The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 17

Once he got outside, Stefan remembered that Elena had taken his car. Turning into the woods, he began to run, using his Power to speed his pace. The pounding of his feet seemed to thud, Guard her, Guard her. He knew where Tyler Smal wood had lived. After Tyler had attacked Elena at a dance, it had made sense to keep an eye on him. Stefan burst from the woods at the edge of the Smal woods' property. They owned an ugly house, in Stefan's opinion. An inaccurate portrayal of an old Southern manor estate, it was too big for the lawn it sat on and bulged with unnecessary columns and twisting rococo decorations. Just looking at it, Stefan had been able to tel that the Smal woods had more money than taste, and that the architects who'd designed it weren't educated in true classical forms. He rang the bel at the front door, then froze. What if Mr. or Mrs. Smal wood answered the bel ? He would have to Influence them to give him as much information as they could about Caleb, and then to forget Stefan had been there. He hoped he had the Power to do it: He hadn't been eating enough, not even of animal blood. But no one came. After a few seconds, Stefan sent questing tendrils of Power through the house. It was empty. He couldn't go in, couldn't search Caleb's room like he wanted to. Without an invitation, he was stuck out here. He wandered around the house, peering through the windows, but finding nothing out of the ordinary other than entirely too many gilded frames and mirrors. Behind the house he found a smal white shed. Sending Power toward it, he felt something slightly†¦ off. Just the slightest tinge of darkness, a feeling of frustration and il intent. The shed was padlocked, but the lock was easy enough to snap. And as no one lived here, he didn't need an invitation to enter. The first thing he saw was Elena's face. Newspaper clippings and photos were tacked al over the wal s: Elena, Bonnie, Meredith, himself. On the floor was a pentagram with more pictures and roses. Stefan's certainty that something was wrong solidified. Elena was in danger. Sending Power before him, searching desperately for any trace of her, he took off running again. As she drove away from the florist's, Elena turned the conversation with Stefan over and over in her mind. What was going on with him since they'd come back to Fel ‘s Church? It felt like there was part of him that he was holding back, hiding from her. She remembered the loneliness, the sinking, dizzy feeling of isolation that she had sensed when she kissed him. Was it Damon's loss that was changing Stefan? Damon. Just the thought of him was enough to cause an almost physical pain in her. Mercurial, difficult, beautiful Damon. Dangerous. Loving, in his own way. The thought of his name, written in water plants across Meredith's legs, floated through her mind. She didn't know what it meant. But there was no hope. She needed to stop lying to herself about that. She had seen Damon die. Yet it seemed impossible that someone as complex and strong and seemingly undefeatable as Damon could be gone so quickly and so simply. But that was the way it happened, wasn't it? She should know that death didn't often come with a grand show, that it usual y came when you were least expecting it. She had known that before al this†¦ al this stuff with vampires and werewolves and evil mysterious opponents. She had known al about the suddenness and simplicity of death for years, back when she was just normal Elena Gilbert, who didn't believe in anything supernatural, not even horoscopes or fortune-tel ing, much less monsters. She glanced at the passenger seat next to her, where there lay the bouquet of pink roses she had picked up to give to Margaret. And, next to them, a simple bunch of forget-me-nots. Like I'd ever forget, she thought. Elena remembered riding in the car toward home with her parents and baby Margaret on an ordinary Sunday afternoon. It had been a beautiful sunny fal day, the leaves of the trees by the roadside just beginning to be painted with red and gold. They'd gone to lunch at a little inn out in the country. Margaret, who was teething, had been cranky at the restaurant, and they'd taken turns walking her up and down on the porch of the inn for a few minutes at a time while the others ate. But in the car she was quiet, half drowsing, her light golden lashes fluttering down to rest for longer and longer periods against her cheeks. Elena's father had been driving, she remembered, and the radio had been tuned to the local station so he could catch the news. Her mother had twisted to look at Elena in the backseat, her sapphire blue eyes so like Elena's own. Her golden hair, touched with a little gray, was pul ed back in a French braid, elegant and practical. Smiling, she had said, â€Å"Do you know what I think would be nice?† â€Å"What?† asked Elena, smiling back at her. Then she saw a strange glitter, high in the sky, and leaned forward without waiting for a reply. â€Å"Daddy, what's that?† She'd pointed upward. Elena never found out what her mother had thought would be nice. Her father never answered what that was. The last things Elena remembered were sounds: her father's gasp and the screech of the car's tires. Everything after that was blank, until Elena had woken up in the hospital, Aunt Judith by her bedside, and learned that her parents were dead. They had died before the paramedics had even pried them out of the car. Before they restored Fel ‘s Church, the Guardians had told Elena that she should have died in that accident, and that her parents should have lived. The glitter had been their air car, and Elena had distracted her father at the worst possible moment, causing al the wrong people to die. She could feel the weight of it now, the guilt at surviving, her anger at the Guardians. She glanced at the dashboard clock. There was stil plenty of time before she had to be at Margaret's recital. Turning off the highway, she pul ed into the cemetery's parking lot. Elena parked the car and walked briskly through the newer part of the cemetery, carrying the forget-me-nots. Birds were chirping gaily overhead. So much had happened in this cemetery in the last year. Bonnie had seen one of her first visions among these tombstones. Stefan had fol owed her here, watching her secretly when she thought he was just the gorgeous new guy at school. Damon had nearly drained an old tramp under the bridge. Katherine had chased Elena out of the cemetery with fog and ice and a far-reaching, far-seeing evil. And, of course, Elena had driven off a bridge to her death here by the cemetery, at the end of that first life, the one that seemed so long ago now. Elena picked her way past an ornate marble memorial to Fel ‘s Church's Civil War veterans and down to the shady glen where her parents were buried. The tiny wildflower bouquet she and Stefan had left two days before had withered, and Elena threw it away and put the forget-menots in its place. She picked a bit of moss off her father's name. The lightest crunch of gravel sounded from the path behind her, and Elena whirled around. There was no one there. â€Å"I'm just jumpy,† she muttered to herself. Her voice sounded oddly loud in the quiet of the cemetery. â€Å"Nothing to worry about,† she said more firmly. She settled in the grass by her parents' graves and traced the letters on her mother's headstone with one hand. â€Å"Hi,† she said. â€Å"It's been a while since I've actual y sat here and talked to you, I know. I'm sorry. An awful lot has happened†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She swal owed. â€Å"I'm sorry, too, because I found out that you weren't supposed to die when you did. I asked the Guardians to†¦ to bring you back, but they said you had moved on to a better place and they couldn't reverse that. I wish†¦ I'm glad you're happy wherever you are, but I stil miss you.† Elena sighed, lowered her hand from the gravestone, and trailed it through the grass by her knees. â€Å"Something's after me again,† she continued unhappily. â€Å"After al of us, I guess, but Bonnie said I brought it here when she was in a trance. And later she said he wants me. I don't know if it's two different people – or whatever – after us, or just one. But it's always me the bad things focus on.† She twisted a blade of grass between her fingers. â€Å"I wish things could be simpler for me, the way they are for other girls. â€Å"Sometimes†¦ I'm so glad to have Stefan, and glad I could help protect Fel ‘s Church, but†¦ it's hard. It's real y hard.† A sob was building in her throat and she swal owed it back. â€Å"And†¦ Stefan's always been there for me, but I feel like I don't know al of him anymore, especial y because I can't read his thoughts. He's so tense, and it's like he needs to be in control al the time†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Something shifted behind her, just the slightest hint of movement. She felt a warm, damp breeze like a breath on the back of her neck. Elena whipped her head around. Caleb was crouching behind her, so close they were almost nose-to-nose. She screamed, but Caleb slapped his hand over her mouth, muffling her cry.

Amoco Case Write Up Essay

As long-term valuation is assumed, risk free rate is set as 30-year treasury rate, 5.73%. Cost of debt is 6.72% reflecting Amoco’s credit level. Cost of equity is calculated as 10.63%, leading to final WACC at 8.85% (Chart 1). In DCF valuation (Chart 2), long-term growth rate is assumed to be 4%. Change in working capital is calculated as the average of 1997 and 1996 figure and is assumed to be constant for simplicity. Terminal value is valued at $69,398.1 million and NPV is $51,525 million. Stock price will be $37.07, indicating an exchange ratio at 0.46. This is a very conservative valuation as our DCF price is lower than Amoco’s current market price. Regarding of multiple valuation (Chart 3), P/E ratio from comparable firms are used, which leads us to an exchange ratio at 0.68. Thus, our estimation for Amoco’s stand-alone value is from $37.07 to $54.69 per share, i.e. 0.46 to 0.68-exchange ratio. As the acquirer, our basic negotiating strategy is to low the exchange ratio as much as possible. Based on our conservative evaluation of Amoco, our opening exchange ratio is 0.46. For Amoco sides, their opening exchange ratio is 1. The big difference between our opening prices indicates this negotiating process should be tough. First, we checked the discount rate. For us, BP company, we use 8.83%, however, Amoco they use a higher one around 9%. The main difference to calculate the discount rate is that we use the 30-year Treasury rate as risk free rate compared to Amoco used 20-year Treasury rate. Moreover, we use the debt to debt plus equity but they use debt to equity to calculate WACC. To compromise these differences, we agree to use the average discount rate that doesn’t make a large influence of the valuation price. After this, we discussed the most important factor –growth rate. Based on the assumption in the case, we use 4% as terminal growth rate, 2% annual oil demand growth rate plus 2% inflation rate. However, Amoco hold the view that the oil price would grow at 6% in long-term, and it’s hard for both of us to get a compromising rate. Therefore, we jumped to synergy and currency questions, and we agreed on the synergy that Amoco would bring BP the North America  market and BP would use US currency to acquire Amoco’s share. After discussed all these details, we came back to the final offer price. We offered a higher one as exchange rate 0.6. Amoco rejected. Finally, after they thoughtful discussion they offered 0.66 exchange rate or price 52.965 as their final offer, which for us is lower than our walk-away price 65.94. Therefore, we accepted this offer and we both reach our goals to reach the deal and build a good relationship with the other management team. The previous 959.6m Amoco shares will convert into 633.336m shares of BP ADS equivalent, with the previous 965.6m ADS shares, BP shareholders will take part 60% of the new company, still have majority control over the firm. In this deal, we paid for about 20% premium, which is quite standard and normal. Because synergies from revenue and chemical divisions’ combination are not estimated nor not expected to bring benefit, the main synergy from the merge is 2 billion dollars saving of pretax operating cost. The value we create for our shareholders is $14,840.06 million (Amoco stand-alone value $46,430 million+ synergy $2 billion – price paid for Amoco $33,538.94). But this number is quite sensitive to a lot of factors, such as future energy demand, oil and gas price, industry growth potentials, ultimately affecting Amoco’s stand-alone and synergy valuation. Please see the chart 4 of sensitive analysis of Amoco’s stand-alone value according to the change of terminal growth rate in the appendices. But even modest assumptions still can lead to positive value created in this deal.

