Censorship In Music Essays (861 words) - , Term Papers

Censorship In Music The first amendment to the Constitution contends that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of the press. In the past ten years especially, music has been under assault by law makers, prosecutors and critics of morality and taste. One attack on this freedom comes from parental advisory stickers. These stickers are used as a form of censorship against an artist and his or her lyrics. I feel that if a label will produce an album, there is no reason the consumer cannot decide for him or herself if lyrics contained in the album are found obscene or otherwise unsuitable. In order to begin the debate on whether or not parental advisory stickers serve as a form of censorship, one must consider what the word censor implies. The word censor defined by Webster dictionary means the power to suppress publications or excise any matter in them thought to be immoral, seditious or otherwise undesirables. The question of what constitutes proper language and obscenity has been greatly forced upon the music industry. The government oversteps the constitution in concluding on which lyrics are appropriate for children. Legislation on this topic has been in effect since the mid 1950's. Further legislation was not passed until 1985, when music labeling was voluntarily adopted by the Recording Industry of America. Later in 1990, although each company retained discretion regarding the labeling of specific records, the size, placement and wording of the logo were standardized. The current labeling consists of a black and white logo, fixed to the permanent packaging on th e bottom right hand corner. For all the controversy these stickers stir up, does it serve a practical use for protecting the young people of the nation. Parental advisory stickers, voluntary or mandatory, act as a form of censorship because the stickers effect the availability of a sound recording. More and more music stores are restricting the accessibility of works deemed to be offensive to one group of citizens or another. In 1992 it was announced that Ice T's song Cop Killer would not be in future albums, and that all existing albums would be recalled. Consequently, approximately 1,400 stores dropped the album. Many major retailers such as Woolworth's and K-mart will not purchase, and therefore not display, an album with any kind of parental advisory sticker on it. While it is true that legally these labels do not prohibit sales to anyone, the labels amount to an elegant form of censorship, elegant because it is censorship made to look like consumer information. (1) As controversial as records like Ice T and other artists who use either swears or sexually explicit material are, artistic pieces no matter what kink of message they send, or however unpopular they may be, are still protected by the first amendment to the constitution. The people who vote for and pass the laws prohibiting free speech are taking it upon themselves what they think is moral and right for the rest of the country. I feel I can make up my own mind about what type of music I listen to, how about you? One organization claiming to protect the children is the Parents Music Resource Center. At the center of the music labeling controversy, the P.M.R.C., feels that current levels of violence, racism, brutality towards women, drug and alcohol glamorization in music, lyrics, videos and stage shows need to be addressed through public discussion and debate. (2) The P.M.R.C. hopes to prohibit the sale of records to minors that contain lyrics about sex, drugs and alcohol, murder or suicide. If that were the case, even the bible may be labeled with a parental advisory sticker. With its descriptions about crucifications, stonings, and other primal methods of punishment. One must also take into consideration that no direct link between exposure to sexually explicit material and antisocial behavior or sexual violence has ever been established or proven.(3) Many organizations have been founded as a counter attack to the Parent's Music Resource Center. One group that works for freedom of expression call themselves, Parents of Rock and Rap. Members include students of all ages, parents, grandparents, college

Travel Industry Investigation

Travel Industry Investigation Introduction It is crucial for every new company to examine the industry to figure out its strengths and weaknesses. Such investigation is needed to analyze competitors, see if there are available positions on the market, and how hard it is to gain customers. Based on the results of the research, a company may develop a list of needed resources that are necessary for the success of chosen strategy.