Management Consultant Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Management Consultant Industry - Essay Example There has been a lot of criticism of consultants, consulting companies as well as consulting as a profession. This also spurred a large number of jokes and sarcastic comments being made on consultants, one of them being ‘All that management consultants do is to borrow their clients' watches and tell them the time, then send in a huge bill’. Many articles have also been penned on various unethical practices being carried out by consultants especially in big consulting firms (Kitay & Wright 2004, Pinault 2000). While some amount of criticism is valid and makes sense, a large part is also exaggerated. This essay aims to critically analyze both sides of the picture before arriving at the do’s and don’ts for a successful marriage between business and consulting. Criticism against Consultants (Stage 3- Root Definition) Consulting by nature is a service industry and hence its deliverables are highly intangible and subjective (Lemann 1999). Therefore, different bus iness organizations have different evaluation of work done by consultants for them. Consultants generally charge a very high fee. Many times, their recommendations actually lead to worsening of conditions. Moreover, consultants have the inclination to implement or suggest certain standard solutions which have developed in their own organizations or are generally used best practices in the industry. Hence, they don’t make it a point to customize the solution for a particular organization or come up with a new solution. (Pringle 1998). Consultants are often seen focusing on latest management fads in the market or using fashionable business jargon to impress the clients but which may have no implications on the output (Clark & Salaman 1998, Pinault 2000). A large number of consulting projects have simply failed to deliver the results while many others lost touch with reality mid-way and had to be scrapped (Klenter & Mollgard 2006, Seidl & Mohe 2007). In many cases, implementatio n of the consultants’ advice has produced disastrous circumstances for an organization (Byrne 2002). Ferdinand Piech, former CEO of Volkswagen, even went to the extent of saying that â€Å"If you want to ruin a company, you only have to try fixing it with the help of external consultants† (Seidl & Mohe 2007). Analysis of Client- Consultant interaction through CATWOE approach Let us understand the client consultant relationship through CATWOE approach proposed by Checkland (Williams 2005). a. Customers: The customers here would be the end consumers the client caters to. For example, for a steel manufacturer people buying utensils may be the customer. The impact of the client consultant relationship on the customers may occur in the medium to long term. b. Actors: Actors would be the consultants or consulting firm who enable the transformation. The role of consultants is the most significant for the success of this relationship. Now days, consultants work in teams which comprise members of the client side as well. Therefore, in such cases certain client side employees are also actors. c. Transformation: The transformation is the conversion from an unsolved problem to a well laid out solution. The solution may be a suggestion, recommendation, documentation, model or an end to end implementation depending upon the nature and scope of work. d. Weltanschauung: The compensation of the consu

International Organizations and World Order Essay Example for Free

International Organizations and World Order Essay After First World War, there was call for formation of international organization to bring order in the world. The notion led to the formation of the League of Nations due to the conviction of the then president of the United States of America, President Woodrow Wilson who was certain that the move would prevent future conflict if only nations would come together to defend the principles of self-determination and independence. The progress of the League of Nations was thwarted when the United States refused to join it. It was also thwarted by the extremist political ideologies and power rivalry that existed at that time in history, which was 1930s. Due to the outbreak of Second World War that ended in 1945, there was more concern that led to the formation of another international organization in the name of United Nations. The Bretton woods conference, which is the reason for the existence International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank as well as the Dumbarton Oaks Conference came to existence in 1944. The foundation do the United Nation was laid by the allies of the organization (Owen, 1996). According to Owen (1996, p. 9) most of the international organizations were formed with an intention of reconstructing Europe, which was seriously devastated after the war against Nazi Germany. Most of the International organizations that were formed after World War II became more active in the 1960 where their activities were expanded to meet the new challenges because of European colonization, which included independent but politically immature and poor nations in Latin America, African and Asia. Most of the international organizations were started in the 19the century. Owen (1996, p. 10) states that â€Å"More recently, with the uncertainties and instabilities which have followed the ending of the Cold War, international organizations have stepped in to cope with the effects of the resulting conflicts and tensions, many of them within states rather than between states n the process, many UN bodies have been found wanting. The office f the United Nations Disaster Relief Coordinator (UNDRO), for example was founded in 1971. † Some of the international organizations include regional Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), which was formed in 1989 with an objective of establishing common military, cultural and economic policies to ensure free movement of goods, services and people between member states. The Member nations of Arab Maghreb Union include Morocco, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and Mauritania (Schafer, Verbist, Imhoos, 2005). Another International Organization is Asia Pacific Economic co-operation Forum (APEC) was formed in 1989 to promote linearization of economy