Apple Inc. Stock Analysis Essays - Steve Jobs, Apple Inc., Macintosh

Apple Inc. Stock Analysis Apple Computer Inc designs, manufactures, and markets personal computers and related personal computing and communication solutions. The return of Steve Jobs, the companies founder, as CEO has pulled the companys stock price up 775-percent through his launch of innovative products such as the iMac computer line. On January 5, 2000, Jobs announced that he was dropping interim from his CEO title and taking the job full-time. With this news and Apples new products such as the iBook, a portable pc and Quick TV, an internet television access feature, Apple Computer is headed for success and is sure to increase their share in the computer market. The stock price is currently 103.31, down from a recent high of 121.50. The P/E ratio is declining at 28 and beta at .67, which is expected to grow closer to 1.0. A recent earnings surprise last December yielded a 15% difference from the lower expectations and the latest earnings reports late last month also surprised investors. Estimates for the 2000 fiscal year are being raised by a large majority of analyst who believe that earnings per share will increase and the stock price will reach close to 150. On January 25, 2000, Apples portable pc the iBook was ranked number 1 in its fourth quarter market and gives Apple a 10% share of all portable computers in the U.S. retail market and is estimated to have a 7% in foreign markets. I believe an increase in demand for this product over the next few months and Apples ability to supply the increase will be gradually pushing the price upward. The introduction of Apples new operating system is underway and is sure to boost stock price after the new product is highly marketed. Apples partnership with Earthlink, an internet service company will provide them with an opportunity for advancement into the industry. A new feature for Mac users is Quick TV, which allows users to watch TV on the internet. This new feature has been successful and Apple is including more channels all the time. An increased partnership with Earthlink may provide Apple with a larger share in the profits to be earned from the internet. I believe there may be some huge profits associated with this partnership and any upcoming news or events between these companies will affect the stock price. Business

Be A Lean Author, with Patrick Vlaskovits

Be A Lean Author, with Patrick Vlaskovits "Be A Lean Author", with Patrick Vlaskovits Today we interview bestselling author and entrepreneur Patrick Vlaskovits, whose constant search for better ways of working has turned him into a formidable thought-leader in technology and business. His writing has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, the Wall Street Journal, and The Browser and he speaks at technology conferences nationally and internationally.We asked Patrick about how he applied his thinking to his into self-publishing with his two books The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development and The Lean Entrepreneur. In his no-nonsense style, he reveals his approach and why a â€Å"Build It and They Will Come† mentality is bad for business as well as books.Hi Patrick, great to have you here! As well as being a serial entrepreneur and startup mentor, you’re also the author of The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development and The Lean Entrepreneur. What prompted you to write these books?With The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Cust omer Development, back in 2009, I had just come off wasting a lot of time and a lot of my own money building a web startup that failed. Someone mentioned The 4 Steps to the Epiphany to me and I started reading it.At the time, Steve Blank’s work was highly unorthodox – he was the only (?) person saying that â€Å"Build It and They Will Come.† is not a good strategy.I recommended my friends start reading Steve’s book so we could discuss his ideas – but few of my friends took me up on it. Meeting up with Brant Cooper and Hiten Shah in late 2009, they had similar problems – I believe it was Hiten who said â€Å"Someone needs to write the Cliff Notes to Steve’s book.†To which I said, â€Å"Why not us?†We self-published the book in early 2010.The Lean Entrepreneur, published by Wiley in 2013, was an entirely different experience. Multiple publishers had approached us because the Customer Development book had been so successful and they all wanted us to do a book with them.None of the deals made sense until we spoke to Wiley. They made a good deal for us financially and supported our vision for the book, a book that would expand upon Lean Startup and talk about Lean Startup and how to apply it in industries and sectors beyond tech. We wanted a book that would also tell stories visually with fakegrimlock’s artwork.The idea behind the â€Å"lean methodology† is that startups should build their products iteratively, testing and getting customer validation on each new feature before even building it. How is this concept applicable to non-fiction authors? Did you interact with your target audience while writing the books? Are you a lean author?We absolutely interacted and engaged with our readers before, during and after writing the book.For the Customer Development book, we did a lot of price-testing and talking about what was clear or unclear in their understanding of Customer Development.For T he Lean Entrepreneur, we pre-sold +500 books before we even started writing. We cobbled this video together on a landing page -Later on, we had a professionally done book trailer done:For both books, we threw a lot of ideas at them in our in-person talks and presentations, and noted what worked and what didn’t.You self-published The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development back in 2010. What made you go â€Å"indie† back then? And why did you choose to sign with a publisher for The Lean Entrepreneur?For the CustDev book, we had strong reason to believe that no publisher would want to touch a book that was a derivative of another cult self-published book!Self-publishing made perfect sense. I think it was the right choice and we learned a ton.For The Lean Entrepreneur, we wanted to try some new things from a different platform (to us).The main struggle for many authors is marketing, reader-acquisition and discoverability. These challenges similar to those of s tartups, right? How do you think your background in tech/startups helped you approach marketing your book?I think my background in marketing technology helped me tremendously.First, I understood the tools available to market products online – but paramountly, I had no hang-ups about marketing or acquiring customers/readers. Too many authors are too wrapped up in being â€Å"artistes† and mistakenly believe that someone else (i.e. the publisher) should market their ‘art’.Big mistake.We recently wrote a piece on whether it is worth indie authors partnering with a book marketer. You worked with Casey Armstrong on The Lean Entrepreneur. What did Casey do for you? More generally, do you think it makes sense for authors to â€Å"outsource† (part of) the marketing of their books?Casey was a tremendous help. If you can afford Casey, do your best to engage him. He was instrumental in the success of The Lean Entrepreneur.Amongst the many ways he helped â€⠀œ including multiple cool growth-hacks – he helped us prioritize, scale and leverage all of our marketing activities from blog and media outreach, from retargeting to email marketing.I don’t think that authors should ‘outsource’ marketing of their books – but should try to bring a marketer onto their team, define the goal, and figure out what crossing the finish line looks like – and this is important: together hand-in-hand with the marketer.1,000 books sold? 10,000 books sold? 100,000 books sold? And then work backwards from there to derive strategy and tactics as needed, be they SEO, social media, etc.As entrepreneurs, founders or early employees, we live through some pretty amazing experiences, which we often want to share with the world. What would be your #1 piece of advice to aspiring authors from the startup world?You’ll have to wait till my next book for that. 🙂But really, in the meantime, read The War of Art by Steve n Pressfied as soon as possible. Thank me later.Follow Patrick and Reedsy on Twitter:  @Pv  and  @ReedsyHQDo you agree that too many authors still think someone else (i.e. the publisher) should market their books? Or are expectations changing amongst authors?