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Travel Industry Investigation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This kind of investigation allows a company to research technologies and methods that are being used by the competitors, and their effectiveness. The travel industry is as a set of various enterprises and organizations that provide numerous services. Competitive Environment The growth rate of the travel industry in the last few years has been extremely rapid. Currently, The United States and China are two leading countri es in this business. The travel industry has directly contributed $2,364.8B to the world’s GDP, and its total contribution was $7,580.9B in 2014 (Ali, 2015). These numbers are enormous and make travel business play a huge role in the global economy. This industry has supported 105,408,000 job spots, and it has invested $814,4B in 2014 (Ali, 2015). It is necessary for the industry to keep developing, so new jobs are created. Travel contributes to total GDP through such commodities as transportation and entertainment (Ali, 2015). This business is impacted by seasonality, and it is one of the core issues of this industry. There are so called high season and low season. Travel companies gain the most profit during the high season, and tickets are rarely bought during the low season. This happens because travelling is extremely dependent on changes in climate. Summer is often the most profitable season because of holidays and vacations. Some customers prefer to visit certain count ries during a particular time of year. The economic situation is also crucial because this industry is extremely sensitive to economic changes. Schoinas and OConnell (2011) state that the global economic recession has had a severe impact on the air transport industry (p. 354). This claim signifies that this industry still suffers from the consequences of the recession just like the others. There are sub-industries such as hotel chains, trade and transportation companies, travel agencies and others. The hospitality industry is one of the biggest sub-industries. It provides transportation, lodging, and other services. Some enterprises in the travel business develop technologies, some provide services, and some offer support to other companies.Advertising Looking for research paper on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Alliances and partnerships are often formed on beneficial terms to provide each ot her with a range of services. Overall, this industry is developing at an extremely fast rate, and it should not stop anytime soon. Expedia is the leader of this industry in the United States. Currently, it holds about 26% of the market share thanks to the acquisition of an innovative search engine (Trefis Team, 2014). The biggest competitor for Expedia is Orbitz Worldwide, and it holds 21 percents of market share based on the available data (Trefis Team, 2014). The next biggest competitors are Priceline and Travelocity. Their combined market share is around 95 percents, and it allows them to set the standards for other firms. Industry Environment Every single company in the travel industry chooses a primary group of clients and continues to focus on that group. Some prefer to offer their services to leisure travelers and others focus on business passengers. It is necessary for every company to select and focus on the particular target market. The determination of the target group is one of the biggest problems. The primary customers are those with average or high income. Every travelling company focuses on a selected group of clients and picks the position in the market. Robinson (2009) states that a review of its internal resources and competencies can enable the business to determine its future strategic direction (p. 114). Differently put, it is necessary to investigate the available resources for a company in the travel industry. The key suppliers are travel agencies. Currently, the market is stable because of new technologies. However, it is extremely prone to changes in the environment because it is extremely complex and not stable. Xiang and Formica (2007) state that the environment changes constantly and generates uncertainty for decision makers in the organizations that are responsible for identifying external opportunities and threats (p. 1194). This means that it is relatively hard for managers to develop strategies based on analyzed data, and becau se of this environmental scanning is often used. Key issues of this industry are problems with registration and problems with excessive emission. The whole industry is regulated by the government. The United States Environmental Protection Agency plans to set new emission standards because currently it is not controlled that well. Such regulations have a huge impact on the industry because travel companies may need to develop new technologies to meet the standards.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Travel Industry Investigation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Financial Aspects Total travel expenditures in the United States were $136,700B in 2014 (The World Bank, 2015). Average annual costs for information technologies are $20B each year. The average annual expenditures are ten percents of revenue. Schinasi (2003) claims that the market is stable if there is an absence of the kind of volatility that could hav e severe economic consequences (p. 4). In other words, the market stability is dependent on how prices vary. Multimodal Transport System, Hadoop tools, Mobile Retail Solution, Fully-Integrated Inflight Entertainment and Connectivity System, and Real Time Content are often deployed. Such systems are different, but they are implemented to enhance the experience of customers. The number of travel applications is enormous. Most of them are available on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. The most popular applications are entirely free, and paid applications often have better functionality. Such applications like Uber allow users to take a taxi from the phone in foreign countries (Talty, 2015). Similarly, Waze is an extremely useful GPS navigator that lets one to read traffic reports that were submitted by other users. WeatherPro is a great