Female Knights

Female Knights There are plenty of fierce women who have battled their way through history in politics and warfare. Although from an academic standpoint women could not generally carry the title of knight, there were still many women in European history who were part of chivalric orders and performed the duties of female knights without the formal recognition. Key Takeaways: Female Knights During the Middle Ages, women could not be granted the title of Knight; it was reserved for men only. However, there were many chivalric orders of knighthood that admitted women and female warriors who performed the role.Documented stories of women- primarily high-born- prove that they donned armor and directed troop movement in times of war. Chivalric Orders of Europe The word knight was not just a job title, it was a social ranking. For a man to become a knight, he had to be formally knighted in a ceremony, or receive an accolade of knighthood for exceptional bravery or service, usually in battle. Because neither of these were typically the domains of women, it was rare for a women to carry the title of knight. However, in parts of Europe, there were chivalric orders of knighthood that were open to women. During the early medieval period, a group of devout Christian knights joined together to form the Knights Templar. Their mission was twofold: to protect European travelers on pilgrimage in the Holy Land, but also to carry out secret military operations.  When they finally took the time to write down a list of their rules, around 1129 C.E., their mandates mentioned a pre-existing practice of admitting women to the Knights Templar. In fact, women were permitted as part of the organization during its first 10 years of existence. Lorado / Getty Images A related group, the Teutonic Order, accepted women as Consorores, or Sisters. Their role was an auxiliary one, often related to support and hospital services during times of war, including on the battlefield. In the mid-12th century, Moorish invaders laid the town of Tortosa, Spain, under siege. Because the towns menfolk were already off at battle fighting on another front, it fell to the women of Tortosa to set up defenses. They dressed in mens clothing- which was certainly easier to fight in- picked up weapons, and held their town with an array of swords, farm implements, and hatchets. In the aftermath, Count Ramon Berenguer of Barcelona founded the Order of the Hatchet in their honor. Elias Ashmole wrote in 1672 that the count granted the women of Tortosa numerous privileges and immunities: He also ordained, that at all publick meetings, the  Women  should have precedence of the  Men; That they should be exempted from all Taxes; and that all the Apparel and Jewels, though of never so great value, left by their dead Husbands, should be their own. It is not known whether the women of the Order ever fought in any battles other than defending Tortosa. The group faded into obscurity as its members aged and died out. Women in Warfare During the Middle Ages, women were not raised for battle like their male counterparts, who typically trained for warfare from boyhood. However, that doesnt mean they didnt fight. There are numerous examples of women, both noble and lower-born, who defended their homes, their families, and their nations from attacking outside forces. Margaret of Anjou directed troops during the War of the Roses. Hulton Archive / Getty Images The eight-day siege of Jerusalem in 1187 relied on women for success. Nearly all of the citys fighting men had marched out of town three months earlier, for the Battle of Hattin, leaving Jerusalem unguarded but for a few hastily-knighted boys. The women, however, outnumbered men in the city by nearly 50 to 1, so when Balian, Baron of Ibelin, realized it was time to defend the walls against the invading army of Saladin, he enlisted the female citizens to get to work. Dr. Helena P. Schrader, Ph.D. in History from the University of Hamburg, says that Ibelin would have had to organize these untrained civilians into units, assigning them specific, focused tasks. ... whether it was defending a sector of the wall, putting out fires, or ensuring that the men and women doing the fighting were supplied with water, food and ammunition. Most astonishing, his improvised units not only repulsed assaults, they also sortied out several times, destroying some of Saladin’s siege engines, and two or three times chasing the Saracens all the way back to the palisades of their camp. Nicholaa de la Haye was born in Lincolnshire, England, around 1150, and inherited her fathers land when he died. Married at least twice, Nicholaa was the castellan of Lincoln Castle, her family estate, despite the fact that each of her husbands tried to claim it as their own. When her spouses were away, Nicholaa ran the show. William Longchamps, a chancellor of Richard I, was heading to Nottingham to battle against Prince John, and along the way, he stopped at Lincoln, laying siege to Nicholaas castle. She refused to yield, and commanding 30 knights, 20 men-at-arms, and a few hundred infantrymen, held the castle for 40 days. Longchamps eventually gave up and moved on. She defended her home again a few years later when Prince Louis of France tried to invade Lincoln. Women didnt just show up and perform the duties of knights in defensive mode. There are several accounts of queens who traveled into the field with their armies in times of war. Eleanor of Aquitaine, the Queen of both France and England, led a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. She even did it while dressed in armor and carrying a lance, although she didnt personally fight. During the War of the Roses, Marguerite d’Anjou personally directed the actions of Lancastrian commanders during battles against Yorkist opponents while her husband, King Henry VI, was incapacitated by bouts of madness. In fact, in 1460, she defeated the threat to her husband’s throne by calling on the Lancastrian nobility to assemble a mighty host in Yorkshire that ambushed York and killed him and 2,500 of his men outside his ancestral home at Sandal Castle. Finally, its important to note that over the centuries, there were countless other women who donned armor and rode into war. We know this because although medieval European writers documenting the Crusades emphasized the notion that pious Christian women did not fight, the historians of their Muslim opponents wrote of crusading women battling against them. The Persian scholar Imad ad-din al-Isfahani wrote, a woman of high rank arrived by sea in late autumn 1189, with an escort of 500 knights with  their forces, squires, pages and valets. She paid all their expenses and also led them in  raids on the Muslims. He went on to say that there were many female knights among the Christians, who wore armour like the men and fought like men in battle, and could not be told apart from  the men until they were killed and the armour was stripped from their bodies. Although their names have been lost to history, these women did exist, they simply were not granted the title of knight. Sources Ashmole, Elias. â€Å"The Institution, Laws Ceremonies of the Most Noble Order of the Garter Collected and Digested into One Body.†Ã‚  Early English Books Online, The University of Michigan, quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A26024.0001.001?viewtoc.Nicholson, Helen, and Helen Nicholson. â€Å"Women and the Crusades.†Ã‚  Academia.edu, www.academia.edu/7608599/Women_and_the_Crusades.Schrader, Helena P. â€Å"Surrender of Jerusalem to Saladin in 1187.†Ã‚  Defending the Crusader Kingdoms, 1 Jan. 1970, defendingcrusaderkingdoms.blogspot.com/2017/10/surrender-of-jerusalem-to-saladin-in.html.Velde, Francois R. â€Å"Women Knights in the Middle Ages.†Ã‚  Women Knights, www.heraldica.org/topics/orders/wom-kn.htm.