The Role of the Customer Service Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Role of the Customer Service - Essay Example The customer service in all organizations should ensure that the customers of the organization are fully satisfied. In case the service does not meet the customer’s expectation, the customer service person should let the management know to ensure that next time, the customer will be satisfied. The importance or the need of a customer service varies by the product or service given by the organization or it evens depend on the customer or the industry. The employees who work as the customer service should be ready to adjust to each and every customer of the organization. Introduction As mentioned above, the customer service refers to the way that the customers of an organization are provided by the products that they require either before they buy, during the buying process and even after the buying process. With a customer service, an organization is able to generate a lot of revenue and income from the customers. There are other various reasons why many organizations have cust omer service. There are many organizations which take the customer service as a part of their systematic improvement since they realize the much improvement that it brings to the organization. Through customer service, many perceptions of the customers can be changed about the organization and this would lead to increase in sales. The paper provides a critical discussion and evaluating the customer service by the organization. ... Current Customer Service and Expectations In the organization, one of the customer service given to the customers is the customer service. This is where the customer service attendants assist the customers in making the correct use of the products that they buy from the organization. With this, they help the customers to be cost effective in the usage of the product. The customer support service include giving the customer advice on the installation, how to maintain and also training the customer on the usage and disposal of the product once not in use http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/business-theory/operations/the-importance-of-customer-service . Since the organization also deals with technology products, the customer service agents also give technical support to the customers on how to operate the mechanical and software products that they buy from the organization. The organization has realized that the customer service is an important factor in the marketing mix for both the serv ices and the products. This is because high quality customer service assists the entire organization in creating loyalty with their customers. The organization has realized that many customers are not only concerned about the product that they buy from the organization but also the service that they get from the time they enter the organization to the time that they leave and also about how they complaints about the faults of the products are addressed (Turban 2002). It is true that the customer service bridge the gap between the company and the customers who are buying from the organization. It’s every customer’s expectation that the customer service in the organization is efficient,

America history since 1865 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

America history since 1865 - Essay Example After the Civil Rights Movement, all practices that discriminated the negro that include laws, norms (giving up a seat to a white), segregation was ended and paved the way for policies that elevated the Negro to have more place in American society such as the Affirmative Action Policy. Today, United States has now an Afro American President to the person of President Obama which would not have been possible without the Civil Rights Movement. II. Growth of government and state power   The New Deal was a government program of action by President Roosevelt to address the Great Depression when he assumed office as a President of the United States on March 4, 1933 I believe is the most important aspect of government’s growth and state power. The New Deal lifted the United States economy from the shambles of the Great Depression to become an economic superpower after the Second World War. President Roosevelt’s New Deal involved a series of economic programs focused on Relie f, Recovery and Reform of the economy not only to address the Great Depression but also to avoid the repetition of the same. Among the programs of his new deal was the obtained permission to reopen most banks and provided grants to citizens. He instituted government initiated work programs to generate employment through the Works Progress Administration (WPA) programs. President Roosevelt also pump primed the economy with the widespread public spending on infrastructure by constructing roads, buildings, dams and similar projects through his Public Works Administration (PWA) which provided not only jobs but income in the system. He also enlisted young men in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to work on conservation projects. President Roosevelt’s New Deal was to elevate both income and prices which dropped during the depression. When Second World War came in 1941, President Roosevelt shifted his attention to foreign policy to address the war. The war proved to be good for the US economy because the massive spending to build war machines double the country’s Gross National Product or GNP and reduced unemployment rate from 14% to less than 2%. III. United States Foreign Affairs   I would like to discuss the immigrants in the Chesapeake and New England as America’s early experience in Foreign Affairs because these migrations in 16th and 17th century helped shape the kind of country that she is today. In between 16th and 17th century, immigrants from England settled into the eastern coast of the colonized New World which was then known as America. These groups settled into two regions which were the Chesapeake and New England areas. Chesapeake included Virginia, Maryland, New Jerseys (East and West), Pennsylvania and Jamestown while New England composed of included Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Haven. While these immigrants came from the same country and spoke the same tongue, they proved to become different kind of people when they settled into these regions of America. Settlers in Chesapeake came into America mainly for economic reason while immigrants in the New England settled in America to escape the religious persecution back in England. Those who went to Chesapeake were into finding riches while those who settled in New England hoped to have religious freedom which they did not have back in England. Having different reason and motivation