in the Pacific region. Association of South East Asian nations (ASEAN) was formed in 1967 to replace ASA (Association of South East Asia). The member nations of ASEA include Australia, United States of America, Japan and New Zealand. The main objective of the organization is to promote common economic, political and trading policies. There is also another international organization in the name of Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which was formed in 1965 to ensure economic cooperation in Caribbean common market, to put in place common policies in education, health, culture, industrial relation and communication and to coordinate foreign policy among the member nations. The affiliations of the CARICOM according to Owen include â€Å"Caribbean Development Bank; Caribbean Examinations Council; Caribbean Meteorological Organization; Council of Legal Education; University of Guyana; University of the West Indies; West Indies Shipping Corporation†. The Common wealth is another important international organization that is in forefront trying to address contemporary global issues. Commonwealth was formed in 1884 and it grew out of the British Empire. The objectives of the Commonwealth are to enable nations from different parts of the world to exchange opinions in an informal, friendly and intimate atmosphere. Commonwealth has member nations, which according to Owen (1996, p. 11) include â€Å"Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Cyprus, and Dominica. Others are: Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, St Kitts-Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, the United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Western Samoa, Zambia, Zimbabwe. † There are several other International organizations such as Commonwealth of Independent States, Council of Europe, European free trade association (EFTA), European union (EU), gulf co-operation council (GCC), Mercosur (Mercado Commun del Sur-southern common market), African union (AU), Organization of American States (OAS), Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), South Pacific Forum, Southern African Development Community (SADC) among others. According to Mendlovitz (1966, p5) â€Å"Law has too often been conceived in static terms as a system of order designed to uphold the status quo. In any legal system, whether national, regional, or global in scope, law also has a dynamic aspect which allows it to make a contribution to projects for social change. † Saul Mendlovitz further states that â€Å"international law to the postulated goal of a warless world with an excerpt from an article that considers how law might help us move from where we are to where we would like to be; it is this gap that creates what we have called the transition problem. In this new age, there has emerged a vas and ancient worldwide conspiracy called the New World Order, which aims to unite the entire world under one government. The New World Order concept was introduced into the dictionary of the international politics after the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe (Slaughter, 2004). The former president of the United States of America George Bush was the first who strongly invoke the idea in response to the Gulf crisis. Therefore, the concept traced to 1991, when Iraq invaded Kuwait and when the cold war ended. According to Ismael (1994), he states that â€Å"Thus, the end of the cold war and Iraqs invasion of Kuwait in August 1991 constitute the historical reference points for the concept. This suggests at least two dimensions in its meaning: the end of an international order determined by the struggle for hegemony between the United States and the Soviet Union; and the initiation of a U. S. foreign policy doctrine based on U. S. hegemony in the international order. † When president George Bush was waging a war of words with the then the president of Iraq Saddam Hussein in 1990 he demonized him and referred to his effort as an attempt to establish a new world order (Wells, 2008). Many were excited by the effort of Bush at first because they thought the president of the United States was promoting democracy in the region as he had done in the Eastern Europe. Unfortunately that was not to be realized as Ishmael (1994) says, Bush was determined in establishing hegemony. The region after the gulf war in Iraq and Kuwait has remained unstable politically. According to Lloyd (2002, p. 1) New world Order was a fragile creation that emerged after September 11 attack. Lloyd states, â€Å"Before 11 September, the new (left) world order was a tentative, even fragile, creation. It emerged from new Labor in 1997 as an ethical dimension in foreign policy, announced by the then foreign secretary, Robin Cook, as a natural extension of the globes interdependence. The world had become a moral forum through the media and the work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). † The world was at peace before the attack on the United States to the extent that most world leaders praised the state in which the world was. Some of the people who were at the forefront of the new idea of new world order are Robert cooper and Anthony Giddens, a senior diplomat and a director of the London school of Economics respectively. Giddens was for the idea that globalization could then take place because there was a state of peace that was a recipe to one global governance. The globalization, he argued would transfer power from the nations into the global space leading to the call for the need of regulation to guide the governance. Copper on the other hand argued that new world order will lead to a shift in value where there will be a victory of values of individual of those of state and those of market over the military ones and foreign policy will no longer to be about war (Lloyd, 2002, p. 1). International court creation came in to being after two attempts to organize an international court had failed (Mower, 1931, p. 616). Before there was, a court called The Hague Permanent Court of International Arbitration, which could not provide the much-needed justice in the international level as the current International Criminal Court. Other international courts deal with different legal issues. For instance, there are courts that deal with human rights at the international level, which include African