Field Technician - A First Job in Archaeology

Field Technician - A First Job in Archaeology A Field Technician, or Archaeological Field Technician, is an entry-level paying position in archaeology. A Field Technician performs archaeological survey and excavation, under the supervision of a Principal Investigator, Field Supervisor, or Crew Chief. These jobs are known by a wide variety of names, including Field Hand, Field Archaeologist, Natural Resource Technician I, Archaeologist/Technician, Field Technician, US Government 29023 Archeological Technician I, and Assistant Archaeologist. Duties An archaeological field technician performs duties associated with pedestrian surveys as well as hand excavation (shovel testing, bucket auger testing, 1x1 meter units, test trenches) of archaeological sites. Field technicians may be asked to take detailed field notes, draw sketch maps, excavate archaeological features, bag artifacts, record provenience of the finds, use a Munsell soil chart, take photographs, use computer software programs (Microsoft ® Word, Excel and Access are typical), and at all times maintain client confidentiality. Some amount of physical labor is generally required, such as manually removing brush or vegetation, and carrying and maintaining tools and equipment. Field technicians may need to navigate with a compass and topographic map, help run a total station to create topographic maps, or learn digital mapping with using GPS/GIS. Job Type and Availability Kansas Archeology Training Program Field School. Mark Reinstein / Corbis via Getty Image Entry level jobs are usually short-term temporary positions; they dont usually come with insurance or benefits, although there are exceptions. Typically, a field technician is hired by a  firm that conducts archaeological work related to cultural resource management (or heritage management) in many different states or countries. Those firms maintain a list of field technicians and send out notices when projects are coming up: projects which can last for a few days or years. The long-term positions are rare; field techs rarely work full time and most are seasonal employees. Archaeological projects are conducted over the world, mostly led by cultural resource firms (or cultural resource arms of engineering companies), universities, museums, or governmental agencies. The jobs are fairly numerous, but require the technician to travel far from home and stay in the field for extended periods of time. Education / Experience Level Required This pile of excavation equipment is waiting for the next field trip. Kris Hirst (c) 2006 At a minimum, field technicians need a Bachelors degree in Anthropology, Archaeology or a closely related field, plus six months or a years experience. Most firms expect employees to have taken at least one professional field school or have had some prior field survey experience. Occasionally firms will take people who are still working on their bachelors degrees. Experience with ArcMap, ArcPad or other GIS hardware such as a Trimble unit is helpful; a valid drivers license and good driving record is a fairly standard requirement. Another highly valued asset is familiarity with cultural resource laws, such as Section 106, NEPA, NHPA, FERC as well as relevant state regulations in the United States. There are also specialist positions, such as coastal or marine/maritime projects that may require SCUBA diving experience. Field schools can be taken at a local university for tuition and living costs; archaeological and historical societies occasionally run projects to train prospective field technicians. Advantageous Assets Field technicians need a good work ethic and a cheerful disposition: archaeology is physically demanding and often tedious, and a successful technician should be willing to learn, work hard, and act independently. Verbal and written communication skills are among the most sought-after characteristics for beginning field technicians, particularly the ability to write technical reports. Membership in professional societies, such as the Institute for Archaeologists in the UK or the Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA) in the US, may be a requirement for employment, and background or knowledge in the cultures being studied (especially for long projects) is a valuable asset. Having many of these characteristics may lead to promotions or full-time positions. Although the Americans with Disabilities Act is in force for archaeological jobs in the US and there are similar laws in other countries, field technician jobs require employees to be in good physical condition, to be able to work outdoors in variable weather conditions and on varied terrain. Some jobs will require longer work weeks when circumstances arise; and survey projects, in particular, require walking long distances (8–16 kilometers or 5–10 miles a day) under adverse conditions, including inclement weather and wildlife encounters, carrying up to 23 kilograms (50 pounds). Drug screening, background checks, and even physical fitness exams conducted by the firm are becoming common. Common Pay Rates Based on job listings viewed in January 2019, rates for a Field Technician vary between $US 14–22 per hour and, in the United Kingdom,  £10–15 per hour- however, few job listings in 2019 provided explicit wage data. Per diem covering hotels and meals is often provided, depending on the project. In a statistical survey conducted in 2012, Doug Rocks-Macqueen (2014) reported that rates for US-based field technicians ranged between US$10–25, with an average of $14.09. Rocks-Macqueen, Doug 2014. Jobs in American Archaeology: Pay for CRM Archaeologists. Archaeologies 10(3):281–296 download the article for free from Dougs Archaeology blog. Pluses and Minuses of the Traveling Life The life of a field technician is not without rewards, but there are some difficulties involved. If specific projects last six months or more, it may not be practical for many field technicians to maintain a permanent address (apart from a family member or friend as a mail drop). Stowing furniture and other possessions in an empty apartment for six months or a year is expensive and risky. Field technicians travel quite a bit, which may be the single best reason to spend a couple years as an archaeological assistant. Wages and availability of jobs and housing will vary from company to company, from dig to dig, whether nationally or internationally. In many countries, field technician positions are filled by local experts, and getting hired on those excavations requires enough experience to play a supervisory role. Where to Find Field Tech Jobs US R. Joe Brandons Shovel BumsJennifer Palmers Archaeology Fieldwork.comINDEED: Archaeological Field TechniciansGlassdoor.com: Archaeological Field Technician Jobs Canada Jennifer Palmers Archaeological Fieldwork: Canada UK British Archaeological Jobs Resources (BAJR): EmploymentINDEED UK: Archaeological Field Jobs Australia INDEED AU: Archaeology Jobs