Sociological Imagination -Teen Pregnancy

Sociological imagination is defined by C. Wright Mills as the â€Å"vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and the wider society†. It is the process of looking at your own life in the context of your society or community. This paper is looking at teenage pregnancy and the impact on society, and will provide a sociological imagination analysis of the individual and social impact. Being an un-married and pregnant teenager can be an incredibly challenging and scary experience especially if that child does not have a support structure. The national Campaign to prevent teen and planned pregnancy (NCPTP) reports that 3 out of every 10 children under the age of 20 become pregnant at least once, and 67% of those new families are in poverty, of which 52% are on welfare (â€Å"the national†, n. d). Being a teenage mother comes with a plethora of issue for the individual and for society. Teenage mothers lack a level of maturity that comes with age and experiences, they may try to hide the pregnancy, not take care of themselves and continue with risky behavior that could jeopardize the health of the infant and the mother. Their lack of maturity may led them to believe that everything will be alright, that they can be a great mother, that their boyfriend will eventually see the light and step up to the plate. But this is rarely the case, more often than not the child is born of low birth weight, premature or with other health conditions. Those children will probably suffer abuse, perform poorly in school and use the welfare system to help support themselves; it can become a vicious and publicly expensive cycle that is very difficult to break. A teenage mother from a lower class broken family may have a completely different experience than that of an upper class family. She may experience poor nutrition, neglect and herself be the result of a teenage mother. A lifestyle of this nature may also lead to self esteem issues, drug use and other criminal behaviors. It is not uncommon for young women in this scenario to be a member of a family on welfare, and it may actually seem normal to them to become pregnant early and to go on welfare. What we experience in our lives become normal for the small society around us and sometimes it is very difficult to move outside that circle, especially if there is abuse or a financial challenge holding them there. She has no life experience or a proper understanding of the responsibilities involved in raising a child. She is just following in the footsteps of those around her. This lack of maturity, education and vision limits how she views the impact on society. She is so caught up in her world with limited exposure outside her environment that the negative impact on society may not even cross her mind. The costs of the programs she uses like welfare need to be paid by someone, and that someone is the tax payer. In 2010 463,000 children were in foster care and it is more likely that the teenagers in foster care will end up as teenage parents; those children are also more likely to end up in foster care themselves (â€Å"teen pregnancy†, 2010). In 2004 the taxpayers needed to pay 2. 3 billion dollars to cover these costs (â€Å"teen pregnancy†, 2010). If you take this one step further and look past the total costs and go down to the individual that pays their taxes to support these programs, you may see more and more family struggle to cover the bill. It would benefit all involved if more effort was placed on education and programs to help control teenage pregnancy, and maybe we should all take a look at how sexual our society has become. References Teen pregnancy and child welfare (2010, August). Retrieved on April 30, 2011 from, http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/why-it-matters/pdf/child_welfare.pdf The national data to prevent teen and unplanned pregnancy (n.d). Retrieved on April 29, 2011 from, http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/national-data/default.aspx

Contract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Contract - Essay Example Remedies for breach of contract will be the mode of enforcing the contract and will be implemented through mutual agreement of the parties, and where agreement cannot be reached, through litigation processes. Specific performance will be the principle remedy for breach of the contract unless it is terminated by a legally recognized cause (Bose 75). Breach of the contract without substantial financial implication to the offended party will generate liquidated damages with an equivalent value to the benefits that the offended party would have derived for the remaining period for which the contract would run (Miller and Jentz 296). The client shall pay a sum of $ 7000 per month. The amount shall be paid through the service’s provider’s bank account and shall be made on the fifth day of the following month of service, or the first working day if the day after the fifth day of the month is a public holiday or a weekend. Modification of terms to the contract shall be on mutual agreement between the client and the service provider and shall be supported by consideration. Such modifications shall also be in writing (Mann and Roberts

Memory method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Memory method - Essay Example n states, â€Å"I make no more estimation of repeating a great number of names or words upon once hearing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  However this did not stop many ambitious individuals from attempting to engage in mental training for memory competitions. According to OBrien, Raemon Matthews had the notion of improving the art of memory despite popular belief (Page 37). Matthews established of a group of African Americans known as the â€Å"Talented Ten† to participate U.S Memory Championship. He made his students write an essay with more than to memorized quotations to while in class. This technique proved to improve the memory bank of the African American students at the time. Rote memorization was technique where students were expected to memorize geography and history of America. The basis of the technique was to add more information to the present memory of a student. John Dewey introduced the method of practicing of acquired knowledge rather than building on memory banks. The concept was referred to as experimental learning and replaced the previous rote memorization. Matthew argues that education is the simplest method of improving memorization. He says. â€Å"You make monkeys memorize, whereas education is the ability to retrieve information at will and analyze it.† Mind Mapping is memorization techniques created by Tony Buzan and borrows its concepts from old memory technique. Matthews provides an informative insight into how students can perform better in exams given that they education is significant factor. He argues that it enables the student to memorize information that will be memorized and can be accessed at any time. Tony Buzan is an example of student who began to read up on ways of improving his memory. Reading Greek and Roman reminders gave him the ability to remember information about previous studies. Buzan began to apply the technique when studying for exams. He began to use old memory techniques to teach student while operating as substitute teacher. The

Reflection paper Utopia book by Thomas Moore Essay

Reflection paper Utopia book by Thomas Moore - Essay Example It is such worrying that people are predisposed to resignation instead of believing and working towards the realization of such society. Personally, I believe that such society can be achieved eventually when everybody gets better. When we all get better as people, our priorities will change from superfluity towards improvement and rationality. Eventually we will also avoid war seeing its ill effects and will instead work towards the achievement of an ideal society. Many may criticize Moore’s idea of Utopia as outdated and being such, it is no longer applies to modern society. I disagree with that and idea in fact, Moore’s assessment of society is still true today especially with our consumerist tendency where we are lured towards consumerism by advertisements that draw us into the trap of materialism which More have adequately described. This consumerism, superfluity or love of gold as Moore puts it, is still the source of all the ills of our society which had been true during Moore’s day and it is still true

Forum 5 constitutional law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Forum 5 constitutional law - Essay Example ure of one’s â€Å"right to privacy† and the constitutionally accepted definition of a â€Å"search.† This case was decided following a Certiorari from the Supreme Court to the District Court for the Southern District of California to review the case. The petitioner was convicted with transmitting wagering information via a pay booth from Los Angeles to Miami and Boston in violation of a federal statute. In this case, Charles Katz used a public booth to give out information illegally about gambling and wagering. The FBI however was recording his conversations through an eavesdropping device attached to the exterior of the booth. The court of Appeals sided with the FBI following Katz’s conviction arguing that there was no physical intrusion into the booth. The Supreme Court ruled that the FBI’s activities in using technology to listen to the petitioner’s words violated the privacy of Katz, privacy upon which he relied upon. The court further expounded that, under the Fourth Amendment, a conversation is protected from unreasonable search and seizure if it is made with a reasonable expectation of privacy. Therefore, wire-tapping counted as a search. Justice Stewart explains the rationale behind their decision was that â€Å"One who occupies [a telephone booth], shuts the door behind him, and pays the toll that permits him to place a call is surely entitled to assume that the words he utters into the mouthpiece will not be broadcast to the world.† (White, Welsh S., and James J. Tomkovicz. Criminal Procedure: Constitutional Constraints upon Investigation and Proof. Newark, NJ: LexisNexis Matthew Bender, 2004. (p. 6).) In the case of the United States v. Antoine Jones, the government installs a GPS device on Jones’ vehicle and monitors its movement in public traffic for 28 days. This investigation was conducted without a warrant. Antoine Jones owned a nightclub in the District of Columbia, with Lawrence Maynard, as manager of the club. In 2004 a joint

How has the development of Political Islam since 1979 affected the Essay

How has the development of Political Islam since 1979 affected the Greater Middle East - Essay Example Iran is one example where the Iranian revolution took place. Islamist forces have seemingly taken control of their countries at the expense of other religions that make up a minority (Choueiri, 2008). As political Islam has developed, Islamic institutions have gained more power and the scrutiny on these institutions has reduced leading to a dictatorship like scenario. Religious institutions like those of Sunni Islam have been brought under the control of the state. Due to this power gain by Islamic institutions, along with the lack of opposition by secular forces, there has been a development of Islamic forces. These forces have created a threat to the power of the state all over the greater Middle East (Choueiri, 2008). Conflict has been at the heart of the development of political Islam. The conflict has disturbed the stability of the greater Middle East. Examples of these conflicts include Iraq’s invasion of Iran in 1980 and the Iraq-Kuwait war. There has also been an increased opposition to the existence of Israel as a state along with an increase in development of weapons by the greater Middle East nations (Freedman,