Court of Justice (ACJ), African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), European Court of Human Rights and International-American Court of Human rights. Others include International Court of Justice (ICJ), International Criminal Court (ICC), and Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), Resource materials on International Courts and Special International Criminal Courts and Tribunals. According to Class Action Publisher (2008), there are seven special international criminal courts and tribunal, which include Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), International Criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). Others are â€Å"Regulation 64† Panels in the Courts of Kosovo, special Courts for Sierra Leone, Special panels of the District Court of Dili (East Timor) and War Crimes Chambers (WCC) in Sarajevo- within the state court. All these international courts have well designed objective and operation guidelines. International criminal Court established in 1998 by Rome statute and it is the first permanent court to hear international criminal claim. The court has a role to hear cases that are regarded as most serious such as crime against humanity, war crimes and genocide (Janis, 1992). It does not deal with cases that occurred prior it its institution but only to those crimes that have been committed after July 1, 2002. ICC does not deal with cases that have been committed by legal entities but natural persons. It can act on cases when the cases have been referred to it by the United Nations’ Security Council or with consent of the affected state. The International Criminal Court takes up a case or jurisdiction only as the last resort when all the national avenues have been completely exhausted (Buhler Webster, 2005). The nations have been endowed with the responsibility of international crimes but when a state is unwilling to pursue justice, delays in pursuing justice or it shows impartiality of dealing with international crimes then the ICC takes up the matter. This may also result from unavailability of proper judicial system or if the state is unable to carry out the proceeding. Over one hundred nations worldwide subscribe to the Rome statute that established the ICC exclusive of the United States of America. United States revoked the signature of the former president Bill Clinton that was due to lack of checks and balance of the ICC. The ICC gives considerable rights to victims which include attending the proceeding of the court have having their concerns considered; being represented by counsel and interrogating witnesses; seeking monetary compensation after conviction and seeking preservation of defendant assets pending trial. The ICC has four major organs namely judicial divisions, the presidency, office of the prosecutor and the registry, which have different roles that help the court to achieve its objectives (Schafer, Verbist Imhoos, 2005). The international courts have been able to provide effective enforcement of international legal instruments in different countries. Many countries have suffered from the art of war, which have seen many people suffer thereby depriving them of their human rights. Individuals for their own personal and selfish reasons started some of the wars that have caused suffering to citizens of the affected nations. Being well connected to the political order of the day most perpetrators of the crimes that lead to the abuse of human right cannot be properly persecuted in their respective countries. Other reasons that have made it possible for the perpetrators of the crime of high magnitude is the fact that most countries where such crimes are committed lack proper judicial system that is independent, impartial and ineffective. This has led to transfer of many cases to the international courts or to the ICC (Barker, 2004. ) International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is an existing testimony to the effectiveness of the International Courts. In Rwanda where the conflict started between the Tutsi and the Hutu tribes in 1994, many people belonging to the Tutsi tribe were killed in the Genocide. The total number of the Tutsi that were killed is estimated to be over five hundred thousand people. In response to the crime, the United Nation Security Council created the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in November of 1994 to prosecute crimes genocide and violation of the Geneva Convention. The ICTR is a subsidiary organ under chapter VII of the United Nations Charter of the Security Council under article 29 (Barker, 2004). International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda has completed over fifty trials so far and of the accused persons, 29 have been convicted of crime (Klip Sluiter, 200). About eleven people are on trial, others waiting trial, some are to be transferred to the national jurisdiction trial while others are still unconfined. The first person was tried three years after the formation of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in 1997 and he was Jean-Paul Akayesu. Jean Kambanda also pleaded guilty after wards. The tribunal has also issued arrest warrant to some suspects that are thought to have played a role or orchestrated the genocide like Kabuga Felicien. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda issued an international arrest warrant for Felicien in 1999 where he was charged with complicity in genocide, genocide and conspiracy to commit genocide. The action of the international court in Rwandan genocide has achieved a lot in the nation and it has sent a clear message to the whole world. With arrest, trial and judgment of the suspects of the unfortunate occurrence, peace and order has been restored in Kigali because the Tutsi who were the main victim of all sorts of crime committed feel that justice has finally prevailed and cannot think of revenge and other notions that might lead to civil war again. The action has also sent a right signal to anybody in Ruanda and all over the world that any perpetrators of such crime will not escape the long arm of justice. Therefore, in reality International Court has succeeded in pursuing justice and is in the right path of ensuring that there is a peaceful planet where the innocent are vindicated while the guilty are condemned (Klip Sluiter, 200).