travel application for those interested in weather reports. A user is able to get detailed information about flight paths with FlightTrack. XE Currency is the leading application for currency conversion. Similarly, Converter Plus allows other types of operations besides the standard one. Entrain is a quite innovative applications that can help one to beat the jet lag. Packing Pro is extremely helpful because it suggests a list of items that you may want to pack for a vacation. Perfect World Clock is a great addition to the arsenal of applications for those who travel a lot, and it is hard for them to keep track of time zones. Skyscanner is a leader among booking applications. It allows its users to have a quick access to detailed information about price changes. Similarly, Hostelworld helps users to book cheap hotels and read customer reviews. Stayful lets one to find a hotel based on the budget and also helps with the process of negotiation. Google, MeteoGroup and Uber are the leading developers of this kind of applications. Overall, there are all kinds of travel applications, and they make visits to other countries much more comf ortable for the customers while being extremely profitable. Standards Standards are crucial for this industry because the safety of customers is of utmost importance. There are companies that focus on raising the standards in the travel business such as ABTA that functions for 65 years already. There are two standard bodies in this industry.Advertising Looking for research paper on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More International Air Transportation Association provides a range of protocols and other information that may be purchased. OnepTravel Alliance is another standard body that transfers information and supports various standards. NDC Program creates standards for communication for the whole industry. Trends and Innovation Currently, there are four technology trends in the travel industry: cloud enablement, social media explosion, the mobile revolution, and analytics (Peterson, 2014). The first trend allows companies to interact with the customers in entirely different ways because of changes in the way the data is accessed. Social media is a great way for travel companies to promote themselves, and it is an extremely useful when gathering information about the clients. The mobile revolution has led to dramatic changes in the way travelling is perceived. The positioning of the relatives is no longer a matter of concern because of new mobile services. New technologies allow customers to sha re their travelling experience with others via photos or blogs, and the profit of travel companies is increased as a result. The last trend is so important because it allows companies to have a better understanding of the recorded information. Predictions and strategies are developed based on the received data. New models of aircraft should also have an enormous impact on the industry. However, some companies like Southwest Airlines prefer to use only one type of jet airliners because fleet commonality has numerous advantages from the logistic and economic standpoint. Aircraft of the same kind is much easier to repair, and standard parts are easier to attain. Another important aspect that should be noted is that there is no need for additional training of employees if only a single type of aircraft is being used. However, there are limited opportunities for progression and development when the airline does not offer long range flights. Maintenance costs are enormous and hard to mana ge because of a number of flights that take place each day. Mobile and Internet services are game changers for this industry. Smartphones allow customers to order tickets at last possible minutes. There are mobile applications that guide users through a country in the way a human guide would. Web sites offer travel suggestions that are personalized based on the collected and analyzed data. All the information about travelling is available in real-time and can be easily accessed, and many customers find it extremely convenient. New technologies also allow companies to advertise their services in different, previously not possible ways. There are organizations that specialize in the development of new technologies for this industry. Google is one of the leaders because it offers a number of services such as the Google Maps and Google Now. Google Glass and Smartwatches are going to become a future of this business if they become more affordable for an average customer. Geolocation serv ices also have changed the industry. These services help users with keeping track of their positioning not just outside but even indoors. Visited locations are also remembered, and it is helpful in case of emergency. A possibility of space tourism should also significantly impact the industry. However, it is still in the relatively early stage of development. Tours to Europe are becoming increasingly more popular. There are such hot spots as Netherland, Iceland, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Germany, France and Slovakia. Also, there are countries that were always popular with tourists such as India, Japan and Costa Rica among others. Conclusion In conclusion, the travel industry is enormous, and there is always room for competition. It is paramount for the global economy because of its contribution to the world’s GDP and the number of job spots it currently supports. This business continues to grow