The changing role of Middle Managers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The changing role of Middle Managers - Essay Example This team’s focus is more towards the long term goals of the company in terms of growth, profitability, withstanding competition, compliance with regulations, satisfying shareholders and increasingly being good corporate citizens in society in terms of the environment and sustainable business practices. Line managers tend to technical experts at specific tasks such as production, quality, purchasing, product development, marketing, sales, advertising or accounting. The middle manager serves as the interface between the small senior team and the much larger number of line managers (Jones and George, 2003). 2.1 The principal tasks for a middle manager Anthony Dance who describes himself as a Middle Manager Coach lists the differences between the middle managers’ role and that of the line managers who report to him. In a 2011 magazine article, he describes the middle manager as the manager of mangers whereas line mangers are mangers of specific functions. The middle manger ’s performance is dependent on the performance of others and his set of duties is often not very clearly defined. Anthony Dance breaks up the traditional role of a middle manager into three principal categories, Strategic tasks, Technical tasks and People tasks. The Strategic tasks include the understanding of the objectives for the company set by the senior management and breaking those into actionable tasks for the line managers, providing feedback to senior management on any problems and recommending corrections, financial and performance analysis and reporting, and communication both upwards and downwards. The Technical tasks include administration, ensuring compliance with plans and co-ordination between line functions. The most important function, however, are the...Anthony Dance who describes himself as a Middle Manager Coach lists the differences between the middle managers’ role and that of the line managers who report to him. In a 2011 magazine article, he de scribes the middle manager as the manager of managers whereas line managers are managers of specific functions. The middle manger’s performance is dependent on the performance of others and his set of duties is often not very clearly defined. Anthony Dance breaks up the traditional role of a middle manager into three principal categories, Strategic tasks, Technical tasks and People tasks. The Strategic tasks include the understanding of the objectives for the company set by the senior management and breaking those into actionable tasks for the line managers, providing feedback to senior management on any problems and recommending corrections, financial and performance analysis and reporting, and communication both upwards and downwards. The Technical tasks include administration, ensuring compliance with plans and co-ordination between line functions. The most important function, however, are the People tasks which include leading the team, motivating them and developing new leaders. Good middle managers strive to constantly improve the performance of line managers and remove those who fail to improve. The problem in most organizations comes from the middle manager not spending enough time on people tasks, either because he is overloaded with the other tasks or because he is uncomfortable with handling people issues.

The asset pricing models CAPM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The asset pricing models CAPM - Essay Example For instance, if investor A buys more of stocks of X than Y, then every investor in the market will react the same by buying of stocks X and less of Y. Therefore, from this illustration and the aforementioned explanation, it is evident that the two models assumes that the investors in the market evaluate the information they have in the same way, hence arriving at the same decisions regarding their investment activities. However, given that investors have homogeneous expectations concerning their returns, level of risk inherent and investment strategies, they will always tend to remain risk averse (Sharpe, 1964). From the explanation above, it is clear that the models of APT and CAPM depend on the publicly available information concerning the returns and level of risk inherent in specific securities (Watson and Head, 2007). Therefore, the models do not specify any particular information that investors should use regarding their investment decisions but assume the investor will use the most current information available in the market concerning the different securities, thus, helping them choose the best investment strategies. The proponents of the APT argue that the model is the best alternative to the CAPM because it has more assumptions requirements that are flexible (Reilly & Brown, 2011). For instance, whereas the capital asset pricing model uses the expected return of a security, APT uses a security’s risk expected return, in addition to, the risk premiums of a couple of macro-economic elements. Therefore, from this proposition it is undeniable that CAPM has more strong assumptions compared to the APT. For instance, whereas the CAPM assumes that there exists a risk free rate in the market, the APT model tries to identify risk premium to enable investors take advantage of any mispriced securities, which is different from the