Final Project Statistics Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Final - Statistics Project Example The interest of the study is to test if there is any significance difference between the energy intake before and after the exercise session. The most appropriate test for this study is the paired sample t-test. The test determines if there is significant difference between average values of measurements taken from a sampling unit under two different conditions (Park, 2009). The test is based on the paired difference between the two measurements. This is a two tailed test where both variables are dependent variables, i.e. pre and post-test variables. The power and post hoc testing for this study will be Bonferroni and Turkey’s test. Bonferoni is the simplest post hoc test because of its flexibility and ability to be used as correction test (Pavlidis, n.d). Bonferroni calculates the new pairwise alpha to be compared with the initial alpha . Bonferroni alpha is calculated as Pretessting and posttessting data both seem to be normally distributed. The conclusion is supported by Shapiro wilk test for normality. This test was chosen since it works best for a smaller samples size of less than 50. The results were as follows; From Shapiro wilk test, both pretesting and posttesting data was normally distributed. The significance values 0.803 and 0.712 are both greater than alpha 0.05. This test confirms that the data is appropriate for a paired t-test. In this study, there were 20 people whose energy intake was examined before and after going to the gym. The average energy intake before the exercise sessions was 6650.7 with a standard deviation of 1495.704 while the energy intake after the session was 5304 with a standard deviation of 1518.826. The last column gives the standard error of the mean for each of the test. This output also shows that there were 20 pairs of observation in the study. The correlation between variables in given in column three i.e . The fourth column shows the p value for the correlation coefficient. With an

Peak Flow Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Peak Flow - Essay Example A spirometer is the equipment used in the measurement of peak flow. This apparatus measure the amount of air, which is taken in during inspiration phase and expired out over a specified time. Along with the amount, it also keeps a record of the speed, which is then converted to rate of air inspired and expired (Spirometer 2006) (Pederson 1996). Stating more scientifically, it measures lung functions specifically the measurement of the amount (volume) and /or speed (flow) of air that can be inhaled and exhaled. Spirometry is the process of measuring pulmonary function tests (PFTs) (Spirometry 2006). The process is an important monitoring tool for the diagnosis and prognosis of pulmonary obstructive diseases. Results are, usually, given as the percentages of predicted values for the patients of similar physiological characteristics. The results approaching 100 % predicted are the most normal but those individuals who show over 80% may be considered normal. The review by a medical doctor, further, validates the results (Spirometry 2006). ... All of the students present in the class (27) were involved in the process of data collection as subjects. To get more reliable calculations, the procedure of spriometry, has to be repeated three times per individual so every student went through the process thrice, each time followed by measurement of her/his height. For record of the reading and analytical purposes the highest value among all three is taken. To compare and reduce the possibility of error, two independent reviewers coordinated the experiment. We analysed these data at three different levels. Spirometry by the two reviewers was separated by various activities, like various phases forceful expiration, measurement of height etc. So we compared the highest readings from the two reviewers by applying paired t-test (Rosner 1995) (Saunder 1994). We divided the peak flow values in two categories, category 1 for lowest level to 540 and category to from 541 to the highest level. Then we looked for the association of the sex (1=female and 2=male) for the categories of the peak flow values. We applied chi-square test at this level(Rosner 1995) (Saunder 1994). As the two reviewers took part in the procedure as independent assessors so we analysed the level of agreement between the two reviewers by using Kappa statistics (Rosner 1995) (Saunder 1994). To fulfil the requirement of both variables to be categorical we managed the datasets to change the peak flow from continuous variable to the categorical variable. Results Table 1 shows the results of paired t-test performed to compare the mean values of two measurements of peak expiratory flow measured at two different time period with some activities performed in between. There was no difference found in the two values

