Changing Behaviors by Changing the Classroom Environment Essay

Many teachers face disruptive behavior in their classrooms. They are left with the question; how can they identify and change the problem areas in the classroom environment in order to change the behavior? By collecting data on students’ engagement during instruction, disruptive behavior, and teacher observations, teachers can identify which physical aspects of their classrooms need to be improved. One of the challenges teachers face is disruptive behavior in their classrooms. A survey conducted in 2004 showed that 75% of the teachers noted that they would spend more time teaching effectively if they had less disruptive behavior in their classrooms (public agenda, 2004). Examples of these disruptive behaviors include, speaking without permission and getting out of the seat. Another challenge for the teachers is to find classroom management strategies that are proactive, preventative and relatively easy to implement and which provide minimal disruption to the classroom. There are different steps to changing the environment of a classroom. The first step is to observe: Finding out things like what types of behaviors occur in your classroom, when are most disruptive behaviors occurring, the time of day and under which type of circumstances? Where is disruptive behavior occurring? Are students able to work at desks without distractions? Are students able to work in group areas without distractions from the surrounding environment? The second step is to modify: This entails providing areas for personal space (Hood-Smith & Leffingwell, 1983, Visser, 2001), changing or decreasing placement of stimulating visuals, making clear pathways between students and high trafficked areas (Visser, 2001; Weinstein, 1979), addressing acoustic quality in the classroom by eliminating objects that produce background noise, modify classroom climate by adjusting lighting, air flow, and temperature. The last step is following up: these include questions like, are you using the modifications correctly? Are the modifications being used consistently? Do any modifications need rearranging, changing, or removal? Do you need to implement additional modifications? Investigations have been done by researchers on the relationship between the classroom environment, student behavior and academic engagement (Hood-Smith & Leffingwell, 1983; Visser, 2001). A well organized classroom permits more positive interactions between teachers and children, reducing the probability that challenging behaviors will occur (Martella, Nelson & Marchand-Martella, 2003). In addition, modifying the classroom environment may serve as a direct intervention for children who demonstrate ongoing disruptive behavior (Conroy, Davis, Fox & Brown, 2002). Although the well designed classroom has proven benefits, there is little research on the impact environmental modifications have on behavior and learning (Guardino,2009; Schilling &Schwartz, 2004). Modifications of the environment are preventatives, whole class approach that may decrease chronic behavior problems, prevent behavior problems for students who are at risk, and allow children with minimal behavior to access learning without interruption. Although environmental modifications are an essential part of classroom management, many teachers are not aware of the process of implementing them. A case study was done on Ms. Thompson a fourth grade teacher and her class. The students exhibited high levels of disruptive behavior. During the baseline phase, data on the overall classroom academic engagement and disruptive behavior was collected. Ms. Thompson helped in defining academic as purposeful attention such as raising a hand or answering a question and disruptive behavior as speaking without permission, getting out of seat or non compliance to the teachers directions. During the two weeks of data collection academic engagement and disruptive behavior was measured. Ms. Thompson directed a mini-reading lesson, after which students worked independently. The observation sessions were 15 minutes long; during this period some instances were noted where one or more students were not academically engaged during any 15 seconds interval. After the observation, discussions on how to improve the environment were done with Ms. Thompson; for example, seating arrangement, creating group space etc. These changes were put in place and beginning the following Monday data was collected for 4 weeks. Ms. Thompson also filled a questionnaire regarding her perception of the effectiveness of changing the classroom environment to improve student behavior. After the classroom was modified academic engagement increased and stayed at or 45% as compared to the previous 3%. Before the intervention disruptive behavior occurred almost 90% of the time but after it reduced but was inconsistent during the final observations. Both the questionnaire and a follow up interview relayed Ms Thompsons’ satisfaction with modifying her classroom environment to improve student behaviors. With the results gotten from the case study, it is with no doubt clear that modifications to the classroom environment increased academic engagement and decreased disruptive behavior. References Martella. R. C. Nelson, J. R. , & Marchand-Martella. N. E. (2003). Managing disruptive Behaviors in the school. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Schilling. D. L, & Schwartz, I. S. (2004). Alternative seating for young children with autism spectrum disorder: Effects on classroom behavior. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 34, 423-452. Visser, J. (2001). Aspects of physical provision for pupils with emotional and behavioral difficulties. Support for Learning. I6 (2). 64-66 Weinstein, C. S. (1979). The physical environment of the school: A review of research. Review of Educational Research. 49, 577-610. Conroy, M. A. , Davis, C. A. , Fox, J. J.. & Brown, W. H. [2002). Functional assessment of behavior and effective supports young children with challenging Behaviors. Assessment for Effective intervention, 2 [4j, 35-47. Guardino, C. (2009). Modifying the environment to improve student behaviors: A closer look at classrooms with students who have a hearing bss. Manuscript in preparation. Hood-Smith, N. E. , & Leffingwell, R. J. (1983). The impact of physical space alternation on disruptive classroom behavior: A case study. Education. ?04. 224-231. Public Agenda. (2004). Teaching in Wrnipted: Do discipline policies in today’s public schools foster the common good? New York, NY: Author. Retrieved fromhttp://commongood. org/assets/attachments/ 22. pdf.