Video game console Essay Example for Free

Video game console Essay The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft, and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sonys PlayStation 3 and Nintendos Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles. We plan to launch a high-quality, it is slimmer than the previous Xbox 360 model and features integrated 802. 11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, TOSLINK S/PDIF optical audio output, a 250 GB hard drive, 5 USB 2. 0 ports (compared to the 3 from older versions) and a special AUX port. The overall goal of xbox 360 marketing program is to create enhanced public awareness through a comprehensive marketing campaign. we would like to see a 15 percent increase in the segment market of brand awareness. The Xbox 360 is very user friendly,convenience with Wi-Fi Connection, good customer services and advices, free download video game trailers. Additonal, We are planning to provide a prefect customer services system. Building brand awareness among affluent consumers. Using low price to penetration in the market segmentation. Also We will use pull strategy to capture potential consumer and use push strategy to reach with good relationship with each media channel. Internal situation Our company mission is reach a brand awarness of 60% up to 75% in the cosumer market. We will build up a good communication with our partner, using promtion discount offer to wholesaler and retailer, we will provide more information of our new products to them. External situation When economic recovery, it will make people have more purchase power to buy their needs. Highly income will make people to increae their enterainment with standard of living. Xbox360 compete with others manufacture such as PS3, Wii in the segment market. SWOT Analysis of Xbox360 Xbox360 is very powerful strengths such as Kinect (originally known by the code name Project Natal)is a controller-free gaming and entertainment experience for the Xbox 360 video game platform. The users to control and interact with the Xbox 360 without the need to touch a game controller through a natural user interface using gestures, spoken commands or presented objects and images. The project is aimed at broadening the Xbox 360s audience beyond its typical gamer base. The Xbox360 is using HD Technology which makes a beautiful image and with visual expression. The powerful of Xbo360 is easily compat wiht previous Xbox games, it makes convenience who wants to play a previous games. Our pice is lower than PS3, Launch of Xbox 360 250 GB $299. 99 and The price of PS3 each unit cost around $400 to manufacture by August 2009 with 160GB. Our Weakness is the lack of Microsoft Xbox 360 Strength: †¢ Integration of next generation DVD players i. e. HD technology †¢ Backward compatibility with previous Xbox games †¢ Online product – the first of its kind †¢ Lower price than most comparable competitor PS3 †¢ The new product of kinect Weakness: †¢ Expensive hardware and games †¢ Production flows †¢ Direct competition with Nintendo because of equally large customer base Opportunity †¢ Penetration of new markets in ME †¢ Penetration of untouched markets by means of bundling †¢ Partnership with Hollywood studios Threat †¢ Lower cost competitor i.e. Nintendo †¢ Anti trust issues in Europe †¢ Hardware complication Competition Sony Play Station. 3 Strength: †¢ Integration of next generation DVD players †¢ Backward compatibility with previous PS2 †¢ Mostly Free Online product †¢ Recent decline in profits Weakness: †¢ Expensive hardware and games Opportunity †¢ Great product lunch covering global spectrum. †¢ Penetration of new markets in ME †¢ Penetration of untouched markets by means of bundling †¢ Partnership with Hollywood studios Threat †¢ Lower cost competitor i. e. Nintendo. †¢ Delays in production †¢ Constant strategy change Nintendo Wii Strength: †¢ Uniqueness of hardware motion detection †¢ Low cost hardware and software †¢ Intuitive usage Weakness: †¢ Joystick liability †¢ Limited selection of software Opportunity †¢ Penetration of new markets in ME / Europe / Asia †¢ Marketing to novice gamers including seniors and adults Threat †¢ Loss of potential customer because of lack of software selection and sophistication of games. †¢ Software developers abandon game development because of lack of adequate profits.

The Death Of Liberal America Essay -- essays research papers

Americans seem to have lost any sense whatsoever of what liberalism means and what it strives to insure. Liberals have insisted that tyranny can only be combated by the multiplication and fragmentation of power. A free society is one in which there are various centers of power, various positions from which people have the ability to influence decisions. That’s the whole point behind creating three branches of government, the vaunted â€Å"separation of powers.† Liberalism aims to insure peace and prevent tyranny in pluralistic societies. Liberalism strives to place lots of individual actions outside the pale of politics and beyond interference from the state or other powers. And, culturally, it strives to promote tolerance, where tolerance is, at a minimum, indifference to the choices and actions of others and, at best, a recognition that diversity yields some social benefits. Liberalism guarantees through freedoms of speech, the press, and association, and through the institutional mechanisms of election, jury trials, and legislative deliberations, the active engagement of citizens with one another. Liberals should promote in every way possible the existence of a vibrant, accessible, and uncensored civil society. In short, liberalism proliferates the occasions where citizens of different opinions, backgrounds, creeds etc. mingle with one another, express their views, and argue about specific issues. And in some, but not all cases, these settings have to move to a decision that is then accepted, even when not very satisfying, by all the parties involved. Democratic procedures of decision making which guarantee to all interested parties their chance to say their piece (their chance to sway others by argument), and use the vote and majority rule to adjudicate differences, are a vital liberal expedient for keeping the peace. That’s because democracy, amazingly enough, has proven an astoundingly effective way to get people to accept - peacefully - the fact that they have ended up on the losing side of a political debate that was resolved by a vote. Liberalism, we might say, relies to some extent on the desire of all the participants to maintain the social peace. But even more fundamentally, it expects that the process of deliberation will move participants to an appreciation of the others involved, and the desire to come to an eventual decision that satisfies as m... ... strife. There are few things worse in this world than sectarian violence. Do the Republicans really know what fire they are playing with when they encourage sectarian divisiveness? And just look at the electoral map of the past two presidential elections. The South and the West are lined up against the Pacific Coast States and the North. We haven’t had such a regional divide since 1860. How long can California and the Northeast be shut out from national power? A population hardened into set divisions, a population without a big percentage of swing voters is in bad shape; a population where those divisions correspond to geographic boundaries is really courting disaster. If the South and West maintain their current coalition, we have a reversion to the regionalism that culminated in the Civil War. Certainly, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that the South continues to be the fly in the ointment of American democracy. It has never been as fluid in its awarding of votes in national elections as the other regions, and that has been a constant problem. The fact remains â€Å"If you aren’t outraged, you aren’t paying attention.† Seems like a lot of people aren’t paying attention.