European Business Environment Essay Example for Free

European Business Environment Essay Introduction This paper focuses on the enlargement of the European Union (EU) and its effects on external and internal relations. Taking into account the analysis and forecast presented before enlargement, it shows the real consequences of the development. The most essential consequences, as well as problems in part of decision-making and administration in the EU, social consequences of the enlargement, as well as the result of the possible economic enlargement of the on both existing member countries and new entrant countries. In taking into account the future of the European Union and the perception of regional European, the study specify that for the first time in many decades the EU has the opportunity to strengthen the global role of the society and reunify the continent supported by a common democratic standards and rules, a collapse in the process of European integration would mainly perhaps mean the gradual marginalization of Europe as a foremost actor of international associations. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the fall of the bipolar order greatly affected the development of European integration. One of the main basic challenges was the disappearance of the Eastern Bloc, as the threat of the Soviet hostility served for many years as a amalgamate aspect for the Western community (Baun, 2004). The next challenge was the unification of Germany, as it was obvious for most of European countries that the prospect role and position of the united German state would be stronger and further important than that of Cold War-era Western Germany. At the same illustration, the European Union, formally established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993, had to respond to broader problems about its international target and the future shape. It was apparent that the European Union possibly could not have opened its door to nation that was unwary or unable to prove the good organization of their democratic governance. Additionally, the setback for the EU was that planed to outlook for the relationship served as encouragement for the new democratic organization in East-Central Europe to carry on their complex and socially troublesome reforms, the flourishing results of which became significant for the strength of the whole continent. The solution was the Copenhagen condition, explained at the summit of the European Council in Copenhagen in 1993. The rules placed general necessities for starting effective democratic organizations, respect for individual and minority human rights, and suitable instruments for promised market economy (Lindner, 2003).Upon meeting the requirement, the first candidates was capable of open the accession talks in 1998. Ten new members that united the European Union on 1 May 2004 completed these consultations in 2002. Jointly with the growth in 2004, the EU-15 developed into EU-25; after Bulgarian and Romanian accession on 1 January 2007, the coming together became the EU-27. The growth from 15 to 27 member states was the biggest in the history of European incorporation process growing the number of the EU population from about 380 to 485 million. The new states members were medium-sized and small countries, though; each of the new associate has achieved the same rights as existing members of the EU. The enlargement of Eastern has been the major difficulties in the history of European integration, not simply because of the number of new states member joining the European Union at the same time, but mainly because of differences in the level of the gross national product (GNP) involving the old and the new members states of the EU. An evaluation of GNP per capita confirms that the richest new members state have not go beyond 40% of the standard EU-15 level and much bigger asymmetry is opened by the evaluation with the wealthiest states members of the old union (Miles, 2004). In reality, earlier enlargement rounds, like the one in 1973, to comprise the Ireland, Denmark and United Kingdom the one in 1995, to include Austria, Finland, and Sweden, was accessions of states similar in economic improvement and wealth. Merely the membership of Spain and Greece in 1981 and Portugal in 1986 caught up the enlargements of countries, which were much not as good as at the moment of their accession than the standard member of the society. This led to a question of harmony between the poorer members and the rich, and needed additional financial contribution of the wealthiest member states to sustain political and economic transformation in the new member countries. Although the old member countries reacted with hesitation, they finally agreed to such assistance, being aware that it would support democratic transformation on the Continent and support to eliminate intimidation of instability for the whole society, while contributing to formation of the common European marketplace. Nevertheless the Eastern enlargement twenty years later on was incomparable in its unevenness of economic potentials and the interns of GNP per capita involving the old and the new members still with the Southern growth of the European Community (EC) in the mid-1980s (Nugent, 2004). This irregularity of enlargement collectively with fears in Western Europe about social cost, problems of intra-union administration as well as the continuing crises of EU characteristics have compounded the face of the Eastern enlargement years after the enlargement, these concern continue to distress the integration development, consequently it is worth focusing on a few of them. Even ahead of agreement, it was obvious that the Eastern enlargement from 15 to 28 members would force management and decision-making processes in the European Union, as well as the possible to paralyze or at least make difficult the mechanisms formed in the EU-15. Predicting the enlargement, the old members attempted to organize the internal decision-making systems to incorporate the new members. The Amsterdam and Nice Treaties broaden the scope of verdict to be taken supported on Qualified Majority Voting (QMV), as an alternative of harmony, and the Nice Treaty formed a specific majority system (Schmitter, 2004). It established each of the 27 members an exact number of votes gleaming its demographical potential. The major members of the EU France, Germany, Italy and the UK, were awarded 29 votes each, and the smallest states: Luxembourg 3 and Malta 4 votes, correspondingly. Poland, as the largest new member, was given 27 votes, the equivalent to the number as Spain. However, the rule of the accord has remained at as the foundation of all decision-making in the EU, particularly when it comes to critical political decisions. Even so, the caution of Taylor remained applicable as the effectiveness of decision-making in the distended European Union needed further internal amendment. The response was Treaty making a Constitution for Europe signed in Rome on 29 October 2004. The new agreement went comparatively far in its application, yet Netherlands and the France rejected the European Constitution in referendums and the last effort to improve the internal utility of the EU was the Lisbon Treaty signed on 13 December 2007. The Lisbon Treaty is in actual fact a series of provisions originally presented in the European Constitution. It has make things easier for the   EU’s legal procedures and has established the European Union a legal personality, as well as helping harmonization of the EU’s policies establishing the posts of the EU President and Foreign Minister. It reflects the objections of some members who strained the principal independence of the member states, resultant in the cut of most references that could advocate for the character of the European Union as a (super-) state, counting the initial names of the new EU council. As an effect, the new EU Foreign Minister has lastly become the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. However, the prospect of the treaty had been vague for almost two years, as its implementation required confirmation in all member states. After the optimistic result of the second Irish referendum on 2 October 2009, the president of the Czech Republic, the Polish president, Vaclav Klaus and Lech Kaczynski, finally decided to sign the Treaty. This permitted the Lisbon Treaty to come in into force on 1 December 2009 (Nugent, 2004a). The approach of the citizens in the new member states towards European incorporation has generally been optimistic. For instance, the effects of the agreement referendum in Poland demonstrated support for the association at 77%. After enlargement, assistance in Poland is still at a high level of about 70% (Preston, 1997). The Office of the Committee for European Integration, Warsaw 2009 all together, still, enlargement provoked serious worries among Western EU member countries. The forecast of the enlargement were a basis of anxiety among the populace in the old, wealthier counties members of the EU, as well as the fears of joblessness and huge immigration of employees from the much poorer states of East-Central Europe. Piotr M. Kaczynski specified that the new states were better organized for enlargement as they projected changes and were required to plan for membership. The older members and their societies only experienced the test of the Eastern enlargement on the day of new members’ agreement (Nugent, 2004b). This resulted in the distribution of fears and slogans about the â€Å"Polish nurse† or â€Å"Polish plumber† frightening for employment chances for local Western Europeans. Few in Western Europe left devoid of the benefits of the Eastern enlargement for stabilization, democratization, and union of the continent. Yet the Westerners worried that Eastern enlargement would establish   the questions of decision-making, management, asymmetry in economic potentials and as well as raise the requirement for a broader process of structuring mutual consideration between the two share equally of Europe divided for almost 50 years by the â€Å"Iron Curtain.† (Hagemann, Sara/De, Julia 2007) Still, there were numerous forecasts concerning the migration prospective. Some of them projected that the immigration from the new states would differ from 6% to even 30% of their total populace (105 million), but those more practical showed that the migration would be approximately 3-5% or yet only 2% in the longer time, taking return migration into consideration (Nugent, 2004b). In actuality, the Eastern enlargement has only in part established the fears of Western European civilization and its social effects have been less serious than projected. At the same time, it has established most of the scholars’ forecasts. In agreement with the data obtainable by Euro stat for the end of 2008, the total digit of the immigrants from the new states members has been approximately 1.7 million (Guà ©rot, 2005).This does not comprise session seasonal personnel, the number of which could be expected as an additional few hundred thousand with a propensity to sluggish down for the reason that of the current world economic disaster. The most frequent immigrants were Poles (Poland being the most crowded new member state) and Romanians operating mostly in the Ireland, Spain, and United Kingdom. Polish specialist have projected that the actual number of Poles operating in the old member countries of the EU has been at the level of 1–1.12 million (out of entirety 38 million of populace) with a possible of additional 0.6 million of seasonal recruits (Stacey, and Berthold 2003). These numbers may seem considerable, but it would be difficult to treat them as a massive influx of workers from the East. All in all, the trouble of migration from the new state member cannot be overlooked and will go on to play an important role in the opinion of euro-skeptics, but it emerge to be much less grave than originally estimated. This is accurate mainly in the situation of the current world economic catastrophe and increasing social protests adjacent to the foreign employment force in the UK and other principal states of the European Union. It may perhaps also persuade the old members to formulate informal efforts at protectionism, although the regulations of the free movement of industry and capital within the European particular market. One of the areas of debate before enlargement was the cost of the process. Yet it seems that the Eastern enlargement of the European Union has not been overly expensive, especially in comparison to the benefits. Several authors have concluded that in the longer term the enlargement would have small but positive growth effects on the whole EU, although lower in the case of the old members and higher with regard to new member states, with forecasts of an additional overall EU growth by 0.5 to 0.7%. However, it is clear that the main benefits of the enlargement are political ones, namely the opportunity to reunify the Continent and in this context, the costs of the enlargement were indeed low (estimated for the financial framework 2004-2006 at 40.16 billion euro, or 1.08% of EU GNP) (Faber, 2009). Though, looking at the differences in economic prospective and wealth-level involving the old states and new states members, it seems not possible to expect that their convergence would be attained in the short or even medium time. This implies a tough need for aiding funds from the richest states of the European Union for the improvement of the new state members. Therefore, the dilemma of financial unity between the poorest and the richest in the EU will turn into much more grave for the future of the Union than whichever time before, still after the Southern enlargement in the 1980s (Falkner, 1996). The narrow financial wealth at the Union’s disposal has led to discussion in the EU about its financial point of view. The member states take up two differing positions. France and Germany, as the leading donors, have grown hesitant to increase their assistance to the common EU budget. The financial discussions for the period 2007-2013 incorporated the demand of the major net-contributors to edge the EU resources to 1% of the Community’s GNP. The ultimate resolution accepted a maximum of 1.045%, but the indecision of the richest members to wrap the additional expenditure of the enlarged EU was understandable. The new state members, conversely, joined the EU with the hope of financial support and harmony. Knowing that their active growth depend on the kindness of the richest states of the EU, the new state fear that, the imposing idea of harmony might crash with the exaction economic interests of the main EU members. Such a distribution of the EU members into the center of the most urbanized and wealthiest nations and East-Central Europe as an edge could intimidate European integration. Yet even though the limited economic resources exist in the EU budget, the supporting of the new members states has been reasonable so far. Poland, for instance, as the largest recipient, is getting a net-assistance of â‚ ¬60 billion in the episode of 2007-2013, mostly in the form of structural and solidity funds. However, the most important concern is to keep this level of the help in the next financial agenda (2014-2020). This will be the main issue of the future discussion. The wealthiest and strongest states of the EU have well thought-out reducing some forms of support to new member’s states and support spending that would center more on new technologies, competitiveness, and innovation of the EU in the global economy. Even if it is apparent that the EU requires being more successful on the global prospect, it is evident that the financial capital available in the upcoming EU budget for innovation and new technologies would most possibly help the wealthiest state of the Union. The new states with their much poorer economies and less innovative will not be capable to struggle for this money. The new East-Central European members projected full-fledged contribution in the decision-making method of the EU, as well as value for their opinion, despite their imperfect economic potentials. But the political discussion just after the Eastern extension, which led into the new suggestion of the European Constitution and the Lisbon Treaty, were challenging for the new members states and tackle them with the perception of the new form of the European Union only a few months following their agreement. These circumstances were most difficult for Poland the largest country in the group of new states, however a medium-size state members in the EU with its ambition of playing an active political task in the European Union. In the case of Poland, which was to lower some of its recognized position in the EU exacted in the number of votes in a number of Union institutions, it was hard to clarify to people why the regulations of the membership must be altered so quickly after the agreement. Examining the first epoch after the Eastern extension, Piotr M. Kaczynski sustains that the economic outcome of the growth have been clearly constructive. The new state members improved quickly and much earlier than expected. Though, he finds that the political aspect of the enlargement is harder to review. After a first period of compliance, the new state members, particularly Czech Republic and the Poland, became more self-confident in the EU, which resulted to some quarrel between the administration of these nations and EU system. Equally Czech Republic and the Poland mainly reacted to the thoughts coming from the Western part of the EU. Their political program, if any, were typically poorly set and cast off (Steunenberg, 2002a). Later, after the enlargement, Poland and all new members comprehend more visibly that it is not only the amount of votes that make a decision their place and ability to pressure decision-making procedures in the EU. They have attained convenient experience and become more familiar with the actual political device, including the regulations of effective alliance building and cooperation. Dirk Leuffen has explained it as a progression of â€Å"socialization† in which the new state members learn how to deal with the informal and formal rules and standards in the EU. From his perspective point of view, this socialization should be well thought-out as a medium-term development ( Dirk 2010). The skill gained; during the five years following the enlargement appear to back up that the time of socialization will be shorter relatively than longer. The current Polish-Swedish suggestion of Eastern Partnership (Steunenberg, 2002b), to reinforce collaboration with several Eastern neighbors of the inflamed European Union, helped by the other members of the EU, demonstrate that new states can efficiently take part to flourishing program, or at slightly be significant partners of doing well initiatives offered together with some old states members. As consequence, the succession of the new states from East-Central Europe has not been as â€Å"detrimental† to the EU administration as it was at times recommended in Western Europe earlier than the enlargement. In conclusions, the effects of the Eastern enlargement on external and internal relations of the European Union have not been as â€Å"tragic† as it was occasionally feared prior to enlargement. The addition from 15 to 28 member nations, as well as the significant economic unevenness between old state and new state member have shaped some administration problems for the EU, but they have not busted it. The European Union ought to now focus on amplification of its present instruments and institutions. The new states have rapidly learned the Union’s regulations and procedures and to place political conciliation before majority of votes. Thus, the agreement code has retained its center value in the EU. The significance of the incorporation process is the vision of a new regional individuality based on resolution among the European countries. The Eastern enlargement has opened the way to a real unification of the continent. After the occurrence of two World Wars on its region, it behooves Europe not to lose this opportunity. Thus, harmony between the old states and new members remains the subject to a flourishing future of the society. References Baun, Michael 2004: â€Å"Intergovernmental Politics†. In: Nugent, Neill (ed.) European Union Enlargement. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 132-145. Blockmans, Steven/Prechal, Sacha (eds.) 2008: Reconciling the Deepening and Widening of the European Union. The Hague: T.M.C Asser Press Dehousse, Renaud/Deloche-Gaudez, Florence/Duhamel, Olivier (eds.) 2006: Élargissement. Common l’Europes’adapte. Paris: Centre d’à ©tudes europà ©ennes, Presses Sciences Po. Dirk Leuffen 2010. â€Å"Breaking the Camel’s Back? Eastern Enlargement and EU Governance.† ECPR Paper Number 853, Center for Comparative and International Studies, ETH Zurich, p. 6 Faber, Anne 2009: â€Å"Eastern Enlargement in Perspective: A Comparative View on EC/EU Enlargements†. In: Loth, Wilfried (ed.): Experiencing Europe. 50 Years of European Construction 1957-2007. Baden-Baden: Nomos, pp. 305-325. Falkner, Gerda 1996: â€Å"Enlarging the European Union†. In: Richardson, Jeremy J. (ed.) European Union. Power and policy-making. London/New York: Routledge, pp. 233-246 Guà ©rot, Ulrike 2005: †Consequences and Strategic Impact of Enlargement on the (Old) EU†. In: Brimmer, Esther/ Frà ¶hlich, Stefan (eds.): The Strategic Implications of European Union Enlargement. Johns Hopkins University: Centre for Transatlantic Relations, pp. 53-72. Hagemann, Sara/De Clerck-Sachsse, Julia 2007: Decision-Making in the Council of Ministers: Evaluating the Facts. CEPS Policy brief No. 119, January 2007, available at http://www.ceps.be. Lindner, Johannes 2003: â€Å"Institutional stability and change: two sides of the same coin†. Journal of European Public Policy 10:6, December 2003, pp. 912-935. Miles, Lee 2004: â€Å"Theoretical Considerations†. In: Nugent, Neill (ed.) European Union Enlargement. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 253-265. Nugent, Neill (ed.) 2004: European Union Enlargement. Palgrave Macmillan. Nugent, Neill 2004a: â€Å"Previous Enlargement Rounds.† In: Nugent, Neill (ed.): European Union Enlargement. PalgraveMacmillan, pp. 22-33. Nugent, Neill 2004b: â€Å"Distinctive and Recurrent Features of Enlargement Rounds.† In: Nugent, Neill (ed.): European Union Enlargement. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 56-69. Preston, Christopher 1997: Enlargement and Integration in the European Union. London/New York: Routledg Schmitter 2004: â€Å"Neo-Neofunctionalism†. In: Wiener, Antje/Diez, Thomas (eds.): European Integration Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 45-74. Stacey, Jeffrey/Rittberger, Berthold 2003: â€Å"Dynamics of formal and informal institutional change in the EU†. Journal of European Public Policy 10:6, December 2003, pp. 858-883. Steunenberg, Bernard (ed.) 2002: Widening the European Union. The politics of institutional change and reform. London/New York: Routledge. Steunenberg, Bernard 2002a: â€Å"Enlargement and reform in the European Union†. In: Steunenberg, Bernard (ed.): Widening the European Union. The politics of institutional change and reform. London/New York: Routledge, pp. 3-20. Steunenberg, Bernard 2002b: â€Å"An even wider Union. The effects of enlargement on EU decision-making†. In: Steunenberg, Bernard (ed.): Widening the European Union. The politics of institutional change and reform. London/ New York: Routledge, pp. 97-118.