Crime mapping Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Crime mapping - Essay Example Moreover, different bandwidth values are highlighted by KDE plots in order to determine hotspot distribution. Therefore this paper shall compare the plot types and consider essential differences between the plot types, with particular reference to the potential advantages and disadvantages of both as regards the interrelationship between crime mapping and crime response strategy. The Choropleth plot valuates aggregate data of key regions such as suburban areas. The Choropleth plot further measures the points within the region, which is signified on a 2-dimensional map on a graded colour chart. The colour graduation is characteristically red, increasing and decreasing in strength to highlight crime hotspots. A significant advantage of the Choropleth plot is that it is user friendly and is considered more accurate in representing numerical data pertaining to crime in the highlighted areas. However, a central problem is the structuring of â€Å"areas† under the Choropleth plot as certain areas will inherently be more populated and can create disproportionate data regarding the level of crime in a particular area. Nevertheless, such issues can be remedied by the implementation of fitting denominator with prime examples including area or population. The Choropleth map below demonstrates varying area distributions of robbery and burglary and do not suggest any pattern of crime activity in any particular area. Additionally, the area structuring problems referred to above highlight the point that the colour chart may distort the actual nature of crime issues in the areas covered by the Choropleth plot. There are distinct parallels between Grid Maps and Choropleths however the significant difference is the use of grid spacing to avoid the structural problems referred to above. Indeed, a comparison with the Grid maps highlights the misrepresentation of crime hotspots in the

History of Federal Taxation in the United States

History of Federal Taxation in the United States The existing taxation policies in the U.S. have been characterized by a myriad of changes over the decades as a result of variations in the governments roles as well as the changing circumstances. The U.S. Department of Treasury asserted that the kinds of taxes imposed, their percentages as well as the size of the collections differ from what they were 100 years ago due to various historical events, including the war, the 16th Constitutional Amendment, changes in the society, economy, and the changes in the governments roles and responsibilities. During the colonial times and the post-revolutionary era, which spanned from 1791 to 1802, the U.S. had no income tax law. Therefore, to finance its roles and responsibilities, it relied on the contributions made by the states and internal taxes on whiskey and other distilled spirits, tobacco and snuff, refined sugar, carriages, properties sold at auction, slaves, and the corporate bonds (Sandbox Networks, Inc.). When President Jefferson was elected in 1802, he abolished these direct taxes, leaving the federal government, for the next decade, with only the internal revenue taxes. However, in 1812, more funds were needed to finance the war and Congress imposed extra excise taxes, issued Treasury notes, and raised certain customs duties (U.S. Department of the Treasury). In 1817, all these taxes were cancelled and for the following 44 years, the country relied on the customs duties and the public land sales for its revenues. Upon the eruption of the Civil War, Congress enacted the Revenue Act of 1861, reintroducing the former excise taxes and imposing taxes on personal earnings at a rate of 3% on all incomes above $800 a year (U.S. Department of the Treasury). However, due to some noted inadequacies, the personal income taxes became effective only in 1862. The increased cost of the war made Congress pass a new excise tax law in 1862 focusing on items like the pianos, gunpowder, feathers, playing cards, leather, iron, drugs, patent medicines, telegrams, billiard tables, whisky, legal documents, and license fees. In 1872, the income tax was abolished, but it was again revived in 1894 and 1895 before being deemed unconstitutional (Sandbox Networks, Inc.). The 16th Amendment of 1913 reintroduced the income tax and made it a permanent item in the U.S. tax system. Through this law, Congress imposed taxes on incomes of both individuals and corporations. The U.S. entry into World War I saw Congress pass in 1916 and 1918 Revenue Acts, all increasing the tax rates. In 1943, there was an introduction of the withholding taxes on wages. The need for more far-reaching reforms in the U.S. tax system led to the enactment of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, which lowered the individual income tax rate from 50% to 28%. Other notable changes to the U.S. tax system were made through the 1993 Revenue Reconciliation Act and the 2001 Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 under the Clinton and George Bush administrations, respectively. Taxation is an important fiscal policy item in every economy. The view of this paper in regard to the contribution of the taxation on the economic growth depends on its policy, the purpose for which it is collected and the administration. Lower tax rates for the lower-income groups have been linked with improvements in the economy, especially through the creation of jobs (Worstall). This idea of spurring the economic growth by reducing the tax rate was advocated for by President Reagan in 1986 due to the effects on the economic incentives experienced by businesses and individuals. Therefore, the government should reduce the marginal tax rates with a view to significantly expand the tax base. Also, a tax imposed to collect revenues to finance war activities may not lead to improvement in economy unlike the one used to finance various economic activities. Works Cited Sandbox Networks, Inc. History of the Income Tax in the United States. 2017, http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005921.html. Accessed 17 Jan. 2017 US Department of the Treasury. History of the US Tax System. Aug. 2003, http://www.policyalmanac.org/economic/archive/tax_history.shtml. Accessed 17 Jan. 2017 Worstall, Tim. Tax Cuts Do Increase Employment, Do Create Jobs, the Science Is In. Forbes, 22 Apr. 2015, http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2015/04/22/tax-cuts-do-increase-employment-do-create-jobs-the-science-is-in/#28d752437382. Accessed 17 Jan. 2017