Organic Foods in India Essay

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the consumers’ decision-making process for purchase of organically produced foods in India Design/methodology/approach – Using already existing research model and scale, forming hypothesis, and testing its validity in Indian context. Using convenient sampling (Tier 1, 2 B school Graduates) to gather data for factor loading. Type of Research – Descriptive Research Introduction Organic production system is a system that produces organic foods in harmony with nature and the environment. In other words, this is a unique system which ensures that the â€Å"best practices† in the area of production are utilized to ensure that the output is a healthy and safe apart from having a positive symbiotic effect with the environment. Thus, one can say in lay man’s terms that an organic food product is one that has been produced using only natural agents in the production process. For the vast majority of human history, food has been produced organically. It was only during the 20th century that new synthetic chemicals were introduced to the food supply. Under organic production process, the use of conventional non-organic pesticides, insecticides and herbicides is heavily regulated. In the case of livestock, they are reared without the routine use of antibiotics and growth hormones. Scenario in India Organic foods are fast changing from a fad to a serious proposition in India. Today, the reach of organic foods is expanding to gradually find its way into the average Indian household. An indicative reason for the same is the rising health consciousness among Indian consumers. Pegged at Rupees 6. 5 billion in 2010, the organic food market is witnessing the shift from being an elitist to a healthy product. Although production and consumption figures for organic food in India are way behind the world average, the market is now showing signs of a strong growth trend. Slowly the deterrent of high price is being out-weighed by nutrition, quality and a chance to shape a safe environment. The organic food products market has been continuously facing the issue of absence of recognizable brands, small range of products, high prices and faulty government policies and a general lack of retail presence which has translated to low demand in the domestic market. In spite of this industry players are optimistic about the future prospects, as they are of the opinion that this industry holds a lot of promise. The export industry remains undeveloped with most producers being either small or marginal farmers, small cooperatives or trade fair companies. The small farmers, scattered across the country, offer an incomplete product range that are mostly available as a local brand. This is especially an issue in developed countries where the shelves of an average supermarket is stocked with a large range of certified organic foods. Problem Statement The question on everyone’s mind is where exactly is the organic food industry falling short? What are the main factors that influence a consumer’s decision to purchase organic foods? The fact of the matter is that this area has suffered from lack of interest/attention and a very low level of research. Thus, our Problem Statement is as follows â€Å"What influences the decision to buy organic food products in India? † Research objective The purpose of this assignment is to understand the primary influencers that motivate our target study group of individuals belonging to the upper middle-class category in their decision to buy organic foods products in India. Since the students of the top B-Schools either belong to or will be a part of the aforementioned category and will be starting new families, they are part of core prospective customer segment for this market. Hence, we have decided to focus our research on them. Literature Review Scope This research study focuses on understanding the primary influencers motivate our subjects (individuals from the upper middle class category) to buy organic foods. Students of B-Schools are from diverse backgrounds and origins. Most belong to the upper middle class category and we can safely assume that those that aren’t will be a part after they graduate. Moreover, they are also in that stage of life where they start a family of their own and assume additional personal responsibilities. This makes them appropriate subjects for this study. This study will analyse their responses with respect to knowledge about and attitude towards organic food, and their sensitivity to the health and environmental benefits associated with it. Sources and their Details: Honkanen, P. (2006), â€Å"Ethical values and motives driving organic food choice†, Journal of Consumer Behaviour , 5, pp. 420-430 The paper tries to investigate the role of ethical motives in consumers’ choice of organic food. The relation between ethical food choice motives, attitudes and intention to consume organic food was studied by estimating a structural equation model. We were able to comprehend ethical motives better and were thus able to incorporate it under environmental Consciousness. Donovan, P. , McCarthy R. (2002), â€Å"Irish Consumer preference for organic meat†, British Food Journal, Vol. 104 No. 3/4/5, pp. 353-370 The paper tries to examine Irish perception of organic meat. It identified three consumer groups. Beliefs and purchase intentions of consumers and non-consumers were differentiated. Proposed factors leading to purchase intention were Health Consciousness, Perceived value, Income and environmental concern. After validation checks they had had to make the constructs less abstracts due to low values. Aertsens, J. , Verbeke, W. , Mondelaers, K. , and Huylenbroeck, G. V. (2009), â€Å"Personal determinants of organic food consumption: a review†, British Food Journal, Vol. 111 No. 10, pp. 1140-1167 It uses theliterature concerning personal determinants of organic food consumption. This is the ? rst paper providing a comprehensive overview and linking the literature on organic food consumption to the values theory and the theory of planned behaviour, including the role of personal norm and focusing on emotions. The proposed integration of mental processing in an organic food consumption model leads to interesting hypotheses and recommendations for policy makers, researchers and stakeholders involved in the organic food market. Padel, S. , Foster, C. (2005), â€Å"Exploring the gap betweenattitudes and behaviour, Understanding why consumers buy or do notbuyorganic food†, British Food Journal, Vol. 107 No. 8, pp. 606-625 Its results show that most consumers associate organic at ? rst with vegetables and fruit and a healthy diet with organic products. Fruit and vegetables are also the ? rst and in many cases only experience with buying organic product. The decision-making process is complex and the importance of motives and barriers may vary between product categories. The motives and barriers provided herein helped us in adapting the survey questionnaire. Baker, S. (2004), â€Å"Mapping the values driving organic food choice, Germany vs the UK†, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 38 No.8, pp. 995-1012. This study explores the reasons why the behaviour of consumers in the UK and Germany has been so divergent despite both groups of consumers holding similar attitudes about organic foods. This was done by investigating the underlying values driving food choice behaviour using means-end theory and Laddermap 5. 4 software. The dominant means-end hierarchies were uncovered and the cognitive process mapped. {draw:frame} Makatouni, A. (2002), â€Å"What motivates consumers to buy organic food in the UK? , Results from a quantitative study† , British Food Journal, Vol. 104 No. 3/4/5, pp. 345-352 Its main objectives are to identify beliefs, with respect to organic food, of parents who buy and do not buy organic food; the positive as well as negative attitudes towards organic food of those who buy and do not buy organic food; the impact of those attitudes on food choice for parents who buy and do not buy organic food; and to model the food choice behaviour of parents with respect to organic food. It employs both qualitative and quantitative methods. This paper also uses the means-end chain approach. The key idea is that product attributes are a means for consumers to obtain desired ends. It provides a very detailed means end chain which helped us finalize some aspects of our questionnaire. Magistris, T. , Gracia, A. (2008), â€Å"The decision to buy organic food products in Southern Italy†, British Food Journal , Vol. 110 No. 9, pp. 929-947 Its findings provide more evidence on consumers’ underlying motivations to buy organic food to the already existing evidence in Europe to evaluate the future implementation of the Regulation (EC) no. 834/2007 of 28 June 2007 on organic production and labelling of organic products. In addition to this the empirical results would help local policy makers to establish appropriate market strategies to develop the future demand for these products. It indicates that consumer’ attitudes towards organic food, in particular towards the health attribute and towards the environment are the most important factors that explain consumers’ decision-making process for organic food products. It has been found that larger information on the organic food market, which drives to a higher consumers’ organic food knowledge, is important because it positively in?uences consumers’ attitudes towards organic food products. It also that consumer who try to follow a healthy diet and balanced life are likely to have more positive attitudes towards organic food products and towards the environment, inducing a more likely intention to purchase organic foods. This paper provided with the adequate Structural equation model. It also possessed the relevant constructs and variables which could be easily adapted to Indian requirements. Since for the target segment of our paper income is not an issue, it proved easy to adapt to the theoretical model according to our needs. The questionnaire has been validated, which has been duly adapted by us. Outcome Through this study we hope to drawing links between knowledge about and attitude towards organic food, and their sensitivity to its health and environmental benefits and the decision to buy it. Also, we can gauge as to which are the primary contributors to the purchase decision. This can go a long way in helping a player in the organic food industry understand the market and position himself appropriately to achieve success. Research framework and hypothesis specification A study on the food choice is a complex phenomenon that represents one of the most important parts of human behavior, where several cognitive and behavioral factors can vary sharply between individuals. In other words, whether the consumers intent or decide to purchase organic foods is a difficult task because it depends on many factors that cannot be directly observed. Thus based on the above mentioned paper by Magistris, T. , Gracia, A.(2008), it can be conclude that the more favorable health and environmental attitudes consumers have, the more likely they will buy organic food product. In accordance with this, the first hypothesis of the proposed model is defined as follows: Hypothesis1: When consumer’s attitudes towards organic food (H1-a) and towards the environment (H1-b) are positive, consumers’ intention to buy organic food products will also be more likely to be positive. Hypothesis 2: When a consumer has higher organic food knowledge, he/she will be more likely to have positive attitudes towards organic food products. Hypothesis 3: Consumers’ lifestyles related to healthy diet and balanced life influence internal factors of consumers, such as, attitudes towards organic foods (H3a) and attitudes towards the environment (H3b) during the decision process to buy organic food products. Proposed Research Model {draw:rect} {draw:rect} {draw:rect} Explanation of factors and observed variables Intention to purchase organic foods Intention is the cognitive representation of a person’s readiness to perform a given behaviour, and it is considered the immediate antecedent of behaviour. Findings from many studies reveal that consumers’ attitudes towards different organic food attributes (human health, safety, etc. ) and towards the environment are the most important factors that explain consumers’ decision-making process for organic food products. Organic knowledge Knowledge It indicated the knowledge the consumer possesses about organic food Definition Does the consumer know that, â€Å"_Organic foods are produced without the use of conventional pesticides, arti? cial fertilizers, human waste, or sewage sludge_†? Healthy diet and balanced life Exercise Processed food. Fruits and vegetables Red meat Additive free Health check ups Balanced life The observed variables are self-explanatory Environmental attitudes Pollution Belief that the current developmental path and consumeristic culture will end up destroying the environment Damage It quantifies the feeling that unless we do something the damage to the environment will be irreversible. Conservation Describes whether one performs conservatory tasks. Recycled Preference for consuming recycled products Recycling Whether one partakes in recycling of products Attitudes towards organic food products. Health Does on believe that organic products are healthier? Quality Do organic products have superior quality? Taste Are organic products are more tasty? Research Methodology Data will be collected from a survey conducted across the top B-Schools of the country. It is our opinion that the budding managers from these institutions are (or will be) part of our target group of affluent customers for organic food products. The ? nal sample will include 200 students selected through convenience sampling. This method has a reputation of being less reliable but it is the best suited due to its convenience and low cost. Moreover, it is known to work with a sample that contains students. A questionnaire will be designed to analyze the knowledge of organic food, attitudes towards organic foods and purchase behavior of the selected students. The ? rst question was related to their knowledge on organic food products. The second set of questions comprised of those related to organic food consumption (consumption level, intention) purchase, frequency of purchase, perceived quality, place of purchase, etc.). The third and final question includes several questions on consumers’ attitudes towards organic food products and environmental aspects. The questionnaire also contains questions on socio-demographic characteristics (i. e. sex, family size and composition, age, education, income and lifestyles). The questionnaire format will be validated using a small pilot survey before being administered to the students. Questionnaire Would I buy organic food products? How will you rate your knowledge on organic food products? What is your opinion on â€Å"Organic foods are produced without the use of conventional pesticides, arti?cial fertilizers, humanwaste, or sewage sludge â€Å"? I do exercise regularly I avoid eating processed food I often eat fruit and vegetables I avoid eating food products with additives I take regular health check-ups I try to have an organized and methodical lifestyle Is the current development path is destroying the environment? Unless we do something, environmental damage will be irreversible I practice environmental conservation tasks I prefer consuming recycled products I partake in product recycling Organic products are healthier Organic products have superior quality Organic products are more tasty Activity and time based plan Data Analysis/ The Data analysis will be carried out on the valid survey responses obtained from the respondent pool to which the survey is administered to. We will be using SPPS 17. 0 to carry out various correlation tests to figure out what factors affect the ‘intention to buy organic foods’ and also what sub-factors affect them. This will also allow us to point out which all factors show strong correlations and which all show less correlations. Bibliography Honkanen, P.(2006), â€Å"Ethical values and motives driving organic food choice†, Journal of Consumer Behaviour , 5, pp. 420-430 Donovan, P. , McCarthy R. (2002), â€Å"Irish Consumer preference for organic meat†, British Food Journal, Vol. 104 No. 3/4/5, pp. 353-370 Aertsens, J. , Verbeke, W. , Mondelaers, K. , and Huylenbroeck, G. V. (2009), â€Å"Personal determinants of organic food consumption: a review†, British Food Journal, Vol. 111 No. 10, pp. 1140-1167 Magistris, T. , Gracia, A. (2008), â€Å"The decision to buy organic food products in Southern Italy†, British Food Journal , Vol. 110 No. 9, pp. 929-947 Padel, S. , Foster, C. (2005), â€Å"Exploring the gap between attitudes and behaviour, Understanding why consumers buy or do not buy organic food†, British Food Journal, Vol. 107 No. 8, pp. 606-625 Baker, S. (2004), â€Å"Mapping the values driving organic food choice, Germany vs the UK†, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 38 No. 8, pp. 995-1012 Makatouni, A. (2002), â€Å"What motivates consumers to buy organic food in the UK? , Results from a quantitative study† , British Food Journal, Vol. 104 No. 3/4/5, pp. 345-352 Zanoli, R. and Naspetti, S.(2002), â€Å"Consumer motivations in the purchase of organic food: a means-end approach†, British Food Journal, Vol. 104 No. 8, pp. 643-53. Yiridoe, E. K. , Bonti-Ankomah, S. and Martin, R. C. (2005), â€Å"Comparison of consumer’s perception towards organic versus conventionally produced foods: a review and update of the literature†, Renewable Agriculture and Food System, Vol. 20 No. 4, pp. 193-205. 10. Soler, F. , Gil, J. M. and Sanchez, M. (2002), â€Å"Consumer’s acceptability of organic food in Spain: results from an experimental action market†, British Food Journal, Vol. 104 No. 8,pp. 670-87. 11. Connor, R., Douglas, L. (2001), â€Å"Consumer attitudes to organic foods†, Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 31, Issue: 5 12. Grunert, S. C. and Juhl, H. J. (1995), â€Å"Values, environmental attitudes, and buying of organic foods†, Journal of Economic Psychology, Vol. 16, pp. 39-62. 13. Chinnici, G. , D’Amico, M. and Pecorino, B. (2002), â€Å"A multivariate statistical analysis of the consumers of organic products†, British Food Journal, Vol. 104 Nos 3/4/5, pp. 187-99. 14. Shepherd, R. , Magnusson, M. and Sjoden, P. O. (2005), â€Å"Determinants of consumer behaviour related to organic foods†, Ambio, Vol. 34 Nos 4-5, pp. 352-9.

