Transportation regulation and public policy by land, sea, and air due Essay

Transportation regulation and public policy by land, sea, and air due to the Deregulation Act of 1978 - Essay Example (Moses, 1989) One of the main reasons for passing regulatory reform bills was to make the lawmakers realize that increased competition would lead to more efficient operations that would not only lower rates in the air, land and sea industries but would also not compromise upon safety issues or quality of service. "Some changes in quality of airline service were, in fact, hoped for. It was commonly believed that after deregulation 1978, the suppression of price competition by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) would foster competition in service quality variables that would be highly uneconomical, such as too early replacement of aircraft and departures at major airports that were excessive in light of existing load factors. It was also asserted that such quality competition would drove the costs up, which would led to proposals to the CAB for relief in the form of fare increases. However, the positive effects of such increases (which were almost always granted in the past before deregulation) on t he profitability of airline operations were soon dissipated by another round of quality competition and increased in costs of operation". (Moses, 1989) In the rail industry, nevertheless, the essence of the regulatory transition problem was never summarized and the expectations were not fulfilled. Presently, the rail industry is subject to substantial sunk costs, since assets are long-lived and specialized to certain geographic markets. Much of the traffic is subjected to effective competition from competing railroads, modes of transportation, origins and destinations, or products. Some shippers, however, are successful in transporting commodities for which rail have a substantial competitive advantage over competing modes, even if they are available in principle. Further, after 1978 deregulation Act these shippers have sunk considerable costs in specific locations or signed contracts with customers or vendors, which make them captive to individual railroads. The difficult problem in the transition is to permit maximum leeway for competitive forces while maintaining a substitute for the regulatory protection that was relied upon by captive shippers when they sank costs. These long-term investments were initially made by the shipper with the presumption of continued regulation and thus without the usual contractual protections against "opportunistic behavior" by the carrier in such circumstances". (Baker et al, 1991, p. 12) "In the rail industry, after 1978 the ICC does not now assume jurisdiction over rates unless it has made a determination that the rail carrier possesses market dominance over the traffic. Section 4 addresses issues in market dominance determination, particularly the role of the revenue/variable cost ratio". The history of railroad regulatory policy may be largely summed up as an attempt to resolve the conflicting objectives.

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 11

Case Study Example Since India’s GDP was low, the vast majority of the population could only afford two wheeler vehicles. The strategies employed in ensuring that the Nano met all demands by the non-four-wheeler customers included ensuring that it was affordable for this portion of the population. It was priced at only 1 Lakh making it the cheapest car. In addition, it met high fuel efficiency standards and met all safety standards that the two wheelers could not meet. For these reasons, people placed orders before they had even seen the car. There were several hurdles that the Nano had to address in the market. First, the Nano had to ensure that it offered better services than the two-wheeler by becoming a safe, all-weather vehicle. In addition, it had to be affordable. Second, the car had to be designed in a way that it promised an upward social mobility. Third, the designers could not compromise the buyers so as to ensure low cost car. For instance, they could not design it being a two door vehicle since this would reduce accessibility to rear seats. In spite of the huge initial orders, there were obstacles which resulted in poor sales. First, Tata did not have its own distribution channels; therefore, it resorted to using the traditional dealerships, which had limited space. Although this was a main issue Tata resulted to using other outlets so as to make the showrooms available in many cities in India. For instance, the company tied up with Big Bazaar to display the vehicles in smaller cities. Additionally, two wheeler customers who were the main target were turned off by the perception of the Nano being the cheapest car as people wanted to upgrade their social status. Second, Tata also had a production problem since the interim facilities’ production was low. Third, the company had issues with local communities who protested the use of arable land for industrial uses. This is one of the main obstacles that affected the progress of the Nano