Report of Investigation: Aldrich Ames Essay -- Case Review Spies

In 1986, the Central Intelligence Agency began to notice its agencies contacts and operations within the Soviet Union began to spoil at an alarmingly rate. The Soviet KGB, a national security agency, was eliminating these Soviet â€Å"Double Agents† seemingly instantaneously after meeting with CIA agents. Initial brought about the thought of KGB interception of field communication. Security measures were put in place where select few knew of these field operations yet the KGB still continued to pursue its current mission of eliminating CIA contacts. Ideas of a mole within the Agency became more and more apparent. In mid 1986, the Chief of Counterintelligence Staff created a special task force within the Counterintelligence staff. This task force consisted of four members but none of which had investigative or financial investigation backgrounds. All members were seasoned officers who were tasked with discovering full detailed analysis of compromised operations; this included investigating how many cases was relevant Edward Lee Howard betrayal. In late 1986, the FBI joined the investigation after two Soviet contacts that had worked very closely with the FBI were arrested and executed. The CIA special task force was soon pulled astray following the confession of a marine security guard who confessed to KGB ties while stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. Investigations hit a standstill and did not continue until 1991. In late 1989, a tip was received by the Counterintelligence Center that Agent Aldrich Hazen Ames was living well beyond his finances could support following his return from Rome, Italy. (FAS) The information was reported by another CIA agent that was personally close to Ames. The informant also stated to hav... ...ited An Assessment of the Aldrich H. Ames Espionage Case and Its Implications for U.S. Intelligence. (1994, November 1). Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved May 28, 2012, from www.fas.org/irp/congress/1994_rpt/ssci_ames.htm JOHNSTON, D. (1995, January 27). How the F.B.I. Finally Caught Aldrich Ames - New York Times. The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Retrieved May 29, 2012, from http://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/27/us/how-the-fbi-finally-caught-aldrich-ames.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm Lerner, A. (n.d.). Ames (Aldrich H.) Espionage Case - . Internet FAQ Archives - Online Education - faqs.org. Retrieved May 27, 2012, from http://www.faqs.org/espionage/A-An/Ames-Aldrich-H-Espionage-Case.html Trahair, R. C., & Miller, R. L. (2009). Encyclopedia of Cold War espionage, spies, and secret operations (1. pbk. ed.). New York: Enigma Books.

Growth Strategy for Vincor Essay

Vincor needs to align itself in the marketplace such that it can continue to be a market leader and grow internationally. The Canadian wine market is stagnant with limited growth opportunities in a few segments – red, premium, varietal, and ice wines. Supply is always a big concern and government regulations for the sale of alcohol must be considered. As a result of the changing environment, new prospects in the market and strategic growth in external markets (international) should be analyzed. Going forward, Vincor’s growth strategy needs to focus on markets where they can have substantial market penetration and be highly successful. The opportunities are as follows: 1) Expand into international markets via acquisition and restructure the current debt to reduce interest costs. Capitalize on the popular brand name in the new market to achieve significant foreign growth. 2) Varied approach to cost reduction and focus on niches within Canada. Recover a portion of the emerging grey market by developing new product packaging for the low-end wines (plastic or boxes). 3) Build mutually beneficial partnerships with new glass bottle suppliers and develop a sales channel that will induce economies of scale for the price of bottles and increase margins; or renegotiate with current suppliers to reduce costs and provide incentives by signing an exclusivity agreement. 4) Zero in on the ice wine consumers by meeting the demand. Exploit the Inniskillin brand in the Canadian premium wine market in order to gain market share. 5) Develop a new product internationally through a partnership with a winery or vineyard by leveraging Vincor’s strong management team, international award status and proven sales force to sustain Vincor’s growth pattern. Expanding internationally through the acquisition of a company with strong branding would prove the best alternative, both in terms of timing and future growth potential. Developing a partnership in order to produce new products would take years and considerable time and effort before any gains would be realized. The varied approach would not produce enough growth to support an IPO, but many of these avenues will be addressed to reduce costs over the next several years. First six (6) to twelve (12) months: †¢ Set up the team that will conduct an international market study to determine which market, and more specifically, brand to penetrate. The team will include: 1. Jones and a market insight team (utilize services of a consulting firm that specializes in foreign winery acquisitions) 2. Jackson and his mergers and acquisition (M&A) team 3. Munroe for sales and marketing 4. Investment banker †¢ The market insight team will gather the data and develop a sound understanding of the targeted wineries and knowledge of the regulations of the country †¢ Recommendations will be made to M&A team Next twelve (12) to eighteen (18) months: †¢ Once a decision is reached, the investment banker and M&A team will contact the companies, begin their due diligence process and conduct the final purchase †¢ The new winery will be integrated into Vincor’s portfolio and Munroe with his sales and marketing team will be responsible for its growth The international acquisition will expand Vincor globally and provide for significant growth in its portfolio. At the same time, the desired Canadian relationships with suppliers will be cemented to reduce cost of sales and increase margins.