Distillation Lab Report

Data and Conclusions: The purpose of this experiment was to learn how to use distillation and gas chromatography to separate and identify different compounds from a given mixture. There are several kinds of distillation methods. However, the method that we used in this experiment was fractional distillation. This method is used when trying to separate two different volatile compounds whose boiling points differ by 40-50Â °C or more.If the boiling points are too close, this method will not work because the two compounds will begin evaporating at close temperatures and will condense down to the receiving flasks at relatively the same times. This will not create an ideal separation. The apparatus used for this type of distillation is longer than that of a simple distillation experiment because this kind of apparatus creates more efficient separation. This happens because the fractional distillation apparatus is longer, and allows for several simple distillations to occur within the col umn itself to more accurately separate liquids.The inside of the column is said to have theoretical plates, or equilibrium stages that are created by the vapor and liquid stages of a compound that create this accuracy. The column must also be insulated with cotton and aluminum to prevent any heat loss that may lead to inaccurate temperature readings or even effect the evaporation of the different compounds. When heating the stillpot, flameless heating should be used along with a magnetic stirbar. This is important to control the temperature of the mixture and keep the heat smooth and constant.Heating the mixture too fast could result in no fractionation in the column and lead to no separation. Likewise, if the mixture is heated too slowly, the vapors might now make it all the way to the condenser, and the liquid will fall back into the stillpot. If the mixture is heated correctly and constantly, the vapors should condense through a condenser and into a receiving flask. This condense r should have water running through it at all times to keep it cool and keep the condensed vapor flowing down into the receiving flask.As a whole, the entire apparatus works perfectly for two different volatile liquids with 40-50Â °C boiling point differences because as the liquid with the lower boiling point is distilled out, the higher boiling point liquid will remain in the stillpot as the other is evaporating and distilled. Then, it will be able to evaporate later as the temperature rises, after the other has more than completely distilled out. As I conducted this portion of the experiment, I noticed that while taking the three fractions, fraction A filled up the full 15 mL and continued distilling through fraction B, and eventually stopped.Because of this, I hypothesized that all of fraction A and most of fraction B consisted of the low boiling point compound. As I raised the temperature of the hotplate, I was able to collect fraction C, and I predicted that it was composed of mostly the high boiling point liquid. To test this, the experiment called for the use of gas chromatography. The chromatography would not only show the relative concentrations of each compound in the fraction, but could also help confirm the identification of the compounds we thought were in the fractions based on the temperatures that each liquid boiled.Before trying to guess the correct compounds of the mixture, one must run each individual fraction through the machine to clearly see the composition of each. Gas chromatography works because as the liquid runs through the machine, its different components run through and exit at different times due to changes of temperatures that measure high and low boiling points. The machine records these using peaks of retention time that identify these different components. After obtaining this data, there was enough information to choose a reasonable match for each of the components.Once both the fractions and the guessed compound were mixed , the retention recordings should not differ in the number of peaks because ideally the compound mixed should have the same retention time as one of the other previous peaks. If the compounds were to differ in the number of peaks, then it shows that another compound must be present with different properties. As I conducted this portion of the experiment, I guessed cyclohexane for my low boiling point liquid and toluene or heptane for my high boiling point liquid based on the fractional distillation observations.For cyclohexane I mixed it with fraction A, since it predominantly consisted of my low boiling point liquid, and observed two peaks in my results. Therefore I concluded that cyclohexane was the low boiling point liquid. However, for the second liquid I guessed heptane first, and my results showed three peaks. Knowing that I had guessed wrong, I tested toluene mixed with my fraction C and only got two peaks. The high boiling point liquid proved to be toluene. In conclusion, my results all matched the main ideas and theories presented in the experiment.From my results I was able to figure out the composition of each of the compounds in the initial mixture and compare them to those of the rest of the class. My results only varied by 3. 18%. When using the two different methods of calculating the composition, the second method using the chromatography peaks was more accurate, and compared to the first method of assuming the ideal compositions, the results differed from the class average by over 10%. Based on the consistency of our class results using the second method, the two compounds proved to have been distilled using the proper method, and is reinforced by the use of gas chromatography.

Book Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Book Report - Assignment Example Marginalized Americans retaliated via employing severe and unequaled efforts to regain their dignity, which encompassed students’ movements comprising of daring youths like Young Americans for Freedom (Young Americans for Freedom) besides others (Foner 1046). The period between 1960s until mid 1970s, marked the most decisive era in America’s history that yielded to the start of marginalized recognition, which the current natives are enjoying. This was an explosion of what the then parents were experiencing due to â€Å"want† (deprivation), which prompted them bow to the white man’s orders for survival, though, teaching their children to defy. Hence, the child’s advice, though accompanied by a contradicting parents’ action, â€Å"My Dad taught me never to bow my head to nobody.† But sometimes Daddy’s head was bowed: frequently Daddy was destroyed (p. 268). Marginalization, inequality and continuous call for white’s rule de fiance by the parents besides other rights activists pioneers, prompted the students to demand their recognition tirelessly. Consequently, surprising Americans who kept wandering what has â€Å"got into† the students. ... For illustration, hotels and even public transport buses where the whites used to assume the front seats. Besides, the people’s realization regarding the state’s mandate to intervene and improve its natives’ lives, it fueled numerous uprisings, owing to the contrary to its dealings. They contended, that when the government interferes with the work of the market economy, tends to reduce the moral and physical strength of the nation; that when it takes from one man to bestow on another, it diminishes the incentive of the first, the integrity of the second and moral autonomy of both (p. 271). Unfair treatment and favoritism based on racialism prompted the marginalized to declare and believe that, liberty can exist only when free citizens can concertedly defend their rights against all enemies (p. 271). Civil rights’ activists like Malcolm x and other like minded who deemed that it is impossible for the oppressor to grant equality to the oppressed, also fueled severe uprisings to demand what was due to the segregated people. Consequently, continuing to the late 1970s where the American regime not wanting to tarnish their global reputation yielded to the diverse uprisings’ demands regarding equality. For instance, the initial sign was Birmingham’s events in May 1963 that overwhelmingly forced Kennedy to ban discrimination in public where its related Act attained legality during the Lyndon Johnson’s regime. Since, America by having internal wrangles entailing inequality among its natives could not declare itself the champion of freedom. Feminist movement (Redstockings) that emerged during 1969, though, short-lived had an immense influence that is evident presently. Redstockings identified male

The Financier Alwaleed bin Talal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Financier Alwaleed bin Talal - Assignment Example l who is currently fifty years old has being able to amass a lot of wealth since the year 1979 after finishing his university education and the latest Forbes ranking placed him as the 26th richest man in the world with a net worth reported to be approximately US $20 billion. Al Waleed Talal’s main investment vehicle is his Kingdom Holding Company where he owns 96% of the total shareholding. Khan (2005) further wrote that despite being a member of the Saudi’s royal family, Al Waleed Talal early childhood was not that rosy since a single mother raised him and this could be perhaps among the driving forces that have propelled him to be a successful man. According to Khan (2005), among the personal initiatives of Al Waleed Talal that have shaped him to become the most prominent Arab businessperson and investor is the military training that he received upon finishing high school that can be assumed made him a strict business man who is fully active on all of his business ventures. According to Khan (2005), the military training hardened him as a person and hence the reason why despite being a member of the Saudi royal family, he is the only member who has been able to amass a lot of wealth on his own, and even become the most influential Arab in the world. According to Khan (2005), in the business world Al Waleed Talal personal character is seen as an aggressive investor eager to tap on potential opportunities that may appear non-lucrative at the time, such as buying Citigroup’s shares while the company was in crisis. Al Waleed Talal is a philanthropic businessperson and through his foundation, he has made numerous donations mostly in a bid to further Islamic education in the world. Al Waleed Talal’s successful career has also being shaped up by his professional initiatives that have given him the skills required to run a successful business and even become a successful businessperson. To begin with, Khan (2005) stated that Al Waleed Talal has a Bachelor of