Country Club Blues :: Essays Papers

ï » ¿Country Club Blues My first job is definitely the one I remember most, although I did not always enjoy what I did. Many times during the eight months I worked at Fauquier County Country Club I hated my job one day and loved it the next, thus resulting in a very memorable and exciting time of work. Working at a golf course may not have been the most enjoyable job I have had, but it gave me new experiences to interact with people and gain a sense of responsibility. I applied for a job at the Country Club on my 16th birthday not having the slightest idea what I wanted to do for myself. I simply recall having my first interview on the spot. During this interview I was asked questions to the effect of my work ethic, availability, and â€Å"Do you know how to say ‘yes, sir’ and ‘yes, ma’am?’† Apparently I did fairly well, and was given a job as a golf cart care specialist. â€Å"Cart dog† was a rhetorical name given to the pro shop maintenance crew by a highly-disliked boss. As a cart dog I was given the duty of cleaning, storing, and preparing used carts for their next use and picking the driving range clean of golf balls. At times range picking became very annoying considering this was all done on foot with a small bagger rather than a cart-pulled cage. Although it did not take quite as long, cart cleaning was much more annoying of a task. After thorough washing, carts had to be arranged by color for the day they were to be used. Colors used were red, yellow, blue, and green for Tuesday through Friday, respectively. Though these were time-consuming tasks, the cart dogs found other ways to have fun while working. In addition to picking the driving range clean and cleaning dirty golf carts, I was also required to ask to clean the golf clubs of members who had finished playing for the day. This being the only opportunity for tips in my minimum wage job, I took this as a golden opportunity. I earned some extra money and learned to speak in a professional manner to elders. Club members would often leave extra equipment such as tees and both day and glow-in-the-dark balls. Occasionally, I would also find a few beers left in the carts’ coolers.

Plutonium and Internet Start-Up Company Essay

Plutonium and internet start-up company which was founded at the beginning of the technology boom was developing the technological systems necessary to support the rapidly expanding user base. Plutonium purchased an expensive and complex billing system to automate the billing of internet accounts using a credit card to integrate its system. Jonathan, the manager of operations department, was given the phony credit card to help fix corrupted accounts created by the launch and integration. Chris an employee of Plutonium, who very knowledgeable and trusted was given the phony credit card number. Chris was using the credit card to access websites that have pirated software and music. After an FBI investigation, Chris was warned and put into probation. Jonathan was asked to write a warning letter to Chris. Few months later, Jonathan noticed a change in Chris’s behavior. He was making unusual purchases, such as Palm Pilots, MP3 Players. The first element of the fraud triangle is pressure. Every fraud perpetrator faces some kind of perceived pressure. Most pressures involve a financial need, although nonfinancial pressures, such as the need to report financial results better than actual performance, frustration with work, or even a challenge to beat the system, can also motivate fraud. Financial pressures often motivate misappropriation frauds by employees. Common pressures such as living beyond one’s means, greed, high debt, unrecognized performance and inadequate pay could lead employees to fraud. Chris had several perceived pressures to commit fraud. He has a family to support and he earned minimal wages compared to other who has his skills. Chris could have a student loan and other debts he has to pay in addition to taking care of his family. That could have caused him a lot of pressure. The second element of the fraud triangle is perceived opportunity. â€Å"The opportunity to commit and conceal fraud when a company has unclear policies and procedures, fails to teach and stress corporate honesty, and fails to prosecute those who perpetrate fraud. † (Romney 129). The opportunity for fraud is created when employees are given access to records and valuable information. In the case of Chris, he had the opportunity to commit fraud because he has the expertise in technology. He has the phony credit card given to him by his manager and he was able to use that without the knowledge of his manager or co-workers. The third element of fraud triangle is rationalization. Rationalization allows perpetrators to justify their illegal behavior. For example, a fraudster can rationalize by saying, â€Å"I only took what they owed me. Or the rules do not apply to me†. Perpetrators rationalize that they are not being dishonest, that honesty is not required of them, or that they value what they take more than honesty and integrity. â€Å"Some perpetrators rationalize that they are not hurting a real person, but a faceless and nameless computer system or an impersonal company that will not miss the money. † (Romney 130). Christ could have thought that he was underpaid and by using these credit cards he was not hurting anyone. He might have also used the lack of underpayment as justification for the use of the company’s credit cards for personal gain.