F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter Profile

F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter Profile The Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk was the worlds first operational stealth aircraft. Designed to evade enemy radar systems, the F-117A was developed as a stealth attack aircraft by Lockheeds famed Skunk Works unit in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Though in use in by 1983, the existence of the F-117A was not acknowledged until 1988 and the aircraft was not fully revealed to the public until 1990. Though used in 1989 over Panama, the F-117As first major conflict was Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1990-1991. The aircraft remained in service until being formally retired in 2008. Stealth During the Vietnam War radar-guided, surface-to-air missiles began to take an increasingly heavy toll on American aircraft. As a result of these losses, American planners began seeking a way to make an aircraft invisible to radar. The theory behind their efforts was initially developed by Russian mathematician Pyotr Ya. Ufimtsev in 1964. Theorizing that the radar return of a given object was not related to its size but rather its edge configuration, he believed that he could calculate the radar cross-section across a wings surface and along its edge. Utilizing this knowledge, Ufimtsev conjectured that even a large aircraft could be made stealthy. Unfortunately, any aircraft taking advantage of his theories would be inherently unstable. As the technology of the day was incapable of producing the flight computers necessary to compensate for this instability, his concepts were shelved. Several years later, an analyst at Lockheed came across a paper about Ufimtsevs theories and, as technology had sufficiently advanced, the company began developing a stealth aircraft based on the Russians work. Development Development of the F-117 began as a top secret black project at Lockheeds famed Advanced Development Projects unit, better known as the Skunk Works. First developing a model of the new aircraft in 1975 dubbed the Hopeless Diamond due to its odd shape, Lockheed built two test aircraft under the Have Blue contract to test the designs radar-defying properties. Smaller than the F-117, the Have Blue planes flew night test missions over the Nevada desert between 1977 and 1979. Utilizing the F-16s single-axis fly-by-wire system, the Have Blue planes solved the instability issues and were invisible to radar. Lockheed Have Blue test aircraft. US Air Force Pleased with the programs results, the US Air Force issued a contract to Lockheed on November 1, 1978, for the design and production of a full-sized, stealth aircraft. Led by Skunk Works chief Ben Rich, with assistance from Bill Schroeder and Denys Overholser, the design team used specially designed software to create an aircraft which used facets (flat panels) to scatter over 99% of radar signals. The final result was an odd-looking aircraft that featured quadruple-redundant fly-by-wire flight controls, an advanced inertial guidance system, and sophisticated GPS navigation. To minimize the aircrafts radar signature, designers were forced to exclude onboard radar as well as minimize the engine inlets, outlets, and thrust. The result was a subsonic attack bomber capable of carrying 5,000 lbs. of ordnance in an internal bay. Created under the Senior Trend Program, the new F-117 first flew on June 18, 1981, only a mere thirty-one months after moving into full-scale development. Designated the F-117A Nighthawk, the first production aircraft was delivered the following year with operational capability reached in October 1983. All told 59 aircraft were built and delivered by 1990. F-117A Nighthawk GeneralLength: 69 ft. 9 in.Wingspan: 43 ft. 4 in.Height: 12 ft. 9.5 in.Wing Area: 780 sq. ft.Empty Weight: 29,500 lbs.Loaded Weight: 52,500 lbs.Crew: 1PerformancePower Plant: 2 Ãâ€" General Electric F404-F1D2 turbofansRange: 930 milesMax Speed: Mach 0.92Ceiling: 69,000 ft.Armament2 Ãâ€" internal weapons bays with one hard point each (total of two weapons) Operational History Due to the extreme secrecy of the F-117 program, the aircraft was first based at isolated Tonopah Test Range Airport in Nevada as part of the 4450th Tactical Group. To aid in protecting the secret, official records at the time listed the 4450th as being based at Nellis Air Force Base and flying A-7 Corsair IIs. It was not until 1988 that the Air Force acknowledged the existence of the stealth fighter and released a fuzzy photograph of the aircraft. Two years later, in April 1990, it was publicly revealed when two F-117As arrived at Nellis during daylight hours. F-117A Nighthawk. US Air Force Gulf War With the crisis in Kuwait developing that August, the F-117A, now assigned to the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing, deployed to the Middle East. Operation Desert Shield/Storm was the aircrafts first large-scale combat debut, though two had been secretly used as part of the invasion of Panama in 1989. A key component of the coalition air strategy, the F-117A flew 1,300 sorties during the Gulf War and struck 1,600 targets. The forty-two F-117As of the 37th TFW succeeded in scoring an 80% hit rate and were among the few aircraft cleared to strike targets in downtown Baghdad. Kosovo Returning from the Gulf, the F-117A fleet was shifted to Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico in 1992 and became part of the 49th Fighter Wing. In 1999, the F-117A was used in the Kosovo War as part of Operation Allied Force. During the conflict, an F-117A flown by Lieutenant Colonel Dale Zelko was downed by a specially modified SA-3 Goa surface-to-air missile. Serbian forces were able to briefly detect the aircraft by operating their radar on unusually long wavelengths. Though Zelko was rescued, the remains of the aircraft were captured and some of the technology compromised. In the years after the September 11 attacks, the F-117A flew combat missions in support of both Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. In the latter case, it dropped the opening bombs of the war when F-117s struck a leadership target in the conflicts opening hours in March 2003. Though a highly successful aircraft, the F-117As technology was becoming outmoded by 2005 and maintenance costs were rising. F-117A Nighthawk on display at the National Museum of the US Air Force. US Air Force Retirement With the introduction of the F-22 Raptor and development of the F-35 Lightning II, Program Budget Decision 720 (issued December 28, 2005) proposed retiring the F-117A fleet by October 2008. Though the US Air Force had intended to keep the aircraft in service until 2011, it decided to begin retiring it to enable the purchase of additional F-22s. Due to the sensitive nature of the F-117A, it was decided to retire the aircraft to its original base at Tonopah where they would be partially disassembled and placed in storage. While the first F-117As left the fleet in March 2007, the final aircraft departed active service on April 22, 2008. That same day official retirement ceremonies were held. Four F-117As remained in brief service with the 410th Flight Test Squadron at Palmdale, CA and were taken to Tonopah in August 2008.