Ethical Issues Essay

Different people have different understandings of what constitutes ethical behavior. There are laws that help define what is legal and what is not, but the differences between moral ethics are not always clear. These types of moral ethics often lead to ethical dilemmas. According to Trevino & Nelson (2007), â€Å"it might surprise many people to learn that there were few laws protecting consumers before the 1960s. At the turn of the last century, consumers didn’t even have the right to sue a manufacturer for defective equipment. † (p. 17) No matter what type of business is run, there are ethical and moral dilemmas attached and in some cases, legal issues arise from unethical-based decisions. Berry`s Bug Blasters is no exception to the rule. Berry`s Bug Blasters is a local company that terminates any type of pest including, armadillos, rodents, and bees. The friendly workers at Berry`s work with their clients to design a customized pest control plan. Berry`s mission statement states that they will use the safest methods for your family, home, and environment. One of the top ethical issues among pest control companies surrounds the controversy of the types of chemicals that are used while executing the termination of pests. Most of the pest control companies are known to use toxic, synthetic, and chemically-based pesticides. These types of pesticides have been known to be the most effective in the extermination of pests. However, they are not safe for people or the environment. The most common chemical used in pest control is Diazinon. Diazinon is used for household pests inside the home, or outside on the lawn. It kills a variety of insects and is classified as an acute and chronic health hazard. Diazinon is very toxic to wildlife and can be fatal if ingested. Recently, EcoSMART pest control was created. The scientists wanted to find a pesticide that will not harm a family. The scientists had a challenge on their hands. They had to discover natural ingredients that: â€Å"effectively kill pests, could be used around the home, family, and pets, and leave no toxic residue or run-off† (Meehan, 2010). The scientists found a way of creating the organic pesticide by using â€Å"essential oils that trees and plants use in nature as insect defense. They found all-natural plant oils which target the octopamine receptors in insects† (Meehan, 2010). The management of Berry`s Bug Blasters faced the ethical decision each time that they make a service call. Should they use chemicals that they know are not good for the environment and could potentially cause an individual a lot of health issues, or should they research and use a much safer chemical that may not be as effective as other pesticides. Other benefits of choosing Berry`s Bug Blasters is they are offering a monthly special to all customers for the first month and offer monthly extermination plans. There are ways to make sure that decisions that are made within a business are ethical. A business-person may ask him or herself how they would feel if his or her actions were publicized throughout the community. If the individual would not mind his or her family, friends, and community learning about the actions, then the decision is most likely ethical. However, if the individual did feel bad about others known the actions, the decision is probably unethical and should be reconsidered. The employees and management of Berry`s Bug Blasters will do whatever is in their power to protect a family as well as the environment. Although new ‘green’ pesticides may not seem as effective as older ones, more laws are coming out that prevent pest control companies in using anything toxic in order to protect the community. Berry`s Bug Blasters will face this ethical dilemma constantly as clients insist on using a chemical that will rid the pests once and for all without a doubt rather than take a risk with something not as strong.