Imperial Crusades Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Imperial Crusades - Essay Example Instead, following the rise of nationalism in the  nineteenth  century, imperialism gives rise to a struggle between competing empires  (German Empire,  British Empire and Imperial Russia).  Today the term is used broadly to refer to any report  domination  established by a nation or a country or other countries. Imperial crusades refer to modern wars which took place between Muslim and Christian states. Prominent wars which are termed as imperial crusades are the war in Iraq, Afghanistan and Yugoslavia (Cockburn and Clair, 2004). These three wars affected millions of people worldwide and their economic costs were huge. The paper compares and contrasts the causes and impacts of the imperialistic wars of Afghanistan and Iraq. Both wars are termed as imperialistic because they are perceived as a US design to gain control over global resources. The paper discusses similarities and differences between these two wars to gain meaningful insights. Discussion To compare and con trast the two wars termed as imperialistic wars of US – Afghanistan War and Iraq War, it is essential to evaluate the key facts of the two wars. Iraq War The  Iraq war began in  March  2003  with the invasion of Iraq. The war was termed by the coalition  led by the  United States as â€Å"Operation Iraqi Freedom  " against the Baath Party of  Saddam Hussein  and ended in December 2011 with the withdrawal of the last U.S. troops.  The invasion led to the rapid defeat of the Iraqi army, the capture and execution of Saddam Hussein and the establishment of a new government.  President  George W.  Bush  formally declared the completion of the fighting  on May  2003, under the banner  Ã¢â‚¬ËœMission Accomplished’ (Israeli, 2004).  However, violence against coalition forces rapidly led to an  asymmetrical war  involving several groups of insurgents, militia, members of Al Qaeda, the U.S. military forces and the new Iraqi government.   Iraq Body Count, which bases its analysis on data published in the media, estimates that 114,731 Iraqi civilians have died in the violence, mainly composed of attacks, and at least 250,000 Iraqi civilians were wounded (Murray and Scales, 2003). The war led to the exodus  of two million Iraqis fled abroad mainly to Syria Syria  and  Jordan  but also to Europe and United States.   War in Afghanistan The  Afghan War  to the military insurgency of the  United States  along with coalition forces and with the military contribution of the  Northern Alliance against  the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. This war was part of the "  war against terrorism† declared by the  Bush administration  following the  attacks of September 11, 2001  in  New York and Washington (Fiscus, 2004).  The purpose of the invasion according to the United States and its allies was to capture  Osama bin Laden, destroy the organization  Al Qaeda  which allegedly had bas es in the  country with the support of the  Taliban. The  initial attack  drove Taliban out of power, allowing the establishment

Professional Music Reviews Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Professional Music Reviews - Essay Example Music is categorized on the basis of its musical compositions which tell the audience if it is a country music or pop, jazz or rock, classic or reggae. The second common element between all the music reviews is the â€Å"basic introduction† of the music album that is under review. Basic introduction gives the audiences an idea about the singer or the band, their popularity ratio and the number of hit tracks produced by them. Music reviews as published in Kansas City and Metacritic discuss the music albums track by track and according to the musical composition. Every single track in the album is reviewed by the critics in depth. From lyrics to musical composition of all the songs are discussed step by step. Comparison of under reviewed music with other contemporary singers or bands is another essential element of these music reviews. Strong content, information on music and poetic terms play an important role in writing a professional music review. It is important to understand the value of a professional music review which not only gives the audiences complete information on a specific piece of music but, also creates interest in their minds. Thriller is a masterpiece album composed and launched by the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Thriller is another pop album produced by the King of Pop which will always be remembered for years. Michael Jackson proved his excellent command over pop music and beautiful compositions that helped him turned into a music legend. In short we can say that, Thriller is one of the best albums which gave a sudden boost to MJ’s musical career. As soon as Thriller was released, this magnificent album broke all the records of popularity and stayed on musical charts for about 80 weeks (Erlewine). Thriller has proved itself as one of the â€Å"most in-demand musical album† all round the world. Thriller holds different

Opera property management system an evaluation report Assignment

Opera property management system an evaluation report - Assignment Example In the past few years information technology has brought a number of changes to almost all the industries. However, it has a serious impact on the hospitality industry. In fact, a large number of people from hospitality industry now consider that the implementation of latest and modern IT tools is necessary not simply to maintain and run hospitality-related functions but also to set up a bridge with potential customers. In this scenario, these varying IT trends in hotel industry force all kinds of hospitality firms to effectively take advantage of any innovative technology that can offer their firm’s substantial excellence in forms of superior customer satisfaction and employee competence. Up till now a large number of researches and studies have been carried out by various researchers to find out the positive effects of IT tools and systems on the hospitality industry. For instance, carried out a research in order to determine the impact of information technology supported sy stems in Australia, which demonstrated that the implementation of information and management systems can play a significant role in increasing the capability of hospitality industries.... The selection of a property management system heavily depends on the nature and size of the hospitality firm. This paper presents a critical review of an information system that is particularly designed for managing and dealing with property related operations. In this paper I am going to review a modern property management system known as Opera Property Management System. This paper will discuss different aspects of Opera Property Management System. Property Management System Before going into the depth of this property management system there is need to understand the importance of using these IT systems in the hospitality industry. As Opera Property Management System focuses on Wi-Fi usage so we will also discuss the use of Wi-Fi technology in the hospitality industry. In their research, (Pandey, 2010) discuss the importance of information technology for the hospitality industry. According to their viewpoint from dealing with guests and customers and developing and presenting food menus to keeping track of their employees, IT tools and systems have not only completely changed but also restructured the way the hospitality firms carry out their tasks in this information technology based era. In fact, the hospitality sector for all time thrash about to find out more ground-breaking tools and applications with the passage of time as they make changes to the format of the hotel and restaurant business (Pandey, 2010). In addition, a large number of researches and studies have concluded that IT tools and applications have turned out to be a key driver of economical growth for the hospitality industry in the past few years. In this scenario, extensive availability of easy to use and state-of-the-art tools and software applications for

Factors Influencing the Increase in Temporary Employment Essay

Factors Influencing the Increase in Temporary Employment - Essay Example Temporary employees subsume all forms of non-standard or contingent employment, including part time and contract workers. Originating early in the 1980s, temporary employment has been on a constant rise not just in the United States, but across Europe and the developed world (Hardy and Walker, 2003 p.141) According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the growth in temporary employment through the 1990s was dramatic (Golden And Appelbaum 1992 p.473). A survey carried out late in the 1990s indicated that approximately 90% of U.S business and about 95% of the Fortune 500 firms employed temporary employees or used the services of temporary employment agencies. This rise in the demand and supply of temporary employment is unprecedented. Though, temporary employment used to be restricted to clerical and office jobs, its growth has now encompassed almost every job type. Areas that have witnessed raid increase in temporary employment includes professional, services and technological corporations. However, companies use temporary employees to fill vacancies caused by employee absentee, special assignments, seasonal work increases and temporary workers shortages. In addition, employers often make use of temporary employee to fill staff vacancies when they do not intend to increase the ir staff strength (Temporary Employment, 2005). The first te... employers often make use of temporary employee to fill staff vacancies when they do not intend to increase their staff strength (Temporary Employment, 2005). Background of problem: The first temporary employment firms began operations in the 1940s. It was not until the 1980s and 1990s, however, that temporary employment grew rapidly. Annual average temporary employment grew from 340,000 in 1978 to 695,000 by 1985, increasing three times faster than total service sector employment and eight times faster than total nonagricultural employment. The temporary employment industry experienced its most explosive growth in the early 1990s, expanding by an average of 17 percent a year. Annual average temporary employment rose to 2.2 million workers by 1996 and to nearly 2.8 million by 1998 with an annual growth rate of about 9 percent. Between 1992 and 1998, 18.4 million non-agricultural jobs were added to the U.S. economy. Temporary employment accounted for 1.4 million of these jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS predicts that the temporary employment will increase by 53 percent by 2006, making it one of the most rapidly expanding indu stries. Overall, temporary employment accounts for about 2 percent of the country's employment. In the late 1990s, temporary employment agencies began investing greater more in training employees for their assignments. A NATSS survey from 1998 reported that temporary employment agencies spent $720 million on training 1997, in contrast to only $260 million in 1995. The survey also indicated that 4.8 million workers participated in the training programs and that about 90 percent of all temporary employment agencies provide training for free. Statement of the problem: This section of the research put the

NCOER EVAL DA 2166-8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NCOER EVAL DA 2166-8 - Essay Example This is due to three reasons. Firstly, the soldier illustrated appropriate military bearing, posture, and also appearance. Secondly, the soldier illustrated adequate mental and also physical capabilities, required for the performance of any successful military project or mission. Thirdly, the soldier maintained satisfactory physical fitness and mental alertness, despite the temporary challenges of back injury and extreme operational tempo. The soldier achieved success ratings in terms of leadership competencies. This is illustrated through three issues. Firstly, the soldier is a proven leader who understands approaches of motivating junior soldiers to effectively and efficiently accomplish missions, with minimal supervision. Secondly, the soldier effectively coached 6 soldiers through initiating study groups. The initiative increased the General technical scores of the soldiers, to more than 110. Thirdly, he enhanced spirit de corps by endorsing SHARP. He thus made himself available to help, through training, the unit victim advocate. The soldier achieved the success score for the training aspect. This is due to effective performance in three major areas. Firstly, he effectively identified more than 7 soldiers who can be competent platoon Master drivers. Secondly, he trained 31 soldiers using 6 military vehicles, and no accident or incident was reported. Thirdly, the soldier successfully trained two soldiers, and hence they passed the APFT after several unsuccessfully attempts. He also taught the significance of individual responsibility to the soldiers, through motivating them to formulate and work towards achieving their goals. The soldier received a score of success, and this is illustrated through three issues. Firstly, he properly managed military commodities and equipments worth in excess of $2.1 million. Secondly, there was no loss, mismanagement, embezzlement or discrepancies