Sexual Content in Broadcast Media United States Case

Sexual Content in Broadcast Media United States Case United States Case Study The television was invented around 1925 but became popular in 1950s, and in America, there were more than 50million television sets in use during that period. Nearly every living room in America had a TV. Questions were then raised about the content, whether to regulate it or not, and how to regulate it. The television and radio were similar in some ways: both were broadcasted through airwaves (before cable), and both were regulated by the federal government. This paper shall discuss these issues in depth.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Sexual Content in Broadcast Media: United States Case specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Since the beginning of broadcast regulation, there were not enough channels for all who wished to broadcast their information, the electromagnetic spectrum had been deemed to be a publicly owned natural resource. The â€Å"scarce public resource† then made simple com e up with broadcast regulation basis. Both television and radio broadcasters operated under the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). With this, broadcasters applied, for licenses, to use a section of the â€Å"public property†, a definite frequency (UCSB SexInfo Online n.p.). Broadcasters, on the other hand, had a duty to serve the society’s interests. The obligation requires a licensee to ascertain the society’s needs and then provide a service to cater for those needs of the society. The FCC has the right to censor or restrict content with obscene material, requires fairness in political programming and segment broadcast percentages for certain content, for example, content for â€Å"public use† (Kaarina 233). Obscene programming is considered whereby an average person, with contemporary community standards, finds the material appealing to the prurient interest; the content demonstrates or defines sexual behavior in an offensive way; the material la cks literary, political, artistic or scientific value. Indecent programming is whereby the contemporary community standards measures the broadcast medium and describes excretory or sexual activities and organs in the broadcast (Kaarina 231). Indecent material was prohibited in the 1950s but later it was only aired after hours when the children have slept. The meaning of â€Å"indecent content† has changed over time. The National Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters (Center for Media Education 5) then came up with ways to call for censorship whereby there was self-censor with decency standards and production codes. The first Amendment of the US Constitution declares that the congress shall not make any law that will abridge the freedom of speech or the freedom of the press (Perebinossoff 234). However, the state legislatures and the congress have tried to hold back speech that is considered indecent, harmful to minors, obscene or injurious to children, such as porn ography (Perebinossoff 234). Common legislation seeking to regulate media content is seen mostly in an election year. The US content regulation differs by the medium of expression. The 1st Amendment projection has affected the print publications to the highest degree. Radio and Television, on the other hand, have enjoyed the least protection degree. Initially the Fairness Doctrine and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) required broadcasters to have time to reply to those who said their views were criticized (Center for Media Education 24).Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More That rule was then killed in 1987. Another rule that still stands till now is the â€Å"equal time law† for the political candidates. The broadcasters are restricted to barring the transmission of profane material, obscene content or indecent material over the airwaves. These rule s do not apply to print publications. Congress has tried repeatedly to tackle this problem. However, their efforts have been in vain. They came up with the Communications Decency Act, 1996, which was struck down as unconstitutional. It then came up with Child Online Protection Act (COPA), 1998, which still remains in a legal uncertainty. It went ahead and came up with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), 2000, which has been upheld by the Supreme Court of the country (Wayne 234). CIPA facilitated the use of technologies to filter and keep off pornographic content from computer screens in schools and libraries which received funds from the federal government. Indecent content is material which contains excretory or sexual material that is not at the level of obscenity and is clearly offensive. The First Amendment protects indecent speech though the Supreme Court has held it back. The high court allowed restriction of indecency for some certain main, for instance, TV and radio broadcasts. The same court recently disallowed Congress proscribing of indecent material on the internet or cable TV. The Federal Communications Commission’s rule of banning obscene and indecent material from being broadcasted on the radio or TV was backed by the Supreme Court. The Court established a public interest in the prevention of transmission of questionable material via broadcast medium, from 6.00am to 10.00pm. From 1978 up to around 2004, the FCC enforcement of rules against indecency was limited, that was until the Janet Jackson and Bono sagas. Janet Jackson, who was considered â€Å"the infamous wardrobe malfunction†, on February 1, 2004, was featured in the Super Bowl XXXVIII which was aired by CBS (Gunter 67). The show featured many celebrities, including Kid Rock in a poncho from an American flag cutout. Dancers repeatedly grabbed their crotches writhing to the music. In the finale, Justin Timberlake ripped one side of Janet Jackson’s bu stier which then exposed her right breast to hundreds of millions of viewers in a split of a second. Many viewers were not sure of what they saw until the radio, internet, and newspapers accounted on the next day. Others wanted to have a second look. Hence, the show became the most replayed over the TiVo digital video recorders. CBS was fined by the FCC $3.5 million, the highest penalty ever, for this and other indecency violations. CBS refused, insisting that the incident was not planned for, which then turned around to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia and challenged the indecency fine.