Turning Around Malaysia Airlines

12 Nur Ain Binti Muhammad Yusuf Turning Around Malaysia Airlines Turning Around Malaysia Airlines Table of Content NO| TITLE| PAGE| 1. 0| Executive Summary| 1| 2. 0| Introduction to Case Study| 1| 3. 0| BTP1 Assessment| 1| 3. 1| Financial Analysis| 1| 3. 2| SWOT Analysis (BTP1)| 2| 3. 3| BTP1 Turnaround Analysis| 2| 4. 0| BTP2 Assessment| 3| 5. 0| Bottlenecks & Recommendation| 3| 6. 0| References| 4| 7. 0| Appendices| 5| 1. 0 Executive Summary Malaysia Airlines (abbreviated MAS), is the government-owned flag carrier of Malaysia.Due to fuel price hiking, inefficient management, global economic crisis, government intervention and low load factor, MAS suffers substantial loss which peaks during 2005. Afterward, Tan Sri Idris Jala was brought into MAS strategizing for turnaround program to bring MAS back to profit. The main target for Business Turnaround 1 (BTP1) is for profit turnaround of 1. 1 Billion improvements in 2006 Exhibit 1. 1. MAS proposes plan to tackle on the financial aspec t, as well as non financial aspect such as operational, enriching stakeholders bonding, increasing customers value as well as for people.Several decision made includes selling off headquarters, increasing fares, cutting-off unprofitable routes (Exhibit 1. 9) and Mutual Separation Scheme to enhance its financial. Firefly and MasWings are launched to cater domestic flights. BTP1 proved to be a success and subsequently, BTP2 follows. BTP2 focuses on detailed project and procedure to carry on the success of BTP 1. 2. 0Introduction to Case Study This report will discuss and analyze the positioning of Malaysia Airlines.The key objectives are to identify the current market situation as well as analyzing the Business Turnaround Plan 1 and Business Turnaround Plan 2 and its success or failure as well as providing some recommendation for future sustainability. 3. 0Assessment on Business Turnaround Plan 1 (BTP1) 3. 1Financial Analysis During the implementation of BTP1 (2006 &2007), the operati ng profit recorded high. Based on the computation of MAS’ ratio as shown in Exhibit 1. 2, BTP1 period shows a favorable ratio as compared to other year. Based on efficiency ratio, there is remarkable increase in the ratio in 2006.It measures how effectively the firm is managing its assets in generating the sales, and it is due to increase in operating profit. The gearing ratio as per Exhibit 1. 5 show a slight dipped in 2006, however recovers in 2007 due to sale of the headquarters building. Exhibit 1. 7 favors greatly to MAS as the cash flows increase in 2006 and 2007 show near 4 million of cash flows due to issues of shares and selling off the building. Overall, financial analysis during BTP1 period shows favorable impact financially to MAS, however does not improves continuously during period in which BTP2 commence. . 2SWOT Analysis (BTP1) Strength By initiating Mutual Separation Scheme, it emphasis on increasing staff efficiency, cutting down routes leads to a focus on se rvices and network structures that were profitable. The intention to diversify with MasWings and Firefly promotes larger scope for market. Weaknesses The BTP1 initiative focuses on the financial aspect, since they have to recover from massive losses previously. The extreme cost reduction might impact the service indirectly, or being too financial-focus, BTP1 merely recognized the non financial aspect.The decision also largely attributed to gaining quick cash to solve the liquidity problems; ie; from the selling off the building. Whilst it can become their advantage, but by diversifying, because MAS itself in a shaky state, thus by diversifying, it lack focus as well as imposing larger operating cost for MAS as a whole. Opportunity Connell (2006) comments that medical tourism has been a success in Asia especially and has prompted global interest, with the increasing in GDP worldwide including Malaysia, as well as emerging worldwide fascination with travelling, thus it can be taken as a tool for Malaysia Airlines to expand their customer.This BTP1 plan can become the turnaround aspect financially and non-financially. Threat Even AirAsia is seen as Mas biggest threat, however, seeing that how both of these airlines promotes entirely different packages and offerings, Mas deemed these few obstacles as their main threat, which is the volatility of fuel price due to Iraq invasion by US, staff resistance of given plan and government intervention in setting up boundaries for the CEO to act accordingly to what they thinks fit. 3. 3BTP1 Turnaround AnalysisBTP1 Turnaround Analysis will be done based on the core strategies in which BTP1 proposed (in which two important aspects are further elaborated). First is by financing and aligning the business on the Income Statement. As per financial analysis above mentioned, MAS shows remarkable transformation during this phase. Based on Exhibit 1. 1 the actual performance supersedes the projected plan projected a year ahead of time . This is a success due to fares increment, elimination of unprofitable routes and increase in efficiency.Other core strategy is flying to win customer and by observing and studying the non-financial aspect during the implementation of BTP1, they succeed in maintaining the customers’ value. This resulted in MAS receiving 11 non financial-awards during this phase including 5-Star Airline Award, 2006 and 2007 from Skytrax, Best Airline to Asia, 2006, Travel Weekly Globe Award and numerous cabin service awards from Skytrax, Readers Digest and so on. They also encourage mastering operational excellence by increasing employees’ value and efficiency, Unleashing Talents & Capabilities and winning coalition.While it is based on value judgment and rather subjective, however it is proven to be a success referring to relevant articles, audited financial statement and to some extent word of mouth by former and existing employee. The efficiency increases as well and can be observed by some of the decision made by Tan Sri Idris Jala which by reducing unprofitable routes, selling of the building in Jalan Raja Chulan, and drastic cost reduction scheme. 4. 0Assessment on Business Turnaround Plan 2 (BTP2)As per financial analysis, most analysis shows an unfavorable financial state during the implementation of BTP2. BTP2 is a more comprehensive, step to step planning in conjunction with the success of BTP1. Referring to Exhibit 1. 10, BTP2 strategize on Breaking New Ground (BNG), Gaining New Business (GNB) and Making The Most (MTM). With the current state of Malaysia Airlines and from the analysis gathered financially and non-financially, BTP2 make slight downturn from the success of its previous predecessor. 5. 0Bottlenecks & RecommendationThere are many bottlenecks that lead to diminution of momentum for BTP2 including competition with AirAsia, stepping down of Tan Sri Idris Jala as CEO, the diversification effects, MAS internal culture and strategies gone awry. In order to gain sustainability, the first is how to capture customer. MAS has been underperform financially due to stagnant and average load factor which in turns affect RRPK & RASK; example exhibit 1. 8. Thus, in order to capture the market, MAS have to strategically plan for its marketing approach to attract broader customer and thus larger scale promotion need to be made.They also should assess the manpower requirement and sell unnecessary asset. 6. 0Reference 1. â€Å"Malaysia Airlines Business Turnaround Plan† (PDF). Malaysia Airlines 2. â€Å"Malaysia Airlines Business Transformation Plan: Project Mosaic†. (PDF) Malaysia Airlines. 3. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Malaysia_Airlines 4. http://www. flightglobal. com/news/articles/idris-jala-transforming-malaysia-airlines-222296/ 5. http://sakmongkol. blogspot. com/2011/08/mas-turnaround-was-real-debate. html 7. 0Appendices Exhibit 1. 1Projected Profits: BTP1 Exhibit 1. 2Table of Ratio from 2003- 2008 | 2003| 2004| 2005| 2006| 2007| 2008|Current ratio| 1. 04| 1. 18| 0. 81| 0. 74| 1. 42| 1. 38| Acid-test ratio| 0. 92| 1. 08| 0. 70| 0. 67| 1. 35| 1. 31| Fixed assets turnover| 3. 53| 3. 59| 3. 09| 4. 03| 5. 59| 4. 55| Debt ratio| 0. 55| 0. 54| 0. 68| 0. 73| 0. 61| 0. 49| Gross profit margin| -0. 0067| 0. 0003| -0. 1670| -0. 0486| 0. 0186| -0. 0108| Operating profit margin| 0. 056| 0. 041| -0. 143| -0. 003| 0. 061| 0. 022| Net profit margin| 0. 039| 0. 054| -0. 143| -0. 010| 0. 006| 0. 016| Exhibit 1. 3Liquidity Ratio Exhibit 1. 4Efficiency Ratio Exhibit 1. 5Debt Ratio Exhibit 1. 6Profitability Ratio Exhibit 1. 7Cash Flow Analysis Exhibit 1. 8Performance Analysis