The Borders Group Inc. Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The Borders Group Inc. Company - Case Study Example In addition, the company owned the once drastically growing Borders Books & Music super shops as well as the Planet Music retail shops. All over the nation, the Borders brand was linked with shops that exclusively served all book and song enthusiasts. This was because the company possessed an extensive collection of limited and extinct titles and albums in addition to a significant variety of diverse forms of electronic literature (Aspen, 33). The company outlets, which had grown to 116 by the end of 1996, all offered consumers wide and comfortable sitting and browsing chambers, a informed client care band, and coffee counters that had live leisure activity. Thesis statement: this paper seeks to examine the Borders Company comprehensively. It will expound on its inception, history, and the events that finally led to its collapse in late 2011. In particular, the paper will focus on the role of the company’s top management in its eventual demise from the literature and publishing arena. Introduction The Borders Group Inc. appeared on the scene after breaking off from its mother corporation, Kmart Corporation, in early May 2005. However, the original Borders brand was in existence from 1971. The advent of the Borders name happened due to the ingenuity of two brothers, Tom and Louis, who decided to open a single second-hand bookshop in Ann Arbor, in Michigan. The store’s initial target market was the then growing academic fraternity that schooled at the University of Michigan. In addition, the store enjoyed frequent patrons from the area’s smaller institutions of learning. Within a short time, the shop became popular, both as a literature store and as a hip hangout. As time passed, the store grew, and the brothers managed to acquire two more shops. One was in Michigan, whilst the other was in Indianapolis. Furthermore, the brothers also invested in a promising wholesale venture, which they named the Book In venture Systems (B.I.S.). This venture also caught on well a nd performed well. For a long period, the brothers had been contemplating on starting their own superstore. In the year 1985, they finally started their initial trial superstore. The trial version performed so well that, in combination with the growing level of competition, it revolutionized the retail paperback business, and influenced it to vacate mall-based business and invaded the crowded urban sections. By the end of 1988, the Borders stores had grown in number to five, and their BIS business already had 14 customers. In total, the company was raking in net revenue of $ 1.9 million dollars. This came from its business sales that amounted to about $ 32 million. However, the brothers itched for more (David 209). The 1980s The brothers, in their pursuit of nationalizing their shops, the brothers employed the services of Robert DiMuraldo, who was a Drexel Technology Institute Alumnus, in 1988. In addition, Robert also held a Harvard MBA. Robert had immense experience from Acme Mark ets and Little General Stores

Junk Food Essay Example for Free

Junk Food Essay Hello, my name is Daniela and I am here today to share my opinion about banning junk food, and hopefully I change your opinion, if you disagree with me. Well, junk food is food that’s very high in fat, sugar, and calories. It hardly has protein, vitamins, or minerals. I know it may be very tasty and good, but it’s not so good for your body. Eating junk food can cause your brain to get addicted to it in a way like drugs do. You’ll constantly think you need it, when you don’t. If you go a couple weeks without junk food and you’re use to eating it, you’ll want it even more, which is bad. Poor eating habits as a kid, become worse when you’re an adult. Eating it for years can cause obesity. Over 31. 8% of children in America are obese or overweight. This all leads to heart problems, diabetes, and other health problems. It can also cause cavities and other dental problems. Junk food also has a lack of oxygen, which is what feeds the brain and the rest of the body. Lack of oxygen causes fatigue and lack of concentration. A lot of studies also show that kid’s grades are sliding down very fast, due to being tired and lack of concentration. They can’t keep all the information they’re learning in their head. Parents should monitor their kid’s diet, but at school they can’t. Therefore the school should help the students in deciding what’s better for their nutrition. Kids do what they see other people do no matter if it’s bad or good. They see us eating a lot of junk food; they’ll eat a lot of junk food. They see us being healthy; they’ll want to become healthy. So why teach them that eating a lot of junk food is healthy? At home, maybe some parents may not care what their kid eats; therefore they should at least have one healthy meal provided by the school. Many students like to go and socialize with their friends during lunch since they can’t really talk or see each other any other times during school. Therefore, they’ll want to just grab a quick snack, like a type of junk food, and just leave to go talk with their friends. They aren’t eating a good meal and are just putting junk in their body. It’s much better if the school bans it and replaces the junk food with a healthy snack so at least the person can be eating something good for them. What if the school makes you take P. E. more than you’re required to since they decided to keep junk food? I know many of you hate it. So I don’t know about you, but I rather be eating healthy, than be trying to lose those calories I got from the junk food. I rather not even be taking P. E. another year just because they decided to keep that junk. Also, students are taught in health classes about healthy eating, and if the schools promotes and sells junk food, then the school contradicts its purpose of teaching this. The money you waste on junk food funds most of the cool and new stuff we get for our school. The school board should be paying for this stuff. They’re basically making money off your poor health choices. I hope you see things my way now and think about supporting the idea of banning junk food in school. Thank you for your listening!