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Sexual Content in Broadcast Media: United States Case specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Another account was on a rock star called Bono. He was awarded in the Golden Globe Awards on January 19, 2003. The awards were broadcasted live and without taped delay. While accepting the award, he declared, â€Å"†¦this is fucking brilliant†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Perebinossoff 234). The FCC Enforcement Bureau declared that he did not use the word to describe sexual activities or sexual or excretory organs. Thus, there was no basis for the argument in the indecency law. Congress managed to pass the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act, 2006, increasing the fines to $325,000 for each day of a violation or the violation itself, and a maximum of $3 million for failure to act or any single act. However, in 2007, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals said that fines could not be collected from companies for so-called â€Å"fleeting expletives† because, in recent times, even top leaders use the expletives in a manner that no reasonable individual would believe that it has been used to describe excretory or sexual organs or activities. There were several acts against obscenity and indecency including Child Pornography Protection Act (CPPA) was passed in 1996. It banned all visual de pictions of minors, even if no minor is used. This law was then considered unconstitutional because it focuses on canning the content instead of banning the production. Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA) was passed in 2006 by Congress but was not voted by the Senate. The bill mandated e-rate portion to prevent minors from accessing chat-rooms and commercial social networks in schools and libraries. This measure would not grant the FCC the power to regulate or decide which sites were to be blocked. In 2003, Congress passed the PROTECT Act (Prosecutorial Remedies Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today) ( NJ Law n.p.), which illegalizes misleading a minor via domain name in order to view content which may be â€Å"harmful to minors†. It prohibited pandering or depiction of digital or computer generated image of a minor engaging in sexually explicit actions. Family Privacy and Security Act was introduced in 2002 by Congress, though he did not make it out of the committee. It required registration, with the government, web-page operators with web-pages with content considered â€Å"harmful to minors†, then they be moved to a separate domain. This required labeling of emails with sexual content, also to restrict the use of digital recording devices to view or record for lewd purposes the image of another person, including minors. Dot Kids Implementation Efficiency Act was passed in 2002. It provided that a â€Å".kid.us† domain to be designed for families and children using the internet, to provide a safe environment and prevent exposure to harmful material on the internet. Children’s Internet Protection Act was passed into law in 2000 after bundling it into the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2001. This requires public institutions that use e-rate portion, to install blocking software systems to prevent minors from accessing material, which is harmful to minors, controlled by adult patrons. Position Paper There has been an augmentation in volume of sexual content, imagery and talk on the television which are being condemned by people who are termed as â€Å"a rising tide of filth† and celebrated by others terming it as â€Å"liberation from the regulations of the past† (Gitlin 12). Sexual conduct is evident all over the broadcast media. Pornography has evolved from soft-core to hardcore. In the olden days, media posed restrictions for broadcasting, but these days limitation of broadcasting restrictions have burst. Long time back, couples in the â€Å"TV life† were aired sleeping on separate beds, while, in real life, they sleep on the same bed (Kunkel 15). These restrictions lessened until it has reached an era where the restriction lies within the individual. The FCC cannot restrict any longer. With the presence of internet, an individual can get any content from hardcore to live pornographic videos. In the writing, Pornification, Sex and Sexuality, By Kaarina Nikunen, S usanna Paasonen and Laura Saarenmaa, it depicts how all kinds of pornography, from soft-core to hardcore, straight and gay pornography, male and female pornography, black to white, and many more, and how it has infiltrated the media (Gunter 67). Pornography is evident everywhere. It is evident in the explicit discussions in popular magazines, suggestiveness of music videos, refashioning of sex into art pieces and erotica of advertisements (Kaye and Barry 98).Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Pornography has now been integrated into popular culture and made part of everyday life (Kaye and Barry 98). Advertisements on television commercials bear sexually explicit content. Sexual desires have been transformed into commodity, made pornographic, and media are the foundation of this. Starting from music videos, they literally contain sex scenes; there are a lot of pornographic sites, also gay sites, like gaydar and cosimo girls which are online forums; HM’s street adverts, retro posters, films and educational sex videos and more. On the other hand, the accessibility, pervasiveness and the popular nature of TV makes it a brilliant instructor which offers a way to learn sexuality and sex without embarrassment. The images on the television, however, can be harmfully stereotyped, limited, and one dimensional, showing sex as an activity only acceptable for the young, beautiful and singles only. Sexual encounters may be erroneously represented as romantic, spontaneous and ri sk-free which may bring harm. The media, however, may help break the cultural taboos which are associated with sensitive sexual topics and may also bridge the gaps in knowledge about sex. TV shows and movies reveal a wide range of sexual expressions and raise topics such as incest, rape and abortion. The Media Project is an organization which works, with the television industry, to incorporate realistic information about sexuality and responsibility into this programming (UCSB SexInfo Online n.p.). They have even sponsored SHINE (Sexual Health IN Entertainment) Awards, which recognizes mass media outlets which have portrayed constructively sexual issues to the public. Center for Media Education. A Parent’s Guide to the TV Ratings and the V-Chip. Washington, D.C.: Center for Media Education, 1999. Gitlin, Todd. Inside Prime Time. Berkeley: University of California Press,2000. Gunter, Barrie. Media Sex : What are the Issues. Mahwah, N.J: Erlbaum, 2002. Kaarina, Dickson. Pornif ication and the Education of Desire: Sex and Sexuality. Cambridge: Cambridge University, 2007 Kaye, Barbara and Barry Sapolsky. â€Å"Offensive Language in PrimeTime Television: Before and After Content Rating.† Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media 45 (2001):303–319 Kunkel, Dale. Assessing the Validity of V-Chip Rating Judgments. Cresskill, N.J.: Hampton, 2003 NJ Law. New Jersey Lawyers voted 2010 Best of South Jersey. Web. Perebinossoff, Philippe. Real-World Media Ethics : Inside the Broadcast and Entertainment Industries. Amsterdam Boston: Elsevier Focal Press, 2008. UCSB SexInfo Online.Sexuality in the Mass Media. Web. Wayne, Louis. Attempts to Protect Children from Unsuitable Material on the Web. New York: Oxford University Press Rowman Littlefield Publishers, 2001.