Act 3 the Crucible

Act III- Irony During Act III of The Crucible, by Arthur Miller; the central way that Miller depicts the corruption rooted within Salem is through the usage of the literary device, irony. The usage of personal pronouns within this work of literature seems to indicate a sense of power that the citizens have, versus the power found within the unknown. Parris says the following in order to encourage Mary Warren to cast out the devil, â€Å" Cast the devil out! Look him in the face! Trample him! We’ll save you, Mary, only stand fast against him and† (109).The usage of the pronoun ‘We’ll’ gives the reader a sense of authority that is held by the high officials in Salem. Irony is plainly evoked because the entire idea of the trails is to test the limits of the spiritual world within the town of Salem. The usage of personal pronouns reflects the flaws that seem to fuel these trials. The controversial topic of god rooted within these trials is ironic in the sense that doing the right thing could potentially be life threatening. Mary Warren proclaims that she loves god, after announcing her devilish pact, and says, â€Å" No, I love God; I go your way no more.I love God, I bless God. Abby, Abby, I’ll never hurt you more† (110). Salem becomes so deeply rooted in lies that the idea of god becomes clouded for those who try to seek the right thing. The choice between life and death, right and wrong, becomes diluted, making the right decisions punishable. No matter what is confessed, someone will either have to live with making the wrong decision, or die because a right decision was made. The figurative device of irony becomes reoccurring during act three in order to further show the reader the corrupt practices that are happening in Salem.

Chinese Fable Stories With Morals

Chinese Fable Stories With Morals Many Chinese fables tell an entertaining story to illustrate a moral lesson. Here are a few such stories. Stopping Halfway, Never Comes Ones Day In the Warring States Period, in the state of Wei lived a man called Leyangtsi. His wife was very angelic and virtuous, who was loved and respected dearly by the husband. One day, Leyangtsi found a piece of gold on his way home, and he was so delighted that he ran home as fast as he could to tell his wife. Looking at the gold, his wife said calmly and gently, As you know, it is usually said that a true man never drinks the stolen water. How can you take such a piece of gold home which is not yours? Leyangtsi was greatly moved by the words, and he immediately replaced it where it was. The next year, Leyangtsi went to a distant place to study classics with a talented teacher, leaving his wife home alone. One day, his wife was weaving on the loom, when Leyangtsi entered. At his coming, the wife seemed to be worried, and she at once asked the reason why he came back so soon. The husband explained how he missed her. The wife got angry with what the husband did. Advising her husband to have  fortitude and not be too indulged in the love, the wife took up a pair of scissors and cut down what she had woven on the loom, which made Leyangtsi very puzzled. His wife declared, If something is stopped halfway, it is just like the cut cloth on the loom. The cloth will only be useful if finished. But now, it has been nothing but a mess, and so it is with your study. Leyangtsi was greatly moved by his wife. He left home resolutely and went on with his study. He didnt return home to see his beloved wife until gaining great achievements. For centuries, the story has often been used as a model to inspire those who would back out in competitions. Ask a Fox for Its Skin Long ago, there lived a young man, called Lisheng, who had just married a beauty. The bride was very willful. One day, she had an idea that a coat of fox fur would look pretty on her. So she asked her husband to get her one. But the coat was rare and too expensive. The helpless husband was forced to walk around on the hillside. Just at the moment, a fox was walking by. He lost no time to catch it by the tail. Well, dear fox, lets make an agreement. Could you offer me a sheet of your skin? That isnt a big deal, is it? The fox was shocked at the request, but she replied calmly, Well, my dear, thats easy. But let my tail go so that I can pull off the skin for you. So the delighted man let her free and waited for the skin. But the moment the fox got free, she ran away as quickly as she could into the forest. The story can be used to illustrate that it is hard to ask someone to act against his own will, even in a seemingly negligible manner. Bian Hehs Jade In the Spring and Autumn Period, Bian Heh in the Chu state got a rough jade on Mount Chu. He decided to present the valuable jade to the emperor to show his official loyalty to his sovereign, Chuli. Unluckily, the jade was judged as a common stone by the court jaders- those who worked with and estimated the value of jade in ancient China- which made Emperor Chuli very angry and had Bian Hehs left foot cut down cruelly. After the enthronement of the new emperor Chuwu, Bian Heh decided to submit the jade to Chuwu to clarify matters. Emperor Chuwu also had it checked by the jaders in the court. And the conclusion resulted in the same fact that Bian Heh lost the other foot. After the death of Emperor Chuwu, the prince Chuwen was enthroned, that gave the poor Bian Heh a gleam of light of proving his clear