Air France KLM Business Report

Air France KLM Business Report Air France-KLM is an international airline company and a member of the skyteam airline partnership. The company was formed on May 2004, following the merger of Air Frances and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM), thus creating the worlds largest airline group by earnings and second largest worldwide cargo operator in terms of revenue-tonne kilometers. The company operates under two major networks hubs, Paris-CDG and Amsterdam-Schiphol. The Companys three main businesses are passenger transportation, cargo operations, engineering and maintenance. The company counts more than one hundred thousands employees all over the world. Passenger transports being the major business of the company with more than three hundred destinations worldwide. The majority of the employees are based in France and the Netherlands. Both Air France and KLM continue to operate flights under their distinct brand names as subsidiaries of Air France-KLM. List of Acronyms AF Air France NWA Northwest Airline CSR Corporate Social Response SWOT Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats MRO Maintenance Repair and Overall CDG Charles de Gaulle IT Information Technology E M Engineering and Maintenance IMS Information Management System GDP Domestic Growth Product Table of Contents Executive Summary i List of Acronyms ii CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1 CHAPTER 2 Organisational structure 8 CHAPTER 3 Organisational culture 10 CHAPTER 4 -Leadership and management 12 CHAPTER 5 Teamworking and Mentoring 13 CHAPTER 6 Resourcing and Training 14 CHAPTER 7 Communication skills 15 CHAPTER 8 Performance and Motivation 15 CHAPTER 9 Management systems 17 CHAPTER 10 Management of change 18 CHAPTER 11 Future Directions 19 Conclusion and Recommendations 20 References 21 Appendices 22 CHAPTER 1 Introduction AIR FRANCE KLM AIR FRANCE KLM is the combination of two big airlines such as Air France and KLM. Since their merger in 2004, KLM works closely with Air France within the AIR FRANCE KLM holding company. In terms of financial turnover, AIR FRANCE KLM is the worlds largest airline partnership; it also transports the most passengers and is the worlds second-largest cargo transporter. Air France and KLM carry more than 71 million passengers per year. They operate more than 594 aircraft enabling them to fly to 236 destinations worldwide with 2,500 daily flights. The two airlines world networks can be combined, forming a vast network organized around the two major hubs of Amsterdam-Schiphol and Paris-CDG. The head offices are located at Amstelveen and Paris. Alitalia AIR FRANCE KLM and Alitalia agreed to strengthen their partnership in January 2009 by AIR FRANCE KLM taking a minority stake in Alitalia. The agreement gave AIR FRANCE KLM greater access to the Italian market. SkyTeam Alliance SkyTeam is a global airline alliance which includes AirEuropa, Air France, Alitalia, China Southern Airlines, , Delta Air Lines, Aeroflot, Kenya Airways, KLM, Korean Air (including Northwest Airlines), CSA Czech Airlines, Tarom and Vietnam Airlines, Aeromà ©xico. Air France and KLM are members of the SkyTeam alliance. Income Over the fiscal year 2009-2010 the turnover of Air France-KLM was 20.9 billion euros. Together, the two airlines have over 107.000 employees. For more information on AIRFRANCE KLM Finance, please go to www.airfranceklm-finance.com. Shares The Air France-KLM shares are listed in Amsterdam, Paris and New York. Aim Air France-KLM comprises a holding company which controls two airlines, Air France and KLM, each of which retains its own separate identity and brands. The group is the worlds largest air transport group in terms of revenue, second largest in terms of air traffic (in passenger-km) and cargo (ton freight-km), and third largest in terms of maintenance revenue. Both airlines run their own operations from their respective hubs Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol. Passengers Passenger transport is the largest of the groups three core businesses, generating around 80% of its revenues (as of 31 March 2008), with 74.8 million passengers carried. Cargo Cargo was the first fully-integrated commercial activity at Air France-KLM in 2005. Client companies now have a single point of entry, and a full, simplified offering with flights departing from both hubs and benefiting from both networks. Air France-KLM Cargo ranks first worldwide among air freight carriers (excluding integrators). Maintenance The combination of Air France Industries and KLM Engineering Maintenance allows the group to offer a comprehensive range of aircraft maintenance and overhaul services with complementary areas of specialization. Maintaining the two fleets accounts for two-thirds of the groups maintenance operations, further supplemented by maintenance repair and overall (MRO) operations for 150 third-party airlines. Mission and Vision The mission of Air France KLM is to provide its customers a high quality service adaptable to their changing needs. The overall vision is to become the worlds biggest and leading airline company. Company Background Air France Air France founded on 7 October 1933. The background of the company has been striking by a number of milestones, including investing the acquired capital of UTA in early January 1990 and the combination with Air Inter in 1997. Air France and Delta Air Lines joined forces with Aeromà ©xico and Korean Air to launch the Sky Team alliance in June 2000. Air Frances main hub at Paris-Charles de Gaulle is Europes number one in terms of connecting opportunities. KLM Meanwhile KLM was first founded on 7 October 1919 being the oldest airline still operating under its original name. The recently background has been marked by the formation of a joint venture with Northwest Airlines (NWA) in 1989 and its achievement of the investment of Kenya Airways in 1996. KLM has Amsterdam Airport Schiphol as its home base. Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines have become the largest European airline group Since May 2004 but each airline has retained its individual identity, trade name and brand which mean three businesses, two airlines, and one group SWOT Analysis Mullins (2007) explained that, in order to evaluate the nature of the business environment and its strategic capability an organization may undertake a SWOT analysis focuses on Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats facing the organization. STRENGTHS Strengths are those positive aspects or distinctive attributes or competencies which provide a significant market advantage or upon which the organization can build. Against a backdrop of increased Liberalization which serves to intensify competition, the profitable growth strategy plays to the groups strengths, the following are the air France KLM group strengths. A modern fleet the groups chief asset Guaranteeing energy and economic efficiency and greater safety levels, the groups aircraft fleet is its chief asset when it comes to meeting the challenges of sustainable development. The dual Roissy Schiphol hub and a balanced network The Air France and KLM route networks complement each other extremely well. The dual hub concept is central to group strategy and is designed to make the most of this. The benefit of dual brand strategy Air France and KLM took an original approach to the merger, choosing to retain the two brands while developing a unified strategy. Air France and KLM each enjoy strong brand identities and are extremely complementary. Enhanced competitiveness thanks to cost control To maintain its competitiveness, the group launched Challenge 10,designed to save 1.4 billion euros by 2009-10, through a 3% cut in unit costs. The plan is four-pronged: Process optimization and productivity gains; Fleet modernization, which will generate fuel and maintenance cost savings; Purchasing, and optimizing group synergies; External distribution costs. The development of high growth areas The groups ambition is to seize growth opportunities in countries driving global economic growth, mainly Brazil, Russia, India and China. In the years ahead, the Air France-KLM group plans to grow by 4.7% per year in terms of available seat-km on its long-haul network. WEAKNESSES Weaknesses are those negative aspects or deficiencies in the present competencies or resources of the organization, or its image or reputation, which limit its effectiveness and needed to be corrected to minimize their effect. International economic instability Faced with soaring oil prices, international economic instability, and signs of waning demand, air transport has entered a period of great uncertainty. Our Group can count on its strategic assets, the quality of its fuel hedging and its resolute policy of cost control to meet this challenging period of turbulence and low visibility OPPORTUNITIES Opportunities are favorable conditions and usually arise from the nature of changes in the external environment. The organization needs to be sensitive to the problems of business strategy and responsive to changes. Sustained demands In an increasingly global society, the demand for mobility is also increasing. Air transport is a key factor in a countrys economy. Over the last 20 years, air transport has grown twice as quickly as gross domestic product (GDP). In 2008, the rapid development of emerging countries is stimulating growth in Latin America, the Middle East and Asia. This will compensate for the slowdown in the US economy. As for the future, IATA forecasts an increase in global capacity of around 5% per year by 2011. A key contribution to the economy Air transport carries over 2 billion passengers annually. Tons of cargo shipped by air each year represent 35% of the total value of export trade in manufactured goods. By connecting people, businesses and goods around the world, air transport makes an essential contribution to global economic activity. Both directly and as a promoter of growth in other industries. THREATS Threats are the converse of opportunities and refer to unfavorable situations that arise from external developments likely to endanger the operations and effectiveness of the organization. Air France KLM like any other organizations is faced with a number of threats, these includes Increased pressure Growth in European low-cost carriers has been strong for some years and Middle Eastern carriers are planning considerable expansion: Gulf carriers plan 20% seat growth per year for the next three years. This represents stiff competition for European airlines on traffic between Europe and Asia or Australia. Development limited by infrastructures Europe is experiencing air traffic congestion, leading to significant delays, increased costs and CO2 emissions. This is partly a result of the fragmentation of airspace and of the air traffic control process. There is considerable room for improvement. For 10 million flights a year, it is estimated that the actual route flown is 5% longer than ideal. For some routes, such as Amsterdam-Zà ¼rich, it is even 20%. The annual cost of fragmented European skies is estimated at 3.4 billion euros. A sector subject to heavier taxation Air transport is subject to strict regulation, mainly regarding security, safety and infrastructure. The sector is also subject to high charges, among them airport or navigation charges, plus dedicated fees to finance security. Moreover, air transport is the only means of transport to finance soundproofing measures, as it does in numerous European countries. Climate change awareness General awareness of the reality of climate change continued to increase in 2007. This was coupled with local environmental constraints that have always affected air transport activities. Air transport accounts for between 2 and 3% of all man-made CO2 emissions. In Europe, its relative contribution will increase due to growth in traffic and the expected reduction of emissions in other industries. In the past 40 years, the sector has made considerable progress, reducing CO2 emissions per passenger by more than 70%. Summary In spite of its merger Air France KLM is still operating under its identity and brand name with their home bases located at Amsterdam airport Schiphol for KLM and Paris-Charles de Gaulle for Air France. The main core duties of the group are to transport passengers, cargo and engineering and maintenance. As any other organization Air France KLM has the opportunities to grow much bigger and become the first largest airline company in the world. CHAPTER 2 Organisational structure The pattern of relationship between various positions in the organization and among members of the organization is referred as structure. Organization is essentially a group of people with a common objective or goal to archive. The structure can either be formal i.e. documented or informal i.e. unofficial. Mullins (2007) defined, Organization Structure as the division of work among members of the organization, and the co ordination of their activities so they are directed towards the goals and objectives of the organization. It is the relationships among positions in the organization and among members of the organization. It makes possible the application of process of management and creates a framework of order and command through which the activities of the organization can be planned, organized, directed, and controlled. It defines tasks and responsibilities, work role and relationships, and channels of communication. Essentially there are various types of organizational structures depending on the nature of organization, such as centralized, complex, stratified and formalized structures. An effective structure is the one that coordinates various parts of the organization and different work areas. Meanwhile the structure of the organization can either be tall i.e. with a long hierarchical chain of command where the freedom and responsibility of the subordinates is restricted or flat i.e. with a short chain of command, there is more effective between management and workers but employees may have more than one manager. However both of two structures above are highly affected by the number of employees who reports direct to a certain manager that is Span of Control. Hellriegel et al (1998) explained, that span of control refers to the number of employees reporting directly to one manager. When the span of control is broad, relatively few levels exists between the top and bottom of the organization. C onversely when the span of control is narrow, more levels are required for the same number of employees. Although there is no correct number of subordinates that a manager can supervise effectively, the competencies of both the manager and employees, the similarity of tasks being supervised and the extent of rules and operating standards all influence a managers span of control. Consider the Air France and KLM corporate and social responsibility (SCR) organization structure CHAPTER 3 Organisational culture According to Hellriegel et al (1998), the organization itself has an invisible quality a certain style, a character, a way of doing things that may be more powerful than the dictates of any one person or any formal system. Armstrong M (2006) defined, organizational culture as the pattern of values, norms, beliefs, attitudes, and assumptions that may not have circulated but shape the ways in which people behave and get things