitive church and it gives no reason that the church concerns have dominated the gospels in the ministry of Jesus. In other words dealing and coming to a conclusion about the attitude of Jesus since it changed a lot during his ministry and this is obscured for us by the orders of the events which are uncertain to talk about. It can be thought that Jesus was a charismatic innovator and was tamed by experience and maybe he began as a conventional and a man who abided in the laws and later on became disillusioned by the way the laws had to be applied since in adultery he extends the commandments by emphasizing the thoughts to actions, in loving the neighbors he extends to enemies and also performing a miracle on the Sabbath day bringing a controversy in the teachings had already been given out. It is therefore a fact to say that the attitude of Jesus is not something to come up with a conclusion to since the way it changes it brings about controversies in many possible ways in both his life and ministry at large. References Amba, M. (2001): Introducing African Women’s Theology. Pilgrim Press Ann, L. (1992): The Meaning of Gender in Theology. Problems and Possibilities. Batterd, J. (1995): Marriage, Sex and Violence in the Hebrew Prophets. Minneapolis. Fortress Press. Bright, H (1998): Hidden Voices: Biblical Women and Our Christian Heritage. Smith And Helwys. Dickey, P. (2000): Feminism Theology/ Christian Theology: In Search of Method. Elizabeth, F. (1993): Searching the scriptures. I. A Feminist Introduction. London King, U. (1995): Religion and Gender. Blackwell, Oxford Letty, M. (1985): Feminism Interpretation of the Bible Mollenkott, V. (1992): Men, Women and the Bible. New York Phyllis, T. (1978): God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. Rosemary, R. (1995): New Woman New Earth: Sexist Ideologies And Human Liberation. Beacon Press. The Holy Bible, Luke 11:27 King James Version (KJV) The Holy Bible, John 11:42-43 King James Version (KJV) The Holy Bible, Luke 8:41 King James Version (KJV) The Holy Bible, John 8:1-11 King James Version (KJV) The Holy Bible, Romans 8:1 King James Version (KJV)

Salt Pollution :: essays research papers

Salt Pollution   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As awareness for pollution increases, other forms of pollution are defined. Almost everyone knows about toxic waste and carbon dioxide pollution, but not many people have heard of salt pollution. Salt pollution has been on the increase since the evolution of the automobile. With more pressure on government agencies to keep the highway clear and safe, an increase in the use of salt has developed. It is important to understand why salt is used and how it work as well as the environmental effects to understand the salt pollution problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Salt is a necessary and accepted part of the winter environment. It provides safety and mobility for motorists, commercial vehicles and emergency vehicles. Salt is used as the principal deicer because it is the most available and cost-effective deicer. Rock salt is preferred because it is cheap and effective. It costs 20 dollars a ton where as an alternative like calcium magnesium cost around 700 dollars a ton. Some 10 million tons of deicing salt is used each year in the U.S. and about 3 million in Canada.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Salt is used to keep snow and ice from bonding to the pavement and to allow snowplows to remove. When salt is applied to ice and snow it creates a brine that has a lower freezing temperature than the surrounding ice or snow. Salt is the ideal deicing material because it is:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢the least expensive deicer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢easy to spread   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢easy to store and handle   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢readily available   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢non-toxic   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢harmless to skin and clothing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Salt pollution is broken into two main groups. Water, which includes the effects on ground water, surface water and aquatic life and land.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most of the salt applied to the roadways eventually ends up in the ground water. It is estimated that 30% to 50% of the salt used travels into the ground water. Salt effect two areas of ground water, chloride concentration and sodium concentration. Chlorides may be present in the form of sodium chloride crystals or as a ion in a solution. Normal concentrations in the water are average around 10 mg/litre. Concentrations found in ground water near major highways have been recorded as high as 250 mg/litre which is around the threshold of taste.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main factor with ground water pollution is the risk to human health. The raised level in sodium in water can cause high blood pressure and hypertension. With people who already suffer from these problem it is necessary to keep their salt intake relatively low, they should not drink water above 20 mg/liter. Although this is recommended, a study of private well water in Toronto showed that half the wells exceeded this limit, twenty percent exceeded Salt Pollution :: essays research papers Salt Pollution   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As awareness for pollution increases, other forms of pollution are defined. Almost everyone knows about toxic waste and carbon dioxide pollution, but not many people have heard of salt pollution. Salt pollution has been on the increase since the evolution of the automobile. With more pressure on government agencies to keep the highway clear and safe, an increase in the use of salt has developed. It is important to understand why salt is used and how it work as well as the environmental effects to understand the salt pollution problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Salt is a necessary and accepted part of the winter environment. It provides safety and mobility for motorists, commercial vehicles and emergency vehicles. Salt is used as the principal deicer because it is the most available and cost-effective deicer. Rock salt is preferred because it is cheap and effective. It costs 20 dollars a ton where as an alternative like calcium magnesium cost around 700 dollars a ton. Some 10 million tons of deicing salt is used each year in the U.S. and about 3 million in Canada.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Salt is used to keep snow and ice from bonding to the pavement and to allow snowplows to remove. When salt is applied to ice and snow it creates a brine that has a lower freezing temperature than the surrounding ice or snow. Salt is the ideal deicing material because it is:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢the least expensive deicer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢easy to spread   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢easy to store and handle   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢readily available   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢non-toxic   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢harmless to skin and clothing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Salt pollution is broken into two main groups. Water, which includes the effects on ground water, surface water and aquatic life and land.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most of the salt applied to the roadways eventually ends up in the ground water. It is estimated that 30% to 50% of the salt used travels into the ground water. Salt effect two areas of ground water, chloride concentration and sodium concentration. Chlorides may be present in the form of sodium chloride crystals or as a ion in a solution. Normal concentrations in the water are average around 10 mg/litre. Concentrations found in ground water near major highways have been recorded as high as 250 mg/litre which is around the threshold of taste.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main factor with ground water pollution is the risk to human health. The raised level in sodium in water can cause high blood pressure and hypertension. With people who already suffer from these problem it is necessary to keep their salt intake relatively low, they should not drink water above 20 mg/liter. Although this is recommended, a study of private well water in Toronto showed that half the wells exceeded this limit, twenty percent exceeded