Obesity as a Special Need - The Difference of Relation between Body-Es Case Study

Obesity as a Special Need - The Difference of Relation between Body-Esteem and Self-Esteem of Obese and Normal Children - Case Study Example However what has emerged recently is that the problem is not restricted to the adult population. Children and adolescents are showing increasing signs of obesity. Concern against the rise in obesity and overweight have been raised by paediatricians, health professionals and the media. The risks of obesity for children between 6 and 11 years have increased from approximately 8% in the 1970s to approximately 13% at the beginning of the new millennium (Klaczynski, Goold & Mudry 2004). Among adolescents aged 12–19 it tripled, from 5 to 16% between 1980 and 2002 (Classen & Hokayem, 2005). Obesity in young people can be considered a special need because the attitude towards obesity influences the self-esteem of a child and self-esteem influence the performance of an individual (Byrne, 1999). Obesity usually starts during childhood and continues into adulthood through adolescence. It has dramatically increased during the past two decades and it is now essential to gain a better under standing of this condition as it is a barrier to the development of the individual. This will help to develop a support system which is essential to enable the obese to overcome feelings of low self-esteem and body-esteem. These impact the psychosocial functioning of an individual which is a barrier to development interventions (Dreyer & Egan, 2008). An obese colleague at work often turns up late for class and suffers from low-esteem. She attributes it to her overweight, which makes her feel tired and making it a great effort to move around. This is a childhood obesity and though she has been trying to lose weight, she has not been able to. This has had a negative impact on her psychologically and she feels disliked by other students and ‘different’ which makes her feel slightly marginalized. As a result, her self-esteem is low and she is unable to communicate effectively with her peers.  Ã‚  

Effective communication among nurses Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Effective communication among nurses - Assignment Example It is evident from the study that effective communication among nurses ensures proper understanding, avoidance of medical mishaps, as well as excellent performance of their duties. Based on the fact that nursing is collaborative, efficient communication among the various parties including patients, doctors and nurses cannot be unnoticed. In addition to prevention of health misapprehension, valuable nursing communication ensures customer satisfaction and trust. During their communication nurses should be specific. This implies that a nurse should converse essential information to other nurses, patients and doctors. In the same way, nurses should accurately respond to the questions from patients and other personnel. The primary benefit of effective communication among nurses is satisfaction of patients and perfection of health care system. Due to the wide range of duties that nurses undertake, it is paramount to emulate delegation of duties in order to improve nurse’s performanc e, as well as maximize the available human resources. During the delegation of duties, senior nurses should consider the abilities and the skills possessed by the assistant nurses. To ensure that the assistant nurses have the ability to deal with patients vital signs, nursing ethics depicts that senior nurses must provide that the results of the delegated duties are compliant with the nursing standards. In the same way, it is vital for nurses to make sure that individuals whom duties are delegated to follows the instructions as outlined. Supervision and support of the assistant nurses are other key requirements of the nursing ethics during delegation of duties. One of the major benefits of delegating duties to assistant nurses is that it enables registered nurses to undertake appropriately tasks that cannot be devolved. Even though, at the initial stages the time saved through delegation may not be reasonable, the gradual improvement of skills by the assistant nurses makes the saved time to be significant in the long-term. It is vital to note that rather than undertaking many nursing duties in an ineffective manner, nurses should focus on doing few tasks in an excellent way. In cases where the number of patients requiring closer attention is high, delegation of nursing duties ensures that every patient is effectively addressed. Through delegation, consultation among the nurses is attained, thus, leading to an effective communication system. Strategic planning To meet the needs of a nursing facility, it is imperative for managers to have an attainable vision. Additionally, managers should emulate strategic plans that are focused on attaining organizational goals within 2-5 years. Through development of a mission statement, an organisation gives the public and government authorities the actual picture of why it exists. In this regard, it is vital for managers to seek the input of other nurses in the review of vision and mission statement in case they are outdate d. Environmental assessment is a major step in strategic planning. This entails assessing the demographic profile of other workers, as well as members of the public served by the nursing facility. To make the services provided by the care centre relevant and attainable, hospital management team should take into