conscience. However, the moment he thought of what he had incurred, he couldnt help crying beside a hill. He could not stop crying for several days and nights; he almost wept his heart out and even blood was dropping from his eyes. And it happened to be heard by the emperor in the court. He ordered his men to find out why he was so sad. Bian Heh sobbed out Call a spade a spade. Why was a real jade mistaken as a plain stone again and again? Why was a loyal man thought faithless time and time? Emperor Chuwen was touched by Bian Hehs deep grief and ordered the jaders to open the jade to have a close look. To their astonishment, in the rough coat, the pure content was sparkling and translucent. Then it was carefully cut and polished fine and at last, the jade became a rare treasure of the state of Chu. In memory of the faithful man Bian Heh, the Emperor nam ed the jade by Bian Heh. And so the term Bians Jade came into being. Even today, people describe something extremely precious in its value with Bians Jade. Cheap Tricks Never Last: The Donkey of Guizhou Thousands of years ago, donkeys were not found in Guizhou province. But meddlers were always allured by anything. So they shipped one into this area. One day, a tiger was walking around to find something to eat, when he saw the strange animal. The huge newcomer frightened him quite a bit. He hid between the bushes to study the donkey watchfully. It seemed all right. So the tiger came near to the donkey to have a close look. Hawhee!- a loud noise burst upon, which sent the tiger running away as fast as he could. He could not have any time to think before he settled himself home. The humiliation stung in him. He must come back to that strange thing to see it through, even though he was still haunted by the terrible noise. The donkey was enraged when the tiger got too close. So the donkey brought his unique skill to bear on the offender- to kick with his hooves. After several bouts, it became very clear that the donkeys power was too much. The tiger jumped upon the donkey in time and cut its throat. People are usually told the story to illustrate the limitations of tricks and trickery. A Painted Snake Makes a Man Sick In the Jin Dynasty, there lived a man named Le Guang, who had a bold and uninhibited character and was very friendly. One day Le Guang sent for one of his close friends since the friend had not turned out for long. At the first sight of his friend, Le Guang realized that something must have happened to his friend for his friend has no peace of mind all the time. So he asked his friend what was the matter. It was all because of that banquet held at your home. At the banquet, you proposed a toast to me and just when we raised the glasses, I noticed that there was a little snake lying in the wine and I felt particularly sick. Since then, I lay in bed unable to do anything. Le Guang was very puzzled at the matter. He looked around and then saw a bow with a painted snake hung on the wall of his room. So Le Guang laid the table at the original place and asked his friend again to have a drink. When the glass was filled with wine, he pointed to the shade of the bow in the glass and asked his friend to see. His friend observed nervously, Well, well, that is what I saw last time. It is the same snake. Le Guang laughed and took off the bow on the wall. Could you see the snake anymore? he asked. His friend was surprised to find that the snake was no longer in the wine. Since the whole truth had come out, his friend recovered from his prolonged illness right away. For thousands of years, the story has been told to advise people not to be too suspicious unnecessarily. KuaFu Chased the Sun It is said that in antiquity a god named KuaFu determined to have a race with the Sun and catch up with Him. So he rushed in the direction of the Sun. Finally, he almost ran neck and neck with the Sun, when he was too thirsty and hot to continue. Where could he find some water? Just then the Yellow River and Wei River came into sight, roaring on. He swooped upon them earnestly and drank the whole river. But he still felt thirsty and hot, thereupon, he marched northward for the lakes in the north of China. Unfortunately, he fell down and died halfway because of thirst. With his fall, his cane dropped. Then the cane became a stretch of peach, green and lush. From this fable came the idiom, KuaFu chased the Sun, which becomes the trope of mans determination and volition against nature.   Fish for the Moon in the Well One evening, a clever man, Huojia went to fetch some water from the well. To his surprise, when he looked into the well, he found the moon sunk in the well shining. Oh, good Heavens, what a pity! The beautiful moon has dropped into the well! So he dashed home for a hook, and tied it with the rope for his bucket, then put it into the well to fish for the moon. After some time of hunting for the moon, Haojia was pleased to find that something was caught by the  hook.  He must have thought it was the moon. He pulled hard  on  the rope. Due to the excessive pulling, the rope broke into apart and Haojia fell flat on his back. Taking advantage of that post, Haojia saw the moon again high in the sky. He sighed with emotion, Aha, it finally came back to its place! What a good job! He felt very happy and told whomever he met with about the wonderment proudly without knowing what he did was something impractical.