at incredibly fast rates thanks to the introduction of new technologies and con tinuous increase in the interest of customers. Travelling is relatively affordable nowadays, and not the way it used to be years ago. Companies in this industry always develop new strategies and methods to make sure that the customers are satisfied. Clients of travelling companies prefer to stay loyal, and it is necessary to keep such customers. However, the industry’s economic sensitivity and the fact that it is so hugely impacted by seasonality prevent this industry from even further development. Nevertheless, the travel industry is huge, and it is the future of entertainment. References Ali, R. (2015). Five charts that explain the size of the global travel industry in 2015. Retrieved from http://skift.com/2015/04/13/five-charts-that-explain-the-size-of-the-global-travel-industry-in-2015/ Peterson, S. (2014). Four ways technology is reinventing the travel industry. Retrieved from forbes.com/sites/ibm/2014/09/29/four-ways-technology-is-reinventing-the-travel-industry/ Robins on, P. (2009). Operations management in the travel industry. Wallingford, UK: CABI. Schinasi, G. (2003). Responsibility of Central banks for stability in financial markets. Washington, DC.: International Monetary Fund. Schoinas, D., OConnell, J. (2011). The airline retail industry: a customers perspective. World Review of Intermodal Transportation Research, 3(4), 353-375. Talty, A. (2015). Best Travel Apps for 2015. Retrieved from forbes.com/sites/alexandratalty/2014/12/11/best-travel-apps-for-2015/ The World Bank. (2015). International tourism, expenditures (current US$). Retrieved from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ST.INT.XPND.CD Trefis Team (2014). Competitive landscape of the U.S. online travel market is transforming. Retrieved from forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2014/04/08/competitive-landscape-of-the-u-s-online-travel-market-is-transforming/ Xiang, Z., Formica, S. (2007). Mapping environmental change in tourism: A study of the incentive travel industry. Tourism Man agement, 28(5), 1193-1202.

What are the key ingredients of building a successful team Essay

What are the key ingredients of building a successful team - Essay Example The previous quotation summarized the process of building a team, as it is starting with two or more people interacting with one another, to accomplish an objective or goal through performing independent tasks, with individual accountability, per person evaluation focus and the rewards as well.Accomplishments that are made in the form of groups are much more satisfying for the employees and meaningful for the organization than individual’s achievement because this enlarges the scope of success and helps unite the members of the workforce. A team, on the other hand differs from a group particularly on its individual tendency, shared values and goals. The purpose behind forming any team is the search for success on the project assigned to its members. The following paragraphs highlight key ingredients that are necessarily required to build team spirit in the organizational personnel. Shared decision making: Managers should seek the opinions of all employees while making decision s. This tells the employees that their opinion is valued, and they feel respected. Also, quite often, employees become a very good source of information and provide managers with innovative ideas. Consulting them is always a good idea. This also males the employees feel themselves part of the larger organization. Foster collaboration and group rewards: Employees derive a lot of positive feelings from the success of the team. Accomplishments that are made in the form of groups are much more satisfying for the employees and meaningful for the organization than individual’s achievement... As a result of the interaction, all members of the team become aware of the current status of the work from all aspects. Employees may avail meetings as an opportunity to discuss the problematic areas with their colleagues or managers as required. Meetings grow much more in importance in such a work setup where employees work at distance and do not often get to meet one another. In order to make the meetings most beneficial, managers should try to incorporate virtual means of conducting meetings. These days, teleconferencing and videoconferencing are increasingly being employed as a means to conduct the meeting as they provide the participants with the facility to attend the meeting without having to cover long distances to reach the location decided for it. Clear roles and responsibilities: In order to make everyone do his/her part of the job, it is imperative that everybody is clearly made aware of his/her respective duties and job responsibilities. Incomplete knowledge of job resp onsibilities and limitations causes the employees to enter into dysfunctional conflicts with one another. The conflicts totally ruin their interrelationships and distort the bond among them. In order to make the work flow smoothly and without conflicts, managers should tell each and every employee his/her duty both in their individualistic and collective tasks. This also has many added advantages. This reduces the chances of duplication of effort by employees for achieving certain things. Likewise, it is made sure that no areas are left unaddressed. Support: There is no doubt in the fact that everyone needs help, so there should be no shame in asking for