Financial Schemes Essay Example for Free

Financial Schemes Essay When the question of developing a new project at Puerto Penasco, Mexico has arrived, we would suggest that rather than going for traditional time share or new mixed use hotels, we should generate the energies towards developing a Condominium. The most important fact for advocating a Condominium is because this concept is already very popular in beach areas of Mexico. Tourists from across the world come here to take the experience of beach village which is rather not possible in mixed use hotels. Financial Advantages of a Condominium over other forms: Limited capital investment initially: First of all, the amount of capital invested in a Condominium is lesser than that of other traditional hotel forms. Hotels usually are occupied by the tourists at peak months only. Apart from that time, they always face lack of tourists which ultimately result in loss of revenue. Renting the property at non peak months: The Condominium could be rented to students and other people apart from the tourists during the non peak months and hence it in a sense gives guarantee to the owners for a uniform cash flow across the year. Disadvantages to the other schemes: It could be very well noted here that at times Condominium could lose the advantages to classic hotels in terms of hospitality and luxury. The tourists often feel that the Condominium could not provide the room service and the luxury that the time share hotels could provide. This is true to an extent that the Condominium does not beat the traditional hotels in terms of luxury. The reason why we have chosen a Condominium over other forms of hotels is because least risk involved in this project. As the amount of capital invested is least, the chances of losing money are less. Apart from that, we are also ensuring smooth and uniform revenues across the year. References: Puerto Penasco: Retrieved on 4th August, 2010 from website: http://www. puerto-penasco. com/