done. Values refer to what is believed to be important about how people and organizations behave; norms are the unwritten rules of behavior. To understand the soul of the organization requires that we travel below the charts, rule books, machines, and buildings into the underground world of corporate cultures. Indeed there are several ways in which organizational cultures are formed, maintained and changed. Meanwhile there is a very possible relationship between organizational culture and performance, the relationship between organizational culture and ethical b ehavior, the challenge of managing a culturally diverse work force and finally how organizations socialize individuals to their particular cultures. There are several types of organization cultures, these includes labels of baseball team, club, academy and fortress. Organizational culture represents a complex pattern of beliefs, expectations, ideas, values, attitudes and behaviors shared by the members of an organization. More specifically, organizational culture includes routine behaviors, norms, and dominant values held by organization. Essentially the issue of cultural differences and cultural compatibility in mergers between Air France and KLM has gained much attention among the two companies. Since the two companies operate under its brand name and culture, the effects of cultural clashes on the result of a merger and their employees are numerous. Cultural differences may result to poor or low productive behavior among the employees, such as low level of commitment, trust and cooperation between the groups of employees from the two merging companies. Loss of productivity caused by luck of trust and cooperation is particularly frequent in case of top managers. This is because cultural clash is strongest when the contact between the opposing cultures is greatest; and executives is the people involved in the merger from its beginning till its end. This is a very bad sign for companies, since motivation and commitment of the top managers has a major influence on the motivation of other subordinates. Cultural differen ces mainly influence employees of the merging companies, but perceived cultural distance may also influence potential foreign investors and shareholders who may want to avoid direct ownership because of high information costs and the difficulty in transferring management techniques and values. Organization cultural aspects may be beautiful both for the investors, who find the business models of the foreign partner a considerable advantage and for the managers who expect more opportunities for themselves by working for the partner firm, which they perceive to be high prestige worldwide leader firm and which corporate culture better addresses their expectations. In this situation managers are willing to adopt new culture. Whether cultural differences hinder or facilitate the integration process, their meaning is undeniable. Only some of them notice the complexity of the international mergers where not only two different organizational cultures come together, but organizational culture s which are deeply nested in national cultures. Common cultural differences embrace differences in communication styles, planning and decision making practices, negotiation strategies, and management or leadership styles. All of them are shaped by both national and organizational cultures, considering the role managers play in the merger and post-merger integration process, it is at the top management level that national cultural differences play the most important role in the life of merging organizations. That is why Air France KLM before making any decisions and signing any contracts should conduct an in depth cultural audit of the future partner. It is important to realise that cultural distance and cultural differences do not necessarily have to mean troubles. Cultures do not have to be the same; it is sufficient if they are complementary. Consequently, the major advantage of such a cultural due diligence is that it raises awareness of issues that should be managed during the i ntegration process. CHAPTER 4 -Leadership and management As Hellriegel et al (1998), defines leadership as the process whereby a person influences others to achieve a goal, i.e. is a process of creating a vision for others and having the power to translate the vision into reality. The ways in which leaders attempt to influence others depend in part of the power available to them and in part on their competencies. Leaders draw on five sources of power to influence the actions of others: legitimate, reward, coercive, referent and expert. Vision, empowerment, meaning through communication and self understanding are the competencies that help leaders become more effective. Mullins (2007) defined; management is active, not theoretical. It is about changing behavior and making things happen. It is about developing people, working with them, reaching objectives and achieving results. Indeed, all the research into how managers spend their time reveals that they are creatures of the moment, perpetually immersed in the nitty gritty of making things happen. Air France-KLM is now introducing a new combined executive management structure on a functional basis, replacing the separate management structures in Air France and KLM. In place of the Strategic Management Committee, which had supervised the development of Air France and KLM over 2004 to 2007, the business is being managed from 2007 through an Executive Committee whose members has a group level responsibility and can come from either Air France or KLM while retaining their responsibilities at a company level. CHAPTER 5 Teamworking and Mentoring As defined by Katzenbach and Smith (1993) cited in Armstrong M (2006), A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. For example, after KLM and Air France merged, management decided to create teams of people from both companies to exchange information about particular topics. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢The most valuable part is the intangible part, teaming up the guy from IT with the guy from marketing, with the network planning guy, who normally dont speak together. CHAPTER 6 Resourcing and Training According to Bratton Gold (2007), human resource planning is the process of systematically forecasting the future demand and supply for employees and the deployment of their skills within the strategic objectives of the organisation. Armstrong M (2006) said, people resourcing is concerned with ensuring that the organization obtains and retains the human capital it needs and employs them productively. It is also about those aspects of employment practice that are concerned with welcoming people to the organization and if there is no alternative, releasing them. It is a key part of human resource management. Mullins (2007) explained that, one of the major areas of human resource management function of particular relevance to the effective management and use of people is training and development. Few would argue against the importance of training as a major influence on the success of the organization. Staffs are crucial, but very expensive resource. In order to sustain economic and ef fective performance it is important to optimize the contribution of employees to the aims and goals of the organization. The purpose of training is to improve knowledge and skills and to change attitudes. It is one of the most important potential motivators which can lead to many possible benefits for both individuals and organization. Since the combination of Air France KLM, each company has kept its own set of policies, especially for Human Resources issues, while developing new common policies in some other areas. Air France-KLM rates as the sector leader on human resources issues and actively addresses all of the challenges relevant to its business Overall, Air France KLMs performance on human resources issues remains stable compared to the last rating. Alongside the environment of the recent merger, severe competition and tough boundaries, the major labour relations issues for the company are to develop employability and staff mobility, essentially through training and proactive social exchange of ideas. Other critical issues for the company entail promoting non discrimination, diversity, and equal opportunities, and safeguarding health and safety in the workplace. CHAPTER 7 Communication skills Cook et al (1997) describes that, communication begins when one person sends a message to another with the intent of evoking a response. The effective communication occurs when the receiver interprets the message exactly as the sender intended. Effective communication is essential for the functioning of any organization. Managers need to transmit orders, and polices, build cooperation and team spirit, and identify problems and their solutions. It is believed that managers have traditionally spent the majority of their time communicating in one form or another. Communication within an organizations may take place through several ways, these includes; meetings, face-to-face discussions, memos, letters, e-mails, reports, etc. Recently, however, more and more employees find that an important part of their work is communication, especially now that service workers outnumber production workers and research as well as production processes emphasize greater collaboration and teamwork among workers in different functional groups. Moreover, a sea change in communication technologies has contributed to the transformation of both work and organizational structure. For these reasons, communication practices and technologies have become more important in all organizations, but they are perhaps most important in knowledge-intensive organizations and sectors and, as such, are of great significance to science organizations and to public sc ience management. The study of organizational communication is not new, but it has only recently achieved some degree of recognition as a field of academic study. It has largely grown in response to the needs and concerns of business. The first communication programs were typically located in speech departments, but most business schools now include organizational communication as a key element of study. The study of organizational communication recognizes that communication in organizations goes far beyond training managers to be effective speakers and to have good interpersonal communication skills. Moreover, it recognizes that all organizations, not just business organizations, have communication needs and challenges. CHAPTER 8 Performance and Motivation Armstrong M (2006) defined; a motive is a reason for doing something. Motivation is concerned with the factors that influence people to behave in certain ways. All organizations are concerned with what should be done to achieve sustained high levels of performance through people. Giving close attention to the individuals can best be motivated through such means as incentives, rewards, leadership and importantly, the work they do and the organization context within which they carry out that work. Essentially motivation can take place in two ways; such as people can motivate themselves (intrinsic motivation) by seeking, finding and carrying out work that satisfies their needs and secondly people can be motivated by management (extrinsic motivation) through such methods as pay, praise, promotion and punishments such as disciplinary action. In terms of career management, AF-KLM has put increased emphasis on developing careers for older employees. Extensive means are put in place to deal with health and safety issues, although key performance indicators are not disclosed on a group-wide basis, but separately for Air France and KLM. Air France KLM is one of the few companies who show transparency on how to deal with atypical working hours. Air France-KLM has an above average performance compared to its sector peers on Business Behaviour issues. The Group scores very well on its product safety and security commitments and has thorough commitments and implementation measures on responsible contractual agreements, making its management of client issues among the best in the sector. The Groups performance in terms of passenger satisfaction has been stable over the past three years. Air France-KLMs approach to suppliers issues (embedded in its Procurement Charter for Sustainable Development) and anticompetitive practices is similarly comprehensive, although AF-KLM faced a minor allegation related to anti-competitive employment legislation. Overall, the Groups performance improved slightly compared to last rating, and remains far above the sector average. CHAPTER 9 Management systems Since both Air France and KLM introduced Integrated Management Systems (IMS), which cover quality, environmental management, and food safety concerns. Air France was awarded comprehensive certification for its IMS. The Air France and KLM maintenance business units use their complementary approaches and their multi-skilled workforces to offer customers a unique, customized portfolio of services, in-line maintenance. The constant dialogue with third-party airlines and the combined experience of Air France and KLM ensure that their maintenance departments have in-depth knowledge of the sector and its needs. Customers are also invited to take part in regular satisfaction surveys. Not only that, also Air France KLM promotes environmental friendly solutions which they promote among customers. CHAPTER 10 Management of change Hellriegel et al (1998) explained, many sectors of the economy, organizations must have the capacity to adapt quickly and effectively in order to survive. To a certain extent all organizations exist in a changing environment are themselves constantly changing. Increasingly organizations that emphasize bureaucratic or mechanistic system are ineffective. Organizations with rigid hierarchies, high degrees of functional specialization, narrow and limited job descriptions, inflexible rules and procedures, and impersonal management cant respond adequately to demands for change. Organizations need designs that are flexible and adaptive. They also need systems that both require and allow greater commitment and use of talent on the part of employees and managers. Organisational change can be difficult and costly. Despite the challenges, many organizations successfully make needed changes. Adaptive, flexible organizations have a competitive advantage over rigid ones. Thus managing change has become a central focus of effective organization worldwide. There are so many pressures for change, these includes global market, the spread of information technology and computer networks and changes in the nature of the workforce employed by organizations. Thereby, we conclude for the organization to exist there must be innovation process to constantly integrate with the new technologies worldwide. Air France KLM has managed to cop with those technological changes at various aspects so as to comply with customer needs, these includes the revolution of electronic ground services. Air France KLM satisfied the demand autonomy and transparency expressed by passengers. The company is extending the use of the current technologies, i.e. mainstreaming electronic ticketing, extending check in at self service kiosk. The spread of e service offers the company genuine opportunities to reduce the cost and improv