Case study (Social work) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Case study (Social work) - Essay Example Although social workers are activists for groups that are oppressed within society, they may not recognize their own privilege as educated people. Badwall, O’Connor and Rossiter, (2004) in exploration of organizational change as a reflective process present a case study that examines how privilege and oppression impact on change induced conflict within a social agency. The conflict is considered and discussed by three personnel working within the agency. This paper will examine this case study from each of four perspectives: individual, systems, structural and community; the individual perspective will identify the strengths of each of the main characters and the central conflicts created within the agency; the systems perspective will discuss how change impacts on the interrelations between the organization and its personnel; the structural perspective will focus on how institutionally embedded injustices, such as race, class and gender influence specific individuals and the organization as a whole; the community perspective will identify and explain one specific social problem that exists within the case study community. I. Individual Perspective There are number of organizational changes such as anticipatory, reactive, incremental, strategic, as well as changes through tuning, adaptation, reorientation and recreation. These changes are unavoidable in human organizations and have consequences for the way that individuals respond. Human responses in this changing environment are diverse. In this regard, anticipatory changes are characterized by the changes in an organization that can be anticipated and can be prepared for by virtue of planning and proactive strategies. Reactive changes refer to changes made in response to an unanticipated situation within the organization. Incremental changes occur by virtue of the introduction of new subsystems to the organization’s constructs; while strategic changes take place when an alteration in the organiz ation results in the application of a new strategy as a means of taking the organization in a more appropriate direction. Individuals respond to these changes in diverse ways; some may respond with unrealistic optimism or feelings of shock on acceptance of the reality of the situation or they can view those changes as constructive institutional direction. These responses manifest in different ways, such as laughing off the changes or regarding them with suspicion or by simply accepting those changes without question. Essentially organizational change or any alteration to normative structures can be perceived differently by individuals. II. Strength of main characters Amy’s strength is her academic background and knowledge of social issues; as a white female academic, she took a year-long sabbatical in order to connect her academic experience with the practical reality of working in the field. She was determined to expose the link between the university’s social work pr ogram and the community’s social work. With this motivation, Amy joined the health agency and began work as an assistant to the receptionist, a post she felt provided an effective opportunity for her to become more acquainted with the staff members and clientele. She also thought it could help her learn about the structural premise of the organization such as its objectives, health programs and other projects and services. During her post Amy became familiar with a project designed

Do violent video games cause behaviour problems Essay

Do violent video games cause behaviour problems - Essay Example Kids, teens and adults all play these games and enjoy to the hilt, but various studies have shown that such violent game play affects the human mind rather severely. Teens suffering from various peer problems take out their frustration over these games and become more and more holed up by being in front of their computers or Playstation the whole day. Although video games are a great and innovative invention, every technology has its positive and negative aspects. Parents should guide their children in the correct manner to help them stay unaffected by the fictional world they are shown in these games. Also, the game makers at large should also keep in mind the dire aspects of their games and try and mellow them down a bit. As so many youngsters swear by such video games, they are a great way of teaching them so many useful things by developing games with a more practical storyline, and which involve something much more than just people blowing their heads

Modern states in the Middle East are the product of colonial violence Essay

Modern states in the Middle East are the product of colonial violence. Discuss with reference to two countries in the region - Essay Example The earlier caliphate and later empires and sultanates were the political factors that unified Muslims before colonialism (Khadduri 1951, p. 11). Colonialism is to blame for the rise in the ‘nation-state’. This is majorly because the colonizers used arbitrary and ad hoc means to create nation-states that were only meant to serve some of their particular interests. Good examples to explain this concept are how Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Jordan were created. Kuwait was created as a result of the interest that the British had in the oil that was present in the Persian Gulf. Lebanon, on the other hand, was carved out of Syria to create a state that was friendly to Arab Christians. In the case of Jordan, it was created as a present to King Abdullah for the assistance he offered to the British during the 1st World War (Khalil 1990, p. 54). The manner in which most of these territories were being re-carved led to increased tensions that were centered on the territorial, l inguistic and ethnic differences that existed among Muslims previously. With this in mind, it is correct to point out that modern states in the Middle East are a product of colonial violence. This paper will discuss this notion with a focus on how Iraq and Syria were created as a result of colonial violence. ... From that day, Iraq was referred to as the â€Å"State of Iraq†. The state was to begin operating like an independent state because it was forced to break away from the ties that it had with the rest of the Middle East. The British went ahead and brought King Faisal, who was a Hashemite, to be the ruler of the new established State of Iraq. The French, who were the colonial masters in Syria, had forced Faisal out of Syria (Omissi 1990, p. 2). The British went further and appointed elites from the Sunni Arab people to head major government authorities and ministries. In 1932, Iraq was granted independence by the British after long persuasions by King Faisal. The British, however, did not give up the military bases or the transit rights for their troops. King Faisal died a year later, in 1933, and was succeeded by King Ghazi. During King Ghazi’s time, military coups were the order of the day. He eventually died in 1939 and was succeeded by his underage son (Tripp 2002, p. 28). Syria, on the other hand, has a unique history because some of its sections between 1098 and 1189 AD were under the Germans, Italians, English and French. This was mostly during the crusades that characterized that period. Previously, the region that is today Syria was under army of the Arab Rashidun in 640 AD (Batatu 1999, p. 21). After the period of the crusades, Syria was taken over by the Ottoman Empire in 1516. The French came in later in 1920 and established an independent Kingdom known as the Kingdom of Syria. The Kingdom which did not last for long was under the leadership of Faisal 1 who belonged to the Hashemite family. The Battle of Maysalun is blamed for the short existence of the Kingdom of Syria which only lasted a