Free Essays on Jet Blue Vs. The Rest

Jet BlueVs. The Rest Tim Beran BA 311 Marketing If you’re looking for a shaky industry these days, and throughout history for that matter, you really need look no further than the airlines. Since September 11th, we have seen two of the Major Airlines in this country file for bankruptcy, and a third came extremely close. Respectively these would be United, USAIR, and American. The remainder of the major airlines are struggling as well. In the midst of this there are two airlines that seem to be making gains off of others losses. These would be Southwest, and Jet Blue. Since Southwest is off limits, the focus of this paper will be on Jet Blue. How is it that this young airline can do so well while the veterans of the industry are struggling to survive? There are many reasons, but let’s focus on Marketing. Let’s begin with the four P’s of the Marketing Mix. Product, price, place, and promotion. What do airlines do? The basic function from the beginning has been to get people from point A to point B. Of course all of the airlines do this, but it is how they do it that sets Jet Blue apart from the rest. It has become the â€Å"norm† lately that most of the time that you get on a flight you can count on being cramped in a small seat with little room to move, poor and/or unfriendly service, and a bag of pretzels for nourishment. This unfortunately is the â€Å"product† that most airlines are offering to their customers. To me, I’ve always felt that this would be one of the easier things to deal with, and that is exactly what Jet Blue has tried to do from the start. The airline operates a brand new fleet of Airbus A320’s. Here is their fleet information from jetblue.com: 57 Airbus A320 aircraft , all powered by International Aero Engines (IAE) V2500 engines Jetblue has orders with Airbus for a fleet of as many as 202 A320 aircraft and has placed an order with Embraer for a fleet of up to 200 EM... Free Essays on Jet Blue Vs. The Rest Free Essays on Jet Blue Vs. The Rest Jet BlueVs. The Rest Tim Beran BA 311 Marketing If you’re looking for a shaky industry these days, and throughout history for that matter, you really need look no further than the airlines. Since September 11th, we have seen two of the Major Airlines in this country file for bankruptcy, and a third came extremely close. Respectively these would be United, USAIR, and American. The remainder of the major airlines are struggling as well. In the midst of this there are two airlines that seem to be making gains off of others losses. These would be Southwest, and Jet Blue. Since Southwest is off limits, the focus of this paper will be on Jet Blue. How is it that this young airline can do so well while the veterans of the industry are struggling to survive? There are many reasons, but let’s focus on Marketing. Let’s begin with the four P’s of the Marketing Mix. Product, price, place, and promotion. What do airlines do? The basic function from the beginning has been to get people from point A to point B. Of course all of the airlines do this, but it is how they do it that sets Jet Blue apart from the rest. It has become the â€Å"norm† lately that most of the time that you get on a flight you can count on being cramped in a small seat with little room to move, poor and/or unfriendly service, and a bag of pretzels for nourishment. This unfortunately is the â€Å"product† that most airlines are offering to their customers. To me, I’ve always felt that this would be one of the easier things to deal with, and that is exactly what Jet Blue has tried to do from the start. The airline operates a brand new fleet of Airbus A320’s. Here is their fleet information from jetblue.com: 57 Airbus A320 aircraft , all powered by International Aero Engines (IAE) V2500 engines Jetblue has orders with Airbus for a fleet of as many as 202 A320 aircraft and has placed an order with Embraer for a fleet of up to 200 EM...