The Life Of Walt Disney Film Studies Essay

The Life Of Walt Disney Film Studies Essay When he arrived back to the United States, Walt moved back to Kansas City where he worked on several different jobs as a commercial artist and a cartoonist. One of these jobs was a temporary contract with the Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio where he created ads for newspapers, magazines and movie theatres. It was at the Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio where Walt met Ubbe Iwerks with whom he set up Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists, which Disney soon left and began working at Kansas City Film Ad Company where he made cut out animation commercials. Disney decided he wanted to become an animator, he read a book called Animated Cartoons: How They Are Made, Their Origin and Development through which he learned about cel animation which he found to be much more promising then cutout animation. He was allowed to borrow a camera from work to experiment at home. He recruited fellow Kansas City Film Ad Company employee, Fred Harman as his own first employee and the two secured a deal with local theatre owner F rank L. Newman to screen their cartoons which they titled Laugh-O-Grams. The cartoons were hugely successful in the Kansas City area and from their success Disney was able to set up his own studio also called Laugh-O-Gram and also hire a number of animators including Fred Harman and Ubbe Iwerks. The company soon went bankrupt as the studios profits were unable to pay for the animators high salaries and Walt was unable to manage the money. After the failure of Laugh-O-Grams, Walt set his sights on Hollywood, where he met up with his older brother Roy and using the twos collective funds they set up a cartoon studio. At this stage a New York distributor Margaret Winkler signed a deal for some live-action/animated shorts based upon Alices Wonderland, which Walt had worked on in Kansas City with Iwerks. Walt and Roy had now set up Disney Brothers Studio, a single story building on Hyperion Avenue, LA where the company remained until 1939. The Alice Comedies were quite successful until finishing up in 1927 by which time the focus was mostly on the animated characters in the series rather than the live action Alice, especially Julius, a black cat that resembled Felix the Cat. In 1925, Disney had hired Lillian Bounds to ink and paint celluloid, Walt dated Lillian for a brief time and two got married in the same year. In 1927, Margaret Winklers husband, Charles B. Mintz had taken over her business and ordered Disney Studios to make a new animated series to be distributed through Universal Pictures. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was the new series and was an instant success. Oswald, a character drawn and created by Iwerks became a popular figure. The company was doing so well that Walt hired 4 more animators. In February 1928, Mintz and Disney met to discuss a new fee for the shorts. Disney was looking for a higher payment but Mintz informed him that not only was he reducing the fee per short but that he had taken most of his main animators (except notably Iwerks) under contract and could begin his own studio if Disney did not accept the cuts and that Universal, not Disney, owned the trademark of Oswald the Rabbit so they could continue to make the films without Disney. Disney declined Charles Mintzs offer and lost the majority of his animation staff and his beloved Oswald the Rabbit. After losing Oswald, Walt Disney felt like he needed a new approach to his cartoons and new character to replace Oswald. The new character was based on a mouse that Walt had adopted as a pet while working in Kansas City. Ub Iwerks took Disneys rough sketches of the mouse, making it easier to animate. The mouse was originally called Mortimer, but later christened Mickey by Lillian Disney who thought the name Mortimer was too stiff and convinced him to go with Mickey instead. Mortimer later became Mickeys rival for Minnie. Mickey first starred in two silent films called Plane Crazy and The Gallopin Gaucho, both these films failed to find a distributor. By this time other film studios in Hollywood had began using sound in their movies and after Walt had seen The Jazz Singer, the first movie with sound, Disney decided to make the fist all-sound, talking and music cartoon with Mickey Mouse starring as Steamboat Willie which was distributed by Cinephone (1928). Eight years later, in 1936 c ritics and fans all over the world agreed that Mickey Mouse was the most recognized figure on the planet. It was Walt himself that provided Mickeys voice until 1946. Although he had stopped actually drawing the cartoons himself in 1927, Disney relied on his animators to implement his ideas which included launching many other successful cartoon characters over this time including Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto. In 1932, Disney received a special Academy Award for the creation of Mickey Mouse. Disneys Success continued to soar throughout the 30s and 40s, with 1937 1941 being known as The Golden Age of Animation. In 1934 Disney began making plans for a full length feature animation, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with an estimated budget of $150,000 that ended up costing Disney $1.5 million. The studio actually ran out of money mid 1937 and had to show a rough cut of the film to loan officers at the Bank of America who gave them money to finish production. The premiere on the 21st December 1937 was met with a standing ovation. The film was released in February 1938 and earned over $8 million on its first theatrical release, at a time when the average ticket price was 25 cents. On the success of Snow White, Disney was able to build brand new studios in Burbank, which opened for business in December 1939. Over the next four years, Disney produced Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi and Dumbo and early production work had started on Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. Although the ear ly forties proved difficult for Disney as many of the top animators went on strike. Personal Politics Throughout his life Walt Disney gave off the perfect public persona, but Walt has had many critics during his life and since his death. In the studios in Hyperion Ave, his employees knew him as Uncle Walt which at the time was a term of endearment and it seemed like a privilege to them not to have to call their boss Sir or Mr. Disney. The animators worked long hard hours to meet Disneys high standard of perfection, Everybody loved the studio, everybody joyfully worked over-time putting in all the hours needed without any pay, everybody liked each other and liked Walt Bill Melendez, animator at Disney Studios 1937-1941. But when the studios moved to the new location at Burbank, Disney introduced a high degree of specialization among his work force transforming animation into a production line process, here at last was the rationally planned factory Disney had dreamed of. Walt showed off the studio is a film called the reluctant dragon in which smiley white coated worked go happily abo ut their day. But reality at the new studios wasnt all that it seemed. The workers had been promised that the move from Hyperion was good for them as well as Walt, but this was not the case, in fact some workers fell that is was in some ways a deterioration in their working conditions. Marie Beardsley was one of the artists who made the move everything was segregated, everything got too big and too impersonal and I think thats where the trouble started. Through using this factory like method in the studio had created a hierarchy of jobs, at the top being the animators, all male and all hand picked by Disney beneath them was hundred of inkers and painters, who coloured in the thousands of pictures that made each scene. They were all women. Marie Beardsley said it probably never even occurred to Walt to put a man in the inking and paintingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ That was demeaning work, she recall supervisors walking around and standing behind and other women to see how well they were inking and how fast they were painting. They were timed to see were they worth keeping on. Bill Melendez recalls Walt saying that women were Ok to be used in a menial capacity because once they reached the age of thirty the hand got shaky so it was time to get rid of them. Things had changed in the new studio and Disneys increasingly tyrannical style of management meant for some that the words Uncle Walt took on a much more sinister meaning. Disney was unusually straight-laced for a Hollywood big shot; Marie Beardsley recalls a memo being sent around to all the girls in inking and painting saying that The married men in Disney were happily married and we want all of the girls to understand that, he disliked any sort of sexuality or even socialising amongst his employees. He and Lillian were together for forty years until his death and no one at Disney Studios recalls him ever showing any interest in any other women. He actually told one of his animators that he loved Mickey Mouse more than any girl hed ever known. On Walts 35th Birthday two of the animators made a film of Mickey and Minnie consummating their relationship, at the end of the film Walt stood up and said that it was great animation, he then asked who had made it, the animators who made it stood up and Walt fired them on the spot. Case Study: Disney Corporation vs Fitzpatrick In 2001, Denise and Francis Fitzpatrick, a young professional couple from Ireland did the impossible and defeated The Walt Disney Company in a legal battle over the rights to the name of their character Piggley Pooh for a TV series they wanted to develop. In 1999 Denise and Francis received a letter from Disney saying that the company was opposing their application for the trademark of Piggley Pooh in Europe because of Disneys character Winnie The Pooh. The Fitzpatricks faced an almost 3 year long battle with one of the biggest entertainment corporations in the world. In which they became emotionally, physically and financially broken. Winnie the Pooh is character from books written by A.A Milne in 1926.in 1930 Steven Slesinger purchased the rights to Winnie the Pooh from Milne for a $1000 advance and 66% of Slesingers income, by November 1931 Slesinger had turned Winnie the pooh into a $50 million a year business. Walt Disney bought Winnie the Pooh off Slesinger in 1961 and was paying twice yearly royalties to A.A Milnes beneficiaries until 2001 when they paid a lump sum of $350 million. The lump sum was spread out between the Royal Literary Society, the Westminster School and the Garrick Club and family of A.A Milne. Winnie the Pooh now raises at least $6 billion revenues for Disney each year. As a young girl on her grandmothers farm in Co Meath, Denise had a fascination with the pigs that were there, she used to visit them every time she was on her grandmothers farm and loved to make up stories about them. The main character in all her stories was Piggley Pooh. Denise says she had never heard of Winnie the Pooh or Piglet or any of the animals in 100 Acre Wood during her childhood in the 1960s and 1970s, like most Irish children she read Enid Blyton and other English wirters. Her imagination ran wild throughout her childhood as to what this marvellous little Pigley Pooh would be getting up to. Denise also had a love for stories from Celtic mythology and old Irish seanchaà ­s throughout her life. This is what she wanted the Piggley Pooh TV series to be based on, a simple story for children, with a moral lesson behind it. Disney were adamant the Fitzpatricks stop the production of the Piggley Pooh TV series, or at least change the name, something Denise was thoroughly against, she would not even hear of having the h at the end of pooh dropped. After the letter in January in 1999, they decided not to let the giant corporation ruin Denises childhood dreams. Piggley Pooh was already a registered trademark in the U.S, but they were objecting to the name becoming a registered trademark in Japan and Europe. Francis met with their Trademark Agents who were quite confident that they has a pretty strong case. Disney were trying to prove that their ownership of the name Winnie the Pooh was being stolen by the use of the word pooh in Piggley Poohs name. In 2000, Denise and Francis flew over to L.A for a meeting with Steve Ackerman, Disneys chief counsel worldwide. After many attempts to postpone their meeting, Francis arrived at the Burbank Studios where Ackerman showed up 40 minutes late for their meeting without a word of apology. Ackerman straight out told Francis that the problem they had was one of theft, they had stolen two names from Disney. Pooh and Piglet. Although they had slightly altered Piglet, they had still put it side by side with Pooh, and hoped to make millions from it. This is what the Disney Corporation thought about Francis and his wife and family and it looked as if they were not going to stop at anything to get their names back. The meeting was a hostile one, with Ackerman claiming that Disney could prove that there were Winnie the Pooh books in circulation in Ireland at the time of Denises childhood. Francis was called a thief many times and an Irish bastard. But things came to a head when Ackerman threatened the Fitzpatricks children Listen Francisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Youre not going to get the better of the Disney Corporation. Nobody gets the better of Disney. We got the recourses. We got the time. We got right on our side. Well go after you all around the world and bankrupt you. Youre a family man. You got children. You need to think again Youve got young childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ You and your wife have to look after them, not waste their future Francis flipped telling the corporate giant never to mention his children again. Telling him that Disney were the thieves in all this, stealing peoples dreams, peoples rights to tell stories and stealing something that had been a part of Denises life since she was a child. After this outburst, Ackerman realised that the Fitzpatricks were serious about this and would not be backing down anytime soon. The two men continued the meeting in a civil manner, with Disney proposing a settlement out of court of $500,000 for the Fitzpatricks to give up the Piggey Pooh name. They refused this offer and met the Disney Company in the European Trademark courts in Alicante, Spain in January 2001 but no oral hearing happened, it was done behind closed doors. Three months later Francis has a phone call from their Trademark Agents telling him it was good news. They had won, Disneys objection had been overruled and they were entitled to registration as owner of the trademark. But this wasnt the end for the battle for the name Piggley Pooh. In March 2002, Royal Bank of Scotland, the bank funding the TV series decided that the name Pooh must come out of the name Piggley Pooh because of Disneys powerful stance in the marketplace was too threatening to the brand of Piggley Pooh. If a Piggley Pooh soft toy were on sale for $10 in childrens shops, Disney would sell Winnie the Pooh for $8. The Fitzpatricks were back to square one. Although they had beat the Disney Corporation in the courts they had not fully won. Out of this Piggley Winks was born and turned into a successful animated TV series.