Strategic Analysis Of First Choice Holidays Tourism Essay

Strategic Analysis Of First Choice Holidays Tourism Essay This report is based on the strategic analysis of First Choice Holidays PLC, one of the worlds leading package holiday companies. An analysis of the companys internal and external environments will be undertaken resulting in the researchers findings of the opportunities and threat that the industry faces. A look at the industrys competitive forces will determine show the profitability of different industries and the data found, analysed showing the different external competitive forces that affect organisation and how information can be used to counter them. A strategic analysis of the company will show the companys competitive and financial strength in which the companys strengths and weaknesses will be highlighted. A strategic fit which will indicate whether the companys mission and strategies fits its internal capabilities and its external environment. 1.0 Market Environment Analysis of First Choice Holidays PLC 1.1 History First Choice Holidays PLC, trading name of TUI UK limited is part of the TUI Travel PLC Group of companies, one of the worlds leading travel companies, which operates in over 180 countries. The company boasts of having more than 30 million customers worldwide in 27 key source markets such as the United States, Italy, France, India and the United Kingdom. In addition to First Choice Holidays, the company has over 200 brands which are comprised of market leading mainstream brands and specialist brands. The company operates in four sectors: Mainstream this is the largest sector in terms of the companys financial performance and employee numbers. It comprises of leading tour operators and power brands as well as it operates 146 aircraft and serves 22 million customers. Activity this sector has over 40 activity travel businesses that operate under five divisions which are Marine, Adventure, Ski, Student and Sport. The adventure businesses take more customers to iconic adventure destinations than any other operator and serve 1.1 million customers. Specialist and Emerging markets this is an international portfolio of travel businesses focusing on specific destinations, premium travel experiences or particular customer demographic segments, often with differentiated and exclusive products. Accommodations and Destinations this sector sells and provides a range of services in destination to tour operators, travel agents, corporate clients and direct to consumers worldwide. Some services include hotel accommodations, cruise handling and round trips for customers. TUI Travel operates its headquarters from the U.K and employs approximately 50,000 people in over 200 travel businesses in the world. First Choice Holidays PLC, formerly Owners Abroad (Wholesale) Limited and Owners Abroad PLC was formed in 1973. After launching an airline, Air2000, the company moved into Specialist holidays. The company was restructured and rebranded into First Choice Holidays PLC after several acquisitions and joint ventures with various tour companies and cruise liners. The group then structured itself into four sectors: Mainstream, Activity, Specialist and Online Destination Services before the merger with TUI Travel PLC in 2007. First Choice was awarded the Most Environmentally Responsible Large Tour Operator (2007-2009) from the British Travel Awards. 1.2 Vision and Strategic Goal Since First Choice merged with TUI Travel, it shares the same vision and strategic goals. The companys vision statement is Making Travel Experiences Special. The companys strategic goals are to create superior shareholder value by being the leading global leisure travel group providing its customers with the widest choice of differentiated and flexible travel experiences to meet their changing needs and focusing their strategic initiatives for profitable growth. These include developing the companys business model, continuous efficiency improvements and development of growth opportunities. 1.3 PEST Analysis According to G. Johnson et al. in the text Exploring Corporate Strategy, PEST stands for Political, Economical, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal. It provides a comprehensive list of influences on the possible success or failure of particular strategies that First Choice may face or is facing at present. Political With the governments hiking of aviation taxes and Air Passenger Duty (APD), this causes airline tickets to be expensive, therefore discouraging prospective customers from choosing the package holiday company. Political unrest in some countries may cause customers to decide on not travelling to that particular destination out of fear for their safety. Impact on individual of anti-terror measures likely to increase inconvenience of some travel options. The governments Fuel Price escalator is a way of government making money while protecting the environment by discouraging people to travel less. The May 2010 British elections caused political instability with certain actions destabilising the whole of Europe. The government can form new regulations under which these companies can operate which may or may not be positive. Economical The current inflation rate of the U.K is 3.1% which affects air fares, clothing, food etc. With the rise in petrol fuel which increased by 3% above inflation, customers are feeling the pinch of this and are less likely to choose taking a vacation with any package holiday company. The unemployment rate is at 7.7% which lowered by 0.1% over the last quarter. Having a rise in employment will raise confidence in consumer spending. The UK Pound Sterling Exchange Rate has shown recent developments which are indeed very much favourable for the citizens of the U.K. travelling abroad. At present the UK Pound Sterling Exchange Rate has posted the UK Pound Sterling at nearly double the worth of the US Dollar, which means that when British citizens travel to the U.S. they will be able to draw double bargains for their moneys worth.   Social The number of people purchasing on the internet has been on a constant rise. In 2009, 18.31million U.K households have access to the internet. In a survey it was found that 69% of U.K households use the internet to purchase services related to travel accommodation. Increased popularity of foreign travel leading leads to a boom in demand for air travel. However, this has been adversely affected by international terrorism which causes concern for the safety and security of future package-holiday makers. The interaction between tourists and the chosen host community can be one of the factors that may affect a community as tourists may not be sensitive to local customs, traditions and standards. Peoples life style changes cause package holiday companies to now offer customised packages and online booking facilities to meet customer expectations. Technological Today more companies are choosing to broadcast their products via the internet. Online booking has been one of the biggest factors affecting the package holiday industry. U.K residents are now constantly using the internet to book their holiday trips which saves on time for them as well as providing convenience. Advertising on the internet has been proven to boost sales for companies; more and more people are using the internet as a way to communicate their needs and wants to the outside world. 1.4 Porters Five Forces Analysis Figure 1. The Five Forces That Shape Industry Competition First Choice is in a very dynamic and competitive industry, the Porters Five Forces Model was created to show the profitability of different industries. This model is used for analysing the different external competitive forces that affect organisation and how information can be used to counter them. The following is an analysis using the model: Threat of New Entrants First Choice has direct ownership of its own airline and hotels. New entrants may not have the capital for such an investment and therefore may depend on external airlines and hotels to provide their customer with a service. New competitors may not possess the know-how or have the necessary experience to begin operating a package holiday business. Government regulations provides a list of rules that new competitors have to take into consideration before beginning operation, some of which may pose a problem for beginners in this industry. In an already highly competitive market, there will be the issue of pricing to new competitors. Pricing packages in a way that it may be attractive for holiday travellers without being too low so that it may end up running at a loss. Threat of Substitute Products or Services First Choices main competitor, Thomas Cook, has dropped its prices to compete with them for lowest priced package holidays. If successful, customers may be lead to choose that company and divert from the services of First Choice. Competitors may not possess assets such as its own airline or hotel but offers the same services at a cheaper cost. Destinations that the company may not have package deals for, other competitors may provide causing prospective customers to switch to the competitors services. Bargaining Power of Buyers Buyers can dictate the price of package holidays being that the industry is a highly competitive one. Buyers have a lot more choices on package holiday services to choose from. Market research has shown that buyers are taking fewer 7/14 night packages causing package holiday companies to attempt differentiation and specialisation of certain package deals to cater to those who take shorter trips. The threat of buyers going directly to suppliers is possible. The purchasing of airplane tickets from the airline and the booking of accommodation is an imminent threat to the industry. Convenience is key for todays buyers. With the internet customers would choose the company which can provide the complete package holiday service without leaving the comfort of their homes. Bargaining Power of Suppliers If oil prices rise, suppliers of fuel for the airlines may raise their prices. Fuel suppliers can dictate prices for their product depending on the demand for flights. Taxes applied to the cost price of fuel can affect the cost of package holiday deals. Suppliers will have high negotiation powers for those package companies now entering the market but for those experienced and large companies such as First Choice or Thomas Cook, there will be a balance of power. Rivalry Among Existing Competitors Thomas Cook, the main competitor for First Choice and parent Company TUI Travel, has joined with the company offering cheap package deals which increased the already existing price competition. First Choice was combined with its sister company Thomson award winning airline Thomson Airline to be one of the top package holiday airline in the UK which is acquiring the Boeing 787 Dreamliner which meant it will be a fifth more fuel efficient than its competitors Flybe and Thomas Cook Airlines. Thomas Cook offers a range of financial services that First Choice does not which includes foreign exchange services, their own prepaid currency card and the recent innovation of creating an app for the Iphone and Android phones. 1.5 Industry Life Cycle Figure 2. Industry Life Cycle Source: http://alife4testing.co.uk/ This model is used to showcase which stage the package holiday industry is at current. The industry is currently in the Shakeout stage of the lifecycle. The barriers to entry are currently high, economies of scale have been achieved, forcing smaller companies to be acquired by bigger companies such as TUI Travel and Thomas Cook or exiting all together. 1.6 Critical Success Factors (CSFs) The Critical Success Factors of the package holiday industry will highlight the key factors that present and upcoming companies should focus on that will bring satisfactory results, therefore ensuring successful competitive performance. Creating a consolidated market Combining companies or products into one provides opportunities for significant cost savings as well as revenue synergies. Having more direct ownership of airlines and accommodation suppliers. Having successful product differentiation will attract more customers from segments such as university students. To raise awareness, influence choice, change behaviour, and develop and promote new products to encourage responsible holiday choices. Maximised web sales and content. 1.7 Opportunities and Threats of the Market Environment Having analysed the market environment of the industry, the following will highlight the various opportunities and threats the market faces. INDUSTRY Opportunity Threat To consolidate the market by taking over smaller companies. The opportunity to come up with new innovative products/services because of the changing consumer market. To build new capital to purchase assets such as aeroplanes and cruise ships, reducing dependency of suppliers with that mode of transport. New mergers and strategic alliances to promote the maximisation of synergy profits. To maximise on the use of the internet market, to make it more interactive for consumers. Low cost airline competitors such Ryanair and EasyJet has relatively low prices. Natural disasters that may occur at destinations or the home country. People owning foreign property wont be willing to take a full package holiday, just a cheap flight. People booking their holidays for themselves and not through the package holiday companies. Threat of terrorist attacks may change a customers perception on safety when travelling. Table 1. The Opportunities and Threats of the Package Holiday Industry Having analysed the market environment of the industry, this paper will now take a closer look at First Choice Holidays PLCs strategies which will explain the companys various operations and the resources to get it done. 2.0 Strategic Analysis of First Choice Holidays PLC Strategy is concerned with matching a firms resources and capabilities to the opportunities that arise in the external environment. The following shows the strategic analysis of First Choice and the tools used. 2.1 Value Chain Analysis of First Choice Holidays PLC A Value Chain Analysis describes the activities that take place in a business and relates them to an analysis of the competitive strength of the business. Figure 3. Michael Porters Value Chain Model Source: http://www.12manage.com/images/picture_porter_value_chain.gif The following is the value chain analysis for First Choice Holidays PLC: Inbound Logistics Providing all working material for travel shops and tour operators. Printing of travel brochures. Liaising with suppliers of fuel for Thomson aircraft. Liaising with financial institutions for the supply of various foreign exchange currencies to be made available online and at First Choice travel shops. Communication with various hotels and other sources of accommodation. Hiring of security for airport parking facilities. Operations Booking and pre-payment of hotels and other sources of accommodations for clients at various destinations. Liaising with different tour operators, transport and excursion providers. Booking and pre-payment of excursions providers. Updating the travel website for online booking. Securing flights for various destinations. Liaising with insurance company, Mondial Assistance (UK) Ltd., for travel insurance for customers. Fuelling of aircraft for flights. Ensuring there is enough on board staff for flights. Outbound Logistics Distributing brochures to customers. Distribution of airline tickets or cruise ship passes to customers. Marketing and Sales Online booking as well as a pre-departure website for new and existing customers. The availability of 300 travel shops spread conveniently across the UK. Advertising of the company and airline by television and print also on the companys website. Call centre staff are readily available for customer support. The offering of special package deals at a lower price. Existing customers sharing their experiences about the company through word-of-mouth. Service The service of travel insurance for all customers. Airport parking so that customers can safely use their vehicles and park instead of hiring alternative transport to get them to the there. The service of Travellers cheques is provided to customers who want to purchase foreign currency. Seats on the plane can be reserved before customers travel, making it easier and more comfortable for a family to sit together. Car hires are organised for customers in need of transport during their holiday. Qualified child care-takers or nannies are provided to customers equipped with toys and other equipment from respected UK brands such as Crayola and Little Tikes. Firm Infrastructure The following departments make up First Choices company infrastructure. Sales Marketing Finance and Admin Human Resources Support Engineering and Research Operations IT and IS Human Resource Management Employees are trained to be knowledgeable about the industry and company. Training is done for employees so that they can assist customers with choosing the perfect holiday option for their budget. Nannies for baby-sitting services are trained and qualified with  NNEB/CACHE (or equivalent). Air hostesses are equipped with the necessary first aid and situation response training. Technology Development Continued development online booking and interactive websites such as the pre-departure site. Outbound dialler system was installed to automate the call-in service for agents, giving them guidance through the many services and products First Choice has to offer. A browser-based management information system enables management to access operational and business information to monitor how calls are made. Procurement Research on various locations for new accommodation according to customers needs and wants. Communication with vendors and other tour operators. Acquisition of the necessary technology needed to run the company. The purchasing of new aeroplanes for flights to more destinations at a greater speed. 2.2 The Strategic Capabilities of First Choice Holidays PLC An organisations strategic capabilities are its capacities, resources and skills that create a long-term competitive advantage. The following shows the strategic capability of First Choice. 2.2.1 Resources and Competences Resources Competences Threshold Capabilities Threshold resources Tangible 300 travel shops in the U.K 14,000 employees Airline First Choice Airways Expedition cruise ships Over  £2 billion in assets Intangible 4th largest package holiday company Brand strength Owner of several market leading brands such as 2wentys Falcon Online booking website State of the art communication systems (MO Communicator) A contributor to an  £13.8 billion revenue Threshold competences Deployment of travel shops in various key areas in the U.K. To create a market leading presence in the Russian market through joint ventures The introduction of Microsoft Office Communicator to implement an IP-based voice network to deliver better customer service. Enhancing customers experience online by ways of after-sales services Investments such as yachts, aeroplanes and expedition cruise ships that provide First Choice with a greater competitive advantage. Capabilities for competitive advantage Unique Resources Tangible Boeing 787 Dreamliner aeroplanes that are able to go greater distances and offers greater fuel efficiency. First Choice Holiday Village designed for families and a 5-star spa concept for couples. Intangible Powerful brand with the merger with the largest leisure company in the world. 37 years in the travel and leisure industry. Relationships with suppliers to retain 150 million bed nights per year. Core Competences Operational profitability which allows First Choice to respond to changes in the trading environment. Possessing profitable capacity by having individual flight allows the company to determine optimum seat capacity by each U.K airport and to ensure the most appropriate aircraft fleet size and type are maintained. Consolidation of aircraft fleet as a fuel conservation measure and to reduce the companys direct carbon footprint. Table 2. Resources and Competences of First Choice Holidays PLC 2.3 The Financial Analysis of First Choice Following a look at the companys resources and competences, a brief analysis of the company is needed to see where it stands in the industry. First Choice is a part of TUI Travel PLC, therefore shares in the groups profitability. Having merged with the group, First Choice has contributed to  £93million in synergy profits as well as the groups overall revenue of  £18.6billion. The following shows a break-down of the companys financial capability in the following areas in 2009: 2.3.1 Profitability Gross Profit Margin This is used to assess  a firms financial health by revealing the  proportion of money left over from revenues after accounting for the cost of goods sold. The companys Gross Profit Margin stood at 8.4% in 2009, an improvement of 1.1% of the previous year. This shows that the companys pricing strategies have been effective. Net Profit Margin This is used to show how much profit a company makes for every  £1 it generates in  revenue  or  sales.  The companys net profit margin stood at -0.77% which states which has improved over the previous year of -2.1%. Therefore this shows a rise in efficiency after all expenses and that have been considered. Return On Assets This gives an idea as to how efficient  management is  at using its assets to generate earnings. The company earned 0.3% from invested capital (assets) compared to 2008s -1.4% loss. As a result this shows the company is earning more money on less investment. Return on Equity This shows the amount of net income  returned  as a percentage  of shareholders equity. The company showed a 1.2% profit made from shareholder investments, a rise from the previous year -0.1%. Thomas Cook, the companys main competitor had a higher return at 2.37%. 2.3.2 Liquidity Current Ratio This is used to determine a companys ability to pay off its  short-terms debts obligations. The companys current ratio stands at 3:5 which means they can pay off its obligations should it become due at that point. Acid Test Ratio This indicates  whether a firm has enough short-term assets to cover its immediate liabilities without selling inventory. The company showed a ratio of 1:2 for 2009, which means that the company has enough liquid assets to cover an unexpected drawdown of liabilities. 2.3.3 Leverage or Debt Debt to Equity Ratio This indicates what proportion of equity and debt the company is using to finance its assets. The company showed a ratio of -3% which means that they were not aggressive in financing its growth with debt and has the ability to repay loans. Total Debt to Total Assets This is used to measure a companys financial risk by determining how much of the companys assets have been financed by debt. The company showed a ratio of 3:4 meaning that 75% of the companys assets are financed by the creditors or debt (and therefore 25% is financed by the owners). 2.3.4 Activity (see Appendix) Asset Turnover This shows the amount of sales generated for every dollars worth of assets. The company showed a ratio of 1.5 which means for every dollar in total asset spent they gain 1.5 in revenue compared to the industrys 0.34 ratio. Despite a drop in revenue, the company still remained profitable and above its competition. It is seen that the company has an edge and is inviting for any investor. The following shows the companies. The following shows the strengths and weaknesses of the First Choice. First Choice Holidays PLC Strengths Weaknesses One of the market leaders in the package holiday industry both domestically and globally. Technologically advanced, creating new ways using technology to make decisions on their own without going physically to an agent. Offers a wide range of comprehensive services that customers enjoy. Ability to consolidate the market. Inability to fully penetrate the Western market resulting in dependency on the European market for revenues. As at August 2010, there was a consistent decrease in bookings following the recurrence of airspace closures, the emergency budget and the UK weather. Accounting errors on the part of executives. 3.0 The Strategic Fit Analysis of First Choice Holidays PLC Strategic fit indicates how well the First Choice Holidays mission and strategies fit its internal capabilities and its external environment. First Choice is the 4th largest package holiday company in the UK. Its main competitors are Airtours, Thomas Cook and its sister company Thomson Holidays, currently Thomsons dominates the industry. According to Investopedia, competitive advantages give a company an edge over its rivals and an ability to generate greater value for the firm and its shareholders. The more sustainable the advantage, the more difficult it is for competitors to neutralize the advantage. It is the companys competitive advantage that allows it to earn excess returns for its members. Having a competitive advantage is important to First Choice because without it, the company will have no economic reason to exist and will just simply wither away. Through the analysis done in this essay, although First Choice is ranked as #4, it still holds an advantage on its competitors. First Choice used the strategy of backward integration, meaning the company purchased suppliers in order to reduce dependency. An example of this would be its own airline and the First Choice Holiday Village. The acquisition of new aeroplanes, the Boeing 787 Dreamliners, would prove to be a major advantage as consumers are now taking responsibility for the environment and with these aeroplanes; the company will showcase environmental performance by reducing their carbon emissions. Having these assets will give First Choice the advantage of delivering products or services of a higher value at a cheaper price, as a result gain cost leadership. Using the internet for online sales has maximised their profits also the company retained their customers while gaining new ones. The companys liquidity and financial situation is stable despite a drop in revenue in 2009, with that they are capable of market consolidation. An example of that would be the acquisition of C.I.T Holidays, a UK based company with extensive operations in Spain and Italy. First Choice has a long history within the industry along with experience. They have proven to be well prepared to any changing environment. The company has achieved high economies of scale because of its access to larger market allowing them to operate with greater geographical reach. They have the ability to create value for money to its customers and have shown to be innovative by way of creating differentiated products such as its pre-departure website, an after-sales service. 3.1 The SWOT Analysis of First Choice Holidays The SWOT Analysis provides information that is helpful in matching the firms resources and capabilities to the competitive environment it operates. First Choice Holidays PLC Strength One of the market leaders in the industry. Ability to offer differentiated products/services. Commitment to customer service. Wealth of knowledge of the industry. Backward Integration which made them spread across the value chain. Strong distribution channels, the strongest being online sales. Weakness A 13.5% reduction in package prices because of a decrease in sales as a result of the recession and events such as the volcano ash disruption in mid-April 2010. A loss of  £69million in revenue in 2009 compared to the year before. Opportunities Further expansion through acquisitions and mergers. With new mergers and alliances, an opportunity to create synergy profits arise. Threat Airlines and hotels are now offering package deals. Threat to Thomson Airlines from low cost airlines such as Ryanair. Terrorist threats or attacks will change customers perception of safety when travelling. In conclusion, First Choice Holidays PLC is strategically fit and has a high advantage over the competition. The company is seen to be attractive for investment, although their profits fell for the previous financial year and sister company Thomson Holiday still stands at number one, but with new products underway, there may be a positive change.