Stunning College Basketball Players

Stunning College Basketball Players Best college basketball players ever: Top 10 Sport is our healthy life. Fortunately, it is becoming more and more popular nowadays. Now is exactly that period of time when stars of college basketball starts shining. Yes, college basketball is very popular now. So, if you feel exhilarated about it, let us present you a list of 10 top stunning college basketball players. SF Jaylen Brown Ranked by 10th position, Jaylen Brown always does his best to contribute greatly for Cal`s success. And, he always manages to do so. Brown main specialty is that he attacks the basket in a very proper way and thanks to his size makes it impossible for opponents to do something against the hit. He helps a lot to prospect Cal and lead it to unprecedented success. PG Tyler Ulis Position number 9 is for Tyler Ulis here in this list of the best college basketball players. He is from Kentucky College and is well-known for being signature floater. Ulis has many chances to lead Kentucky to a real success in various competitions. He is also well-known for being a great distributor. Besides it, Ulis can perfectly attack the basket any time needed. G Brandon Ingram Number 8 is for Brandon Ingram from Duke. He is considered to be a top player. Ingram is able to professionally attack the basket. He also shoots greatly: over 40% from behind the three-point line. Despite the fact he is a good player now and has all physical characteristics required, Ingram still needs to get stronger to achieve a real success and all his goals. PG Melo Trimble Melo Trimble is a basketball player from the Maryland College. He is always ready to attack the basket. In addition, Trimble is good in jumpers` hitting. He is also considered to be a solid scorer. PG Kris Dunn Kris is a player from the school of Providence. He is one of the top NBA personalities in the tournament. Dunn is thought to be an excellent passer and defender. He always proves it while playing. C Jakob Poeltl The next player in this list is Jacob Poeltl, Utah. He is famous for his professional skill set. Poeltl can score on the block properly and knock down a mid-range jumper. In general, he is solid on the boards. Besides it, Jacob performs block tricks very often. G Grayson Allen One more player from the Duke College, Grayson Allen is ranked now number 4. He is claimed to be one of the most controversial college basketball player. Allen always helps his team to win a game or tournaments, using his perfect skills. He has 41% three-point shooting this season of games. PF Brice Johnson Brice Johnson from the North Carolina is said to be the most stunning basketball player around the country with the very best skills of scoring and rebounding. He always shows his the strongest sides and keeps the opposite team in a great tension. He is expected to make a great deep run and become the best player of tournament. G Buddy Hield A basketball player from the Oklahoma school, Buddy Hield, is ranked number 2 here. He is also considered to be one of the most successful scorers throughout the country. It won`t be a great surprise if Hield will lead the Sooners to the great Final Four. Denzel Valentine And finally, the position number one in the list of the best college basketball players is for Denzel Valentine, Michigan State. Both Denzel Valentine and Buddy Hield have battled for this top position and the title of the most stunning player. Speaking about Valentine, he is one of the best scorers. He is also good in observing the floor and distributing the ball to other teammates.   His physical features also contribute greatly to the success as a college basketball player. So, this was the list of the most amazing college basketball players. Maybe a new tournament will bring us new champions and titles.

Sturmgewehr 44 Assault Rifle - World War II Weaponry

Sturmgewehr 44 Assault Rifle - World War II Weaponry The Sturmgewehr 44 was the first assault rifle to see deployment on a large scale. Developed by Nazi Germany, it was introduced in 1943 and first saw service on the Eastern Front. Though far from perfect, the StG44 proved a versatile weapon for German forces. Specifications Cartridge: 7.92 x 33mm KurzCapacity: 30 roundsMuzzle Velocity: 2,247 ft./sec.Effective Range: 325 yds.Weight: Approx. 11.5 lbs.Length: 37 in.Barrel Length: 16.5 in.Sights: Adjustable sights - Rear: V-notch, Front: hooded postAction: Gas-operated, tilting boltNumber Built: 425,977 Design Development At the beginning of World War II, German forces were equipped bolt-action rifles such as the Karabiner 98k, and a variety of light and medium machine guns. Problems soon arose as the standard rifles proved too large and unwieldy for use by mechanized troops. As a result, the Wehrmacht issued several smaller submachine guns, such as the MP40, to augment those weapons in the field. While these were easier to handle and increased the individual firepower of each soldier, they had a limited range and were inaccurate beyond 110 yards. While these issues existed, they were not pressing until the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. Encountering increasing numbers of Soviet troops equipped with semi-automatic rifles like the Tokarev SVT-38 and SVT-40, as well as the PPSh-41 submachine gun, German infantry officers began to reassess their weapons needs. While development progressed on the Gewehr 41 series of semi-automatic rifles, they proved problematic in the field and German industry was not capable of producing them in the numbers needed. Efforts were made to fill the void with light machine guns, however, the recoil of the 7.92 mm Mauser round limited accuracy during automatic fire. The solution to this issue was the creation of an intermediate round that was more powerful than pistol ammunition, but less than a rifle round. While work on such a round had been ongoing since the mid-1930s, the Wehrmacht has previously rejected it adoption. Re-examining the project, the army selected the Polte 7.92 x 33mm Kurzpatrone and began soliciting weapon designs for the ammunition. Issued under the designation Maschinenkarabiner 1942 (MKb 42), development contracts were issued to Haenel and Walther. Both companies responded with gas-operated prototypes that were capable of either semi-automatic or fully-automatic fire. In testing, the Hugo Schmeisser-designed Haenel MKb 42(H) out-performed the Walther and was selected by the Wehrmacht with some minor changes. A short production run of the MKb 42(H) was field tested in November 1942 and received strong recommendations from German troops. Moving forward, 11,833 MKb 42(H)s were produced for field trials in late 1942 and early 1943. Assessing the data from these trials, it was determined that the weapon would perform better with a hammer firing system operating from a closed bolt, rather than the open bolt, striker system initially designed by Haenel. As work moved forward to incorporate this new firing system, development temporarily came to halt when Hitler suspended all new rifle programs due to administrative infighting within the Third Reich. To keep the MKb 42(H) alive, it was re-designated Maschinenpistole 43 (MP43) and billed as an upgrade to existing submachine guns. This deception was eventually discovered by Hitler, who again had the program halted. In March 1943, he permitted it to recommence for evaluation purposes only. Running for six months, the evaluation produced positive results and Hitler allowed the MP43 program to continue. In April 1944, he ordered it redesignated MP44. Three months later, when Hitler consulted his commanders regarding the Eastern Front he was told that the men needed more of the new rifle. Shortly thereafter, Hitler was given the opportunity to test fire the MP44. Highly impressed, he dubbed it the Sturmgewehr, meaning storm rifle. Seeking to enhance the propaganda value of the new weapon, Hitler ordered it re-designated StG44 (Assault Rifle, Model 1944), giving the rifle its own class. Production soon began with the first batches of the new rifle being shipped to troops on the Eastern Front. A total of 425,977 StG44s were produced by the end of the war and work had commenced on a follow-on rifle, the StG45. Among the attachments available for the StG44 was the Krummlauf, a bent barrel that permitted firing around corners. These were most commonly made with 30Â ° and 45Â ° bends. Operational History Arriving on the Eastern Front, the StG44 was used to counter Soviet troops equipped with the PPS and PPSh-41 submachine guns. While the StG44 had a shorter range than the Karabiner 98k rifle, it was more effective at close quarters and could out-range both Soviet weapons. Though the default setting on the StG44 was semi-automatic, it was surprisingly accurate in full-automatic as it possessed a relatively slow rate of fire. In use on both fronts by wars end, the StG44 also proved effective at providing covering fire in place of light machine guns. The worlds first true assault rifle, the StG44 arrived too late to significantly affect the outcome of the war, but it gave birth to an entire class of infantry weapons that include famous names such as the AK-47 and the M16. After World War II, the StG44 was retained for use by the East German Nationale Volksarmee (Peoples Army) until it was replaced by the AK-47. The East German Volkspolizei utilized the weapon through 1962. In addition, the Soviet Union exported captured StG44s to its client states including Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, as well as supplied the rifle to friendly guerrilla and insurgent groups. In the latter case, the StG44 has equipped elements of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Hezbollah. American forces have also confiscated StG44s from militia units in Iraq. Selected Sources World Guns: Sturmgewehr