Rat trap boat evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Rat trap boat evaluation - Essay Example Our initial focus will be to discuss the evaluation plan for the construction of the rat trap boat. The evaluation plan will cover the following areas: background, purpose, limitations, questions, methods, instrumentation, time line, and budget. The assignment for the creation of said rat trap boat was initially given in an Engineering and Construction course. The purpose of this project is to create a moving water vehicle that is powered only by the energy stored in the spring from a mouse trap. The following limitations will be set in place: a standard mousetrap, the spring on the mousetrap will be the sole power source, the spring on the mousetrap will be cut and bent, but no heat-treated or chemically alteration will occur, the maximum length of the boat will be 18’ (this does not include the lever arm), all materials used will be non-hazardous, and the vehicle will be self-starting and steer itself. In an attempt to answer these questions the following methodology will be used to create a rat trap boat. First I will cut the balsa wood into a ten inch by five inch rectangle. Then I will cut one end into a point, making a boat shape. I will then cut a four inch by two and a half inch notch into the other end. Next, I will make four three inch by one and a half inch rectangles out of the balsa wood for paddles. I will then cut the dowel down to six inches. I will then hot glue the paddles to the dowel, making sure they are centered and evenly spaced. I will then allow paddles to cool completely. The next major step will be to wrap wire around the dowel on one side of the paddle and twist with a wire cutter. I will then trim it to about one fourth of an inch to make an axle pin. Now it is time to attach a one inch wire in a loop to one side of the back of the boat shape by hot-gluing one end to the top of the wood and the other to the bottom. I will then slide the end of the dowel through the loop and attach the second one inch wire to the other side, around the dowel. It is now important to place the mousetrap on top of the boat shape on the same side as the axle pin. I will then hot glue the mousetrap in place. Then I will tie string to the axle pin and turn the dowel until I have about two feet of string wrapped around it. I will then tie the end of the string to the â€Å"jaw† of the mousetrap securely. I will then set the trap and tighten the string around the dowel. The final step will be to place the boat into the water and release the trap. The jaw should slowly begin to close, pulling the string and causing

Project management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Project management - Coursework Example According to Snedaker & Rogers (2006), for a project to be successful, it needs to have carefully designed programs, which provide a direction for the achievement of the project goals and objectives. In this regard, a program can be described as a series of different items, events or performances that guide the project’s implementation. Another important aspect of effective business management is portfolio management, which combines management activities for projects and programs. Portfolio management can be defined as the process of central management for one or many portfolios (Bonham 2005). These portfolios include such aspects as identifying, giving priority, authorizing and later management and controlling of programs, projects and different tasks that are linked towards achieving the broad goals of the business. As a manager in ABC Company, I have been tasked with ensuring that the company becomes successful in its operations. To achieve this, I have had to identify smaller projects that can be managed effectively in achieving the company’s mission and vision. Being a company that deals in software development, the staff has been grouped according to their professional experience and specialization into teams that manage certain projects (Bonham 2005). One of the projects being undertaken involves development of websites and online tools for our client. This project is undertaken by a team of technology experts, who come up with programs that guide the implementation of strategies in mangling the projects. A series of projects being undertaken in the company make up its portfolio. As a manager, my responsibility of often empowering the particular project managers to be successful in their projects, thus making the company successful. Each of these elements have people that head them, with a hierarchical structure of leadership that aids in communication and information flow vertically or horizontally for the success of the company. Wide