Dow Chemical Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Dow Chemical Topic: â€Å"Dow Chemicals† I decided to construct my essay on Dow Chemicals (DC) Company after reading an article in Business Week. Dow Chemical appears to be developing an aggressive market strategy that aligns with our class topics, and that I have found very interesting. Dow Chemical (DC) company, over the last seven years has built their strategy around and focused on their â€Å"niche†, which is core chemicals & plastics-manufacturing operations, while simultaneously reducing infrastructure debt, expanding its market share, and apparently building new strategic alliances. According to Dow Chemical CEO William Stavropoulos, The mission and goals of Dow Chemical company is to be a world leader in chemical and plastics manufacturing by developing new customer demand product lines and expanding long-term profitability through global market expansion in such global markets as Europe and Asia. If Dow Chemicals currently owned assets did not align with and support this mission strategy, they were divested. Dow Chemicals has evidenced this by selling off more than $10 billion in business assets, while at the same time adding $10 billion in new business that support their new strategy, and the strategic addition of the Union Carbide Company. To develop Dow Chemicals new strategy, which is to say to develop a competitive advantage within their selected market, Dow Chemical appears to have thoroughly examined their role in the macroenvironment, which also encompasses the political/legal, technological, demographic, social, and macroenvironments elements. In analyzing their macroenvironment they would have considered such items as the current economy interest rates, currency exchange rates, and inflation rates, which could impact the customer demand for their products, as well as acting on other environmental factors such as: a) Technology: Through their advanced research and development of unique and new innovative products, they easily heighten the of barriers to entry for competitors. b) Social: Performing research on current and future trends for healthier and safer products. c) Demographic: Considered the age and education levels of surrounding manufacturing plants. Skilled workers directly impact production capacity. d) Political & legal: What rules and regulations are in place, what is the state of the governm... ... a) Potential competitors: This area represents a threat to profitability, which can be combated by raising the barriers to entry/exit costs, brand loyalty, absolute cost advantages, economies of scale, and possibly through the development of superior reputation influence and enjoy protection from local governments. b) Rivalry: Monitor the competitive structure of the consolidated industry, which could affect market share, and even start price wars, which could be costly. Monitor demand trends, which could call for market expansion or retraction, and finally monitor exit barriers, which be a deterrent for potential entrants. c) Power of Buyers: Monitor supplier industries, when there are many suppliers, buyers can dominate a bargaining position, and thereby generate cost savings. Consolidate purchases with Union Carbide to maximize a combined buying power position. d) Power of Suppliers: Monitor supplier markets for new supplier entrants or potential suitable substitutes. e) Substitute products: Monitor the market for suitable substitutes for your manufactured product, which could negatively impact your market share.

Womens Suffrage and World War I :: Papers

Women's Suffrage and World War I In my opinion British women would not have gained the right to vote in 1918 without the First World War. In my research to substantiate my view, I obtained my information from my history book and the Internet I will state the source of my information and explain how the information links to the causes and effects that enabled women to get the vote. During the war, women were given responsibility and knowledge to carry out skilled work. They became more confident in their ability to influence people and to have their say. They learnt to juggle home and family, and manage financially. They wanted change and knew this had to come from the government. They wanted to choose a government with the policies they approved of. Realising that they were a valuable workforce and could become as skilled as men made them want to be valued and to have a say in the country's affairs. One argument in favour of women shows pictures of what men could be: A convict, lunatic, owner of white slaves, unfit for service and a drunkard. This portrayed men as being responsible, but they still could vote. Then it shows what women could achieve: Mayor, nurse, mother doctor or teacher or a factory hand, which showed them as responsible but they still couldn't the vote.1 Men's attitude towards women during the First World War was still negative. The ability of women to take on the roles of men meant that increasing numbers of men were vulnerable to conscription.2 The women were told that they couldn't vote because they weren't fighting for their country. They couldn't fight because they weren't allowed to. Women helped in the ammunition factories, where dangerous sulphur made their skin turn yellow.3 The government's opinion changed from thinking that women were incapable of responsible positions. The government tried to ignore the fact that they worked in the ammunition factories, and said that they weren't serving their country, but they finally accepted that through this and other types of work, women were

Biased Fight Against Crime in Millers Essay, The Rush to Punish :: Criminal Justice