Hiring for Success Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hiring for Success - Research Paper Example Such managers end up choosing the wrong individuals for the jobs. To avoid such problems, the managers should be aware of the consequences of being overconfident during the decision making process. Additionally, they should judge individuals based on their abilities and not their perceptions (Draft & Marcic, 2006). According to Draft & Marcic (2006), some managers also make wrong choices during the hiring process because they â€Å"see what they want to see† (Draft & Marcic, 2006). Such managers already know what is right according to them, and when interviewing people, they look for what support their instincts in the interviewees (Klayman, Larrick & Health, 2000). This form of bias affects evaluation of information because managers focus on what they know than what they do not know. To avoid this, managers have to be honest about their motives meaning that they should study the evidence equally (Draft & Marcic, 2006). The hiring procedure can also be affected by the past impression. This is because most people focus on the initial information they get when making decisions. The first impressions affect the managers’ subsequent judgments (Klayman, Larrick & Health, 2000). For instance, in most interviews, managers judge the interviewees by their first impression. If they mess during the initial process, this makes them fail the interviews even if they do perfectly in the remaining parts of the interviews. To avoid this, managers should cease relying on the past information to avoid wrong predictions and misguided decisions (Draft & Marcic,

Federal Protective Service (FPS) Research Paper

Federal Protective Service (FPS) - Research Paper Example Today, the question that remains is whether the DHS has served its role by ensuring high security standards, or if it has failed to perform its role as a security body (Haulley, 2005). The Federal Protective Services (FPS) is under the DHS, and serves the purpose of providing security and services of law enforcement to the federal buildings, property, facilities, and other state assets. In order to serve this purpose, FPS has a mission statement that emphasizes their purpose and objectives, which are mainly concerned with security. FPS has therefore, employed close to 1,300 employees. These comprise of police officers, criminal investigators, support personnel, and law enforcement security officers. In addition, FPS has contracted approximately 15,000 security guards, who are in charge of the security of more than 9,000 buildings and their occupants (Haulley, 2005). In order to offer protection and security to federal facilities and personnel, FPS employs a variety of security measur es, found in its physical security program. These include installation of magnetometers, alarm systems, as well as entry control systems, which are operational in federal buildings every day. In addition, the FPS provides uniformed police response to security concerns, and provides follow-ups on such concerns through further investigations. Different seminars on crime prevention are offered to a variety of agencies by the FPS, depending on their organizational needs. FPS has hoped that all these will propel it to becoming a world-class security agency (Goldstein, 2009). In providing buildings security and protection of other critical infrastructure, the FPS uses strategies that enable detection, deterrence, disruption, and investigation of threats using authorities concerned with law enforcement. Additionally, FPS mainly relies on its risk management program, which is supposed to be set to the standards of Interagency Security Committee and the National Infrastructure Protection Pla n. Additionally, FPS ensures effective communication and coordination among its law enforcement personnel, by using the MegaCenter, its central communication point (Goldstein, 2009). Although the FPS works to ensure the security of federal buildings, it has not come up with comprehensive measures to address the security concerns in these buildings. For instance, the software FPS has adopted for security inspections is ineffective in achieving high security standards. The Modified Infrastructure Survey Tool (Mist) is a security software that FPS used to inspect federal buildings and expose any security threats. This included simplistic tests, which were then uploaded in a centralized database, after recommendations from the software. This software was unreliable, as it did not allow for comparison of security risks, between different federal buildings. Additionally, this software cannot address terrorism threats, since it lacks the capability to factor their potential consequences (G oldstein, 2009). Apart from Mist, the FPS developed another system called the Risk Assessment and Management Program (Ramp), which would be used to test federal buildings for security threats, but equally failed. In its initial use, this software caused the mysterious loss of recorded inspections from its database. In addition, ramp could not connect to its servers in remote areas. Therefore, the inspectors lacked a way of ensuring that the