Biased Fight Against Crime in Miller's Essay, The Rush to Punish In the essay "The Rush to Punish", Jerome Miller discusses how the nation's fight against crime has been aimed at the poor and minorities. He argues that far too many people are in prison or have criminal records in this country. Miller's main claim is one of policy, which expresses that the nation's current criminal justice system needs to change. He writes, "I'm very pessimistic about where things are heading" (566). This essay discusses issues of racism, stereotypes, individual city systems, and family importance in order to appeal to its intended audience of taxpayers, lawmakers, law enforcement officials, and criminals. General audience members, a fraction of society, may be oblivious to their impact on the system. The warrant suggested by Miller is that society must change its biases and routines in order for the criminal justice system to change. This article is written in question-answer format and has been taken from an interview. This makes the author's opinion very clear and works well to show argument. Miller appears to be sarcastic is some of his answers. This may confuse the reader, therefore distorting his purpose a little. The first support claim the author makes is that the majority of people in prison are minorities. He uses statistics to prove that the percentages of blacks and Hispanics obtaining criminal records are dramatically increasing. A large portion of minority males has a violent label. Miller states, "Now when we talk about building more prisons, when we talk about longer sentences, when we talk about cracking down on violent offenders, everyone knows that we're talking about men of color" (566). This clearly shows that something must be changed about the number of minorities involved with crime and backs up the main claim nicely. The second support claim used by the author is that society has to change how it handles offenders. Average offenders are labeled as serious, violent, and savagelike, but people do not take the time to find out the details of the criminals' pasts and the reasoning behind their acts. Miller writes, "Those are the kinds of things we not only do not want to know but from which we run in fear - because if we were to hear them, we'd all feel a little bit guilty. It's much easier to start talking about people in genetic terms" (567). The author uses this support very wisely.

Human Physical Appearance Essay

The appearances of people is like their cover, that? s why it? s so important, because it? s what can be seen, the first thing you note in a person, and like it or not, it tells a lot. It? s like a book, most of the time it? s judged by it? s front page, the right thing would be to read the review where you can know the details of it? s content, but what do you notice first? That why I compare the human appearance with a book, and I affirm that you can? t know a person only by the way they look, because it?  s not always what it seems, wearing designers clothes not necessarily shows your economic status and you can? t know a person only by their physical appearance, because this can be modified by a very important factor, self-esteem According to the Pequeno Larousse Ilustrado (1976), Appearance is â€Å" the outside look of a person or thing†. In another words is peoples physics, but there are situations in which the person can be criticized by this, specially during the te enage, that are the years of physical and mental development, but the physical part is commonly judged. Are we really conscious of what we say about other people? , I? m not saying it? s wrong, because the physical appearance is important, but is it all?. The appearance are not always what they look like, and even more in the teenage, the psychiatrist Felix Loracca says that we are modeling are personality in function of what others expect from us. For example, psychologists say that women tend to want to be accepted, not so much for their personality but for them to feel prettier. Young men present a similar case, now that they pay a lot of attention to their physical appearance, without neglecting their clothes, their hair, etc. The way each and every one of the teenagers practice their personal care for their appearance changes from one to another, but basically the aim is the same one, â€Å"try to look good†. Teenagers not only change their clothes, but their response, their expressions, their vocabulary and recreative activities. The way they dress and the physical appearance become very important, it can be a way to express solidarity with their friends, or as a way to declare their growing independence from their families. Another important aspect to consider is that clothing not necessarily proves your economical status, and this is more discussable nowadays, because material things don’t tell who you really are, a good example of this is Mahatma Gandhi, who despite of everything he owned economically speaking, acted like the most humble person in the world. People use to go for others clothing. Physical appearance influence, but is not determinant when we meet someone, and you can’t determine their economy, or their education by this, because everybody can have any kind of clothes or material objects without mattering the cost of these, there is who say â€Å"fashion, what suits you† and people can dress according with what they feel comfortable with without caring what other people think about them. Elton Mayo says that human relationships are majorly based in ties that exist between the members of society, thanks to communication, that can have many ways: principally visual, linguistically, affective and by specially created languages for the development of complex societies, that’s why he affirms that there is some importance in the physical appearance. One of the human needs is to relate with other living creatures, like Maslow shows in his hierarchical pyramid, in the affiliation is the friendship, or the creation of relations with other people. But in any moment he affirms the importance of the physical appearance. The changes in how we look to others are related with our self-esteem and not to our auto-perception, that’s why any change in our physical appearance can affect our present ME status, if we don’t have the ability to accept and adapt to these changes, in the same way this affects directly in our emotional status. In conclusion, physical appearances are an important part of people presence, but they are not determinant in the way to judge them, for what we saw previously. They exist an infinity of questions that we can make as thinking beings, that we lead us to much more questions, but it all ends in ourselves, the answer is in each one of us, you decide what to base in, how to act with others and how you want them to see you, but without losing your own personality.

A Comparative Film Review Essay

Today, the depiction of war is becoming more vivid and realistic. Audiences are more critical of how a move catches the actual events that transpired and of how they can relate to the emotions in the movie. The movies â€Å"Saving Private Ryan† and â€Å"We Were Soldiers† are two of the most popular modern day films with the subject of two different wars, World War II and Vietnam War respectively. They have similarities in many aspects However, they have even more differences. They have completely different themes, and completely different objectives. This paper explores on how these two films are alike and how they differ. When Duty Calls: A Comparative Film Review There has been much development in the movie industry since the onset of computer graphic imaging. This technology has enabled producers to depict subjects that were considered impossible. Today, humans are capable of transcending limitations on time and cultural differences. They can reenact historical events, reconstruct buildings, and recreate natural sceneries. Equipped with a blue screen, computers, and actors, an entire war can commence right before an audience. With both simple and complicated movie techniques, anything is accomplished. The movies â€Å"Saving Private Ryan† and â€Å"We Were Soldiers† share a common subject – and this is war. This topic has interested the curiosity of millions of viewers since time immemorial, as those who have witnessed it want to confirm the events and those who did not wish to learn the events. Both tackled common themes and presented different angles of a war. They share many similarities and possess many differences. But there is one significant aspect that both these movies have successfully translated. This is the price that war claims to those it chooses to affect (Spielberg, 1998; Wallace, 2002). Both stories of these masterpieces were derived from two of the most engaging events in the history of mankind. Saving Private Ryan was based on the life of a real individual named Sergeant Frederick Niland, a United States paratrooper sent to France on D-Day. We Were Soldiers, on the other hand, is a version of the book written by Lieutenant Colonel Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway about the military engagement in the la Drang Valley in 1965. Both contained fictional characters and modified events, but little truths must be altered in order for the actual truth to emerge (Spielberg, 1998; Wallace, 2002). Saving Private is neither a biopic nor a tale of heroism. Its story is a protest against the wraths of war and how humans condemn it. It has clear anti-war sentiments, as characters struggled through the horrors of war and suffered both insanity and distraught. The D-Day amphibious invasion at Normandy was an excellent prologue to the film. It had brutal depictions on the consequences of being a soldier, on the gruesome reality of battles, and the uncertainty of life. It is a story of comradeship, of realization of fears, and living an inch away from death (Spielberg, 1998; Wallace, 2002). In addition, We Were Soldiers is a film that shares absence of political themes of war. The primary objective of both movies is to relay to the audiences the lives of soldiers as soldiers, who are entities that can be separated from the entire picture of military and political debate. They are men who chose to be in the line of duty and take arms in order to fight for what they believe is righteous. But We Were Soldiers portrayed a relatively more intimate aspect, the scenario of the soldiers’ relationships with those they left at home. It prudently conveyed the lives that soldiers have before they leave for an assignment and after they have accomplished their missions (Spielberg, 1998; Wallace, 2002). In the sequence where Mel Gibson with Madeline Stowe and Chris Klein with Keri Russell were spending their last night together prior the soldiers’ departure for war, the intense emotions were effectively depicted. It relayed the fear being contained when lovers are being parted without any assurance of reunification. It is a scene where there is pain because of the uncertain. Another important aspect of war that this movie portrayed was not only the lives of men in the battle zones, but also those of their families awaiting their return. In the scene where the women would gather together and watch television for updates, one would feel the intensity of fear that these women are trying to suppress within. They would not want to cry until they hear something concrete, but just the prospect of losing their husbands is cruel. Every knock on their door was a possibility of the word that they have lost their beloved men (Spielberg, 1998; Wallace, 2002). Both movies focused on a hero, an officer of a military unit. Tom Hanks was the captain in charge of a platoon assigned to search for Private James Ryan while Mel Gibson was also the captain leading his men through Vietnamese jungles. In Saving Private Ryan, heroism is to fulfill one’s duty, regardless of its nature. As long as it contributes to the efforts of war, and that it is a soldier’s mission, then one is to be considered a genuine soldier. In We Were Soldiers, heroism is making a decision, although detrimental for a certain number of people but crucial for the entire outcome of the war. Saving Private Ryan was not a film about a country’s victory or defeat. It is a story of personal victory in one’s struggle to maintain his conviction amidst a world gone half mad. We Were Soldiers, in contrast, is about how a military unit lost a critical battle and most of the men involved (Spielberg, 1998; Wallace, 2002). Both shaped the American understanding of the realities of war. Because of these movies, the public has learned to further their appreciation of the sacrifices that men in uniform give in order for peace to prevail. The price is clear, their lives and the structure of their families are put in the line of fire each time they board the helicopters or boats in order to fight in the beaches or jungles. Both movies gave significance to the human side of war, concentrating on the people that comprise a war and how a war shaped these people (Spielberg, 1998; Wallace, 2002). References Spielberg, S. (Director). (1998). Saving Private Ryan. [Motion Picture]. United States: Amblin Entertainment. Wallace, R. (Director). (2002). We Were Soldiers. [Motion Picture]. United States: Icon